For the first time on this podcast... I pull apart one of my songs to show you how to make a song that MEANS something (i.e. expresses a Purpose).

What do you need to make a piece of music that "lands"?

Too often, how we're taught to make music misses the MOST crucial aspect of what we're doing...

Despite the common assumption that both "inspiration" and "discipline" are GOOD... After 30 years of making music and helping others make music, I've come to a startling realisation: Requiring either/both is often a sign of an unhealthy, unsustainable creative process.

THAT time of the year is fast approaching again...

In the creative process (and the Music Machine system - which reflects the stages of the creative process) - in the second stage, "Discovery" - people often get lost. Here's why - and why Discovery is a crucial stage of any creative process. Not only musically but psychologically...

Imagine there's an obvious obstacle that EVERY ARTIST experiences daily - but NO ARTIST does anything to overcome. Wouldn't that be weird?

This is the final episode of season 6 of The Album because, through this season, I've finished the 6th album of my career. ‍

Your inner critic is useful. Until you let it become a tyrant...

Do you dread promoting / marketing / selling your music? So did I for my entire "first" music career (from 1994 to 2011). Until (through building my coaching business since 2012) I realised this...

Just over a week ago, I hit the deadline to complete my 6th album. Going into the final week it seemed impossible to finish on deadline. But I've experienced this situation too many times to cave in to the impossible. It just took a little perspective shift and then a bit of planning...

I cannot believe it's already mid-September and my lofty goals are no more than a dream. Here's how I'm going to make them a reality...

What is the difference between "influenced by" and "copying"?

If your music sounds the same as the noise, you can't be heard above it. And with AI - the noise is just going to get louder and more persistent. But there is a solution...

Why hasn't streaming killed albums? In a world of endless playlists, how are albums flourishing?

It's obvious that releasing music helps you attract fans, secure gigs and other beneficial career building stuff. But you can't make these external results the only reason to release. Because releases also fulfil a crucial function in your creative process...

If you don't set a date for finishing a release, it's all too easy to keep tweaking and twiddling forever. So, personal music deadlines are essential. But if you've ever struggled to hit your deadlines (while managing to hit them for other people) this is how I'm doing it...

This week, I went from struggling to fit music into my daily life to music being front and centre of my daily life...HOW?

What's REALLY holding you (and me) back in your music?

To make something new, take something old and make it your own...

When developing a unique creates fear and doubt... PURPOSE comes to the rescue!

This obsession nearly destroyed my music career - until I realised it was healthy...

With the tidal wave of generic music gushing forth from generic artists and AI Music Generators, this question is more important now than ever... How unique is your music?‍

Success isn't never falling off. It's knowing what to do WHEN you fall off - then doing it...

It's WAY too long since I updated you on what's happening with my albums.Despite some serious setbacks - they are still happening...

Here's the problem all musicians attempting to build an artist music career and/or business have - and the solution available to all of us...

What an AI can't do is ask WHY...

If you're not finishing music, you might have some theories about what you want your unique style to be, but you cannot know what it will be...

Making music within a genre (e.g. House, Techno, Drum and Bass, Folk, Rock, Country etc.) is NOT the same as making generic music.

A common question I get is “if I finish loads of music, then won’t unique music end up happening anyway?” From finishing a load of music in my career, is that unless it’s already happening - then you’re unlikely to make unique music automatically...

Despite the obvious benefits (and, in my opinion, necessity) of developing your unique style, a frequent worry is making music that doesn't fit.While understandable, this fear is based on several shaky assumptions...

What's one way to tell you're listening to music made by an AI Music Generator like Suno? An AI is SHAMELESS.

I'm on the horns of a very familiar dilemma to anyone attempting to develop their unique voice... Explore or Exploit?

"Synthesis" is the final stage of the ongoing Unique Style process. Unless you're aware of the pitfalls and take a specific approach to avoid them, this is where most people revert to the perceived safety and certainty of generic music...

When developing a unique style, it can be difficult to tell if what you're creating is good. This is because there isn't existing music to compare it to. So, you revert to a more generic style because that is more certainty-creating. Unless you take a PLAYFUL approach and recognise that most of what you create won't work at first...

If you're going to develop your unique style, you have to know what you'd like it to be. But beware of the common pitfalls in working towards your unique musical Vision...

Before figuring out how to make unique music - we must get clear on what unique music is...

To kick off the new “Mailbag” podcast, I got a question that lead me to make a [hilarious] version of one of my album songs using an AI Music generator called Suno. Using Suno lead to more than a few episodes that left me feeling generally positive (with some HUGE caveats) about what AI might mean for artists...

I've never been so excited to miss a goal...

For the last couple of years I’ve simply had to ASSUME that I can become a great singer/songwriter. I believe in lifelong improvement and growth so why not? But still, this is a conceptual belief. I’ve had no results based evidence that I can become as good as I aspire to be. Until yesterday when...

Here’s what happened when I started Splurging lyrics...

Why can finishing music be so difficult?

Yes, believe it or not, you COULD. And when you believe you could? That's when you start solving problems!

You don't have to believe in yourself when you believe in growth...

87 songs in, and I'm still not Splurging lyrics? What's going on? And why must I get this sorted pronto?

How might a famous Victorian novelist release an album?

I often get particular feedback about my first album (completed as part of The Album podcast) compared to my second album. While I agree with the feedback about the result, when you take into account the context for me as a developing artist, it makes little sense.

I said I was "in crisis" last time... But that was nothing compared to what's happened this week.

The last few days of attempting to finish my album have been challenging. Time for a crisis meeting...

Many musicians consider obstacles a "reason not to do it"... But this is the wrong way around. Almost any obstacle is a "reason to do it"...

In this "Album Alchemy" mini-course so far, I've shared 4 steps to making more quality music in the next 3 months than you usually do in 1 year.Today, I'll give you the final (crucial) piece of the puzzle.

👇 The first clue...No matter how hard I tried, I could NEVER hit my personal deadlines. I could when someone else was waiting...But not if I was the only one waiting!

If I had to choose just one single reason I make albums, there's no competition:I make albums to GROW. So finishing my album is the ideal opportunity to turbo charge this growth...

"I'm making this album to get loads of record sales, press and gigs." ☝️ that was why I made my second album in 2008. This goal led to the worst album I ever made. Why? Apart from the fact that it ignores the most important reasons for making an album...

What seems more achievable? “You must complete a quality album in 3 months.” OR “I’m challenging you to do 50 sessions in the next 25 days.” The second is a target you can focus on because...

This weekend, we are already one quarter through 2024...How much music have you made so far? If your answer is less than: "What I'd hoped for at the start of the year, Mike!"...here's a treat for you.

The album I'm finishing right now is the 7th in my career. (It's the 3rd I'm finishing alongside this podcast.) And so far, I do not doubt that my 2nd album (made in 2008) was the worst by far, in almost every way. Even though, on the surface, it might seem that conditions were IDEAL for it to be my best...

Oh dear. I didn't work on my album for 13 days! This is an ideal opportunity to learn something...

"I know I must do this marketing stuff; it's a necessary evil." Everything around releasing your music (marketing, promotion, etc.) is NOT a necessary "evil". It is a necessary step in the creative process. But not one you want to bring into the studio. Or one you want to view as being different from your music. If that sounds contradictory listen to this episode...

"Why would I bother releasing my music if no one's there to hear it?" This is a classic case of "chicken-or-eggitis"...

If you know you can't meet a personal deadline ahead of time, do you force it "because you said you would," or is there a better option?

Even if you're not a singer/songwriter - listen to this one. It explodes one of the most dangerous myths that is rife among musicians.

One of the toughest challenges for any creator is avoiding getting lost in the weeds...at the same time as focusing on the details! So, how do you keep your focus on the big picture while also making sure you're making the highest quality music you can?

So far, my Drafting Challenge has been like wading through MUD. That must mean there's an unmade decision to uncover...

My name is Mike and I'm a perfectionist.But I'm not the only one. Today, I'm talking to another recovering perfectionist about where it comes from, how it destroys the creative process, and how to recover from it.

Today, we will have a conversation about the downside of quantity - which is also an upside.This is the reason why (while it's frustrating at the time) I'm HAPPY to create an avalanche of crap songs...

Now I've completed 34 songs, I can see how this goal of 1000 songs in 1000 days could become relatively simple to complete...

To be transparent, I feel enormous resistance to releasing my music "properly" (i.e. not just on a podcast feed).This isn't because I fear bad feedback or what people will think. The reason is behind the utter destruction of my previous music career...

During my Discovery Challenge, I made a mistake that may turn out to have an unexpected benefit...

Now I'm on the path to becoming a quality singer/songwriter (by focusing on high quantity), I've realised it's already time for me to take the next step. In fact, take... THE LEAP!

Disappointment is a feature, not a bug...

In Discovery, it's crucial not to get caught up in thinking. It's just like Splurging - carefree creation. But this is psychologically harder than Splurging because, in Discovery, you're working on an existing idea with those pesky "expectations" attached.\ Luckily, I've found a solution that seems to work so far...

I've made a new goal to create 1000 new songs, 1 a day, for the next three years (or so). WHY?

Arghhh! Adding this 1000-song challenge means I've got way too much to do...I've not focused enough on the album songs...But then again, how might "too much" be exactly what I need?

It's been ages since I gave you an album update! But I've been working away on my first album of this year since we last spoke...

It's the beginning of a new chapter...

As this is the FINALE of Season 4 and the last episode of 2023 - it's the right time to embarrass myself UTTERLY...

This is a two insight episode. Both are crucial components of making consistent progress amid your busy life. Without both firmly in place there's no way I would have completed 2 albums this year - or even considering the possibility of completing FOUR in 2024...

My 2nd insight from 2023 is a belief you can embed within your worldview that cascades into the crucial self-belief I shared in the last episode...

Now we've completed the 2024 planning process, let's focus on 2023... For me, it was a HUGE year musically - possibly the most defining of my entire life. I've learned a lot, and I'd like to share that with you...

This season of The Album, I'm coaching you through a new 2024 planning process I've just developed. Today, it's the FINAL STEP!

This season of The Album, I'm coaching you through a new 2024 planning process I've just developed. Today, you'll use what you've done in each of the 4 "WHY?" areas (Goal, Function, Growth and Purpose) as the starting point for some Moonshot Thinking...

This season of The Album, I'm coaching you through a new 2024 planning process I've just developed. Today, we're moving onto the 4th "Why are you making music?" This "Why?" is problematic, though. If you focus on it at the wrong time in the wrong place, it can corrupt your process...

This season of The Album, I'm coaching you through a new 2024 planning process I've just developed. Today, we're moving onto the 3rd "Why are you making music?".

This season of The Album I'm coaching you through a new 2024 planning process I've just developed. Today, we're moving onto the 2nd "Why are you making music?" - and for me, one of the most important...

The first stage of the 2024 planning process I'm taking you through over the next couple of weeks is focused on the MOST important question to answer for a music career that lasts... WHY?

IT'S SPECIAL FESTIVE SEASON 4! Until the New Year, instead of sharing my progress in starting my 4th album, I'm going to put my coaching hat on and run you through a coaching process. This is a new process I've developed and am using myself to get clear on what I want to do in 2024 to make next year an even better musical year than this one.

This has been my favourite album-making process (and album) so far! But now it's over - we have to move on to bigger and better things...after a review, of course. :)

I now understand WHY finishing and releasing has to be the last (crucial) part of any creative process...

Amazingly, I'm excited to share this mixtape with you. Now that's progress...

Album 1: Deadline HIT! Album 2: Deadline MISS! Album 3: ???

It's one of my greatest joys in life when a piece of music takes on a life of it's own. EVEN when they don't leave you alone and you're on deadline!

When you're finishing a piece or an album and you think "I'm not good enough" then this is a sign the process of finishing is WORKING - not that it isn't. Here's why...

Over the weekend, I managed to clear the boards regarding my business work! So now I can focus on the last 7 days of completing the mixtape version of this album. Here are 3 pointers I'm staying focused on to stop me falling into the many rabbit holes that can appear when in the final stages...

I'm getting to the SHARP END! One week to go until the deadline. But while the end is SHARP - this has a series of welcome outcomes for your creativity which you can't get any other way...

I've not recorded a PodWalk for four months! Let me explain the (very good) reasons why...

One of the reasons I decided to make this current album was to help me decide if I wanted to make more next year. So now I'm in the final stages of this one, I've made a decision...

ALWAYS put why first, and you'll save time and money. (Particularly at this time of year!) And more importantly, you'll make much better music...

Improving your music involves being brutally honest with yourself...

I'm reading a book at the moment which has clarified the fundamental problem we face as artists in finishing art...