20 years in, a "professional" rollout, and only 2k streams. This was my last hurrah and I’m feeling defeated.

We Need To Stop Calling Entertainers ‘Artists’

Expert in building reliable digital platforms and leading high-impact technical teams. 20+ years experience at the intersection of technology, teams, and learning.

"Last night I got an email from someone who said 'I'm 46, is it okay to start producing music?' I said 'yes, start now!'": How a 67-year-old pensioner went viral performing industrial techno at home

What started as a post-retirement hobby has led The Last DJ to runaway success and his first gig in 40 years. Now he's on a mission to inspire others to do the same

Never Forgive Them

In the last year, I’ve spent about 200,000 words on a kind of personal journey where I’ve tried again and again to work out why everything digital feels so broken, and why it seems to keep getting worse, despite what tech’s “brightest” minds might promise. More

DJs

I am a Seattle native, raised by some pretty hip parents who had me listening to everything from Dead Can Dance to Queen Latifah. I’ve been furiously putting together playlists and mixtapes since I was old enough to open cassettes and record songs off the radio. My journey with KEXP started in 2006, as a DJ assistant to Michele Myers on Friday nights, and I continued working off and on with her, and in events, on pledge drives and more for the next seven years. In 2014, I stepped behind the mic for my first show on air as a DJ and fell right in love with live radio and music curation, and the connection with listeners across the world. These days I am your Drive Time host, every Tuesday-Friday, from 4-7 PM Pacific time. Expect to hear some of my all-time favorites in the mix, from Daft Punk to Japanese Breakfast, and Dan the Automator’s many projects. And tons of new music, too! Every time I’m on air I make it a point to dig deep for music I’ve never heard or played, to make sure I’m always finding and sharing something new. KEXP is such a special part of our global music community – I’m honored to have the opportunity to go on air and curate your soundtrack. I also love getting to know KEXP listeners, so feel free to reach out with requests or hello’s via @djeviestokes on Instagram. Have a music submission? Please send it to evie@kexp.org.

Building a $55,000/mo SaaS Business Promoting Artists' Music

Tell us about yourself and what you're working on. My name is Jason, and I like music and coding. I was born in South Africa and moved to California jus...

Universal Music Group: Decades of Masters Lost

Last year, I wrote an article detailing how record companies have a checkered past when it comes to properly archiving their master recordings. Among some of the revelations noted (thanks to a bril…

Five Years of Being A Full-Time Indie

Wow, it’s been a while. Figured passing another milestone is worth at least some sort of update. Looking back at my 1 year milestone has been amusing. My initial thought was that almost all the points brought up 4 years ago would no longer apply. A lot of the insights back then are strangely still quite applicable. So what’s happened in the 4 years since? On a more personal level, I’ve improved my eating and exercising habits to stay healthier.

From Academia to Alignment

What to do when your career crumbles before your eyes

Eight Lessons from the Distributed Podcast So Far

Looking back over the 2019 run of the Distributed podcast, one is struck by the wealth of insights our guests have shared in each and every episode. We’ve spoken to CEOs, activists, lawyers, author…

How Sun Records Saved a Lost Collection of Legendary Music - Musicbed Blog

Rock ’n roll was born at Sun Records. The list of earth-shattering artists who got their start there is hard to believe: Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and so many others. As Collin Brace, VP of Sun Records, told us, “These guys defined not only a genre, but a generation.” In many ways, Sun Records and its artists paved the way for indie musicians and studios today. They were future minded. Open minded. They welcomed anyone with a guitar and a song. This is how they found legendary, mold-breaking artists like Johnny Cash. And it’s also how they ended up with over 8,000 master recordings from artists who never made it big, if it at all.

‘This Is Not Me’: Inside the AI Scams Driving Musicians Crazy

Indie artists are constantly finding AI-generated slop and direct impersonations on their streaming pages, and it's only getting worse.

The Toolbox Strategy: How To Become Uniquely Valuable

After having just dropped out of university, at 19-years-old; I received a line of advice that changed how I made every decision in my career…