
The Art of Longevity
Uniquely honest conversations with famous and renowned musicians. We talk about how these artists have navigated the mangle of the music industry to keep on making great music and winning new fans after decades of highs and lows. We dive into past, present and future and discuss business, fandom, creation and collaboration. What defines success in today's music business? From the artist's point of view.
The Guardian: “Making a hit record is tough, but maintaining success is another skill entirely. Music industry executive Keith Jopling explores how bands have kept the creative flame alive in this incisive series”.
Episodes
79 episodes
The Art of Longevity Season 11, Episode 6: Valerie June
Valerie June’s journey to what we might call ‘cult stardom’ hasn’t been easy. “I was cleaning houses while playing bars & clubs at night. And I had a vision that I would not make it - my music wouldn't reach its audience through...
•
Season 11
•
Episode 6
•
1:01:05

The Art of Longevity Season 11, Episode 5: Deacon Blue, with Ricky Ross
With the album’s reduced commercial clout and declining role in music consumption, a dilemma crops up for all long-established bands involved in the endeavour of making a new LP record. Put simply, why bother? Why toil for four years on a body ...
•
Season 11
•
Episode 5
•
57:23

The Art of Longevity Season 11, Episode 4: My Morning Jacket, with Jim James
A new album release by your favourite band is an important event. Thank god for this. A new album is a reprieve, an escape, a comfort and a joy. Of course, to experience all these emotions you do have to take the time to really listen. I partic...
•
58:23

The Art of Longevity Season 11, Episode 3: Tindersticks
Great bands and great records shouldn't come down to a competition, but by way of bringing it to your attention, Tindersticks’ Soft Tissue was my choice of 5th best album of 2024. I’m touched that Stuart Staples seems genuinely pleased...
•
Season 11
•
Episode 3
•
1:00:34

The Art of Longevity Season 11, Episode 2: Doves
Doves have yet to have a big 'moment', but in the music business of 2025, those moments no longer even exist. Instead, bands of ‘modest success’ must crack on, do their best work, put it out in the world and hope people take some notice. If, as...
•
Season 11
•
Episode 2
•
47:04

Season 11, Episode 1: The Lumineers
If the route to longevity is to be bendable into the music industry’s rules for success, The Lumineers really shouldn’t be here at all. It makes no sense. Their stripped back, rootsy ‘Americana’ (if that’s what we can call it) took hold for rea...
•
Season 11
•
Episode 1
•
1:11:06

The Art of Longevity Episode 69: Artists On Vinyl Side A
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with
•
Season 9
•
Episode 69
•
32:16

The Art of Longevity Episode 68: Joan As Police Woman
There are always some central pillars to a great party playlist - songs that just work. One of those is the Joan As Police Woman song Holy City. The song is always an instant hit at parties, guaranteed to elicit excitable inquiries as to “who i...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 68
•
53:28

The Art of Longevity Episode 67: Keane
Of all the bands to grace our company on The Art of Longevity, Keane have ridden the music industry rollercoaster through all the stations of the cross: struggle, success, excess, disintegration and if you’re lucky - enlight...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 67
•
53:27
.jpg)
The Art of Longevity Episode 66: Los Campesinos!
What happens when you are a cult band (indeed when Pitchfork refers to you as “the ultimate cult band”) and you make the most accessible, most ‘mainstream’ album of your career? It’s a relevant question for many bands these days, becaus...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 66
•
56:37

The Art of Longevity Episode 65: David Gray
Artists have a duty to claim that their most recent project is the best work they have ever done. But what if it’s true? I’m so taken with David Gray’s new album Dear Life (released January 2025) - and so too is David of course ...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 3
•
1:11:44

That One Guitar (pilot) Episode 1: Gale Paridjanian, Turin Brakes
My guest for this pilot episode is Gale Paridjanian of (the magnificent) Turin Brakes.If you listen to the song Underdog (Save me) by Turin Brakes, it will tell you a lot about how Gale plays and what he brings to a song with his guitar...
•
Episode 1
•
53:41

The Art of Longevity Episode 64: Chilly Gonzales
When I heard the Chilly Gonzales song Neoclassical Massacre, I immediately got in touch with his management and label to get Gonzo on the Art of Longevity. Not only are his views on AI and background music incisive, but Gonzo has some strong op...
•
Episode 64
•
1:17:03

The Art of Longevity Episode 63: Nada Surf
In this day & age of abundance, you can easily forget what’s precious - like your favourite bands. If you are anything like me the question “what’s your favourite band” now has an official top 40. As in I have a rolling 40 favourite bands. ...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 6
•
1:07:26

The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 5: Eels
In Mark Oliver Everett’s autobiography “Things The Grandchildren Should Know”, the author, otherwise known as E, the frontman and band leader of Eels, wrote of Bob Dylan’s self-proclaimed destiny as a musician:“I wish I had somethin...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 5
•
55:20

The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 4: Marika Hackman
Marika Hackman's Big Sigh is everything a 4th album should be. Really good songs, good scheduling, sophisticated arrangements (brass and strings accompany many tracks). The album has variety - from the mysterious instrumental in...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 4
•
1:02:03
The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 3: Travis, with Fran Healy
Fran Healy and his band Travis have this longevity thing down. Firstly, you must have a love and addiction to music, as something magical. Secondly, that magic is for you to create - making music to nobody’s expectations but your own. But third...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 3
•
47:03

The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 2: Ed Harcourt
After 25 years in the music business, both as a major label priority artist and as a jobbing musician, Ed Harcourt still has big ambitions. “My greatest achievement would be to write a song I would never get bored of singing”.
•
Season 9
•
Episode 2
•
55:41

The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 1: Crowded House
Try playing a Crowded House record (any of them) then let Spotify play on…you will get just the best selection of really great songs. Go on, try it and you’ll see for yourself. This discovery may well make drivetime rad...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 1
•
1:05:59

The Art of Longevity Season 9 Preview, with Real Estate
When Real Estate's fifth album The Main Thing was released to fairly mixed results, was it time for a reset? In a sense, yes. For band leader Martin Courtney, it was time to get back to songs. After all, without songs, ...
•
Season 9
•
Episode 0
•
52:17

The Art of Longevity Season 8, Episode 5: The Staves
Like many women creators in the (still) white, male dominated music industry, the Staveley-Taylor sisters aka The Staves, bring a sense of humbleness to everything they have achieved, how they are positioned today and indeed, what the future ho...
•
Season 8
•
Episode 5
•
1:00:25

The Art of Longevity Season 8, Episode 4: Beirut
After the fiasco of having to cancel Beirut’s 2019 tour, Zach Condon knew he needed to take the time out to fully recover. Multiple infections, colds and in the end complicated throat ailments had led him to a total burnout, until finally:<...
•
Season 8
•
Episode 4
•
55:42

The Art of Longevity Season 8, Episode 3: Metric
Metric has become one of those bands that have paved the way for independence, along with Aimee Mann, Chance The Rapper and the other self-releasing copyright owning pioneers. Their fifth album Synthetica (2012) as it turns out, is a f...
•
Season 8
•
Episode 3
•
45:51

The Art of Longevity Season 8, Episode 2: Half Moon Run
I had invited Half Moon Run onto the podcast after first hearing Salt - imploring their BMG PR to arrange it as a matter of priority. Speaking with Dylan Phillips was an insight behind the creative process of the (de...
•
Season 8
•
Episode 2
•
49:16

The Art of Longevity Season 8, Episode 1: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
In the 70s, the teenage years of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, one would have heard new music by word of mouth, from the music papers, and DJs like John Peel, and it is one of these channels that would have led the young Andy McCluskey in ...
•
Season 8
•
Episode 1
•
52:15
