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Today, we’re doing another Artist Story and we don’t even know where to begin with introducing our guest. Nick Lubbersen, or Moods, is a Rotterdam-based producer whom you most probably know either from his instrumental hip hop piece “Love Is Real” which skyrocketed to more than 30 million streams on Spotify, or from his numerous amazing remixes for the likes of Ta-ku, Poldoore & Two Another. Earlier this year, he released his sophomore album with the peculiar name Music Ruined My Life via Boogie Angst and we got together to find out exactly how music ruined his life. Links » Moods (@moods.music) » Music Ruined My Life - Mini Documentary » Boogie Angst (@boogieangst) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [02:48] On favourite thing to do besides music [04:07] On how he got involved with music [06:56] On “Organic” with SIAM [10:08] On why he chose Moods for his moniker [11:30] On why “Music Ruined My Life” [14:02] On drawing [17:03] On the live-recorded approach for the album [19:44] On the genre direction of the album [22:22] On Music Ruined My Life vs. Zoom Out [23:38] On whether listeners accept more sophisticated music [26:41] On the album mini-documentary [28:18] On vinyls [30:42] On instrumental hip hop vs. remixes [33:44] On collaborations [36:52] On when Logic sampled his music [38:38] On the chillhop genre [44:06] On advice for emerging artists [45:22] On future plans

In this new episode of our Artist Stories segment, we have the pleasure to welcome the multi-talented beatmaker, finger drummer and instrumentalist Gnarly. Besides making music, DJ-ing and giving workshops, the British-Sri Lankan artist has performed live at various festivals, and worked with brands such as Native Instruments, Akai Professional, Redbull Music, Pioneer DJ and many more. Gnarly has been making music for over a decade and is currently a self-employed full-time artist, who has a lot to share on both her professional and personal journey. In this episode, she reflects on how she overcame the mental blocks that weren’t allowing her to pursue music as a full-time career and managed to change her mindset in order to start making things happen. She talks about discipline, motivation, dedication, overcoming anxiety, exploring and finding what is it that you want to do and giving your best in order to make things work out. She also shares what’s her experience as a female producer. Needless to say, this episode is full of inspiring drops of wisdom and one not to miss out on - whether you’re an aspiring artist, a fan of Gnarly or both. Links » Gnarly (@gnarly.music) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@inspiration.noomra) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [02:19] on how does a Gnarly-day goes by [03:36] on how she got into finger drumming [06:56] on making music her full-time job and her mantra  “don’t be afraid to succeed” [13:24] on taking care of her mental health, counselling, doing the inner work and changing her mindset and how finger drumming helped her in the process [17:40] on how she quit her day job in order to pursue her music career [24:59] on her various revenue streams and why it’s important to future-proof what you’re doing  [27:06] on her social media presence and how it affects her career and opportunities for income (e.g. brand partnerships); the importance of high-quality content [32:04] on how she started to give finger drumming workshops and use Patreon amidst the Pandemic [33:56] her artist brand and the importance of ‘being yourself’ on social media [35:50] on organisations that support female creatives, especially female producers [37:08] on her being a female producer and double-proving herself [44:14] on being independent as an artist vs collaborating [47:22] on experimenting and getting involved in conceptual projects  [49:31] on what motivates her [53:18] on anime characters that inspire and motivate her to push past her limits [54:26] on what she would advise artists based on her own journey so far and what she considers to be the recipe for success

Drummer, producer, DJ, engineer, and product manager… Those are among the many roles Robin Brink occupies in the music industry. His rise to stardom occurred in 2014 when his band called Beatenberg hit mainstream consciousness and eventually became among the most iconic South African bands of this generation. Even though he had success as a drummer, he still forged his own path as a producer under the name Okayshades, and recently he joined Marx Audio as a product manager who specializes in Dolby Atmos. Throughout this conversation, Robin Brink shares with us why Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos are the future industry standard, the success of Beatenberg, and we dive into the state of the South African Music scene. Links: » Robin Brink (@okayshades) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@skai_lounge) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [05:52] On helping artists realize their dreams [10: 52] On intense creative energy [12:48] On Beatenberg Changing his life [15:00] On signing with Island Records [17:00] On the South African Music Scene [25:37] What does producing give you that drumming can’t [28:33] On his start with Marx Audio [34:09] General responsibilities at Marx Audio [38:40] The difference between Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio [42:13] Why Dolby Atmos is the future? [45:30] What needs to happen for Dolby Atmos to be the norm? [48: 45] Making a mix for Dolby Atmos [53:05]  Why some Spatial Audio remixes sound bad [56: 20] The barriers of entry for Dolby Atmos [1:00:41] On Apple’s marketing for Spatial Audio [1:05:40] On what makes a good Atmos mix [1:12:01]  On rectifying bad remixes in Spatial Audio [1:17:20]  What would you say to skeptics of Spatial Audio and Dolby

In the new episode of our Artist Stories segment we have the absolute honor & pleasure to welcome the legendary beatmaker Florian Meiers, or FloFilz. He’s been making music since 2013 and we’ve been following his journey since the early Stereofox years. Flo has collaborated with outstanding artists like Alfa Mist, Blu, K, Le Maestro, Barney Artist, Blue Lab Beats, Ivan Ave, and just released his new album Close Distance via our friends at Melting Pot Music He dropped by for a chat to share some details about it and also share some stories about his musical background & his view on the contemporary beat scene. Links » FloFilz (@flofilz) » Melting Pot Music (@melting_pot_music) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [02:11] On where the name FloFilz comes from [04:14] On how his musical journey started [07:27] On his debut album Duplex (2013) & on Cenario (2016) [13:35] On the pandemic, the beginning of Close Distance & the title meaning [16:08] On the diverse collaborations on the album [17:56] On the song titles [20:49] On working with Alfa Mist [22:44] On the visual identity of the album [25:36] On the collaboration with Jerome Thomas & the music video for “Sensitive” [27:47] On working with vocalists [29:49] On the collaboration with Summers Sons & C.Tappin [31:53] On the vinyl of Close Distance [34:58] On remixing Tom Misch & Laura Misch’s “Follow” [37:47] On playing the violin [39:05] On live shows for Close Distance [41:16] On his view on the beat scene nowadays [51:05] On his music/production equipment [55:43] On his advice to up-and-coming producers

If you’ve been following the music world closely, there’s certainly one name that stood out in the UK scene last year. Emerging half-Japanese, half-English artist Miso Extra blends so many genres and both her native languages in her super captivating music. Her debut EP called Great Taste is out via Beatnik Creative who work with the outstanding Arlo Parks and it’s quite the ride. She was so nice to drop by for a chat to share more about herself and the Misoverse. Links » Miso Extra (@misoextra) » Beatnik Creative (@beatnikcreative) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [01:00] On the Misoverse [01:50] On her moniker origin [04:07] On the role of food in her life [07:09] On childhood & involvement with music [09:43] On Great Taste EP [15:39] On songwriting [18:34] On inspiration [20:55] On the growing interest in Asian cultures [23:21] On femininity & equality [26:45] On musical influences [29:58] On dancing [32:02] On performing live [35:49] On collaborations she’d like to do [36:47] On Arlo Parks & Beatnik Creative

Learn the latest when it comes to major streaming platforms from Mike Warner - Director of Artist, Label and DSP Relations at Chartmetric and author of Work Hard Playlist Harder. Mike is one of the people we follow in order to stay up to date to all music industry news. Besides going over Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and TIDAL, we share news on new streaming platforms and some pro tips for artists when it come to platforms like TikTok and Linkedin. The episode was recording while doing a Live on our Discord server. Links » Mike Warner (@askmikewarner) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@himynameisivo) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [02:00] Intro (2nd attempt) and Mike’s take on LinkedIn for artists [4:30] Mike’s responsibilities at Chartmetrics [6:45] The 2 sides of TikTok [12:50] TikTok’s new distribution service SoundOn [16:43] Amazon Music and the focus on voice control  [20:30] Amazon Music pitching process, changes and tips [24:30] The importance of tagging and metadata  [27:45] The key of artist to fan direct connection [33:05] User-centric payment systems  [36:45] Pros and cons of allowing users to create playlists on streaming platforms  [41:30] Pitching music to Apple Music [48:05] Pitching music to Spotify [49:30] Relevance of music blogs  [52:50] Staying up to date with the music industry news [1:00:01] Spotify’s Discovery Mode 

In this podcast episode we meet Hayden Mcguigan - editor-in-chief at US publication Electric Hawk. We catch up on his journey prior that, talk about the good and bad sides of music blogging and how to start in the music industry if you don't have experience prior to that. It's just a genuine chat about all-things-music really, hope you enjoy this!  Links » Hayden McGuigan (@woahbruhhh_) » Electric Hawk (@electric_hawk) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@himynameisivo) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [6:40] Journey into music blogging and intro  [12:15] How do you start with writing in the music industry [20:00] On the state of readership and consumption in music industry [24:24] Work and team at Electric Hawk [27:50] The history of Electric Hawk  [31:32] The positive and negative sides of working in the music industry  [36:12] Is Friday a good really the best day to release music? [38:19] Hayden’s approach to being editor in chief [41:40] Payola in blogging [43:20] Submission process at Electric Hawk [47:01] Spotify pitches, PR importance and random chats  

It’s time for another episode from our Artist Stories segment and today we’re stoked to welcome the legendary LA soul & jazz trio Moonchild, whom we’ve been following for years. Amber Navran, Andris Mattson & Max Bryk have been together for 10 years and this special anniversary is marked by their 5th studio album called Starfruit, released last month via our friends at Tru Thoughts. They dropped by for a chat to share more about their journey so far and especially about the process behind creating Starfruit alongside amazing collaborators like Lalah Hathaway, Rapsody, Alex Isley, Tank and The Bangas & more. Links » Moonchild (@thisismoonchild) » Starfruit 2022 Tour (tickets) » Tru Thoughts (@tru_thoughts) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server Show Notes [01:05] On the beginning of Moonchild [03:48] On 10 years working and growing together [04:40] On Be Free & Voyager from 2022’s perspective [06:38] On their “sound”, the creative process & songwriting [09:46] On how Starfruit came together [13:35] On the new sonic approach in Starfruit [17:03] On collaborating with Black Female creators [19:52] On working with Lalah Hathaway, Rapsody, Tank and the Bangas & more [25:03] On favorite song from Starfruit [26:10] On the 2022 Tour [27:20] On playing live vs working in the studio [28:41] On writer’s block [30:27] On improving musicianship

Today we have Elijah Nang over to talk about his journey as an artist, the Gaijin series and the work behind Gaijin 3000 - a label release we’re working together on. We’re also covering the importance of story-telling for artists and the influence of Japanese culture in his art and music. "there's no I in team" / Elijah Nang Links » Elijah Nang (@elijahnang) » Gaijin 3000 album (link) » Gaijin 3000 vinyl/merch (link) » Wenyi Geng (@wenyigeng) » Trina Hines (@hinestheartist) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@himynameisivo) » Join our Discord Server Show notes [4:35] Storytelling in and outside of music [6:22] Japanese culture and influence [9:00] The Gaijin concept [11:20] First steps in producing beats [12:42] Advise to younger self [14:37] Gaijin I and the journey into lofi beats [16:05] Planning Gaijin 3000 - art, visuals, merch, vinyl and the digital release [22:00] A new sound - exploring synthwave and retrowave music [29:02] Working with a label as an independent artist [34:42] Taking a break of social media

Every label manager, A&R, music marketer, etc. uses numbers, statistics, and graphs to justify the decisions they make, to choose the right place to invest, or to find new trends. If you’re an artist, numbers are probably the last thing you’d like to look at. But in this constantly changing and very much data-driven music industry we're in, you either need to find someone to help you out or you’ve got to suck it up and start understanding what all those lines & charts mean. To shed some light on this, we’ve got Alex Brees here, the CEO & founder of  a London-based AI marketing company, called un:hurd. Alex is also a former senior analyst in Universal and has a rich background in marketing and operations. Links » un:hurd (@unhurd_) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server Show notes [5:56] How Alex ended up in the music industry [8:00] On Keakie [11:50] On working in Universal [14:07] On the difference between major labels & independent ones/self-releasing [16:02] On importance of data in the music industry [18:19] On how tech helps handling data [19:44] On how AI is used in the music industry [21:42] On AI music creation [24:29] On data & context [25:24] On the Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” viral video on TikTok [27:44] On tightening the gap between major labels & independent ones/DIY artists [31:54] Tips on how to use data, what stats to look at & marketing approach [37:06] On playola & playlisting [43:27] On the success stories of M24 and MckNasty

We’ve covered the topic of the different benefits of self-releasing or doing it via a label but whether you’re going solo or you have a team, there are a number of things you need to have handy and take into consideration before, during, and after your release. There are also various strategies you can use when releasing your music - multiple singles, EPs, or an album, and different ways to tell the story of your project. We’re very excited to welcome Martha Cleary, a campaign manager at the renowned UK label Tru Thoughts for the 9th episode of Fox Tales If you’ve been following the Stereofox blog, you’ll know we’ve featured a great deal of releases from Tru Thoughts and we’ve seen awesome album rollouts, mesmerizing stories and, needless to say - gorgeous music. They’re working with artists like Alice Russel, Moonchild, Hot 8 Brass Band, Quantic, Anushka, fika, Hemai, even with Bonobo 20 years ago for his Animal Magic album. And many many other names. She was so nice to drop by for a chat to share some tips & tricks that will help every artist higher their chances of success when releasing music. Show notes [5:42] On what you need to prepare when you’ve got your music & artwork ready [7:45] Going over an example campaign timeline [11:14] On premieres [13:59] On music videos [17:56] On when to release singles, EPs, or an album [21:45] On storytelling [23:40] On waterfalling singles [28:58] On remixing [32:30] On success goals - creating a fanbase, radio, press, TikTok, sync, etc. and the mania for playlisting [37:09] On blowing up overnight, early supporters & maintaining relationships with curators, editors, radio hosts, etc. [41:07] On case studies like Self Esteem, Arlo Parks, Anderson .Paak, Jorja Smith, Nubya Garcia, Little Simz [48:43] On quality vs. quantity when doing outreach & contacting the right people [56:20] On the success stories of Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Sly5thAve & Hot 8 Brass Band Links » Tru Thoughts (@tru_thoughts) » Martha Cleary (@marthajsc) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@atanas.kutsev) » Join our Discord Server

The gender wage gap, in general, refers to the difference in earnings between women and men, and for some reason, on average women in virtually every country are paid less than men. This is quite a complex issue linked to politics, economics, and even sociology… and there is a range of variables in play that make it tough to answer - why are women paid less than men? Following our articles on Challenges Female Producers Face and How These 5 Factors Contribute to the Gender Pay Gap In The Music Industry, we’re excited to expand the research with an audio discussion and a guest who can help us better understand the issue. For this episode we invited Vick Bain who is a campaigner for women in music through researching, training, presenting & consulting on all aspects of diversity in creative industries. She has exten­sive experience in the music industry as she was the CEO for the BASCA (British Academy for Songwriters, Composers, and Authors), she sat on the UK music board, the UK rights committee, and the UK Music Diversity Taskforce - and the ones I mentioned are only a few of the boards she’s been on. Now she works as a freelance music industry consultant, a curator of the F-List, a director of an organization called Pipa, and she’s a director of an exciting music-tech start up called Delic. I can’t neglect to mention that she was enrolled into BBC Radio 4’s Women's Hour Powerlist in 2018. Show notes [11:12] On her experience as CEO at BASCA (British Academy for Songwriters, Composers, and Authors) [14:30] On her report “Counting the Music Industry” and the hardest part about the report [26:44] Why companies don’t promote women in the upper echelons of the organization [29:50] On how women leaders are treated compared to men [40:35] On the motherhood penalty Links » Vick Bain (@vickbain1) » Stereofox (@wearestereofox) » host (@skai_lounge) » Join our Discord Server