Expert Talk

Introducing Thrive- your online music business coach

Dear fellow songwriters,

today I would like to introduce to you a special mentorship program, designed for indie musicians that would like to break it in the music industry.

Thrive is an online mentorship founded by lovely Angela Mastrogiacomo, who is an industry professional with over a decade of experience in music PR and Marketing.

The following Q&As should give you and overview on what Thrive can do for you! So let´s ask Angela! 

Angela, you founded Thrive for emerging artists that are yet unsigned and would like to build their fanbase from scratch. What benefits can members expect from the mentorship? What will they learn?

Thank you so much for having me! I built Thrive as an alternative to pricey, exhausting in-person conferences, and now that we’re in a time of quarantine, when all in person socialization and networking has been cancelled, I feel like having that community is more important than ever.

Inside Thrive every month we have expert live Q&As in areas like how to book more shows, how to boost Spotify streams, how to make money from your music, and we even have an artist coming in this summer to talk about how they went from DIY to signed in just 5 years. Licensing, management, press, and marketing are all topics we cover as well.

Beyond all the tactile stuff like access to industry experts (hello life changing networking opps!) workshops, and one-on-one mentorship, we also have a supportive, thriving community of musicians and industry from all across the world. It’s an incredible support network and I couldn’t be more proud of our members.

How long do memberships typically last? Are there yearly or monthly packages available?

Artists can choose either month to month or to pay annually. 🙂 

Who are some of the experts you work with?

So many incredible experts! Some are well known like Rick Barker (former manager to Taylor Swift), Mike Ziemer (So What!? Festival), Jeremy Weiss (Launch Music Conference and Festival), Bree Noble (Profitable Musician Summit) as well as those who have been working hard behind the scenes like Katherine Turman who has had articles in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Noisey, Spin, Marie Claire, and Mother Jones.

How many members do you currently cater to?  Do community members interact with one another as well?

We currently have about 40 members, and the benefits of being such a tight knit group are definitely evident. It’s amazing to see our artists helping each other out with everything from Spotify and blog connections to gig opportunities. They show up for one another, which is really beautiful to see.

Tell us a bit about your own curriculum in the music industry. How did you get started as a publicist?

I got started in 2009 when I launched my music blog Infectious Magazine, after falling in love with the opening band at an Anberlin show. Eventually, that led me to launch Muddy Paw PR in 2014.

What would you say is the number one skill, modern musicians should obtain to build a sustainable business as a musician?

Such a good question! There are so many facets to this but overall I’d say fool-hearted consistency. This industry is going to knock you down over and over again, whether you’re just starting out or you’re selling out 10k venues.

 To be able to believe in yourself and want it so badly that you can easily pivot, try new things, and push yourself to get out there, no matter how hard it gets, it the #1 skill a musician can have. So yeah, consistency for sure.

Great answer! Then what is currently the biggest challenge most young songwriters/artists face?

Honestly, themselves. More specifically, a belief that the music should be enough. It’s just not. If an artist is still holding on to the belief that they can ignore all the practical, business sides of the industry like networking, social media, an energetic live show, etc because their music is so good that the industry will find them, they’re kidding themselves.

What is your next step with Thrive? What do you want our readers to know?

We have an incredible speaker lineup throughout the rest of the year, and tons of new workshops and opportunities to come, including “Listen to My Music” panels where industry experts at labels, management, and festivals will offer expertise on our member’s music as it relates to getting signed, booking a festival, etc—that’s something I’m really looking forward to!

We’re going to be closing the doors to new members on April 13th, and not re-opening until the summer, so if Thrive sounds like something you’re interested in I definitely suggest jumping in now. Especially because waiting for you inside Thrive immediately after sign up are past expert Q&As and masterminds as well as our workshop How to Make Money Online in the Music Industry, and our April guest expert Bree Noble answering your questions about making money.  It’s going to be an incredible experience, and I’m really excited!

Thank you, Angela and best of success with all your future ventures!

To learn more about the Thrive program and to sign up, please go to: 

https://www.angelamastrogiacomo.com/thrive 


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