I want to talk a little bit about probably
one of the most important moments
after you've started the creative process.
And it's about release.
And we have, on artists.apple.com, we've got lots of resources
talking about how you can create social assets and microcontent
from your shareable milestones and things like the affiliate program.
But speaking to somebody who's releasing their music for the first time,
somebody who's thinking about putting it out,
what do you think about when you think about a checklist,
or things you need to be aware of, or things that you prepare
when you're getting ready to release with yourself or with another collaborator?
First thing that comes to mind for me is how much you have to synchronize
everything hitting at the same time.
And so I think that's a really awesome thing that Apple has.
There is a platform for you to be able to put this up,
upload it, get it into a spot where you're figuring out, who does this go to,
when does it get released, and how do you figure that out?
I think, most of the time, that would require a team
of people that you would hire.
But, instead, you have this at your disposal.
That's right. You have this at your disposal to time it,
figure out how you want to release it, and then, the microcontent.
One of the coolest things I tell people this all the time is now
like we were talking about barrier of entry,
we're all on a level playing field.
If you have access to a recording software, we all have the same tools.
You can spend more money on plug-ins and stuff like that.
But you showing someone a sound isn't going to give anything away.
What makes you unique is what comes out of your head and your heart.
And so it's awesome because we all have these tools.
And it's really interesting how we use them so differently.
And I'm all about, I'll show anybody anything.
There's no secret because what I do is different than what somebody else does.
-It's how you use the tools. -It's how you use it, yeah.
I'll tell you, I'm going through this process right now myself
because I've had a band that was on a major label.
And I've had releases on major labels.
And I'm old enough that I've been in Nashville here long enough
that if you're not on a major label, you're not doing anything.
And it took a lot of deep digging for myself
to retool that, it's okay.
Not only is it okay, but it's actually really, really cool,
and actually can be just as successful to release something independently.
So I got my first solo album, finally,
coming out after the band, coming out in just a few months.
And I made the decision to release it independently.
And one of the things that did it for me
was realizing how many tools are there.
And I've got some help because I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.
And that was part of the barrier for me, "What if I do this wrong?"
There's a bit of fear that stops you from doing it.
And as soon as you start scratching the surface just a bit…
You can, and lots of people have done it to great success,
using the available tools, if you scratch the surface,
there's so much out there to help you.
Just Apple alone, it gives you everything you need.
I'm excited about my independent release. And I'm an independent artist.
And I love it. And I'm proud of it. You know what I mean?
And it's like, I'll never go back. You know I mean?
I think that's super important. Because I think that overwhelm
can stop you in your tracks, and stop you from--
-It did for me. -Right, exactly.
It absolutely kept me from releasing my solo music
-for two more years than I should have. -It's paralysis by analysis.
It was because I was afraid of the connotation of it.
Like, so you got dropped from your label.
So now I didn't feel like I was in the club anymore.
It's actually the opposite. I'm free now. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.
I can release one song or 12 songs at a time.
-It doesn't matter. -The club just got a lot bigger.
So it's like everyone's welcome to the club.
-Exactly. -Yeah, it's awesome.
And the moment you remove that, and you start to seek out
the tools that are available, that's really when you realize,
everything that you thought that you needed, you have.
Thinking about what it is you're trying to accomplish,
figuring out the tools you need, you get past that.
And now it's just about, how does your creation live in the world,
and being inspired about how you tell that story.
And I hope everybody that's listening realizes all of us are in the same boat.
And we've had some success. But it's the same story whether you're 17
or you're just getting started or you've had Grammys and are starting over.
Not that you're starting over, but I am.
-Well, we're all starting over every day. -Yeah, every song.
-Every day, every single song. -It is every day. It's a reboot.
We all will struggle with the same stuff.
And I think you're right. I think that anxiety of thinking
bigger artists have it figured out, when really they're a bit more private
about their freaking out about their releases.
100%. I think we've all sat in the rooms
with some of our friends who've had those moments.
Right, like you're just in your beautiful house,
and quietly to your manager like, "Is it good? Do we like this song?"
Talking about your champagne problems. Champagne problems.
Everybody has, and the more that you see yourself
in everybody else, you realize that comparison is the thief of joy.
There's room for everybody. There's room at the table.
It's a big club. There's room for everybody.
That's what I live by all the time. There's room for everybody.
So what we're talking about is, these tools just remind us all
that we're all connected, and that this is how we all get better at our craft,
at what we do.
And, also, I just figured out that Luke is willing to share all his sounds.
I'll be over at Luke's house later.
"Hey, knock, knock. Hey, Luke, what's going on, man?"
In the chat, ask questions about Luke's sounds
and his presets because he'll give you some presets.
We'll put his number in the chat.
I have to tell you guys, listen, I will.
-I'll give you a Dropbox. -That's a beautiful thing.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity here in Nashville
to work with Kacey Musgraves and Avicii.
She's new. They're new.
-You may have heard of him. -He was such a sweet guy.
And we talked a lot about production and stuff.
And that night, he had his engineer sent me a Dropbox file
-of literally all of his sounds. -Yeah.
It took, I swear, like two hours to download.
And I was like, "This is one of the top producers in the world.
And he's like, 'I don't care'."
What you're going to do with them is different than what he'll do.
-It's so true. -But that is a mindset change to now.
Because I remember back when I was coming up, everybody was like…
You had people covering the screen on Massive
so that you didn't get… I'm like, "Bro, relax.
-I don't even have Massive." -And mix engineers are even worse.
"How did you get that vocals on it?" "I won't show you."
-"Can I see my mic chain?" -"No, heck no."
And that's really where we've now,
out of a mindset of scarcity, moving into a mindset of abundance,
and thinking about, "No, I'm going to give you
all the tools you need to be successful because I want company
when we're successful." You don't want to be alone.
We've all seen what that looks.
They're very sad, very, very sad in that private club.
That's a private club, not the big club.