Videos

Sept. 11, 2025

'I Don't Care About Your Follower Count': Slugg's Music-First Philosophy | EF EP 116

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…

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Sept. 7, 2025

Discipline over Talent: Bijou’s Story

Discipline over Talent: Bijou’s Story After 13 years of building a career around G-House, Bijou was ready to quit. He felt burned out, hated his music, and was lost on where to go next. But instead of walking away, he rebuilt his entire life, proving that success in the music…

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Sept. 4, 2025

"I ALMOST QUIT DJING": Bijou's Brutal Career Reset | EF EP 115

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…

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Aug. 28, 2025

The Uncomfortable Truth About Who's Really Winning in House Music | EF EP 113

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…

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Aug. 21, 2025

How to Build Multiple Revenue Streams as an Artist | EF EP 113

Think you need to stay in one lane to build a successful music career? Night Tales just proved that wrong by creating CLR (Colour, Love, Rhythm) - a groundbreaking event series that's taking them around the country. CLR is a hybrid experience that partners with local bands, dancers, and cultural…

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Aug. 14, 2025

The Industry Will Change Whether You Like It or Not: Gene Farris' Strategy | EF EP 112

The music industry will change whether you like it or not. Chicago house legend Gene Farris has watched it transform completely over three decades - from needing vinyl releases to get overseas gigs to watching sync buttons replace beatmatching skills. His survival strategy? Build your own infrastructure. With over 500…

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Aug. 7, 2025

From 30 to 400 People in 12 Months: How to Build Your Own Scene | EF EP 111

Most DJs complain about not getting booked. Sarat, a drone pilot and DJ, created his own bookings instead. In just one year, he grew his sunrise sets from 30 people to 400+ people by building the scene he wanted to be part of. Starting with nothing but a unique perspective…

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July 31, 2025

The $3 Million Marketing Strategy Every Artist Needs to Know | EF EP 110

Think you need millions of followers to build a successful music career? This conversation with Alex Hilburn, Co-Founder of Surge Marketing, will completely change how you think about fan engagement and marketing. While most artists are burning money on digital ads and chasing follower counts, Surge has generated $3 million…

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July 26, 2025

The Art of Reading the Room: How to Master Any Crowd as a DJ (with Ms. Mada)

The Art of Reading the Room: How to Master Any Crowd as a DJ You're a DJ, and you know how tough it is to play for every type of crowd. One night, it's first-timers; the next, it's your dedicated regulars. How do you keep everyone locked in and still…

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July 24, 2025

When Everyone Has a Label: The New Rules of Music Collaboration with Kyle Watson | EF EP 109

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY DEEP TROPICS. Deep Tropics is an immersive dance experience in the heart of Music City, Nashville, where party truly meets purpose. Known as the most sustainable festival in North America, Deep Tropics is an energetic celebration of culture, community, and the planet. Catch headliners like…

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July 17, 2025

How to Build a Profitable Music Career by Serving Fewer People | EF EP 108

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY DEEP TROPICS. Deep Tropics is an immersive dance experience in the heart of Music City, Nashville, where party truly meets purpose. Known as the most sustainable festival in North America, Deep Tropics is an energetic celebration of culture, community, and the planet. Catch headliners like…

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July 10, 2025

I Spent $15K on a Studio That Got Destroyed in 2 Months | EF EP 107

For a deeper dive into what to do when crisis hits your career - including why every DJ needs business insurance, how to move through setbacks without losing momentum, and the emotional regulation skills that separate successful artists from those who give up - listen to the full episode on…

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July 3, 2025

Why Your Ego Is the Biggest Threat to Your Music Career | EF EP 106

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY DEEP TROPICS. Deep Tropics is an immersive dance experience in the heart of Music City, Nashville, where party truly meets purpose. Known as the most sustainable festival in North America, Deep Tropics is an energetic celebration of culture, community, and the planet. Catch headliners like…

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June 26, 2025

The Space Miami Formula: How to Handle Any Crowd | EF EP 105

Want to know how to read and control any room, no matter how diverse the crowd? Ms. Mada's unique perspective as both booking operations manager and resident DJ at Space Miami offers insights that most artists never get access to. From handling Miami's most eclectic crowds - mixing Space regulars…

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June 21, 2025

Can't Get Booked? Book Yourself (with Josh Baker)

Can't Get Booked? Book Yourself (with Josh Baker) Can't get booked as a DJ? The answer isn't sending more demos—it's building your own stage. In this video, DJ, producer, and entrepreneur Josh Baker breaks down the raw, unfiltered story of how he went from throwing parties in a field with…

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June 19, 2025

How to Take Your Music to New Cities with Jeff Sorkowitz | EF EP 104

Want to expand your music career beyond your home market? Jeff's strategic approach to building Short Circuit across multiple cities offers a blueprint for sustainable geographic expansion. Jeff reveals how he identifies the right partners in each market and creates authentic events that resonate with local scenes while maintaining his…

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June 14, 2025

My 100k Follower Instagram Was DELETED – Why It Didn’t Affect My DJ Career with Hiroko Yamamura

My 100k Follower Instagram Was DELETED – Why It Didn’t Affect My DJ Career with Hiroko Yamamura Ever wonder what would happen if your entire online presence just... vanished? That's exactly what happened to DJ and meme queen Hiroko Yamamura. Her 100,000-follower Instagram page was deleted overnight, and in this…

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June 12, 2025

From House Parties to Throwing Festivals: Josh Baker's Journey | EF EP 103

Tired of waiting for someone to give you a chance? Josh Baker's story proves you don't need permission to start building something meaningful in music. Starting with literally nothing - a £20 generator and field parties where people told him to "turn this shit off" - Josh created his own…

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June 7, 2025

Stop Whining About Social Media & Do the Work with Proppa

Stop Whining About Social Media & Do the Work with Proppa Tired of hearing artists complain about social media? What if the "good old days" of needing big budgets for music videos and magazine placements were actually much harder? In this unfiltered conversation, artist and producer Proppa joins the show…

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June 5, 2025

Stop Waiting for Permission: How to Put Yourself On in Music | EF EP 102

🎫 PRESALE ALERT: Chicago Music Nexus 2025 presale tickets are now live for 2 weeks only! Last year completely sold out, so don't sleep on this. Get your tickets here: https://posh.vip/e/chicago-music-nexus-2025 Want to know what separates artists who complain about the industry from those who actually change it? This conversation…

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May 29, 2025

Your Hometown Won't Make You Famous: How to Build Beyond Local Scenes with Hiroko | EF EP 101

Think your local scene holds the key to your DJ success? This conversation with Hiroko Yamamura will change that perspective entirely. Even in a major music city like Chicago, waiting for local validation can be a career-limiting strategy. Hiroko reveals why looking beyond your hometown - even when it's a…

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May 22, 2025

The Overnight Success Story that Took 15 Years | EF Episode 100!

For our milestone 100th episode, we're celebrating in our brand new Chicago studio with someone who's been part of this journey from day one - my brother, Proppa. His recent success with Warner Bros. offers the perfect case study in what it really takes to break through in music. From…

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May 15, 2025

The Artist-to-Manager Journey: Lessons from Both Sides of the Table | EF EP 99

Want to know what it takes to navigate the music industry from both sides of the table? This week's conversation with Mouna Dif offers a unique perspective from someone who's journeyed from singer-songwriter to respected manager and label executive. After experiencing firsthand how artists can be taken advantage of -…

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May 10, 2025

The Spotify & TikTok Trap: Why Platform Diversification is Survival

The Spotify & TikTok Trap: Why Platform Diversification is Survival Are you building your music career on rented land? The Spotify & TikTok Trap is real: platforms change, accounts get banned, and YOUR audience can vanish overnight. This video, featuring ex-Spotify & TikTok insider Dan Roy Carter, shows YOU how…

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