The Music Lens Podcast
Two friends with mics, talking all things life in the music scene through the lens of independent artists.
The Music Lens Podcast is a vital weekly resource and commentary show for current and aspiring independent artists. Join hosts Alex and Katie—both successful indie musicians themselves—as they offer candid, boots-on-the-ground insights into the culture, history, and most importantly, the business that shapes the modern music landscape.
Tune in to learn how to navigate the industry:
- Music Business 101: Decoding topics like record label contracts, publishing rights, and licensing deals.
- Creator Economy: Examining the impact of AI artists, streaming royalties, and parasocial fan culture.
- Industry Commentary: Breaking down the latest Grammy buzz, news roundups, and music history deep dives.
If you're an indie artist looking for honest talk and practical tools to build your career, this is the community and conversation you need.
Episodes
97 episodes
Widening The Lens: Miggie Snyder
Our Widening The Lens series is back, and we're welcoming Miggie Snyder onto the podcast!Miggie Snyder is an independent pop artist based in Nashville, TN. She has been releasing music since 2020 and is proud to write, produce, and recor...
Billboard's Top 20 Albums of 2026 So Far
Billboard released their staff picks of the top 50 albums of 2026 so far, and we decided to take a look at the top 20 of them this week. Join us as we take a very genre-diverse journey through new albums by some artists that we know, such as El...
New Music: July 2026 Edition
Happy July! It's time again for a recap on new music that came out this past month!New Music:Tenille Townes: “Sunshine’s Free”Paige King Johnson: “It Ain’t Me”Lauren Alaina: “Better Off"Maoli and Maddie...
George Michael - Pride Month 2026 Part 2
We're celebrating pride month this year by bringing you two episodes highlighting LGBTQ+ musicians in history, the second of which is one of the leading pop stars of the '80s and '90s, George Michael. Follow along as we discuss everything from ...
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Pride Month 2026 Part 1
Happy Pride Month! To celebrate this year, we're bringing you two episodes highlighting LGBTQ+ musicians in history. Up first is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer of popular works such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker....
CMA Fest 2026 Recap
CMA Fest took over Music City this past weekend, and it was jam packed full of killer sets, big surprises, and tons of fun! Join as we as recap our experience with this year's festival.
New Music: June 2026 Edition
We're back with another monthly rendition of new music and music news! Join us as we talk about some of amazing music that dropped in May as well as some music news discussions pertaining to the ever evolving state of the music industry....
2026 ACM Awards
This year's ACM Awards were filled with strong performances and record-setting wins! Join us as we discuss and give you a play-by-play of all the action.ResourcesRecord Setters at the ...
Blue Dot Fever
Blue Dot Fever: a music industry term coined to describe the growing list of cancelled tours. Are these cancellations from low ticket sales due to high ticket prices, artists booking too big of venues for their audience, or perhaps a bit of bot...
2000s Disney Channel Made Us Think Getting Famous Was Easy
If you grew up in the 2000s, odds are you've watched a Disney Channel Original Movie or two as well as Hannah Montana. Have you ever noticed how so many of those movies/shows made it seem like getting famous is incredibly easy? Join us as we di...
New Music: May 2026 Edition
Some incredible music came out this past month! Join us as we discuss new releases as well as music news, including the ACM Awards nominees.Music News:
The History of New Orleans Music
We recently took a trip to down to New Orleans, so we thought we oughta do a dive into the history of the city's deep music roots. From jazz and gospel, to R&B and hip-hop, to opera, brass bands, and rock & roll, join us as we discuss t...
Widening The Lens: Amanda McCarthy
In this installment of our Widening The Lens series, we're welcoming full-time independent artist Amanda McCarthy onto the podcast!Most people don't exactly plan to drop out of college, become a parent before the age of 21, and move to a...
Touring Terminology
Take a dive with us into the world of touring as we discuss various touring terminology that you may come across on the road!
New Music: April 2026 Edition
Join us as we discuss the latest music releases from the past month!New Music:SJ McDonald: “Blue Ridge Red"Hunter Hayes: EvergreenRussell Dickerson: Worth Your Wild EPGracie Carol: “Fa...
The Artist Inventory: Music Directors
We're taking you back into our Artist Inventory series to discuss another member of an artist's team: the music director. Join us for a discussion on what the role of a music director entails, how it's similar/different to the role of a band le...
Widening The Lens: Korie Burton Rott
In this installment of our Widening The Lens series, we're welcoming Korie Burton Rott from One Writer To Another onto the podcast!Born and raised in South Carolina, Korie moved to Music City at the age of 18 to attend Middle Tennessee S...
Sylvia Robinson and Mother Maybelle Carter - Women's History Month
Happy Women's History Month! We're celebrating two women who were both deemed mothers of their genres: Sylvia Robinson and Mother Maybelle Carter. Join us as we discuss these two pioneers and how Hip-Hop and Country wouldn't be what they are to...
New Music: March 2026 Edition
February (and end of January) was filled with new music! Join us as we discuss our favs!New Music:Ella Langley: "Dandelion" and "Be He...
D'Angelo and The Black Opry - Black History Month
Happy Black History Month! We're taking the time to highlight Black voices who have been trailblazers in the music industry. Join us as we learn about the pioneer of neo-soul, D'Angelo, as well as the Black Opry, a movement to raise awareness f...
Widening The Lens: Kristian Veech
In our second episode of our Widening The Lens series, we welcome Kristian Veech to the podcast!Taking a songwriter-centric to production, Kristian Veech is a Nashville based producer, and mixing & mastering engineer whose work cover...
Grammy Awards 2026
It's time again for our annual Grammy Awards episode! Join us for a recap and review of this year's looks, performances, and awards!
New Music and Music News: February 2026 Edition
We’re kicking off February with a roundup of new music we enjoyed from January, along with a few industry headlines, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees and a recent copyright case involving Drew Barrymore.Resources:<...
Producing Pioneers: Joe Meek and Sam Phillips
Before producers were household names, Joe Meek and Sam Phillips were quietly (and sometimes chaotically) changing the sound of popular music. In this episode, we explore how Meek’s DIY experimentation and Phillips’ work at Sun Records helped l...