Category: VideoCategory: Video

Michael Gilbride of the MAD Records Collective and I sat down for an hour-long conversation about what actually matters when building a music career in 2026.

• Stop chasing vanity metrics. Having 50,000 Spotify listeners means nothing if you can’t reach those people when you have something to sell.
• We dove into lots of good stuff during this chat:
• Michael’s stark data point: 50,000 monthly listeners = one non-friend at his show
• Artists with small, engaged email lists are booking venues, selling out shows, making real Bandcamp revenue
• Sturgill Simpson released his latest album vinyl/CD/tape only—no streaming
• Creating friction isn’t a sacrifice, it’s smart business—increases fan commitment
• When fans go out of their way to support you, they convert from passive listeners to real fans
• Same principle for email: people who subscribe and open are demonstrating genuine interest
• Discussion covered economics of leaving streaming, potential comeback of physical mail, embracing business skills without sacrificing creativity

The core themes are this: stop building audiences you can’t reach (the Oatmeal is pushing his email list over socials), and don’t be afraid to focus on actually selling something!

Artist David Speed from today’s Substack Live:

“From all of these brilliant minds that I’ve had on (the podcast), the overwhelming thing that comes through is just keep making stuff. Because through the things that you will make, you will process the world around you. You will learn what resonates with people and what doesn’t. You’ll find your niche. You’ll find your groove. You’ll find your people. And you’ll get better at what you do. So just keep making stuff. I think make is the most important word that we have. And it is my mission on this planet to encourage people to make stuff. Make as many things as you can. Leave behind a legacy of beautiful things that you’ve made. Make, make, make.”

Listen to the full interview to hear us talk about:

• How 3K email subscribers is mightier than 160,000 Instagram followers
• Small in-person events build trust
• David’s monthly free studio paint sessions in London
• Start a podcast (and listen to David’s Creative Rebels Podcast)
• Plant flags everywhere
• AI slop makes people want to get back to real human-created work

(more…)

I joined Russell Nohelty as a guest on his Substack Live as part of his January Joy(ful) Growth Club.

“If you gain a thousand new followers on social media, you might reach ten percent of them. Might as well get a hundred people on your email list.”

One of my favorite lines to throw around, ‘cuz it’s true!

Russell and I talked about building creative careers without relying on social media, using music, writing, comedy, and live events as examples of how audiences actually grow: slowly, locally, and through lots of repetition – because no one sees everything we post!

“I don’t do (Substack) Lives where there’s no energetic exchange beyond that hour,” said Russell, “I want something I can give back to my audience.”

The conversation covered message repetition, storytelling around your work, why most people don’t see everything you publish, and how having an audience gives you the freedom to make work that isn’t optimized for going viral but still matters.

In a Substack Live with Sarah Fay last year, I made the point that you don’t have to go live, you just need to bring life to your thing.

There are several ways to go “live” (Substack Live, Mixcloud, Mixler, your local radio station), and none of them need to include your face. Where’s the Substack Live cat-cam? Who’s making coffee? Reading night time poetry? Making ambient music? Flipping through old Computer Shopper magazines?

Watch the full video replay (or audio podcast) with Sarah Fay here.

I saw someone saying that writers need to make more video and audio because people love watching video and listening to audio.

I don’t care what “everyone” likes, but I’ll say this – in this modern age of AI where “anybody” can write a newsletter, your voice is more valuable than ever.

I’m not saying you need to start a YouTube channel or a high-production podcast, but I bet your readers would love to see you and hear you.

Again, I don’t care what TikTok or YouTube people are looking for, or what “content they like to consume.” I’m talking about the 35 people who subscribe to your newsletter.

There are many ways to do video and audio that don’t require dancing, talking into a camera, or buying a $350 microphone. You’re a creative person. Now is the time to find a creative way to share the parts of yourself that AI can’t replicate.

Make a video this weekend. You don’t need to upload it anywhere, or show it to anybody. But make a video. Watch it. Listen to your voice – YOUR VOICE. The one that OpenAI would like to train from.

Make a video so two weeks from now you can come back to it and feel something. Make another one. Someday share it with someone.

Do this because AI slop will continue to fill the internet, but your readers might find peace and calm in hearing your actual voice. The future of your work depends on the trust you build today.