The Unstarving Musician
The Unstarving Musician features weekly interviews with independent musicians, songwriters, producers, and music industry professionals who share their experience and expertise on recording, touring, marketing, the business of music, and more. This is all intended to help independent DIY music artists better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that help us create sustainable and profitable music careers.
Episodes
Lynz Crichton makes her fourth appearance on The Unstarving Musician. She's a singer-songwriter based in Nottingham, England, and the creator of Music Marketing Method, a program that helps independent musicians build audience, monetize their work, and sustain a career on their own terms.
This conversation started with an email. Lynz had shared the story of a working musician who'd begun drafting a goodbye message for his website. ...
After nearly 16 years at Atlantic Records (the last six as President of A&R) Pete Ganbarg has a clearer view than almost anyone of what separates artists who break through from artists who don't. In this conversation, he shares what that view looks like in 2026, when the barrier to entry for releasing music has collapsed and the bar for being heard has never been higher.
Pete unpacks the working principles behind a career that ...
What does it look like to build a recording career so busy you don't have time to market it — and do it entirely without computers?
Terry Carleton returns to share what's happened in the two-plus years since his first appearance: a solo album seven years in the making, the completion of his work on the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown remix series, and a closer look at how his all-analog, DAW-less production approach actually wor...
Most music theory education is built for nineteen-year-olds in a conservatory. If you're a working musician who's been gigging for years on ear, feel, and a handful of chord shapes, that path doesn't fit your life — and it doesn't have to.
In this deep-dive, Robonzo breaks down a four-part framework for adult musicians who want to finally crack music theory and reading without quitting their job, abandoning their gigs, or pre...
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Most independent musicians are competing for the same shrinking pool of venue slots, hoping someone books them. House concerts flip that model entirely — and the artists who've figured this out aren't just playing more shows. They're making more money, building deeper connections with audiences, and owning the entire experience.
This episode presents a framework built from five conversations on The Unstarving Musician, includ...
Independent musicians with loyal fanbases are leaving significant revenue on the table by treating physical products as afterthoughts. Vinyl, CDs, and cassettes aren't nostalgia plays—they're strategic revenue channels when approached with the same rigor labels apply to streaming campaigns.
Thom Skarzynski is the founder of Happiness Marketing, a physical-first music strategy consultancy. Tom has twenty years of industry expe...
Most independent artists treat venue booking like throwing darts in the dark—mass outreach with generic pitches, hoping something sticks. Christal Hector, founder of TuneHatch and member of the National Independent Venue Association's Industry Affairs Committee, explains what actually happens on the other side of that email.
TuneHatch was built venues-first, solving venue problems before creating artist tools. That origin giv...
Most musicians dream of stability. Johnny Thirkell built a 50-year career with David Bowie, Paul McCartney, George Michael, and The Who - starting from colliery bands and working men's clubs in the North East.
This isn't about talent. It's about the business systems that keep session musicians working for decades while others struggle after a few years.
Johnny shares the relationship-building frameworks that get you in the room wit...
What if the best business decision you could make is accepting your music is "unmarketable"? Not in the sense that nobody wants it—but that it won't compete for Spotify playlists alongside mainstream artists.
This episode breaks down the economics of niche markets for independent musicians. How rejecting the streaming-everywhere model can actually generate more revenue. How owning your niche creates competitive advantages alg...
Most independent artists release their albums everywhere immediately—Spotify, Apple Music, every streaming platform. But what if that's backwards?
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Welcome to 2026. In the last episode, I shared what I'm grateful for and the personal questions I'm sitting with. Today, I'm sharing the strategic side: what I learned in 2025 that changed how I work.
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Every year, I write up a gratitude list. This year, the list came easily - but it's mixed with what I'm learning, because growth and gratitude feel connected right now.
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Most independent artists have thousands of dollars in unclaimed royalties sitting in four separate collection systems—and a four-year window to recover this money before it's redistributed to major labels.
Independent musicians leave significant money on the table—not from lack of talent, but from unclaimed royalties and overlooked revenue streams. Amani Roberts, music business educator and author of the USA Today bestse...
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Can your community become a creative collaborator without turning your art into committee-designed mediocrity? In this solo episode, I explore proven frameworks for involving your audience in the creative process while maintaining complete artistic control.
You'll discover how Amanda Palmer uses early-stage feedback on Patreon to gather emotional resp...
Music revenue diversification is essential for independent artists, but how do you actually monetize your community of superfans? This follow-up to episode 333's community-building strategies explores the practical side of t...
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