Episode Summary

Episode 09 was the marketing episode. And the marketing wasn't about logos.

Courtney Gregg — VP of Marketing at New West Records, founder of Blue Sky Artist Management, and former President of Carnival Music — and Alissa Moreno — the TV Theme Queen with hundreds of syncs under her belt, co-writer of the Grammy-nominated "Every Day" for Rascal Flatts, with credits spanning Vince Gill, John Oates, Morgan Heritage, and Javier Colon, and placements dominating shows like Laguna Beach, Army Wives, How I Met Your Mother, and Criminal Minds — sat the panel and reframed the entire conversation around one question: do you actually own your career, or are you renting it?

Courtney diagnosed the two traps killing independent artists right now: you either want to play a million shows but refuse to build a digital presence, or you live on social media but are terrified to step on a real stage. Her verdict: you have to be great at all of it. There's no hiding behind your phone, and there's no being too cool for the internet. When the VP of Marketing at a major independent label gives you the blueprint, you take it to the bank.

Alissa brought the backdoor lens. Her advice to every artist in the room: stop following the single crowded road. Coming from the indie scene, she realized that pitching directly to film directors and TV producers was a faster way to build an audience than begging a label for attention. If you can become the soundscape for someone else's vision, you instantly tap into their reach.