5 Stellar Podcasts for Music Producers
Though technically not a podcast, this series from NPR is one of my favorite things on the internet. In case you’ve been living in a shed in rural Idaho, the Tiny Desk shows are intimate, stripped-down performances that take place inside the NPR office. It’s a really cool way to get a glimpse of artists in an authentic and down-to-earth light.
Anderson Paak’s episode is a personal fav!
2. The Tim Ferriss Show
After penning 5 bestsellers including iconic cult-classic “The 4 Hour Work Week”, author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss has shifted his focus towards podcasting, where he has since interviewed a head-spinning count of the worlds peak performers, including Rick Rubin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Foxx, Lebron James, and many, many others.
What make this show so special is not the guests per se, but the manner in which Tim plucks the most actionable and nuanced pearls of wisdom from each guest. With pointed, well-researched questions and first-principal thinking, these long-form interviews are uplifting and insightful. I usually walk away feeling like I have learned something profound.
As a music producer, I have borrowed countless applicable concepts and strategies from Tim’s guests, many of which I use daily in my sessions. This is among the most popular podcasts around right now, and for good reason.
3. Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell
This is another example of a non-music-related podcast that contains profound lessons with applicable crossover. Gladwell has a knack for turning issues on their head, displaying the kind of lateral thinking that can be of particular usefulness to Music Producers. Flexibility and open-mindedness are often in short supply when ego’s begin to flare, and its precisely podcasts like Revisionist History that help to develop the non-reactivity useful in diffusing studio tensions and viewing conflicts from a fresh perspective.
4. Song Exploder
From Yo-Yo Ma, to Blood Orange to Game Of Thrones, Song Exploder is a wholly immersive plunge into the emotional underpinnings and inspiration that go into the creation of a record. Covering each artist's unique approach with unparalleled specificity, the podcast delves into the production and process of some of the most relevant and well respected artists around, both historic and modern.
5. WTF With Mark Maron
This has been my go-to “blow off some steam” podcast over the last year or so – Mark Maron has a certain iconoclastic, reformed-badass charm that I find endearing. In addition to high profile guests like Barack Obama, he also regularly features musicians of the highest caliber, such as Beastie Boys and Roger Daltry.
This has been my go-to “blow off some steam” podcast over the last year or so – Mark Maron has a certain iconoclastic, reformed-badass charm that I find endearing. In addition to high profile guests like Barack Obama, he also regularly features musicians of the highest caliber, such as Beastie Boys and Roger Daltry.
Special Mention
* Dissect
Dissect is a hardcore analysis of some of the most impactful albums of our time. Featuring extreme closeups of modern classics from likes Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and more recently Lauren Hill. If you are a fanatic of the artists above or in search of something a bit more technical, then this might be your jam.
There you have it. 5 stellar podcasts for Music Producers. I hope you enjoy!
Did I miss anything? Hit me up if so! I’d love to hear from you – producersbrain@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Producers Brain
Did I miss anything? Hit me up if so! I’d love to hear from you – producersbrain@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Producers Brain