Creative Juice

Ever feel like collaborating with other artists is more trouble than it's worth? It might be time to rethink that...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa dive into the power of artist collaboration and how it can be a game-changer for your music marketing! Learn about expanding your reach and maximizing the impact of your collaborations beyond just making music together!   If you're ready to leverage the full potential of partnerships in your music career, this episode will show you the opportunities you can't afford to overlook!   DISCOVER: Why Thinking About Collaboration As A Business Decision Isn't Selling Out How Sharing Your Audience With Other Artists Can Double Your Reach What Makes Brand Collaborations A Goldmine For Musicians Why Artistic Integrity Can Get In The Way Of Practical Success How To Start High-Value Collaborations With Local Fashion Brands When Collaborating Turns Into Creating A New Business Ecosystem  

Feeling burned out in your music career? What if it's not burnout you're feeling, but something else...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa take on burnout in music careers and tips for dealing with it! Learn about how what we label as "burnout" might actually be frustration due to lack of progress or enjoyment, and why the framework you use to view your energy and tasks can ultimately change how you work!   Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or just looking for ways to beat the daily grind in your music biz, these insights will keep you on track with your career goals!   DISCOVER: - Why Burnout In Music Might Just Be A Myth - How To Manage Your Energy Daily - What Tactics Can Help Artists Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed - How Setting A Long-Term Goal Changes Your Daily Focus - Why Feeling Engaged In Your Work Eliminates Exhaustion - How Sidequests Can Benefit Your Creativity

“Data” gets thrown around like a buzzword in the music industry… but what data actually matters when you're building your music business?   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa unpack the specific types of data we use every day working with artists and bands! Learn how to use the two most impactful data sets, core metrics data and audience data, to make smarter decisions with your fan base and your music marketing strategy!   If you've ever felt overwhelmed by analytics or unsure what numbers to pay attention to, this episode will help you focus on the data that actually drives growth!   DISCOVER: What Core Metrics You Should Track Across Content, Email, And Offers Why Subscribers, First-Time Customers, And Repeat Buyers Tell The Story Of Your Business How To Use Location Data To Make Touring Decisions What Makes LTV Useful (And When It Doesn’t Matter Yet) How Privacy-First Is Impacting Business Growth Why Marketers Say “Those Who Can Spend The Most To Acquire A Customer Win” How To Avoid Being Misled By Vanity Metrics What Balance Of Clarity And Persuasion Gets Fans To Take Action   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

Everyone talks about how important “branding” is for artists… but few explain how it actually fits into how your fans engage with you...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa break down what artists really need to know about branding! Learn about how your brand identity directly impacts how your fans engage with you online and why the best branding often comes from listening to your fans!   If you’ve ever wondered how and when to invest your time in branding in your career, this conversation will help you cut through the noise and focus on what really matters!   DISCOVER: Why Most Artists Think About Branding Backwards What Ad Scent Is And How It Impacts Your Fans’ Journey Why It’s Nearly Impossible To “Perfect” Branding Early On How To Create A Branding MVP You Can Actually Use What Simple Elements Create Connection Across Your Brand Why “Ugly” Landing Pages Can Convert Better Than Pretty Ones How To Audit Your Copy And Content For Brand Consistency How Your Social Strategy Shapes Your Entire Online Presence   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO EP364: Building A 3 Dimensional Artist Brand Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

As an artist, it's easy to feel stuck waiting for the perfect moment to launch something for your fans. There's a better way forward...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa explore how to move faster in your music business by adopting a "learning as you go" mindset and using it to validate fan demand! Learn how to test ideas, launch quicker, and build offers, marketing campaigns, and more without getting trapped in overthinking, second-guessing, or perfectionism!   If you're holding off on launching ANYTHING because you’re not sure your fans will dig it, this episode will give you the mindset and tools to take action today!   DISCOVER: Why Speed Is Your Best Friend In Music Marketing How To Prototype Your Way To Fan Demand What Questions To Ask Before You Build (or Launch) Anything How To Create “Disposable” Products That Still Make An Impact Why Safe Testing Grounds Help You Build Faster What MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) Look Like In Artist Businesses How To Order Tasks And Remove Bottlenecks   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

Most artists wait way too long to offer something premium to their fans…   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa break down profit maximizers that create unforgettable experiences for your fans and unlock serious revenue in your music career! Learn when to start selling high ticket in your online store, what to offer, and how to keep it simple so that you don't get overwhelmed!   If you've been building a fan base and wondering how to drive more profit in your music business, this episode is your blueprint for unlocking a new level of monetization of your audience!   DISCOVER: What High Ticket Offers Look Like For Artists Why These Offers Are Usually The Last Thing Artists Try How To Know When You’re Ready To Introduce One Who Your High Ticket Fans Are (And What They Want) What Tradeoffs Come With Premium Offers (And How To Handle Them) How To Audit Your Business For High Ticket Potential How To Create Simple Profit Maximizers Without Overcomplicating It   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO EP383: Offers We Wish Every Artist Knew About EP384: How To Eliminate Your Music Marketing Budget Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

What if your music marketing could pay for itself? For artists with the right offer, it can...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa continue our series on offers and dive into a powerful strategy that can eliminate your marketing budget altogether! Learn how the right offer, placed at the right point in your funnel, can fund your growth while building your fanbase at the same time!   If you’ve ever hesitated to invest in marketing your music because of budget concerns, this episode will help you rethink how your offers and your budget should ACTUALLY work together!   DISCOVER: What A Self-Liquidating Offer Is (And What It’s Not) Why SLOs Teach You How To Spend Money To Make Money How To Find The “Liquidation Point” In Your Fan Journey What Most Marketers Don’t Tell You About Self-Liquidating Offers How Big Brand Marketing Works What To Do When An Offer Doesn’t Work The First Time Why Your Goal Is To Sell Full Price, But Get Paid On The Way   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

What's up Indies welcome back to Creative Juice, this is the podcast where we cover growing and monetizing your fan base and building your music career with marketing strategies that are working RIGHT NOW based on what we see every day at our music marketing agency and across our community of thousands of artists and bands, I hope you enjoy and subscribe. I'm your host Jack McCarthy and with me as always is my co-captain Circa, what's up dude?   Go beyond bundles, variants, and presaves...Offers we wish every artist knew about and used in their business   -Self liquidating offer -Bribes -High ticket offers   the concept of the offer answering the question of why aren't i persausive/getting what i want feature so that benefit how your content is making offers the unfair advantage artists have when it comes to lead generation/bribes attention and access is a currency why artists cap their potential with bribes breaking down early access asking what else  

Should you focus your music marketing before your release or after it drops? We get this question all the time. The real answer? You need both...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa break down how to build an effective release plan that actually converts your fans' attention into impact! From stacking bonuses ahead of streaming drops to building experiences for your fans, learn how to make every moment of your release count!   If you’ve ever felt lost planning your next release or you want to rethink how you roll out new music, this episode will show you how to load up the right way!   DISCOVER: Why The Best Marketing Happens Before And After Your Release Drops How To Build A Timeline That Drives Action (Not Just Hype) What To Do Instead Of Chasing Pre-Saves How To Create Fan Experiences That Lead To Real Results Why Industry Advice Leans Too Heavily On Pre-Release Promotion What To Ask Yourself When Planning A Launch How To Avoid Overplanning And Actually Ship Your Release   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

More and more it seems like “Direct to Fan” is having a moment in the music industry...but it’s not a new concept and a lot of what you’re hearing about it misses the point entirely...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa set the record straight on what “direct to fan” really means for artists. We unpack the buzz around D2F in the industry, the confusion with D2C models, and how to build a business on your terms with your fans and customers!   If you’re building your artist business and want to understand what's real and what's noise in the “direct to fan” conversation, this episode cuts through and gives you a path to follow without distractions!   DISCOVER: Why “Direct To Fan” Is Becoming An Industry Buzzword and How To See Through The Hype What To Know About D2C Artist Businesses and D2C Brands How Gatekeepers And Middlemen Are Being Added Back Into D2C Unnecessarily What Direct To Fan Is Actually About (Hint: It’s Fan Monetization, Not Platforms) Why You Can’t Rely On Tools Alone To Build A Direct To Fan Business How To Evaluate The Costs Of Changing Platforms In Your Business What Direct To Fan Will Never Be and How To Build It The Right Way   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Shout out to Dame Ritter for the Inspiration Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

Going viral and building momentum with your fans online is important but what you do after those moments can make your marketing count...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa unpack what to do once you've started getting attention online, whether it's from a viral video or slow, steady growth over time! Learn how artists get stuck in the murky middle when building a fan base, chasing ideas without direction, and what to focus on instead by testing content variations, building with ads, making simple offers, and moving fans to the next step!   If you’re seeing traction with your music online but are unsure what to do next and afraid of losing momentum, this episode will give you the roadmap to keep building!   DISCOVER: Why Artists Get Stuck After Their First Viral Moment Or Spike In Attention What Tests To Run After Getting Traction How To Use Crossposting, Ads, And Hand-to-Hand Tactics To Drive Engagement When To Start Selling and Why You Don’t Need The “Perfect” Offer To Begin Why So Many Artists Underestimate Their Ability To Monetize Attention What To Do In The “Murky Middle” Between Content Success And Business Growth   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

Want a masterclass in fan engagement? Not everything you see in the music industry is worth copying, but now and then, artists' release strategies really stand out...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa break down Jon Bellion’s release strategy for Father Figure and why it’s one of the coolest fan-focused rollouts we’ve seen in a while! Learn about Jon's dedication to his email list and growing an old school style forum, what’s working, why his fans are going crazy over it, and how you can take notes for your own marketing!   If you’re watching what other artists are doing and wondering what’s worth paying attention to (and what’s just hype), this episode will help you separate stunts from strategy!   DISCOVER: How Jon Bellion Is Using Email Marketing And Forums To Build Deeper Fan Relationships Why His Approach To His Comeback Is Rallying His Fans What He’s Doing Differently With Instagram How He’s Driving Traffic To Release Shows And Merch Why Short-term Stunts Don't Create Long-term Fan Impact What To Model From Jon’s Marketing and What To Avoid When Watching The Industry   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Jon's Finsta Account Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

As artists grow, it’s easy to let the little things slide. It’s the artists who stay locked in on the details who see long-term success...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa dig into the small tweaks that lead to big results as your music career grows. Learn about how email and text personalization, fan recognition, and better messaging habits are a superpower that the best artists get growth from!   If you’re looking to increase engagement, build real fan loyalty, and stand out, this episode will give you a clear path forward!   DISCOVER: How To Use Fan Data In Your Messaging Why Simple Personalization Shows Fans You Know Them How To Create Subject Lines And Questions That Spark Replies Why Shouting Out Fans Matters (And How To Do It Well) How Consistent Small Actions Compound Into Long Term Growth What Separates Great Artists From The Rest What Is The One Opinion That Should Drive Your Decisions   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

What's up Indies welcome back to Creative Juice, this is the podcast where we cover growing and monetizing your fan base and building your music career with marketing strategies that are working RIGHT NOW based on what we see every day at our music marketing agency and across our community of thousands of artists and bands, I hope you enjoy and subscribe. I'm your host Jack McCarthy and with me as always is my co-captain Circa, what's up dude?     Figuring out how to grow in your music career probably feels somedays like you're trying to hit a moving target. It can be, and here's why.   Theory of constraints - it's a management concept that can be applied to business. It says that a business, whether it's your music career or the restaurant down the street, is limited in achieving its goals by a small number of constraints or bottlenecks. Basically that a business only grows up to its constraint.   And when you apply the Theory of Constraints to a business, you look for the largest constraint or bottleneck to hitting your goals and remove that constraint first.   Business examples - supply constrained (i don't have enough staff) vs demand constrained (i don't have enough customers)   How to apply this candid conversation We do this all the time, literally OFTEN because it's so easy to get distracted different way of fighting shiny object syndrome Will doing X distract us/get us closer from/to our bigger goal of Y Ask circ of times he's helped an artist identify their constraints   not new ways to do x, why currently why y isn't working when you live in your problems, you get blindness how to look for the one big thing sidequests and skills - the dirty secret of the fitness industry attacking your goals head on  

“How about TikTok?” It’s one of the most common questions we get from artists and their teams when talking about running ads...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa dig into how we run TikTok Ads at our music marketing agency IndieX—where they fit, when we use them, and how to get results without burning cash! Learn why we don’t use TikTok Ads for testing, how we rely on organic content first, and how to use viral videos to your advantage!   If you’ve been wondering where TikTok Ads fit into your music marketing strategy, this episode will give you the approach you need to use them the right way!   DISCOVER: Why We Don’t Recommend TikTok Ads For Testing How Organic Content Sets The Foundation Before You Spend Money On Ads What The Community Interaction Objective Is And How To Use It For Growth When To Run Ads On Proven Viral Content To Build Audience How TikTok’s Audience Growth And Retargeting Tools Work What Changed With Retargeting on TikTok   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

In a noisy music industry, artists often find themselves stuck, spinning their wheels with different advice, and not knowing what steps to take to actually hit their goals. And it's not your fault...   In part two of this Creative Juice conversation, Jack sits down with IndieFounder Lead Strategist Jonah McLean to dig deeper into marketing systems that help artists hit their goals! Learn about growing streaming with digital marketing, where to optimize your marketing for chart success, and how to think bigger about your music career.   If you're chasing your goals, trying to figure out your next step, or wondering how the future of music marketing is shifting, this episode is packed with stories from other artists to help!   DISCOVER: How To Think About Growing Your Streaming Numbers Using Digital Marketing Why Streaming Might Not Be Your First Roadblock and How To Find What Is What To Focus On If You're Aiming For Chart Success With Your Releases What Jonah Wishes Every Artist Knew About Music Marketing Why "Direct To Fan" Is Becoming A Buzzword How The Music Marketing Landscape Is Evolving And What To Prepare For Next   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Apply To Work With The IndieFounder Team Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

Can music marketing actually help you hit your goals or is it just more noise in an already distracted industry?   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack is joined by IndieFounder Lead Strategist Jonah McLean to answer that question with real stories from artists who hit their goals and the marketing that helped them! Learn how to stay authentic in your marketing without losing effectiveness, how to engage with your fans as your audience is building, and what systems you need to own your data and connect fans to sales!   If you're planning to release an album, go on tour, or just want to stop spinning your wheels, this episode will give you the clarity to connect your music marketing to your actual goals!   DISCOVER: How To Stay Authentic In Your Marketing And Still Get Results What It Really Means To Engage With Fans Beyond Basic Interactions Why Owning Your Data Matters And How To Build The Infrastructure To Do It How Simple Marketing Systems Keep You From Running In Circles What Prep Work You Need Before Marketing An Album Or Tour How To Tie Fan Engagement Directly To Sales And Revenue   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Apply To Work With The IndieFounder Team Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server! Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX!

Many artists miss a fundamental business truth. Turning one-time buyers into lifelong customers and building your fan base year over year is where real growth happens.   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa share strategies and stories about how to keep your fans coming back for more after they’ve made their first purchase! Learn the three ways to grow a business, why high-ticket offers should have a place in your membership and product lineup, and why your best fans want to buy more from you—and how your marketing should actually scare the wrong people away!   If you want to build a loyal customer base and create more predictable revenue in your music career, this episode will give you the tools to make it happen!   DISCOVER: What The Three Ways To Grow Your Music Business Are And How To Use Them Why Including High-ticket Offers Can Unlock More Revenue From Your Best Fans How 20% of Your Customers Could Be Responsible for 80% of Your Income What To Expect When Using Free + Shipping & Handling Offers And The Trade-offs Involved Why Your Marketing Should Repel The Wrong People To Attract The Right Ones   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

Getting fans to follow you is one thing — getting them to buy from you is another. But when you do it right, it can change everything for your music career...   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa share stories of converting fans into first time customers and different ways we've seen it happen! Learn how to expand your playbook with offers that actually fit your brand, use live shows as powerful sales moments, and monetize viral growth the right way!   If you’ve been wondering how to turn all that attention you’re getting into real revenue, this episode will give you offer ideas to get you started!   DISCOVER: How To Create Offers That Feel Natural To You And Your Fans Why Live Shows Are A Great Catalyst For Turning Fans Into Customers What To Do After Viral Growth To Capture And Convert New Audiences How To Use Tripwires To Get Your Fans To Buy Why Building Simple Sales Systems Now Will Help As Your Audience Scales   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!

Ever feel stuck wondering when (and how) to actually make offers to your fans? Most artists either rush it... or never do it at all!   In this episode of Creative Juice, Jack and Circa have a candid conversation about timing your calls to action and why so many artists struggle to get it right! Learn about what needs to be in place before you make an offer, why attention alone isn’t enough, and how to shift from content mode to offer mode without losing momentum!   If you've been putting off launching your first product or promotion because you're unsure if it’s “the right time,” this episode will give you the confidence and strategy to move it forward!   DISCOVER: Why Artists Either Rush Or Avoid Making Offers—and How To Avoid Both Mistakes When To Start Planning Your First Call To Action Once Your Attention System Is Working How To Set Expectations For Your First Offer (Or Your Next One) What To Do When The Path To Monetization Feels Slow Or Painful Why Taking Cues From Other Artists May Be Holding You Back What Types Of Monetization Paths You Can Explore   RESOURCES: Learn The Top Music Marketing Strategies Inside IndiePRO Looking to expand your team or need marketing help? Apply to work with IndieX! Join Us In The Indepreneur Discord Server!