Music marketing: a talk with David Hooper

This was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation podcast interview, with David Hooper, a musician turned music marketer.

David, born in Nashville, has been involved in the music industry on some level for his entire life.

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Although he started out performing music, it soon became apparent David’s true talents lied in the realm of music marketing.
David became very proficient promoting his own gigs using street marketing and direct response advertising. This in turn led to roles teaching others how to promote their music, consulting and eventually writing a book called the “Six Figure Musician“.

Can Creative People Give Away Their Work And Still Make Money?

Much of this interview focused on the idea of giving away your creative output – your music, or writing, or whatever it is you do – for free, and how that can lead to making an income.

I asked David in an era when music is mostly free, available on podcasts and YouTube to consume on mobiles whenever we want to, how can a musician make a living, or even more – six figures a year?

I was interested to hear his answer because as a writer, I am keen to hear how we might also give away all our writing in blog posts and free reports, and even possibly give away our training courses, and yet make a profit.

David’s answer focuses very much on ancillary opportunities that become available to you, once your music or your writing gets you exposure. Things like becoming a paid speaker, or paid to do gigs as a musician, or selling merchandise, or getting hired as a consultant.

There is an interesting topic and as a creative I just know you will love this interview. Go listen to it now. Of course, it is free.

What We Covered During The Interview

Here’s what we talked about during the interview –

David talks about his background growing up in Nashville and what his original aspirations as a musician were.
We discuss how he became a music marketer for himself, then a consultant/teacher for other musicians
We dive into the big discussion of how the music industry has changed and what that means for people today who are trying to make a living from their music
David shares plenty of examples from music artists who are making a living from their music but not predominately from sales of the music
I ask David how he personally can make a living if he gives away his book, especially if he wants to make money beyond getting paid for services like consulting and speaking

This is a great podcast for any person who is creative and trying to make a living from their creativity, in a world where everything is free online.

Enjoy and stay musical!

About the author: Yaro Starak

Yaro Starak is the author of the Blog Profits Blueprint, a report you can download instantly to learn how to make $10,000 a month, from only blogging 2 hours per day. You can find Yaro on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.