Episodes
AI Artists… Can unsigned Artists Succeed?
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I’m responding to an overwhelmed independent artist who asked one of the biggest questions I hear right now: “How are indie artists supposed to compete?” H...
How Do You Get Taken Seriously as a Songwriter Online?
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I’m reading an email from a 31-year-old former professional swimmer from London who’s trying to break into the Christian and country songwriting scene in N...
Can Introverts Still Succeed in Music?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read one of the most honest and heartbreaking emails I’ve received in a while. A 26-year-old songwriter from Portland reached out because he feels like the ...
How Much Stage Presence Is Too Much for Small Artists?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a 29-year-old singer-songwriter from Ohio who might…might be doing a little too much on stage. He’s been experimenting with a new “perfor...
How to Keep Going When You’ve Been Burned in the Music Industry
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read one of the rawest, most honest emails I’ve ever received. A musician in his 30s tired, disappointed, and skeptical wrote in to vent. He doesn’t believe...
If You’re Overwhelmed by Social Media… Start Here.
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I’m answering an email from a 25-year-old indie-pop artist who’s feeling crushed under the weight of social media expectations. He’s been releasing music s...
How Do You Chase Music When You Have No Time?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a mid-30s country singer who’s convinced he has the talent to become a star, if only he had the time. Between a full-time job, two kids, ...
Can You Change Your Music Style Without Starting Over?
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I’m reading an email from a 27-year-old artist who’s torn between two completely different paths. On one side, he’s creating moody R&B that performs well, ...
Is paying for PR or radio promotion a scam?
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I’m answering a question that almost every independent artist runs into at some point: Is paying for PR or radio promotion a scam? He’s an artist out of Au...
One Bad Night Cost Them a Management Deal…Here’s Why.
In today’s episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a guitarist from Orlando whose band was this close to signing with a legitimate Los Angeles management firm. For months, everything lo...
Should You Record Your First Single for Free or Go Pro?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from Sarah, a 22-year-old college student in Nashville who’s finally ready to record her first single but has no idea what a realistic budget ...
How to Find Paying Gigs as a Professional Musician
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a guitarist who’s been playing for 31 years and still can’t find a serious gig. He claims to be one of the best players in his area. He’s...
What To Do If Your Record Label Closes but You’re Still Under Contract
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a rapper from Birmingham, Alabama, who’s been carrying the weight of a bad record deal for more than a decade. Back in 2011, he signed wi...
How to Grow Your Music Career When You’re Broke
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a 20-something piano singer-songwriter who has been pouring his heart into open mics and coffeehouse gigs, and now he’s ready to take thi...
Breaking Into the Music Industry as an Interviewer
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a 24-year-old from North Dakota who aspires to become a music interviewer. He didn’t find me through the Mattrix Minute he discovered my ...
Drove 10 Hours to a Show That Didn’t Exist
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read one of the funniest (and most painfully real) emails I’ve ever gotten from a touring band. A bassist, van-sleeper, and unofficial band therapist, wrote...
7 Million Streams…Then Everything Fell Apart.
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I share one of the most heartbreaking emails I’ve ever received. It’s from Sarah, a pop artist who inherited $200,000 from her grandfather and wanted to use i...
How Do You Go from small Gigs to Arenas?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an independent artist whose band is ready to make the leap from the local scene to the big stage. They’ve been grinding for years pulling...
Spotify Playlist Pitching: Smart or Scam?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an Artist Manager who manages a pop singer just starting to gain traction. This manager has been approached by several “playlist promotio...
Should You Sign a Record Deal or Stay Independent?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I respond to an email from a 16-year-old pop artist who’s starting to gain traction. She’s already built up 18,000 followers on Instagram and her first single...
Bandcamp vs. Spotify: Who’s Really Helping Artists?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I respond to one of the most passionate (and brutal) emails I’ve ever received. An artist called me out hard for my opinions on Bandcamp. He says I’m a “Spoti...
How Do You Know When to Quit Music?
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I received an email from a 26 year old artist from Indianapolis who’s feeling stuck and burned out. Trey’s been grinding for years, posting freestyles, droppi...
Should You Sign a 50/50 Record Deal? | Music Industry Breakdown
In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I respond to an email from an artist. He is the lead singer of a band that has been grinding it out for 17 years without a record deal until now. After nearly...
Should Artists Stop Uploading to Spotify and Go Back to CDs?
In this episode of the Music Business Newslettee with Matthew Rix, I respond to an email from an artist who says I don’t really help artists the way I claim to. He believes that if I truly cared about independent musicians, I...