Latest / The Scene Projects / Ray Ray Starr on Music Philosophy, Recovery, and Industry Insights

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Ray Ray Starr on Music Philosophy, Recovery, and Industry Insights · The Scene Projects

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  Today, we're joined by Ray Ray Starr, the Canadian guitarist who shared stages with
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  legends, produced hit records, and brought his electrifying sound to audiences worldwide.
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  Let's welcome Ray Ray to the show.
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  This program is part of the Scene Projects podcast network.
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  Scene Project features interviews with independent musicians, comedians, and artists
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  from across the Midwest.
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  Become part of our community and support local art wherever you are.
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  Welcome in to another exciting episode of the scene.
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  I'm your host, Bubba Starts, and with me today is Ray Ray Starr.
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  Welcome to the show, brother.
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  Thanks for having me on the show there, Bubba.
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  Appreciate you, bro.
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  Yeah.
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  Well, the pleasure is all mine.
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  Just getting to know each other a little bit.
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  We're setting up.
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  We're going live on our TikTok and Instagrams.
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  And, for a couple of guys like us that have been doing this for a long time, there's still
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  things to learn, isn't there?
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  I'm still trying to figure out this live thing.
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  It's a it's it seems to be a fail on my part here.
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  I don't even know how to get it going.
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  But
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  yeah.
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  You're right.
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  You know what?
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  That's how we learn, brother.
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  That's how we learn by failing.
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  So before we get too far into everything that you got going on now, I just kinda wanna give
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  you the floor and let you give us a little bit of backstory and, bring us up to speed.
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  The floor is yours.
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  Thanks, man.
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  Well, I am.
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  You know?
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  Right now, I I've got a lot of projects on the go right now, which is I'm pretty feeling
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  pretty blessed, you know, like, that that I've been able to be a part of so many different
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  things here.
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  One of the things that's been pretty cool for me here is I am a you know, I'm a recovered
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  addict or recovering, I always like to say.
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  I don't like to say recovered because I don't like to take credit saying I'll I'll never use
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  again because I don't know I can't say that for sure.
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  I mean, nobody can say that for certain.
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  But, you know, I got sixteen years behind me and which is you know, I'm pretty grateful
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  about that.
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  But what's kinda cool about everything is, you know, the way my life has turned out since the
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  ending of all that lifestyle, if you get my drift, because I ain't that eternally unique.
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  You know?
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  I I got sucked up into the rock and roll lifestyle, and, you know, I'm I'm sure I'm not
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  the only person that's ever done that.
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  That's for sure.
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  And, you know, it took me down a pretty dark path and, you know, but now because of that,
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  you know, turning my life around it, the opportunities that have presented itself is
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  just it's it's mind blowing to me.
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  You know?
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  And I'm grateful for it.
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  You know?
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  I I definitely definitely, have some things that are I'm pretty proud of.
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  You know, one one of the projects that I'm working on right now and working with is Real
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  Music Live Plus or Real Music Live.
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  We've already had a couple test airings on NBC, which is amazing.
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  And the whole precedence of the show is is, basically, signed and unsigned bands, have to
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  perform live.
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  There's no they're not allowed backing tracks or any, mystical tricks that happen behind the
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  scenes that a lot of people don't know that happens with live concerts or live events or
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  even television.
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  And, basically, it's raw as it can be.
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  It's not a contest.
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  There's no winner.
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  It's nothing like that, but it gives them a chance to truly showcase their musicianship,
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  and pretty proud of that.
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  And then, also, I I have a 10 series miniseries 10 episode miniseries that we've been we've put
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  together.
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  And, also, we're starting to write our second season, which is pretty freaking awesome.
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  And amongst that, I, just recently, I just dropped, my lead to single, which is pretty
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  awesome.
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  It's called One Step Away.
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  And, and, also, I'm playing in a band called, I have a side project called, Death and Sons,
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  and, we're getting ready to release a, well, we have, three songs in, that we're being spacing
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  out here pretty soon.
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  And, yeah.
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  So quite a bit of things, that I got going on.
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  Yeah.
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  You're a busy guy.
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  Yeah.
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  Well and then I also got my own businesses in in between that as well, right, where I help,
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  promote other bands and and help them get going and connect them with, labels.
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  And, also, I work with, film, film, artists, artists, together together with with, basically
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  bring their dreams to fruition.
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  You know what I mean?
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  Like, get them to, put their ideas into action, basically.
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  So
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  now Incredible, man.
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  I love all the things that you're doing, for other artists out there.
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  Obviously, a big factor for us is the scene projects, and I've never really achieved too
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  great of a, you know, you know, too great of an accomplishment on my own as an artist, but I've
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  always been a huge fan of all the other independent artists around me.
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  And when given the opportunity to to start a podcast and support a community, it was very
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  clear which community that was going to be.
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  Yeah.
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  And just in April, we were, you know, awarded the content creator of the year award from the
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  Midwest Country Music Organization, which is a smallish, you know, org, 300 members strong,
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  but we really dug in and, you know, interviewed probably a third of the members, on our show
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  over the course of the last year.
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  That definitely helps juice up the vote when they voting time in, you know, January,
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  February, but just so grateful to have community.
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  Now I know part of a a lot of, you know, the recovering addict life and whether you're using
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  a program or or not, you know, a 12 step NA or or AA, it's always very service oriented.
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  Now this is this something that you've kind of taken from, you know, a from that side of your
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  life, that recovery side that is there, or have you always been someone that that was trying
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  to, you know, reach down and pull up other people with you?
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  I feel that that it was always part of me somewhat, but definitely.
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  I mean, I'm gonna say that, you know, the the the the program, definitely, kinda changed my
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  outlook on things for sure.
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  You know?
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  And it's like, I find, like, even when it comes to, you know, making my own music, you know,
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  it's like, how can this affect someone else?
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  Like, let's not make it about me.
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  Let's make it about you.
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  You know what I mean?
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  And and I think the biggest songs that ever had any traction, people can relate to.
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  You know?
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  They don't wanna hear about me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me.
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  You know?
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  So I I that's what I find works best with music, but I also find it works best with
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  community.
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  You're already doing it.
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  Like, you know, like, when you start helping people, all of a sudden, you create you create
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  a community, and next thing you know, you're doing things.
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  You know, I come from a a very humble punk rock background.
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  You know?
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  My, first commercial recording was when I was 14.
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  I was playing with some older dudes.
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  And, you know, and next thing you know, we started going from there if you get my drift.
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  You know?
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  And back in the punk rock days, you know, you just you got a bunch of bands together.
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  They're all buddies.
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  Right?
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  And you go rent the hall and, like, we're gonna put on a show.
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  And that's like, you didn't wait for people to book you or anything like that.
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  You just made made it happen.
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  And, you know, you moved the story up, and a lot of us went on to, you know, owning labels
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  and being promoters and all that stuff from all the stuff we learned from just doing
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  grassroots, postering, you know, telling friends, you know, selling the tickets
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  yourself, doing everything yourself.
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  Right?
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  And so that do it yourself attitude, really is, helped my career, you know, a lot because I've
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  just stuck to doing that all along.
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  But, when it came to recovery, it definitely made me more involved in, like, how can I help
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  others?
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  Absolutely.
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  Absolutely.
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  Awesome.
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  Yeah.
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  And a big thing, with the SCENE projects and as we continue to grow and we serve that
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  community, so much of what we're teaching is that DIY.
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  Like, look.
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  Nobody's coming with a big pile of money and an opportunity for you.
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  Like, those days have been gone for decades now.
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  It's not happening.
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  So you really have to learn how to do it.
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  And what we really focus on is is turning people onto the tools that we use.
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  Right?
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  I'm not really trying to make an agency and sign people to I don't wanna do the work for
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  you, but I will turn you on to the tools that I found that have helped us achieve what we've
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  done.
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  You know, our show passed a thousand uploads and a quarter million views on YouTube within
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  six months because we use some really powerful tools.
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  Right?
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  So it it's really just about turning people onto that, but you still gotta be the one
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  rowing your boat.
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  You know?
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  And if you wanna jump in and help us row the big boat, hey.
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  We're more than happy to help you and to keep feeding you and to keep supporting you.
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  But, you know, if you're gonna be an anchor, we ain't got no room for you.
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  We're gonna cut bait from that real quick.
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  And that's, I mean, that's anything these days.
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  Right?
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  If you're not gonna row, the but people don't have room for you.
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  And if you're expecting someone to come along and do anything for you, then you have the
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  complete wrong mentality from the get go.
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  Oh, absolutely.
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  Absolutely.
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  And, you know, that's unfortunately, you know, like, when you get some of these, musicians
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  that were around longer, if you get my draft, they they're still hanging on to the those
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  days, you know, where some A and R reps gonna see you play live, and that's it.
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  Oh my god.
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  Drop everything.
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  I'm signing this guy, and I'm gonna make him the biggest name in the household.
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  You know?
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  Like, those these
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  labels even employ A and R anymore?
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  Like, is that even a job that's out there?
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  Those are just crazy.
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  Rep
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  yeah.
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  If you know an A and R rep, they're gonna be unemployed within two to three weeks.
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  Like, there's just another one coming.
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  You know?
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  Like, it just doesn't happen.
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  And, you know, the labels have changed their business models as well.
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  You know?
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  Like, it's com everything has changed, and everything is changing so rapidly.
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  You know?
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  You have to well, I don't wanna do this, and I don't wanna do that.
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  Well, then then don't be in the business.
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  Right.
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  You know?
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  Like and and and I hate that I have to say it's a music business, but it's always been a music
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  business and always will be.
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  You know?
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  It's your business.
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  You're your business.
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  You know?
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  Like so no one's gonna push or care more about your product than you, and you have to convince
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  others to do the same.
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  You know?
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  And if you have a message that resonates with people, they'll come for the ride.
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  They'll just do it.
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  You know?
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  So put yourself out there.
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  Love it.
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  Is is the answer.
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  Right?
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  You know?
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  Play shows.
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  Do what you gotta do.
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  Just do it.
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  Just do it.
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  You know?
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  Dude, that stupid swoosh, man.
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  They they had it, you know, back in the eighties.
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  Right?
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  Right.
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  Great
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  marketing.
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  But that's exact I mean, talk about a brand and talk about effective marketing and, like,
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  that's what everyone has to be.
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  You have to be all of it and wear all the hats in your music business until you reach the
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  until your your vibe has resonated with enough people to where other people wanna come and
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  help you to excel in those things.
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  Right?
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  But nobody's, like, waiting in the wings for that to happen.
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  You have to get out and in front of them, and you have to work with with people that are
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  maybe trying to help you, like a scene project or a Ray Ray Star that are like, hey.
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  We have these opportunities, but you also have to be prepared for that opportunity.
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  Nobody's trying to take a raw nobody's really looking for the diamond in the rough.
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  We're looking for people that have kinda chiseled themselves out already, have
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  established themselves, have proven their work ethic in some capacity, and then helping those
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  people get further along.
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  We're not looking to to find that, you know, oh, nobody's know this talent, and we're gonna
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  shape this person.
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  It's just that's not the nature of the business any longer.
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  No.
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  I mean, once in a while, that'll happen.
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  But, again, even if that happens, you're out there.
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  You're still you know, you're doing your thing.
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  Like, people gotta see you.
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  You know what I mean?
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  Like, don't see you, hear you, whatever.
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  And, you know, there's a lot of noise because of social media, but at the same time, you
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  know, throw your hat in the ring, man.
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  There always was noise.
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  There was always a boatload of bands.
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  You know?
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  There nothing's really changed.
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  It's just a different way how things are happening now.
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  That's all.
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  You know?
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  And and, you know, I I had a one of one of the best conversations I think I ever had was, I
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  had a he's passed away now.
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  It was, Jerry Ragavoy.
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  And if you know who Jerry Ragavoy is, he used to own the Hit Factory in New York.
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  And, he wrote, oh lord, won't you buy me Mercedes Benz for Janis Joplin?
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  He wrote Wild Horses for Rolling Stones.
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  Like, the guy was a hit machine.
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  You know?
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  And he was a fast talking East Coaster.
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  You know?
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  And I said, so, you know, when I when I got to talk to him, I was a young guy.
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  Right?
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  And I said, hey.
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  You know, as a young guy here, give me a piece of advice.
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  Like like, what constitutes a hit?
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  And he says, you wanna know something after all these years?
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  He goes, guys like you send me demos and stuff.
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  And and he says, first of all, I don't give a crap if you can make your guitar sound like a
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  helicopter.
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  Where the f is the song?
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  Right?
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  And then the other thing he said to me, he goes, man, he goes, I have no freaking idea
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  after all these years what makes a hit.
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  He goes, I heard songs where I thought I would bet my left nut on going, this thing is gonna
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  be larger than life, and it falls flat on its face.
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  And he goes, and then there's been other songs I thought had nothing.
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  They're garbage, and they end up becoming the biggest hit in the in the planet.
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  So he goes, if I make give you a and he goes, by the way, if a song's meant to go, it's meant
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  to go.
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  So he goes, I don't care if you got the best production, the best producer, best everything
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  on that song.
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  He goes, you could record it in because he's old.
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  Right?
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  He goes, you could record it with a tape recorder.
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  And he goes, if that song's meant to be, the universe is gonna make it go.
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  And he goes, that's the only thing I've learned after all these years of being in the business.
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  If it's meant to go, it's gonna fucking go.
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  Right?
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  So Well, any any other advice that he was gonna give you would have been wrong, and you would
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  have been like, that Jerry guy didn't know shit.
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  Yeah.
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  Right.
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  Yeah.
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  Exactly.
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  Well, I thought it's kind of funny coming from him, of all people.
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  You know what I mean?
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  After you know, someone that's had so many hits.
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  But he also said, you know, I've heard this before.
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  Diane Warren used the same line.
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  I've heard it from a lot of people.
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  You know?
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  For every 100 pieces of shit, you get one piece of gold.
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  So just keep writing.
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  Yeah.
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  That's awesome, man.
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  Well, I'd love to spend a few minutes, talking about the show and how you're helping some of
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  these bands.
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  Where did the idea come from, and what did it take to kinda develop this?
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  I mean, you don't just kind of like, oh, we're gonna do this, and then NBC's knocking at the
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  door.
• 15:47
  There's always a process to this.
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  So has this been something you've been working on for for quite some time?
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  Yeah.
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  No.
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  This is this is not a a new thing.
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  And and, you know, I it's not my concept.
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  I can't take, you know, I can't say it's my show.
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  It's not my show.
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  I work with the people that put together like, it's a big team here.
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  You know?
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  We're, you know, we're based out of Los Angeles here in in in, you know, like, a it's a part of
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  the EnFocus Entertainment Group.
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  And, you know, basically, working licensing deals and what have you because, you know, it
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  has to be shown in different countries, and every country's got different it it gets a bit
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  messy.
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  Right?
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  It's not as easy as, oh, just put a bunch of guys on the stage and let them go at it.
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  You know?
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  Like, there's a lot of legalities involved here.
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  You know?
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  So it's been a bit of a a a mess.
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  You know, things got going pretty good, and then COVID hit, and that messed up things a
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  little bit, you know, like, as I'm sure it did for a lot of people.
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  You know?
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  We've we're the the show was originally based in Los Angeles, but now it's moved over to Las
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  Vegas.
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  And it's gonna be that's where we're gonna be filling on the stages there.
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  And we have a a sound stage there.
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  And, you know, like and then you gotta work out the deals with all the labels too.
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  Right?
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  You know?
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  Like, because they want their band showcased as well, obviously, and they should be.
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  You know?
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  Everybody should have a shot here.
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  So it's it's been a process, man.
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  It's been a process.
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  But, you know, if you guys wanna see anything, I encourage you.
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  You can just go on to YouTube and you just go to RML plus or Real Music Live.
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  You can type in Real Music Live, you'll see some things there.
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  My inbox is always getting slam bam because there's a million bands that wanna be on the
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  show.
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  And, you you know what I mean?
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  And so and and I'll be honest with you.
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  I'm not the guy that picks the bands.
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  You know?
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  Like, I I I can I can recommend them?
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  Aspect is is what is that process even like to try and whittle it down?
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  I mean, you talked about the labels and the signed bands, obviously.
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  They're gonna put a lot of pressure on you because they're using these shows like The
• 17:48
  Voice or or these other shows, right, to push their artists and to push people that they want
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  into the system, right, to get that awesome exposure on these national TV networks.
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  So how does an unsigned band kind of crack that code in essence?
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  And to, you know, is it open for anyone to submit to that, in some way?
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  Yes.
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  It is.
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  It absolutely is.
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  You know?
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  So it's like, and, you know, just because a band is signed, everyone think, oh, you know,
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  like, I I don't know.
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  You've heard the story a million times where bands get signed, and then nothing happens
• 18:23
  either.
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  Right?
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  Like, they got the same problems as everybody else.
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  They all want exposure.
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  Everybody wants a shot at give me a stage where I can get some eyes on us, you know, like,
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  because you hope you're gonna nail somebody.
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  Because I I was watching just real quick here, I was watching this thing, on, I was on
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  YouTube, actually, and the guy was talking about how he had a few artists who made videos,
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  and they went freaking viral.
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  And everybody thinks, oh, I just need to go viral.
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  Right?
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  Well, you know, some idiot dancing around there, and it's funny and stuff, and they get a
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  million eyes on it, but these people aren't gonna listen to your music.
• 18:56
  They don't even give a crap about your music.
• 18:57
  They just wanna see some guy dance around how that was pretty funny and and and send it to a
• 19:01
  bunch of people.
• 19:01
  So in actuality, that's not exposure.
• 19:04
  That's not that's no one's gonna come to your show.
• 19:07
  That's no one's no one is gonna even go to Spotify and listen to it or whatever.
• 19:12
  You know what I mean?
• 19:12
  So being viral is not the answer.
• 19:15
  Right?
• 19:16
  So but if you can be on a place, a platform where, you know, a lot of people are there for
• 19:22
  the music, then your chances are gonna be better.
• 19:25
  So everybody wants to be a part of this.
• 19:28
  You know?
• 19:28
  And, of course, we're licensing in another countries as well.
• 19:31
  So it's, gonna be similar to, like, you know, American Idol, the way it works, but in the
• 19:38
  fact that we're not a contest.
• 19:40
  Because we don't really feel music is is should be competitive.
• 19:46
  Right.
• 19:46
  It's almost a throwback to, like, American Bandstand or something like that.
• 19:50
  There you go.
• 19:51
  75.
• 19:52
  Yeah.
• 19:52
  That's right.
• 19:53
  Yeah.
• 19:53
  Yeah.
• 19:54
  It's along the lines of that.
• 19:55
  Very cool.
• 19:56
  So, yeah, it's been pretty awesome.
• 19:58
  I mean, we've already like like, we've already had, like I said, a couple test airings on NBC,
• 20:03
  and, you know, we had some, pretty cool bands on it.
• 20:07
  You know?
• 20:08
  But then, like I said, COVID kinda put things on hold, then we had to rebuild it up again and
• 20:13
  stuff.
• 20:13
  And so we're gearing
• 20:14
  up for working on this for six, seven years.
• 20:17
  Oh, yeah.
• 20:18
  This is not a new thing.
• 20:19
  I mean, you obviously have a of this project.
• 20:21
  But yeah.
• 20:22
  Yeah.
• 20:23
  Yeah.
• 20:24
  Yeah.
• 20:24
  So it's, it's been it's been awesome.
• 20:28
  And there's some pretty amazing people that are involved in it too.
• 20:31
  You know?
• 20:31
  Like So all
• 20:33
  Ray Ray, what is what is your role in the show then?
• 20:37
  Like, what's your job in this huge machine that is RML?
• 20:42
  Well, I'm actually a a promotions producer, basically.
• 20:46
  Right?
• 20:47
  So I I help, get it out there.
• 20:49
  I help with all the media end of things and advertising promotions, whatever have you.
• 20:54
  You know what I mean?
• 20:56
  That's basically my main goal there, or role, I should say.
• 21:01
  And is that a big part of what you know, you mentioned some of your businesses and stuff.
• 21:05
  Is that really what you're known for in these circles around the music business is for your
• 21:11
  promotion abilities?
• 21:13
  Yes.
• 21:14
  So, like, you know, I also own a a company.
• 21:17
  It's called, Sirius Entertainment, brokerage.
• 21:21
  And like I said, I I put people together.
• 21:24
  I bring people together.
• 21:25
  So I'm usually dealing with labels and stuff like that.
• 21:27
  I don't usually deal with the artist directly, you know, unless, you know, someone in
• 21:32
  particular.
• 21:33
  You know?
• 21:33
  I'll to help lay I I put people together.
• 21:35
  Right?
• 21:36
  You know?
• 21:36
  So, like, let's say someone comes to me and, man, I would really like to work with this
• 21:40
  producer.
• 21:41
  Well, if, you know, I can you know, if if I feel it's a fit, I can make it happen or least
• 21:46
  get the conversation started or what have you.
• 21:48
  You know what I mean?
• 21:48
  Put people together that way.
• 21:50
  So that's that's the purpose of Sirius Entertainment Brokerage.
• 21:53
  But, you know, like, even with with with the other company here, I mean, it's not I'm not
• 22:00
  I'm not running around, like, on Instagram going, hey.
• 22:02
  I'm over here.
• 22:03
  You know?
• 22:03
  Yeah.
• 22:03
  Let's do business.
• 22:04
  You know?
• 22:05
  Like, I I it's a little more, I'm a little more behind the scenes if you get my drift.
• 22:10
  So
• 22:11
  Yeah.
• 22:11
  Yeah.
• 22:11
  A connector for people that are kind of already in the business and are working, not
• 22:17
  necessarily for, you know, finding new artists to bring them in and connect them, just kind of
• 22:23
  hanging out and making introductions.
• 22:25
  It sounds like a pretty sweet gig.
• 22:28
  Yeah.
• 22:28
  Well, it's just from years and years and years of being in the business.
• 22:31
  You know what I mean?
• 22:32
  I just took all those connections that I've made over the years, and and and it's kinda
• 22:38
  obviously, it all kinda came together into something.
• 22:40
  You know what I mean?
• 22:41
  It it was a nothing that became a something.
• 22:44
  Right?
• 22:44
  But that's kinda if if if it's just like what we're talking about.
• 22:48
  That's how music business is.
• 22:49
  It's like half my buddies that I give you an idea.
• 22:54
  I got one guy, you know, used to just film us all riding around on skateboards.
• 22:57
  The guy went on to be a freaking awesome awesome freaking director.
• 23:03
  You know?
• 23:03
  But it started from making skateboard videos.
• 23:06
  You know what I mean?
• 23:07
  Not just for ourselves.
• 23:08
  So that's kinda it's it's grassroots.
• 23:12
  Right?
• 23:13
  That that's the beauty I feel of the music industry.
• 23:17
  It's like, if you can dream it, you can make it.
• 23:19
  But if you're gonna sit there and wait for someone else to make it for you, well, good
• 23:23
  luck.
• 23:23
  But, like, if you're gonna take the initiative, you start knocking on doors, they start
• 23:27
  opening.
• 23:30
  You know?
• 23:31
  No doubt.
• 23:32
  For us, I mean, we started this podcast eighteen months ago with a couple of
• 23:36
  microphones and and serving our small organization.
• 23:39
  I was a brand new member of the Midwest Country Music Organization in April 2024.
• 23:44
  We went to their award show, didn't know anybody, went, how are we gonna like, what are
• 23:49
  we gonna do?
• 23:50
  You know?
• 23:50
  And I had just started the podcast.
• 23:52
  I had maybe three episodes, and, I brought my mics with me.
• 23:56
  I sat down at the table at jam night, the night before the award show, and I interviewed 25
• 24:01
  members.
• 24:01
  Right?
• 24:02
  Deadly.
• 24:02
  And then
• 24:03
  That's awesome.
• 24:03
  When we're back this year nominated for the content creator of the year award on the red
• 24:08
  carpet, we did 35 interviews.
• 24:10
  And, it's like, oh, okay.
• 24:11
  This is our thing.
• 24:12
  Right?
• 24:13
  And just being a part of that organization was so clear to me.
• 24:15
  It's like, this is what I wanna do.
• 24:16
  I wanna talk to all these people.
• 24:17
  I wanna support all these people's careers in whatever way I can.
• 24:21
  And now our show actually is now on Roku, Apple, and, Amazon with a network called True
• 24:27
  TV Plus.
• 24:28
  I got to, you know, host some of my friends for what I call the songwriter showcase, not
• 24:33
  dissimilar from your guys' show.
• 24:35
  We filmed it in broadcast, you know, quality cameras.
• 24:39
  This was last December in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• 24:43
  And, one of our friends we had on there, Samantha Grimes, is now nominated for two
• 24:48
  Grammys for an album she released this year.
• 24:50
  Right?
• 24:50
  And it's like just like you said, like, you never know what you're going to do.
• 24:54
  Keep knocking on those doors and, you know, before you know it, if you do this long enough,
• 25:00
  eventually, you look around and you're like, oh, we're like we're towards the top of the
• 25:03
  heap now.
• 25:04
  Like, how the hell did that happen?
• 25:06
  Yeah.
• 25:06
  Yeah.
• 25:07
  Well, like, do you know who Tom McDonald is?
• 25:09
  Rapper?
• 25:10
  Yeah.
• 25:11
  Yeah.
• 25:11
  Yeah.
• 25:12
  Yeah.
• 25:12
  So, like, I I had a show, that I started, like, in 02/2009.
• 25:18
  It was called 23 code.
• 25:20
  It was just similar thing.
• 25:20
  Just interviewing bands and music industry professionals, and I had no idea what I was
• 25:25
  doing.
• 25:25
  And I met Tom, and he was sleeping on my buddy's studio floor.
• 25:29
  That's how I met him because he wanted to learn how to make beats and and and, like, and look
• 25:35
  at him now.
• 25:36
  You know what I mean?
• 25:37
  So it's same thing, man.
• 25:40
  It's awesome.
• 25:41
  And Yeah.
• 25:42
  One thing that
• 25:43
  comes back to work.
• 25:45
  It all comes back, are you willing to put the work in?
• 25:47
  Right?
• 25:48
  And mom was just committed to doing it.
• 25:51
  And you even look back to you really I mean, five years ago, he kinda cracked in that COVID
• 25:55
  time period.
• 25:56
  And even his early videos, man, they're filming them at their house.
• 26:00
  They are, you know, in their home studio and building this.
• 26:05
  And now the guy's one of the biggest musical acts on the planet without any of that major
• 26:10
  label support.
• 26:11
  I don't know where he's at in his career now, but, I mean, I I assume that he's still
• 26:15
  independent because why would you why would you give away any control over your own career when
• 26:21
  you literally built it from the ground up?
• 26:24
  And that's what we're trying to, you know, to work with a lot of artists to build them up.
• 26:30
  And we hope that maybe one day a record label comes along to them and and makes their life
• 26:34
  maybe a little bit easier.
• 26:36
  And those people who seek out that superstardom can have that opportunity to perform around the
• 26:41
  globe and to have sold out arenas.
• 26:44
  Right?
• 26:45
  I don't think I've ever had that dream.
• 26:48
  My dream's always been a little bit different, but I I feel just as successful, with without a
• 26:53
  lot of those things because of who I get to hang out with, right, and and the things that I
• 26:58
  get to do.
• 26:59
  I'll be covering the Josie Music Awards in November from this silly podcast that I started
• 27:05
  in my garage studio.
• 27:07
  You know?
• 27:07
  It's it's incredible.
• 27:10
  Wow.
• 27:10
  That's how it works, though.
• 27:11
  It's just how it works.
• 27:12
  You know?
• 27:13
  And if it's meant to go, it'll go.
• 27:15
  And if it's not meant to go, well, then you can shift.
• 27:17
  You know?
• 27:18
  This is the best part about it.
• 27:19
  I mean, think about, like, the tools that are available to us now are just, like, next level.
• 27:25
  You know?
• 27:25
  Like, we didn't have a voice like this before.
• 27:29
  You know what I mean?
• 27:30
  And you can test it.
• 27:31
  It's like, hey.
• 27:31
  You know what?
• 27:32
  That didn't work.
• 27:33
  Okay.
• 27:33
  So I'm gonna try try this, or I'll try that.
• 27:36
  You know?
• 27:37
  And it's like, you just keep going.
• 27:38
  But as long as you keep throwing it out there and you're creating, you know, and you gotta
• 27:42
  ask yourself, you know, what's my purpose here?
• 27:44
  You know?
• 27:45
  I know for me, when I took the focus away from trying to, quote, unquote, make it and make it
• 27:54
  more about helping others, that's when everything shifted in ways that I can't even
• 28:02
  explain.
• 28:03
  You know?
• 28:03
  And your you basically, your story is the exact same thing.
• 28:06
  You started helping people, and all of a sudden, things start blowing up for you.
• 28:10
  Right?
• 28:10
  As opposed to going, look at me.
• 28:12
  Me.
• 28:12
  Me.
• 28:12
  Me.
• 28:12
  Me.
• 28:12
  Me.
• 28:13
  Me.
• 28:13
  It's more about, like, hey.
• 28:14
  I wanna help them.
• 28:15
  And it's like when you start helping others, it's like, holy hell.
• 28:17
  And that's really to me, well, it sound cheesy, man.
• 28:20
  I'd really feel that's the secret of life.
• 28:22
  Like, what's my purpose here?
• 28:23
  Right?
• 28:25
  Right.
• 28:25
  And it's it's to serve, and everyone serves in their own way.
• 28:30
  And, you know, we all kind of have our roles.
• 28:33
  I'm very grateful to have found one that I, that I fit into.
• 28:38
  I mean, if you would have told any of my friends and family growing up that I was gonna
• 28:42
  find a way to build a career running my mouth, they would have believed you.
• 28:46
  It just it just took me a little while to figure out, you know, how that was going to
• 28:52
  serve someone besides myself.
• 28:53
  And now I'm just I'm so grateful every day that I get to have conversations like this one or
• 28:59
  with someone who's just starting out.
• 29:00
  You know?
• 29:01
  Now we have connections to some of these, you know, you know, some of these young people or
• 29:05
  teenagers.
• 29:06
  They're, you know, just starting their careers, and and we're able to give them, you know, a
• 29:11
  little bit of advice, a little bit of, you know, what we've learned over twenty five years
• 29:16
  in the business and to just continue to encourage them in every way and to put their
• 29:23
  music out there for the world to see, whether it's on our, you know, tiny YouTube channel or
• 29:27
  now it's on our, you know, Roku TV app or it's on, you know, network television on NBC with
• 29:34
  Real Music Live.
• 29:35
  It's just there's, there's so much to be done, and and every single artist needs that
• 29:42
  exposure.
• 29:43
  And, I'm grateful for guys like you that are out there, you know, supporting those artists
• 29:48
  and supporting a guy like me, to come on my show and every like, this helps me.
• 29:53
  People are going to watch this because of you or their connection to you and see what we're
• 29:57
  doing, and maybe we get to have another conversation down the road.
• 30:00
  And that excels our career.
• 30:02
  And maybe instead of covering the Josies, which we'll continue to do as long as they'll have us
• 30:07
  and our Midwest Country Music Awards, as long as they have this, but maybe it opens up an
• 30:11
  opportunity to go and cover the Grammys or to cover, you know, another large event, and you
• 30:17
  just never know where it's going to go.
• 30:20
  No.
• 30:20
  You don't.
• 30:21
  And that's the beauty of it.
• 30:22
  You know what I mean?
• 30:23
  Just like Jerry Ragavoy said, I have no idea where it's gonna go.
• 30:26
  If the universe wants it to go, it's gonna freaking go.
• 30:28
  Right?
• 30:29
  So just keep throwing it out there.
• 30:31
  Right?
• 30:31
  Obviously, you've been called to do it or you wouldn't be doing it.
• 30:34
  You know?
• 30:34
  And, like, it's even like that show.
• 30:38
  You know, it it it came across because, my old manager who managed me for years and years, he
• 30:47
  passed away, but it brought me to this opportunity.
• 30:50
  And if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be with them.
• 30:55
  Do you know what I mean?
• 30:57
  So it's just a comedy of errors.
• 31:00
  You know?
• 31:00
  Like, if you're being guided there, that's where you're gonna go.
• 31:02
  Right?
• 31:03
  Go where the wind shows you to go.
• 31:04
  Right?
• 31:04
  Don't if I can give one piece of advice, because I've been guilty of this, is scramble,
• 31:11
  scramble, scramble.
• 31:11
  I gotta go here.
• 31:12
  I gotta do this.
• 31:12
  I gotta that.
• 31:13
  I gotta gotta get it.
• 31:14
  And then you end up doing a half assed job of everything as opposed to just going, okay.
• 31:19
  Just sit still for a minute and go, what am I supposed to do?
• 31:22
  And just be with yourself.
• 31:24
  You know?
• 31:25
  Like, just chill the f out, you know, because it's pretty easy to get wrapped up in I I have.
• 31:31
  I'm just talking about me, you know, into the latest trend that's happening and this and
• 31:35
  that.
• 31:35
  Oh, I gotta jump on that.
• 31:36
  Oh, I gotta jump.
• 31:37
  You can't be the master of everything.
• 31:39
  You know?
• 31:39
  And as you start to grow, you start to delegate.
• 31:43
  You know?
• 31:43
  And as you delegate, then things grow even further.
• 31:45
  Right?
• 31:46
  You know?
• 31:47
  So Yeah.
• 31:48
  It's Fantastic, Ray Ray.
• 31:50
  Anything you wanna plug here before I let you go?
• 31:54
  Oh, yeah.
• 31:54
  So, again, I dropped a single last weekend.
• 31:57
  It's called One Step Away.
• 31:59
  It's a play on words.
• 32:00
  But, it's about, basically, the I wrote it in a very, very, dark space in my life when,
• 32:06
  basically, I was struggling with addiction to get clean, and then the it's also about the
• 32:09
  struggle to stay clean.
• 32:11
  And I wrote the song, basically to hopefully, help anybody that's struggling with those kind
• 32:15
  of thoughts.
• 32:16
  And if you're an addict, it'll really ring true with you.
• 32:19
  I I really hope.
• 32:20
  You know?
• 32:21
  And I'm pretty grateful about that so you can hear it in all your regular wherever you go to
• 32:25
  listen to music.
• 32:26
  It's out there.
• 32:27
  I have another single dropping on October 24, which I'm pretty happy about that one too, but
• 32:32
  that one's a little more, fun.
• 32:34
  It's just a balls out rocker.
• 32:36
  You know?
• 32:36
  It's just a wave your hands in the air and, you know, drive fast and cut people off in traffic
• 32:40
  kind of A song.
• 32:42
  And and then also oh, yeah.
• 32:47
  I just I just got featured in an online magazine too.
• 32:51
  And, you know, I wanna plug my my supporters if I get a moment here.
• 32:56
  If you get guys are a guitar player and you need something raging, I highly recommend go
• 33:00
  check out Red seven amps.
• 33:02
  They have been working with me for quite a while and freaking amazing amazing amps.
• 33:07
  They'll they'll blow your mind.
• 33:09
  And, I you know, I I I work with Tour Gear Design and Mercury Magnetics.
• 33:16
  And and, of course, if also, Doctor Strings, best strings ever.
• 33:21
  Love them.
• 33:22
  Great people.
• 33:23
  Great to deal with.
• 33:24
  And yeah.
• 33:25
  So, anyway, go check those things out.
• 33:28
  I highly recommend you do.
• 33:29
  You'll you'll be happy happy about that.
• 33:32
  And, again, you know, go over to YouTube.
• 33:35
  Go check out Real Music Live, and just do it a like and a subscribe.
• 33:40
  Would be amazing.
• 33:41
  And you can message me, if you wanna figure out about getting some exposure there or what have
• 33:49
  you.
• 33:50
  Right?
• 33:50
  Or or the easiest way is just go to rayraystar.com.
• 33:53
  It's I think that's the easiest way to get ahold of me.
• 33:56
  And and there'll be all my people there that you can contact, publicists and whatever.
• 34:02
  Yeah.
• 34:03
  Awesome, Ray Ray.
• 34:04
  Well, thank you so much for your time today.
• 34:07
  Great conversation, and, thanks for being part of the scene.
• 34:11
  Thanks, man.
• 34:11
  And thanks for having me on the show, Bubba.
• 34:13
  Appreciate you, bro.
• 34:14
  Cheers.