Unstarving Musician | What a marketing day job taught Ezra Vancil about music sustainability

Happy Friday!

What if the "corporate" business thinking you avoid is actually what enables sustainable creativity?

Episode artwork featuring Ezra Vancil playing acoustic guitar on stage

That's what returning guest Ezra Vancil discovered. After 10 years with the same band, running his own label (Near Home Records), and producing a 14-month double album project while working full-time, he has learned that systems are more important than motivation.

Three Insights from Our Conversation

THE 5AM CREATIVE ROUTINE: Ezra wrote/produced Morning & Midnight during 5-8am blocks before his marketing day job. Not willpower—systems. (He shares the productivity frameworks he borrowed from business in the episode.)
THE PRE-STREAMING REVENUE MODEL: His last album sold exclusively to his email list for a full year before hitting streaming platforms. His new approach: hybrid limited streaming + direct sales. The financial impact? Significant. (I break down the math in the upcoming Liner Notes Insider.)
FEAR AS COMPASS: When his daughter Cozi told him she wouldn't keep performing with him if he didn't change his intense prep style, Ezra had to face his control issues. His teaching: "Fear is sometimes a compass pointing where we need to go."

🎧 Listen to episode 337 and read the show notes

Want the Implementation Frameworks?

The upcoming edition of Liner Notes Insider includes:

Ezra's complete business systems framework (energy management, communication protocols, production workflow)
Pre-release revenue strategy breakdown with financial comparison
House concert preparation checklist (his method + Shannon Curtis additions + my personal insights)

If you're not yet a Liner Notes subscriber, the free edition covers highlights from this and 300+ conversations: Sign up Liner Notes

Liner Notes Insider gets you the complete frameworks: Sign up for Liner Notes Insider

Peace, love and more cowbell,
Robonzo

P.S. - Ezra also shares his journey with mental health, moving away from pharmaceutical solutions to understanding himself as a "high-energy person" who needs structure. A mentor's advice was, "Keep going." That mentor was first a fan who repeatedly called to leave that message. Sometimes that's all we need to hear.

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