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Liner Notes

I'm a musician and host of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Liner Notes is my biweekly newsletter that shares some of the best knowledge gems garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.

Featured Post

Liner Notes: Harmony in Hustle – How to Blend Your Creative and Business Brains

If a song is played in a forest, but no one is nearby to hear it, does it make a sound? This question is adapted from a famous philosophical thought experiment that begins, “If a tree falls in a forest…?” Reading time: 7 minutes 👓 Making art is a rewarding pursuit, but if only the artist can appreciate it, the artist’s work is only half done. No song will ever be heard or appreciated without some marketing effort, that was supported by a sales effort, that was underpinned by sound business...

Reading time: 7 minutes 👓 I've not talked much about short-form videos on the podcast, but it is a relatively new format. Full disclosure, I've shot only a handful of Instagram Reels, have yet to create a YouTube short, and am not active on TikTok. But don't let that turn you off. I've done a lot of reading on the topic. Here's fodder for getting your music out there with short-form video. Instead of approaching this topic from the perspective of how musicians can or should leverage...

Hey there, Happy Tuesday from Spain! I'm celebrating a big birthday with friends and family. Reading time: 4 minutes 👓 I recently researched donations as a monetization option for independent podcasters. It has since occurred to me that donations also work well in the independent musician world. The general idea is that donations can play a role in sustaining your creative endeavors. Note that in some cases below, we can substitute the word "tips" where I've used "donations." I can hear some...

Hey there, Hope you're doing well today. Here's the latest I've dug up for you on music publishing. Reading time: 3 minutes 👓 Music publishing is about protecting and making money from a composition (i.e. a song), NOT just the recorded version. Recorded music consists of two parts: the composition and the master recording (aka the master). The composition is made up of the melody or melody and lyrics. It is an independent piece of intellectual property with its own set of rights, protected by...

Reading time: About 5 minutes I've spoken to dozens of independent musicians about songwriting, but I've only personally written a handful of songs. Like with so many things I write about, I'm learning with you. More importantly, I'm sharing what I learn from others. You may not consider yourself a songwriter, but maybe you should. Writing music or lyrics can be very fulfilling and helpful to your creativity and critical thinking. Getting started can be as simple as improvising riffs on your...