James Newcomb is the founder of MusicPreneur, a podcast and online platform which teaches musicians the tools, techniques and most important, the mindset, needed to monetize their musical skills. He’s also the host of the Trumpet Dynamics podcast and author of Everything I Really Need to Know as an Entrepreneur, I Learned Playing Music.

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Resources Mentioned:

Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
DonorSee.com – James’ small business resource
JLD’s Kickstarter Campaign – James’ go-to for kickstarting his business
Fiverr – James’ preferred site for finding a music gig
Speculator – James’ Top Business Book
Musicpreneur – James’ website
FireUp.co – Turn your leads into actual customers for FREE!

3 Key Points:

Be prepared; drive on, and move on when it comes to pursuing your dream.
Musicians are entrepreneurs by nature—just that drive to pursue music as a profession is proof of that entrepreneurial spirit.
Just add value—BE a person of value.

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Time Stamped Show Notes

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)

[01:10] – James left the military a year ago where he was employed as a musician
[01:32] – James knew he needed mentoring in podcasting and entrepreneurship so he accessed JLD’s Kickstarter Campaign
[02:30] – The package James snagged was only offered to two people
[03:38] – JLD saw the “fire in James’ eyes” during their meet in January
[04:10] – James is an excellent musician and his specialty is music entrepreneurship
[04:37] – Musicians are entrepreneurs by nature
[06:30] – James invested in his brand and domain
[07:36] – James was told by his guitar teacher to “learn by both hands simultaneously”
[08:30] – Learn both sides of being a musicpreneur
[09:00] – Fiverr is a great resource to acquire some gigs
[10:35] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: James was asked to play Messiah’s “The Trumpet Shall Sound” while he was in Korea. When it is James’ turn to play, he couldn’t play the trumpet properly and it was not producing any sounds. He thought that he may not be able play again or that he may have focal dystonia.
[17:00] – Just be prepared, drive on, and move on
[17:41] – Ten years ago, James decided he wanted to play trumpet professionally and had been practicing excerpts for years
- [19:00] – James moved to the Valley and met a trumpet player in the area
- [19:35] – James played an excerpt for him that he hadn’t played for years but he did great and was hired for a weekly gig
[20:20] – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: When James was practicing his podcast intro and he realized that if he put the music first, the money would follow
[22:33] – “The music needs to be the priority, then focus on getting that fan base”
[22:46] – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “The fact that I wake up every day and I have the opportunity to do something that speaks to my real self”
[23:50] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “Failing in business opportunities and no business to pursue in the first place”
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “The tree of prosperity is watered by the work done for no pay”
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Every single week, I take one day off – it’s a day that has nothing to do with [my] online business”
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – DonorSee.com
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – Speculator by John Hunt and Doug Casey. It’s action-packed, set in Africa, and has a lot of entrepreneurial advice
[26:58] – “Just add value. Be a person of value.”
[27:13] – James is looking for people who want to share their stories on how music made a positive impact on their life.

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!

The Tools, Techniques and Mindset Needed to Monetize Your Musical Skills with James Newcomb