I'm a musician and host of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Liner Notes is my biweekly newsletter that shares some of the best insights garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.
Unstarving Musician | Six strategic lessons from 300+ podcast episodes
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Happy Friday and welcome to 2026! If you're in that weird space between "I should probably plan something" and "I'd really just like another week off," same. But here we are, and I want to share what I learned in 2025—the strategic lessons that changed how I work. I hope they'll get you thinking about the way you work. Three Lessons from 2025
🎧 Listen to Episode 342: What I Learned in 2025 📆 Scheduling Note: The next episode will be in three weeks instead of two. I'm taking a buffer break to get ahead on content, so I have backups for when something unexpected comes up. After that, back to the normal every-two-weeks schedule. Want the implementation frameworks?The next edition of Liner Notes Insider will include:
If you're not yet a Liner Notes subscriber, the free edition covers highlights from this and 300+ conversations: Get the Free edition of Liner Notes Liner Notes Insider gets you the complete frameworks. Learn more about Liner Notes Insider -- P.S.—Lesson six in the episode is about the tension between strategic and soulless—when metrics start to matter more than meaning. I'm still figuring this one out. If you're dealing with this tension too, the full episode explores the warning signs I'm watching for. Support the Unstarving MusicianIf you find value in this podcast, please consider a donation via our online tip jar – click, tip, done. Or visit UnstarvingMusician.com/CrowdSponsor to learn about the many other ways of showing your support. Your support = love 💟 Introducing SparticupsJust in time for the holidays, I've immortalized my beloved cat Sparticus in an awesome coffee mug. Spartacus was a 15.5 pound tabby who Sami and I adopted in California. He traveled the South and North American continents with us and lived his last days with us in Querétaro, Mexico. This cup features one of my favorite pics ever of him. This mug design was originally a gift for Sami – now it's an homage to the most gentle cat we've ever known. Starting a podcast? Or ready to level up your existing show?Podcast Startup gives you the systems and strategies I've developed from producing 250+ podcast episodes—without the trial-and-error that cost me years. You'll get actionable frameworks for:
Whether you're launching your first episode or adding video to your show, Podcast Startup eliminates the guesswork. Learn more at UnstarvingMusician.com/PodcastStartup. Affiliate Partner ResourcesKit – Email Marketing for MusiciansKit (formerly ConvertKit) is an email marketing and audience building software that helps musicians like you turn your passion into a full-time career by connecting you to your fans faster. Start a free trial. Dreamhost Web Hosting Get a Website Built for You — 100% Free! You don’t need to hire a designer, mess with templates, or figure it out yourself. The team at Dreamhost will create a beautiful, mobile-friendly website that’s ready to launch — completely free, when you sign up for a year of web hosting. Limited time only offer. Get started! Disclosure: Our affiliate partnerships pay us a small commission if you purchase using the links above – at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! Share this email and/or read it on the web Stay in touch! Feedback, comments, complaints? Reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you. 📭 Where to Listen to The Unstarving Musician Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen on Overcast Click here to listen on Spotify Click here to listen on YouTube Click here to listen on Pandora |
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 insights garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.
Many of us write about gratitude this time of year. This year's list came relatively easily for me. Still, it’s mixed with some difficult questions I’m sitting with about work, health, and what success actually means. Before the holiday break, I wanted to share both what I’m grateful for and what I’m learning. Some of it’s uncomfortable. Some of it might resonate if you’re dealing with similar tensions. Three things on my mind 1. Day jobs might be the smartest path After conducting over 300...
What if thousands of dollars from your music are sitting unclaimed right now—not in some future revenue stream, but from songs you’ve already released? For most independent artists, this isn’t hypothetical. It’s reality. A couple of weeks ago, music business educator Amani Roberts shared insights about the money musicians consistently leave on the table. Not because they don’t work hard. Not because their music isn’t good enough. But because they don’t know about the four separate royalty...
You probably spent more time planning your next release than planning your finances this year. I know I did. Here's the problem: January hits, gig bookings dry up, and suddenly you're scrambling to figure out how to cover obligations like rent while your streaming royalties trickle in at $0.003 per play. The musicians who thrive financially aren't necessarily the most talented—they're the ones who figured out the money side before it became a crisis. With four weeks until 2026, here are the...