October 25, 2023 • 13 mins
In this episode, we delve deeper into the world of R&B and soul sensation Goapele. She opens up about how she approaches financial discussions with her own children, providing valuable insights into the importance of financial education within families. We also explore the fascinating journey of her independent record label, Skyblaze Recordings, and how this venture became a cornerstone of her financial understanding.
Host IG:@itstanyatime
Guest IG: @goapele
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks to MasterCard for sponsoring this episode. Head to MasterCard
dot com Backslash small Bids to learn how they're amplifying
and supporting black women entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What I tell up incoming artists now, like, if you
just put in the work and make your stuff like
as strong as it can be, build your audience, perform
for free at the right places in the beginning, because
that's building your brand. Don't trip off the money. The
money will come. Then it's going to put you in
(00:32):
more of a power position instead of like just trying
to advertise yourself to the industry, just waiting for a
big break.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiasts, and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week we talk with us
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(01:02):
how they are making their money move. If you're someone
who's looking to make your money move, you're in the
right place, So open up your notes app and lock
us in because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to remind you to check us out at gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:26):
me on all things social at It's Tanya. Time to
stay locked in too, new episode Moneymovers. Please join us
and welcoming the talented Gooppola to the show. Hello, Hello,
We're still on this idea of mindset and kids.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Like you are mother, you have children. How do you
talk to.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Your children now about finances? Is it more high level
or do you find that they're well.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
My daughter's on a whole weather level.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
She's sixteen, she's a junior in high school and she's
like taking you know, a course like her dad enrolled
her in a course in investing. The school goes to,
you know, in their math class, realistic budgets of when
(02:16):
you're in college, how are you going to live? How
are you going to save for rent? How are you
going to pay off you know, loans if you have that,
how are you going to pay for a car? And
think of think of math, practical way of financially thriving
and having.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
A sustainable life.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I don't remember thinking about that kind of stuff, you
know what I mean until I needed to have it
figured out. And so I think just an understanding of that.
You know, she's a little entrepreneur, like she's business when
she was eight years old, you know, and I would
walk her to the toy store so she could sell
it to them and give them inventory. But she was
(02:56):
so motivated she would talk to them herself, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Like making rings.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Now, so she's she you know, grew up seeing the
entrepreneurial spirit and she's like up leveling it. So I
feel like Nation is starting is a different place. You know.
Like my parents and I we didn't really talk about
(03:22):
finances that much until like later on, you know, and
kind of an comforable conversation.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And yeah, so I've had to learn to be more
comfortable with it. But I think.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Having an independent record label and just like owning a business,
there's just like so many things that you have to
think about all the way through, and so you know,
it kind of educated me on the on the.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Job over the past few years.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So let's take us back to you know, it's two
decades ago, I guess, and tell us when you first
founded your the and what was that like, Because the
landscape of the music.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Industry has dramatically changed.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So I feel like twenty years ago you were there
were people doing it, but you know, this was a
real risk.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
There wasn't a lot of blueprints.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
For how to do this, especially as a female and
not trying to genderize it. So tell us about how
you decided to take that make that decision.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, for one thing, coming from the Bay Area, I
feel like it's such an independent minded you know. So
I got to see hieroglyphics and Soul's a Mischief, you know,
run their label, and that's who we actually got distributed by.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
In the beginning.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I got to see artists like Martin Luther and let
us See and e Ford Too Short. There was just
a little bit more of that independent spirit already in
the Bay Area, so it was a little more normal.
But it definitely started from the most basic level.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It wasn't like we have all this money, what are
we gonna do? It was kind of like, I have
this music that I believe in. I don't know what
the lane is. I don't know how like it's kind
of soul, it's kind of R and B. It's kind
of it's hip hop influence, but it has some jazz notes,
(05:21):
Like how is this gonna be marketed?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And I was so.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Worried about being misunderstood in the industry and being exploited
as a woman that I look like I really want
to put out this music, but I am afraid of
trying to get discovered, Like how what what do I do?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
And I remember my brother was like, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
What, we need to just build it and then the
industry come to us, like there's a demand for the supply.
So it's like, you don't have to prove yourself as
much if you can lay some ground where and like
what I tell up and coming artists now, like if
you just put in the work and make your stuff
(06:08):
like as strong as it can be, build your audience,
perform for free at the right places in the beginning,
because that's building your brand. Don't trip off the money.
The money will come. Then it's gonna put you in
more of a power position instead of like just trying
to advertise yourself to the indust just waiting for a
(06:31):
big break, you knowing all of someone else's money.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yes, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Right, that's a different thing if you're using someone else's money,
go back. So I think for us, it was like, Okay,
I'm gonna start doing these shows locally. What if we
press up because you know, there wasn't the digital things,
like what if we press up a thousand CDs? That
seemed like a lot at the time, coming from nothing,
(07:00):
and we like, you know, my boyfriend, my partner at
the time, like was doing all this amazing graphic design work,
like we fundraise to friends and family private just to
get those first thousand CDs pressed, to sell it shows
and to sell it consignment at local record stores.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Wow, they'd be like, okay, I'll buy two copies.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Talk about but I was still like put their line too,
And let me tell you when those sold out, we
were like, okay, now we can re up and sell
press two thousand CDs. And then the stores were like, oh,
these are selling, we'd like to get two boxes.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Do you know how happy I was? Oh? Of course
after that.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I don't know somehow we got to like sixty five thousand,
but I thinkributed through hieroglyphics helped us through Red Right
and people like Violet Brown were like, I want to
get you know, stocked up in all the warehouse stores,
and so it really was like every every little thing
(08:14):
was like a small victory when yeah, we had to
look at it like that, not like the larger industry
standards will be like if you don't sell over one
hundred thousand in the first week, it's a failure. And
it was like, it's an accomplishment to sell any amounts,
Like for real, if you sell out any amount, that's
(08:35):
an accomplishment. And I just kind of had to let
my self have like small wins along the way and
just let it keep growing. And so I think in
the very beginning we weren't even officially Skyways Recordings. And
then after we were selling you know, more than a
couple thousand CDs, it's like, we should start.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
To be a label.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
We need to make all of this the official, and
you know, we kind of built it as it grew.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Do you remember was there like a pivotal point where
you sort of looked left, looked right and we're like,
oh my gosh, I'm really doing this, Like was there
a day or a memory that really marks this time?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, I remember, this is kind of an odd one,
but I remember I used to listen to the countdown
on KMEO. That was the biggest station in the Bay Area,
and you know, Big Von and Chewy just different people
like really have my back and we were linked in
to the DJ world out there. But I remember they
(09:38):
had like the seven at seven and so and it
Closer wasn't even the original single at first. It was
this other song, Childhood Drama. Closer was like the B
side just to be like, this is the vibe of
the album. Happened to resonate with people, which was another
important lesson to me in like connecting authentic with the audience,
(10:01):
like let them choose instead of assuming what would do
well in this business. So interesting, yeah, be like one
of the most honest songs for me. That translated. But
I remember listening to that seven at seven and it
was like charting for that week. Let's say it was
(10:21):
the seventh song, and then it was like moving.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Into fifth song, blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And then there was this night where it got all
the way up to you know, they're like this is
the number two song, and it was like Closer wasn't
on there, and I was like, dang, goodwill it lasted?
You know? It was like with number two, like and
then it was number one, and I just remember I
was like in my mom's house and just I remember
(10:50):
listening to that, and to.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Me, it was just so affirming.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah yeah, of like something here is like resonating and
something here is working, and it got to be on
our terms and it got to be something that was
so authentic for me, and it just gave me, I
don't know, more faith in it opened doors for me.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Oh what a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
And to be able to look back and just just.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
To remember that and feel it, and.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
You know, I just I have to impress on our
money mover's audience. Like this was also such a dramatically
different time than what we see music being now where
you know, but it was sort of like gorilla music marketing.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
You're out there literally.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Taking your own CDs from two record stores. Are you
going to buy a couple? Because that's how we had
to get it or we had to take songs of
the race. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh there was no social there was no like flat
Yeah I could be like going to share something because
I feel like it. That just wasn't the case. It
was all like corporate owned or you know, I mean
I was also Unity stations and got support from them
in college and stuff. But still now for everyone to
(12:10):
have like their own channels, it's completely different.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Thanks for listening to today's episode. If we helped you
make your money move, please share it with your community,
Subscribe and leave us a review on iHeartRadio and Apple podcasts.
Follow us on social media at Greenwood and visit us
at Gogreenwood dot com for more financial tips and remember,
money movers, If this.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Were easy, everyone would do it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
So take the lessons you've learned from this episode and
apply it to your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio
podcast powered by Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc.
For more podcasts on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Make sure to.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Tune in Monday, Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the
Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood, so that you too
can have the keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve.
Until next time,
Thanks to MasterCard for sponsoring this episode. Head to MasterCard
dot com Backslash small Bids to learn how they're amplifying
and supporting black women entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What I tell up incoming artists now, like, if you
just put in the work and make your stuff like
as strong as it can be, build your audience, perform
for free at the right places in the beginning, because
that's building your brand. Don't trip off the money. The
money will come. Then it's going to put you in
(00:32):
more of a power position instead of like just trying
to advertise yourself to the industry, just waiting for a
big break.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiasts, and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week we talk with us
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(01:02):
how they are making their money move. If you're someone
who's looking to make your money move, you're in the
right place, So open up your notes app and lock
us in because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to remind you to check us out at gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:26):
me on all things social at It's Tanya. Time to
stay locked in too, new episode Moneymovers. Please join us
and welcoming the talented Gooppola to the show. Hello, Hello,
We're still on this idea of mindset and kids.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Like you are mother, you have children. How do you
talk to.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Your children now about finances? Is it more high level
or do you find that they're well.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
My daughter's on a whole weather level.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
She's sixteen, she's a junior in high school and she's
like taking you know, a course like her dad enrolled
her in a course in investing. The school goes to,
you know, in their math class, realistic budgets of when
(02:16):
you're in college, how are you going to live? How
are you going to save for rent? How are you
going to pay off you know, loans if you have that,
how are you going to pay for a car? And
think of think of math, practical way of financially thriving
and having.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
A sustainable life.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I don't remember thinking about that kind of stuff, you
know what I mean until I needed to have it
figured out. And so I think just an understanding of that.
You know, she's a little entrepreneur, like she's business when
she was eight years old, you know, and I would
walk her to the toy store so she could sell
it to them and give them inventory. But she was
(02:56):
so motivated she would talk to them herself, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Like making rings.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Now, so she's she you know, grew up seeing the
entrepreneurial spirit and she's like up leveling it. So I
feel like Nation is starting is a different place. You know.
Like my parents and I we didn't really talk about
(03:22):
finances that much until like later on, you know, and
kind of an comforable conversation.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
And yeah, so I've had to learn to be more
comfortable with it. But I think.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Having an independent record label and just like owning a business,
there's just like so many things that you have to
think about all the way through, and so you know,
it kind of educated me on the on the.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Job over the past few years.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
So let's take us back to you know, it's two
decades ago, I guess, and tell us when you first
founded your the and what was that like, Because the
landscape of the music.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Industry has dramatically changed.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So I feel like twenty years ago you were there
were people doing it, but you know, this was a
real risk.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
There wasn't a lot of blueprints.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
For how to do this, especially as a female and
not trying to genderize it. So tell us about how
you decided to take that make that decision.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, for one thing, coming from the Bay Area, I
feel like it's such an independent minded you know. So
I got to see hieroglyphics and Soul's a Mischief, you know,
run their label, and that's who we actually got distributed by.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
In the beginning.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I got to see artists like Martin Luther and let
us See and e Ford Too Short. There was just
a little bit more of that independent spirit already in
the Bay Area, so it was a little more normal.
But it definitely started from the most basic level.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It wasn't like we have all this money, what are
we gonna do? It was kind of like, I have
this music that I believe in. I don't know what
the lane is. I don't know how like it's kind
of soul, it's kind of R and B. It's kind
of it's hip hop influence, but it has some jazz notes,
(05:21):
Like how is this gonna be marketed?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And I was so.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Worried about being misunderstood in the industry and being exploited
as a woman that I look like I really want
to put out this music, but I am afraid of
trying to get discovered, Like how what what do I do?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
And I remember my brother was like, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
What, we need to just build it and then the
industry come to us, like there's a demand for the supply.
So it's like, you don't have to prove yourself as
much if you can lay some ground where and like
what I tell up and coming artists now, like if
you just put in the work and make your stuff
(06:08):
like as strong as it can be, build your audience,
perform for free at the right places in the beginning,
because that's building your brand. Don't trip off the money.
The money will come. Then it's gonna put you in
more of a power position instead of like just trying
to advertise yourself to the indust just waiting for a
(06:31):
big break, you knowing all of someone else's money.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yes, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Right, that's a different thing if you're using someone else's money,
go back. So I think for us, it was like, Okay,
I'm gonna start doing these shows locally. What if we
press up because you know, there wasn't the digital things,
like what if we press up a thousand CDs? That
seemed like a lot at the time, coming from nothing,
(07:00):
and we like, you know, my boyfriend, my partner at
the time, like was doing all this amazing graphic design work,
like we fundraise to friends and family private just to
get those first thousand CDs pressed, to sell it shows
and to sell it consignment at local record stores.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Wow, they'd be like, okay, I'll buy two copies.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Talk about but I was still like put their line too,
And let me tell you when those sold out, we
were like, okay, now we can re up and sell
press two thousand CDs. And then the stores were like, oh,
these are selling, we'd like to get two boxes.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Do you know how happy I was? Oh? Of course
after that.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I don't know somehow we got to like sixty five thousand,
but I thinkributed through hieroglyphics helped us through Red Right
and people like Violet Brown were like, I want to
get you know, stocked up in all the warehouse stores,
and so it really was like every every little thing
(08:14):
was like a small victory when yeah, we had to
look at it like that, not like the larger industry
standards will be like if you don't sell over one
hundred thousand in the first week, it's a failure. And
it was like, it's an accomplishment to sell any amounts,
Like for real, if you sell out any amount, that's
(08:35):
an accomplishment. And I just kind of had to let
my self have like small wins along the way and
just let it keep growing. And so I think in
the very beginning we weren't even officially Skyways Recordings. And
then after we were selling you know, more than a
couple thousand CDs, it's like, we should start.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
To be a label.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
We need to make all of this the official, and
you know, we kind of built it as it grew.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Do you remember was there like a pivotal point where
you sort of looked left, looked right and we're like,
oh my gosh, I'm really doing this, Like was there
a day or a memory that really marks this time?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, I remember, this is kind of an odd one,
but I remember I used to listen to the countdown
on KMEO. That was the biggest station in the Bay Area,
and you know, Big Von and Chewy just different people
like really have my back and we were linked in
to the DJ world out there. But I remember they
(09:38):
had like the seven at seven and so and it
Closer wasn't even the original single at first. It was
this other song, Childhood Drama. Closer was like the B
side just to be like, this is the vibe of
the album. Happened to resonate with people, which was another
important lesson to me in like connecting authentic with the audience,
(10:01):
like let them choose instead of assuming what would do
well in this business. So interesting, yeah, be like one
of the most honest songs for me. That translated. But
I remember listening to that seven at seven and it
was like charting for that week. Let's say it was
(10:21):
the seventh song, and then it was like moving.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Into fifth song, blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And then there was this night where it got all
the way up to you know, they're like this is
the number two song, and it was like Closer wasn't
on there, and I was like, dang, goodwill it lasted?
You know? It was like with number two, like and
then it was number one, and I just remember I
was like in my mom's house and just I remember
(10:50):
listening to that, and to.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Me, it was just so affirming.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah yeah, of like something here is like resonating and
something here is working, and it got to be on
our terms and it got to be something that was
so authentic for me, and it just gave me, I
don't know, more faith in it opened doors for me.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Oh what a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
And to be able to look back and just just.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
To remember that and feel it, and.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
You know, I just I have to impress on our
money mover's audience. Like this was also such a dramatically
different time than what we see music being now where
you know, but it was sort of like gorilla music marketing.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
You're out there literally.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Taking your own CDs from two record stores. Are you
going to buy a couple? Because that's how we had
to get it or we had to take songs of
the race. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh there was no social there was no like flat
Yeah I could be like going to share something because
I feel like it. That just wasn't the case. It
was all like corporate owned or you know, I mean
I was also Unity stations and got support from them
in college and stuff. But still now for everyone to
(12:10):
have like their own channels, it's completely different.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Thanks for listening to today's episode. If we helped you
make your money move, please share it with your community,
Subscribe and leave us a review on iHeartRadio and Apple podcasts.
Follow us on social media at Greenwood and visit us
at Gogreenwood dot com for more financial tips and remember,
money movers, If this.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Were easy, everyone would do it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
So take the lessons you've learned from this episode and
apply it to your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio
podcast powered by Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc.
For more podcasts on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Make sure to.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Tune in Monday, Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the
Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood, so that you too
can have the keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve.
Until next time,
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