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Here at Get Sad Y'all, we thought it would be a great idea to interview numerous people in various aspects of the music industry to serve as guides for those that might want to pursue a career. Those interviews can be found here.
If there's anyone you'd like us to interview, give us a shout.
Below, we chatted with Shane Told (Silverstein) about running a podcast.
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Who are you and what do you do?
ST: Shane Told - I sing for Silverstein and I run/host a podcast called Lead Singer Syndrome.
How long have you been running a podcast?
ST: (At the time of this interview) I have done 183 weekly episodes - so coming up on 4 years.
Who have been some of your biggest artists you've interviewed?
ST: Blothar from GWAR was definitely the biggest - oh, you mean most popular? That’s also up for debate, but people from Korn, Rise Against, NOFX, Sum 41, Barenaked Ladies, Thrice, My Chemical Romance, Black Label Society I guess are pretty big.
What's your day-to-day look like?
ST: It really depends if I’m on tour or not. On tour it’s definitely trickier to schedule interviews and also find nice quiet places to record them. But usually I am on tour so I get up, coffee, soundcheck, then I have a bunch of time to kill before the show. It’s a good time to work on podcast stuff.
How did you get on the path to running a podcast? What made you want to start one?
ST: It sort of came from the name. I had the idea of a lead singer interviewing another lead singer and I thought the name was just too good not to do it. I thought about doing it as a YouTube channel first but someone suggested it would be a good podcast idea so I rolled with it.
What is something you've learned about podcasting over time that you wish you had known from the start?
ST: I mean when I started I knew absolutely nothing ... I’d say I have learned now how bloody time consuming it can be to do even just one episode - scheduling/rescheduling/research/interview/editing/reediting/recording intro and outro/picking music/mixing/mastering/bouncing/artwork/uploading and that’s not even getting into the promo side of it.
If someone was looking to start a music podcast, what should their first steps be?
ST: I would say the key is to have a really cool and unique concept for your show. Just to say it’s a “music podcast” doesn’t really get anyone excited. Find a little niche that you’re really into and there’s probably thousands of other people that are really into that niche and will love your show. Podcasting isn’t really about mass appeal. It’s about having really intricate and lesser talked about ideas in a longer form.
What are three key things that someone looking to start a music podcast should know?
ST:
- It’s going to be way more work than you think it is
- No one is really going to care that you started a podcast and you’ll be surprised how many people don’t know/don’t care what a podcast is and definitely won’t listen no matter how amazing your show is
- You aren’t going to make any money unless you slug it out for years and really care about what you’re doing
Anything else to add?
ST: Check out my show! And when you start your own, I’ll check yours out!
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Be sure to follow and listen to Lead Singer Syndrome/Silverstein below and catch the show each week wherever you ingest podcasts!
Lead Singer Syndrome
Silverstein
Liked this interview? We've got a whole bunch more with music industry gurus for your reading pleasure!