Later this month I’ll be interviewing D Grant Smith, podcaster, author and indie radio show host. The interview will be an episode of my forthcoming Unstarving Musician Podcast. D Grant is an interesting fellow in many regards, but I’m particularly anxious to discuss with him indie radio, his book The DIY Musician’s Radio Handbook, and the Appetizer Radio show. A number of musicians I know are part of the DIY community, but I know a few who are connected with artist management. I presume that any preoccupation with radio varies by where you are on the spectrum between DIY artists and those with representation; however, I’m intrigued by something I assume to be true, which is that radio does still matter, particularly indie radio.
Despite my personal beliefs, I still hear people say that radio is dead. I believe what I’ll find out in the coming days is that while radio has changed dramatically in recent years, it does still matter. Perhaps the degree to which it still matters hasn’t yet fully played out, as the music industry continues to change. We do after all seem to be caught in a perpetual state whereby most music listening people feel that it (music) should all be free. I disagree. That said, I’m happy to see an emerging trend whereby artists at all levels are finding that there are many ways to monetize their art, besides just selling music on iTunes. If you’re a songwriter or performing artist, I might have just made you twinge with the word “monetize.” While I’ll admit that the word is a little Silicon Valley, or whatever, I feel strongly that artists should be able to make a living from their art, and if they’re good enough, that they should even make an extremely comfortable living.
Maybe I’m in for a big surprise on the relevance of indie radio. If my first Google search is any indication, it doesn’t appear that much is being written about it lately. I get it though. There’s so much other new and exciting shit happening in music, granted not all of it good. Hopefully, I can help bring something current to the topic with this and the D Grant Smith interview. Most of all, I’m hopeful that musicians following the Unstarving Musician project will learn something.
As I get ready for my interview with D Grant, you can check out some of the resources I did find.