I need your help <3
I'm working on a new course: The Self-Empowered Artist.
My goal is to give you a step-by-step framework for releasing and marketing your music successfully, even without a record label.
To make this as helpful as possible for you, please fill out this short survey (takes 2-3 minutes):
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf854vBxAK3hVrvPXâŚ
The first 50 people who fill this out will get a special beta discount once the course launches.
Thanks a million for your support; it means the world to me
Philip
PS: Unlike most other courses on that topic, it's backed by real-world results. I'm co-creating this with Herr Lang, an electronic music artist who's consistently pulling in over 100.000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
PPS: Thanks for helping me by filling out the short survey (takes 2-3 minutes). docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf854vBxAK3hVrvPXâŚ
It's time to say THANK YOU. Your attention is the most valuable resource you have and I appreciate everyone who watches this channel. I put a ton of effort into every single video, and it's great to see the channel grow.
Nevertheless, here's my reminder to adopt this with a healthy mindset: Focus on the process, not the outcome. This number is just a vanity metric. It "feels nice" but it's completely meaningless. The only thing that matters is what I have under my control. And that is: Crafting the next video for all of you and putting my heart and soul into it.
Lots of love to all of you, you're awesome!
xoxo
Philip
These workflow tips really made a difference for my career as a mixing and mastering engineer. I hope you find them helpful. Let me know in the comments!
We all have these days. You're sitting in front of your DAW and nothing useful comes out of it.
This can be quite frustrating. So today I'm sharing my number one way out of this with you:
Re-introducing playfulness.
There's a reason why kids are making constant progress, faster than any adult, in ALL areas. They are masters at playing. As musicians, we've hopefully preserved a bit of that playfulness but it often gets lost because we're trying too hard to impress ourselves, reach our goals, etc.
Here are my favorite ways to re-introduce playfulness:
1. Convert audio to midi or midi to audio and simply change the format you're working in. This will open up your mind to different possibilities.
2. Be extreme. Slow down sounds or speed them up like crazy. Distort the hell out of something. Compress and EQ a sound with settings that would make your mastering engineer go crazy. You get the idea.
3. Grab some field recordings. Just use your phone and record some sounds around you. Let your keys drop (then slow it down; see above), open and close a door, and record the noise from the street. You'll find instant inspiration.
As always, let me know if you found that helpful!
All the best,
Philip
PS: Our 1-on-1 coaching program is almost at capacity. If you're on the fence, make sure to apply now, and we'll personally talk to see if it's right for you: pickyourself.com/coaching/
It's the beginning of the year, and everyone's talking about "setting goals."
But is that even the right thing to do as an artist? What if music is designed to be the one thing in your life that doesn't need to follow any rules or experience pressure?
Fair enough. But what if I told you that setting goals isn't the real problem?
In fact, the way we've learned to set goals is toxic for artists, and we need to redefine what it means to set goals for our music.
So, what exactly do I mean by "toxic" goal setting?
Let's say your goal is to hit 10.000 streams on Spotify with your next release in the first month after publishing. According to the most well-known goal-setting method (the S.M.A.R.T. framework), you've picked a fantastic goal.
It is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
And yet, it is toxic and won't serve you. Let me explain!
The big issue with these goals is that they focus on the output rather than the input. Whether or not you'll hit that number is largely outside your control.
Who knows if that song will resonate with people in the way you hope it will? And let's not forget about the influence of the almighty algorithms that decide whether or not it even gets in front of the right audience.
All in all, this way of setting goals will most likely wreck your nerves and, in the worst case, damage your self-worth as an artist only because you made yourself dependent on factors you can't control.
So let me suggest a better approach. I call it "input-focused goal-setting".
Here's my simple framework:
Step 1: Pick a goal that excites you and consists of activities that are within your control. For example: "I want to finish, release, and promote a 4-track EP in 2024".
Notice that I didn't mention anything that's connected to the success of the release? That's because we largely can't control that.
Step 2: Define the inputs that will most likely lead to this outcome. In this case:
- Make music at least three times per week for two hours
- Write updated bio and press text
- Get new artist photos
- Write a promotion checklist and schedule the release
- etc.
Step 3: Put it in your calendar, show up, and do the work.
Yes, it's that simple.
The great thing about this goal-setting framework is that you own your success as well as your failure. If "life gets in the way" and you're not making as much progress as you wanted, it's okay. Just reschedule and try again.
But you won't be able to blame some algorithm or another cheap excuse that wasn't in your control to begin with.
Be proud of your actions because you own them. Be grateful for any positive results because a large chunk of them might be pure, damn luck.
All the best
Philip
PS: If you want to set some goals with me personally (and be sure to achieve them), let's hop on a call and see if our 1-on-1 coaching program is right for you: pickyourself.com/coaching/
Hey there,
This will be a personal, vulnerable, and true-to-the-core post.
2023 was amazing for me, but at the same time, it was the most challenging year ever.
When the YouTube channel started taking off with hundreds of thousands of views a month, I was finding myself sleep-deprived between my sweet but demanding newborn son and my lovely but rebellious three-year-old daughter.
Being there for the little family while running a studio AND keeping up with regular, high-quality videos felt impossible on some days. Being the ambitious person I am, I felt like I was not living up to my (overly high) standards.
But you know what kept me going?
YOU.
I've received so many positive comments and emails from artists like you who are getting incredible results from the tutorials I make and the podcasts I put out.
Your messages mean the world to me, so THANK YOU.
The YouTube channel recently crossed 10.000 subscribers. For many creators, this is an important milestone. I'm super grateful for that, but I know this is nothing but a "vanity metric". It feels great, but it doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme of things.
All I give a damn about is helping you make better music and gain the confidence to release it.
In other words, I don't care how many people follow me online, but I do care about how deeply I connect you and how this impacts your music. My goal for 2024 is to help you more than ever and build a deep and trustful relationship with you.
If any of this resonates, leave a comment and let me know what YOU have planned for 2024. I read everything and will do my best to reply personally.
All the best
Philip
PS: If you've gotten any value from me over the past year, consider telling a friend about it. This real-world recommendation is more powerful than ever in our digital lives.
PPS: If you want 2024 to be your best year ever, apply to our coaching program (pickyourself.com/coaching) and get 1-to-1 help from me and my team.
In case you missed it, my Prolific Producer course is on sale right now (I rarely do this):
pickyourself.com/the-prolific-producer-on-sale/
It's the definitive system for finishing great-sounding music consistently.
Here's a sneak peek inside the course:
1. The Bulletproof Creative Process: Develop a workflow that creates finished songs by design.
- Adopt a healthy mindset around finishing songs consistently
- Implement my tried and tested "Creative Funnel" in your workflow
- Build your secret weapon sound library and optimize your template for efficiency and maximum creativity
2. The Finisher Framework: Build the skills to produce remarkable songs effortlessly and consistently.
- Create strong core ideas that are designed to succeed
- Arrange them effortlessly without having to copy reference tracks
- Take your productions from good to great with sonic storytelling
3. The Sound of the Pros: Adopt healthy habits for mixing and mastering your music.
- Pros and cons of DIY mixing and mastering vs. hiring a pro (and how to find the perfect studio)
- Create pro-sounding mixes without expensive gear or perfect room acoustics
- Master your song effectively without fancy tools or techniques
These 10+ hours of content (and more than 30 lessons) are laser-focused on getting you one result: Finishing great-sounding music, consistently.
What makes this course different from many other music production courses is that it not only shows you what to do and how to do it but also the WHY behind everything.
Want to make meaningful progress with your music and break through your current plateau?
Then get the Prolific Producer course now for 50% off (price increase in a few hours).
pickyourself.com/the-prolific-producer-on-sale/
If you have any questions whatsoever, simply hit reply and I'll personally help you.
All the best from Berlin,
Philip
PS: If you're in for a treat, there's also a premium option that comes with personalized 1-on-1 coaching.
PPS: Even the basic version of the course comes with a comments section in which I'm answering all your questions (plus you can learn from other students).
Okay so pretty much everyoneâs going on a plugin-buying spree on Black Friday. Donât be that person. Plugins are NOT going to help you finish tracks.
Here are three reasons why (and what to do instead):
1. The more stuff you have, the more overwhelmed youâll feel. If you donât REALLY now what a compressor actually does, why would yet another fancy tube compressor emulation help you?
2. Finishing songs is not a matter of tools, itâs a matter of building specific skills backed by a healthy mindset that is resilient against perfectionism, fear of failure, and impostor syndrome.
3. Your return on investment couldnât be any lower than with plugins. What you buy now might already be outdated by the latest algorithm or the newest flashy AI tool next year. So youâre playing the wrong game if you just want to keep up with the hottest trends in music technology. What is NOT going to change is the first principles behind a successful creative process. Learning that stuff is priceless and will help you for the rest of your life.
So what CAN you do this Black Friday to make meaningful progress towards your goals?
The best return on investment will ALWAYS be education. And by education I donât mean paying $80k for an audio engineering degree. I also donât mean infotainment courses like you find on all those flashy âmasterclassesâ out there. I also donât think that cheap memberships with hundreds of videos are a great investment since youâre essentially paying for endless procrastination material.
Hereâs my recommendation for you:
Pick a few high-quality mentors online, make sure theyâre legit (aka have actually worked in the music industry and not only run a YouTube channel), and see if they can help you solve your problem.
I personally have made it my mission to empower artists like you and help you make meaningful progress. So I created the best online course I could, based on the learnings from hundreds of 1-on-1 coaching students. I then quality-tested that course again with 30+ beta students to make sure they get results from it.
This course is called The Prolific Producer and you can get it for 50% off until the end of Black Friday:
pickyourself.com/the-prolific-producer-on-sale/
PS: Iâm still helping 99% of you here on YouTube for free. And thatâs totally fine, keep enjoying the great content!
PPS: If you have any questions whatsoever, just let me know, Iâm happy to help.
I help electronic music producers finish music they're proud of, release it with confidence, and build a tribe of true fans instead of just "followers".
If that resonates with you, take the first step and download my "Finisher Framework". This FREE guide will help you finish at least one great-sounding song per month: pickyourself.com/framework