“I just want to try to take a more thoughtful, mindful approach to helping artists think for themselves and become self-sustaining. Because the industry is going to change. The things we’re talking about right now are going to be either way more relevant or way less relevant ten years from now.  But I want you to be able to gain the tools and frameworks for kind of going through and saying ‘Hey well, how do I talk to this label? How do I pitch this label.’ And being like ‘Hey a better idea is, let’s flip the lens and put your hat on in a way that allows you to think about what behooves them and what their objectives are.’ And that’s maybe a better pitch.” -- Casey Cavaliere This episode’s guest is an American record producer, musician, and artist coach. His creative work ethic has been sculpted by a career spanning over two decades with his band The Wonder Years, including multiple Billboard chart-topping releases, extensive global touring, and the mentorship of music industry heavyweights. His mission outside of the studio and the stage is to help educate and inspire a new generation of independent artists by teaching them how to think critically about the way they market, promote, and brand themselves and their music.His name is Casey Cavaliere and I think you’ll find him incredibly inspiring. I know it’s tough out there for musicians right now, but the best is yet to come, and this discussion will help demystify what it takes to be a working musician.As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. You can also join regular Clubhouse chats in The Power of Sound House, at 2pm Eastern every Wednesday. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available and what the newest Clubhouse rooms will be about. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. Can We Plug This In?We start the show off with a look back at Casey’s memories of sound, and the big impression that his dad’s role as a bass player in a classic ‘70s rock band made on him as a child. “And I was like ‘Dad, can we plug this in?’" Casey recalls. “He’s like ‘honestly, I don’t even know if it still works, but I guess we can try.’ And we did, and boy did it still work” As he puts it, “I just didn’t stand a chance after that.” He tells us about living his lifelong dream as a professional musician, and how the thought of it being his career still leaves him in awe. “I still can’t believe it myself,” he says, “but it’s been, you know, the better part of two decades in a band from Philadelphia called The Wonder Years” Your Own Shiny ObjectCasey talks about the most rewarding part of his career as a musician and how it’s led him to help other artists who are just starting out. “I wake up every day,” he says. “and still have such gratitude to see the impact that we’ve been able to make, even in our little sub-world of punk rock and alternative music.” We also discuss the impact online platforms have made over the years, and how, as he puts it, artists should look past this or that “shiny object” to find their own value and approach to...