Notes from Chris

Episode 689

As the old saying goes, without music, life would b-flat. Justin Klump understands this better than most. As a recording artist, songwriter and music producer he has a day job many people dream of. He’s one of the privileged few able to make a living in the music industry.

Justin is living the dream, producing albums as well as performing across the country from Portland to New York. You might say that he’s the conductor of his own fate.

But, it isn’t all upbeat. The truth of the music industry is that for every Justin Bieber selling out stadiums, there are thousands of others like Justin making a modest living. Carving out a small name and career for themselves in the industry. While the former makes millions, for the latter, a side hustle is a great way to bring in some extra income.

So in early 2017, Justin spotted an opportunity. Like a hit song, it began with a strong hook.

A friend of his had a colleague about to create his own podcast. He needed someone to compose the music and do sound design for the episodes. The friend, knowing that Justin had been writing music for over 10 years, mentioned it to him to see if he’d be interested.

Justin was intrigued enough to meet up with the podcast producer. They began working together a week later. Justin was happy because it was a chance to make some extra income, but also because it provided a way to use his musical talents in a new medium.

He loved working with a podcast creator to bring his vision to life. Helping him tell the story in the podcast medium was a great challenge. It was also fun to work in a collaborative way since much of the time Justin is working alone.

It was halfway through working on the podcast that Justin realized there was a market need here that he could help fill. Podcasting has seen explosive growth in the last few years and he had the skills to help podcast creators tell their stories.

But if he was going to take this seriously he’d need a website. So, he built one using Squarespace and paid a friend to create a logo for him. It was as simple as that, the new side hustle was launched. Justin called it Podcast Music & Sound and would provide production, sound design and original music for podcasts.

Justin was at a big advantage in starting this type of side hustle. He already had all the sound equipment he’d need to serve clients. That meant his only costs were the creation of the website, logo and hosting. Less than $200 startup costs.

With his first client now wrapped up, website launched, and equipment at the ready, it was time to turn up the volume.

But he needed more clients. This is where starting a side hustle in a similar industry to your main gig can be beneficial. Justin had contacts, and now that he had a website and was open for business he put the word out. Little by little, some clients started coming in, usually through referral or recommendation.

Each client that he served helped him refine his processes. He had to make sure that he was able to deliver exactly what his clients were looking for in an efficient way. To do that, he’d set up an initial consult with them. Here, he asks what the podcaster is hoping to make the listener feel and what mood they’re going for.

He also asks for specific references of music that they like or particular instruments they want used. With that, Justin goes back and sends them a rough concept idea a short time later. Then it’s a matter of a few revisions working together to make sure the client can get exactly what they want. Once finished, the client is sent a master they can use for their podcast.

Podcast Music and Sound is generating Justin around $800 dollars per month right now. Justin bills by customizing each order to each client, there are no set prices. He works up a cost sheet for each task involved and then builds a budget based upon what each client needs.

But, this side hustle is far from being Justin’s swan song. He’s already started a second hustle. After launching Podcast Music and Sound he decided to start The Library of Music to expand his offerings of Original Music and Music Licensing to include TV, Film, Advertising, and Video Games. It will act as sort of a stock music resource for content producers.

On top of that Justin will be releasing 2 new original songs, as well as wrap production on albums for emerging country artists in the coming year. Clearly, Justin loves to keep busy in the music industry.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Podcast Music & Sound: Learn more about Justin's services that he provides for podcasters
• The Library of Music: Justin's second, music related hustle where he creates custom music for various projects
• JustinKlump.com: When Justin isn't producing music for others he works and showcases his own music. Give him a listen!
• Squarespace: The web platform Justin used to build his own websites

SEE ALSO:

• Radio Personality Channels Her Vocal Cords For Extra Income: How a professor-by-day and former radio announcer makes a handsome side profit selling her most natural and accessible tool: her voice
• Six-Figure Beekeeping Biz Buzzes For Minnesota Couple: The buzzworthy journey of Minnesotan bees and their keepers. These hardy bees don’t mess around—last year they produced $150,000 in sweet sales
• Food Tour Guide Chomps Down on $100,000 Profit: After first beginning with private cooking lessons, this former marketer discovers an even bigger opportunity in the world of food tours

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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