My Weekly Mixtape

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► Tell us about you and your podcast

I am a 20+ year radio & broadcasting veteran with an affinity for music discussion and commentary. Making mixtapes was always a labor of love for me. It's something I've been doing since I was 5 years old, recording songs off of the radio onto my cassette deck. It then became taking my albums, cassettes and CDs and recording mixtapes for road trips, workouts, cookouts, etc. Because, at these times, you had to record your mixtapes in real time, there was a true investment involved in making sure every second of that tape was well planned out.

Sadly, that mindset has changed, as now you can drag 100 songs into a playlist in 30 seconds, and click shuffle. While it's convenient, it's not as personal, and doesn't tell your story from song to song. There's something about putting effort into song selection that's been lost over time, and I want to try and recapture that feeling through the discussions and interviews I feature on the show.

My listeners are first & foremost music fanatics: people who love to discuss the songs that mean something to them, as well as hear why songs resonate with others. Since this show unfolds very organically, you never know how a topic or playlist curation will unfold, as the guest and I are building each playlist together, with the goal of making it the "ultimate" listen for that specific topic.
 

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

Being a radio / podcasting professional, I was podcasting when it was known as webcasting (since the iPod wasn't even released at this point in time). So, I guess you can say I was one of the earliest supporters & adopters of the medium! Even though it's my career, my music podcasting "hobby" started back in 2018, and I have been working at it since, with My Weekly Mixtape being my first solo program.
My initial goal & motivation for the podcast was quite simple: to talk music. Music commentary & discussion is one of my favorite hobbies, as I love learning more about songs, albums & artists, and seeing what makes someone else "tick" (musically speaking). Through the show's format, I get to do both, as the guest and I are curating a mixtape / playlist together, just like the way my friends and I would record songs onto cassette tapes to jam out to on the weekends.

The guest and I could be coming from two different musical tastes / backgrounds, so it adds a challenge to each episode. Sure, we could simply spout off 10 songs that fit the topic, but do they "play well" together song-by-song? So sometimes we'll include songs that may not necessarily be our favorite song by a particular band or artist, but instead, best fits the episode's theme! It's a challenge that's hard to explain until you're sitting across from me recording, and part of the reason why each episode usually includes someone saying something along the lines of "wow, this is harder than it seems on paper!"

My Weekly Mixtape started in January of 2023, and has already (within the first 6 months), shattered any expectations I had walking into the show. If you told me on day one that in the first 25 episodes, I would have guests from Huey Lewis & The News, The Billy Joel Band, Lit, Collective Soul & Styx joining me to talk about music, I would have never believed you. Add that in with my extremely talented podcasting friends being recurring guests, and I am still blown away week after week.
 

► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?

Unfortunately, because of the name of the show, there's a set expectation as to when I'll release episodes. So far, I've kept up that promise to my listeners since week 1. However, since I'm a solo-run program, I plan on taking a week every now and then to recharge the batteries and make sure I never burn myself out. Anyone who podcasts knows the amount of work that goes into production, and I always make sure I'm a few weeks ahead of schedule, so that way when "life happens," I'm prepared to keep the show going as scheduled!

As far as finding time for the show, since it's a one-on-one discussion, it's mostly built around each guest's schedule, but so far I haven't found any timing issues. My family is very supportive of the show in general, so I never run into issues on my end, and my wife is an amazing person who helps me out when timing with the guest presents a hiccup in our usual day-to-day. I couldn't be more blessed in that regard.

This podcast is 100% funded by myself. I pay for all of the production costs, website fees, and any other costs (gear, promotional materials, etc). I do have a Patreon account for the show, along with running short ads before each episode, which does help offset some of the costs.
 

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

Podcasting benefits me, because it's an artistic outlet. It's also something that I consider my "happy place." Anyone that knows me for more than 5 minutes knows that I love to talk about music, and that I can talk tunes all day long if given the chance. This show ensures I have a full-blown musical conversation at least once per week, and to me that's incredible! The fact that I get to have some of these conversations with like-minded individuals, or in some instances the artists themselves, is just an amazing bonus!

In terms of numbers, it's hard to compare one podcast to another, so I don't place too much emphasis on that. However, a show that is tailored to one band might have a chance at drawing a larger crowd, as listeners know what to expect each week. With my show, the topic is nothing more than a clean slate. And these topics can pivot from genre to genre, so the listener is never quite sure what to expect. Because of that, I make sure to embed a playlist of the songs we discussed on my website, so that way people can listen to a song they might not be familiar with!
 

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

I produce My Weekly Mixtape using the Adobe suite. It's an audio only podcast, so I'm mostly in Audition, although I use Premiere for some social media clips, as well as my YouTube edition of the show (still image with audio for now). My guests are booked through the amazing group of podcasters I've connected with on social media, along with spending a few hours a week reaching out to bands & artists that I feel would be a perfect fit for the show.

Since COVID, Zoom has become a tool that most folks are at least familiar with enough to record an episode, so that's what I've been using. However, whenever possible, I ask the guest to record their end, so I have a clean recording to work with for editing. Otherwise, I do my best to ensure the guest sounds as close to "in the studio" as I can possibly get. Being a radio guy, sound quality means a lot to me, as I don't want to turn off potential listeners with room noise, echoes, background distractions, etc.

The only thing I can do to prepare for each episode is to bring my musical knowledge to the table. The show isn't planned in advance, so the only thing my guest & I are both aware of is the show topic. What we bring to the table in our bank of songs could differ wildly. What I like to do is just whip up a quick playlist on my phone and listen to songs while I'm working out or in the car, and then I pair that down to a reasonable list of songs that gives me different avenues to bounce off my guest's picks. Plus, there's always a chance we could each choose the same band / song, and to make the show more complicated, I try to only allow one band use per topic. That opens up the floor to many possible directions, as the playlist builds organically throughout the discussion.
 

► How do you market your show?

The main places people can find my show are via my website: www.MyWeeklyMixtpae.com, as well as on most social media channels @MyWeeklyMixtape.

The show has it's 'core' of listeners that download each week, no matter what the topic is (and I'm extremely thankful for each and every one of those people!) I then take note when a particular episode "takes off" in regards to download numbers, because obviously that's a band or topic that's reaching beyond the core of listeners, and something I might want to lean into more as I move forward.

I also ask my listeners directly what episodes they'd like to hear, and do my best to make that happen. Also, through my Patreon channel, I have a tier where guests can bring their topic to the show AND be a guest for that topic, even if they don't consider themselves a podcaster.

My goal is to have people listen into what myself & the guest are talking about, but also feel like their voice is part of the overall conversation as well. So with that, I utilize my social media channels & my Patreon account to ask listeners how they would approach each topic, and I include those talking points in the discussion. This way, the listeners are as important to the discussion as the guest, and some of their input / feedback helps shape the direction of the episode!
 

► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?

My main advice for new podcasters is to not cut corners. Just because you *can* record your podcast on your cell phone, in a crowded / noisy room, doesn't mean you should. Just because you *could* post 5 episodes per week, doesn't mean you should.

Take the time to truly listen to some podcasts that you enjoy and see which best practices they're utilizing that make you a fan. Is it their delivery, the production quality, the interview questions, the episode topics? Take notes and try to think about those things during show planning & production.

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on gear to produce a quality show, but you should always make sure you can find a quiet place to record, so that way you're able to easily edit the show to your needs: the less noise / distractions mean the less you'll need to edit in post! And if you ask most podcasters what their least favorite part of podcasting is, editing is usually towards the top. Pre-show prep is never a waste of time. 15 minutes of pre-show prep, can save you an extra hour or two in post-show editing!

I'd also say to really sit down and learn what goes into creating a quality podcast. If you have a busy schedule, maybe post once bi-weekly or once per month, so you're not setting yourself up for burnout. Make sure you have the time to commit. Most shows fade because people realize quickly just how much work goes into producing a show week in and week out.

Finally, after the "honeymoon" phase is done, podcasting can become a chore if you're not truly enjoying what you're doing. So, make sure the show is about a topic that you can see yourself talking about endlessly, because you will be doing that!
 

► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?

FOR MORE ON MY WEEKLY MIXTAPE

Website: http://www.myweeklymixtape.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/myweeklymixtape

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/myweeklymixtape

Twitter: https://twitter.com/myweeklymixtape
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myweeklymixtape

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myweeklymixtape