Turning Passion into Profit in the Music Industry: A Conversation with Carl Bahner - Part 1

Audio Branding

“It was when I started figuring out, without knowing what it was called, because I also didn’t have any marketers in my life growing up. But when I was finding gigs for myself when I was the freelancer, mercenary, playing with a bunch of different people, I had to learn what these people are looking for. How do I figure out how to let them know that I can be the good fit for them? How do I find the people that I think I’m going to be a good fit for? And how do I convince them that I’m a good fit for them? Which is ultimately what the personal branding is.” -- Carl Bahner

This episode’s guest is a mix engineer, educator, and a brand strategy super-nerd on a mission to help artists and producers make great songs and help other studio pros attract ideal clients. Hailing from rural Pennsylvania, he’s made a name for himself internationally as a team-builder and sonic wizard, focusing his boundless enthusiasm on playful, memorable, vibrant music. Working with artists like The Wombats and Hippo Campus, he’s proven highly adept at producing earworms tailored to fit like a favorite T-shirt. But don’t be fooled by his youthful energy – he’s a seasoned pro who’s toured extensively and opened for major acts like Walk The Moon and Charli XCX.

In addition to mixing and production, he hosts the podcast Thanks For Thinking and is a passionate educator when it comes to sharing industry knowledge through content creation: he recently released an online course called “Communicating The Care” that’s aimed at helping studio pros clarify their perspectives and connect with ideal clients seeking meaningful collaborations.

His name is Carl Bahner. and this discussion will challenge the myth of the starving artist and give creatives some comprehensive steps to make sure they get paid what they’re worth.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. You can also join regular Clubhouse chats in The Power of Sound House every other Wednesday (check the schedule for times). Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, when new audio rooms are scheduled and what they'll be about, and it'll give you access to a resource called The Studio with lots of interesting sound-related mp3s, videos, educational pdfs, and exclusive discounts from previous guests.

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(0:00:00) – Early Musical Memories and Instrument Exploration

We start things off with a look back at Carl’s early memories of sound, or, in this case, the new memories he’s creating with his six-month-old daughter. “That’s way better than my early memories,” he jokes, “which is probably just listening to Sandi Patty cassette tapes in my mom’s car or something.” Carl shares his journey through music, from the piano to the clarinet, and how he discovered the guitar. “What drew it to me is,” he explains, “or drew me to it, was the fact that there was so much more variation in what you could do with it – and, I think, a lot more exciting possibilities.”

(0:12:55) – From Trumpet to Percussion

Carl shares with us his journey from a responsible small-town family to a college musician, with some unexpected detours along the way. “I went to college,” he recalls, “starting out as a trumpet major with the expectation of getting into an orchestra, which I’d never actually had any experience playing in because we didn’t have an orchestra.” He tells us about his experience as a “mercenary” drummer and what he learned from playing with such a wide variety of bands. “There were,” he says, “some months where I would be playing, I think it was 2011... I had twenty-one performances with sixteen different groups in one month. So that’s, like, sixteen different sets of music to learn.”

(0:21:23) - Musical Exploration and Personal Branding

He goes on to tell us how he became a member of the indie pop band Cheerleader, and the world of difference between playing with a band and being in one. “When I joined that band,” he says, “it was a very abrupt shift, because I went from playing, you know, 150 shows a year with dozens and dozens of different artists, to really focusing on just being in one band. That’s a pretty big shift.” We talk about what managing the band’s social media accounts taught him about networking, making connections, and turning passion into profit, and about the fly-on-the-wall perspective that being in Cheerleader offered him. “I auditioned for a band that was already on its way,” Carl explains, “with a lot of the ducks in a row, so I got to see firsthand how record labels interact with artists.”

(0:32:10) - Lessons From Indie Label Experience

Carl shares more of his insights into the relationships between record labels and artists. “We were on a label called Bright Antenna,” he says. “They were super supportive, really creative, really supportive of the creative process as well, which is a bit of a rarity to have creative support and financial support. Usually it’s one or the other.” He shares how much he learned from the experience and what it taught him about the recording industry: “I learned a lot about how to how to be an artist, how to be a business professional, like a music business professional, and how not to.”

Episode Summary

• Carl’s early memories of sound and how he’s sharing them now with his daughter.
• His musical journey from high-school trumpet to college indie pop.
• The networking lessons Carl learned as a mercenary drummer and session player.
• His experiences with both the band Cheerleader and the recording industry.

Tune in for part two of my conversation with Carl as we talk about things not to do when it comes to being a recording artist, how to ask for what you’re worth when it comes to creative work, and Carl’s quick tips for musicians who are looking to build a career in the digital era.

Connect with the Guest

Website: http://www.carlbahner.com/

Connect with Carl Bahner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlbahner

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Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/