Finding Harmony

Hey Honeys and Hustlers,

Quick announcement: Our crowdfunding campaign for our latest film, Trail Therapy, is live on Seed&Spark! We’re looking to raise at least $4,000 in 4 weeks and we need your help! Trail Therapy follows Sharon Mosley, a runner and therapist based here in Durham, NC as she trains for and completes the Tar Heel 10 Miler. As newsletter subscribers, you are the first to hear about the crowdfunding campaign which means you get first access to all the rewards we have set up in exchange for your donation. The Rootful team is committed to telling community-driven stories, and I’m excited to complete this project with your help. If you’d like to learn more about her story click here. If you’re unable to give at this time, please share this crowdfunding campaign with your network and on social media!

Now, onto today’s topic.

We haven’t checked the headlines in an hour, is TikTok still getting banned?

Whether or not you support the ban, the uncertainty of TikTok’s future is enough to have creators nervous about what the future holds.

The music industry in particular will be watching as this unfolds. Many artists have used TikTok to build unprecedented relationships with their audience while promoting their music. Today we wanted to highlight a medium other than the short-form sensation that may be even more powerful for building these deeper, more direct relationships… Podcasts.

Beyond the B-Sides

Podcasts offer musicians a unique opportunity to let fans into their work in a deeper way. While their music, album releases, and live shows are undeniably their purest work, podcasts allow them to share stories and personal insights or add additional context to their work. 

Artists can even use this space to bring fans along on topics unrelated to their music like true crime, personal development, interviews, or overall industry analysis.

For their biggest fans, this fills in the gaps between releases to keep them engaged and excited. Bringing fans behind the scenes to hear what goes into creating the work helps create a high level of anticipation and showcases the artistry behind it all. Charlie Puth’s hit, Lightswitch, is an example of a song that was developed, promoted, teased, and released in public as fans watched Puth construct the song on TikTok.

Now imagine this same fan engagement outside of the viral doom-scroll, and in a medium with the longevity of podcasts. That’s an evergreen top-of-funnel discovery engine that can be pointed to repeatedly over time, just like video has been. Look at viral videos like Maggie Rogers getting to show a demo to Pharrel Williams - this video is linked to repeatedly and acts as an entry point to her music for many new fans.

This video exists because of Pharell’s own media operation, “I Am Other.” Showing us just one example of how powerful a multimedia-based distribution strategy can be.

There are already many artists doing this well with podcasts:

• “Caresha Pls” with Yung Miami

• “Questlove Supreme” with Questlove

• “And the Writer Is…” with Ross Golan

• “R&B Money” with Tank and J. Valentine

• “Can You Dig It?” with Chuck D.

• “Drink Champs” with N.O.R.E.

Personality vs Prowess

The music industry is driven by personalities and fandoms. The “best” or most popular music isn’t just about the quality or lyrics of the music. Instead, what’s driving record sales and tour sellouts is the connection between artists and their fans.

For artists with established platforms, podcasts offer a permanent home for this connection while opening up new income streams and branding opportunities. Upcoming artists may struggle to find the time to invest in a podcast of their own, but artists being guests on other podcasts to promote upcoming releases is becoming common and is a great foot in the door to collaborate with others in the industry.

Creatives, and in this case musicians, are resilient and adaptable. Challenges and restrictions often push them to find new innovative ways to connect with audiences. A TikTok ban would be no different.

What music artists do you want to see jump into podcasting? Are you thinking of starting a podcast? Are you looking to be a guest on more podcasts?

Please Hustle Responsibly,

🤙🤙🏾✨

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