#166: Turning Your Creative Skills Into a Business with Evan Price
I play guitar in a band. We’re called Burning Years, and we’re pretty darn good. That’s not just me saying that — we’ve got a lot of passionate fans, and people have said some very nice things about us. Alternative Press named us a band “you need to hear.” Audio Angst said we’ve “been making waves in the scene.” Influence Watch describes us as “an all male music group.”
Spotify even added us to an editorial playlist called Rock Frequency. That promotion added tens of thousands of streams to our Spotify counts in a short bit of time.
Yet thanks to the way streaming works, we’re not making much money from those plays. No, no, you can support us (or your favorite band, if for some reason it’s NOT Burning Years) much more sturdily by buying their merch or hitting up one of their shows. Here’s a link that features merch, and if you’re in Austin, we’re playing a show on August 26 at Come and Take It Live. It’s a terrific venue, you’ll love it.
While merch and tours can help musicians make more money, they’re not the only ways to do it. My guest today helps artists think more like artistpreneurs. He wants them to approach their music like a business — because that’s what it is.
Evan Price founded his first company when he was just 14 years old. Now, he’s the head of Artist Collective, helping musicians monetize their creative skills and giving them the foundation and framework to keep the good times rolling throughout their entire careers.
We’re talking all about the artistpreneur mindset, how to grow your tribe of creatives, and some of the top vacation destinations.
Highlights of our conversation
How Evan got started with his first business in artist promotion — at just 14 years old! (2:30)
Our favorite music venues in Chicago. (4:40)
What an “artistpreneur” is and how Evan works with them. (5:49)
How musicians can make money outside of the pennies streaming services pay. (8:08)
One of the more unusual ways a musician has monetized his brand. (11:36)
Ways to grow your tribe of creatives — with a few examples from brands! (14:31)
A look at the framework for how to create a digital course. (19:14)
Could Threads possibly be an avenue for creatives to explore? (Note: We recorded this episode the week Threads launched) (21:55)
Something Evan would tell himself from 10 years ago. (27:22)
Evan’s top three vacation destinations. Plus, a bonus — MY top three vacation destinations. (29:00)
Where to find Evan Price
Visit Artist Collective to learn more.
Say hello to Evan on Instagram.
Want to see three things artists are doing to make more than half a million dollars combined? Grab a free 13-minute training here.