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As some of our readers know, besides running this site, I am an agent in the music business, representing a roster of artists who perform in theaters, large clubs, festivals and performing arts centers worldwide. I came back into this business in 2019 after a 9 year break to pursue other interests, which included producing conferences and seminars across Texas. Prior to that break, from 1989 to 2010 I had owned a few mid-sized talent agencies and worked as an agent for one that was ultimately sold to UTA. 

During my absence from this industry things changed drastically. Streaming became the dominant way to listen to, and consume, music, and podcasts became a primary source of educational information for the business. As an avid runner, I absolutely love this! I am able to listen to my favorite podcasts during my morning and evening runs and take leisurely deep dives into subjects I enjoy learning about. This is great for brushing up on my own knowledge as someone in the industry, and also great for any artist or musician looking to expand their own knowledge about the music industry so that they can take better control of their own careers. Below I have listed what, in my opinion, are ten of the most important podcasts you should be listening to as a musician or music industry professional. There are many more available than those listed here, and more popping up every day. For a huge list of literally hundreds of music and music industry podcasts as well as over 150,000 music industry contacts to help you further your career Click Here.

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1. Promoter 101 - Led by co-owner of national concert promoter Emporium Presents, Dan Steinberg and personal manager from Works Entertainment, Luke Pierce, Promoter 101 has for the past several years conducted weekly interviews with most of the top names in the music business across all spectrums of the industry including the likes of Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, TMG Group head Louis Messina, Brian O'Connell, Rob Light, Tom Ross and literally hundreds more. They also include a weekly industry news segment and my personal favorite, a "war stories" segment where someone from the industry tells the tale of something crazy, interesting or unbelievable that has happened in their career. At the end of 2019, Promoter 101 officially "ended" after over 200 episodes, though it has since resumed for a series of special episodes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and, according to Dan Steinberg, aka "Steiny", will continue to release special surprises every now and then, although not as consistently in the past. Anyone looking for a solid deep-dive into the music business from the people who run it should definitely check out every single episode starting with #1 featuring legendary agent Tom Ross. There are always a few surprises. Available most everywhere podcasts can be heard. Check them out HERE. 

2. Your Morning Coffee - Hosted by the weekly YOUR MORNING COFFEE newsletter creator/curator Jay Gilbert along with Mike Etchart, former host of the syndicated Sound andamp; Vision Radio program. Every week, Jay andamp; Mike break down the top stories so you stay on top of the latest news and trends in this new music business. Your Morning Coffee Podcast is sort of an audio re-cap of the weekly newsletter where the weeks music industry news is aggregated into an easily digestible hour long format that I look forward to every week. Jay and Mike also go into in-depth discussions of the news as it pertains to artists, their careers, career paths, and how the latest events have affected those careers and career paths. They approach the news from a decidedly DIY direction in an effort to help artists navigate the often murky waters of the music industry and offer advice and opinions that I have found to be helpful to the average musician. For more information or to listen in or subscribe to their weekly industry newsletter of the same name, go HERE. 

3. The Music Biz Weekly Podcast - A weekly podcast hosted by Jay Gilbert (see above) and Michael Brandvold which hosts weekly discussions regarding the latest events in the music business as well as advice driven conversations regarding the latest apps, gadgets, technology, changes, and more within the music business. Some recent topics include music licensing, Facebook marketing, Twitter marketing, email marketing, website development, finding fans online, selling your music, selling merchandise and much, much more. For more information go HERE.

4. The Business Side of Music - The Business Side of Music Podcast is a weekly podcast, heard in 60 plus countries, who's main objective is to educate and train musicians to succeed in the music business. Host Bob Bender is an established music industry veteran with years of major label and indie artist experience. Bob's guests include music industry experts who share their experiences in the music industry. One of the things I love about this podcast is the way it specifically targets DIY musicians with an aim to educate and inform through discussions covering essential information about the music business, including recording, copyrights, songwriting, and so much more, helping them to avoid being taken advantage of by music industry sharks and predators. For more information or to listen go HERE. 

5. Music Biz 101 And More - Music Biz 101 and more is a weekly radio show which bills itself as "The Only FREE Advice, College Radio-Based Music Business Talk Show In America". It's a very fun and easy listen as the hosts, two music business professors from New Jersey's William Patterson University take a weekly dive into different facets of the music business with guests from across the spectrum including AandR Reps, managers, agents, arts presenters, artists, tour managers, business managers, marketing professionals, publicists, publishers, music inisurance professionals, and more. They even introduced yours truly back in 2019. As a college radio show, it airs every Wednesday night at 8:00 pm Eastern on 88.7 in Northern NJ. Now, you might not be in Northern New Jersey.  If you are not in Northern NJ you can stream it live at THIS LINK, or when each episode airs on Soundcloud the following week. For more information or to listen to all the podcast episodes, go HERE.

6. Music Biz UNCUT - This is one that I have just recently discovered, but really came to appreciate for its depth in the various discussions. Host Nick Ruffini – Professional Drummer, President of Revoice Media and Founder of Drummer’s Resource – sits down with leading names in the music industry to demystify the inner-workings of the business and to uncover real-world knowledge for anyone looking to sharpen their skills. A few of his recent interviewees include Chris Schwartz of legendary hip-hop label Ruffhouse Records, multi-platinum producer and mix engineer Ken Lewis, publishing expert Scott Rubin of Reach Music and more. The discussions are extremely informative for anyone looking to learn more about some of the many aspects of the music business. For more information, or to listen to the show now, go HERE. 

7. Music Business Dreams Podcast - The Music Business Dreams Podcast is another one that I just recently came across that has apparently been around for years,and I have been really impressed with it considering the depth of subject matter and topics covered. In this podcast, they interview a broad selection of music business professionals "to find out how they made their dreams come true - and how you can too!". From songwriters to record label execs and everyone in between, they really attempt to dig down and get to the real meat of the industry. For more information or to check out some episodes, go HERE. 

8. Cyber PR Music Podcast - This is another fun one. Highly respected publicist, Ariel Hyatt discusses all sorts of tmusic business and creation topics from a marketing and promotion standpoint. If you are an artist looking for some solid tips in promotion your releases, or looking for some great advice on keeping your career on track personally and professionally, this podcast is definitely worth a listen. Episodes feature interviews with both music and non-music business experts geared towards helping artists take control of their careers. To check out some episodes, go HERE. 

9. ABC Music Talk - I'll admit, I have only listened to about 5 episodes from Alex Branson's ABC Music Talk, but included it here because of it's strong relevance to people just getting into the music business and helping them to navigate the ins and outs of what can be a somewhat confusing maze at times. ABC Music Talk is a podcast about the music industry for people in the industry, or those aspiring to get in to the industry. Plain and simple. Seasoned veterans may also find some interesting tidbits here as will artists looking to learn more about the business and this is extremely important because if you are an artist, musician or songwriter, you are in the music business, whether you like it or not, and, like any other business, you should take it seriously and really spend time continuing your education. If you don't you WILL be taken advantage of. For more information or to check out some episodes, go HERE. 

10. Success with Music Podcast - This one is a very artist centric podcast specifically targeted to musicians, songwriters, beat makers, producers, engineers, music students etc. It features an array of music industry guests discussing topics related to performing, home studio advice, getting a record deal, ways to create better music, selling songs online, music theory, marketing your music, trends in the industry, recording advice and a whole lot more. Unlike most of the other podcasts here, it is a podcast that is used as a marketing tool, or funnel to advertise SWM's services, and you can take that or leave it. It's still very informative. For more information or to check out some episodes, go HERE. 

So that's it for my top 10 music industry podcasts. As I mentioned above, there are literally hundreds more out there like the ones above and most of them can be found in our database HERE if you would like to explore further. Some of them will likely be music industry "coaches" and "industry gurus" looking to sell you on their services and some of those are worth exploring, while others you should be careful of. Caveat Emptor! 

Enjoy.