Shows
Musicians Tip Jar133. Debt vs. Investments for Musicians: Your Path to Financial & Creative FreedomAre you a musician feeling the weight of financial stress? In this essential episode of Musicians Tip Jar, hosts Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin dive deep into the often overlooked realities of debt for musicians and the transformative power of investments for musicians. Discover how carrying debt doesn't just drain your wallet, but also stifles your creative freedom and limits your music career longevity. We expose the hidden costs of debt, from missed opportunities and delayed investing to reduced creditworthiness and overwhelming stress. Learn why a "broke artist" mentality is a phase, but a "financially trapped artist" is a...2025-07-2939 minMusicians Tip Jar132. 10 Ways to Communicate Like a Pro in the Music IndustryWant more gigs, better collaborations, and fewer awkward misunderstandings? It all starts with how you communicate. In this episode of Musicians Tip Jar, Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin break down the 10 essential communication habits every musician needs to succeed in today’s music industry. From booking shows and negotiating deals to handling creative conflict and building strong relationships, we cover the specific scripts, tools, and strategies that turn musicians into trusted pros. If you've ever lost a gig, missed an opportunity, or struggled with unclear expectations — this one’s for you. 💡 What you’ll learn:How to write emails that actual...2025-07-2257 minMusicians Tip Jar129. Engineering your Music path with Vince DipasqualeIn this episode of Musicians Tip Jar, hosts Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin interview multi-platinum producer Vince DiPasquale. They explore Vince's journey from his early love for music, through his education and struggles in the music industry, to his eventual success as a producer and educator. The conversation highlights the importance of saying yes to opportunities, the value of diverse income streams, and the role of mentorship in shaping a successful music career. Vince also shares insights on the challenges and decisions that come with pursuing a career in music, culminating in the founding of his online education platform, Fader...2025-07-0148 minMusicians Tip Jar125. Make Music Opportunities Find You: The SEIDS BlueprintJoin Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin as they sit down with powerhouse creator SEIDS—producer, singer, educator, and content strategist—who turned a 2020 gig drought into a six-figure home-studio career and 250K+ social media following.In this episode, SEIDS breaks down how to treat every setback as a launchpad (her “butterfly effect”), why learning to produce during COVID was a game-changer, and how to build an “irresistible” personal brand that makes dream opportunities come to you. Discover her rule for posting only mission-driven content, the art of “controlled controversy” to spark meaningful conversations, and the 4-M framework (Music, Mindset, Marketi...2025-06-0355 minMusicians Tip Jar124. Your Music and Financial Flow: A Dopamine Deep Dive for Musicians : Musicians Tip Jar🎶 Boost your productivity, creativity, and success in music by harnessing the power of dopamine! In this episode of Musicians Tip Jar, Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin dive deep into dopamine—the brain chemical responsible for motivation, reward, and pleasure—and reveal practical strategies musicians can use to turn dopamine into their greatest ally. Learn how to optimize your habits, enhance your creativity, and stay motivated on your journey to musical and financial success. 💡 Key takeaways:What dopamine really is and how it affects musiciansProven techniques to harness dopamine for greater productivityHow to avoid dopamine distractions that derail your goalsPractical action ste...2025-05-2759 minMusicians Tip Jar123. The Financial Scale and How to Use it🎙 Episode Title: S5 E8 – The Financial Scale and How to Use It💰 Overview:In this episode, we introduce The Financial Scale—a 7-note system designed to help musicians grow wealth the same way they build musical skill: through fundamentals, repetition, and intention. Just like mastering a new scale on your instrument, mastering your finances starts with learning the notes and practicing how they work together. Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin walk through each "note" of the Financial Scale—A through G—and explain how applying these steps can harmonize your creative and financial life. 🎼 The Financial Scale:A – Advance...2025-05-2043 minMusicians Tip Jar122. Manifesting Manual for MusiciansChris Webb and Dave Tamkin kick things off with a playful “Mani-fest” pun that sets the tone: mindset and money go hand-in-hand for working artists. The hosts remind listeners that you can dream big and get paid for it. Why Manifesting Belongs in Your Business Plan79 % of surveyed DIY musicians say mindset directly affects their income—yet few have a structured routine for it.Manifesting is presented as a practical goal-setting framework, not magical thinking. When paired with budgets and calendars it becomes a performance multiplier.The 5-Step Musician Manifesting MethodGet Crystal-Clear on the Dream – Define revenue, venue si...2025-05-1353 minMusicians Tip Jar121. How to Structure Your Music Business🎙️ Podcast Summary: S5 E6 – How to Structure Your Music BusinessWelcome to Musicians Tip Jar, where we talk about musicians and money. In this episode, Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin dive into one of the most important (but often overlooked) elements of running a sustainable music career—structuring your music business. Whether you're a solo artist, band leader, or music entrepreneur, selecting the appropriate business structure can help you save costs, safeguard your assets, and create opportunities for funding, branding, and growth.From sole proprietorships to LLCs to S-Corps, we break down the pros, cons, and key considera...2025-05-0642 minMusicians Tip Jar120. Health Hacks for Musicians: Stay Profitable When You’re SickToday we have one goal: to get everyone in our community prepared for the next illness that might be headed your way. It’s a constant concern for many of us (especially singers) and can threaten our livelihood. The good news is there are things we can do to minimize that threat and manage things in a way that allows for easier decision-making and time for healing with less stress.When you are healthy, you have 100 problems to deal with, but when you are sick, you have 1FoCoMA’s mission is to support all Northern Colorado musi...2025-04-2947 minMusicians Tip Jar119. What it means to Make it in Music with Ayo AwosikaToday we complete our interview with our good friend Ayo Awosika. We put a spotlight on the often misunderstood term “making it in the music industry” as well as diversifying revenue streams by simply pursuing your interests and some vocal tips from an absolute Pro.Quote:“(With success) there is no arrival point, you continue to arrive and take the next step and the next…” - Ayo AwosikaAyo Awosika is an LA-based vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. She is also a vocal/performance coach, music director, and arranger. She has toured and sung background vocals for artists incl...2025-04-2246 minMusicians Tip Jar118. The Power of Diversifying your Skills with Ayo AwosikaToday we sit down with the powerful Ayo Awosika and explore how diversifying her skills has been one of the most powerful ways to create new opportunities, increase adaptability, and ensure long-term success in her career and creative endeavors.Quote:“(The music business) truly is about referrals, community and connection” - Ayo Awosika“Your health is your Wealth” - Ayo AwosikaAyo Awosika is an LA based vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. She is also a vocal/performance coach, music director, and arranger. She has toured and sung background vocals for artists including Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith...2025-04-1550 minMusicians Tip Jar117. How Musicians Can Prepare for a Recession🎧 Episode Title: How Musicians Can Prepare for a Recession | Musicians Tip Jar S5 E2 In this episode of Musicians Tip Jar, co-hosts Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin tackle one of the most pressing concerns for independent artists and music professionals: how to recession-proof your music career. Whether you’re a gigging musician, songwriter, producer, or educator, economic downturns can disrupt your income streams. This episode offers 7 actionable strategies to build resilience, boost income, and stay financially secure during uncertain times. ✅ Key Topics Covered: 🎯 Diversify Your Income:Live shows, virtual concerts, and digital contentStreaming royalties, merch, licensing, and PatreonTeaching music lessons an...2025-04-0840 minMusicians Tip Jar116. How to Launch Your First Mini-Course as a MusicianWe are really excited to be back for season 5 of Musicians TIp Jar. Thank you for being here; just by listening, you are supporting the cause and belief that all musicians can be free from the fear of money forcing them to quit. Today we are also excited to announce that our first of a series of mini-courses has launched, and we thought this would be a perfect time to show you how you can launch your very own courses too!Building Dreams Through The Arts Founded in 1999, Prairie Music & Arts (formerly Prairie Music Academy) is a non-profit 501(c...2025-04-0134 minMusicians Tip Jar112. Break the Bad Habits that Block You with Mike MaurerToday we chat with Colorado, front range, blues musician Mike Maurer. Together we discuss how breaking out of bad habits makes room for the good stuff to come your way, more ways to multiply your earnings, and defining the vision of your future.“What I really do for a living is carry music gear around and play Tetris with time.” - Mike MaurerMike Maurer is a Colorado based musician who began playing guitar at a very early age, studying with Jock Bartley of the hit band, Firefall. After his debut release, Chasing Pearl , Mike toured exte...2024-09-0338 minMusicians Tip Jar109. How to Multiply Your Time as a MusicianThis long journey and pursuit of being a full-time musician is full of growth, plateaus, dips and more growth. But there is a point when the path begins to need more to keep up the pace, grow, and truly level up. Today we discuss the concept of Multiplying your time, how it applies to musicians and our efforts to 10x this life…“You will never ‘find’ time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” -Charles BuxtonThe Great River Folk Festival is the longest running nonprofit music festival in La Crosse, Wisconsin.The Mission of th...2024-08-1338 minMusicians Tip Jar108. Talent Stacking for MusiciansIf there is anything you have heard us say too many times it's that diversification is key to creating a wealthy musician’s income. We go at that goal from a different angle today. Instead of spreading out your talents, we stack ‘em up! This has been a very useful technique for me personally to increase my productivity and value in the music business and I think it can do the same for you!“The idea of a talent stack is that you can combine ordinary skills until you have enough of the right kind to be extraordinary.” - Scott A...2024-08-0638 minMusicians Tip Jar106. How to Fix your Failures with Big Fish Booking Agency : Musicians Tip JarToday we complete our interview with Tina and Chris from Big Fish Booking Agency. They demonstrate how every problem has a solution, just as every failure is filled with opportunity. Big Fish Booking Company is an artist-run boutique agency based in Chicago that specializes in booking and artist management.Owners Chris Weller and Tina Priceman started booking shows for themselves and some of their close friends under the guise of Big Fish in 2016 in an effort to better support their own musical endeavors. The hard work and “fake it till you make it” attitude slowly paid off as new...2024-07-2350 minMusicians Tip Jar105. How to Start a Booking Agency with Big Fish Booking CompanyToday we get a high dose of Vitamin Sea with Tina and Chris from Big Fish Booking Agency. We follow their story and how it organically grew from saying yes to opportunities in the music industry to booking tours around the world for incredible left-of-center jazz talents.Quote: Why would anybody else invest in us and do these things for us if we couldn’t do some of it for ourselves? - Tina PricemanBig Fish Booking Company is an artist-run boutique agency based in Chicago that specializes in booking and artist management. Owners Chris Weller and...2024-07-1651 minMusicians Tip Jar101. How to Successfully Crowdfund Your Next Album with Megan BurttWelcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. We want to help give you all the resources to fund your goals. I’m Chris Webb, joined by my co-host and the best resource for raising your mood, Dave Tamkin.Today we chat with Denver music scene icon, Megan Burtt and her recent successful Kickstarter campaign. We break down strategies, best practices and the correct order to make sure you get what you need.Megan Burtt is a notable singer-songwriter with a series of accomplishments in the music industry. She graduated from Boston's Ber...2024-06-1150 minMusicians Tip Jar100. The Simple Secrets to Being a Wealthy MusicianWelcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. Where we intend to live to 100 and still have the moves like Jagger. I’m Chris Webb, joined by my co-host and the guy who’s got more moves than Dick Van Dyke, Dave Tamkin. Episode mission/Overview:Speaking of Centennials, this is our 100th episode of the Musicians Tip Jar podcast! Congrats Dave and a special thank you to all our listeners for your continued support of making this show successful. We felt it appropriate to make today's episode about the true meaning of wealt...2024-06-0434 minMusicians Tip Jar97. I'm the Problem, It's Me.Welcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. Where we have been unintentionally quoting Taylor Swift for years. Hi I’m the problem, it's me, Chris Webb, joined by my co-host and front desk attendant at the tortured poets department, Dave Tamkin.“Being fearless is having a lot of fears, but you jump anyway” - Taylor SwiftLimiting beliefs among musicians can be all over the place depending on individual experiences, backgrounds, and aspirations. However, here is our list of the top ten most common. Our hope is to help you identify how you...2024-05-1440 minMusicians Tip Jar96. How to Find Your Place Using Your Passions with Andy SydowToday we conclude our interview with Singer/Songwriter, Andy Sydow, and focus on how the journey is often full of small destinations that just lead you to the next path. You don’t need to just pick one thing and do only that, in fact, as small business owners and creatives, we always run our legs in different directions to build our passions. It is through this process and pursuit that we find our main goals often come into clearer focus.#finance Songwriting with Soldiers believes that together, we can empower veterans through music.In a few short ye...2024-05-0739 minMusicians Tip Jar95. Connection Trumps Location with Andy SydowIn this conversation, Dave Tamkin and Chris Webb interview musician Andy Sydow. They discuss technical difficulties, reaching out to guests, preparing for interviews, upcoming gigs, and more. Andy shares his background and early musical influences, as well as his decision to pursue music as a career. They also talk about the challenges and rewards of being a full-time musician and booking gigs. Overall, the conversation provides insights into the music industry and the experiences of a professional musician. Andy Sydow discusses his journey as a full-time musician, including his transition to being a full-time musician, moving to Nashville, starting the...2024-04-3038 minMusicians Tip Jar94. Is it a Yes Gig?In this episode, Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin discuss how musicians can make decisions about which gig opportunities to accept. They explore the factors to consider, such as time commitment, travel, hidden costs, and hidden benefits. They also discuss the importance of setting limits, saying no for health and balance, and aligning opportunities with personal goals. The episode concludes with a reminder to trust instincts and assess opportunities based on their alignment with overall objectives.TakeawaysConsider the time commitment and travel involved in a gig opportunity.Be aware of hidden costs, such as accommodations...2024-04-2332 minMusicians Tip Jar92. Your Greatest Love Will Save You with Trevor HallThe conversation with Trevor Hall highlighted several key themes. Firstly, it emphasized the importance of networking and staying connected in the music industry. Trevor's story of losing a record deal and having to start over showed the resilience and determination required to pursue a career in music. He also discussed the emotional and financial challenges artists face when their creations become assets and are taken away. Trevor's deep love for music and his spiritual and mental health practices were highlighted as sources of strength and inspiration. The conversation also touched on the significance of surrounding oneself with a supportive...2024-04-0944 minMusicians Tip Jar91. Find the Rhythm of Your SuccessIn this episode, Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin introduce the fourth season of Musicians Tip Jar and discuss what you need to succeed. They catch up on what they've been doing and they also announce the upcoming release of their online course, 'How to Be a Wealthy Musician.' The hosts address the issue of imposter syndrome and emphasize the three pillars they will focus on this season: wealth, joy, and scalability. They encourage listeners to reflect on the rhythm of their lives and ask important questions about time, money, opportunities, and knowing what they want. 2024-04-0226 minMusicians Tip Jar91. Find the Rhythm of Your Success : SummaryMusicians Tip Jar, hosted by Chris Webb and Dave Tamkin, is a podcast now in its fourth season, focused on the financial strategies and business aspects of a music career. The hosts share updates on their personal lives and professional endeavors, including Dave's move to Madison, Wisconsin, and Chris's continued networking at industry expos. They announce an upcoming online course, "How to Be a Wealthy Musician," and reveal a lineup of diverse guests for the season, ranging from Grammy winners to successful "no-name" artists. The core themes for the season revolve around achieving wealth, finding joy, and ensuring scalability in...2024-04-0212 minMusicians Tip Jar90. Top Keys to Financial Success for MusiciansWelcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. We had to go all the way to broke and learn the hard way to make money in this business so you could skip right to the good stuff. I’m Chris Webb, joined by my co-host Dave Tamkin who prefers to teach me everything the hard way.Today we give you our top 10 moments from the 30 episodes of season three. The cream of the crop, the best fruit of our labor, the…secrets to creating a successful and thriving music career, all from the interviews and...2023-09-2625 minMusicians Tip Jar84. How Musicians Can Manage Stress and AnxietyToday we discuss the stress and anxiety that often accompany the life of a musician. We break down what has helped us and many of the artists we talk to about how best to manage these heavy weighted mental challenges.“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” - William JamesSIMS Foundation provides mental health and substance use recovery services and supports for musicians, music industry professionals, and their dependent family members. Through education, community partnerships, and accessible managed care, SIMS seeks to destigmatize and reduce mental health and subs...2023-08-1535 minMusicians Tip Jar83. Communication: The Musician's Key to Growth and RelationshipsToday we discuss all the powers that create a strong communicator and how successful musicians use these tools well in all areas of their business and art. We will also give you some simple ways you can immediately be more effective in your communication and how to use these skills to increase your opportunities and income!Quote:“If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.” – Jim Rohn, author, speaker and entrepreneurAction:Next time you are in a disc...2023-08-0846 minMusicians Tip Jar82. How Do You Connect with Your Fans? Building Audience Energy with Andy FrascoToday we discuss putting your message under your performance, allowing it to have a bigger impact. We continue discussing the inspiring journey of the powerhouse that is Andy Frasco.Quote:“Throw as much SH*T at the wall as you can, one thing is going to stick, I swear ” - FrascoLittle Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in schools across the U.S. Since 2002, they have given more than 650,000 under-served schoolchildren across the country access to fun, engaging music classes and brand new instruments at no cost to the students, teac...2023-08-0135 minMusicians Tip Jar81. Delivering Unparalleled Music Experiences: Giving Your Fans Everything They Deserve with Andy FrascoToday we sit down with fellow Denver artist and entrepreneur, Andy Frasco. He brings all his experience and drive right to you, so you can find that drive in yourself and go out and do all the SH$t you want in this one life! Quote:“People are afraid to give their full potential of who they are as a person on stage” - FrascoFounded in 2000, Guitars in the Classroom trains public elementary school teachers from coast to coast to sing, play folk instruments, write lyrics for learning, and teach all standard subjects through hands-on musi...2023-07-2539 minMusicians Tip Jar80. How A.I. Can Help MusiciansOur long overdue conversation about AI is almost so late it’s out of date… We break down our take on what AI means to our community and livelihood. The good, the bad, and the auto generated.Welcome to Musicians Tip Jar where we talk about musicians and money. Where all our scripts are written by real people. I’m Chris Webb, joined by my co-host and also a real human, Dave Tamkin.The website ai4good.org is the official website of AI for Good Foundation, an organization focused on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and emergi...2023-07-1829 minMusicians Tip Jar79. Financial Scale Course UCD Students (PART 2)Welcome to the Musicians Tip Jar, where we talk about musicians and money. Where we believe life happens for you, not to you. I’m Chris Webb, joined by my co-host and the guy who happened to life, Dave Tamkin.Today we share with you some of the stories of just a few of our incredible students at UCD and their main takeaways while taking the financial scale course.“The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of how long you live, you are important because of h...2023-07-1136 min