It has been a while since Martin Hovden and I started the Rock Pioneer podcast. We have just completed our 2nd season, and now I decided to take a look back at what has been accomplished. In this post, I will explain what the podcast is about, why we find it exciting, and how it all came together.
Apparently, both Martin and I had been thinking about starting a podcast — we had ideas but didn’t know exactly how to go about it. At the same time, each of us started working on different aspects of online music promotion. I began writing my first blog posts, and Martin invited me to collaborate on the new rock music podcast. We gave it a shot, and it came together so naturally that we just kept going.
In its present form, the podcast is high-quality audio-visual content with deep and very detailed discussions about the song and the artist/band. As such, it takes substantial effort to produce episodes, and we tend to be rather picky when we accept/invite participants.
Over time, we have developed a good workflow, and for me personally, each time I make an episode, it feels like I am jamming with the band. I simultaneously learn about the unique style of the artist while trying to make sure that I explain things in the most clear and accurate way possible for the audience.
In our process, we divided roles: I take care of the audio of the episode, while Martin puts the video together and uploads the post across platforms. This is how we created 25 episodes. In the last episode, which was just released last weekend, I made the video as well.
As a result of my growing responsibilities, in the future I may have to get even pickier. Though I would not pass on any of the bands we have featured so far anyway. I guess I just won’t be inviting artists directly and will stick strictly to Groover submissions that I approve for sharing. If you wish to be featured but are not sure if you want to submit your song on Groover right away, you can send your song to me and find out. Statistically, we have approved about 5% of submissions.
Music from the podcast episodes has also been featured on the playlist The Best Rock Hits:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PP4kZtHl7fAMSLO4G6WcZ
In addition to this playlist, I am always ready to add a song worthy of the podcast to my many rock music playlists that you can find at linktr.ee/singingofthesoul.
Finally, when a podcast episode is posted on Spotify, we share it across our Instagram pages as well.
This is how it has been until now. We are proud of the 26 episodes that have been created, and we like to think that we have reached some level of proficiency. Now we are at a crossroads. We need to pause and reflect on what comes next, explore other relevant ways of distributing the podcast, find new ways of growing our audience, and take steps to establish our show as a serious tastemaker.
News:
For the final episode of the 2nd season (episode #26), we selected a very special song — the song Revolution Evolution, created in collaboration between an up-and-coming — though already highly experienced — artist Love Ghost and Tim Skold, a Marilyn Manson band member and producer.
As is always the case, I had a lot of fun working on this episode. I put in all my time, skill, and experience and set a new height for our sound. Click the links below to check out the song and the episode. I hope you’ll like them as much as we do.
https://open.spotify.com/track/124pAZi0m6GRbhsgWg7VdJ
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0KgIO6VBbFPJqQkLFvjhul
Music Picks:
As you could expect, this time I am drawing your attention to several songs that have been featured on the podcast.
I’d like to think that my music picks will motivate you to check out the entire collection of songs and episodes.
I must say that I love each and every song we shared. I do not rank them, nor can I say that some songs are better than others. All songs have their own musicality — features that make them unique, special, and most importantly, completely authentic. Hence, my music picks below won’t have descriptions. Instead, I will add links to the podcast episodes about these songs, and you will be able to explore them right away.
Turquoise Balloon by J.B. Bacon:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1IecCz4W2o2kMzsmqBGr2A
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EWSWpe4TpbulW6KcyNQSh
Above The Water by Her Mountain Majesty:
https://open.spotify.com/album/5WJWrhVNCBYC0YORHH9x39
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Jzw2ja3a3CtZcLRqI43lv
Catching Matches by Dymer:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4lz4R6m5RGwov6GMn6K3XC
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7z6KRwvbdTI6IOsvQtDiMi
Emotive Addiction by District 13:
https://open.spotify.com/track/42hNIpvIoRCqrk0aNQR6yl
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5R9f0gTHmwOjP1kCb973og
In My Shoes by Jack Moore:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4C8z01y6Xefltg85eSqRUD
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7AzjJvGK2iTsjxMGD0oaOI
Down To The River by Ben Caplan:
https://open.spotify.com/track/25C28On1ijnRE7LbQAtKJ3
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LHeAyEgwLc8qktsgv3ZFl
Holy Hubris by Lennart Hansen:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5Jlz3mh6Gbdr8APehsielw
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jQuiw68yz0oLp7dfgCMLO
Alt Du Har by Lokal Valuta:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3YayYs3vu7bJTPMapMhMSi
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZyS7Qq5xWzTs6clhTeKIc
Final Thoughts:
It has been quite an adventure, with ups and downs, challenges, and a lot of work and time invested to make things happen. But I’ve got to say, I would not change a thing. It’s been an absolute blast of an experience, and I am looking forward to more.
But this is not a one-man show. It requires awesome and talented participants who make fantastic music. So I count on all of you — and on those who still don’t know about our existence but will discover the podcast eventually. Send your own music and spread the word. Remember that art isn’t about competition. And if it is — the only person you are competing with is yourself. Hence, don’t hold back, support others.
At this stage, we are also looking for new ideas, new partners, and maybe even revising how we are doing things to find more efficient and exciting ways of moving forward. If you have suggestions, want to give us a hand, or would like to be our partners on this journey, send me an e-mail or DM @singingofthesoul on Instagram.
And stay tuned for my next blog post. Something very special is coming your way.