November 21, 2025 • 13 mins
On this week's mini sode cohost and veteran music journalist Steve Baltin, shares one of the key secrets to why everyone from ASAP Rocky to Travis Barker has been a friend and fan -- being a music fan! He talks about the importance of supporting emerging artists, like Izzy Escobar, and taking a chance on new music.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, how's it going. It is Steve Balton and welcome
to minnisode of in Service. Up for every Friday, either
stay Bava or I or both of us, we'll talk
about what's happening in the music world, and what's happening
in the music world is it is low right now,
(00:27):
you know, around Thanksgiving and in December, it's really the
only downtime in the music industry. That's why I have
joked for many, many years my favorite week in la
is a week between Christmas and New Year's because it's
the only freaking week to get off in the music industry.
(00:48):
So around this time is when you start looking back
at the best of twenty twenty five or looking ahead
to the new year. And we will talk about the
best of this year, because there was a lot of
great music this year, and there's a lot to look
forward to next year as well, including some amazing tours
(01:08):
that I'm excited about. But you know, for the moment,
let's talk about how fucking broken the music industry. Is.
One thing that people don't want to do anymore is
they love to talk music, but they don't support new artists.
And it's a really weird thing because I remember seeing
(01:31):
the National, who's one of my favorite bands of all
time because my ex wife loved them, at the Echoplex,
then at the Troubadour Small Clubs in LA then Headlighting
Long Bluesa headlighting the Hollywood Bowl. And there's a great
feeling of pride in watching a band grow and watching
(01:52):
them become stars, and in a way you kind of
feel ownership. Now let's clarify that, because people in twenty
twenty six can be fucking nuts. You don't actually own
an artist, you don't own a band, you don't own equity,
and they owe nothing to you. But you do feel
pride in the way that they've grown and you've watched
(02:13):
them develop. And for some reason that seems to have
dissipated because people don't really like people just follow songs.
And I remember I was the first national interview Counting
Crows ever did after I saw them in the early
nineties play a benefit the Roxy where Robbie Robertson the
(02:34):
lid Hall of Famer from the band brought them on
stage and they did round Here and fucking blew the
place away, And then I interviewed them for Detour magazine.
Then I was the third interview that the Apple ever did.
And Fianna, by the way, is still probably like one
of the greatest artists of the century. She doesn't put
(02:56):
out Munch music, but everything she does is inanely interesting,
insanely ambitious, and she is a true badass artist and
not answering to anybody but herself. Brilliant artists, and again,
having been there at the beginning, I take great pride
(03:17):
and people should really support emerging artists. The industry is
not necessarily as much fans, but the industry as a
whole really does not because everybody's too chicken shit. Everybody's
afraid of either losing their job. So what if you
take a chance on a new artist and they suck,
or everybody you know is following clicks in media and
(03:42):
it's like, well, wait, you know who is this person covered?
Who's covered them? Dude? Take a chance be first. Just
some fucking pride. So I've started doing for for us,
where I write a lot of articles on new artists.
And it's really funny because although I hate social media,
(04:05):
I was on Instagram and just randomly in my feed
say this. A Dutch artist named Isabelle van Gelder and
was like, holy shit, what is this? Reached out to
her on DM we did an interview, became friends, and
then because I did her first American interview, a new
artist by the name of Izi Escobar wrote to me
(04:28):
and said, I wouldn't think you would do new artists,
but I saw your piece. Izzy's gonna blow up fucking huge.
She's gonna be massive in twenty twenty six. And I
did like her first big national interview, and when she's
all over the place and Vendetta is already over three
million streams, then I'm gonna have this great sense of
(04:49):
pride of like, yeah, I was early on that shit,
because again I was willing to take a chance. In December,
I'm doing one with an artist by the name of
John White, who's also so awesome. I mean, there have
been so many of these, and I really enjoy doing
new artists, and I really enjoy the partying artists, and
(05:10):
it's really fucked up for the industry does not do this.
So starting you know, in December, we will occasionally be
bringing new artists on Friday, and we will continue to
support those and I encourage you to go out and
see these people, because to see them in the small
clubs before, like in the case of Iusy, they blow
(05:33):
up fucking huge, it's going to be really exciting. And again,
every time I see the National on a huge stage,
it's a great feeling to know that I saw them
in a tiny club to begin with, you know, And
there are so many bands where that's true. And again,
I think that there should be a great sense of
(05:54):
pride in supporting someone early on, watching them blow up,
and watching him blow up deservedly. I mean, you know,
I'm trying to think of some other examples over the
course of my career. It's funny. There was a wonderful
band called the Prayer Boat that was the only band
I ever reviewed for both the La Times in Chicago Tribune.
(06:18):
And you know, did they take off? No? Am, I
still glad I didn't buck. Yeah. You know, music should
be something that you are excited about if you're not,
if people ask me all the time, you know, like
about the success I've had. And it's funny. I was
interviewing someone else, great Peter Woolf from Jay Giles Band,
(06:41):
and he was talking about my enthusiasm and if you're
not a fan, go home, call it today quit you know,
if you're gonna work around music, you need to be
a fan first, and that should come from Newark. And
part of being a fan is to discovering new artists.
(07:01):
It's funny. My favorite album of the year yet again
is Noah Cyrus. I adore Noah as a person as well.
She's an insanely talented songwriter. And it's funny because I mean,
I like her sister. I've met her sister, but I
(07:22):
didn't expect to like. It's not stuff I would listen
to at home, so I didn't expect to be a fan.
And the Grammys asked me to write about Noah the
year she was nominated for Best New Artists, and I
listened to it and I was like, holy fuck, this
is incredible. And you should always have that feeling of
(07:42):
you know, this is incredible, and when you hear something
you like, then get excited. When Noah's sent me the
new album, I put it on immediately because I couldn't
wait to hear it. Every Springsteen record I got this
year of the box sets. When I got the seven
CD box set, I listened to all eighty four songs
(08:05):
into twenty four hour periods. I love Springsteen. My all
time favorite artist. And I'm still waiting on my damn interview,
by the way, and not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
After eighty four songs in twenty four hours, I was
good for a minute. I was Springsteen out, which I
didn't think was possible, but still I couldn't wait to
listen to all of that stuff songs in there. I
really loved, you know that we've become new favorites, you know,
songs that would have a similar effect to me, like
(08:38):
Racing in the Streets BA Backstreets, Ice Man, which is
a hidden Springsteen song. I fucking love you know, And
every time new music comes in from an artist, I love,
you know. And that's how I ended up interviewing, for example,
Sam Ryder, who I knew nothing about, will be on
an upcoming podcast, but I heard this and I was like,
(09:00):
holy shit, this is amazing. You know, other great albums
right now Florence and the Machine, And that takes us
into the twenty twenty six tour, which I cannot wait
for because Florence is one of the greatest live artists
in the world. Incredible artist, incredible energy on stage, so
(09:21):
I'm kind of going all over the place. But the
thing that ties us all together is being a music
fan and supporting artists and really being excited by music.
It's not just a fandom, you know. It's like knowing,
just like breathing music. And it's really funny too, because
(09:45):
I remember so many years ago I saw nine Inch
Nails at the hard Rock of Tellen Dagas as part
of the Hard Rocks tenth anniversary. And I was there
at the show and it.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Was funny because I had extra ticket and I gave
it to some like girl who was like fifteen or sixteen.
The guy could have called sold it, and I was like,
fuck no, I wanted to go to a fan. So
she happened to be near me in VIP and I
mean I didn't know her for anything, but I was like, well,
(10:19):
I want to take it to go to a real fan.
While I was up there, Dave Navarro came over to
me and was like, oh my god, this is so good.
I want to quit music. And Mike Shanoda came over
Ben said it's so good, I want to cry. And
this girl just looks at me and goes, she goes,
(10:39):
oh my god, what is your job? But it's not
my job. They knew that I was a huge nine
inch nails van. They knew that I was experiencing it
feeling the same thing they did, that I was just
blown away by it, that I was excited by it,
that everything that was happening on stage. And by the way,
(11:01):
that is one of the twenty twenty six tours. I'm
by far most looking for a team because if you've
never seen nine and Channels live, it will change your
fucking life. It is amazing. So I encourage you to
go out and support live music. I encourage you especially
to take a chance on new artists because I'm telling
you right now, you know, go see is the Escobar
(11:24):
now while she's playing in the small club, because a
year from now, she's gonna be like Somber, playing these
much bigger venues, and you're gonna be like, fuck, why
didn't I see her at the hotel cafe or why
didn't I see her at the Bluno or someplace small
like that. You know, and that's true of all artists
(11:46):
that you can see in small venues. Take a chance
on new artis. I'm sure that you have your artists
that are her favorite, that you supported for years, that
you enjoy and you know, it's so funny. I've talked
to so many artists over the years about the idea
of quote unquote selling outs. You know, you become successful
(12:08):
and people think you sell out, which is the stupidest
shit in the world. Of course, you're making music to
be heard now, as I always tell people, if you're
making music for everyone to like it, you're fucking doing
it wrong. But if you are making music that's honest
and open and vulnerable to yourself, and then you know,
(12:29):
in the case of like Lave, who I interviewed before
the first album came out, then a year later you're
headlining the Hollywood Bowl and arenas around the world. Good
for you. You've made it or the way that you should.
You've released great music, you've been true to yourself, you're
having fun doing it, and that's how it should be.
(12:52):
So before these artists are playing the Hollywood Bowl and
tickets are a thousand dollars and then you can't fucking
get in, and you're like when and I see them,
go to small club, go see bands in small places,
you know, and enjoy those shows. And I will talk
to you later on so many great upcoming podcasts that
(13:13):
you see it. Thanks
Hey, how's it going. It is Steve Balton and welcome
to minnisode of in Service. Up for every Friday, either
stay Bava or I or both of us, we'll talk
about what's happening in the music world, and what's happening
in the music world is it is low right now,
(00:27):
you know, around Thanksgiving and in December, it's really the
only downtime in the music industry. That's why I have
joked for many, many years my favorite week in la
is a week between Christmas and New Year's because it's
the only freaking week to get off in the music industry.
(00:48):
So around this time is when you start looking back
at the best of twenty twenty five or looking ahead
to the new year. And we will talk about the
best of this year, because there was a lot of
great music this year, and there's a lot to look
forward to next year as well, including some amazing tours
(01:08):
that I'm excited about. But you know, for the moment,
let's talk about how fucking broken the music industry. Is.
One thing that people don't want to do anymore is
they love to talk music, but they don't support new artists.
And it's a really weird thing because I remember seeing
(01:31):
the National, who's one of my favorite bands of all
time because my ex wife loved them, at the Echoplex,
then at the Troubadour Small Clubs in LA then Headlighting
Long Bluesa headlighting the Hollywood Bowl. And there's a great
feeling of pride in watching a band grow and watching
(01:52):
them become stars, and in a way you kind of
feel ownership. Now let's clarify that, because people in twenty
twenty six can be fucking nuts. You don't actually own
an artist, you don't own a band, you don't own equity,
and they owe nothing to you. But you do feel
pride in the way that they've grown and you've watched
(02:13):
them develop. And for some reason that seems to have
dissipated because people don't really like people just follow songs.
And I remember I was the first national interview Counting
Crows ever did after I saw them in the early
nineties play a benefit the Roxy where Robbie Robertson the
(02:34):
lid Hall of Famer from the band brought them on
stage and they did round Here and fucking blew the
place away, And then I interviewed them for Detour magazine.
Then I was the third interview that the Apple ever did.
And Fianna, by the way, is still probably like one
of the greatest artists of the century. She doesn't put
(02:56):
out Munch music, but everything she does is inanely interesting,
insanely ambitious, and she is a true badass artist and
not answering to anybody but herself. Brilliant artists, and again,
having been there at the beginning, I take great pride
(03:17):
and people should really support emerging artists. The industry is
not necessarily as much fans, but the industry as a
whole really does not because everybody's too chicken shit. Everybody's
afraid of either losing their job. So what if you
take a chance on a new artist and they suck,
or everybody you know is following clicks in media and
(03:42):
it's like, well, wait, you know who is this person covered?
Who's covered them? Dude? Take a chance be first. Just
some fucking pride. So I've started doing for for us,
where I write a lot of articles on new artists.
And it's really funny because although I hate social media,
(04:05):
I was on Instagram and just randomly in my feed
say this. A Dutch artist named Isabelle van Gelder and
was like, holy shit, what is this? Reached out to
her on DM we did an interview, became friends, and
then because I did her first American interview, a new
artist by the name of Izi Escobar wrote to me
(04:28):
and said, I wouldn't think you would do new artists,
but I saw your piece. Izzy's gonna blow up fucking huge.
She's gonna be massive in twenty twenty six. And I
did like her first big national interview, and when she's
all over the place and Vendetta is already over three
million streams, then I'm gonna have this great sense of
(04:49):
pride of like, yeah, I was early on that shit,
because again I was willing to take a chance. In December,
I'm doing one with an artist by the name of
John White, who's also so awesome. I mean, there have
been so many of these, and I really enjoy doing
new artists, and I really enjoy the partying artists, and
(05:10):
it's really fucked up for the industry does not do this.
So starting you know, in December, we will occasionally be
bringing new artists on Friday, and we will continue to
support those and I encourage you to go out and
see these people, because to see them in the small
clubs before, like in the case of Iusy, they blow
(05:33):
up fucking huge, it's going to be really exciting. And again,
every time I see the National on a huge stage,
it's a great feeling to know that I saw them
in a tiny club to begin with, you know, And
there are so many bands where that's true. And again,
I think that there should be a great sense of
(05:54):
pride in supporting someone early on, watching them blow up,
and watching him blow up deservedly. I mean, you know,
I'm trying to think of some other examples over the
course of my career. It's funny. There was a wonderful
band called the Prayer Boat that was the only band
I ever reviewed for both the La Times in Chicago Tribune.
(06:18):
And you know, did they take off? No? Am, I
still glad I didn't buck. Yeah. You know, music should
be something that you are excited about if you're not,
if people ask me all the time, you know, like
about the success I've had. And it's funny. I was
interviewing someone else, great Peter Woolf from Jay Giles Band,
(06:41):
and he was talking about my enthusiasm and if you're
not a fan, go home, call it today quit you know,
if you're gonna work around music, you need to be
a fan first, and that should come from Newark. And
part of being a fan is to discovering new artists.
(07:01):
It's funny. My favorite album of the year yet again
is Noah Cyrus. I adore Noah as a person as well.
She's an insanely talented songwriter. And it's funny because I mean,
I like her sister. I've met her sister, but I
(07:22):
didn't expect to like. It's not stuff I would listen
to at home, so I didn't expect to be a fan.
And the Grammys asked me to write about Noah the
year she was nominated for Best New Artists, and I
listened to it and I was like, holy fuck, this
is incredible. And you should always have that feeling of
(07:42):
you know, this is incredible, and when you hear something
you like, then get excited. When Noah's sent me the
new album, I put it on immediately because I couldn't
wait to hear it. Every Springsteen record I got this
year of the box sets. When I got the seven
CD box set, I listened to all eighty four songs
(08:05):
into twenty four hour periods. I love Springsteen. My all
time favorite artist. And I'm still waiting on my damn interview,
by the way, and not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
After eighty four songs in twenty four hours, I was
good for a minute. I was Springsteen out, which I
didn't think was possible, but still I couldn't wait to
listen to all of that stuff songs in there. I
really loved, you know that we've become new favorites, you know,
songs that would have a similar effect to me, like
(08:38):
Racing in the Streets BA Backstreets, Ice Man, which is
a hidden Springsteen song. I fucking love you know, And
every time new music comes in from an artist, I love,
you know. And that's how I ended up interviewing, for example,
Sam Ryder, who I knew nothing about, will be on
an upcoming podcast, but I heard this and I was like,
(09:00):
holy shit, this is amazing. You know, other great albums
right now Florence and the Machine, And that takes us
into the twenty twenty six tour, which I cannot wait
for because Florence is one of the greatest live artists
in the world. Incredible artist, incredible energy on stage, so
(09:21):
I'm kind of going all over the place. But the
thing that ties us all together is being a music
fan and supporting artists and really being excited by music.
It's not just a fandom, you know. It's like knowing,
just like breathing music. And it's really funny too, because
(09:45):
I remember so many years ago I saw nine Inch
Nails at the hard Rock of Tellen Dagas as part
of the Hard Rocks tenth anniversary. And I was there
at the show and it.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Was funny because I had extra ticket and I gave
it to some like girl who was like fifteen or sixteen.
The guy could have called sold it, and I was like,
fuck no, I wanted to go to a fan. So
she happened to be near me in VIP and I
mean I didn't know her for anything, but I was like, well,
(10:19):
I want to take it to go to a real fan.
While I was up there, Dave Navarro came over to
me and was like, oh my god, this is so good.
I want to quit music. And Mike Shanoda came over
Ben said it's so good, I want to cry. And
this girl just looks at me and goes, she goes,
(10:39):
oh my god, what is your job? But it's not
my job. They knew that I was a huge nine
inch nails van. They knew that I was experiencing it
feeling the same thing they did, that I was just
blown away by it, that I was excited by it,
that everything that was happening on stage. And by the way,
(11:01):
that is one of the twenty twenty six tours. I'm
by far most looking for a team because if you've
never seen nine and Channels live, it will change your
fucking life. It is amazing. So I encourage you to
go out and support live music. I encourage you especially
to take a chance on new artists because I'm telling
you right now, you know, go see is the Escobar
(11:24):
now while she's playing in the small club, because a
year from now, she's gonna be like Somber, playing these
much bigger venues, and you're gonna be like, fuck, why
didn't I see her at the hotel cafe or why
didn't I see her at the Bluno or someplace small
like that. You know, and that's true of all artists
(11:46):
that you can see in small venues. Take a chance
on new artis. I'm sure that you have your artists
that are her favorite, that you supported for years, that
you enjoy and you know, it's so funny. I've talked
to so many artists over the years about the idea
of quote unquote selling outs. You know, you become successful
(12:08):
and people think you sell out, which is the stupidest
shit in the world. Of course, you're making music to
be heard now, as I always tell people, if you're
making music for everyone to like it, you're fucking doing
it wrong. But if you are making music that's honest
and open and vulnerable to yourself, and then you know,
(12:29):
in the case of like Lave, who I interviewed before
the first album came out, then a year later you're
headlining the Hollywood Bowl and arenas around the world. Good
for you. You've made it or the way that you should.
You've released great music, you've been true to yourself, you're
having fun doing it, and that's how it should be.
(12:52):
So before these artists are playing the Hollywood Bowl and
tickets are a thousand dollars and then you can't fucking
get in, and you're like when and I see them,
go to small club, go see bands in small places,
you know, and enjoy those shows. And I will talk
to you later on so many great upcoming podcasts that
(13:13):
you see it. Thanks
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.