Entertainment Matters - John Blackburn

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Site

RSS

Apple

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

https://www.john-blackburn.com/pod
32 shares
https://www.petefaint.com
6 shares
http://www.john-blackburn.com/pod
4 shares

https://www.instagram.com/delores_deluxe
2 shares
https://www.instagram.com/ali_james22
1 share
https://www.instagram.com/thepretendcompany
1 share

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

With Steve Caswell

Season 2 · Episode 10

Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 01:28:07

With Steve Caswell

“It’s got to work creatively, it’s got to work operationally and it’s got to work commercially.”

Steve Caswell has spent more than two decades working in entertainment, including senior roles with Haven Holidays, Butlin’s and a privately owned entertainment business. In 2025, he launched Next Phase Entertainment, working across entertainment provision, collaboration and consultancy.

In this conversation, Steve talks about leadership, designing entertainment around its audience and purpose, and the relationship between creative, operational and commercial thinking. We also discuss changing entertainment offerings for new audiences, current challenges within the industry, and his hope for a more thoughtful, collaborative and sustainable future for entertainment.

Conversation sequence

Introducing Steve and Next Phase Entertainment
Steve’s different kinds of work
Leadership in entertainment
Designing entertainment offerings
Understanding the creative and commercial relationship in live entertainment
Challenges of transitioning entertainment offerings for different audiences
Other current challenges in entertainment
Myths to avoid in live entertainment
A more thoughtful, collaborative and sustainable future for entertainment
Steve’s standout live entertainment experiences
Find out more about Steve and Next Phase Entertainment

Find out more about Steve and Next Phase Entertainment
Website: www.NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk
Email: Steve@NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk
LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram: @NextPhaseEntertainment
Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet
If you’d like to stay up to date with new episodes, please sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:
www.john-blackburn.com/pod
Music
Music by Pete Faint
Website: www.petefaint.com
Instagram: @petefaint_

Read moreCollapse

Notes - on The Practitioner and The Producer: Freedom, Security and Creating Opportunities

Season 2 · Episode 9

Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 16:50

Notes - on The Practitioner and The Producer: Freedom, Security and Creating Opportunities

“Sometimes if you want different results, it helps to try a different model.”

In this Notes episode, John introduces The Practitioner and The Producer, a model for looking at how careers, shows and projects in live entertainment work.

Starting with the question of how you get the freedom you want and the security you need, John looks at some of the stories we inherit about how entertainment careers are supposed to work, what can be hidden inside the word “just”, and how easily hoping to get lucky can become the whole plan.

He then explores the two roles that appear again and again across live entertainment: the Practitioner, who gets paid to do the work, and the Producer, who creates the opportunity in which that work gets paid.

In this episode:

The five ways a Practitioner can move towards greater freedom and security
The five resources a Producer needs to build, own or have access to
Why you can be both a Practitioner and a Producer
The difference between waiting for opportunities and creating them
Why moving forwards in either role comes down to taking responsibility and learning to push your own buttons
How another perspective can help you see what your current activities actually add up to

Explore The Practitioner and The Producer

You can explore the full model, see the diagram, watch the talk and read the written version here:

www.john-blackburn.com/practitioner-and-producer

Notes - on being motivated

Season 2 · Episode 8

Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 12:32

Notes – on being motivated

inspired by Matt Roberts

Matt Roberts made the observation that one of the hardest things performers deal with is maintaining motivation.

In this episode, I explore the idea that motivation might not be something we simply wait for. Perhaps it's something we can learn to connect with deliberately.

Sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet and stay up to date with new episodes and podcast news:

www.john-blackburn.com/pod

Music by Pete Faint.

Website: www.petefaint.com
Instagram: @petefaint_

Read moreCollapse

With Matt Roberts

Season 2 · Episode 7

Thursday, July 2, 2026 • Duration 01:35:59

With Matt Roberts

This week I’m joined by Matt Roberts, Director and Head Agent at Roberts & Day Management.

We talk about Matt’s journey into agenting and the origins of Roberts & Day, growing up around music in Leeds and training in Blackpool, the realities of agency work, and some of the opportunities and challenges facing performers today.

Conversation sequence

Introducing Matt
Origins of Roberts & Day
Blackpool and entertainment heritage
Challenges for agents
Challenges for performers studying outside London
Challenges clients face
Understanding Spotlight
Industry myths
How to get the most from having an agent
Advice for people seeking representation
How we might work better together
Find out more about Matt

Find out more about Matt and Roberts & Day:

Website: www.robertsandday.co.uk
Instagram: @robertsandday
Matt on Instagram: @matthewr93
Email: matt@robertsandday.co.uk

Sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet and stay up to date with new episodes and podcast news:

www.john-blackburn.com/pod

Music by Pete Faint.

Website: www.petefaint.com
Instagram: @petefaint_

Read moreCollapse

With Janine Coombes

Season 2 · Episode 5

Thursday, June 18, 2026 • Duration 01:17:38

This week I’m joined by Janine Coombes, a marketing consultant and mentor who helps coaches and consultants think more clearly about their offers, positioning and pricing.

We talk about what an ‘offer’ actually is, Janine’s Promise, Package and Price framework, common mistakes in offer creation, and some of the myths that continue to shape how people think about marketing and selling. We also put those ideas to work by reviewing several entertainment websites and exploring what makes an act easy, or difficult, to book.

Learn more about Janine and her work:

• Website: https://janinecoombes.co.uk
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janinecoombes
• The Easy Yes: https://easy-yes.com

Sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet and explore previous episodes at:

• https://www.john-blackburn.com/pod

With thanks to Pete Faint for the Entertainment Matters theme tune!

• Website: https://www.petefaint.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petefaint_/

Read moreCollapse

Notes - on value and worth

Season 2 · Episode 4

Thursday, June 11, 2026 • Duration 10:22

Notes - on value and worth
inspired by Charles Umney

In this Notes episode, I explore a distinction that emerged while thinking about my conversation with Charles Umney's work on the politics of value.

Phrases like "charge what you're worth" and "know your worth" are often useful and encouraging. But they can sometimes blur together two different ideas: your worth as a person, and the commercial value of the work you do.

I explore why those might be different things, why commercial value changes from one context to another, and why separating the two can help us understand our careers more clearly.

Along the way I discuss:

Worth versus commercial value
Why context matters
Better clients, better employers, and better opportunities
Understanding what people actually value

Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:
https://www.john-blackburn.com/pod

With thanks to Pete Faint for the Entertainment Matters theme tune.

Website:
https://www.petefaint.com

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/petefaint_/

Read moreCollapse

With Charles Umney

Season 2 · Episode 3

Thursday, June 4, 2026 • Duration 01:15:36

This week I’m joined by Charles Umney, Professor of International Work and Employment at the University of Leeds.

We talk about AI and creative work, Charlie’s idea of the politics of value, and why the real question may not be whether AI replaces musicians, but how it reshapes the conditions under which creative work is valued, paid for and understood.

We also explore platforms and algorithms, worker voice and collective bargaining, and what musicians, performers and entertainment professionals may need to think about as AI becomes part of the landscape.

Learn more about Charlie and his work:

Google Scholar
Charles Umney Google Scholar

University of Leeds
Charles Umney at University of Leeds

If you'd like to stay up to date with new episodes, please sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:
Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet

Music by Pete Faint
Website: Pete Faint
Instagram: @petefaint_

Read moreCollapse

Notes - on being organised

Season 2 · Episode 2

Thursday, May 28, 2026 • Duration 09:53

Entertainment Matters
Notes – on being organised
inspired by Claire Owen-Jones

In this notes episode, John Blackburn reflects on a moment from his conversation with Claire Owen-Jones, where she offers a simple definition of what being organised might actually look like.

Rather than treating organisation as a personality type or moral judgement, John explores the idea that being organised may be less about becoming a certain kind of person and more about discovering practical ways of doing things that genuinely work for you.

Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:
https://www.john-blackburn.com/pod

Theme music by Pete Faint.

@petefaint_

Read moreCollapse

With Claire Owen-Jones

Season 2 · Episode 1

Thursday, May 21, 2026 • Duration 01:15:57

This week I’m joined by Claire Owen-Jones, an accountant who works with freelancers in the creative industries.

We talk about Making Tax Digital, getting organised, and why your relationship with your accountant might matter more than you think.

Along the way we discuss:

Making Tax Digital and what is actually changing.

Why HMRC wants people doing more regular bookkeeping.

The benefits of streamlining your finances and separating business and personal spending.

Software options for freelancers and creative businesses.

What “being organised” really means in practice.

Why communication with your accountant matters more than most people think.

How to think about finances as a story rather than just a list of numbers.

And why accountants probably hear more fear, shame and avoidance than most people realise.

Find out more about Claire:
www.loudandclearaccounting.co.uk

With thanks to Pete Faint for the Entertainment Matters theme tune.
@petefaint_
petefaint.com

Stay up to date with Entertainment Matters and receive the Cue Sheet:
john-blackburn.com/pod

Entertainment Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Entertainment Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other23

Instagram5

LinkedIn3

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other23

Instagram5

LinkedIn3