Covering how independent artists and creatives can transform into self-guided professionals in the modern age. Build a fan base, create an impact, and establish a lasting income from your creativity. Podcasting since 2009, host David Andrew Wiebe is an award-winning entrepreneur, multi-award-winning composer, and award-winning and best-selling author.
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AI can handle most of the grunt work. Its ability to complete the task to your satisfaction depends heavily on the quality of the instructions given. But it’s hard to deny that automation is now well within reach for the average person. It’s just a matter of how you utilize it.
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David explores how business models have been changing in the age of AI, and how artists can adapt these models to their careers.
In This Episode:
How James Schramko has adapted to the AI age, and what that means for artists
The psychological effect of giving everything away
The multi-step funnel model
Why capturing emails is still essential
The supporter model
New ways to leverage your content and frameworks
Why singular calls to action (destinations) are crucial
How you can better leverage platforms like Patreon and KLEQ
The educator model
Positioning your content to attract your target audience
Key Resources:
Trapped in Your Own Business? The Model That Frees You (Two Decades of Receipts)
Patreon
KLEQ
The “Free Frameworks, Pay for Personal Access” Model
Entrepreneur coach James Schramko has been in the online space for 20 years. In that time, he’s never seen faster change in the last year.
The core of his business model remains the same. He runs a membership site that gives his students access to his knowledge and expertise.
What has changed is the number of offers he promotes (which is down to one, called Mentor, which he charges $1,800 USD per month for), and the number of things he’s giving away (ALL of his playbooks).
This is, effectively, the “Free playbooks, pay for personal access” model.
Playbooks
James used to charge for what he calls his “playbooks,” which we could also call processes, frameworks, secrets, whatever word rings true.
This is what he’s now giving away, entirely for free.
The psychological effect, as David points out, is “Whoa, I can’t believe he’s giving all of this away. But I’m not sure how to apply it. So, I should hire him to show me.”
Paying or Personal Access
What can’t AI duplicate? Personal experience, taste, judgment, accountability. This is not to say there won’t come a time when AI won’t be able to do these things, mind you.
The point is, even if you’ve got all the information in hand, if you don’t understand it, find it too cumbersome to implement it yourself, or want to ensure you’re applying it correctly, your instinct is going to be to pay for access to the person who created the frameworks in the first place.
And as someone who’s opening the kimono on everything, don’t you think you should charge more for access to you?
The 3 AI-Age Artist Models
David shares three possible AI-age artist models. He quickly admits there may be others and would love to hear your thoughts. Here are the approaches covered in this episode:
The multi-step funnel model. Give away everything upfront. Make your entire discography available for free in exchange for an email address. When visitors enter their email address, they are taken to the next page where they’re introduced to your offer – e.g., private membership, monthly live calls, merch items, etc. for $127 per month.
The supporter model. Post your lyrics, guitar tabs, and sheet music to your blog. Set up a podcast where you share all your music, commentaries, interviews, and other audio content. For video, create lyric videos, music videos, behind-the-scenes content, and rig rundowns. Drive all traffic to Patreon or another subscriber-based platform that can be monetized.
The educator model. As a music producer, you’d showcase your recording process, gear, techniques, software, approach, microphone positions, and so on. Position your content for the audience you want to attract. Then, charge a premium to hire you. This is just one example of an educator model, and other approaches can work.
Subscribe to The David Andrew Wiebe Show
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe. You’ll receive updates for future episodes, PLUS weekly digests and empowering music career recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Let’s make your passion goals a reality. We’re here to help.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Power of Staying Informed with Kira Shishkin
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 51:34
Is the news manipulating your emotions? If so, how, and… why? Is there a better way to stay up to date with the latest headlines without feeling powerless, angry, and fearful?
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David interviews Kira Shishkin, founder of informed.now, the leading news-by-SMS research and delivery service in North America. In this conversation, Kira shares about DJing, the problem informed.now was intended to solve, an accident that nearly took his life, and more.
In This Episode:
What it means to be a DJ, according to Kira
How music production has become more automated
Why Kira believes being a DJ is about helping people discover music they didn’t know they needed
Why being creative doesn’t always translate to being popular
Why Kira is disrupting sensationalized, uncredible news
The truth about news, propaganda, and the media slant
What Kira noticed about a delusional 70s movie
What Kira believes the pandemic revealed about our unpreparedness
Why you have no choice but to pay attention to our increasingly globalized world
How news manipulates your emotions to force reactions
Why informed.now has remained a human-centric company
Why independent creators should focus on communication in the age of AI
How you can level up your workflows by leveraging AI
How AI can rapidly increase your results and satisfaction
Why you can’t let AI take responsibility for results (at least not yet)
How Kira wound up in a coma
Why you can continue to expect greatness from informed.now
Key Resources:
informed.now
Subscribe to The David Andrew Wiebe Show
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe. You’ll receive updates for future episodes, PLUS weekly digests and empowering music career recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Let’s make your passion goals a reality. We’re here to help.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician Masterclass
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 28:33
The Renegade Musician is David Andrew Wiebe’s definitive, most up-to-date guide for independent musicians, detailing how to grow your fan base, leverage your releases, get more and better gigs, and more.
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, we do a deep dive into the introductory material, which includes the cover design, origins, starving artist syndrome, the Spotify delusion, and living your true worth as a musician.
In This Episode:
Why you must observe where the crowd is going, and run the other way
Why being a Renegade Musician means developing acumen and competencies in multiple areas
Why letting go of prominent “starving artist” figures helps reprogram your artistic mind
How liberation without compromise is a lofty but achievable ideal
Why artists must become intimately familiar with the value they bring to the world
Why Spotify and streaming royalties aren’t the ultimate income source for artists
What it looks like to be a true renegade
Key Resources:
The Renegade Musician: Step out of the shadow of the old music career model
The Strangest Secret: Earl Nightingale’s seminal personal development resource (affiliate link)
Renegade Millionaire: An essential entrepreneur book by Dan Kennedy and Lee Milteer (affiliate link)
Why I Don’t Think 1 Cent Per Stream on Spotify is Going to Save the Music Business: the blog post referred to in this episode
God Wants You to Be Rich: by Paul Zane Pilzer, this book proves unlimited riches (affiliate link)
The Renegade Musician Masterclass
This masterclass is just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to explore all the principles, strategies, tactics, frameworks, and mental models that guide a Renegade Musician to achieving success on their terms, pick up your copy of the book.
Here are the key lessons covered in this episode:
The Book Cover – The Wolf & The 3 Pillars
The book cover doesn’t just look cool – there’s a significance to the imagery of the wolf. The platitude of the “lone wolf” applies here, because, of course, renegades disrupt and betray.
German-American novelist Charles Bukowski has been quoted as saying:
Wherever the crowd goes, run in the other direction. They are always wrong.
Wherever the crowd goes, run in the other direction. They are always wrong. – Charles BukowskiShare on X
This truism, however, has also been repeated by the likes of Earl Nightingale, as David points out.
But wolves also symbolize loyalty, family, teaching, communication, intelligence, and wisdom. Of these, David highlights Community, Intelligence, and Wisdom. You can find additional reference in an earlier podcast episode.
Foundations & Inspiration – Dan Kennedy and Origins
David elaborates on the significance of direct-response marketing expert Dan Kennedy in coming up with The Renegade Musician concept. Especially the Renegade Millionaire book, which Dan wrote in collaboration with business and life strategist Lee Milteer.
This is somewhat understated, but in this chapter, David also points out how important it is for independent musicians to develop their attitude and mindset, while gaining competence in areas like communication, leadership, digital marketing, PR, and other business aspects.
Starving Artist Syndrome – Liberation Without Compromise
Vincent van Gogh is often pointed to as the poster child of the starving artist. Yet, Van Gogh never pursued the commercialization of his art. So, how accurate an example is this, and should we continue pointing to it as a reason not to pursue our passions?
There are many ways to create an income, with jobs being the most prominent. We’ve also seen the rise of the creator economy in recent years, showing yet another way for people to engage an audience and earn an income from their activities.
But the danger is that you can just as easily leave one form of “slavery,” as David describes it, only to walk right into the hands of another master – live streaming video games from the 90s, twerking in front of a camera, producing dozens of articles per day on making money online…
Liberation without compromise is doing what you love to do and earning an income from it without compromising your values and identity.
Artists often feel unworthy of earning a higher income, which is why David suggests exploring the value that art brings to the world. From the importance of creativity in a child’s development to music’s ability to heal, an artist must become intimately familiar with their total, holistic package, not just the ability to sing, play an instrument, or write lyrics.
The Spotify Delusion – Penny Per Stream and Platform Traps
The moth-to-flame attraction to Spotify is widespread. Yet, there isn’t really a solution to the streaming dilemma. So long as you’re playing the algorithm game that’s been set up by a company that has different interests than you as an independent musician, realistically, there are no paths to victory.
But there are many vehicles for the independent musician. Streaming is just one among many. Artists would do well to empower themselves with knowledge of better income sources.
Living The Renegade Musician – Understanding Your True Value and Identity
A Renegade Musician disrupts and betrays the traditional path. Not just the path laid out by record labels and the media, but the paths of those who don’t think for themselves.
KISS bassist Gene Simmons is famous for saying that if you think for yourself, you might not make more friends, but you will make more money.
Many independent artists are playing a blind game of “follow the leader,” without making a thorough examination of their leaders, whether they’re competent, and whether they’ve made a comprehensive, logical, and strategically sound plan for attaining success on their terms.
Subscribe to The David Andrew Wiebe Show
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe. You’ll receive updates for future episodes, PLUS weekly digests and empowering music career recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Let’s make your passion goals a reality. We’re here to help.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician: Understanding the Concept
Friday, September 4, 2026 • Duration 03:54
In his book, David defined The Renegade Musician as a concept. What is a concept, exactly, and why does it matter?
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David illuminates the idea of a concept through well-known and understood cultural concepts like the American Dream and Ikigai, as well as why a purely intellectual understanding of these is insufficient.
In This Episode:
What the “American Dream” really is
What “Ikigai” actually means
The importance of real-life experience and surrounding yourself with other renegades
The true test of The Renegade Musician
Key Resources:
The Renegade Musician: Step out of the shadow of the old music career model
The Renegade Musician Concept
The Renegade Musician book defines being a renegade musician as a concept, philosophy, ideal, and a movement. In this video, David expands on what it means to understand it as a concept. The key takeaways from the video are that:
The American Dream. It’s not 1.93 kids, a golden retriever named Charlie, and a white picket fence, though some may aspire to that. The American Dream is equality, opportunity, and the freedom to pursue your highest aspirations.
Ikigai. David argues that not only has this concept been overexplained, but also misrepresented. The definition of Ikigai is “purpose for living.” Ikigai Venn diagrams have frequently made their rounds on social media, but these are not true to the concept. David says the only thing he would add to the simplest definition is “a purpose for living that shifts with circumstances, priorities, and time.”
The renegade musician. You can’t just declare yourself one. You’ve got to be around one. The only way to “get” a concept is to be around it. Who are you learning from? Who is your renegade coach or mentor?
Subscribe to The David Andrew Wiebe Show
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe. You’ll receive updates for future episodes, PLUS weekly digests and empowering music career recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Let’s make your passion goals a reality.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician: True Renegade
Friday, August 28, 2026 • Duration 05:08
What does it actually mean to be a renegade? Do artists automatically become renegades simply because they’ve chosen a path that most people don’t?
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David expands on the renegade musician and how artists can empower themselves to discern and assert their true value in the world.
In This Episode:
What it means to be a renegade
Why musicians identify with the concept (and why they might not be true renegade musicians yet)
Why achieving true renegade status is challenging
The simple technique you can use to differentiate your music
The true value of a musician
The tired TED Talk format David despises
Why everyone can become wealthy
The critical importance of knowing your value as a musician
Key Resources:
The Renegade Musician: Step out of the shadow of the old music career model
God Wants You to Be Rich: by Paul Zane Pilzer, this book proves unlimited riches (affiliate link)
Key Points on Becoming a True Renegade
Here’s what David covers in this episode:
A renegade is someone who deserts, betrays, or disrupts their country, a set of principles, or religion. This is effectively the dictionary definition of a renegade, and a good starting point. Renegade musicians desert and disrupt the norms that don’t serve them.
While there are plenty of artists who already identify as being a renegade, that isn’t a given. The question isn’t whether you’re doing things differently from most everyone in society; the question is whether you’re doing things differently from most artists.
When you don’t think for yourself and simply “follow the leader,” you end up with the same results as the people you’re following. So, who are you associating with, and what books are you reading? This is what determines your future.
Understanding your true value as a musician. You aren’t just a skilled craftsperson, but also an entertainer and a healer. Music has so many benefits – including how it supports the development of the brain – that continually get minimized and marginalized.
You must get it out of your head that you’re playing a zero-sum game. Pilzer’s book, God Wants You To Be Rich, shows that there are riches enough in this world for every single person to be wealthy. If this isn’t your core belief, you may have cognitive dissonance surrounding your financial future, which is sabotaging it.
Subscribe to The David Andrew Wiebe Show
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe. You’ll receive updates for future episodes, PLUS weekly digests and empowering music career recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Let’s make your passion goals a reality.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician: A Cent Per Stream
Friday, August 21, 2026 • Duration 03:43
Wouldn’t it be great if Spotify (and streaming sites more generally) paid more per stream? Wouldn’t it be awesome to earn $0.01 every time your music was played, instead of the current $0.003?
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David expands on a blog post he originally wrote in August 2020, explaining why a cent per stream won’t save the music business. While he agrees with the movement in general, he also illuminates the many threats that would make a cent per stream a drop in the bucket.
In This Episode:
Why a cent per stream isn’t going to save the music business
What “decimal money” is
How the economics actually work out when you’re paid a cent per stream
Why increasing income from streaming would be like a drop in the bucket
Why there will always be societal issues looming over artists
Key Resources:
The Renegade Musician: Step out of the shadow of the old music career model
Why I Don’t Think 1 Cent Per Stream on Spotify is Going to Save the Music Business: the blog post referred to in this episode
A Cent Per Stream on Spotify
In this video, David alludes to a blog post he published in August 2020 titled “Why I Don’t Think 1 Cent Per Stream on Spotify is Going to Save the Music Business.” Here are the key takeaways from this resource:
Oftentimes, it’s just as easy (or hard) to get people to pay $300 for a product as it is to get them to pay $0.0003. So, why put all your time, energy, and resources into Spotify? There are so many other ways to earn a higher income on the effort spent – advertising, donations, affiliate marketing, merchandise, bundles, memberships, and more.
Increased restriction and policing of the platforms. Whether YouTube or Facebook, it seems like new policies go into place every other week, restricting creators from speaking their minds, reaching their audiences, and getting clicks. Banning, shadow banning, account closures, and even active censorship frequently put creators in a position of compromise, especially when relying exclusively on big tech platforms.
The harmful effects of net neutrality and localization. This is already happening. The internet is no longer the same, across the world, for every person. Access depends on where you live, the device you’re using, who you identify as, and more. If you weren’t already feeling like a needle in a haystack, net neutrality and localization reduce your chances of being seen, heard, and discovered. And wasn’t that the core value proposition of the internet for artists, that you could reach a worldwide fan base?
The possibility of mass consolidation of the internet. What if the internet wasn’t a massive collection of websites and apps, but rather a single central hub where people were forced to go to do everything? What if a single company made all the rules? What if they controlled and regulated all your activities? This hasn’t happened yet, but it poses a greater threat to independent creativity on the internet than just about anything else.
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Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe to receive updates for future episodes, along with weekly digests and empowering independent artist recommendations sent directly to your inbox. We’re here to help you achieve your passion goals.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician: Starving Artist Syndrome
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 07:57
The “starving artist” cliché has been perpetuated through the ages. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but you can’t just yield to accepted norms if you hope to be successful. After all, successful people are abnormal. Which should tell you something, namely that questioning and abandoning the norms is part of the hero’s journey.
In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David illuminates the often forgotten value of creativity and its many benefits and applications, the key reasons artists starve, and why setting meaningful boundaries is crucial to becoming a Renegade Musician.
In This Episode:
Why creating is godlike
The devastating trend that plagues creativity in the education system
How creativity benefits the development of the child (and individual)
Why creative and innovative solutions in business are essential
The real reason artists starve
Why taking initiative is the real flex
Key Resources:
The Renegade Musician: Step out of the shadow of the old music career model
The Starving Artist Syndrome
Starving artist stereotype notwithstanding, no artist needs to succumb to a full-blown syndrome. The way forward? Question everything. Disconnect from unhelpful individuals and advice. Don’t let others steal your dream. Don’t listen to those who say you can’t do it. Your purpose is uniquely yours, and only you can bring it into reality.
To be a Renegade Musician means to be different. Not just different from people who don’t call themselves artists, but also from artists who are doing things exactly as other artists are doing them. “Because everyone else is doing it” is a horrible reason to get drawn into a game of “follow the leader.” You can’t let others write your story. You must write your own.
For a step-by-step guide to accomplishing this, pick up your copy of The Renegade Musician on Amazon.
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Thanks for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, take a moment to subscribe to receive updates for future episodes, along with access to powerful independent artist recommendations sent directly to your inbox. Isn’t it time you started achieving your passion goals? We’re here to help.
Until next time, stay empowered.
The Renegade Musician: Opening Paragraphs
Friday, July 24, 2026 • Duration 04:25
Has anyone tried to convince you that a career in the arts is impractical? Have your parents told you to pursue a “safe, secure job” in favor of trying to make a living out of your passion? In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David untangles this convoluted web and illuminates how traditional models are outdated and established norms should be questioned. If you’ve ever been told, “If Van Gogh couldn’t do it, you can’t either,” then you’ll want to tune in to this episode.
The Renegade Musician: Inspiration
Friday, July 17, 2026 • Duration 03:44
What inspired David to write The Renegade Musician? Where did the concept come from, and how did it impact the direction of the book? In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David elaborates on how The Renegade Musician came to be, as well as the works that inspired it, and the trails that were blazed before him.
The Renegade Musician: Symbology of the Wolf
Friday, July 10, 2026 • Duration 04:13
David began work on The Renegade Musician during the pandemic and, later, what he describes as “One of the most tumultuous times in my life,” as he was surfing from couch to hotel, hotel to Airbnb, Airbnb to car. The book that emerged is his gritty, no-nonsense magnum opus and has received acclaim from artists, influencers, and publishers alike. In this episode of The David Andrew Wiebe Show, David begins the all-new Renegade Musician series by illuminating the significance of the book cover and how it applies to the content inside.
