Episodes

Stop dreaming about the mainstage and start building your music career today. Discover how a bedroom producer went from downloading an Ableton Live trial to performing with Illenium at Lost Lands. Host Olivia Mancuso sits down with EDM artist Avello to decode his rapid ascent in the electronic music industry. Learn how he turned a basic studio setup into a touring reality through sheer focus. Master modern music marketing with Avello’s "Trust and Dopamine" content strategy. We break down why p...

You're finally making money from music. Shows are coming in. Maybe you just got your first $10K, $50K, or $100K check. This is the moment every artist works toward—and the moment where most careers start falling apart. The music industry doesn't teach you what to do when the money actually arrives. There's no handbook for navigating profit vs. expenses, budgeting for inconsistent income, or knowing when you actually need professional financial help. By the time most artists realize they're in t...

When success starts destroying you, do you walk away or do you rebuild on your own terms? Sam Divine spent 25 years grinding her way to the top—from handing out flyers on Ibiza streets to becoming the Queen of Defected. But the journey nearly broke her. Depression, addiction, relentless touring, and the loss of her mother pushed her to a breaking point where the music that once saved her started hurting her. In January 2025, she checked herself into rehab. Not just for the drugs and alcohol, b...

Will Clarke posted that he was retiring. For 48 hours before revealing it was a remix album announcement, he experienced something unexpected: complete freedom. "I woke up the next day after retiring and was like, my god, this is so free." That moment revealed a truth most artists won't admit - this career is both a calling and a cage. Will's been doing this since he was nine years old, DJing longer than he hasn't, and sometimes the only way to remember why you started is to imagine walking awa...

Think running a label is just passion and good taste? Charles D is learning the hard way what it actually costs to build something from scratch. With releases on Drumcode and Pryda Presents, Charles has earned his stripes in techno. But now that he's launched KONKRTE, he's pulling back the curtain on what nobody talks about: the $2,500 per release, the £1,000 promo campaigns, and why most artists have no idea what they're signing up for. We get into his bootcamp tour with Eric Prydz (9 shows i...

New year, same you? Good. Because I'm not here to tell you to hustle harder or add seventeen new habits to your routine. The artists crushing it right now aren't doing MORE than you - they're doing DIFFERENT. They've figured out how to stop being a full-time employee in their own career and start being the CEO. In this episode, I'm breaking down the one framework that separates DJs who plateau at year three from the ones who build sustainable, growing careers: Working ON your career versus work...

Think learning to DJ means mastering your equipment? You're missing the entire point. Your Shot just wrapped their first-ever US competition after 15 years of success in Australia, and what I witnessed at the LA finals completely shifted my perspective. Hundreds of people across LA and New York signed up for six weeks of free DJ training - most had never touched a deck. The LA finals drew 4,000 people (the largest crowd Catch One has ever hosted), and NYC brought 3,600 across two days. Nobody ...

Most artists think saying yes to every opportunity is how you build a career. ANATTA proves the opposite is true. Since our last conversation, ANATTA has mastered one of the hardest skills in this industry - strategic rejection. He turns down more bookings than he accepts, including clubs he's been dying to play and gigs that could pay six months of rent. This isn't about being difficult or playing hard to get. It's about understanding that every yes to the wrong opportunity blocks you from the...

The world is at 134 BPM right now. Your sound sits at 125. Do you adapt or wait for the trend to pass? This is the choice every producer faces, and Dutch house legend Ferreck Dawn has navigated it for over two decades. Fresh from Amsterdam Dance Event, Ferreck breaks down how he's built a career that's lasted through multiple industry shifts, sound evolutions, and market changes. From his signature "clock" element that's hidden in every track to balancing a touring career with family life, this...

Most artists agonize over when to quit their day job. Malóne spent 9 years building his career strategically until the timing was finally right. After nearly a decade of playing Miami clubs, growing his WHYNOTUS label, and building the right relationships, quitting his corporate job before Miami Music Week wasn't a risk - it was the natural next step. This conversation reveals the real timeline of building a sustainable music career. From playing for $200 as the "promoter DJ" to touring Europe ...

Most artists think gratitude is just feel-good fluff. But what if I told you it's actually one of the most powerful business strategies you can use to transform your career? In this deeply personal episode, I'm sharing the exact gratitude practice that took me from making $30,000 a year in a job I hated to building multiple businesses in the music industry. This isn't toxic positivity or woo-woo manifestation - this is strategic psychology that changes how you show up, make decisions, and attra...

Most artists compartmentalize their lives - music over here, other interests over there. Rebūke shows how to fold your entire self into your music career. The same kid who got pulled out of geography class to fix teachers' computers now creates stunning 3D visuals that have transformed his live shows and opened entirely new revenue streams. While other artists outsource their visual content, Rebūke taught himself Cinema 4D, Unreal Engine, and AI visual generation. His shows now feature producti...

Most DJs burn out, fade away, or get replaced by the next big thing within five years. Jamie Jones has been dominating dance music for over two decades. So what's his secret to mastering the long game? In this rare, in-depth conversation, we dive into the strategic decisions and mindset shifts that have kept Jamie relevant while countless others have disappeared. From his isolated beginnings in rural Wales to building Paradise into a global phenomenon, this is the blueprint for sustainable succ...

Most people think inclusivity is the key to building a successful venue or event. Dom Brown built his empire doing the exact opposite - and he's not apologetic about it. As the founder of Porn & Chicken (Chicago's most legendary weekly party), owner of Never Have I Ever bar, and touring manager for Green Velvet and Shermanology, Dom has one controversial principle: not everyone deserves access to everything. While other promoters were chasing numbers, Dom was implementing no-phone policies in ...

Think you know who your most valuable fans are? This conversation with Ritesh Patel, co-founder of Ticket Fairy, will completely flip your understanding of fan value and event data. While most artists focus on big spenders and VIP customers, Ritesh has discovered through processing over $300 million in ticket sales that your most valuable fans are actually the ones who spend the LEAST money. Why? Because they're the early adopters buying early bird tickets and bringing their friends along. Fro...

Think you need a big budget and industry connections to throw successful events? Kyle Cassico proves otherwise. He went from $9,000 in credit card debt to building a thriving experiential company, and his guerrilla marketing tactics work whether you're throwing your own events or trying to get booked. Kyle breaks down exactly how to create content that moves people from scrolling to showing up, how to build credibility when nobody knows who you are, and why your biggest limitation might not be ...

Think you need millions of followers to break out of your local DJ scene? Lawrence James from Crossfader proves that one viral video can change everything - but only if you know what to do next. Lawrence went from playing the same local clubs seven nights a week to touring internationally, all because he decided to film one garage routine with a cheap camera. That video hit 80,000 views overnight and opened doors he never imagined. But here's the twist - the real success came when he pivoted fr...

Think you need to wait until you're making six figures to start planning your financial future? Think again. DJ and financial advisor Danner destroys every excuse artists make about money management and reveals why wedding DJs often out-earn nightclub residents by thousands. This isn't your typical "save money" advice - this is real talk from someone who's built two successful careers simultaneously. From knowing when it's safe to quit your day job to why DJ snobbery is costing you serious cash...

Why do some artists pack rooms while others play to empty floors? It's not about follower count, label releases, or who you know. BINGEWATCH from Blind Tiger cracked the code - he built a brand so trusted that people show up before they even know who's playing. In this conversation, we break down how he created LA's most reliable underground experience and what every artist can learn about building genuine fan loyalty. Whether you're playing other people's shows or creating your own opportuniti...

Think you need to post every day to stay relevant? Henry Fong went from viral post after viral post to completely rethinking his social media strategy - and discovered something way more powerful than chasing algorithms. While most artists are burning out trying to keep up with content demands, Henry created his own world. His Night Market concept brings Asian street food culture to electronic music, featuring his Filipino family cooking for 300 people and Vietnamese pho vendors serving soup at...

Think you need to follow someone else's blueprint to make it in dance music? This conversation with Layton Giordani and Parker Cohen, co-founder of Metatone, will completely change how you think about building a lasting career. Fresh off his performance at ARC Music Festival, Layton rarely gives interviews - but he opened up about his journey from New York warehouse parties to global recognition. Alongside Parker Cohen, they reveal why the artists everyone wants to work with share one crucial t...

Most labels won't sign you without 10,000 followers. Slugg's Get Busy label will sign an artist with 20 followers if they make better music than someone with 20,000. This conversation will completely change how you think about building a music career in the social media age. While the industry obsesses over vanity metrics, Slugg has built his reputation on a simple philosophy: good music makes people move, period. From his early days in Orlando to playing Paradise with Jamie Jones in Ibiza, his...

Most artists think talent is enough. Bijou proves that discipline is what separates the successful from the struggling. After 13 years of building his career around G-House, he hit a wall - he hated his music, hated touring, and wanted to quit everything. Instead of giving up, he rebuilt his entire approach to artistry. We're talking 13 years of sobriety, 6 AM wake-ups even while touring, cold plunges, meditation, and meal prep routines that most people think are impossible for a DJ lifestyle. ...

Most artists won't say this out loud, but DJ Lady D will: the house music scene has a problem, and it's not what you think. Chicago's House Music Queen is calling out the uncomfortable truth about who's really getting rewarded in dance music - and it's not always the people who deserve it. While the world's best DJs created the culture in Chicago, only a handful are seeing the financial success that matches their influence. Lady D breaks down why focusing on the past might be holding the scene ...