(More details on NOLA are coming soon, we promise — and they’ll definitely be worth the wait!)
Of course, it all starts from a solid foundation at home. That’s why we’re kicking off the month by bringing our popular Building Your Authentic Artist Brand workshop back to Nashville!
Join us at Helping Our Music Evolve (615 Main St., Suite G1, Nashville) on Wednesday, October 1 from 7-9 p.m. This interactive workshop — as experienced during SXSW 2025 — guides musicians (and other creatives) through the steps of developing a purpose-driven, values-based creative ecosystem. Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is designed to help artists identify the unique “why” behind their work; learn best practices for attracting their true audience across three key segments (fans, collaborators, and business partners); and build a sustainable, profitable creative business on their own terms.
Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is free to attend, and it’s all part of the work we do to educate and connect artistpreneurs through the UMC Academy. You can learn more about what we offer here!
In August, we traveled all the way up to Cookstown, Ontario, Canada to once again take part in Gussapolooza, one of Canada’s premier independent music festivals. We took it upon ourselves to bring the ol’ 12-channel mixer and invite attendees to chat with us throughout the weekend — whether artist, industry supporter, volunteer, vendor, patron, or any combination thereof.
On Day 1, we sat down with singer-songwriter John Peterkin, punk rocker (and 2025 Gussapolooza Battle of the Bands winner) Feura, Jake and Mike from Bad Music Club, and LA-based genre-bending artist Edi Callier.
This month’s UnderDogs Across Borders concert is perhaps our most genre-diverse offering to date, featuring performances from across the musical spectrum and beyond.
Tonight and through October, your support of UnderDogs Across Borders helps us bring the UnderDogs to New Orleans for NOLA MusiCon 2025, taking place Oct. 28-30. More details about our plans are coming very soon!
Our September 16 lineup includes:
Impactful spoken word artist Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess
Previously, on The Quinn Spinn: Scotty Rock and L were about to head to the System of a Down and Korn concert at MetLife Stadium. Little did they know that the concert they’d attend would go down in history, thanks to the… um, antics of a gentleman in the front row of the upper deck!
We also share our thoughts on the current state of WWE, after the announcement that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the middle of it all, we preview our forthcoming episode series recorded at Gussapolooza 2025. The Quinn and Pierce sit down with John Peterkin of Ontario-based band The Peterkin Project, whose new single, “Power of Life,” carries a touching tribute to a relative lost to cancer.
For all of the talk about AI’s industry takeover, and the ways “the algorithm” unfairly stacks the deck against artists, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves a different question…
What if, instead of catering to the algorithm — the latest in a long line of industry gatekeepers outlined in the video I’m about to share below — we focus on the power we have as a community to build authentic relationships with fans, fellow creatives, and our entrepreneurs across industries?
What if, instead of claiming victimhood in an unfair ecosystem (and often, offering no real solution alongside our complaints), we empower ourselves to create a new one?
What if, instead of begging for a seat at “the big table,” we build our own table?
Yes, there are plenty of problems with the ways creatives are regarded and compensated in the business world. That’s because the business world in which we currently reside was not created by us.
When creatives function like entrepreneurs, the power resides in our hands. When we build brands, communities, and new ways of doing business, we find common ground not only with other creatives who have felt our pain, but with consumers who are looking for something that speaks to them more readily than what’s pumped out through “the machine.”
When we treat the tools at our disposal (AI, streaming, social media, etc.) like supplemental tools to create and maintain connections — instead of be-all, end-all solutions that are “supposed to” bring us to virality, fame, and fortune (i.e.; do all the work for us) — we can better manage our expectations, and focus on the real-world actions and relationships that will help us grow our communities and build a more sustainable ecosystem over time.
Instead of relying on the algorithm to make you visible, take it upon yourself to get in front of people. Instead of expecting Spotify and other DSPs to change their tune about royalty payouts and AI-created music, encourage and incentivize your audience to purchase directly from you. Develop ways to make them feel like they’re not just spending money, but investing in a vision for a greater world.
Provide value, and do business while consistently providing that value.
“Business” is not a dirty word. Learning how to do it properly — in a way that provides and increases value for all stakeholders over time — is the key to finally leveling this playing field.
I’ve presented at and attended some of the biggest music conferences in the world throughout 2025, and have had conversations with thought leaders across the creative space. I assure you that, in all corners, we are asking similar questions: how do we give creators the power?
We already have it. It’s time to accept it, wield it responsibly, and remain consistent over time. It’s time to test, measure, adjust, and develop better, creator-centric solutions. I’ll never tell you it’s easy: the creative journey is a long game, and overnight success is fleeting at best, and non-existent in reality.
Would you rather it be easy or impactful?
It’s not about fighting City Hall. It’s about building new cities.
With that, I came across this TED Talk featuring Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler, who offers a solution as to how we can structure our businesses in a creator-friendly manner. It’s already inspiring plenty of ideas for me, and I hope it does the same for you.
Have a great weekend. And, if my rant inspired you to continue this conversation, you know where to find me.
As though next week wasn’t already exciting enough, it turns out that our UnderDogs will be taking the stage not once, but twice in Music City!
We are proud to partner with the Nashville African Street Festival — now in its 43rd year — to present an UnderDogs Across Borders showcase on the Beats & Rhymes stage. The festival takes place all weekend long at Hadley Lillard Park (1038 28th Ave. N., Nashville), with the UnderDogs Across Borders showcase taking place Saturday, September 20 from 4-5:30 p.m.
Hosted by Kelsey Muse and Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess, this showcase will emphasize performers from across the hip hop and R&B spectrum, including:
Kelsey Muse
SADGURL
DJX
Nicolas Soul
Yonna Jones
The event is free to attend. As always, those looking to support the cause are encouraged to donate to our UnderDogs Across Borders campaign, which fuels live music experiences and activations for our UnderDogs in Nashville and beyond!
Revolutionary artist T.R.A.N.E. Spitta is one of five performers slated to join us at Helping Our Music Evolve on Tuesday, September 16 for UnderDogs Across Borders: Vol. 3.
The Nashville-based hip hop artist, performer, educator, and entrepreneur always has plenty to talk about, and he took to the Sacrificial Conversations podcast on 104.1 Tab Radio in Nashville to discuss art, its impact, and to highlight his upcoming UnderDogs Across Borders performance. T.R.A.N.E. also speaks about the ways our UnderDogs Across Borders campaign serves to connect creators regardless of genre, creative discipline, or location (that part begins around the 41-minute mark).
Check it out below, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch UnderDogs Across Borders: Vol. 3 from everywhere next Tuesday!
John Peterkin pays homage to his late cousin on “Power of Life,” the latest single from The Peterkin Project.
“This heartfelt song was co-created with my late cousin Mark, who fought a brave battle against cancer and inspired me to pursue music,” Peterkin said on the band’s official Facebook page.
The steady rocking new single features a warm acoustic sensibility, which underscores some hopeful, U2-inspired licks from lead guitarist Shawn Andrew. Peterkin’s lyrics paint a picture of those who leave indelible imprints on our hearts and minds — even after they transition from this Earthly plane.
For more about “Power of Life” and all things The Peterkin Project, John is one of several guests who join us on The Quinn Spinn this coming Monday, September 15 as part of our series taped live at Gussapolooza 2025, which took place last month in Cookstown, Ontario, Canada. Be sure to tune in!
Our return to the Big Easy this October’s NOLA MusiCon just got a whole lot sweeter!
We’re proud to announce that we are partnering with NOLA MusiCon alongside our friends at DAWn Audio and Tunetrax to present this year’s official showcases. The team is currently putting the finishing touches on two spectacular lineups — one set for Tuesday, October 28 at Cafe Istanbul, and another on Wednesday, October 29 at The Rabbit Hole — which will showcase talent from across the musical spectrum and geographic borders.
We’ll be announcing full lineup and event details shortly. In the meantime, we’re looking for a few good partners to support us in making this year’s NOLA MusiCon one to remember! Your organization can sponsor these incredible showcase events, and we’ve provided a few informational slides below.
The Quinn Spinn is BACK for Season 13, and we’re keeping the party going the same way we began: by podcasting in someone’s basement!
Be assured, however, that we’ve all grown in the decade-plus since Episode 1 hit the internet. For one thing, we’re all certified Uncs now. For another, all of that experience makes it easy for us to find ourselves in midseason, pants-removing, Stupid News-sharing, Love Island-and-Morgan-Wallen-bashing form!
In addition to all of that fun, we also welcome Da’ Healerz to our season premiere to talk about their Heal Talk EP, their forthcoming collaboration with Guidance Whiskey, and where you can catch a Heal Talk Experience near you.
