Today we're walking through the top 5 most common branding mistakes made by new artists. Our guest today is James Muriel, a brand consultant who comes from the branding agency world in London and worked on CeCe Winans' Grammy Award Winning Album “Let Them Fall in Love.”

Timestamps:
0:00 - Why Branding Matters
5:03 - Defining Brand and Brand Positioning
13:26 - Red Bull Branding
16:37 - Branding Mistake Number 1
23:59 - Branding Mistake Number 2
35:05 - Branding Mistake Number 3
39:05 - Branding Mistake Number 4
50:05 - Branding Mistake Number 5

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Today we're walking through how to scale from $0 to $100,000 per year on social media as an artist. To help us navigate this journey, our guest is a talent manager for 30 content creators with a combined 4 million followers. She specializes in managing micro-influencers and turning their platforms into profitable businesses.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:44 - Starting from $0 on social media
10:07 - Making $10k from social media
23:08 - Making $50k
31:04 - Making $100k
40:55 - Revenue streams for creators

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Today we're sitting down with Spencer Crandall as he enters his 10th year as an independent artist - currently with over 500 million streams and more than 3 million followers on TikTok. We're walking through Year 1 to Year 10 of his career to learn how he got to where he is now, and how you can use his strategies to level-up your career as an artist today.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:17 - Year 1
14:11 - Year 3
22:27 - Year 5
37:50 - Year 10
49:48 - How Do You Spend Your Time?
51:22 - Revenue Percentages
55:07 - Tips for New Artists
58:58 - Streaming Revenue

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Let's talk about one of the strategies that artists use to make some serious money that you might not know - sync licensing. Today we're diving into the world of sync licensing and exploring its significance as a growing revenue stream for independent artists. What do these deals look like, and how can artists leverage them in their careers?

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:58 - Understanding Revenue Streams in Sync Licensing
8:53 - How Artists Can Break Into the Sync World
12:48 - What Do Sync Deals Look Like?
24:39 - What Makes an Artist Better to Work With
28:38 - How to Look for Sync Libraries
31:04 - Movie Trailers and Sound Design
37:45 - Different Sync Libraries
45:26 - The Impact of AI on Sync Licensing

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Nordista Freeze has played more than 850 shows as an independent artist - and he's aiming for at least 1,000 soon. So today we're talking about the importance of live performance in today's music industry, and what it looks like to build community and impact culture through music.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
03:34 - The Road to 1000 Shows and the Importance of Live Shows
9:45 - The Secret to Self-Touring
17:26 - How to Make an Unforgettable Live Show
21:45 - Impacting Culture Through Music
25:33 - Space Prom
34:38 - How to Build a Touring Base in a New Market
38:57 - Strategies for Touring Success
44:30 - The Benefits of Staying Independent
48:20 - What Does Your Schedule Look Like?

Meet the man who has helped change the country music landscape over the last several decades. Today we're sitting down with the legendary music industry expert John Marks, whose 55-year career spans terrestrial radio, SiriusXM, Spotify, and helping launch country artists like Florida Georgia Line and Kelsea Ballerini. Join us as we dive into what it takes for artists to stay independent and succeed today.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
2:35 – Reflections on a 55‑year career in music
7:52 – How has the music industry changed over your career?
12:44 – What artists need to stand out in 2025
16:38 – How Florida Georgia Line became successful
20:28 – What are you looking for in artists to give them a shot?
33:47 – How do you identify a good song?
37:32 – Dealing with change in the music industry
45:00 – The unique problem of Nashville
48:49 – How to encourage artists to take chances

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Canaan Cox recently turned down a $250,000 record deal - something he never would've imagined doing when he first started on his journey to become a successful independent artist. So why did he do it? And how did he amass over 120 million career streams on Spotify? Today, we sit down with Canaan to talk about turning down label offers, building a sustainable career, and what it really means to be an independent artist today.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
01:38 - Why Canaan turned down this label deal?
12:37 - What it would actually take to sign a deal?
16:02 - What gives him the confidence to turn it down?
21:46 - Turning point in Canaan's career
27:00 - What does a week in his life looks like?
33:50 - How he splits time with music, touring, and social media
43:00 - What makes his music videos so good
46:10 - The importance of resourcefulness as an independent artist
50:47 - How would your career look if you weren't independent?
57:36 - Why does independent artistry keep growing in 2025?

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Welcome to Stay Independent - a space for artists to discover tangible and actionable ways to grow an independent career.

Join us as we deep dive into music industry secrets with independent artists, tastemakers, and industry leaders. Hosted by Kirk Brandenburg, founder and director of Know Name, a music media company based out of Nashville that helps artists all over the country grow independent careers with content.

New episodes drop every Monday, with the first episode coming out July 14th!