By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
Last Friday, I got another email from my friend Pete asking if I had a chance to listen to the last half hour of the demo of his “radio show” and what I thought of it. He also wanted to let me know that he submitted the link to the show to the Sirius/XM Radio who was considering picking it up. Now, the wait is on to see how long it will take for this guy to get back to Pete with a thumbs up or down. I finally listened to that portion of the show on Saturday morning. The reason it took me so long was because of technical difficulties. A few days ago, I started getting a weird buzzing sound in my headphones. I ended up reconnecting my entire setup just to eliminate the noise. After listening to the last half hour, I responded to Pete's email, letting him know I thought the show was great! My favorite segment is still when he told the back story of his record, “Lost”, and how making it paved the way for him taking the career path that he did. But I really did enjoy the last part of the show. After the “Lost” story, Pete immediately jumped into an interview with Herb Gross, founder and leader of Invictas, a popular band started in the 1960s. With a loyal fan base to go along with a hit record called “The Hump”, Herb was able to sustain still remain popular! He is another example, along with Pete, of someone whose genuine love for music has kept him relevan to this very day! I also told Pete that I love the way he closed the show with a bit about him getting fired by the station manager for not wearing a wig (you had to be there for that). The firing was bizarre because not only is it a radio show, but Pete wasn't even getting paid in the first place. I ended my response by telling him that this show wasn't the beginning of the end, but actually the end of the beginning. I wished him luck on his submission and got back to trying to clean up the sound of my aging voice studio. That was the start of a three day long string of emails and responses to emails which turned out to be pep talks between two senior citizens trying to figure out our next chapters in life. I hope that they will be the first of many such chats. I did mention to you several times that it took Pete three years to complete his project. Most of the time was spent learning how to use his DAW (that is Digital Audio Workstation) through trial and error. He figured things out on his own, although I was always there with words of encouragement. I remember how long it took me to record my first podcast. I would watch every YouTube video I could find on the subject. Most of them were from people who were ultimately trying to sell their consulting services. At the very least, they were trying to get you to buy recording equipment through their affiliate links. As I said, it seemed like it took me forever to learn the process, as well as record and publish the first episode. But once I saw it posted on Spreaker, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and iHeart Radio, just to name a few, I felt like I belonged to a fraternity of crazy independent communicators putting their message out their for the world to consume. That feeling of accomplishment was quite intoxicating. I even became something of a pied piper, trying to convince family, friends, and even foes to give podcasting a try. I even sent basic recording equipment to some of the more promising prospects. Some blew me off outright, while others gave it a try until they ran out of steam, or ran out of free time, or ran out of ideas. I started nagging Pete about recording a podcast around the time he was selling his record company several years ago. In fact, he was one of the people I sent equipment to as a retirement gift. When he would get discouraged by his perceived lack of progress, I would always remind him that the first episode was always the hardest. And once he finished it and published it, he would be hooked. After publishing almost 200 episodes over seven different shows, I know what I'm talking about. Never a quitter, Pete would jump right back in, making slow but steady progress. When he decided to go the Sirius/XM Radio route, he had my full support. After listening to his recording, I'm convinced that it's good enough for that platform. Later that afternoon, I got another email from Pete that was more upbeat than the previous one. In it, he thanked me for taking the time to listen to the show. He also hoped that the buzzing in my headphones wasn't coming from his file. Of course, it wasn't. My gear is just old and in need of upgrading. He went on to say that he is actively thinking about his next show. However, he confessed that he currently has no cohesive ideas and can't think of anything funny to say. But since he's not doing this for a living, he's not stressing over the idea block, although he was wishing that he could find a way to turn the show into a money-making venture. He believes he's found something that he could be successful with. For Pete, turning an simple idea into a revenue-generating thing has been his super power. For the past half century, just about everything he's touched has turned into a money-maker. There's no reason to think that this won't be a successful venture as well. I responded to his latest email by expressing joy that he's even thinking about doing a second show, no matter the platform. I then told him not to worry about the lack of cohesive thoughts and guaranteed that ideas will show up when needed. I reminded his that he has a whole slew of material from his life to draw upon. Like the time that both he and the band he managed at the time got banned from performing in the City of Rochester, NY. The story even made the local newspapers. The ban was enacted because he miscalculated how popular the band was. When he got the permit to hold the outdoor concert, he indicated that he anticipated a crowd of around 5,000 people. In fact, 50,000 people showed up, effectively shutting down most of the city! Typical Pete, always underestimating his juice! When it was Pete's turn to respond to me, he suggested that what he might need from me are memory jogs like the one I gave him about being banned. Apparently, he hasn't thought about that in a long time. He then said that he wants to put together something as solid and emotional as the first show. He also couldn't believe that he's getting deep into this whole broadcast thing. On a number of occasions, he's been asked to write a book about his life and exploits, but said no because he thought it was too all consuming. But then he learned that this thing is no slouch either. But I do think he'll stick with it. Parting Shots We ended our conversation with me reminding him that he has a lot of compelling stories that he can and should share with the listeners. I also warned him to get used to hearing the words “repurposing content”, because they will serve as his North Star as he proceeds down this path. I gave him some unsolicited free advice on how to proceed with future recordings. And I gave it to him without trying to sell consulting services, or suggesting that he follow my Amazon affiliate links as I urge him to unnecessary gear. By the way, I don't have an Amazon affiliate link. I'm just here to do what I can to help a dear friend fulfill a dream of his. Even if that means rooting for him to get the Sirius/XM Radio gig, when I am really hoping that he places his show on my network. As long as he continues happily doing his thing, I'll be happy as well. And if he needs the occasional pep talk, I'm here for that. Lord knows how many times he's come through for me with just the right words at just the right time! Today's Quote “If the boss fires you from your job, and you don't know what to do... just keep showing up for work until he/she forgets that they fired you. You may actually make it to retirement!” Peter Morticelli – Music Executive
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By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
“Keep a diary and one day it'll keep you.” Mae West – American Film Legend On my last episode, I told you that I got the recording my friend Pete was going to submit to the owner of a Sirius/XM Radio channel. As much as I'm rooting for guy from Sirius/XM Radio to green light Pete's project, a part of me is dying to get the go-ahead to edit the nearly 2-hour piece into about a half dozen episodes of a podcast that I publish on my network. There is a 30-minute segment in the middle of the track where Pete shares the back story of how he got his start in the music industry. Like me, it started on a small scale. He played in a number of garage bands, while I performed at several youth ministry programs at neighborhood churches. He then went on to tell the audience about a record he made while he was just a teenager. He faced just about every obstacle a person can face getting their work out there for the world to hear. In fact, things became so overwhelming that he actually quit the business before he ever started! Lucky for us, Pete's drive to finish whatever he started kicked in. His never quit attitude pushed him to learn the business, backwards and forward. And that led to a successful career that lasted more than a half century with more to come! The rest of the show (that's what I'll call it from now on) consisted of funny gags, playing of singles from talented yet not well-known bands who played around the time the Beatles invaded the United States. Listening to the show left me with a sense of pride, because I was one of Pete's friends who kept nagging him about documenting his story as well as everything else, he had stored in that remarkable brain of his. At the same time, listening to the show left me with a feeling of failure. That's because when my own recording fell flat on its face, along with my career as a performer, I just tucked my tail between my legs and slipped into the shadows. There were some feeble attempts through the years to revive that part of my life, only to be met with resounding rejections. Was I that much of a creep back then? Probably so. But if being a creep stopped people from recording music, radios stations around the globe would only be playing dead air. Just when I made up my mind that I would have to learn needlepoint as a way of spending my retirement years, I found the world of podcasting. Better yet, the world of podcasting found me. The shows that I've created and/or hosted fell into a number of categories. We did shows focusing on the Arts, Education, Self-Improvement, and Society & Culture. My new show, which will debut in September, will be in the Music History catgory. The same is true for Pete's show, if I'm lucky enough to land it. This show is in the Personal Journal category. And what, pray tell, might a Personal Journal podcast be? It's like an audio (and sometimes video) diary where people talk about their lives or put forth their opinion on certain topics. It also has the added bonus of not requiring guests to be effective. The first podcast I hosted, “From Grievance to Gratitude”, morphed from one filed under Society & Culture to Self-Improvement. That's because it started out as a platform for me to air a long list of resentments I had toward people I came across in my early years. Not matter how pissed off I was about what happened to me, I would always find something good that came out of that perceived slight. After 45 episodes, I literally ran out of things to gripe about. But I wasn't quite done expressing my thoughts into a microphone. So, I created this show, “Much More to Say”, to serve as a recorded documentation of my life. While it may not seem interesting while rattling around in my head, through a set of headphones, it's quite the adventure. So why did I decide on it taking the form of a Personal Journal? I turned to none other than Amelia Rose Zimlich, host of the C'est La Me podcast, for help with the answers to that question. First off, her show is a lifestyle podcast, which is a subset of a personal journal podcast. She categorizes it as a podcast that encompasses a bunch of different topics (dating, wellness, career, spirituality, travel, relationships, mental health, etc.) and uses the host's life and the lives of their guests to offer advice and insights into the topics at hand. Amelia decided to start that type of podcast for several reasons. The first reason is that she loved listening to lifestyle podcasts. Shows like Thick & Thin by Katy Bellotte, Gals on the Go by Brooke Miccio and Danielle Carolan, The Blonde Files by Arielle Lorre and The Bad Broadcast by Madi Murphy are among her favorites. The second reason is that her podcast, C'est La Me, is a solo-hosted show. She had a very fluid schedule during college, so she knew she wasn't going to have the time to schedule guests. She also knew that she preferred listening to solo shows, so it made sense for her to go that route. My reasons for starting a Personal Journal podcast were similar, but not exactly the same as Amelia's. Like her, I wanted my podcast to encompass a number of different topics. I also wanted to use my life to offer advice and insight into the topics at hand. While I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I don't listen to podcasts as much as Amelia does, I'm aware of the existence of a number of Personal Journal shows out there. I have tuned in on a few shows carried on Spreaker, which happens to be my hosting platform. Carlos Tonight w/ Carlos Correa and Ash Brown Uncensored are two of my favorites. Carlos is a journalist and public relations pro who uses his show to catch up with the people that inspired moments in his television career. The typical length of each episode runs between 20-40 minutes. That's about the outer limits of my attention span. Like mine, Ash's podcast is a solo-hosted show. Her episodes typical cover current events in her life, with occasional pop culture thrown in the mix. The typical length of each episode runs between 5-15 minutes. That happens to fall within the sweet spot of my attention span. One of the challenges I faced when deciding to go the personal journal route was trying to find shows similar to mine in form and content. Turning to my trusty old Google machine, I searched far and wide to find shows similar in style and content with mine. I'm not talking about the “Big Podcasts” like “This American Life”, “Real Life, Real Crime”, and “Vulnerable w/ Christy Carlson Romano”. I was targeting the smaller, more intimate ones that I'm more competitively aligned with. Searching for the top-rated podcasts on a number of different sites, I noticed that all of the shows on those lists are hosted by women. Sampling a few of those shows, I found them to be very good. In fact, much better than mine. But since I'm super critical when it comes to my work, the disparity in quality may not be as great as I think it is. To find a ranking of male-hosted podcasts in my category, I looked no further than Spreaker. In doing my research, I discovered the strangest thing. Apparently, my show ranks number 5 on their list of male-hosted personal journal podcasts! With over 75 episodes published, I guess that longevity has it's advantages! This also means that I still have a lot of room for improvement. Parting Shots After I said all of that, there's really not one particular reason I started a personal journal podcast. Basically, it comes down to me wanting to talk about whatever I wanted without being limited to one thing. And in a perfect world, I get to tout the accomplishments of family, friends, and strangers alike. If I'm lucky enough to land Pete's story, I will immediately turn it into the best podcast I can possibly produce. Off the top of my head, I see that it can be categorized as Music History, the Arts, and Society & Culture, to name a few. But I can see how it gets presented in the form of a personal journal, because he was there for most of it. In the meantime, I'll cross the fingers on my right hand in hopes that his show gets picked up on Sirius/XM. At the same time, I'll put my left hand behind my back with fingers crossed, hoping they pass on it and it lands on my lap. Today's Quote “I guess in my diary, I'm not afraid to be boring. It's not my job to entertain anyone in my diary.” David Sedaris – American Humorist, Comedian, Author, and Radio Contributor MM2S074: Season 5, Episode 14
By: Ken Boone Item #13 of my CY2022 New Year's Resolutions: I'd like to produce shows and/or episodes for other podcasters. I think collaboration brings out the best in all of us. Item #3 of my CY2023 New Year's Resolutions: Turn my voice studio from a hobby into a bona fide side hustle. The space is ready to go. I've set up areas for me to record anything from a solo to a multi-host, multi-guest podcast show. Yesterday morning, I got the email I'd been waiting for from my buddy Pete. Attached to the message was an MP3 file of a show that he's been working on for the past three years. And I must say that it was certainly worth the wait! He starts the episode by introducing himself to us as “your tour guide on a journey through the looking glass starting around 1964 and finishing around the day after tomorrow.” I told you before that he always leaves me in stitches. In case you're just joining us, let me fill you in on the life and times of the Amazing Peter Morticelli. During his 50+ year career in the music industry, Pete has done it all. Starting as a musician (singer and guitarist), Pete has also been a record shop owner, booking agent, band manager, promoter, and record company owner and executive. I had the honor of serving as his finance consultant for the last five years of his run as President and Co-Owner of Magna Carta Records, until the time that he and his partner, Mike Varney, sold the business. I stayed on for three additional years to generate royalty statements for the new owner, but things were just not the same without Pete. I met Pete during the Summer of 2007, on the suburban sandlots outside of Rochester, NY. His younger son and my only son were snubbed for the Summer League baseball teams in their towns. Fortunately, the town of Brighton was looking to fill their rosters with local players. Since my son played on their JV team as a HS sophomore, his selection was a no-brainer. Pete's son was the new kid. Pete and I got to be friends while sitting in the stands watching the boys play. When he found out that I was an accountant and told me that he was in the music business, we got even closer. During his time running Magna Carta, he released well over 150 albums in the Rock, Funk, and Progressive genres. He gave a lot of breaks for many up-and-coming bands. He also provided new life to a number of established artists whose careers were on the downside. And he did it in an ethical way. In addition to the 150+ albums he released, he had more than double the behind-the-scenes stories about the music biz in general. And he happened to be present when most of the incidents took place. But that's his story to tell. I helped Pete collect, analyze, and process the financial data relating to the sale of his business back in 2018-2019. During that time, we spent many hours on the phone strategizing and reminiscing. When it came to discussing what the next chapter would be, I would constantly ask him to consider doing a podcast. I was already producing four shows at the time, and his story was more compelling than all of the other ones combined. After a lot of nagging on my part, Pete started the process of creating a piece of spoken word art. His plan was to submit the finished demo to a station host on Sirius/XM. The guy does have some name recognition, but he's really known for his decades-long affiliation with a musical mega star whose known by practically anyone who knows anything about music. Listening to the demo, I feel that the host would be a fool to pass on it. In case that he does, I will immediately swoop in and make my pitch to release the show on my network. He did say he would consider releasing it as a podcast if this guy does indeed pass on it. The show is nearly two hours long, which in the world of podcasting, could amount to a full season if edited properly. I think I'm up to the challenge. I believe I could get eight episodes out of that piece. I wished him well on his submission, and reminded him that I would make an attractive Plan B. Parting Shots For this week, I was planning to record an episode highlighting some of the other podcasts I've been listening to over the past few months. I admit I was a little stuck. That was until I got the email from Pete with his project attached. I decided to push the earlier idea back another week to give Pete his due. Maybe the timing of his email was a God Shot of sorts. I am so proud of Pete for completing his project. Now that he's got that under his belt, he should be able to create much more content at a much faster clip. I expect him to not only produce more content, but to figure out a way to monetize what he's already done. Maybe I can hitch myself to his wagon. You did a fantastic job, Pete! I can't wait to hear more. Today's Quote “How do you make $1million in the music business? You start with $3million and pray you only lose $2million!” --- Peter Morticelli – Music Executive MM2S073: Season 5, Episode 13
By: Ken Boone “Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.” That quote is from H. Jackson Brown, American Author aka “Best-Selling Giver if Fatherly Advice” Welcome back to the second half of Season 5! I missed you guys on my week off. I stayed busy during my break, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about what I did. But I think I should begin by telling you what I didn't do on my week off. I didn't sit myself down in a church pew on Sunday, April 2, 2023, although I said I would with great conviction. We made the decision not to attend this past Friday, so we got closer than we have in years. Chances are that we won't be attending Easter Sunday service next week either. But hey, the year is still young. When I a child, my mother used to tell me that I was “missing my blessing” if I didn't attend a church service, no matter what the reason. I think she was using guilt to save me from blowing my chance at eternal life. She couldn't live with herself if I missed that opportunity. I'm sure that eventually attending a service at Assurance United Methodist Church will fill my spirit with good feelings. I'm also sure that the warm feelings will probably wear off in about a week. Then I'll have to return for refueling, possibly missing an opportunity to learn some other positive life lesson. There's an anonymous quote that I recently ran across... “Don't burn your opportunities for a temporary comfort.” “In the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took.” That's another anonymous quote that has encouraged me to do some productive things during my week off, starting with creating a new podcast! This one will be the most personal one I've created to date. I'm naming it “The Music That Moved Me”, and it's in the Music History category. It's kind of ironic that the idea came to me shortly after I stopped dreaming of ever becoming a serious musician. I recorded and posted a nearly three minute trailer for the show. As I said in the trailer, I hope to publish new episodes every first Friday of the month, beginning in September 2023. I'll probably record and post another trailer as we get closer to the premier episode. Why the need to create a new podcast, when I already have six on this network? Because I don't want to miss the opportunity to share with you the music that had a profound effect on me. In fact, sometimes it was this music that drew me into the church. The music that kept me from missing my blessing. And I wanted to do it while I still had the time and a sound mind. As the saying goes, “opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you will miss them.” “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill During my week off from this show, I did some accounting work for my buddy Pete's marketing and management company. The gig was easy, so I didn't charge him a lot. With him, it's not about the money. I look forward to our 15 minute telephone calls to discuss the numbers. That's because the calls aways end up being at least two hours long! We talk about any and eveything, with him sharing wisdom in the most generous way imaginable! As I've said on many occasions, Pete is one of the most important people in my life. His 50-year career in the music business is impressive. His valiant battle against a string of health issues is inspiring. And now, he's going to share his story with the world on a brand-new podcast, that I hope will run on my network. If he decides to take the show elsewhere, that'll be fine well. Just as long as he gets it out there. On the surface, Pete appears to be a “sky is falling” kind of person. But the truth is that he is someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word “quit”. Early in his life, he learned that as long as he could breathe, he should never give up. I didn't learn that lesson until much later in life. “Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity, or arrogance. But simply because they lead you nowhere.” Paolo Coelho I also received my “just checking in” phone call from my son, Kenny. I look forward to those calls, because he always gives me something to be proud of him about. He's coming into his own. His parenting skills are admirable. He's building a solid career serving the public. And his service is extending to community leadership, having recently been appointed to the board of his neighborhood business association. He even has aspirations of entering politics. When I congratulate him on his accomplishments, he tells me that I taught him well. While I'm flattered to hear that I've impacted him in a mostly positive way, I'm a little sad that I didn't benefit from those lessons. Knowing them could have alleviated a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering. But that's life. “You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis Okay, so I didn't benefit from as much sage advice as Pete, Kenny, Celia, etc. I still think that I turned out just fine. I was never abused, just ill-informed in the ways of the real world. Being an autodidact, and maybe even a polymath, helped me cope with my educational shortcomings. Just the other day, Celia told her oldest sister about my dream to create a side hustle out of my passion for doing voice acting. When Celia told her sister that I set up a makeshift vocal booth in my man cave/bonus room studio, I was expecting her response to be, “he's wasting his time.” Instead, she said that she loved the quality of my voice, and I would be a success! My sister-in-law also told Celia that she has a friend who is a successful voice actor, and would try to track that person down for the purpose of making an introduction. That both thrills and terrifies me, because this is coming from someone who has a reputation for being blunt and brutally honest. Pete expressed disappointment when I told him that I gave up playing music. When I told him that my focus is on podcasts and voiceover work, he implied that I could pursue those interests while still making music. Kenny always tells me to keep recording and publishing my show, even though the number of downloads I get is not what I hoped they would be. He reminds me of what I used to say to him when he played baseball. To paraphrase, I should work as hard and as smart possible every time, no matter who listens. Only then will I be ready to succeed when opportunity finally knocks. Sounds like good advice. Parting Shots Now that I'm back from my mid-season break, I'm ready to pick up where I left off. I'm not going to gripe about the life lessons they failed to teach me, because I know them now. Opportunities will come knocking, and I have to be ready to spot them, act upon them, and learn from them if they don't happen to pan out. That's the lesson that I won't miss ever again! Today's Quote “Opportunity is missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Alva Edison – American Inventor |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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