Jon Avary: Start a Successful Event Production Company From Nothing

Jon Avary dropped everything and started throwing events out of houses to pursue his dream as an events producer. Now a frequent collaborator with Nashville’s renowned venues, Avary Entertainment is a true underdog to top dog story.

---

I realized I wanted to pursue a career in music, events, and events production

once I experienced Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival in Tennessee. So, I dropped out of Grad School at Tennessee Tech to make my dream career happen. My very first show was in 2012 for a Voodoo Festival afterparty in New Orleans. 

At first, when I was young and just starting out trying to build a business throwing events, it was difficult to convince venues to work with me because I didn’t have much prior experience. So, I started throwing events out of my house. Since people who showed up would rave “you’re really good at this,” I felt event production was something I was geared towards. When I finally moved to Nashville in Fall of 2013, I was literally trying to throw events anywhere I could: houses, warehouses, wherever we could get space.

Finally, I had a friend that knew a club owner here—at the time the club was called Seen, but now it’s called Headquarters. That club was my first big break into event production in Nashville. After that, it took off.

Fast-forward to 2018, and I was one of the first people to join HOME, before it had officially opened. 

Logan and I met each other while in line at the bank. When I went to pick up a certified check for Paradigm talent agency for an event I had in town on NYE, Logan overheard and said he wanted to talk for a few minutes. That’s when he pitched me HOME. Instantly, I was in and very much wanted to be part of Logan’s vision for the Nashville music community. To this day, I love being a HOME Member (aka Homie).

Out of all the Homies, I’ve thrown the most events at the HOME Facility. When Avary Entertainment booked the HOME Facility to throw  the official afterparty for a show at Marathon, almost 600 people showed up. Back then, I struggled to legitimize my business and get my foot in the door at other venues to host events, until HOME swooped in and became a great partner. Avary Entertainment mostly focuses on electronic shows, so we’ve had other Homies like Falcone do some shows for us. And another Homie, Jon Gambino, used to have a warehouse where we would do events with him as well. Because we forged those relationships early on, we’re pretty plugged in with all the Founding Members who have been with HOME since day one. It’s been a blessing to be part of a community of entrepreneurs eager to collaborate.

HOME is a great resource to meet people who can open doors for you that you can’t open on your own.

One of the first years that I was a Member, Logan invited me to the Lightning 100 offices to talk to some people at a private party. When we went over there, I met people that I would otherwise not have been able to get in front of that helped me forge some really good relationships here in town. There were lots of people who worked for different labels, who worked for liquor companies, and who presented different sponsorship opportunities. You can’t get that kind of value or experience anywhere else. That’s one of the things that makes HOME worth it for sure.

Since this is Avary Entertainment’s tenth year producing events, I’d say we’ve accomplished our goal of creating a trustworthy reputation and forming valuable, strategic partnerships with brands. We’re finally really starting to take off and scale. Things are going well for Avary Entertainment.

The HOME Team recently asked me to be part of the Special Events Leadership committee that they’ve started. Along with that position, I’m trying to incorporate some of the newer performing artists with some of the shows we’re doing to give some of the Homies opportunities to open up for bigger acts.

The coolest event that I’ve gotten to do, with plans to do more,

was the first ticketed electronic event at Nashville’s Adventure Science Center planetarium. Amazingly talented designer Angel Rivera created custom worlds that we used in the planetarium on the projection mapping. It was super unique and unprecedented. And I got to do that with some of the people I met at HOME, which made it really special.

Avary Entertainment announced a big show we’re doing at 6th and Peabody downtown—the Music City Crawfish and Music festival, a day-long and all-ages event. We’ve got Omari Neville & the Fuel from New Orleans headlining. Other performers are jazz funk band The Gripsweats, funk band Seeds?, hip hop DJs KDSML & Spice J, and another up-and-coming DJ named GODDYSS. We do a few of these crawfish boil festivals a year, so I have a custom cooker that I use and everything. I’m pretty obsessive about food; I love it. To unite the two things I love most together is really important to me, and I love showing Nashville the traditional crawfish boil of New Orleans.

To anybody reading this who is looking for a career in music… if you want to connect with people that will really impact your career, you’re going to meet people through HOME that you wouldn’t be able to go out and meet yourself. 

HOME is such a unique community. It would be really hard to replicate what they’re doing.

Logan, Banks, and others have lined up some strategic partnerships that are really going to be able to move your career along. You’ve got people from all walks of life and all sides of the music industry who are part of HOME, and we’re all here to help each other in any way we can. I would definitely encourage anyone to connect with the HOME Team and see what it’s all about. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it like I did.

---

More From Jon Avary

Olivia Frances

An artist's success comes from the team they build around them. Indie artist Olivia Frances built a team as unstoppable as her spirits to spearhead a solid year of success. Thanks to the connections and resources at HOME, this is only the beginning of her journey . . .

---

As a musician,

it’s important to “practice as you play,” as they say. But I was living in a studio apartment before I joined HOME in 2019, so it was difficult for me to practice as loudly as I wanted to. In the rehearsal room at HOME, I could turn it up all the way and jam out without worrying about my neighbors—that’s what first appealed to me to join. Plus, the mirror in that rehearsal room helps perfect live performance.

And even though I was connecting with other songwriters by going out to different writers’ rounds at Belcourt Taps, Alley Taps, etc., I wasn’t really meeting other producers in town who could help me record specifically demos.

I have a producer who I’ve been working with for several years, who is my go-to guy when I’d like to record and release full band songs. So, I was looking for someone with a specific skill set.

That’s when Logan and Banks introduced me to a HOME Producer named Scott Griffin. Scott and I have worked really well together—it’s been such a blessing to get to know him. 

Scott Griffin helped me with a song pivotal to my career.

Back in February/March, I wrote a song at HOME with my talented friend Margie Hauser. Margie is based in LA and Cincinnati. We connected because we both went to school at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, the city where I was born and raised. However, one night when she spent time in Nashville, we wrote a song called “Breathing Room” in HOME Studio B. She played the piano while I played the guitar; in the span of 3 hours, we finished the song! Of course, she wanted me to demo the song, so I immediately contacted Scott to get together and record it in HOME Studio A.

After Scott and I recorded the demo, Margie sent the song to a top music executive in LA. For a while, the song was on hold with a major label artist who had over a million followers on Spotify!

During the time it was on hold we were like, “Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to hear back. I hope the song gets cut! That would be so cool…”

Finally in June 2021, Margie heard back from the executive, and he said that the artist had shifted more emo with her sound. So they ended up not cutting the song.

BUT! At the end of the day, as an indie artist who is unsigned, has no booking agency, no concrete team...it was incredible to have my song go all the way to the top, to have it sit there, and to have the validation of the head of a major label saying, “I love this song! I want to pitch it to an artist I know”. I believed in the song before Margie sent it to a major record label, and now I am certain that it’s a song that can really do big things. Although I wish the story ended with, “So the song got cut, and now it’s on the radio…” As an indie artist to get that far along is still a really big accomplishment, and it’s all because of HOME.

before “Breathing Room”, I had an insightful mentoring session with Logan.

In Fall 2020, he and I sat down and had a discussion to boil down my purpose and who I am as an artist. Logan taught me that I should be able to align every single action with my mission and values as an artist. I had never thought of doing that before! It took a while for me to boil down and brainstorm my artist mission and purpose; it’s not something you think of overnight. But that discussion with Logan really helped clarify what I’m doing and who I am. I’m very thankful for Logan as a mentor—he has so much to offer and a wealth of knowledge about the music business. He is a visionary, and I honestly think being connected to him—and Banks, of course—is a blessing and a reason in itself to join HOME!

It felt like impeccable timing for Banks and Logan to step in when they did, in order to help me refine who I am as an artist and connect me with Scott to record demos.

Since then, I’ve performed at Cheyenne Frontier Days, which is the world’s largest rodeo in Cheyenne, WO. I played six shows on their side stages. Some of the headliners were Marren Morris, Kim Brown, Garth Brooks...a few really big acts. And I got that opportunity in Nashville through Ty Warner, who organized all the shows. I’m so grateful for his support, and he’s actually a HOME Member now. 

Exciting updates since my original interview…

I’m thrilled to share new updates! In March of 2022, I released my latest single, “Somebody’s Reason.” It’s a piano-driven, strings-lifted reminder to listeners that they are deeply, deeply loved. Since its release, I’ve been contacted by a record label, a management company, and a publishing company- all of whom found me on TikTok! I’m so grateful for these opportunities. I’m in the beginning stages of a trial period with the management company as they pair me with different writers to work.

In addition, I announced my 15-show tour from Tennessee to Wyoming - which I’m in the midst of! It’s been an absolute blast being on the road, meeting new people and seeing old friends. Next up: Cheyenne, WY! I’ll be playing some shows with fellow Homie Ty Warner. We’ll be celebrating the release of our single, “Love is Everywhere” produced by fellow Homie Scott Griffin. I am really excited to get back out to the West Coast! And I look forward to releasing new music soon.

What’s cool about HOME is…

Logan, Banks, and the rest of the team are so receptive to new ideas. Anytime I make a suggestion, they’re always supportive. When you’re part of HOME, they really genuinely want HOME to be worthwhile for you. They want HOME to help you with your needs and to get you where you can see and feel career growth as an artist. They really do care, and it’s nice to know they want the best for you.

HOME is unique in the sense that its focus is on honing your craft as an artist and as a producer. As an artist, to have a space to rehearse, to have networking opportunities, and to have different events that Logan puts on—like publisher nights, TV and film/sync live streams—that access to everything HOME provides is valuable.

---

More From Olivia

Alacia Reynolds

Alacia Reynolds is a singer songwriter who cut her teeth on gospel music. These days, she is finding her lane as a powerhouse vocalist in r&b and hip hop with new releases on the horizon. This is her HOME story . . .

---

I had the goal

of re-branding my YouTube channel to post live recordings of cover songs. However, before discovering HOME, I didn’t have a consistent space to practice and record. At that time, I was gigging a lot on top of being a ‘non-traditional’ Belmont grad student. Even though I was connecting with musicians at Belmont, they lacked the experience I sought.

The first night I saw the HOME space, I signed up for my membership. HOME provided both the professional community and the proper production space to record the YouTube videos that I needed. Today, most of the videos I have on my YouTube channel were recorded in HOME Studio B. The HOME community was also able to link me up with some professional tech people, engineers, and other amazing artists. It has been an extreme blessing. 

When I started re-doing my YouTube videos, I had planned how many videos I was going to do, when I was going to do them, and so on and so forth. With maybe four videos recorded, I was just getting ready to do some more...but then the tornado hit East Nashville. Unfortunately, HOME was damaged and needed to close for a minute. And right after the tornado, the COVID shutdowns happened and gigs stopped.

As a gospel musician,

60% of my pre-pandemic income was playing church gigs. During the lockdowns, a church out in Memphis hired me to do videos for them. BUT because I had no money coming in, I could not afford to continue recording videos at HOME and pay my membership. However, I needed to do these videos in order to earn income. It was a catch-22. 

Fortunately, HOME decided they weren’t going to charge anybody for coming in to use the space. I don’t know how many months during the pandemic they did that, but we had no membership fees while still being able to come in and record.

That is what kept me afloat during the first five or six months of the pandemic...because if they had asked me to pay...I was already struggling as a musician, but I couldn’t afford to not take that church gig. 

At that moment I realized, “Ok! These people actually care about us.” 

They knew that it would be not only a waste of my money but also a waste of their investment in me if I didn’t continue to build my career as a musician and continue to get stuff done. That still is one of the most valuable things that has happened to me my whole time in Nashville, period.

Another super cool moment that happened through HOME was with a YouTube video I recorded in HOME’s Studio B.

I recorded a cover of a song by Monica—who is one of my inspirations as an artist—when she and Brandy competed on Verzuz. At the time, since Verzuz was really hot, I thought it would be a good idea to ride the wave of social media buzz around one of the episodes. I recorded and released the video September 2020. Then maybe around June 2021, someone from Glamour magazine reached out to me via email and said “Hey, we saw your video of Monica on YouTube.” 

I’m thinking it’s just some random person that wanted to put me on their YouTube channel. But she asked for an interview as well, which I agreed to do. During the video call, she asks if she can start recording and send a video link for me to open. I told her I was ok with that. She sends me a link while we’re on Zoom and says, “click on this.” When I click the link, I see Monica watching the video of me singing her song, reacting to it, and giving me pointers and compliments on my version of her song. I was like, “Wow! Ok!” 

When Glamour posted the video of Monica reacting to my cover of her song, I felt really validated, especially since I thought nobody was watching those videos. But that instance made me realize that it’s not about how many people are watching them, it’s about who is watching them.

My YouTube channel has grown by over 100 people since then. Legitimate followers, too—not people who came to watch the video and then left, but people who comment and say, “I’m so glad I found you! When are you going to put some new stuff up?”

That experience meant a lot to me. I recorded those videos because I felt the need to keep putting content out due to people at HOME encouraging me and telling me, “We’re ready for you to record something!”

I actually just finished laying down some more tracks. I’m working with https://homeformusic.org/jarrel-piersonJarrel Pierson—he’s one of the producers at HOME. He’s going to help me record some of my original stuff so that we can stockpile content and start releasing my music as singles.

Because of the relationships I have built through HOME, I know that if I need music recorded efficiently, professionally, and to sound bomb, I have at least three people right now who will answer the phone every time.

No other community I’ve been part of before feels like HOME. When I have worked with others in the past, there’s been a hostile competition where people think, “I’m going to help you only to the point where you won’t outshine me.” It never feels competitive like that at HOME because everybody I’ve talked to there has a billion things going on. If anything, we push each other to take on more projects.

I joined HOME when I was in school and had a lot going on.

Even so, I knew that if I could make myself go up there, I could accomplish something amazing for my music career. And any time I’m at my house and think to myself “I need to record a video now” or “I need to go practice real quick” I just go up there! 

Sometimes I just need to go into a space that is not my house to focus, concentrate, and get some work done. When I go to HOME instead of a coffee shop, I know that I’m not going to worry “how long have I been here?” or “when are they closing?” I know that HOME is always open—24/7. 

From the leaders at HOME to the other members—everybody is actually trying to help you. Not only are they trying to help you, but they also make sure that you’re held accountable to the goals you set for yourself. 

They don’t simply take your money and let you rest on your laurels. With all the content they’re constantly putting out, all the events they have, and all the opportunities to learn...when you go there, you realize, “These people want to see me creating and want to see me successful, both as a business person and as an artist.”

---

More from Alacia

How HOME Improved the Community and Helped Music Creators Grow their Careers in 2022

As the year comes to an end, we want to thank you for supporting the HOME Mission as we create revolutionary new ways to empower music creators and their teams. 

There are so many accomplishments that we’d love to share with you, but here are some of the most exciting ones grouped into 4 categories: 

🎓 Member Programs 🎓

 

💻 Platform Improvements 💻

 

🛠 Facility Improvements 🛠

 

🏆 Member Wins 🏆

We hosted an average of four Online Programs and two Group Mentorship sessions each month plus another 30+ in-person workshops, networking events, listening parties and pitch sessions throughout the year for a total of over 100 professional development opportunities for HOME Members. 

Here are our top 10 Industry Leaders that we hosted events with in 2022:

1. Melissa Spillman - VP A&R Concord Publishing

2. Craig O'Neill - Head of Licensing Silver Side Productions

3. Fadia Kader - Head of Global Partnerships TikTok

4. Michelle Tigard Kammerer - Head of Country Music at Amazon Music

5. Chris Martignago - A&R Director Prescription Songs

6. Wes Davenport - Director of 1824 at Universal Music Group

7. Heather Cook - Head of Brand Partnerships at peermusic

8. Liz Rogers - Founder & Creative Director Anacrusis

9. Kadeem Phillips - Founder & CEO Power Entertainment

10. Aubrey Wickenheiser - Manager JP Saxe

Over the last year, we did a community migration to a more customizable and scalable platform as well as a full overhaul of the design so that Members can find the resources, connections, and booking options more quickly and easily.

Here are our top 5 new platform features that were rolled out in 2022:

1. Members in our ‘Elite Artist’ program can now book studio sessions in real time using our Verified Producers as engineers without having to call or text the producer to check their schedule... like Uber for Producers. HOME is the first and ONLY organization in the world with this capability.

2. We created an UNLIMITED booking option that gives our Elite Artists the ability to book unlimited sessions in Studio B with one booking at a time on the calendar. This has been a HUGE HIT with the Homies, and it is currently our fastest growing Membership option!

3. We started building out an Elite Artist Roster on the platform so that we can more easily pitch our artists and position them for paid opportunities through our network. More improvements to the roster are planned for early 2023!

4. We are now offering a FREE Account level on the platform that provides a Weekly Resource Drop and free music industry webinars where you can learn more about how HOME is designed to empower modern music professionals.

5. Thanks to the amazing developers of our online community, we are now hosting live streamed workshops and mentoring sessions natively inside of the platform (like Zoom, but built in). Plus there are chat rooms, private group chat threads, the ability to host educational courses and MUCH more!

One of the most revolutionary things about HOME is that we not only provide development programs and an online community, our Members can also access a world-class production facility designed around the needs of the modern music creator. From writing to rehearsal to recording, content creation and performance, you can accomplish everything you need to in the HOME Facility.

Here are the top 3 improvements we made to the HOME Facility this year:

1. We converted HOME into a next-level live broadcast production facility for our Songtank pitch contest with an unprecedented combination of in-person and virtual experiences. You can view our first 3 episodes of Songtank at www.songtank.info

2. We took the acoustic treatment up a notch in the Live Room and added 18 new panels. World class studio designer Steven Durr is currently consulting with us to make the Live Room one of the best sounding rooms of its size on the planet!

3. We thought that the audio quality in Studio A was as good as it could get until we had a new Member join the community - Dariush Rad, Founder of Asterope cables. You may not believe that cables can make that much of a difference, and honestly we didn’t either. However, using Asterope cables at key points in our signal chain has absolutely taken Studio A to the next level. If you are an audio nerd, we invite you to come by for a visit and hear it for yourself!

The reason we work so hard behind the scenes to create all of these opportunities and make so many improvements is so that our Members can get more value out of their HOME Membership and accomplish bigger goals in their own careers. 

Seeing our Homies win makes it all worth it! 

Here are a few of the Member Wins we want to shoutout:

🏆 3 of our Elite Artists released songs that got over a million streams! Congrats to OG Homie Grey Zeigler whose song ‘Sensitive Subject’ is currently over 5 Million, AJ Smith whose song ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ is over 1.5 Million, and to Taylor Bickett whose song ‘Quarter Life Crisis’ is now close to 7 Million!

🏆 A few of our Homies landed significant sync placements in 2022, but we want to give a special shoutout to OG Homie Cash Callaway whose original composition got chosen as the theme song for the new Netflix series Super Giant Robot Brothers!

🏆 Jess Sharman and Emma Lynn White were chosen by music executives as our first two winners of the Songtank pitch contest. They each walked away with a prize package valued at over $5,000 and have since been invited to participate in writing camps, write for sync briefs, and scored a cut with one of Germany’s emerging pop stars as a direct result of winning the contest.

🏆 OG Homie and world-class music marketer Brian Bauer, founder of Bauer Entertainment Marketing was recognized as a finalist for ‘Best in Business’ and won ‘Best Place to Work’ award by the Nashville Business Journal. He was also a finalist for ‘Emerging Entrepreneur’ of 2022 at the Nashville’s NEXT Awards and was selected to join the Leadership Music Class of 2023!

🏆 Manager, publisher and future record mogul Kadeem Phillips had an absolute blowout year with the producers and artists on his roster at Power Entertainment releasing numerous hit songs including a Grammy nomination, 4 Billboard Number Ones, a BMI Writer of the Year Award, and multiple platinum records! Kadeem also signed 4 new artists, did a joint venture with Made in Memphis, became a voting member of the Recording Academy and joined the Academy of Country Music. 

🏆 Last but not least, HOME Founder, Logan Crowell, was given the Industry Impact Award by Belmont University for his role in disrupting the music industry. The word ‘disrupting’ sounds so rude… we prefer to think of it as Helping Our Music Evolve!

We would love to be a part of your success story in 2023, and we are here to help you have a productive and prosperous New Year!

Lord Goldie: Building a Team as a Nashville Hip Hop Artist

Born and bred in Nashville, Lord Goldie remains loyal to Music City and creates opportunities to grow the local Hip Hop scene.

Lord Goldie is not only a unicorn (what Nashville natives are called because they are so rare), but she’s also a founding member of HOME (aka an OG Homie)— signing up for her membership before HOME’s doors opened.

Here’s her HOME story…

---

Nashville hasn’t yet caught on to the local Hip Hop scene.

So as a Nashville Hip Hop artist, even though I was making music I was proud of, I had to accept that there were certain places that it wouldn’t fit.

I needed to find where I would fit. 

With my band, MUJA, we battle with the issue of not having regular venue support around Nashville—and that’s irritating for any artist around here, especially if you were born and raised in Nashville like me. At times, Nashville hip hop artists want to give up because you feel like you’re not good enough for the people here.

I’ve had to overcome that negativity and keep going, knowing that I do have a purpose here. 

When I met some of the Verified Producers at HOME, they showed me both how they navigate  their careers and the potential of my own career as a producer/engineer. That has helped me tremendously.

One incredible event that happened at HOME fairly recently was Songtank.

It was dope! It was definitely not your ordinary pitch; it’s like Songland x Shark Tank. I feel like my band and I really connected with one of the sharks on the panel.

A lot of these situations in the music industry are all about who you connect with and then nurturing those relationships until something happens.

In any case, Songtank really helped me perfect my pitch. It helped all of us connect with other artists in the room, and there will probably be some big business deals that come out of it.

Songtank was born after HOME started an Entertainment Committee, which I joined. We were brainstorming and came up with the idea of ‘Shark Tank, but with songs.’ 

What If we get three music industry decision makers together to hear music we all agree is top notch, can they guarantee an opportunity for an artist like they do on Shark Tank?

Back in November and December we started planning the event. Over time, we met and discussed what we needed and what we already had for Songtank. By the time the event rolled around, we received over 120 song submissions.  The Verified Producers at HOME listened to all the submissions and picked the final 10 to pitch their songs to the sharks.

After the Songtank event, we noted what happened, what could have happened, and what needed to happen to make the next Songtank even better. 

But the very next day after Songtank, I got an email about a future opportunity.

Of course, I can’t say for sure they reached out because of Songtank, but that would be a big win regardless of whether we proceed. Basically, a big sports agency who loves our song “Sunday Funday” reached out and said they want to use it. That would be a big sync placement, however, we’d like the contract to be non-exclusive. If it works out, then that’d be dope. But right now we’re just trying to make sure we make the best move. 

Plus, we had some people that we already knew in the crowd at Songtank who really loved that track. One guy is pitching it everywhere for us now too, which is another positive outcome from the event. We just want these deals to be non-exclusive so the songs can be everywhere and not with just one company.

Even if those opportunities fall through, Songtank was still awesome because of the relationships we built with everyone there.

Before Songtank happened, we did The Best of Nashville Hip Hop show in 2021.

That event was an opportunity for hip hop artists in Nashville to showcase their talent to a wider audience. The Best of Nashville Hip Hop was especially a moment for my band MUJA because they were the backing band for every artist that performed. There were about 7 artists on the bill, besides myself, so MUJA had the opportunity to perform with a lot of amazing artists.

The first Best of Nashville Hip Hop was such a hit that we did a second show a few months later. The ability to do those shows is largely because of the resources and support from everyone at HOME. 

If you’re a creative who is looking for a community where you can be yourself, grow, and seek counsel, then HOME is the spot. They have a lot to offer artists, producers, songwriters, lawyers—whatever it is you do.

I joined HOME in January 2018.

Logan didn’t even open the space to the public until April 2018. When I looked at the space, it was just an empty garage. But Logan showed me everything they were working on and told me the vision he had for HOME. I understood his vision, so I gave him a down payment to become a Member that same day. Sometimes you have to be an outside-the-box thinker to understand the potential of a space that isn’t yet fully realized. I’m glad I was able to see that in the moment and join HOME so early on.

At the HOME Facility, I can network with people just hanging out and coming in; I meet people who have the same goals even though they may not be another musician or rapper. They might be a lawyer who wants to be a mentor to the Homies or an entrepreneur seeking the structure that HOME gives.

Because of the variety of people who join, HOME has definitely helped me build my contact list and step out of my zone as a hip hop artist. There, I have honed my skills as a songwriter, engineer, producer, manager—everything.

I’ve been able to have access to places and events that I wouldn’t normally be able to get into on my own, whether it be NAMM or different programs. Because of HOME’s programs, I met Jason at Rootnote who helped me out with the business side of my music career. The NashVilla, Think Tank sessions, and other co-writing collaborations are just a few of the things I’ve been able to be a part of and experience because of HOME.

Come join the community and use it to your benefit!

I’ve seen people come in who didn’t know how to use HOME, so they left without asking questions about what to do. When you come in, just be active and use your voice if you feel like something could change or if something isn’t right.

The HOME Team is constantly working to improve the community and facilities. I’ve been at home for 4 years now, and it’s been nothing but blessings.

---

More from Lord Goldie

Fyre Byrd: Independent Artists Find a Supportive Community

To expand their music career, Breeze and Samtré traveled from Australia to the United States in October 2021. The Aussie twins have played music together since they were kids and saw it as a viable career path as they grew older. Music became part of their identity, so they followed their instincts to pack up and go to Music City, USA. And then they discovered HOME . . .

---

Samtré - We moved out of the country with one suitcase and a backpack each.

We’re here to take our music as far as it can go. 

Breeze - When you make a move like that, you have to commit. You do have to be a little bit insane. But, the insanity is really a certain type of drive that pushes you towards discomfort. Over the last 8 months, we’ve learned what discomfort truly looks like.

Samtré of Fyre Byrd

Discomfort keeps you on your toes…but it can also break you. In a weird way, this experience has been encouraging, in the sense that nothing can scare us now—we’re already doing the scariest thing we’ve ever done.

B - When we were in Australia, we were touring heavily.

We toured with Catfish and the Bottlemen, and witnessed how being a successful touring artist actually works. The incredible feedback from the audience fueled everything else.

However, Australia is limited on venues to book. Even if you did big arena tours, there would only be about 4 shows. When we toured with Catfish and the Bottlemen in Australia, we were lucky to get 5 shows. By the time the 5th show comes around, you’re left wondering what’s next. It’s very limited in that way.

In contrast, US tours book like 20 to 26 shows a month for maybe one leg, and then they will come back for another leg or book 3 months worth of shows. For that reason alone, we saw moving to the US as a better option to build our music career. 

B - Building a career as an independent artist

Breeze of Fyre Byrd

fully on your own requires a wide variety of skills. We’re really skilled at making music and performing it; we willingly put in the time to master those skills. But do we also want to put in countless hours for everything else to be just as skilled? Or can we find someone who has already put in the time to master those skills?

S - Before we moved and joined HOME, we never felt like we had anywhere to go to find the help we needed. We felt forced to figure out things on our own because that’s what a majority of independent artists around us did. While a lot of music creation and business development can be DIY, it's really hard to learn everything you need from just educational content on the internet because you can’t ask the content questions you have.

B - What’s great about HOME is that, not only do we have the freedom to ask any question about anything, but we also don’t feel like we have to prove anything to get the help. Whether the question be about direction, the brand, a song, or whatever, we simply ask and receive an answer. It’s as simple as you want it, no strings attached.

S - Because we’re still going through the Visa processing, we’re limited on what we can do at the moment. So we’re forced to use this sort of downtime to be patient and look deep to answer “What can we do in this time?” 

B - Before discovering the resources at HOME,

we could only work on our laptop using GarageBand. Now we have the capability to work with a lot more tools here, and receive the education to use those tools. Plus, the Weekly Activations make networking with other HOME creatives easy. We’re able to meet people—even people that we wouldn’t have guessed could help us—just by listening to and learning from other artists’ processes. And those valuable resources are all in one spot, so we don’t have to go out and find them. In a way, it all comes to us. 

S - When we joined as Elite Artists, we thought, “back home needs something like the HOME music community,” because where we come from in Adelaide, creatives collaborate only within their friends group. Even then, the collaboration is very me-focused and tunnel visioned. It lacks an encouraging atmosphere that motivates you to achieve more. They hit a wall when they need to progress since they simply don’t know what to do to grow.

B - Or they’ll hit a wall when they receive the same response from people of “Oh, I can’t help you until you get your numbers up.” Whereas, HOME gives artists breathing room to build up to something and see which steps to concentrate on to get there. Having more focus on our music career has been a huge thing because we’ve been independent for a long time, which does get very exhausting.

It’s very easy to ask for help at HOME and people are very happy to give it to you with nothing attached. That’s how giving and receiving help should be; you never know where people will end up in their careers.

S - For example, we had a Zoom call with Logan, and he went through a flowchart of different pathways for artists. Before we met Logan, we had always thought we were quite focused on what we wanted to do. However, his curiosity made us dig deeper.

B - We’ve always wanted to be a live band. That's what we want to be known for, but we also really love creating stuff. We describe it as a sort of creative ADHD—like we can’t focus on one thing. 

Logan asked, “If you like playing live, would you want to be backing musicians? Would you care if you were performing a song somebody else had written?” We’re not interested in being a backing band or performing other songs, so that made us realize that we can’t always just focus on doing shows. Now there’s this whole other element. We also need to build our brand and create other things. Logan added more stepping stones to our end goal to help us see how to use our hyperactive creativity to our advantage.

S - Our path feels easier now

because we know exactly where we want to go, what to look for, and opportunities we can let go.

B - There’s so many pathways in music, especially in this town. You can do music for sync, co-writing, or publishing, etc. While that all sounds really amazing because that’s potential income—which is what we need at the end of the day—it’s still another skill that takes your time and energy.

S - Instead of agreeing to everything, we’re able to think about how we can actually align opportunities with our vision, rather than expend our creative energy into some other box. We’ve got some new ideas that we’re really excited about.

B - The recorded music we release is different to our live show because we sample the drums for our recordings to allow more creativity. In a live space, we don’t use backing tracks, so the drums are more raw and in your face. Our show is like, “Hi! We’re here!” 

We plan to do some live recordings in HOME’s Live Room to build the anticipation and let audiences know what to expect when they see us perform. Eventually, we want to stream our show. When we start releasing, we want to do a single every month and have the live versions coincide with them. 

S - Additionally, we’ve been able to focus on building our brand.

Logan has a lot of really good brand ideas. He’s really good at seeing what we’re already presenting for our brand and suggesting where we should lean in heavier or be more specific. For example, he told us when he clicked on our Instagram, the bio hooked him. It says, “We’re here to start rap beef with The Rock,” but Logan didn’t see anything in our feed that tied back to rap or The Rock. So now, we’ve started this TikTok reel campaign where we’re producing Dwayne Johnson’s hip hop record, but he doesn’t yet know it. It’s so dumb, but we love being dumb like that.

B - Now we’re all over The Rock’s socials finding sound bytes to piece together to make songs for his hip hop career. The bio came from when he actually did release a rap song. The Rock actually rapped, and I don’t think a lot of people know that. It’s so funny. The song is called “Face Off” by Tech N9ne. 

S - On the horizon, we’re producing The Rock’s debut album. We’re doing it whether he likes it or not.

S - By the time our visa allows us to start releasing stuff

and actually do things, we’ll have heaps of content ready to pull the trigger on as soon as we get the green light. Because we’re in a space at HOME where we can pair up with all sorts of people, look at educational material, and chat with Logan to help us figure out what to do, we have all the resources we need to freely create and grow our brand.

---

More from Fyre Byrd

Cameron Jaymes: Lessons From a Music Business Mentor

On May 18, 2022, Members were invited to a Zoom meeting with HOME’s new Writer in Residence - Cameron Jaymes.

He shares his personal story of transformation from artist to writer to producer and publisher. And then he takes a deep dive into the lessons he has learned from his very notable music business mentors.

Check out the video and transcript below for some wisdom that will help you on your own journey to greatness!

I started as an artist, about 15 years old…

All my friends were in bands; it's like cool to be in bands right? I met a family friend who was a producer. He actually ended up becoming quite a brilliant Grammy award winning producer whose name was Mike Busby, otherwise known as busbee. I was the first artist he developed.

I signed a record deal when I was 18-19 years old with Capitol Virgin Records and a publishing deal with Universal. It wasn't for me I realized over some years, and I guess like, you know, there are a lot of stall outs with major labels.

I loved being in the studio.

I liked playing live shows, but I loved being in the studio. So I was always asking for recording budgets. And at some point busbee said, (we're having a conversation as dear friends)

“I think you don’t like being an artist as much as you like being in a studio; being a studio rat.”

And I really identified with that. I always wanted to write songs, but I didn't just wanna write songs, I always heard in my head what they could be.

That was maybe 2008 or 2009. I started making that pivot and spent a few years just producing anything I could produce. That was kind of the realization to me. You know, it's so hard to do anything or make money in all of this.

If I was gonna die on the hill, I was gonna die on the hill doing the things that I absolutely was so passionate about.

That's kind of how I ended up in songwriting and producing. And now I’m in publishing. Because, as I've grown in my career, I love working with young artists, writers and producers, and I want to help them have those realizations (like busbee helped me have).

I think a lot of us don't get great mentors that can help US work through that.

I was lucky to, and I am again now with my publisher, Dann Huff, who is a huge country producer. We still to this day are having coffee every month, just talking about what's going on up here (in your head), not always about what your proficiencies are.

L: Were there other lessons that Busbee taught you along the way?

C: We're always looking for a yes. Yeses, mean survival in music, right?

It's like… someone said, yes, I might make some money!

We're living for a yes, because all we hear is no all the time. And we start to try to avoid nos. With busbee, I would say at times he was so hard on me. He knew that the most important thing he could teach you was to challenge yourself. The thing I try to teach, and I have two writers signed to me now, is like, and I try to tell them, you have to sort of love what you do and be a little bit dissatisfied.

You gotta know that you make your greatest thing that you can make. And then you gotta like, do it again. And you gotta push further and harder. The moment you start cruising, it feels scary to people like busbee.

“What does this mean if we’re just cruising? It means this is the best it's gonna ever be.”

And so, that’s the drive - is this good enough? Is this finished?

And I think that's the other thing he really taught me was to have a skeptical eye towards what ‘finished’ is… is this really the best we can do? Is this actually that good?

We think what we do is great because we know the vision. We hear it in our head differently than the world hears it.

But is it competitive with what everybody else is hearing? And I'm not saying you gotta be like pop music. It doesn't have to be Arian Grande. It doesn't have to be country music. It could be indie. But is it competing with that other dope thing? It was so great to have a mentor that was always asking that.

That sort of mentality really helped me a lot to learn, to finish to scrutinize.

Not everybody's the greatest lyricist or melodic writer, not everybody's the greatest track writer. And we all have these specialties…

But there's a really great role in learning to be an editor.

Knowing when a lyric is finished doesn't mean you wrote the whole lyric. It means you just know the level of the taste of ‘that's a done lyric’. So you can push your collaborators harder. He (busbee) just put his money where his mouth is.

And I learned that most of the people that are in the music business and that are making the things that we all wanna make, the people that challenge me are all challenging themselves.

That process is super important.

As creatives, hold yourself to the standard of the kind of career you wanna have.

If you wanna be Quincy Jones, you've gotta get into the mindset of people like Quincy Jones.

You've gotta treat your records, even if no one's gonna hear them, like Quincy Jones treats a Michael Jackson record. This is the most important record.

And then from Dann Huff, I've kind of learned the other side of it, which is sometimes that things are just gonna go your way. And sometimes they're not. You do all that you can, and then guess what - it might flop.

A lot of times it’s got nothing to do with you. It's so outta your control, it's such a game and that's the hard part for us to hear as creatives. You just have to make the records, love them, and you have to sort of just let them go and let them do what they do.

The wind might just blow your way. And next year you could be winning a Grammy for album of the year. And then sometimes it feels like you're stuck in gear for three years.

People that are legitimately where you want to be are all feeling the same thing. It does not matter how many hits you have, how many millions of dollars you have in the bank. The people that have a million dollars in hits are still literally bashing their head against a wall going like, what am I doing with my life? And I don't say that to be depressing. I say that to say, hang in. Wherever you're at right now, nothing's gonna change. Except hopefully you can pay your rent better or buy a home. The madness of music will always be around us.

You are your own business.

Like we tend to think about record labels or publishers and we wanna be part of their business.

And the truth is, your career, whether you're a songwriter, producer, artist, whatever it is, you are the business.

And that's something that I've seen bring major growth in my career is just building my own mechanisms. I gotta build things that then these people can come in and do business with.

But if I'm just in the machine of record labels and whatever, I live or die by it. I started learning in the last five or seven years, how to be enterprising and entrepreneurial in my career outside of purely writing songs and producing records.

You start to realize that you're your greatest advocate. You are your greatest business structure.

You sort of start by building that small little thing. People will be drawn to it. That's a great idea. Let's throw $50 million at. And it's like, that's basically what publishers and labels and all these different people are really great at.

They look at something and go, oh, that's a cool little startup over there that writer, I wanna like throw money at. Whereas, a lot of creators get this idea that they're gonna go into those companies and become a business.

Don’t wait around to become a business!

Build your team and grow your career faster by joining HOME Online.

Gwen Holt: Songwriting Coach to Music Producer

A jack of all trades when it comes to music, Gwen Holt is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, Berklee trained songwriter, and private music teacher.

If there is one HOME member who utilizes and squeezes every drop of juice out of all the programs offered, it’s Gwen. This is her HOME story . . .

---

Being self-employed,

I work from home. Before I joined HOME, most opportunities I had to meet potential collaborators and clientele involved going out to concerts and bars.

However, when you go to concerts, you don’t really meet people. You mostly hang out with the people you arrive with. 

My second option, going to bars to meet people, wasn’t much better. But when I first came to town as a songwriter, that was the thing to do.

Everyone would hang out in certain bars or restaurants like The Longhorn or Figlio’s/Sammy B’s, to meet people. And that’s cool, but you can very easily turn into a broke wino doing that! Plus, it’s usually other songwriters that you meet there. And back in those days, it was very male-dominated.

If you were hanging out at a bar as a woman, it was nearly impossible to make clear you were a serious songwriter looking for quality co-writers, not dates.

HOME is very unique.

I had never heard of anything quite like it before, so I was very excited to join.

There are very few places like HOME where the range of people you meet is so broad. I meet producers, writers, performers, up-and-coming artists, bands, attorneys, publicists, and marketing people.

That variety is much more helpful for what I’m doing now, which is quite a lot of different things. And HOME gives me access to all those people in a space where I can get to know them.

The people I’ve met have become my friends, and I see them nearly every week.

I’ve met people through HOME Online Activations - a lot of those during the pandemic, of course. And there are networking events, shows, and educational workshops, to name just a few of the benefits offered. 

I’ll never forget the moment I discovered the Feedback Sessions. That was definitely my favorite HOME resource right off the bat.

I identify mainly as a songwriter, so to have other songwriters/producers give intelligent productive feedback on songs, arrangements, and mixes was both really helpful and an ”oh I’ve found my people!” moment.

People in the HOME community think the same way that I do.

They understand that there is more to songwriting than writing a song. When the production is lacking, you’re in trouble; production is part of the songwriting - especially nowadays.

It’s a big world out there.

There’s a lot of competition, so you want to get every edge that you can. The lyrics, arrangement, production, performance, mixing, mastering, etc. are all opportunities to improve the song. That’s the way the people at HOME think, which makes it a really exciting community to tap into - to get some quality feedback, and to give quality feedback as well.

In that particular group, I can offer the multi-instrumentalist perspective, and I have a strong songwriting background.

I studied at Berklee College of Music, graduated, and took all of the commercial songwriting classes. I’ve written hundreds of songs. However, despite having produced and co-produced about a hundred songs, I’m not an experienced recording engineer.

Others in the Feedback Sessions have much more production and engineering experience, which makes their feedback especially valuable to me.

It’s a really great, symbiotic opportunity that provides the perfect avenue for collaboration.

I feel like I am able to contribute something to what they are doing, and they are most definitely contributing to what I’ve been up to. All the various resources and people that HOME brings together have helped me start releasing singles that I’ve been sitting on for far too long!

‘Some Old Dylan’ is one song I’m working on with Allan Fine, who is helping to engineer and co-produce it with me. I'm also working on a music video for it, and now I’ve started to make an entire swamp-blues-Americana EP in my home studio, co-produced/engineered by Allan Fine as well.

Allan and I are also bartering lessons. He’s helping me strengthen my engineering skills, and I’m helping him strengthen his vocal/songwriting skills.

HOME has also given me more exposure to the type of clientele I’m looking for as a music teacher, vocal and songwriting coach, and producer. I love working with both touring and up-and-coming artists, bands, and songwriters. I’ve also been able to do more pre-production, which I love.

And the HOME Live Room is so multifaceted - from helping me stream live shows on Facebook to putting on a recital with 200 people. I organized a festival with 7 of my student bands there.

It would have cost me a fortune to rent a similar venue for a show like that.

But with a member discount, it was half price, which helped a lot. Plus, its location right in East Nashville, near Five Points, is perfect.

Even though I teach music and give online lessons from my home studio, I have taken my students into HOME for various things. I teach bands—adult bands and kid bands. We do classic, rock, pop, and whatever people want to do.

When we’ve written songs, I’ve taken bands to HOME and recorded them. One we did with Ian Osborne, and of course he did a great job of recording and co-producing that. Allan Fine mastered one and also did excellent work.

The HOME Community ties you in with a lot of talented people who work together really well in so many different ways.

Other than that, the friendships that I’ve built have been the big win. No matter how you look at it, creating, performing, and releasing, music is a tough road that can be frustrating and isolating. Especially nowadays with streaming and the pandemic, it’s a challenge to make a significant amount of money as an artist.

All the aspects of the journey are not exactly easy, so to find other people who are crazy enough and passionate enough to get on that road—and stay on that road—is something really special!

---

Check out this songwriting lesson from Gwen on the HOME for Music YouTube Channel 👇

More from Gwen

Songtank Episode 1

This Success Story is about Songtank... 

a recently launched project that is making a HUGE impact for the Homies and the local music community.

The idea for Songtank was hatched in a meeting with our newly formed Special Events Committee.

The goal of the meeting was to create a big event that would happen quarterly and would give HOME Members a chance to execute the event as a team. Acting as a business incubator, we also felt it was important to focus on creating business outcomes for our Members.

We kicked around ideas of ticketed live showcases, a 'Creator's Expo', fundraisers... but we landed on making it a pitch event for recorded music.

HOME has done private pitch events in the past and regularly helps Members navigate those activities, but this was the first time we made it a production...

HOME is an artist development and production community... so what is the best way to show off HOME's artists, producers, the facility, and the music being made here, while ALSO creating really impactful business relationships???

SONGTANK!

We're not sure who said it first, but we all understood... like a cross between Songland and Shark Tank 🎶🦈

We made the pitch event a Live TV Show!

The first step was to find our 'Sharks', so we tapped our industry network and locked in the Vice President of A&R from Concord Music Publishing, the VP of Sync at Big Yelllow Dog, and the Head of Licensing at Silver Side Productions.

Instead of calling them 'Sharks', we wanted everyone to know they had the power at their companies to sign artists to deals, so we called them Decision Makers…

The next step was to make sure we had some truly amazing songs to play for our Decision Makers.

We started by sharing the opportunity with HOME Members, but we also wanted to include other talented creators in the Nashville community. So many of our industry associates shared the song submission opportunity as well, and we had over 120 submissions in about 10 days!

We had to narrow it down to 10 songs for the show, so we recruited the help of our Verified Producers to weigh in with their top 10. It was SO HARD to pick the finalists 🤯

5/10 of the songs featured were created by HOME Members, and a lot of the recording, mixing, and content creation for those projects happened at the HOME Facility!

Songtank Episode 1 is a true testament to the teamwork and talent that are thriving in the HOME Community:

• SO MANY AMAZING Homies 🤩 artists, songwriters, and producers that submitted music

• The 5 songs created by HOME Members that were selected to pitch

• Host and radio MC Adam Culver - also a Homie

• Live broadcast production crew - HOME Members

• The HOME Special Events Committee & Verified Producers

🎥 Watch the highlight video from Songtank Ep. 1 that aired LIVE on 3/22/22 and see the credits below for HOME Members who helped create this amazing music and event 🙌

• Young & on Fire - Hope Blanchard (Artist) with Mitch Goudy (Co-writer & Executive Producer) and Anthony Falcone (Producer & Mixer)

• This Feeling (Recorded & Mixed at the HOME Facility) - Lawrence D. (Artist) with Ian Osborne (Co-writer & Producer)

• Porcelain - Olivia Frances (Artist & Writer)

• Sunday Funday - Lord Goldie (Artist, Writer & Executive Producer)

• Cheers to My Teenage Years (Recorded & Mixed at the HOME Facility) - Chase Cimala (Artist) with Ian Osborne (Co-writer & Co-Producer) and Cash Callaway (Co-writer & Co-Producer)

🙏 Special thanks and shoutouts to Homies: Banks Camak III, Cason Pratt, DuWayne Sterling, Gerard Longo, Jacob Pixler, Mitch Goudy, Raymond Spencer, and Ben Lowry for all of their insanely impressive work on the audio and video production and to Juliana Lee, Mimi McCarley, Audrey Lidke, and Daniel Collins for their contribution behind the scenes 👂👀👌

📸 Credit for the AMAZING PHOTOS we got from the event goes to Alex Mars of Glasse Factory 🔥🔥🔥

Check out the Official Spotify Playlist from Songtank Episode 1 and be sure to follow, stream, and share your favorite artists so we can keep the momentum rolling for these Homies 📈

Want to see the FULL REPLAY of Songtank Episode 1?

Watch it now in the HOME FOR MUSIC Media Library 🎥

Allan Fine: Becoming a Full-Time Record Producer

HOME Member since 2018, Allan Boudreau-Fine is a Nashville based record producer with a growing career and a roster of impressive artists. But the road he traveled to find success was not for the faint of heart. Allan shares how he is overcoming the challenges of the music industry in the following HOME Story . . . 

---

As a producer,

I had trouble finding artists who were the right fit for me to work with. Before discovering HOME, there were a few artists I was working with, and we didn’t always click. Sometimes we disagreed on parts, but I felt the need to force projects because I didn’t know many other people in the city who were making music. Other times it was hard for them to take my work or their work seriously. Almost no one was paying me money for anything. Because of that, I couldn’t get my footing and take my career as a full-stop record producer to a more professional level. 

I had moved to Nashville to work on music, but I found myself working at a restaurant. It was spirit-crushing not doing music to the level I wanted. Feeling like my career was pointless, and living in the city for no reason...I was in a pretty low spot when I first joined HOME. But the community definitely helped me find my “musical purpose,” so to speak. Now I have a space I can go to where I constantly meet other people who pursue their passion in music. 

HOME has helped me tap into an entrepreneurial mindset in order to focus on and solidify what value I can offer to other people. That’s the basis of the community, and that has helped me more than anything else. 

One particularly eye-opening moment was during a Teamwork Wednesday call. We were talking about rates for records, and another HOME member basically told me, “The rates you’ve been charging are way too low. I’m going to CashApp you $100 right now and hire you to work on one of my songs.” He hired me for close to double what I was charging at the time. That was very legitimizing. 

Before joining HOME

Two years ago I was practically begging people to work with me. I was offering production services for free, approaching artists at shows to ask them if they’ve recorded certain songs they had just performed. A year or so after I joined HOME, I got a DM from an artist that I had seen play once, briefly. They asked if I’d be interested in producing a single. That was the first time that had ever happened the other way around, where an artist approached me and asked me to work on their record as a producer. And that’s happened multiple times since then. 

The only other concept similar to HOME I’ve experienced was when I was a student at Vanderbilt. There was a club called RVU Records—now it’s called VRS (Vanderbilt Recording Studio)—which was similar to HOME on the recording side. VRS was a small studio space for students to go in, work on projects, and see other people that you knew. Since we were all just students, it was more based on learning the actual processes and equipment for mixing and recording. Those resources were great when I was still a student. But after I graduated, I needed something more.

To me, HOME is a level up from VRS, where most members are music professionals striving to make careers out of their music capabilities in some shape or form.

In terms of production,

I use the facility for certain things that are beyond what I’m capable of doing in my studio at home—particularly tracking really quiet acoustic instruments or upright bass (my studio’s ceiling is really low, so I can’t fit an upright bass). And since I have a wall-mount AC unit, I’ll book studio time at HOME on especially hot days. I also use Studio A for mixing. I don’t have perfectly flat speakers, but HOME’s studio is very well treated. I’ll often book an hour there when I’m towards the final stages of a mix or master of a project. And particularly for hearing low-end, I trust that room to be more sonically true and without the biases of having an untreated room. 

The fact that booking the space is available hourly and on-demand is really powerful. I use it pretty regularly to track things ad-hoc with a hybrid set-up. So, I do most things in my home studio, and things I can’t do at my home studio, I do in Studio A or Studio B at HOME. Obviously there are a lot of studio spaces in Nashville—and a lot of very good studio spaces—but HOME’s online booking system is what makes it such a strong augmentation to my home studio set-up. 

HOME helps me make better records, which benefits both me and the people I’m working with. And when I’m working at HOME with artists, they see the facility. Two or three people outside of HOME whom I started working with have joined just because it’s a space they’ve enjoyed using. 

Utilizing HOME to grow my career as a producer has been a very steady build.

It’s not an overnight thing. But I’m much further along the path toward where I want to be, and this community has helped me get there faster and faster ever since I joined.

---

More from Allan

Kadeem Phillips: From Artist Showcases to Platinum Producers

Kadeem Phillips is the business man for artists and producers as an executive and manager, with a non-profit that channels his passion to implement equity.

He ideates and executes ways for artists to connect, grow, and showcase their best.

Through his time at HOME, Kadeem has created even more ways to make a positive impact on the arts community.

This is his HOME story:

---

I run a nonprofit in Nashville called Creatives Day, which helps youth foster their creativity and connect them to resources and opportunities.

Before finding HOME, there wasn’t a space I could utilize to grow and work on Creatives Day.

In December 2020, my nonprofit was looking for a space for the “Creatives Day Artist Showcase,” and we needed to LiveStream it since in-person events weren’t happening. HOME already had everything in their Live Room, including two or three cameras.

We were able to just go to HOME, tell them what we wanted to do, book the people that were already working at HOME—instant showcase! I didn’t have to do anything; everyone performing just had to show up. 

On top of that, HOME streamed the show on everyone’s Facebook page who was involved and wanted it on their page. They made it easy. You can’t ask for better. And because that showcase was so successful, we at Creatives Day ended up doing a second showcase in April. 

HOME is the first thing like it that I’ve been a part of. I can call Logan and ask, “Hey, do you have somebody that does this or that?” and get an immediate answer. It’s good to have that pool of creatives to pull from. Plus, with the nonprofit, I can pair my producers and artists with different people who work at HOME. 

I’ve also had the opportunity to speak at multiple workshops through my connections at HOME. For example, I spoke on a panel about being an artist and how to use your artistry for activism at the Arts & Business Council Creative Exchange in October 2021.

When I moved from Memphis to Nashville to attend FISK in 2010, I also moved away from home and the resources I would normally have. At first, I had trouble finding a safe space to take my artists and my producers to be able to practice. That changed when I met Logan and Banks at HOME.

The most impactful resource for my producers and artists is the ability to book overnight studio sessions.

When I started booking overnight sessions, I saved so much money on studio time. My guys like that window from 12AM-8AM; they don’t mind staying up to work or to rehearse. Plus, I already have the key. I can just go and bring the people in my organization with me in a moment’s notice.

I manage some big producers.

They’re outside of Memphis where I’m from. And they’re young, like 22 and 23, signing major deals early in their career. One is YC. He produced a record called “Back in Blood” by Pooh Shiesty.

That track has actually gone platinum three times.

Another producer I manage is Real Red, who is behind a lot of Moneybagg Yo songs. They did “Time Today” together, which got a sync placement  in the NBA 2K and Madden games. We also had a song that was in Fortnite. We have a lot of buzz going on with just those two producers.

In one spot, HOME has the atmosphere and everything else I need to do my work.

HOME has so many valuable resources, and I encourage everyone there to use everything they can. That’s how I’ve gotten where I am today.

In addition to LiveStreaming and recording, I’ve also used HOME to work and study for my current project as the Creative Director/Sound Track Development for a movie about the FISK Jubilee Singers, called Steal Away. To study for the movie’s music score, I booked one of the sound treated rooms at HOME to listen to Jubilee Singers’ music. 

Since most of the time I add value through one of my producers or artists, being the music supervisor for Steal Away is a special accomplishment.

This time, I have the opportunity to personally add value to the important historic film. It’s validating to be sought after as the person to help with the music department and build my alma mater. I embody the FISK spirit when it comes to getting out here and figuring it out. That’s all the Jubilee Singers were doing. They were just figuring it out.

This project is so important to me, because I want to help tell the story of why Nashville is called Music City. HOME has everything I need, so I’m probably going to record the album for Steal Away at the HOME Studio. Once the movie is ready, I’d like to premiere it for everyone there as well.

HOME puts the battery in people’s packs. That’s what I like to do too; I like to give. So having people that just want to pour into other people and having them on my side is big. I’m thankful for them.

We’re just getting started at HOME, so I hope they’re ready!

---

More From Kadeem

New Models for Music Creators w/ Sam Tinnesz

About this event

It's no secret that many music creators are now using 'sync' as part of their recipe for success. Sam Tinnesz is a shining example of how that strategy can work when executed well. 

You have most likely heard the voice and music of Nashville based alternative artist Sam Tinnesz and not even known it. This is because his songs often find homes in the most widely viewed shows on television.

In addition to his success with sync, Sam has built an impressive fan base and massive streaming numbers; racking up 200 million streams on “Play With Fire," leading to RIAA Gold, over 280k subscribers on YouTube and a monthly reach of over 3.6 million listeners on Spotify. Sam's collaborative mindset has led to impressive pop cuts and features with artists like Kygo (Don’t Give Up On Love feat. Sam Tinnesz), Banners, and Daniella Mason.

On October 14th, 2021 at 6p, Sam joined HOME Founder, Logan Crowell for a candid interview. Sam shared his story and some key tips for building a music career on your own terms.

Watch the replay below and join HOME Online now to get access to dozens of educational videos like these plus new live streamed events each month!

NFTs, Music & The Law

What is an NFT? What exactly are you selling when you sell a music-related NFT?

Learn about music-related NFTs and avoid the legal pitfalls of this exciting new revenue stream. Fill out the form below to watch!

MORE INFO ABOUT THE EVENT:

NFTs bring a great new revenue stream for the music industry, but they come with a lot of questions. At this seminar, you're going to get answers to many of them, including:

- What copyright issues arise when selling NFTs;

- What licenses might be needed when selling NFTs;

- How to structure your agreements between creators and labels/publishers/managers/distributors;

- Selling NFTs co-owned with your collaborators;

Listen to Attorney Colin Maher as he provides a background into NFTs and shines a light into some of the legal issues that arise when music-related NFTs are sold.

About Colin: Colin is "Your Lawyer for the New Music Industry." He founded his law firm Whiskey Ghost Entertainment Law in 2016 and has been named Super Lawyers' Rising Star the past three years. Colin represents musicians and music businesses in every facet of the music industry. Colin recognizes there is no status quo when it comes to the music industry, and prides himself on anticipating the ever-changing landscape of the music industry to properly protect its clients' rights and optimize potential business opportunities

Best of Nashville Hip Hop

On Friday, April 30, HOME led the charge for a coalition of influential music communities to join forces and celebrate Music City's rich hip hop culture.

The 'Best of Nashville Hip Hop' was a live broadcast featuring performances from 11 of Nashville's most notable hip hop artists:

- Byron Juane
- Nate Rose
- Daisha McBride
- Chuck Indigo
- Jordan XX
- $hrames
- 2'Live Bre
- TriplePlay Squeek
- Aaron Dews
- S-Wrap
- Lord Goldie

All artists performed on stage with high quality audio/video & lighting and were accompanied by local virtuoso musicians - MUJA - as a live backing band.

PLUS!

+ The show kicked off with a performance by Special Guest Emcee Derek Minor!

This event was broadcast LIVE from HOME - Helping Our Music Evolve in partnership with:

Live from the 615
Nashville Is Not Just Country Music
Underground Music Collective
Reflection Music Group
Third Eye
2 L's On A Cloud
Do615

MUCH gratitude to our confirmed sponsors who supported this event:

BMG
BMI
Guidance Whiskey
Sound Royalties
Red Bull