1
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,040
Speaker 1: Welcome to Ask Fear and Greed, where we answer questions

2
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,200
Speaker 1: about business, investing, economics, politics and more. I'm Michael Thompson

3
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,800
Speaker 1: and got something a little bit different today. Our colleague

4
00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:14,640
Speaker 1: here at Fear and Greed is a fellow by the

5
00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,640
Speaker 1: name of Luke Saint James who just happens to be

6
00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:23,200
Speaker 1: a very talented musician. And you have heard his work before,

7
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,680
Speaker 1: even if you don't realize it, because every day when

8
00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,000
Speaker 1: you listen to Fear and Greed in the intro music

9
00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,480
Speaker 1: that is an original piece of work by Luke Saint James. Luke,

10
00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:32,839
Speaker 1: welcome to the studio.

11
00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:34,360
Speaker 2: Thank you, Michael.

12
00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,959
Speaker 1: So you have a new piece of music out. Your

13
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,599
Speaker 1: new single dropped on Did I use the lingo correctly?

14
00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:42,120
Speaker 2: You did?

15
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,479
Speaker 1: Okay? Your new single dropped on Friday, and so I

16
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:47,520
Speaker 1: wanted to ask you today because this is Ask Fear

17
00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,559
Speaker 1: and Greed, where we answer questions. I want to know

18
00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:54,440
Speaker 1: how does a musician make it in the age of Spotify,

19
00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,279
Speaker 1: because things are vastly different now right to how they

20
00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:58,280
Speaker 1: used to be.

21
00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,720
Speaker 2: Oh, they definitely are. It used to be that, you know,

22
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,520
Speaker 2: record labels had all the power, which I guess was

23
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,039
Speaker 2: its own kind of challenge really for the most part,

24
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,840
Speaker 2: it was the record label's decision on whether you made

25
00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:12,240
Speaker 2: it or not.

26
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,039
Speaker 1: So in a way, then, I suppose the rise of

27
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,600
Speaker 1: Spotify and the rise of social media platforms where you

28
00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,000
Speaker 1: can get your music out there has probably made it

29
00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:25,360
Speaker 1: more accessible and given more avenues for an indie artist

30
00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,400
Speaker 1: to kind of get out there. But it's still competing

31
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,319
Speaker 1: for visibility, aren't you against a whole lot of other people.

32
00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like you say, it's on the one hand,

33
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,160
Speaker 2: it's been democratized a little bit more, where you know,

34
00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,880
Speaker 2: you can actually reach people a lot more through social

35
00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,200
Speaker 2: media than you could before, But there's also a lot

36
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,720
Speaker 2: more noise, and there's thousands of other artists, you know,

37
00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,880
Speaker 2: releasing dropping music on the same day as you, so

38
00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,040
Speaker 2: it's hard to make your voice sort of heard above

39
00:01:58,080 --> 00:01:58,680
Speaker 2: all the others.

40
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,000
Speaker 1: And so is it a process then of you you've

41
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,840
Speaker 1: gone through the creative process, But I'll talk to you

42
00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:05,640
Speaker 1: about it in a mote where you're writing and you

43
00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,520
Speaker 1: are recording and producing over a long period of time,

44
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,519
Speaker 1: and then you are putting it out there, and then

45
00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:13,720
Speaker 1: it's not just a matter of kind of cross your

46
00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,639
Speaker 1: fingers and hope that people are going to hear it

47
00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,000
Speaker 1: is that you are actively trying to get it into

48
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,600
Speaker 1: playlists out there in the in the world of Spotify,

49
00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,799
Speaker 1: so that you can just get it into people's ears.

50
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,799
Speaker 2: Exactly, yes, and that and that is you know, one

51
00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,000
Speaker 2: of the main ways to go is to sort of

52
00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:34,680
Speaker 2: pitch your music to you know, curators of playlists Spotify itself,

53
00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,280
Speaker 2: but also you know there are independent people who make

54
00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,200
Speaker 2: playlists that if you get your music onto one of

55
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,200
Speaker 2: these bigger playlists and that can obviously, you know, get

56
00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,520
Speaker 2: your music heard by a lot more people. So that's

57
00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,760
Speaker 2: a big way, you know, promoting it on TikTok obviously

58
00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,840
Speaker 2: and Instagram and all those things. It is a lot

59
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,280
Speaker 2: of it's a lot of work, and it's you know,

60
00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,480
Speaker 2: it's a skill that you need to learn and and

61
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,080
Speaker 2: it's probably not something that a lot of musicians are.

62
00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,320
Speaker 1: Not necessarily natural exactly natural marketers, I suppose, And that

63
00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,200
Speaker 1: in a way it makes it harder that you're not

64
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,200
Speaker 1: relying on the record company to do this anymore. That

65
00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,280
Speaker 1: I suppose, and this was before your time that you

66
00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,480
Speaker 1: could rely on the record company would get it out

67
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,200
Speaker 1: into shops and but would also be promoting it as well.

68
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,680
Speaker 1: You're able to get your music out there yourself, but

69
00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,400
Speaker 1: the promotion side of it falls to you as well,

70
00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,680
Speaker 1: and it is a it is a tough, tough market

71
00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:37,040
Speaker 1: to be doing that in. And it's also hard from

72
00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,680
Speaker 1: a kind of almost an emotional side as well, because

73
00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,160
Speaker 1: you're putting something quite personal out there, aren't you.

74
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,680
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, you absolutely are. You know. It's your often

75
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,960
Speaker 2: your innermost thoughts that you're spilling out onto the page

76
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 2: and also singing and playing, and that's sort of a

77
00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,480
Speaker 2: very raw feeling to have other people listening to that.

78
00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,720
Speaker 1: In this case, this particular song, Summer Sun, Where did

79
00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:04,440
Speaker 1: that come from?

80
00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,520
Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, I mean, like most of my other songs,

81
00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,640
Speaker 2: I start with a melody, so I start playing around

82
00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,080
Speaker 2: with a guitar and until I get something that I

83
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,679
Speaker 2: think sounds good, and then I start sort of putting

84
00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,200
Speaker 2: words to it. And often it's sort of feelings that

85
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:25,159
Speaker 2: I've had been feeling at the time, and so this

86
00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,039
Speaker 2: song Summer Son, it's sort of about, you know, I'm

87
00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,000
Speaker 2: thirty two now and I'm at that stage in life where,

88
00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:35,200
Speaker 2: you know a lot of my friends and family are

89
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,680
Speaker 2: starting to have families of their own, you know, and

90
00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,560
Speaker 2: it's sort of a little bit about that feeling of

91
00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,120
Speaker 2: not wanting to be left out, wanting that for yourself,

92
00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:48,640
Speaker 2: being happy for the people that are you know, having

93
00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,760
Speaker 2: kids and all of that, but also wishing that for yourself.

94
00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:55,680
Speaker 1: It is a beautiful song and I want people to

95
00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,440
Speaker 1: hear it. So what's the best way for people to

96
00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,440
Speaker 1: be able to hear this, to connect with it? Is

97
00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,240
Speaker 1: it to jump onto Spotify and to search for Lukes

98
00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,280
Speaker 1: and James and search for Summer Sun s O N

99
00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,120
Speaker 1: and just and follow you and share it. What's the

100
00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,920
Speaker 1: what what would you like to see happen? Now?

101
00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,400
Speaker 2: Yes, on Spotify Lukes and James, you will see the

102
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,640
Speaker 2: song there. You can follow me on Instagram. I promote

103
00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,080
Speaker 2: it on there as well. But yeah, I just you know,

104
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,040
Speaker 2: I want I want people to listen to the song.

105
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:25,919
Speaker 2: That's why I put it out in the first place.

106
00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,320
Speaker 2: It's not to try and make it go vile or

107
00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,440
Speaker 2: anything like that. I would I would love that, but.

108
00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, if we can cross our fingers exactly, that

109
00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:34,360
Speaker 1: would be nice.

110
00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,680
Speaker 2: But I put it out because I think it's worthwhile

111
00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,000
Speaker 2: for the world to see and so yeah, give it

112
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:41,719
Speaker 2: a listen. I mean, it's it's a song that's a

113
00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,359
Speaker 2: sort of I would say it's a slow build, so

114
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,919
Speaker 2: give it a chance. Maybe just listen to the second

115
00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,719
Speaker 2: half if you're short on time. But it's a song

116
00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,800
Speaker 2: that I'm very proud of, so I hope people listen

117
00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:54,000
Speaker 2: to it.

118
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, you should be. Congratulations, Thank you and thank you

119
00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:58,080
Speaker 1: for talking to us today.

120
00:05:58,240 --> 00:05:59,039
Speaker 2: Thank you, Michael.

121
00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,600
Speaker 1: That was Luke's James what about colleagues? Here at Fear

122
00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,880
Speaker 1: and Greed and his new song Summer Sun is available

123
00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,440
Speaker 1: now on Spotify and all platforms, and follow him on

124
00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:08,839
Speaker 1: social media as well. I'm Michael Thompson and this is

125
00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:09,679
Speaker 1: as Fear and Greed