The FM Podcast

The topic of this week’s show is TOURING AS AN INDIE BAND and joining me on the show is Vancouver Island-based musicians Andrew Baskin and Lucas Antoni from the indie-rock band Vogue Villains. 

When we had this conversation, the guys had just finished a tour supporting their new album Built on Bones so they definitely had a lot to say about life on the road. We had a great discussion about the pros and cons of touring as an indie band in 2024, what kind of challenges they’ve faced, as well as some tips for indie bands that might be heading out on tour this year.

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Lucas recommends: QOTSA - In Times New Roman
Andrew recommends: Under The Mountain - Play Our Wayand Demob Happy -Hades, Baby(Live at Abbey Road Studios)
Jen recommends: Hurray for the Riff Raff - Snake Plant(The Past Is Still Alive) 

SOTW
Vogue Villains - A Slow Ride (At The Speed Of Light)

Learn more about Vogue Villains at voguevillains.com
Learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca
Learn more about The FM Podcast atthefmpodcast.com

The topic of this week’s show is SPEAKING UP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE and joining me on the show is Victoria-based indie-pop musician, Alexandria Maillot, who is an artist that isn’t afraid to speak up about social injustice or political issues, particularly on her social media. 

We had a great discussion about the importance of musicians speaking up for social change and how many artists don’t understand the power they have and how they can actually use their platform to fight for social justice. 

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Alexandria recommends:  PURPLE RAIN!!!
Jen recommends: Sierra Ferrell - I Could Drive You Crazy

SOTW
Alexandria Maillot - The Judge

RESOURCE LINKS 
Info about SXSW 2024 Artist Boycott
Social Impact Report From Boygenius' 2023 Tour
Info about United Musicians & Allied Workers (UMAW)
Info about Palestinian-Canadian musician Nemahsis

Learn more about Alexandria Maillot at maillotmusic.com
Learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS FOR MUSICIANS and joining me on the show is Peter Carruthers, who is the former Marketing and Digital Manager at Arts & Crafts where he worked for 7 years, so has quite a bit of experience to share with us!

We had a great discussion about the current trends in digital marketing and what musicians should be thinking about when it comes to their digital marketing plans when releasing new music this year. 

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Peter recommends: Shellac's upcoming new album - To All Trains
Jen recommends: Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

SOTW
Lisa Humber - The Devil's Advocate

Learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is GENRE FLUIDITY IN MUSIC and joining me on the show is Yukon-based singer-songwriter, storyteller, and contemporary guzheng player Erica Dee Mah.

Erica and I had a great talk about how more musicians are creating music outside of the traditional genre norms, what her experience has been like making music that is “outside the box," and how audiences are embracing new (and sometimes unexpected!) music genres a lot more these days.

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Erica recommends: Benj Rowland - Community Garden
Jen recommends: Mother Mother - Explode!

SOTW
Erica Dee Mah - The Garden

Learn more about Erica at ericamah.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Welcome to Season 5 of the podcast! I’m so happy to be back! I really missed you guys!

For our Season 5 premiere, we have our very first return guest to the podcast! This week, I’m talking to Tyler Bancroft who is a guy that wears many hats in the music industry - he’s the lead singer of Vancouver indie rock band Said The Whale and he’s also a music industry professional who runs a record label and manages artists, among many other things. And we’re going to talk about where we think the industry is headed this year, as we each do our music industry predictions for 2024.

Now full disclosure, I was planning to get the season started a few weeks ago but it didn’t turn out that way. So, 1 - if our references feel about a month old, that’s why. It’s crazy how quick things move these days! And 2 - I apologize for having a 2024 predictions episode in March but here we are.

At any rate - it was a really great talk + I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Tyler recommends: Mk.gee - Are You Looking Up
Jen recommends: Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

SOTW
Said The Whale - Never Grow Up

Learn more about Tyler at saidthewhale.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Hello! Just a quick check-in to let you know that we're back baby! Season 5 of The FM Podcast will premiere next week - on Tuesday, March 12th. I've really missed y'all, so make sure you tune in + join us!

The topic of this week’s show is CARVING OUT YOUR OWN SPACE and joining me on the show is Toronto musician Sandra Bouza.

Sandra and I had a great chat about how it can be hard to find your place in the music industry when you don’t fit into one specific genre. And how she decided to carve out her own space by SPOILER ALERT: just being herself.

I really felt a connection with Sandra on a lot of her experiences, you know just by being a woman in the music industry, so it's a great conversation and I think you’ll really like this one!

Oh and just a quick note that this episode is the final episode for Season 4. I’ll be taking a short break but I’ll be back soon with even more music industry wisdom for you!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Sandra recommends: Leon Bridges - Gold-Diggers Sound 
Jen recommends: Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

SOTW
Sandra Bouza - Good Vibrations

Learn more about Sandra at sandrabouza.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is THE ROLE OF MUSIC LAWYERS and joining me on the show is musician and entertainment lawyer - Kurt Dahl.

Kurt and I had a great talk about what exactly it is that a music lawyer does, when is the right time to hire a music lawyer, and how being a musician shapes his work as a lawyer. (ICYDK, Kurt is also the drummer in Canadian rock band One Bad Son.) 

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Kurt recommends: Joni Mitchell at Newport Folk Fest 2022
Jen recommends: Christine and the Queens - Paranoïa, Angels, True Love

SOTW
One Bad Son - Retribution Blues

Learn more about Kurt at lawyerdrummer.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is KEEPING A POSITIVE MINDSET and joining me on the show is Vancouver musician and all around positive person - Beau Wheeler. 

Beau and I had a great conversation about how hard it can be to stay positive as an artist in the music industry and how music helped them to overcome struggles in their life!

It was a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Beau recommends: Charlotte Cornfield - Cut and Dry/New Boygenius album
Jen recommends: Little Simz - Gorilla video

SOTW
Beau Wheeler - Flying Colours

Learn more about Beau at beauwheeler.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

 The topic of this week’s show is PRODUCING MUSIC ON A BUDGET and joining me on the show is record producer, songwriter and recording artist Winston Hauschild, who works out of The Treehouse Studio on Bowen Island here in BC.

Winston and I have known each other for a long time, so prepare yourself for a good ol’ back in the day discussion from us, and we also talk about how to stretch your budget when producing an album or single. 

It was a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Winston recommends: 60 Songs That Explain The 90s podcast
Jen recommends: Blur - The Narcissist

SOTW
Winston - Lonely

Learn more about Winston at winstonhauschild.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is THE IMPORTANCE OF CAMPUS RADIO and joining me on the show is Jasper Sloan Yip, who is the Programming Director for CITR here in Vancouver and he’s also an indie artist himself.

We had a great chat about whether Campus Radio is still relevant in 2023 and he gives us some great tips about how to pitch and service campus radio here in Canada.

It was a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Jasper recommends: Devours - Homecoming Queen
Jen recommends: Bully - Lucky For You

SOTW
Jasper Sloan Yip - Gin Fizz

Link to Jen's prom photos on IG at #FritzysProm

Learn more about Jasper:jaspersloanyip.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So the topic of this week’s show is SURVIVING AS A WORKING CLASS ARTIST and joining me on the show is Montreal-based musician Russell Louder who just released their new single Movie Queen a couple months ago and has a new album coming out this summer. 

We had a really great conversation and talked about how hard it is to survive as an independent artist in 2023. We both get fired up and pretty radical, idea-wise, on this one - so brace yourself!

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Russell recommends: Music documentary Et tu, Dude?
Jen recommends: 60 Songs That Explain The 90s podcast

SOTW
Russell Louder - Movie Queen

Link to Cadence Weapon article about touring HERE

Learn more about Russell HERE
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is CONTENT CREATION FATIGUE and joining me on the show is Vancouver musician Ché Aimee Dorval, who released her new full-length album The Crowned earlier this year. And since she’s just coming off a cycle of album promotion, she definitely knows a thing or two about having to churn out content to promote an album. 

We had a great conversation and discussed how hard it can be for indie musicians to do all of the things that come along with promoting your music on social media. 

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Ché recommends: The Sadies - Colder Streams
Jen recommends: Tina Turner documentary TINA

SOTW
Ché Aimee Dorval - The Crowned

Learn more about Ché at cheaimeedorval.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So the topic of this week’s show is HOW TO WRITE A MUSIC GRANT and joining me on the show is Jessica Hoefsloot who writes a lot of funding applications through her company Sad Kids Collective - an artist-friendly management company offering services from digital marketing, grant writing and day-to-day business management for artists & industry. And by day - Jessica is also an Account Executive for Influencer Marketing at Viral Nation. 

We had a great conversation and discussed many tips and tricks for writing a successful music grant, managing artist expectations and a whole lot more. 

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Jessica recommends: Corook - If I Were A Fish TikTok trend
Jen recommends: Janelle Monae - Lipstick Lover

SOTW
Dust Cwaine - 90's Darling

Learn more about Jessica at sadkidsco.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is HOW TO DIY IN 2023 and joining me on the show is Shawn Petsche who recently created Trickle Down Music which is a great online resource for indie musicians. Shawn is also a musician and was Festival Manager for the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival in Calgary for over 10 years. 

We had a great conversation about the struggles independent musicians face these days when they try to "do it themselves" and what led him to create his amazing new website to help educate artists. 

It was a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Shawn recommends: Pat Finnerty / What Makes This Song Stink?
Jen recommends: Jason Isbell - Running With Our Eyes Closed

SOTW
Self-Cut Bangs - In Colour

Learn more about Trickle Down Music at trickledownmusic.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Welcome to Season 4 of the podcast! I’m so happy to be back!

For our Season 4 premiere - I’m talking to Shawn Hall who is one half of the blues duo The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer and we’re talking all about recording a live album. We had a really great conversation about their experience recording their  live album and concert film Live At The King Eddy,  whether live albums will continue to be relevant and much much more.

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Shawn recommends: De La Soul - 3 Feet and Rising 
Jen recommends: Wednesday - Rat Saw God

SOTW
The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer - Pretty Please

Learn more about Shawn at harpoonistaxemurderer.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Hello! Its's bonus episode time! We decided to put together a BEST OF SEASON 3 episode to get everyone fired up about Season 4 which starts next week! We went through and found some of our favourite moments from Season 3 which was super fun to do - it was great to relive the conversations and it got us really excited about doing Season 4. We really hope you enjoy it and we'll see you next week for the premiere episode of Season 4!

Learn more about The FM Podcast: thefmpodcast.com

Learn more about Fritz Media: fritzmedia.ca

Just a quick check-in to let you know that Season 4 of The FM Podcast will premiere on May 9th.  And to get you fired up and ready to go - next week we’ll have a bonus episode featuring The Best of Season 3! We're back, baby!

The topic of this week’s show is Honouring The Past and joining me on the show are musicians Ndidi O and Trish Klein, who recently joined forces to create the musical project The Blue and Gold.

The Blue and Gold is a musical collaboration that celebrates the musical artistry and legacy of pioneering female blues musicians. Their self-titled debut album (which just came out on April 29th) is a musical homage to the profound influence of Black female artists on 20th century country / blues traditions and on the evolution of all modern music. The album contains 11 songs recorded with authenticity, soulfulness and grit, including reinterpretations of the works of pioneering female artists Memphis Minnie, Lottie Kimbrough, Mamie Forehand, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and others, as well as one song by the legendary Indigenous songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. 

We had a great chat about how the project came to be and why it’s important to shine a light on these artists. It's a really interesting conversation, so buckle up cuz it's a good one!

Oh and just a quick note that this episode is the final episode for Season 3. I’ll be taking a little break but will be back soon with more music industry wisdom for you!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Ndidi recommends: METALLICA!!!
Trish recommends: Hozier + Bascom Lamar
Jen recommends: Florence and The Machine - Free

SOTW
The Blue And Gold - Babe It Ain't No Lie

Listen to The Blue And Gold's debut album HERE

Learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is Building The Story and joining me on the show is Juno-nominated musician Nuela Charles!

Nuela and I had a great chat about how to effectively build your story as an independent musician. And how, sometimes, no matter how much planning you do, it can often just come down to timing and luck. Like, sometimes it’s just about which way the wind is blowing. 

This is a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Nuela recommends: Amber Mark - Bliss 
Jen recommends: Wet Leg's debut album 

SOTW
Nuela Charles - Awakening

Learn more about Nuela at nuelacharles.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is The Power of Community and joining me on the show is Leonard Podolak who is the Executive Director of Home Routes.

We had an great conversation about how Home Routes has helped to create communities for musicians across Canada over the last 15th years, how things have shifted for them with the pandemic, and we also discuss the Home Routes 15th Anniversary Tour which wraps up this Friday with a virtual show in Winnipeg featuring Del Barber, Double The Trouble and Bobby Dove. 

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Leonard recommends: Donna The Buffalo - Movin' On
Jen recommends: Lizzo - About Damn Time 

SOTW
Gnarfunkel - Bamboo Bong

Learn more about Leonard / Home Routes at homeroutes.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is Creating Change and I’m talking to Keziah Myers - who is someone who is doing a lot to create change in the Canadian music industry!

Keziah is the Executive Director of ADVANCE - which is Canada's Black Music Business Collective and she also sits on the board and is the spokesperson for the Black Canadian Music Awards which just started last year. 

We talked about how music industry professionals can help to level the playing field when it comes to diversity and inclusion. And she also offered advice for Black musicians and music industry professionals that are currently frustrated by the lack of diversity in the Canadian Music Industry.

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Keziah recommends: Adria Kain (ft. Leila Dey) - Classic
Jen recommends: Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums podcast

SOTW
The Blue and Gold - When The Levee Breaks

Learn more about Keziah / ADVANCE at advancemusic.org
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week on the show we’re discussing a topic that musicians always want to know about... and that’s the wonderful world of Radio Promotion!

And joining me on the show is radio promoter Oscar Furtado. Oscar has been working in the music industry since the early 2000s and he founded his company Tandemtracks Promotions in 2007. As Director of National Radio Promotions (in Canada), he’s worked on national campaigns with many great artists including Pitbull, R3HAB, Carly Rae Jepsen and Run The Jewels. 

We had a really great talk and if you’ve ever wondered about how commercial radio promo works in Canada, this is definitely the episode for you!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Oscar recommends: Elley Duhé  - Middle of the Night / Jnr Choi - To The Moon
Jen recommends: Questlove's Oscar acceptance speechforSummer of Soul

SOTW
Kaeley Jade - Ego

Learn more about Oscar at tandemtracks.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So this week’s show is a fun one! I talked to West Coast singer-songwriter WiL and we discussed the ups and downs of his long career and how to stay relevant in the music industry. 

I’ve known WiL for a long time and he loves to chat so you’ll notice that this episode is a bit longer than normal but that’s because we had a lot to cover! We talked about how WiL got his start in music, his career over the years and how it all led to him releasing his new album The Gold Mine, which is coming out on May 13th. 

We had a great talk and I hope you enjoy it! Oh and I should warn you - there a lot of F-bombs in this episode, so be careful where you listen to it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
WiL recommends: The Monkees - Me & Magdalena/ Jonny Greenwood  -25 Years
Jen recommends: Harry Styles - As It Was 

SOTW
WiL - I'm Sorry

Learn more about WiL at ibreakstrings.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

On this week’s show, I’m talking to Vancouver singer-songwriter Haley Blais about her transition from YouTube influencer to musician. 

This was a super interesting chat but it wasn’t without its challenges because Haley did the interview from her tour van in Austin, Texas. This obvs made things a bit more exciting - so you’ll get some nice background colour on this one! 

We talked about how things started with her YouTube channel and how musicians these days have to be content creators on their socials on top of creating music, which can be so overwhelming. It was a great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Haley recommends: Sarah Harmer - Basement Apartment
Jen recommends: Wind of Change podcast 

SOTW
Haley Blais - Coolest F*cking B*tch In Town

Learn more about Haley at haleyblaismusic.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week’s show is all about branding for musicians and joining me on the show is musician AND designer - Alexis Young.

Alexis and I had a great conversation about how important branding is for musicians and since she’s a musician - she’s the lead vocalist in Blonde Diamond - as well as a designer, we talked about how her musical creativity influences her design creativity and vice versa.

We had a really great chat and there's lots of great tips in this one, so get ready to take some notes!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Alexis recommends: Yoko Ono exhibition at the VAG
Jen recommends: Doja Cat's cover of Celebrity Skin

SOTW
Blonde Diamond - Strange Times

Learn more about Alexis at blondediamondmusic.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week’s show is all about musicians creating art in other spaces. And joining me on the show is musician and podcaster Jolene Higgins, who is also known as Little Miss Higgins. 

Jolene and I had a great conversation about her new project The Fire Waltz which is both a 5-part mini-series podcast and a full length album. The final episode of The Fire Waltz podcast was posted yesterday (March 14th) which also just so happened to be the release day for the album! Good timing, right? We talked about what it’s like creating things that aren’t music and how that can help the creative process overall.

It was a really great discussion and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Little Miss Higgins recommends: Movies Dark City + Stage Door Canteen
Jen recommends: Music from the TV show The Dropout 

SOTW
Little Miss Higgins - Flock In My Head

Learn more about Little Miss Higgins at littlemisshiggins.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Welcome to Season 3 of the podcast! We're so excited to be back!

For our Season 3 premiere we’ve got a good one for you! I'm talking to Adam Bentley who is a music publicist and the owner of Auteur Research, and we’re talking all about the state of music publicity in 2022. We had a really great conversation which I’m sure you can tell judging by the length of this episode. It’s always nice to talk to someone who does the same thing as you do because you can totally speak the same language and commiserate about the same things!

It was a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Adam recommends: Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8  / Yellow Magic Orchestra  / Allegories -Constant(Adam's band!!)
Jen recommends: Mark Lanegan - Wedding Dress

SOTW
Keanu Ienco - I Still Shine

Learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is a roundup of social media + digital marketing tips and trends for musicians. And joining me on the show are 2 ladies who’ve been on the show before - Danielle McNeill + Phoenix Bain from The Social Circle.  

Danielle, Phoenix and I have worked together on many social media + digital marketing projects here at Fritz Media and we’ve definitely learned a lot over the last couple of years, and we thought it would be great to share some of that wisdom with you. 

Oh and just a quick note that this episode is the final episode for Season 2! We'll be taking a short break but will be back in March with more music industry wisdom for you!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Danielle recommends: @CanadaMusicMemes + @WorkInSocialTheySaid
Phoenix recommends: Cartel Madras - Dream Girl Concept 
Jen recommends: Buy some art from your favourite band!

SOTW
Lovecoast - Motion

Learn more about Danielle + Phoenix at thesocialcircle.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is globalization and collaboration in the music industry and joining me on the show is Teon Gibbs. 

Teon is a rapper and producer based in Vancouver, who is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable and influential voices in Western Canada. Born in Botswana, Teon lived all over the globe before settling in Vancouver and he’s been involved in production, sessional musician work, songwriting and engineering for almost 10 years. Teon recently released a collab EP with IAMTHELIVING who is a musician from South London who now also lives in Vancouver, so I thought he would be a great person to talk to about globalization and collaboration. 

We had a great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Teon recommends: Dacey - Bitter
Jen recommends: Music from Yellowjackets

SOTW
IAMTHELIVING x Teon Gibbs - Puppa

Learn more about Teon Gibbs at teongibbs.com/100collective.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is one that I’ve had many people ask me to do. We’re going to be talking about NFTs in the music industry + joining me on the show is "Parkside" Mike Renaud.

Parkside is the Executive Creative Director at Hidden Pony Records & Management and he’s also a consultant for Slaight Music, andhe has a lot of insight into why NFTs matter for the music industry.  

This was a really interesting and informative chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Parkside recommends: Theo Tams - One Last Chance
Jen recommends: Haim's Instagram content 

SOTW
Anita Eccleston - Long Nights

You can learn more about NFTs at nftschool.dev
Learn more about Parkside at hiddenpony.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s show is Release Planning and Strategy and joining me on the show is artist manager Jeff Ojeda from Phase Management.

Jeff and I had a great discussion about the best ways to plan and release your new album or new single or new video or whatever you're releasing! And there’s definitely a lot of great tips, so if you’re an artist with new music but don’t know where to start when it comes to releasing it - this is the show for you.

It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Jeff recommends: Don Amero - Nothing Is Meaningless
Jen recommends:  The Beatles: Get Backdocumentary

SOTW
Kyle McKearney - Devil Water

You can learn more about Jeff at phasemgmt.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Hello! The topic of this week's show is LGBTQ representation in the music industry and joining me on the show this week is actor, musician and filmmaker Sunny Chen who is also known asSad Chinafor their music projects. 

Sunny and I had a great chat where we talked about more than just LGBTQ representation. Because they are a non-binary Asian Canadian, their experiences in the music industry involve more than just their gender identity - so we covered a lot!

We had a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Sunny recommends: x/o - Red Alert
Jen recommends:  Wet Leg - NPR Tiny Desk Concert

SOTW
Sad China -hum人n

You can learn more about Sad China at bysunnychen.com/music
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week's show is How To License Your Music For Film + TV which I’m sure will be of interest to all of the musicians out there - since it’s one of the only ways to make money as a musician these days! 

And joining me on the show is Music Supervisor Kaya Pino - a music supervisor and curator at The Wilders in Toronto. Kaya and I had a great discussion about how there’s so many film + TV licensing opportunities out there due to the amount of streaming content we have these days. And she gives us some good tips on the best way to approach a music supervisor with your music.

We had a really great chat + I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Kaya recommends: DOECHII - Yucky Blucky Fruitcake  + Superfruit - GUY.EXE 
Jen recommends:  Aimee Mann - Queens of the Summer Hotel

SOTW
The Hillties - Tell Your Friends

You can learn more about Kaya at thewilders.tv
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of today’s show is Creating Community + Excellence in the Studio and my guest is producer, engineer and musician - Jane Aurora. Jane wears many hats in the music industry and one of those hats is as the host / program curator of Producers Lounge which is a popular Vancouver-based creative workshop and conversation series that elevates women and non-binary producers.

We had a great discussion about how things are shifting globally when it comes to creating more equity in recording studios and how her Producers Lounge program is helping to create a vibrant and collaborative music community here in Vancouver.

This was a really great talk + I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Jane recommends: Yoko Ono: Water Event at The VAG
Jen recommends:  Red (Taylor's Version) + this piece about T-Swift on Buzzfeed

SOTW
Blonde Diamond - Red Flags

*Sign up for theProducers Lounge Mastering Masterclass with Elisa Pangsaeng on Dec 11th HERE

You can learn more about Jane at arrivalsounds.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

With my job, I talk to a lot of independent musicians on a regular basis and I’ve found over the years that many of them don’t realize what an incredible resource their provincial and territorial Music Industry Associations are. MIAs can provide musicians and music industry professionals with funding opportunities and they also provide things like educational workshops and are a hub of information and connections.

Joining me on the show today is Kentya Kurban who is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Music BC. Kentya is a soul artist and community champion with over five years’ experience in music administration, event planning and production. She joined Music BC team over a year ago and has proved to be a great addition to the team!

We had a great talk and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Kentya recommends: Pip Millett - Motion Sick EP
Jen recommends:  Sharing new music playlists! Here's my Faves of 2021

SOTW
Leather Apron Revival - Stagehand

You can learn more about Kentya / Music BC at musicbc.org
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The pandemic has forced a lot of us in the music industry to pivot and get creative in the last year and a half. And today on the show I’m talking to artist manager Alex Wyder from High Tide Artists about how he’s had to get creative with his artists during this crazy time. Like what do you even do when your artists can’t tour?

Alex has been working in the music industry for about 10 years and has built an impressive resume across Canada with experience touring and working with established and up-and-coming artists in various capacities. In 2018, he expanded his roster and established High Tide Artists where he manages artists like Dear Rouge, Blonde Diamond, Gold & Youth and The Tourist Company.

We had a great chat + I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Alex recommends: Gold & Youth - Blush + Ellevator - Charlie IO
Jen recommends:  Todd Haynes' documentary - The Velvet Underground

SOTW
The Long War - Bad Love

You can learn more about Alex Wyder at: hightideartists.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Well hello hello hello! It’s so good to be back for Season 2 of The FM Podcast. And this week on the show I’m talking to singer-songwriter / producer Leeroy Stagger about Career Longevity. 

I’ve known Leeroy a long time + have worked on many albums of his over the years. And it’s been pretty cool to see his career trajectory and the many ups and downs, he’s experienced along the way. And so we had a great talk about his long career and how he’s managed to stay in the game so long. And we also talk about his brand new album Dystopian Weekends which just came out on October 15th. 

Leeroy is a Fritz Media client and he’s also a good friend + I had such a great time chatting with him and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Leeroy recommends: Nick Cave - Palaces of Montezuma (Live)
Jen recommends:  Lucy Dacus - Hot + Heavy

SOTW
Leeroy Stagger - How Do You Love With A Broken Heart?

You can learn more about Leeroy Stagger at leeroystagger.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Bonus episode time! We decided to put together a BEST OF SEASON 1 episode to get everyone fired up about Season 2 which starts next week! We went through and found some of our favourite moments from Season 1 which was super fun to do BTW - it was great to relive a lot of the conversations and it got us really excited about doing Season 2. We really hope you enjoy it and we'll see you next week for the premiere of Season 2!

Learn more about The FM Podcast: thefmpodcast.com

Learn more about Fritz Media: fritzmedia.ca

Just a quick check-in to let you know that Season 2 of The FM Podcast will premiere on November 2nd. And to get you fired up and ready to go - next week we’ll have a bonus episode featuring The Best of Season 1! We're back, baby!

OK so brace yourself because things are gonna be a little crazy this week! First of all, I have to let you know that this week’s show is the final episode of Season 1 of The FM Podcast and we’ll be back with Season 2 in a couple of months. 

Make sure that you stay subscribed to the podcast though because we’ll be sending out updates and letting you know when we’ll be back. 

So, our guest on the show this week is someone who I’ve known for a long time - Geoff Goddard - who is a managing partner at The Frontside Group. And when I asked Geoff to be on the show to talk about Radio Promo - he thought it might be fun to switch things up a bit + do a kind of a Wild Card episode where he interviews me instead of me interviewing him. And what we ended up with is a little bit of both. This is more of a conversation about what we’ve both learned in the business after 20 years than it is about publicity or radio promo specifically, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it + learn something new!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Geoff recommends: Rostam - 4Runner
Jen recommends: Bukola - I Am Enough

SOTW
Bukola - I Am Enough

You can learn more about Geoff/Frontside at FrontsideGroup.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week on the show we’re discussing a topic that has become increasingly important over the last year - Mental Health Resources for Musicians. And joining me on the show is the Executive Director of the Unison Benevolent Fund - Amanda Power.

Unison is a non-profit, registered music industry charity that provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community. They help professional music makers in times of hardship, illness or economic difficulties. 

We are so lucky to have an organization like this in Canada, especially over the last year and Amanda and I had a great discussion about how the pandemic has affected the music industry, how musicians and those that work in the music industry can get mental health assistance, and she shares some tips to help with our mental health well-being.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Amanda recommends: Tim Hicks - Campfire Troubadour + Pink - All I Know So Far
Jen recommends:  Olivia Rodrigo - Sour 

SOTW
Babylung - Betrayal

You can learn more about Unison at unisonfund.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week on the show we’re going to talk about how indie artists have to DIY it at the beginning of their career which can seem like A LOT when you’re just starting out! And joining me on the show is Edmonton indie pop musician Kaeley Jade. When Kaeley released her 1st single a couple of years ago, she immersed herself in the music industry and began learning all aspects of the business.

I met her earlier this year when she started working with Fritz Media and I was so impressed with how much she was doing herself and how well she was doing it, so she seemed like the perfect person to talk to about how to DIY it. And I’m sure she’ll have some really good tips for you!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Kaeley recommends: The Lone Bellow - Half Moon Light (Deluxe Edition)
Jen recommends:  Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen - Like I Used To

SOTW
Kaeley Jade - Painless

You can find Kaeley at kaeleyjade.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So this week we’re going to talk about Rights and Revenue Streams For Musicians + joining me on the show is Rebecca Webster who is the  Director of Industry Relations & Communications at the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency ( or the CMRRA). And before Rebecca joined the CMRRA in 2019, she was actually an independent music publicist like me + she ran highly-respected music public relations company Webster Media Consulting Inc. for ten years. 

Music Rights and Royalties is probably one of the most confusing parts of the music industry, and  Rebecca and I had a great chat about where musicians can get started, find resources and how the CMRRA can help - so get ready for some great tips! 

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Rebecca recommends: Wu-Lu - BBC Radio 6 Live Session
Jen recommends:  J. Cole - L.A. Leakers freestyle 

SOTW
Larissa Tandy - Sirens

You can find Rebecca at cmrra.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The topic of this week’s episode is COVID vs Summer Music Festivals and joining me on the show is the Artistic Executive Director of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival- Debbi Salmonsen. We all know that things have been extremely difficult for the live music industry over the past year and Debbi and I discuss how the Vancouver Folk  Fest adjusted their plans in 2020 + 2021 and how she thinks things will look for all music festivals in the future.

Debbi and I had a great chat + I hope you’ll enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Debbi recommends: Allison Russell - Nightflyer
Jen recommends: The Beaches - Let's Go

SOTW
Alex Beraldo - Southern Heat

You can find Debbi at thefestival.bc.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

We all know that Branding is something that is very important for musicians. It’s one of those things that can feel like just one more thing to add to the list of all of things you have to do as a musician in 2021, but it is one of the most important parts of being a musician. Figuring out who you are as a musician and how you’re going to express that to the world, as an extension of your music, should be one of the first things you do in your music career.

So the topic of this week’s episode is Branding and Content Creation and joining me on the show is Brandon William Fletcher. Brandon is a Vancouver based art director and filmmaker and he runs his own Creative Studio called Faked Potatoes. His images and work have been commissioned by a wide range of clients including M83, Manila Grey, James Reid, Scott Helman, Warner Music Group, Universal Music, and Blonde Diamond. He’s also a Board Member at Music BC and he recently made the Long List for the 2021 Prism Prize for "Best Music Video of the Year".

Brandon and I had a great chat and I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Brandon recommends: Technicolor Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Other Exotic Delights
Jen recommends: Foundering Podcast S2: The TikTok Story

SOTW
Kandle - Misty Morning

You can find Brandon at fakedpotatoes.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So this week’s show is all about Social Activism in Music + joining me on the show is Vancouver rapper Neon Empty (aka Bryce Lokken) who just released a single last week called 'Red Lives Don't' a song that he describes as  “an expression of frustration and disgust with white Canada’s hypocrisy about racial inequality during the summer 2020 - the summer of Black Lives Matter.”

Neon Empty, who is Métis, uses shocking language on 'Red Lives Don't'to get people’s attention in order to highlight a very important problem that we have in Canada - anti-Indigenous racism. He uses it to be heard in the same way that Black Lives Matter activists use "Defund The Police”. 

And to quote Neon Empty: “This song is a callout to Canada's hypocrisy. You can't tackle systemic racism in Canada without addressing our deepest-rooted, bloodiest, most vulgar problem: the hatred of Indigenous people and our constant attempt to silence, destroy, and minimize those who look like my grandmother.” His grandmother by the way is a residential school survivor + we’ll get into that during the interview.

This is a really great chat + just a heads-up that there are a few more f-bombs than usual in this episode, so it’s probably not suitable for work or around the kids, etc.  I hope you enjoy it!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Bryce recommends:Hamilton on Disney+
Jen recommends: Doja Cat ft. SZA - Kiss Me More

SOTW
Neon Empty - Red Lives Don't

You can find Neon Empty at neonempty.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

This week's show is all about singing, which is something I pretty much have ZERO experience in. And joining me on the show is someone who thankfully knows more about singing than I do - Greg Barker - who is one of the founders of Singdaptive. Greg is going to tell us all about Singdaptive, which is a multi-instructor online learning platform for singer-musicians. As well as his new venture - Exchangely which is  asynchronous + team-based 1-on-1 coaching for singers.

So if you’ve been sitting at home during the pandemic wondering how you could become a better singer, this is definitely the show for you! 

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Greg recommends: Maytree - iPhone Acapella+Playing For Change
Jen recommends: Billie Eilish - The World's A Little Blurry + TINA (Tina Turner doc)

SOTW
Quinn Pickering - Grapefruit

You can find Greg at singdaptive.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Social media is something that most musicians struggle with. Both on the organic side - that is just creating content for all of their social channels each week - and  on the social advertising side. 

It’s something that we see our clients struggle with here at Fritz Media which is why we added additional services last year, including social media strategy + digital advertising. And joining us on the show this week is one of our very own digital strategists here at Fritz Media - Phoenix Bain!

Phoenix has over 8 years of experience in digital ads management, social media marketing, email marketing, event planning and execution, and grant writing in the non-profit and for-profit sector. She’s been an incredible addition to the Fritz Media team, creating amazing social media strategy + advertising plans for our clients, + she shares some of her secrets with us, including lots of social media tips + tricks for musicians. 

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Phoenix recommends: Umi - New album promo campaign on Instagram
Jen recommends: Lil Nas X - Montero (Call Me By Your Name)

SOTW
Carolina East - Hunger

For more info on Phoenix, check out her bio here
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The COVID pandemic has not been great for the music industry and I think it’s fair to say that the live sector of the industry has been hit the hardest. In fact, since March of last year the live music industry in Canada has suffered a 92% average revenue loss + 64% of the industry is at risk of permanent closure which is scary for all of us because the live sector is the backbone of our business.

So the topic of this week’s episode is Pivoting and Touring and joining me on the show is Grant Paley. Grant is a music industry veteran with over 20 years experience in the business. He started out as a musician, as the frontman & DJ of Moses Mays, and after a decade of touring, he transitioned to behind the scenes + became a music agent and he's never looked back. Grant spent 12 years at Paquin Artists Agencywhere he developed his own unique roster of live and electronic acts, and he left last year to co-found Midnight Agency with Nick Middleton (who you might know from The Funk Hunters and Westwood Recordings), which is launching this week!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Grant recommends: Silk Sonic - Leave The Door Open
Jen recommends: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

SOTW
The Funk Hunters &  Chali 2Na ft. Tom Thum - Word To Spread

You can find Grant at midnightagency.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So a few weeks ago we did an episode about the state of music journalism in Canada + I talked to Mike Devlin who is an arts reporter for the Victoria Times-Colonist. And this week’s episode is sort of a Music Journalism in Canada Part 2 episode, where we take a look at music journalism in the digital age + explore the online side of things since we mostly discussed music journalism at traditional media outlets on Mike’s episode. 

And joining me this week is Sajae Elder who is a Toronto-based culture writer + content creator for The Fader, Complex, Vice, Buzzfeed + many others. Sajae + I discuss what music journalism looks like in the online space in 2021, whether music journalism is still relevant, and what it’s like to be a Black woman working as a culture journalist in Canada.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Sajae recommends: serpentwithfeet - Deacon
Jen recommends: St. Vincent - Pay Your Way In Pain

SOTW
Matt Storm x Ivan Hartle - More To Find

You can find Sajae Elder's Deep Work playlist on Spotify
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

The theme of this week’s episode is Artist Management + I talk to Savannah Wellman from Tiny Kingdom Music. 

Savannah runs Tiny Kingdom with her business partner and best friend Meagan Davidson + their company not only manages musicians but they also do grant writing and they recently started their own record label which just released ‘Boxes’ - the killer collab from Vancouver musicians  IAMTHELIVING + Teon Gibbs. 

Savannah’s experiences in the music industry have seen her on both sides of the curtain. Her journey included a degree in music, followed by years of performing + touring in various projects, and continued at Music BC where she was the project manager for artist development initiatives including the PEAK Performance Project. 

Savannah + I had a great chat about what it’s like to be managing artists in 2021 + how her business has been affected by the COVID pandemic. 

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Savannah recommends: IAMTHELIVING x Teon Gibbs - Distance
Jen recommends: Serj Tankian interviewon WTF with Marc Maron podcast

SOTW
IAMTHELIVING x Teon Gibbs - Boxes

You can find Savannah at tinykingdommusic.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

On this week’s episode I talk to Vancouver musician + Fritz Media client Bukolaabout what it’s like to be starting out your career as an artist in the music industry right now. Bukola is releasing her debut EP Chronicles of a Teenage Mindthis summer + her first single/video is coming out this Friday (March 19th)! 

Bukola is only 19 years old but she’s been pursuing her dreams of becoming a professional musician since she was 9 and has been building momentum ever since! In fact, the CBC recently named her as one of the Top 10 Soulful Female Artists in the 2020 CBC Searchlight competition! Bukola calls her musical style Acoustic Soul - blending contemporary R&B and Jazz music to create her own soulful sound. 

She's been deeply influenced by artists such as India Arie, Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. and with the amount that she’s already accomplished at such a young age, I’m sure she’ll be the one influencing artists in the future!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Bukola recommends: 2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up
Jen recommends: Mother Mother - I Got Love + Stay Behind

SOTW
Bukola - A Good Thing

You can find Bukola at bukolamusic.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

So it’s now officially a full year since we’ve been living with the COVID pandemic + it obviously has had a very detrimental effect on the music industry. It’s affected everyone in the business, from record labels to booking agents to managers to promoters to publicity companies like mine, and of course, the musicians themselves. Everyone has had to pivot to figure out different ways to bring income in.

Many musicians are trying different things to see what works, like ticketed live streams + some artists are dipping their toes into recurring revenue streams + trying subscription models like Patreon. And one of those bands is Vancouver band + provider of The FM Podcast theme music - Said The Whale! And our guest on the show this week is Tyler Bancroft. Tyler is the vocalist/guitarist for Said the Whale + he also runs Be Goodartist management, which manages acts like Titus Bank + Big Kill, along with his own band Said the Whale. Tyler + I discuss their recent launch of a Said The WhalePatreon page for their fans + what they’re doing to find recurring + sustainable income for the band during this crazy time. 

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Tyler recommends: Before The Data
Jen recommends: Hole - Live Through This

SOTW
Said The Whale - Mother

You can find Tyler at saidthewhale.com 
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

When I started working as a publicist in the music industry, my job was a lot different that it is now. When I started, there were fewer outlets to pitch for coverage because music blogs were barely a thing AND there were local music writers at nearly every print newspaper across Canada. Which is crazy to think about now, but that's how it was.
 
And out of all of those journalists that I used to call up on the phone, there are not very many that are still working in the industry in the same capacity. Some are out of the business completely, some have started their own online publications, and a very limited few are still in the exact same place.  And one of those people is my guest on the show this week - Mike Devlin!  Mike is an arts reporter at the Times Colonist in Victoria, BC. That's where he was when I started in the biz, and that's where he remains to this day. Mike and I discuss the State of Music Journalism in 2021 - how much things have changed, and what the future looks like for music criticism.
 
 FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Mike recommends: Nick Cave's new album Carnage
Jen recommends: Renegades: Born in the USA podcast 

SOTW
Leeroy Stagger - Strange Attractor

You can find Mike at timescolonist.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Here in Canada we are lucky to have a lot of different options for funding our arts projects. And the music industry in particular has an incredible national foundation called FACTOR which is a public/private partnership that supports the production of sound recordings by Canadian musicians and helps Canadian music companies make recordings available to a wider public. We also have funding available through our Music Industry Associations (MIAs) in each province and territory, and some provinces also have additional funding available through organizations that offer funding to all creative industries (like Creative BC + Ontario Creates). And there's many other options as well. Like I said, we're very lucky! This week on the show Jen talks to Erin Kinghorn.  Erin  runs eEK! Productions - a Toronto-based marketing, production management and grant administration company, AND she’s also a partner in Digital Promotions Group. Erin tells us all about how to navigate the music funding system here in Canada and has some good tips for musicians who haven't written a grant before.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Erin recommends: Elliot Brood's A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. project
Jen recommends:  Framing Britney Spears documentary

SOTW
Bill Jr. Jr. - Renaissance Man

You can find Erin at eekproductions.ca
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

Although things are moving in the right direction, the lack of diversity in the Canadian music  industry is still a problem, not just for the artists trying to gain access but for those that work within the industry as well. This week on the show we discuss diversity + education in the music industry. Jen talks to rapper, motivational speaker, and author, D.O. Gibson, about how he is creating change within our industry. We discuss his conference - The Northern Power Summit - and their upcoming event Black 365, his school outreach program Stay Driven, and, of course, his music!

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
D.O. Gibson recommends: Halifax rapper Quake Matthews
Jen recommends: Phoebe Bridgers' recent performance on SNL

SOTW
D.O. Gibson - Cmon Cuz

You can find D.O. Gibson at iamdogibson.com
And learn more about Fritz Media at fritzmedia.ca

When you choose to have a career in music, you often end up wearing a lot of different hats + learn about many different aspects of the business. And Alberta-based singer-songwriter Ryland Moranz is definitely an artist that knows all about this. Ryland releases his own music as a solo musician, is a part ofLeeroy Stagger's band The Rebeltone Sound + he's even worked as a tour manager. Jen talks to Ryland about his experiences in wearing all of these hats, to see if he could share some of the lessons that he's learned in the process.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Ryland recommends: C.R. Avery's new film VICTORY ON EAST HASTINGS
Jen recommends: Arlo Parks' new album Collapsed in Sunbeams

SOTW
Ryland Moranz - Beautiful World

You can find Ryland Moranz atrylandmoranz.com
And learn more about Fritz Media atfritzmedia.ca

The COVID pandemic has had a huge effect on the music industry + without live shows, many  artists + businesses have had to pivot in order to stay afloat in the last year. And who better to talk to about pivoting than Vancouver indie musician Dan Mangan. Dan is not just an artist, he's also the co-owner of Side Door Access, a business that Dan describes as "Airbnb but for shows" + they obviously had to pivot big time last year + have become a lucrative + solid platform for musicians to do ticketed live stream shows. Jen talks to Dan about how his music career has been affected by the pandemic + how Side Door Access turned lemons into lemonade by skillfully pivoting their business.

FRESH CONTENT LINKS
Dan recommends: Vancouver musician Sam Tudor
Jen recommends: Numero Group playlists on Spotify

SOTW
Dan Mangan - Not What You Think It Is

You can find Dan Mangan at danmanganmusic.com
And check out Fritz Media atfritzmedia.ca

For the very first episode of The FM Podcast, Jen talks to digital marketer Danielle McNeill. Danielle is the lead digital strategist at Fritz Media + also runs her own digital marketing firm, The Social Circle. Great conversation about how to navigate social media as a musician in 2021!

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