5 Reasons Musicians Need to Have a Podcast

Why do you need a podcast?  Let me explain:Recently I was interviewed by trumpeter James Newcomb for his popular trumpet podcast, Trumpet Dynamics, which I encourage you check out out here.In it we cover everything from performing and building a career, networking, social media marketing, and exactly how I got into Canadian Brass.James has added some real value to the trumpet community with Trumpet Dynamics Podcast, all while building up a brand, promoting himself and fellow musicians, and having a fun time doing it.Check out episode 10, featuring yours truly:

James was also kind enough to share his latest article on why YOU should have a podcast. Give it a read, and be sure to visit trumpetdynamics.com and subscribe to his Trumpet Dynamic podcast!Enter James....

5 Reasons Musicians Need to Have a Podcast

Written by James Newcomb on March 8, 2016.

Perhaps you remember the late 90’s. What a different world it was than we have today. Fax machines, pagers… heck, people even wrote words on paper in order to communicate with other people. How utterly archaic by today’s standards.

But there was a new thing on the horizon: email. Only a few people at that time could predict the monumental change in the way we communicate because of it. Today, there are no more stamps, no more waiting days for a message to arrive, not even any more walks across an office to send a message – well, they drastically decreased. And it’s because email changed our means of communication forever.

Remember when Facebook and Twitter were novelties? “How do you transfer photos from your camera to Facebook?” was the pressing question on everyone’s mind just a few years ago. Today, Facebook is an integral means of communication and advertising. A Facebook group – which provides that community and camaraderie we all desire – is sometimes the clincher in selling a membership subscription or training program.

The novelty of the day is podcasts. What is a podcast? How do you do it? Should I do it? Do I have to do it? How much does it cost? Perhaps those questions are on your mind right now.

Well, the day is soon coming that a podcast will be just as essential in marketing yourself as a musician as your Facebook page or Patreon account. Today is not that day. It may not arrive for several years. But it’s coming. So, why not learn how to do it now while it’s still relatively new. Set yourself apart from others, rather than simply trying to stay with the current.

Here are 5 reasons to start your own podcast. These are listed in random order. The importance of each is ultimately up to you – you future podcaster, you :)

1) It’s on your terms and your schedule. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do it. You’re the boss. It can be as simple or as complex as you’d like. You release content when you want, at your own schedule.

2) It’s cheap. Most of the major podcast hosting services have plans starting at $3 or $5 a month. And unlimited content is in the neighborhood of $75-80 a month. What radio show is produced for that amount of money? The recording equipment I use for the Trumpet Dynamics Show cost less than $200. I converted a closet in my dad’s counseling office into a studio. I use Audacity, free open-source software, to edit and master each episode. Heck, if you have an iPhone, you can produce and host a podcast for free.

3) It’s easy. If you know how to turn on a computer, download and upload files, and click buttons that say “submit” you can do a podcast.

4) It’s much more personal than a Facebook or Twitter status update. Want to really connect with the people that mean the most to you, i.e. your patrons? Why settle for a stale, typed message or blog post when you can speak it and allow your listeners to feel your passion? Think of how artists leverage YouTube to share their art with their patrons. This is a world on the move. A podcast allows you to move right along with it.

5) Everyone’s doing it. Well, everyone is about to be doing it. Podcasting has not yet reached critical mass – only 1 in 5 Americans listen to podcasts. But think of how television was a novelty in the 1950’s. By the 1960’s, just about everyone had a TV. Same with smart phones, computers, the list goes on and on. Expect podcasts to follow the same pattern – especially with smart phones becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.

Since I am the host of a trumpet-centric podcast, writing for a fellow trumpeter’s blog, I will now share 10 podcast ideas within the trumpet niche that I think could gain a following. I don’t have the time to do them, otherwise I would do them myself. I’m sure if you’re not a trumpet player, you can imagine how these could translate to your own instrument and/or interest.

– News, events and harmless gossip within the trumpet world.

– Orchestral trumpet community

– Jazz trumpet community

– Equipment (no one ever talks about equipment :)

– Pedagogy

– History

– Chronicling the lives of great trumpeters – sort of like trumpet history, but more in-depth

– Instruction – set up a free mini-course to give an in-depth advertisement for your services

– A group-centric show giving updates from the road, updates on new recording projects, and other fun stuff for a specific group, university studio, etc.

– A show to advertise a specific product or company (Bob Reeves already has a leg up on this one.)

These are ideas that I came up with while sipping coffee at my kitchen table. I’m sure people reading this can come up with more. If you’re thinking about doing this but aren’t quite sure, then at least learn the ins and outs for free and decide whether or not it’s right for you. And if you’re ready to do it and do it right, this is where you need to be.

*James Newcomb is the host of the Trumpet Dynamics Show, a weekly podcast that shares stories and valuable insight from trumpet players around the world. If you have any questions or comments, he can be reached at james@trumpetdynamics.com