Legendary songwriter Tom Douglas joins Seth Mosley to share invaluable wisdom on the patience, passion, and storytelling that make great songs. He discusses the importance of letting songs reveal themselves over time, why small but meaningful ideas resonate, and how slowing down can transform your songwriting process. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your craft, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical insights.

This conversation was recorded live with our Song Chasers community. Learn more at joinsongchasers.com.

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John Marks is the Global Senior Editor/Music Programmer for country music. In this podcast, he discusses how his music journey started from hearing Oh Pretty Woman on a jukebox, to working for his local radio station at 16, then to Sirius XM, and finally Spotify. 

Marks explains his comment on how Spotify is the “new retail storefront for artists.” With so many more opportunities, now, for artists— the artist’s page on Spotify is like directing store traffic and is a primary way to activate fans’ interest (like selling merch and displaying tour dates). 

“You have a world wide audience at your disposable, all you need to do is be creative and find ways to tap into that”

What role should social media play? The most important and basic answer from Marks is— the biggest one. He says the 3 most best practices for an artist and their audience’s are— 

• Save
• Share
• Follow 

“[Social media] is the most essential ingredient ever, and that’s all there is to it”

So, where is Spotify headed? 

John Marks says Canvas, a few seconds of a gif made by an artist for their song, is more than likely going to be introduced to the Spotify world. Spotify sees potential with probably more video being incorporated, considering the popularity of the vertical videos.

The podcast answers interesting questions like Spotify research and data, what artists are doing wrong, and empowering women in the music industry.

“…work to be profitable, work to have fun, but understand you’re building a business”

Join our Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/496946547451729/.

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Lzzy Hale and her 10 year old brother were about to play a county fair. Minutes before going on, her brother decided they needed a name. Ever since, the award winning band, “Halestorm” has been creating hits and sharing their music with the world.

Their story of how they made it in music was not easy.They began playing small gigs and posting flyers wherever they could. Then, they thought, “How do we get on the front page of the paper?” Which lead to a rotating upside down drum kit with Lzzy’s little brother strapped in which you can watch here.

Success takes hard work! They were constantly asking, “How are we going to push this a little further”? They also did not find the right people immediately. 

“Not only the key for being in a band, but just for surviving the industry period- it’s just having the right people around you”

How did they keep the same four people for sixteen years? They each have respect for one another, know how to fight and not throw the whole thing away and have to stay positive, celebrating the little things. 

“It’s like 4 pillars- without one, all 3 would crumble to the ground”.

Want to know the formula for a perfect band?

1. Treating it like a family, 
2. Open communication,
3. Gratitude,
4. Musicianship,
5. Hard work!!

“Cheers to the low times; cheers to when you break down. It’s the thing you remember- It just means that you’re working. 

Keep your flame in front of you! There are a lot of opinions but you have to fight to stay true to yourself. For Halestorm’s latest album, they never let anyone hear a demo before their album was put out so that they could stay true to themselves.

“If I die tomorrow I want to make sure I’m proud of what I put out”

“Turns out, you never run out of dreams. Just keep adding things to the bucket list”

Listen as Lzzy shares how they overcame their challenges and turned them into their advantages. Also listen as she describes how they expanded their fan base and retained fans. One important way:

“Never underestimate the power of being nice”

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Season 2 is coming this Monday, May 20!

madeitinmusic.com

Don't miss the first episode with LZZY HALE of the band HALESTORM.

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with Michael Carpino (Director for Camp Electric).

Camp Electric is THE Worship and Rock and Roll music camp for youth. The ultimate week long experience connecting the youth from around the world with CCM music industry’s best performers is currently in its 11th year. Co-created with the help of TobyMac, Camp Electric brings together Christian musicians and teaches them band dynamics, the art of leading worship, and performance skills that are truly invaluable. If you or someone you know is interested in attending, visit www.campelectric.com today to learn more and sign up.

Michael is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast:

“The best tool for new musicians is getting resources and advice from those with experience. Relationships are everything.”

“Camp Electric teaches kids where their gifts come from and how to use it for the glory of God.”

Resources:

Find out more about Michael Carpino and Camp Electric: 

www.campelectric.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circles own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with Nick Barre and Bryan Ward of Proper Management.

What you’ll learn in this conversation:

• Nick and Bryan both started in small roles outside the industry to now having managed some of the largest artist and tours in the Christian Music Industry.
• Find what it means to be artist managers and what the true end goal is in the music industry.
• One of our favorite moments in this interview is when Nick and Bryan breakdown exactly how to get a meeting with almost anyone in the industry, and survive the vetting process that happens with everyone. The answer may surprise you!
• How to go from 0 - 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners with no record label
• Lastly Nick and Bryan spend a few moments remembering industry titan Bill Hearn of Capitol Christian Music Group

Nick and Bryan are here to share their incredible stories of how they made it in music, and are here to help you do the same.

Quotable Moments for this week’s podcast:

“In management we say our boss is the artist. We work for you, you don’t work for us. I want to support what your mission is because I believe in what you’re doing and I see the impact on peoples lives.”

“There’s an element of servanthood that ‘hey I want to come with humbleness and servant hood to learn how this all fits together. I’m no just here to push my own agenda.’ You can smell it out so fast”

Find out more about Nick, Bryan and Proper Management: HERE

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with Dean Diehl.

What you’ll learn in this conversation:

- Dean went from being a school band director who didn’t even know the music industry existed, to now helming marketing at Provident Label Group as the Senior VP of Marketing - quite the story! 

- He had a stint during his career at Provident where he left to go teach college at Trevecca Nazarene University. Outside of being a professor he added Provident back to his plate in which he now serves both Trevecca University and Provident Label Group. He is always giving books to his team members and helping them to grow and stay on top of the industry trends.

- He has a personal mission statement of “helping people to realize their dreams”. And he has certainly done this for many artists on a major scale.

- One of our favorite moments in this interview was when he shared how a lot of young artists see Christian music as a place to start out, like a stepping stone to another platform in the industry. You’ll learn in this conversation why that is NOT the path you should choose. You’ll also learn that it generally isn’t ARTISTS who are able to successfully make the crossover, but instead, SONGS.

- Dean gets vulnerable about a massive mistake he made early in his career, and how he learned to “Ask Good Questions” as a result. 

- Lastly, in this conversation, Dean covers the ONE KEY METRIC that labels DON’T want the public to know.

- Dean is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he is here to help you do the same.

Provident Music Group is a division of Sony Music, whose labels include Provident Label Group, RCA Inspiration, Essential Worship and Essential Music Publishing. These labels are home to an artist roster including Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Third Day, Kirk Franklin, Matt Maher, Tenth Avenue North, and more.

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast: 

“There is no consistent formula for success. Each path to success is a complete different story.”

“When you’ve reached a point where most would say “well done, it’s finished…’, continue and strive for even more excellence.”

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

Find out more about Dean Diehl and Provident Music Group: 

https://www.providentlabelgroup.com

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with George Ross (CTO of CCLI) and Malcom Hawker (CEO of CCLI). CCLI is an international Christian copyright licensing organization that serves over 250,000 churches, schools and other organizations in more than 30 countries.

CCLI is very focused on empowering worship in the Christian community by providing affordable and legal content, media and resources and making them easily accessible. Learn more about the ways they help churches and make a living in this business and much more in this special episode.

Malcolm and George are here to share their incredible story about how they made it in music, and they’re here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcom GladwellGood to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don’t by James C. Collins

Find out more about CCLI:

https://us.ccli.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with Cale Dodds (Country Artist/Songwriter). After moving to Nashville in 2011 to pursue his music career, Cale’s success has yet to slow down. 

Touted by Rolling Stones for his “smooth pop-country crooning over arena ready arrangements distinguished by clever lyricism,“ the Columbus, GA native mines his own experiences in songs. Dodds has already garnered early praise as a CMT #18for2018 Listen Up artist and a Google Play Country Artist to watch. Meanwhile, his tune “Out of My System“ scored a slot on Amazon Music Unlimited’s Best Country Songs of 2017 list. Dodds has already garnered more than 30 million streams on Spotify alone.

Currently working on a new record, Cale’s latest release “Where I Get It From”, paints a beautiful picture of his southern heritage and offers a fun anthem for those who grew up in the south. Be sure to check Cale’s music out via any streaming service or on YouTube. 

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast:

“During your co-writes, try to be a different hat in the room (bring something unique to the table).”

“Be undeniable.” 

Cale is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Find out more about Cale Dodds: 

https://www.caledodds.com

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own X O’Connor (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Engineer/Producer) and Logan Crockett (VP of Marketing) sits down with Becky Chappell, Director of Music Business Studies at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. 

Through her creativity and knack for entrepreneurship, Becky found herself pursuing professorship after receiving her doctorate from Ball State University. She soon was hired on with Anderson University and would cofound and direct the university’s first record label, Orangehaus record label. Chappell is also a first call studio clarinetist for many publishers in Indianapolis, Indiana.

While making an impact in others, the music you create will impact your life as well. Chappell details many different ways to utilize music to be a positive force in other’s lives and to make a difference.

Becky is here to share her incredible story about how she made it in music, and she’s here to help you do the same. 

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast:

“Every business is the music business.”

“Common traits for successful students: being driven and being great networkers.”

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman

Find out more about Becky Chappell and Anderson University: 

https://www.anderson.edu/staff/dr-rebecca-chappell/

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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Next Podcast up Jan 14!

Take our survey at www.fullcirclemusic.com/survey to help us make Season 2 even better!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own X O’Connor (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Engineer/Producer) sits down with Tommy Sjöström A.K.A. Tommy Iceland (Swedish Singer/Songwriter). 

In the United States, it’s very common to find people to co-write and produce songs with. Where Tommy hails from, things are a bit different. Co-writing in the Christian music market is unheard of at this moment in Sweden. The Christian music market itself in Sweden is not nearly as big as it is here in America. Tommy hopes to begin to change that and bring co-writing and more songs into the market in Sweden. As well as producing and writing songs here in America for artists such as We Are Messengers, Chris Tomlin, and Jesus Culture.

Hard work pays off folks. It took Tommy 15 years to reach his level of success today.

Tommy is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast:

“I would not have seen God’s hand on it or had gotten to where I am right now if I never took a leap of faith.”

“If you want to make it in music, start with building relationships.”

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

Songs of Heaven by Amanda Fergusson

Music mentioned in this episode:

Reckless Love by Cory Asbury

Find out more about Tommy Iceland:

https://www.instagram.com/tommyiceland/

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosely (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with Jeff Owen, Lead Guitarist of Tenth Avenue North. Looking for more ways to make music and let his creativity out, Jeff has always looked for a side hustle. Most recently he has stumbled upon writing music for Film and Television in the sync world. 

You’ll hear countless stories from his amazing journey as a life long musician. Touching on...

1. Various ways in music to make money both full and part time.
2. How to spend your free time and be productive in your creativity. 
3. The realization that music is not about us and not what we look or sound like to others. It’s about sharing your music and being unique and true to yourself. 

Jeff is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Quotable moments from this week’s podcast:

“There’s never a secret hidden path to success, everyone’s journey is different.”

“We’re at this intersection of Faith, Art, and Commerce, and we are just constantly dodging traffic.”

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

No Compromise (The Life Story of Keith Green) by Melody Green & David Hazard

Creativity Inc. (The Story of Pixar) by Amy Wallace & Ed Catmull

Find out more about Jeff Owen: 

www.instagram.com/jeffowen_

Also, follow Tenth Avenue North on all social media under their handle @tenthavenorth

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with the President of Resin8, Wendy Duffy and Co-Founder & Producer Kurt Goebel.

With a background in radio, publicity, marketing and promotions, Duffy saw an opportunity to partner with the artist and focus on brand initiatives and responsibility. She then created Resin8, an artist management and licensing company. Duffy’s personable approach to marketing and strategy is unmatched.

Kurt is a full-time composer and programmer/producer. His music has been used in ad campaigns for well-known brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Samsung, Toyota, Ford, and Olay. But Kurt's not all about ad music. He also serves as the "track guy" for many pop songwriters and artists with song placements on major network shows and ad campaigns.

If you’re interested in writing music for film and TV, or anywhere in the sync world, then this episode is a MUST listen. They are hitting home run after home run, getting massive placements, money, and exposure for the artists they represent.

Wendy and Kurt are here to share their incredible story about how they made it in music, and they’re here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki

Music mentioned in this episode:

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis

Find out more about Wendy and Kurt:

https://resin8music.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Songwriter) sits down with co-founders of REDJETT Management Leigh Holt and Kendra Flack. REDJETT Management, founded in September 2015, provides management today for Christian artists like Blanca and Lauren Daigle.

Leigh Holt is also the Founder and President of Maddjett. Maddjett helps clients advance their brands, products and events. Maddjett has a roster of notable clients and projects including Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour, Hunter Hayes, Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend, Harper Collins Christian Publishers, Sony Music Nashville and more. 

Kendra has had the privilege of working as part of the tour management for Winter Jam. With 10+ buses, and extensive stage production, Winter Jam is the largest (first quarter) tour in the United States. More than 700,000 fans attend Winter Jam and 40 to 50 arenas are sold out each year. Currently, Kendra works as Tour Manager for Kari Jobe, and handles her day-to-day management. 

Both have an immense passion for doing great work, for their clients and for the community.

Kendra and Leigh are here to share their incredible story about how they made it in music, and they’re here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

Roaring Lambs by Robert Briner

Film mentioned in this episode:

The Prismatic World Tour Live by Katy Perry

Find out more about Kendra and Leigh:

https://www.maddjett.com

https://www.redjett.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own X O’Connor (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer/Engineer) sits down with music’s power couple, Zach and Velvet Kelm. Velvet is President of The Media Collective, A massive public relations firm here in Nashville formed in 2003. Velvet’s husband Zach manages some artists you may know as Colton Dixon, Skillet and most recently, Ledger.

Zach and Velvet, although head their own firms, share an office together. A fortunate and unique opportunity for the couple. You’ll hear about the joy of managing artists and the challenges that come along with that from Zach. 

Why would you need PR as an up and coming artist? Velvet shares the importance of building your image and telling others what you want to say as an artist. What are you passionate about? What got you so far and to where you are today? Public Relations can help connect the artist to the listeners by sharing that information.

The Kelms are here to share their incredible story about how they made it in music, and they’re here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Record mentioned in this episode:

No Fences by Garth Brooks

The Unforgettable Fire by U2

Find out more about Zach and Velvet:

http://qmanagementgroup.com

http://www.themcollective.com/about/

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with the one and only, Matt Redman (Worship Leader, Singer-Songwriter, Author). Get a behind the scenes look in to how Matt began his journey with God, his trials along the way, and how his worship tunes grew to be some of the most sung songs in churches today.

Matt Redman, based on the south coast of England, near Brighton, has been a full-time worship leader since the age of 20. Matt’s earlier songs include ‘The Heart of Worship’, ‘You Never Let Go’ and ‘Blessed Be Your Name’. More recent compositions include the Grammy-nominated ‘Our God‘, and the double-Grammy winning ‘10,000 Reasons’. Matt is also the author of several books, including 10,000 Reasons, The Unquenchable Worshipper, Facedown, Mirrorball, Blessed Be Your Name (co-authored with Beth Redman) and Indescribable (co-authored with Louie Giglio). 

Matt Redman is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon

Record mentioned in this episode:

Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder

Find out more about Matt Redman:

www.mattredman.com

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Want to learn more about our new Song Chasers Songwriting Course? It’s an A to Z look at the songwriting process. We dive into what makes a hit, a hit. We talk about ideas for starting a song, melodies, lyrics, production, and the specific genres as well.

For more information on the new course, email support@fullcirclemusic.com and make the subject line Song Chasers.  

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this bonus episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Madeline McDonald (Singer-Songwriter). As a rising artist, she is pleased to share with the world her first single, Well Behaved Women, a song empowering women over all ages to stand up and to straighten their crown. 

Madeline is the first country artist to be signed to our very own FCM Records. She is a rising star in the country music world and we are honored to join her along her journey. Madeline’s heart is to encourage every person to live a life of purpose and hold their head up high (know that they are worth it). 

Madeline McDonald is here to share her incredible story about how she made it in music, and she’s here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Record mentioned in this episode:

Play On by Carrie Underwood

Find out more about Madeline McDonald on most major social media sites:

@madelinemcdonaldofficial

Listen to her lead single, Well Behaved Women, here:

MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-behaved-women/1428553741?i=1428554760

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/70mpXlZaGRKRarEA6Nly04

Find Full Circle Music on social media

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Want to learn more about our new Song Chasers Songwriting Course? It’s an A to Z look at the songwriting process. We dive into what makes a hit, a hit. We talk about ideas for starting a song, melodies, lyrics, production, and the specific genres as well.

For more information on the new course, email support@fullcirclemusic.com and make the subject line Song Chasers. 

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.

As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Shane McAnally (Producer/Songwriter). You’ll hear stories of blood, sweat and tears and all that led to his success (that took 14 hard years of grinding it out to accomplish). 

McAnally just recently celebrated his 37th #1. He has written songs for artists Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Kacey Musgraves to name a few. McAnally was named Songwriter of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2014 and Hot Country Songwriter of the Year by Billboard in 2015. See a list of all the songs he has written and produced at the link provided in the resources section.

Shane McAnally is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Book mentioned in this episode:

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Find out more about Shane McAnally:

http://www.smacksongs.com/shane-mcanally/

Find Full Circle Music on social media

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Want to learn more about our new Song Chasers Songwriting Course? It’s an A to Z look at the songwriting process. We dive into what makes a hit, a hit. We talk about ideas for starting a song, melodies, lyrics, production, and the specific genres as well.

For more information on the new course, email support@fullcirclemusic.com and make the subject line Song Chasers.  

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.

As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Josh Silverberg (Artist, Producer, Songwriter). Josh and Seth share a similar story. Both began their music careers as artists and have transitioned into production. Both give much detail to their journey and how God has given them such success in an ever-changing industry. 

Silverberg’s credits include writing/producing Jeremy Camp, Michael W. Smith, Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe, Mandisa, Newsboys, and most recently the smash hit “The River” by Jordan Feliz just to name a few. Josh also is heavily involved in film and TV music production. You can catch his songs in commercials, film trailers, and sport spots. Take a deep dive into the process of songwriting with Josh as he shares his mistakes and what he has learned from them. 

Josh Silverberg is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same. 

Resources:

Videos mentioned in this episode:

Effortless Healing by Art Thomas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjwvJ2cZ7HA&frags=pl%2Cwn

Find out more about Josh Silverberg:

 www.ccmmagazine.com/tag/joshua-silverberg/

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Want to learn more about our new Song Chasers Songwriting Course? It’s an A to Z look at the songwriting process. We dive into what makes a hit, a hit. We talk about ideas for starting a song, melodies, lyrics, production, and the specific genres as well.

For more information on the new course, email support@fullcirclemusic.com and make the subject line Song Chasers. 

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Wally (Radio Host of The Wally Show). Wally will share key experiences that led to him finding God and eventually hosting his own radio show.

Over 20 years in the industry, Wally has worked with mainstream rock radio stations and hosted his very own shows. He is now the host of The Wally Show on WAY-FM where he interviews many Artists from the CCM market weekly that broadcasts to hundreds of thousands of listeners.

Key Takeaways:

1. Those who don’t give up, are the ones who make it.
2. Big mistakes cost you. But it is how you learn from those mistakes that will define you. 
3. Relationships are key. Who you know and not just what you know can help drive you further into your dreams coming true in the music industry. It’s true. 

Wally is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

How I Make $100,000/year in the Music Business by David Hooper & Lee Kennedy

Music mentioned in this episode:

Shinedown

Find out more about The Wally Show:

http://www.wayfm.com/wally/podcast-2/

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Sam Tinnesz is a singer-songwriter and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He is known for his alternative and pop-rock style of music, which often incorporates elements of electronic and cinematic music. Tinnesz has released several albums and singles, and his music has been featured in various films, TV shows, and commercials. Some of his most popular songs include "Play With Fire", "Legends Are Made", "Even If It Hurts", and "Babel". Tinnesz has also collaborated with other musicians, including Christian rapper Lecrae and singer-songwriter Ruelle.

Check out Sam’s website here: https://www.samtinnesz.com

Paul Duncan is a songwriter and worship leader from the LA area.  As a frequent collaborator with many of Christian music’s top artists, Paul has had many No. 1 radio singles.  Based out of Los Angeles, his songs have been featured on various TV shows and have been heard in radio stations and churches around the world.  Some of his most popular songs include Lauren Daigle’s “Light of the World,” “Still Rolling Stones,” and “Hold On To Me.” Paul is the co-host and co-founder of the podcast “Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters,” which features in-depth conversations with writers whose music has stood the test of time. 

Check out Paul’s website here: https://centricitypublishing.com/writers/paul-duncan/

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Jesse Frasure (Producer, DJ, and A&R). They’ll share how you can fail 90% of the time and still win. 

Jesse, a Detroit native, currently resides in Nashville, TN where he has not only found success in production and as a DJ, but also as the VP of A&R for Major Bob Music, Inc. management and publishing. Jesse has produced, co-written, or remixed for artists like Florida Georgia Line, Meghan Trainor, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett, Billy Currington, Jordin Sparks, etc. As a DJ, Jesse (as Telemitry) has spun at parties all over the world. Celebrity DJ clients have included Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Alyssa Milano, Cee Lo, etc. He has become a reliable call for those looking to record their next hit or throw one awesome party.

Jesse Frasure is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Music mentioned in this episode:

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Discovery by Daft Punk

Parachutes by Coldplay

Find out more about Jesse Frasure:

www.rocnation.com/jesse-frasure

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This episode of the Made it in Music podcast, Full Circle’s own Seth Mosley (Grammy/Dove Award Winning Producer) sits down with Henry Seeley (Pastor, Songwriter, Producer, Mixer, and Visionary).

You’ll Learn About:

• The process of putting together a worship album for Henry’s church 
• The challenges and rewards of planting a church and watching it grow
• The importance of collaboration in the music industry and helping each other rather than creating a “competition” mentality 

Henry Seeley has been leading people in worship for over 20 years. Helping pioneer a worship movement in Australia that grew to a church of nearly 10,000 people, Henry and his wife Alex have been in "full-time ministry" for over 2 decades. They now Pastor their church in Nashville, TN, The Belonging Co. Henry is passionate about all things creative… Songwriting, producing, mixing, film, visual arts. He is also a self-professed "gear nerd", and won a Grammy award in 2016 for mixing.

Henry shares his struggles of rejection and how he overcame that and so much more with us.

Henry Seeley is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Tailor Made by Alex Seeley

Purchase Alex Seeley’s Tailor Made, out now:

https://www.amazon.com/Tailor-Made-Discover-Secret-Created-ebook/dp/B072TM3C96

Find out more about Henry Seeley and his church:

https://thebelonging.co

&

https://henryseeley.com

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast with Cary Barlowe, we will dive deep into Cary’s history and how he has had success in a multitude of genres including Pop, Rock, Country, and Christian Music.

The Virginia born /North Carolina raised writer has written 4 number one songs in the Country genre including “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum, “Where It’s At” by Dustin Lynch, “Sun Daze” by Florida Georgia Line and “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” by Billy Currington. Barlowe has also had 9 number one songs with CCM artist TOBYMAC including (“Made to Love”, “I’m for you”, “Tonight”, City on Our Knees”, “Hold On”, “Christmas this Year”, “One World”, “Get Back Up” and “Feel It”) as well as 3 Grammy nominations for Contemporary/gospel song of the year with Toby. Barlowe also had a number one song (“Good Morning”) with Christian Artist Mandisa. 

In this episode, you will be inspired and hear Cary and Seth discuss motivational stories, getting to work with Rick Rubin in former band Luna Halo and what it is like to land a song on a Taylor Swift record and how that came about.

Cary Barlowe is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Shack by William P. Young

Find out more about Cary Barlowe:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4700047/

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In this episode of the Made it in Music podcast with Eddie DeGarmo, we will dive deep into Eddie’s history and how he helped pave the way for Christian music for generations and many generations to come.

Eddie DeGarmo has experienced over a half century in the music business of fun stories. From playing keyboards at 10 years old in his first 1960s Memphis rock and roll band, to his own massive tours filling auditoriums and stadiums around the world with DeGarmo and Key. He successfully transitioned from his artist career to accomplished music executive co-founding Forefront Records and discovered many ground breaking artists. Eddie then rose to his role as president of the largest and most successful Gospel and Christian music publisher in the world, Capitol CMG Publishing.

In this episode, you will be inspired and hear Eddie and Seth discuss shifting the gears, changing the keys and staying motivated through the years in the ever-changing business that is music. 

Eddie DeGarmo is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

In Search of Excellence by Robert H. Waterman Jr. and Tom Peters

Purchase Eddie’s new book REBEL FOR GOD out now on Amazon.com:

http://a.co/6SYekXb

Find out more about Eddie DeGarmo:

www.facebook.com/theeddieadegarmo/

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Questions, questions, questions… you’ve been rejected too many times… or haven’t made a break in the music industry and are seeking answers or solutions? This episode of the Made it in Music podcast with Singer-songwriter, Ryan Stevenson, may have a few solutions you’ve been searching for.

You’ll Learn About:

• How difficult it can be to finally make your break in the industry
• How to overcome rejection from labels and continue pushing forward
• And the stories behind Ryan’s second album release with Gotee Record, No Matter What.

Following a seven-year stint as a paramedic, Ryan Stevenson signed an agreement with Gotee Records in 2013 after capturing TobyMac’s attention by co-writing the No. 1 and Grammy nominated single “Speak Life". Ryan’s 2015 full-length album Fresh Start which featured the No. 1 radio single “Eye of the Storm” helped launch him into a new level of success. It never came easy and in fact took a lot of rejection. But Ryan kept picking himself up, supported his family, and followed his dreams. Ryan shares his struggles of rejection and how he overcame that and so much more with us.

In this episode, Ryan and Seth discuss the new record, Ryan’s success, and pushing through the trials and the journey rather than worrying about the next big thing. Throughout his stories, Ryan shares very insightful and useful tips that will help lead you in your own success and guide you through rejection to follow your calling. 

Ryan Stevenson is here to share his incredible story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Shack by William P. Young

Listen to Ryan’s new single out now:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-matter-what-feat-bart-millard/1350016308?i=1350016324

Find out more about Ryan Stevenson:

https://ryanstevensonmusic.com

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What can you do to get your music heard on television? Songwriter Maggie Reed of RUELLE joins us to share her story of how she made it in music successfully writing for television and film.

You’ll Learn About:

• How to write openly for film (to write for many scenarios rather than just one)
• How failure can lead to greater opportunities
• How to be efficient and helpful in your co-writing and not stand in the way
• And much more…

Maggie Reed began her music career at a young age. She now goes by the artist name of RUELLE. It wasn't long before her haunting songs began to find their way onto multiple television shows and film trailers. In 2015, she released her first collection of music into the world via her EP entitled Up in Flames. While the songs were written and arranged with various producers, they all contain her graceful vocals accompanied by dark and cinematic production melodies that stay inside your head for days. Her songs have been heard on shows like Gotham, Grey’s Anatomy, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, and Dancing with the Stars - just to name a few.

In this episode, Maggie and Seth discuss her new record (looking to release this year), co-writing success and failure, and all things leading up to where she found her current success. Throughout her stories, Maggie shares very insightful and useful tips that will help lead you in your own success. 

Maggie Reed (RUELLE) is here to share her story about how she made it in music, and she’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Find out more about Maggie Reed:

ruellemusic.com 

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How do you find your voice in leading a congregation? Where can you start? Cody Carnes, husband to Kari Jobe, dives into the details and helpful tips to get you started wherever you are in your worship leading. 

You’ll Learn About:

• What the Western Swing genre is (yes, we also have never heard of it before!)
• How to find your voice and when voice lessons are necessary
• How to find things you are good at and focus solely on those to avoid failure when possible
• How to find God’s will for your life

Cody Carnes is a worship leader and songwriter whose passion is to create a meeting place for God and people with music. He spends most of his time traveling and leading worship with his wife Kari Jobe Carnes. The couple have co-written numerous songs together including “Closer To Your Heart,” “The Garden” and “Lover Of My Soul” from her album The Garden and “Let The Heavens Open” from her album Majestic. Cody is known popularly for his tunes “The Cross Has the Final Word”, “Hold it All”, and “Til the End of Time”, all of which are off his debut album The Darker the Night/The Brighter the Morning.

Cody Carnes is here to share his story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Resources:

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Song Machine by John Seabrook

Find out more about Cody Carnes:

codycarnes.com 

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How do you fund your music addictions? How can sponsorships help you in doing so? Canada’s country music veteran Paul Brandt dives into the relationships and benefits of partnering with brands and funding your music addictions.

You’ll Learn About:

·      How you can benefit from partnerships and how the partnerships benefit from you.

·      How authenticity can create a healthy and long lasting music career.

·      How to find your identity as an independent artist.

·      

Paul Brandt is the most awarded male Canadian country artist in history. He is no stranger to the music industry. Getting his start more than 25 years ago, Paul has earned his way from being a registered nurse at a children’s hospital to being a household name in the country music scene. Paul is known popularly for his tunes “My Heart Has a History”, “I Do”, and “I’m An Open Road”, which was recently certified Gold.

Seth has been working with Paul and helped create songs for his new release The Journey: YYC Volume 1, which released April 6th this year.

In this episode, Paul and Seth discuss the new record, Paul’s success, and enjoying the journey rather than worrying about the next big thing. Throughout his stories, Paul shares very insightful and useful tips that will help lead you in your own success.

Paul Brandt is here to share his story about how he made it in music, and he’s here to help you do the same.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Half Time by Bob Buford

Find out more about Paul Brandt:

paulbrandt.com

~ Enter to win a 1 hour coaching call with our Grammy award winning producer, Seth Mosely and a chance to win a $50 Full Circle Academy gift card at fcmcontest.com!

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How do you navigate breaking into the music industry? How do you start from giving up to living in God’s dream? Skillet’s Jen Ledger dives into the details of how God took something she loved and made it her career when she was ready to quit drums altogether.

You’ll Learn About:

·      The process of a dream becoming reality.

·      When Jen auditioned for Skillet and overcame her own doubts.

·      How to perform your best and not compare yourself to others.

·      Learn to “let go” and move forward in failure.

Jen Ledger has been the drummer for the band Skillet (Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning) for going on 10 years now. Skillet is one of the largest rock music touring acts in the world. Hit songs include “Monster,” “Hero,” “Whispers In The Dark,” “Feel Invincible,” and “Stars.” At the time of this episode’s release, their current radio single is “Lions.”

Seth has been working with Jen and wrote songs for her debut solo release Ledger, which released April 13th this year.

In this episode, Jen and Seth discuss the new record, Jen’s success, and finding true meaning in God (and not comparing yourself to others). Throughout her stories, Jen shares very insightful and useful tips that will help lead you in your own success.

Jen Ledger is here to share her story about how she made it in music, and she’s here to help you do the same.

Albums mentioned in this episode

Flyleaf by Flyleaf

Books mentioned in this episode

God’s Lavish Grace by Terry Virgo

Find out more about Jen Ledger

Ledgerband.com

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This week on the Made It In Music podcast, Seth Mosley (Grammy Award Winning Producer) sits down with Dave Barnes (“God Gave Me You” - Writer). Dave has worked on songs with Reba McEntire, Bebo Norman, Blake Shelton, and Tim McGraw to name a few. An MTSU Grad, he began his career interning with Producer Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Casting Crowns) in Nashville, TN.

In this episode, Dave and Seth discuss his new record, Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself, his success, and the struggles of building a career in the ever changing music industry.

Join Dave Barnes as he shares his story about how he made it in music and be inspired to do the same.

Dave’s most commonly recommended books and records include the album The Rainy Season by Marc Cohn, Peace and Love by Tommy Sims and a book entitled Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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Sam Tinnesz is a singer-songwriter and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He is known for his alternative and pop-rock style of music, which often incorporates elements of electronic and cinematic music. Tinnesz has released several albums and singles, and his music has been featured in various films, TV shows, and commercials. Some of his most popular songs include "Play With Fire", "Legends Are Made", "Even If It Hurts", and "Babel". Tinnesz has also collaborated with other musicians, including Christian rapper Lecrae and singer-songwriter Ruelle.

Check out Sam’s website here: https://www.samtinnesz.com

Paul Duncan is a songwriter and worship leader from the LA area.  As a frequent collaborator with many of Christian music’s top artists, Paul has had many No. 1 radio singles.  Based out of Los Angeles, his songs have been featured on various TV shows and have been heard in radio stations and churches around the world.  Some of his most popular songs include Lauren Daigle’s “Light of the World,” “Still Rolling Stones,” and “Hold On To Me.” Paul is the co-host and co-founder of the podcast “Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters,” which features in-depth conversations with writers whose music has stood the test of time. 

Check out Paul’s website here: https://centricitypublishing.com/writers/paul-duncan/

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This week on the first ever Made It In Music podcast, Seth Mosley (Grammy Award Winning Producer) sits down with John Cooper of Skillet (Grammy nominated - Dove Award Winning Artist). Join us on this journey telling stories of struggle and victory to the road to success. 

Hear Johns heartfelt rise to fame and how it didn’t just happen overnight like he had thought it would. And learn how God opened doors to take a label who originally opposed signing Christian artists and gave Skillet a try. 

Also, John gives a few recommendations for books he is currently into: The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink and Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. So, be sure and check those out.

Check us out at www.madeitinmusic.com

Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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We are celebrating our 100th Episode by bringing you portions of the best podcasts selected by the FCM Team. Stacey, X, Jerricho, Logan, and Seth are all interviewed regarding their favorite FCMS episode and share why that guest was the most memorable for them. We want to thank all of our listeners for their continued support. 

We will return all new and all fresh on Monday, March 26th with our MADE IT IN MUSIC Podcast.

————————————

Episode 100

Full Circle Music Show

– Hi, I'm Seth Mosley from Full Circle Music, and man am I excited, this is episode 100 of our Full Circle Music Show podcast, and not only that, the day that we're making a massive announcement. And what is that announcement? It's that we are re-branding. Yes, we're changing the format, the title, everything of our podcast to make it even more packed with value, for free, for you guys. And the new title, drum roll please, is the Made It in Music Podcast, by Full Circle Music. It's resources for music makers just like you who wanna go full-time in music, and stay in. So I just wanted to do something a little special on this episode to go along with the announcement of the Made It in Music Podcast, episode 100, and what we're doing this week is we're bringing you a best of episode. We picked our very favorite moments from the Full Circle Music Show and broke down just some really key points, things that we think you would get a lot out of, things that we personally got a lot out of. I'm Seth Mosley, thank you so much for listening. Here with Stacey Willbur, VP of publishing and A&R here at Full Circle Music. Man, I loved that you picked the Ginny Owens episode, 'cause it was one of my favorite not only podcast episodes, but what a lot of people who're maybe gonna go back and listen to this clip don't realize is that it was recorded at one of our Full Circle Academy songwriter retreats. And man, if I haven't told you already, the people that you have relationships with that you've been able to bring in to pour into our students is just absolutely incredible. So Ginny was one of those, she was at our last one, and I feel like I probably got more feedback on her than a lot of speakers that come in. That's where this podcast was recorded at. So what stood out to you about that, what made you pick that as your favorite moment?

– Well, it was my favorite moment because, obviously 'cause we were there, we were actually in the moment, it was an experience. It was Ginny talking about very simple things, three key elements of songwriting. But what I loved about it is that she weaved her own story into all three of those elements. I loved hearing her story wrapped up into all of that.

– Yeah, she talked about it being, something that I had not heard, and I think you said the same thing, that she compares songwriting to being a journey with a friend.

– A journey with a friend, that was like an a-ha moment, I think, for so many, because I don't think everybody looks at it that way. It's a job, it's this, but as a friend, and the closer you get to a friend, you get to know each other, you get to know their hearts, you get to know their stories, and the same thing with songwriting. The more you spend time… Writing every day, getting to know your craft, understanding the different elements of songwriting, the better you become and the better you know yourself as a songwriter.

– Yeah, and she talks about how it is a sought after treasure, too, I thought that was such a cool way to put it. What did she mean by that?

– Well, it was interesting 'cause she said it was a sought after treasure pursued by an enemy. Which, the enemy, as she describes, are distractions. The distractions in your life that keep you from doing the thing that you love doing. So what are those things and how do you keep those distractions from keeping you from doing what God's plan and purpose is for your life, which is songwriting.

– Yeah, and I think, man, she just… There's podcast episodes that we've done that I feel like I just kinda wish I had like a notepad the whole time, 'cause she just kinda drops quote after quote after quote, and one thing that you shared with me, that I totally agree with is that good is the enemy of great, and perfection is the enemy of creativity. That was, I thought that was brilliant when she said that.

– Yeah, and I think, especially in this industry, we hear a lot of, oh, that's a good song, that's a good song, that's a good song. And we tend to leave it there, and we don't encourage each other to strive for the great. I think striving for the great is harder. ‘Cause it takes going back and rewriting, it takes time and effort. The good is, yeah, this is good, you know. But the great, I think, is you dig it in a little deeper. And she really shares that in the podcast, she shares the struggles that she went through as an artist. And just in her life personally to get to that point.

– Yeah, so good. Well I'm really glad you picked it 'cause it's one of my favorite moments too.

– Awesome.

– Here's a clip from Ginny Owens on the Full Circle Music Show live from the Full Circle Academy songwriter's retreat.

– [Ginny] I want to offer, just based on my experience as a songwriter over the past billion years, I wanna offer three key elements of a life of endless songwriting bliss. So three key elements to maintaining a songwriting life. So the first one is, songwriting is a journey with a friend. Show up every day so that you can go a little further together. Songwriting is an art form. The more you know the rules and master the skill, the freer you will be to let your heart guide the process. And, songwriting is a sought after treasure guarded by an enemy. In order to capture it, you must fight every day of your life. Listening, like, two different types of listening that I call active and passive listening. So, I really love pop music, so active listening for me is like, when I work out in the mornings, just rolling the Apple, new Apple, like whatever, pop playlist, or what they're playing at Apple List or Spotify, you know, playlist, and learning. What are they doing in the songs that you're hearing that you like? How are they creating hooks? What do the rhythm things sound like that they're doing. Things like, Chainsmokers came along and they sort of created this chorus, where you don't have to soar up in the top, you just do this, like, ♪ Baby hold me closer in the backseat — ♪ I probably shouldn't be singing that at the Christian — But you know, it's just this tiny little space of a chorus. So there are trends that you start to see as you listen to music. If you're a songwriter-ish type person, more of a James Taylor type person, then you can listen to current people that do that, like James Bay or John Mayer. Hear what they're doing, sort of study their technique. But the other thing is passive listening. And what I guess I mean by that is falling in love with music. One of the things I've recently discovered about myself is that I'm too busy thinking about… Analyzing songs, and I actually need to go fall in love with music again, 'cause it's just too easy to be critical. And so what I've learned is, probably the easiest way to do this, which is not something that streaming really lends itself towards, but to go get people's albums. And just listen to the full album and continue to immerse myself in it, and be patient. ‘Cause I'm sure, maybe some of you guys are like this too, I'm so impatient. I'll listen to half a song and then I flip to the next song. That does not create and inspire love for music. I think those things are key for deepening our skillsets, growing our skillsets, educating ourselves. And then there's another aspect, just as we talk about kind of this skill of songwriting. It's really simple, but I think it's really important, especially for new writers, and I kind of call it the accessibility scale. So on one end you have the more cerebral, the more personal kind of songs. Those are the songs you write for your grandma, or your brother, or a wedding. And then on the other end are the more super-commercial songs. So like, Bon Iver is super cerebral. Taylor, super commercial. Andrew Peterson is pretty cerebral. Tomlin, Jordan Feliz, super commercial. And so the more cerebral a song is, the more it's kinda written to please the writer. So most of those things fall kind of more in the middle, they're not generally purely one or the other. But the more cerebral, form matters less, it's kinda in the writer's head, and obviously the more commercial a song is, the more singable it is, the more melodic, the more many people can kinda follow what you're doing. You gotta know the difference. If you wanna write commercial, study it, learn the techniques, listen to the Full Circle podcast every week, because there's an art to expressing yourself that way. But if you're gonna write about family, if you're gonna write something super personal, don't let that out for critique, 'cause you don't want to hurt yourself in that way. You know what I mean? Protect the things that are really personal to you. And the more you kind of know the skill and the art of songwriting, the more you're gonna know how to do that. Skill, taking the journey, ultimately helps with our biggest challenge as songwriters, which is fighting for your songwriting. And if you don't believe me, I bet you do. Everybody probably believes that it's a fight. Songwriting is a treasure that's guarded by an enemy. And so in order to capture it, you must fight every day of your life. Not to be all dark and wage war-ish, but, we gotta wage some war. The hardest part of songwriting is what? Songwriting. You know, you always got something else to do. Or there's always a voice in your head that says not to do it. And I promise, lest you think it only happens to new writers I have this happen every day. I've just finally learned, oh, this is part of it. This is what I'm gonna fight every day. And especially when you've been doing it a long time, you can kinda even get more in your head, 'cause you're like, what if I don't know how to do anything current? So if you give up, then the enemy will win. So what exactly is the enemy? I do like how Kevin Pressfield, who wrote the Legend of Bagger Vance, but he has a book called The War of Art which I would highly recommend you all read. There's some swearing, but read it anyway. But he calls the enemy resistance. And he says any act that entails commitment of the heart is a reason for resistance. In other words, any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long term growth, health, or integrity, or any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower, will elicit resistance. Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled, but it can be felt. And the more important – get this. The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it. Ouch. And resistance takes all different forms. Sometimes it's you, right? It's the lack of discipline. That's what it is for me, a lot. I just wanna do all the other fun things. And I wanna think about songwriting, really I do. But, maybe I'll get to it. That's why scheduling is so key. And there are voices in your head, and that's why scheduling and showing up every day is so key. It diminishes the voices, I promise you. Sometimes it's 'cause you got a eat, and so you gotta work. So that's also why finding that time every week and putting it on a calendar can be so awesome to do. Another key in fighting resistance is knowing the people who are in your space. Knowing the people who are awesome and can hold you accountable, like probably some folks you've met here, and learning the people who are not safe for you to play music for. Another way to protect what you're writing, and who the safe people are not, when you're fighting resistance. Now, for those of us who are believers, who are people of faith, we know there is a deeper resistance from an enemy that is full-on against you. And especially when it comes to pursuing a gift that God has given you to inspire others.

– X O'Connor. I love it, we're here in the studio on this exciting day, episode 100.

– 100.

– Recapping some of our favorite moments from the Full Circle Music show, and… Tyler Bryant.

– Tyler Byant, man.

– Good choice.

– Man, my favorite, dude, we sat down with him, I remember it was kind of last minute, I got a call early in the morning like, hey, I think we're gonna do some Tyler Byrant interview today. So I remember driving down, and I was super pumped, I'd loosely known him from being in bands around Nashville and I was like, I love this dude's music, I'm excited to talk to this guy. And to sit down with him, he's a young kid, you know, and he's just got his head on in a way that very few other artist, songwriters, any musical person does, he just realizes that hard work comes above all else, everything in life. And this guy, his band is successful, but not necessarily at radio. No real radio number ones, no nothing like that, but he plays hundred thousand seat venues. It's like, that blows my mind. And to just hear him speak about hard work. No one's gonna work harder for you than you're gonna work for yourself, so take every opportunity that you've got and just make something out of it.

– Yeah, I love it, and I think he even shared in the episode something about, they do a lot in Europe.

– Yeah.

– And I think a fan, they were playing somewhere in Spain and a fan had like, tooken a night train like across…

– Across the continent, literally.

– The entire continent to get there, and they were so pumped about it. And you can just tell that when an artist is engaged, and the fans can tell that you really care, as the artist, they're gonna care.

– Yeah, absolutely, and… that was something that he also spoke about a lot in this interview is relationship building. Not just with the people around you, but with the fans. The fans can feel that level of commitment that you have to them. But then on the business side, too. They've been around labels and all that stuff a lot, and I just love the mentality of, be honest with the people you're with. Even if it's a hard conversation to have with somebody, the honesty is gonna preserve that relationship in the future. I think he talked about them leaving their label to kind of go out on their own, and the conversation he had with the label after the fact, like, hey, you guys are still always on the list at a Shakedown show, come out any time, you guys worked hard for us, just, it's time for us to go do something else. And I love that mentality.

– Yeah, and we went and saw them in Nashville at… Was it 12th?

– 3rd and Lindsley.

– 3rd and Lindsley, which is a really cool venue. And it was one of the best live shows I think I've ever seen.

– Yeah, they go for it. It's so tight, but it's just raw rock and roll. It was a fun night, I hadn't been to a show like that in a while.

– No click tracks.

– No click, it's just guys on stage just going for it, rock and rolling. I loved it, man, it was so much fun to just sit there and just, be like, yep, these guys own it. This is great.

– Inspiring.

– Inspiring, for sure.

– Well here's a clip from the Full Circle Music show episode with Tyler Bryant of Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown.

– [Tyler] We've talked about it a little bit, but I come from a blues background, I learned to play from an old bluesman in Texas. Even as a kid, I was offered a record deal, and it was like, we're gonna set you up with other kids and we're gonna start a band, and I was like, no, man, I just wanna play the blues. I wanna make, like, I remember Lyric Street records gave me a little $10,000 check to go make some recordings. I think they were legitimately upset when I handed them back like three Freddie King covers that I had made. You know, it's like, what did you expect, man? And I still kinda have that mentality where, I don't know if you guys ever have dove into this on your show, I'm sure you have, 'cause it's something that I feel like a lot of artists struggle with. It's mixing art, something that really moves you, and commerce. Let's eat and let's survive, and so all we try to do in our band is have a little bit of both, you know?

– [X] Yeah, yeah. So touring has been your bread and butter. Let's just talk about that, how do you get invited out on a AC/DC or Guns ‘n Roses Tour without radio, without big number one chart topping songs?

– [Tyler] It's hard to say, honestly. I think one, you gotta believe in what you're doing, you have to be convicted every time you put on a guitar. Whether it's in a writing room, whether it's in a coffee shop. That's what, you know, I have kids ask me at our shows who have bands, like, how do you get on these tours, how do you get these shows going? And it's like, you literally play every show you get offered. Whenever I was starting out, I had a fake email account. And I was the band's manager, my name was like Sarah, or something like this, and I represented, this was before the Shakedown, I represented Tyler Bryant.

– [X] What's the Spinal Tap manager?

– [Tyler] Yeah, and it would, there was another time where it's like, I literally called the box office of the House of Blues. This is when I was younger, I called them every single day until they finally told one of the booking agents, this guy won't stop calling, he wants to play. And he called me and was like, dude, you can't call the box office and book a show. And I was like, but, can you book me?

– [X] Yeah

– [Tyler] And he's like send me some recordings. So I sent him some recordings and some videos and he put my band on for Dickie Betts. And then I called the Dallas morning news, and I was like, my band's playing, opening up for Dickie Betts of the Allman Brothers, I think you should come film it and do a story. And they did, and it's that kind of hustle that I think is, what I've learned that we have to do because it's, any time we've waited on someone else to do something for us we fall short, and so it's, I think those, it's funny because we were at CAA, the booking agency for a long time, and they did great things for us, and after about a year and a half of not touring as much as we'd like, we thought, let's make a change, let's move agencies. But we had such a good relationship with our agent that he'd become family, it's a guy named John Huie. And so we left. We were on the road supporting Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top and I get a call from Huie going, he's just like, I love you guys and I wanted to know if it would be okay if I pitched you for the AC/DC world tour. And, of course we said yes, but this is someone who's not our agent. So that's where… Maintaining relationships, and always shooting people straight, and even if it's a tough conversation going, like, I think we have to move somewhere else, because we're not getting the love here. They kill it with country acts out of Nashville, and I'm sure that the rock department does great, too. We just weren't getting the love that we needed. Because maybe what we were doing didn't move them there, but I think even when a relationship has to stop, it doesn't – professionally, it doesn't have to stop emotionally and I think that's, you know. We're all from the South and believe in Southern hospitality and shooting people straight even when it's a tough conversation, and I think that's helped benefit our band.

– [X] Well I love that, because there's so many bands that we come across that are just constantly complaining about their teams. They're like, my label's not doing this, my manager's not doing this, we don't have our publisher getting songs on sync, our publicist is not scheduling – it's just excuses and complaining about people not doing stuff for them. And what I'm hearing you say is like, screw that, do it yourself.

– [Tyler] Oh yeah, absolutely. We just made our own record, and I called a few of the people from Universal Republic after we got out of our deal, and it was sort of an, I think both parties were like, this isn't really working for us. We weren't giving them what they need to do what they do best, and they were like, you guys just aren't setting yourself up to win. But I talked to a few people from the label who were like, wait, you guys aren't with us anymore? It's like hey, listen, you're always on the guest list at a Shakedown show, you guys come out, thanks for putting in the work, man. Because it's hard to find people to work for you, and it's hard to find people who will work as hard as you will, so you have to do it yourself. Or at least, even like when it comes to making music videos or setting up photo shoots, or finding the direction. I feel like that has to come from the artist, because I feel like a lot of artists fall short when they're waiting on someone else to show them the direction.

– Here at Full Circle Music studios with Jericho Scroggins.

– Hey, hey.

– Thanks for being on the show today, buddy.

– Thank you for having me.

– I love the clip that you picked, it was a Michael W. Smith interview, it was honestly one of my favorite ones to do. Why don't you talk just a little bit about what stood out to you from that, and why people should go back and listen to it?

– Yeah. The initial part of it is how he was talking about the start of his career, and even how that's when he got married with Debbie, that was like in '81. So when the Amy Grant thing and all that kind of stuff, it was a very busy time for his career. And so they saw a bunch of marriages around that time falling apart. And so he does think it's hard for people to tour 200, 250 shows a year and keep a healthy marriage. So it was super cool to hear how he… One thing I didn't know about Michael and his career was, he was never away from his family more than two weeks. And it was just, like, mind-blowing to me thinking about that, just knowing his career and that kind of stuff. And so just how he goes through and talks about the priorities of that. You do have a career, but you also have family, and making sure they know where priorities lie and stuff like that, and his family always came above his career.

– Yeah, and we get to interview a lot of super achievers on the show, so it's always cool to see that, you know what, they've not only got their stuff together on a career level, 'cause obviously Michael W. Smith's the top of the top, but he was really good about keeping accountability in place, as well.

– Right. Yeah, that was definitely another part of it that I really liked, because, it's not only, like, when you go out and do your thing and that kind of stuff, still keeping a good group of, a team around you, that makes sure you're still doing what you're supposed to be doing. Whether it's heart-wise, faith-wise, even mind-wise, you know what I mean? Like making sure it's, even having them help him keep accountable to making sure he makes it home every two weeks. Or being a servant on the road, and things like that.

– Yeah, and another really cool thing that I think you mentioned was this idea about talking to the younger you. What did you mean by that?

– Yeah, there's this cool part where, it's the giving the advice to the younger you part. And it really stood out to me when he said, if I could tell the younger me, I would say it's not about you. And what he means by that is like, just earlier on realizing… Yeah, you're given these gifts and stuff like that, but realistically the gifts help other people, it's being a servant, making sure you're using the gifts for the right reason. Everybody wants to be successful, but it's like, how you wanna be successful dictates a different way in the way you look at it, and that kind of stuff, and that's his thing. Earlier on he looked at it a little bit differently, like, how many CDs does he sell, how good was the merch and that kind of stuff, and he realized pretty early on after that, he's like, it's not about that. It's not about you. Is he reaching the lives, is he reaching other people, and I think that goes across anything we do. The stuff we work on, even we don't go out there and tour with it, but it's still putting in the 100%, because at the end of the day, it's not about me.

– That's right.

– It's about that.

– Yeah, that's good. Well here is a clip from our Full Circle Music Show episode with Michael W. Smith.

– [Seth] Thinking back over all the years being an artist I think one of the things that I struggle with and a lot of young artists, or writers, or producers struggle with is the whole balance of being a creative versus being a good family man. How have you found balance over the years to kinda keep all of that together, what's the secret for that?

– [Michael] Well, we made the rule, Deb and I, when this thing started really taking off, in the Amy thing, and then did the Friends tour, Big Picture tour, we started having children.

– [Seth] So you were married early.

– [Michael] I got married in '81 to Deb, so it'll be 35 years this year.

– [Seth] Congratulations.

– Thank you.

– That's amazing.

– [Michael] She's awesome. But we knew, I think we probably really knew, probably when I did the Lead Me On tour, which was… Probably the most successful, other than the Change Your World tour it was probably the most successful tour I've ever been a part of, 'cause we sold out arenas, me and Amy, all around the country, and in other countries, as well. And we just started seeing people in our genre and in other genres, when it came to being entertainers and all that sort of thing that marriages were falling apart left and right. And so we, I remember just having a talk with Deb and just going, you know… If we don't make some rules, there's probably more chances of us being a casualty than not. And we're not gonna be a casualty. And so we just made the rule, I'm not gonna ever be gone more than two weeks from my family, ever. Even if I had to cross the pond, and come back, and cross it again. And I was never gone from Deb and the kids for more than two weeks. Had a little aircraft, and I don't talk about that much, it was worth every penny, I thought, I've gotta get home to my family. And a lot of times I'd do a show and I would literally walk off stage, and got in a car, and I was on the jet and I was home at midnight and I'm driving carpool at 7:15. I did that for twelve-and-a-half years. And I think if you talked to my kids, I think, I think if you could have a private one-on-one, I think they would all say, we were more important to my dad than his career was. And now I got all these young bands, I got some of these young kids are all starting to come to me and ask me exactly what you asked me. And I think that's part of my role in the future is to sort of be a fatherly role and try to help kids. I just don't think you can do 250 shows on the road and keep a family together. And they say, well, we gotta pay the bills, we gotta make the house payment. My response is, then buy a smaller house.

– [Seth] Wow. Is there anything that you would kinda say to the younger you when you were first getting into it that you're like, okay, you might wanna do that a little differently. Is there anything that kinda comes to mind like that?

– [Michael] Well, I think heart-wise, I mean, obviously, we all grow up, we all make mistakes. If we really are seeking the Lord, we all get a little wiser as we get older, but I'd probably go back and tell myself at 23, 24 years old, I'd probably just say dude, it's not about you. That's probably the first thing I would say. I was so, like, how many records did we sell, and did we sell any t-shirts, and it was just so like… And it's hard, 'cause you're excited, and you wanna be successful and I think I just wish I'd have seen the bigger picture a little bit. And that's probably what I'd say to these young kids going, why are you here? Reconnect with why you're here, because you're not here to be a superstar. But there's nothing wrong with being successful, at all, but it just can't drive you, it can't just encompass everything that you do, it just can't. I always say, what's your contribution, think about… Even in the hard times, and trying to get the thing off the ground, are you making a contribution, are you changing somebody's life? So, it's that kind of stuff I'd probably say, and then, if I had to say something on the musical level, I'd say it all starts with a song.

– X O'Connor sitting here with Mr. Seth Mosley, founder of Full Circle Music. Getting ready to talk a little podcast action. So, your favorite episode out of the, we're at episode 100 now.

– Crazy, absolutely crazy.

– Yeah.

– And your favorite one was with Chris Houser under very interesting circumstances, from what I remember, kinda spontane, spontaneous.

– It was very spontane, I like that slang.

– You know, it's kinda like pre-Fontaine, that runner guy, but it's spontane, it kinda flows off the tongue.

– This was a spontane moment, we were in the car, actually on a radio tour, and one thing that I've learned by doing a podcast is, we're really, as sort of journalists, trying to bring interesting stories to our audience about stuff that they'll actually care about, you kinda just have to be ready at all times. So I've got this little pocket recorder and a couple microphones, I stuck it in the bag 'cause I felt like we might have some interesting conversations on this Matt Hammitt radio promo tour. I went out with him at the beginning of the year to promote his first single, ‘Tears', off his record. And so I just brought it with me, and we were spending a lot of time in the car, so I was like, okay, there's gonna be something good. So it was under interesting circumstances, but I think, what I've loved about our podcast is when our guests kinda just go off the rails a little bit and just feel free to tell stories, and just crazy. And Chris is such a great story teller. So it was one of my favorite episodes. And not only because of the episode itself, but really because of my story and how I met Chris in the first place. And one thing that he did that stuck out to me that I'll never forget, we touch on that in the podcast, as well.

– I love it. And he's known for hitting as many radio stations as humanly possible in a very brief time. I believe you said he has a record. Do you remember what the record is?

– He does have a record, he said he hit 13 stations in three days.

– Now, were you a part of that 13 stations in three days?

– I think we did, maybe, we might have done eight in two days.

– Eight in two, that's still rather impressive.

– It was a decent few. But I love it because, so often in this business we think about the result more than the relationship. And one thing that he drove home that you'll hear in this clip is that he talks about, really what he does for a living is to get to go talk to his friends about music that he loves. He actually cares about the people. And there are very few people that I know in life, let alone in music, in anything, that have spent three decades serving one group of people. And that's just dedication.

– Man, you said it right there.

– Yep.

– It's powerful.

– I'm ready to go back and listen to the episode myself.

– Me too.

– So let's jump into this episode with Chris Houser.

– [Seth] You talked about you started tapping into your skillset which, I don't even know if you remember this but when I first moved to Nashville, I talk a lot about this on our podcast that my first record that I got was Newsboys, Take Me to Your Leader, and my first label record I produced was this one called Newsboys Born Again which you were working on.

– Yes.

– [Seth] And I think I met you once, maybe at Wes' house. Then I saw you, I don't know, a month later or something and you were like, hey, Seth, it's good to see you, and the fact that you even just remembered my name —

– Oh, wow.

– was huge.

– [Seth] To me, your competitive advantage is you actually care about people and you're great with relationships.

– [Chris] Thank you, man. That means a lot, and again, it's a, this is a small industry we're in, and I'm in my 30th year of promotion, radio promotion. And I think I'm starting to get it figured out, but every once in a while something comes along and surprises me, but I've seen a lot of people come in and go out from this industry, and one of my favorite clients, Brash Music, who had Aaron Shust, and Gunger, their MO was life's too short to work with jerks. And I also believe very strongly that you reap what you sow, and whatever you sow, you reap way more, and you reap way later. It's just the way it is. You can go out to a field with a handful of seeds and throw it out into the field, you don't go out the next day and say oh my gosh, look at all the growth. It takes a long time, but all the growth that comes into a field from one handful of seeds. And so I've always tried to be about sowing good seed, doing my best to love people well, and not losing myself in the process, which at times has been a challenge for me. Yeah dude, I don't remember meeting you, and I wish I did, but it's been an amazing thing to watch your trajectory as well, and to be doing this. We're on a promo tour right now.

– [Seth] Yeah, that's the fun thing right now, we're out with an artist named Matt Hammitt.

– [Matt] Yeah, what's up?

– [Seth] We're actually promoting his new single, Tears. So this is what you do all the time, right?

– [Chris] Yes, so these radio stations, we're visiting six, seven radio stations in two days, my record is 13 stations in three days.

– [Seth] Wow.

– [Chris] That was up in the Midwest, that involved taking a high-speed ferry across Lake Michigan, from Muskegon, Michigan over to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dropping off one rental car, picking up another rental car and continuing to go. But these radio stations have a hard job, they've got 50 to 75 singles getting work to them every week by 30 to 35 record promoters, both between labels and indies. And so one of the ways that we get noticed is by bringing artists directly to them. And Matt is so beloved for, you know, radio stations are gonna play Lead Me every day until Jesus comes back. It's just a matter of fact, no one's gonna get tired of Lead Me by Sanctus Real. And so I never worked a Sanctus Real record, I've watched them from afar and been so impressed with them and their ministry, and so, there are other people you could go to. But you came to me to take this record to radio, I'm very honored by it, but in addition, I'm moved by it. I have to love, this is what I tell people. I make a great living talking to my friends all day long about music I love.

– [Seth] That's a pretty good job.

– [Chris] So I turn down the records I don't love. I take the records that move me, and the records that I love, by artists that I respect. And, I'm calling my friends, I'm not calling adversaries, I'm not talking to people at radio that I have to buffalo, or steamroll, or belittle, or slam a phone down and swear, and call them jerks behind their backs. I love these people, these are my friends, so I get to just go bring Matt and you, Seth, to my friends for the next two days. And these are people who work hard, like me, back in the day, they do it way better than me but none of them are making major amounts of money. They're doing this for love and calling, and yet, they're the venue, they're the avenue that we will go through to get this song on the air. And it's already impacting countless, thousands of people around the country in a very, very short amount of time.

– [Seth] Yeah, well even, on the Sirius Highway, or Sirius XM The Message, they debuted the lyric video, we were just looking on the way up here and it's already at 37,000 views and 893 shares, which is a pretty substantial metric for a brand new label, essentially relaunching an artist.

– [Chris] Yes.

– [Seth] So that's a huge thing.

– [Chris] Yes.

– [Seth] Are you ever surprised and shocked with like a song that you think is gonna work doesn't work, or a song that you don't think is gonna work just blows up?

– [Chris] Yes. I would say, my joke on that is, through years of therapy I've been able to mellow out a little bit. But there were times 10 and 15 years ago that I was sure a song was gonna be a smash, and nobody wanted it. It's like these 115 radio PDs got together in a smoky room somewhere and all decided what they were going to tell us promoters for the next year, and then they'd all go like, break! And they'd clap hands and they'd walk out. And so when I would get this massive pushback on a song, in the early days of this kinda promotion, I would go like, I don't know what a hit is anymore, I've lost it. And then I would go to the next step, I'm like, Am I even a Christian? And then I'd go all the way to like, God, are you even there, if I can't… And so, again, years of therapy have helped mellow me out, and life experience, just to get into a better spot of going, you know what, sometimes I'm wrong, a lot of times I'm right, and sometimes it's the radio stations that will say, oh, no, that's not a hit. I try to slow the no, I try to slow them down, because it's like, if you make a pronouncement, a negative pronouncement on a song this early, it's gonna be that much harder for you to admit you're wrong eight months down the line, six months down the line, let's just calm down, you tell me no now, that's fine. I'm just gonna find 20 people that you respect and get them to play the song, and we'll come back around, we'll just keep talking about it.

– [Seth] And those people they respect, is that other radio promoters?

– [Chris] No, no, other radio stations.

– [Seth] Radio stations.

– [Chris] Other radio stations. So then they're watching around to see who else, 'cause it's all defensive posturing and maneuvering. It's all, they don't wanna add a record, a radio station will say, we'll never be hurt by a record we don't play. Do you get that?

– [Seth] Wow.

– [Chris] We can never be hurt by a record we don't play, meaning, we might be hurt if we go too early on a song that our listeners end up not liking. So we'd rather watch the landscape and see what people are playing out here, and it's like, okay, that's fine. There are leaders, there are followers. If you need to be a follower on this, no harm, no foul, we're just gonna keep working this.

– So I'm sitting here with Logan Crockett, VP of marketing for Full Circle Music and, man, what a ride it's been, we're on episode 100 on the Full Circle Music Show and we're talking about our favorites, favorite moments, and why listeners should probably go back and listen to some. And I love that you picked the Tony Wood episode. So what stood out to you about that, and why should people go back and listen?

– Yeah, for sure. So with me, my perspective on the podcast is probably a little bit different from a lot of the rest of the staff. I've been around for just over a year, now actually working for Full Circle, but initially, listening to this podcast, I was, completely from the outside looking in, I was just, kinda like a lot of the people probably listening and/or watching this, someone just trying to kind of find their lane, their path in the music industry. And this episode with Tony Wood and this clip that we're about to play just really stuck out to me as something that I've never, ever forgotten. For so long, I mean I've been pursuing the music industry for years. And it always felt like, man, if you can just get kinda that one meeting with that publisher or that record later, or whatever company, just meet that right person and get that connection. If you can just do that, that's kind of hopefully the gateway to greater things, that kind of, getting that meeting, basically. But in this clip, Tony explained that it was so much more about getting meeting number two than about getting meeting number one. Because it really does make sense, getting meeting number two means that, if you had meeting number one, they have to like you enough to invite you back. And the way that Tony explained it in this clip, it was just, it was such a massive mindset shift for me because it just, it reformed my entire strategy for what I was trying to do with the music industry. It became so much more about okay, yes, meeting one obviously has to happen, but actually that's the easy part. So my goal was how do I get meeting number two? Meeting number one kinda flew out the window, and everything became about how do I score meeting number two, no matter what relationship I'm building, no matter what opportunity I'm pursuing. The goal became meeting number two.

– Yeah, and in music, it's often about finding someone who is really where you want to be. And kind of emulating them. Wasn't there something that stood out in the episode about that, in particular?

– Yeah he, Tony had kinda got his start thanks to someone named Tom Long, who was kinda that first person who really believed in him and helped introduce him to other people. And that was another big mindset thing for me, too, was this idea that, there's a lot in the music industry that you can control, there's a lot of things that you can do yourself to push yourself forward, but, it's going to be really, really, really difficult to get where you ultimately want to be if you're not finding someone else who can kinda elevate you. You need to find a champion, or a guide, someone who can get you further along the steps that you need to go.

– I love it, and there's also this concept of, do your homework that Tony hits on, what did you mean by that, 'cause you were saying that that stood out to you.

– Yeah. So yeah, again, all this stuff is in the clip that we're about to play, but Tony, it's a very kind of quick comment that Tony mentions, but when he was first meeting these other writers around town, and other publishers, he said that he did his homework on who they were and what they were up to. So basically, that really stood out to me 'cause now working for Full Circle, we have a lot of people who come through a lot of our events and things like that, but it feels like a lot of them haven't done their homework. A lot of them don't know like even, who is Full Circle and what are the different things that we do, what songs have we been working on, things like that. Normally I'm on a lot of calls with people through our academy and things like that, normally I have to completely explain almost from ground zero, what it is that we do, who we are, things like that. Not the case for everyone, but all that to say is if you are pursuing the music industry, before, and this kinda goes back into meeting one versus meeting two but before you get meeting one, make sure you do your homework, so that way you're giving your best first impression, and you're having amazing talking points when you do finally have the opportunity to sit down and have those interactions.

– That's good. One thing that I love that we get to do with the academy, with our events, with courses and all of this stuff that we're doing is that we're helping dreamers, essentially. And there's kind of this common thread that we've heard, and I think you mentioned that Tony hits on this in the podcast. But this concept of, just trying, just giving it a try.

– Yeah.

– And why is that important, do you think?

– Towards the end of the clip that we're about to play, Tony mentioned kind of his ultimate motivation towards, the big jump to moving to Nashville and pursuing all these opportunities. And his whole thing was like, you know, there's so many great opportunities in life. You don't have to be in the music industry, not everyone is meant to be in the music industry. The music industry is very competitive, not everyone who wants to be in it is going to be in it. But Tony's whole point was, that just really resonated with me was this idea of man, like if I don't just try and kind of give it everything that I have, a no is okay. Like if I meet the right people, and if I'm perfecting my craft and it's not good enough to be where it needs to be for the industry, then at least I tried, and I can live with that. But his big thing was like, man, if I don't try and give it all that I have, I won't be able to live with that. And that just resonated so much with me at the time, 'cause again, this was like, I think early 2016. So again, at the time, my involvement in the music industry was a little limited, I'd recently gotten out of college with my music business degree. I had a really great marketing job, but I wasn't that involved in the music industry, I was like running sound with my church and some things like that. But I knew that… In my being, I'm like, the music industry is where I ultimately want to be. And I was in a place where I kinda had a good job and all that sort of thing, but it was like, man, can I live with it if I don't do all that I can to get myself down to Nashville, to pursue these opportunities. And Tony just saying that, it's like, it was like he was speaking for me in that moment. Like yes, like that is ultimately where I'm at and I decided, there is no way that I will be able to live with it if I don't try, and give it all that I have, no matter what the outcome is.

– And here you are.

– Indeed.

– Fruit of the podcast, that's awesome. Well here is a clip from Tony Wood interview on the Full Circle Music Show.

– ASCAP was real helpful to me early as a songwriter, there was a conference that they offered like about five or six Monday nights in a row in October, where they brought in writers, producers, publishers, some great instruction. Something in that that was so significant, songwriter Dwight Liles said, the hardest meeting to get in Nashville with a publisher is not the first meeting, the hardest meeting to get is the second meeting. And it just killed me in that moment, 'cause I am such an introvert. And they would use the word networking and I hate the word, 'cause networking feels like, walk across this room and introduce yourself to this stranger, and tell them why they need to get to know you. And it's like, it's against everything within me, I'd rather just take a beating than do that. And I was like oh, no, if the hardest meeting to get is the second one, I'd better be ready when I get that, when I finally get the nerve up to go introduce myself, I gotta know that I'm ready. So that sends me into a month or so of panic about what do I do, what do I do. And I came up with this idea, Tom Long was the head of membership at ASCAP at that time, and he had put the conference on. The conference had happened three or four months earlier and I'd been stewing on that. And so here was the first professional initiation for me, I picked up the phone and I called Tom. And I said Tom, in the course that you moderated, somebody said the hardest meeting to get with a publisher is not the first, the hardest is the second. I need to be ready, I need somebody to tell me if I'm ready. And here comes the ask, Tom, will you be that man for me? And Tom says well, nobody's kinda ever asked me that, but okay, I tell you what, every couple of months, give me a call, bring me some of the lyrics that you're writing, and I'll take a look at them and tell you. I can't tell my story without such gratitude to Tom, Tom Long, for that. So I take the first meeting with Tom Long, walk in, the three current pieces of paper that I've typed up, put them on his desk, sit there, quietly feeling my organs separating while he's reading them all, just the tension, just dying right there. And Tom reads three and says, I've got some people you need to meet, get in the car. Drove me around to four publishers. I had done my homework, I knew who the publishers, I knew these people, I knew who their writers were, I knew the songs that they were having success with at that point. The first three dismissed me pretty quickly and go, eh, thanks but no thanks, and the fourth one was Michael Puryear who was with a small company, Lorenz Creative Services that was going at the time. They had just signed Steven Curtis, though before his first record, that was his first home, and they had recently signed Marcus Hummon who wrote God Bless the Broken Road. So it was kind of this small little boutique thing that was going, and Michael is more of a lyric guy, and he said, oh, why don't you start hanging around here some, and let me see if I can get some of our guys to write with you. And that was… The life changing moment for me, I'm so grateful to Michael for early belief in me.

– [Seth] Sure. So, backing up, 'cause just the move to Nashville is such a huge leap of faith in the moment, I don't wanna gloss over that, for you and your wife. I'm sure that was just like a monumental thing. How does somebody know when they're ready to do that.

– [Tony]Nobody knows, there is no knowing, there is nobody that's gonna say the time is right. It is that line between faith and foolishness. That's so close in there, you don't know. But I remembered, there was a point when I was finishing up school and still writing frantically, accumulating lots of sheets of paper. And they were in a box kinda under a bed. Early 20s, and I remember thinking, I can't imagine hitting 50 and not knowing, and not trying. I could live if I dared to show those to somebody and they said, ah, thanks but no, there's really not a place for you. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try. I remember sometimes feeling almost claustrophobic at that thought like, if I hit 50, and I've never at least tried, I almost couldn't breathe thinking about that. So that was some of the motivation that, you know if they had said, no thanks, go away, I could've lived with that, I could've gone and gotten, I could've worked at a church and been real happy with that, knowing that I tried. But not trying just was killer.

– [X] Hey everyone, this is X O'Connor and you've been listening to the Full Circle Music Show, they why of the music biz, hope everyone enjoyed our episode 100, the special episode. It's impossible to believe that it's been 100 episodes already. And again, this is our last episode for a little bit, we're gonna be coming back at you with our brand new, re-imagined, rebranded podcast, the Made It in Music podcast, it's gonna be starting Monday, March 26th. It's so exciting, we're so pumped. So again, remember, March 26th, that's a Monday, that's gonna be the official beginning of the Made It in Music podcast. And we have some huge names already lined up for this, you guys are gonna be super excited about what we've got to come. It's gonna be more great content, for free, for you. We're looking forward to seeing you Monday, March 26th.

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, we have the ever so wonderful, Kalley Heiligenthal! Kalley is a worship leader and songwriter at Bethel Church and with Bethel Music in Redding, California. You may be familiar with some of her own songs, “Spirit Move” and “Ever Be”. 

Kalley takes us through the adventurous undertaking of writing “Ever Be”. Sometimes songs can be spontaneous or on the contrary, take years to come into full shape. This song is a perfect use of both time frames. Listen in as we explore the birth of a song and the work and love it takes to complete it.

Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com

Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic

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As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, Wisdom Moon drops by with a ton of wisdom! Wisdom is the Head of Marketing for Integrity Music and started the All About Worship Podcast (a resource that is dedicated to equip, encourage, and inspire worship leaders, worship teams, and Christian songwriters).

In this episode, Wisdom takes a few questions from our Instagram live audience. Topics range anywhere between how to get gigs as independent bands to how your bands Instagram account can become more successful and help you get attention.

This episode is a must-listen for any aspiring artist looking to take their songs to the next level and get noticed by labels!
Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com
Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic
Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.
As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, we are live at our Songwriter’s Retreat. Mike Murray, Publishing at Integrity music and David Leonard, Singer/Songwriter from All Sons & Daughters bring their experiences and knowledge to the crowd.

They answer some of our questions such as what is the relationship like between publisher and songwriter and how can a songwriter get their first publishing deal? How to take an idea and write about it, and how to complete it…

This and so much more is discussed. You don’t want to miss this week’s episode with Mike and David!

Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com
Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic
Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.
As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

The post FCM097 – How To Create A Winning Songwriter/Publisher Relationship with David Leonard & Mike Murray appeared first on Full Circle Music.

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, we were fortunate enough to sit down with legendary Atlantic Records head of A&R, Andy Karp. Andy signed artists such as Skillet, Kid Rock, Uncle Cracker and Simple Plan under Atlantic and Lava records through the 90’s and early 2000’s.

Andy gives us helpful tips to take our internships and make them the most beneficial and productive. But we must be willing to work HARD.

Join Andy, Seth, and X as they share stories you won’t want to miss on this week’s episode!

Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com
Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic
Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.
As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

The post FCM096 – Story Time with Andy Karp, A&R Legend Who Has Signed Kid Rock, Skillet, Simple Plan, and Many More appeared first on Full Circle Music.

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On this week’s Full Circle Music Show, our live Songwriting Retreat audience sat down with CCM Singer/songwriter, Tim Timmons.

Some helpful tips Tim has for you this episode:
•Try writing songs influenced from your prayers.
•Where does your motivation come from?
•Think and pray about this: Does the church need YOUR songs?
•How important should your hooks be? (Hint: VERY)
•And so much more…

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to take their songwriting and faith to the next level.
Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com
Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic
Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.
As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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Bart Millard of MercyMe, Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch, Colton Dixon, I Am They, Matt Hammitt, Tim Timmons, Seth and Jen from Skillet, and Seth Mosley all share some stories that you've never heard before, about Christmas. Some are absolutely hilarious, so listen all the way through to the end, even if you don't know some of these artists. It's worth the listen.

Big announcement coming in the next month about our podcast! So don't miss it.

As we head into Christmas 2017, we want to wish you the merriest of Christmases from our team here at Full Circle Music!

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The post FCM094 [SPECIAL EPISODE] – Christmas stories from today's biggest Christian artists! appeared first on Full Circle Music.

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We are live from Full Circle Music Academy's Songwriters Retreat. Here we have many music makers asking questions about the music industry. The how to's on publishing, writing songs, future of music, music and family, etc. You get to hear from our staff give insight on each of these questions.

Seth Mosley – Founder of Full Circle Music and Songwriter/Producer

X – Producer/Engineer

Stacey Willbur – VP of A&R and Publishing

Jerricho Scroggins – VP of Operations and Engineer

Logan Crockett – VP of Marketing

To keep up with us throughout the week feel free to follow us on all socials @officialFCMusic

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Hunter Brothers have had several country radio hits, including a current Top 10 with their song, “Born and Raised”, which was co-written by Seth Mosley, Brad Rempel from High Valley, and Jim Beavers, who has penned hits for Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, and more.

This episode is live from the Full Circle Music Academy Songwriter's Retreat, we have the Hunter Brothers telling you their story. How can a farmer, family man, and an ice hockey player have a music career? Listen to this podcast as these guys share the hurdles they have overcome and how they got to where they are today, as signed artists to Universal Records / Open Road Canada. 

Hunter Brothers' uncle is Jim Hunter, Canadian Olympic Skier, and their father was the first figure skater in the world to do a complete back-flip on ice.

Listen to this episode of the Full Circle Music Show and you'll see why the Hunter Brothers are among the most recognized up-and-coming acts to hit the country music scene.

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Interview by Seth Mosley, Grammy-Winning Music Producer and Songwriter, Founder of Full Circle Music.

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Brad O’Donnell is Co-President of Capitol Christian Music Group based in Nashville, TN. His wide musical background and ambitious vision has helped him excel in a variety of roles from A&R to marketing and promotion. He was instrumental in developing sixstepsrecords and played a large role in the success of rapper NF. With a Master’s degree in Music from the University of Miami, Brad has earned esteem as a musician, songwriter, and producer. 

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, join our live Songwriting Retreat audience with Ginny Owens, a multiple Dove award-winning CCM Artist/Songwriter.

Ginny shares her heart and gives truths to being a successful songwriter. Throughout her 20+ year career, she has learned three key elements for a life of songwriting bliss:

1.Songwriting is a journey with a friend.
2.Songwriting is an art form.
3.Songwriting is a sought-after treasure guarded by an enemy.

This episode is a must-listen for any aspiring artist looking to take their songwriting to the next level.
Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com
Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic
Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.
As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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Today's podcast is a special episode. Matt Hammitt has had an incredible journey. Most people met him during his days of Sanctus Real and so the big question is what has he been doing since then…

In this episode we hear about his journey from Sanctus Real til now. The walk of faith, trusting God, the trials his family has overcome, etc. All this can be heard and can also be heard throughout his new album that's available everywhere. 

This album was special for us since this was our first album released through our record label. We didn't believe the world needed another album but instead songs with a purpose and that's what Matt Hammitt's new album fulfills.

Follow @MattHammitt on all socials and signup for his email at matthammittmusic.com to keep up to date with what he's doing. Also make sure to follow @officialfcmusic to keep up to date with what we are doing as well.

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This week on the Full Circle Music Show, Seth Mosley and X O’Connor, Grammy-Winning Music Producers, sit down with Jon Sell, Director of A&R at Capitol Christian Music Group. 

From online marketer to radio promoter to director of A&R, Jon shares his musical journey and gives great bits of advice on how to find your niche in the industry. Also, we go in depth to find out what things can help an artist get noticed, signed, and whether a label is the right route or if being independent could suit the artist better.

This one is a must-listen for any aspiring artist trying to be found.

Check us out at www.fullcirclemusic.com

Follow us on Instagram @officialFCMusic

Subscribe to our YouTube Page for more incredible resources just like this one, all FREE for our friends like you.

As always, thanks for listening and be sure to give us a review on iTunes if you have not already done so. We appreciate your feedback!

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