One-on-one mentoring for independent artists

An hour with someone who has done the touring, the releases and the paperwork. Pick marketing or the music business, bring your real questions, and leave with a written plan.

$75 an hour. Priced for working musicians, not for labels.

Request a sessionGet a free band audit

Two kinds of session

Mentoring

Marketing

For bands with a release or a tour coming and no label marketing team behind it.

What we can cover

  • A release plan: announce, preorder, singles, video and the weeks after release day
  • Social you can keep up on the road, and short clips cut from footage you already have
  • Tour promotion for the dates that need help
  • Your email list and merch store, the two channels you own
  • Small ad budgets: where to spend, what to aim at, when to stop
  • Reading your numbers: where your listeners are versus where you tour

Free tips to start with

  • Post the on-sale link with the announcement. A date with no ticket link is a missed sale.
  • A 15-second live clip beats a flyer almost every time. Film every show, even on a phone.
  • Put an email sign-up at the merch table. Those are your best fans, and no algorithm sits between you.

Mentoring

Music business

For bands that are starting to make money and want it set up right before it gets messy.

What we can cover

  • The band agreement: who owns the name, how money splits, what happens when someone leaves
  • Business basics: band bank account, bookkeeping, and when a business entity makes sense
  • Publishing, performance royalties and where your songwriting money actually comes from
  • Reading deals before you sign: label, management, booking and merch
  • Tour budgets, guarantees and settling up at the end of the night
  • Paying yourselves without starving the band

Free tips to start with

  • Open a band bank account and run every dollar through it. It ends most money arguments before they start.
  • Write down your songwriting splits the week you finish a song, while everyone still agrees.
  • Register your songs with a performing rights organization. Live shows and radio pay royalties you will never see otherwise.

Mentoring is guidance from people who have done the work. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. For contracts and taxes, use a qualified professional.

How it works

  1. Request

    Fill in the form below: which track, where the band is at, and what you want to work on.

  2. Book

    We reply to set a time and send payment details.

  3. Talk

    One focused hour on a video call. Send links ahead so we spend the time on answers, not catching up.

  4. Follow up

    You get a short written list of next steps after the call.

Free

Free band audit

Send us your links. We look at the band the way a new fan, a promoter and a booker would, and email you a short written review: the five fixes that matter most, in order.

What we look at

  • Can a new fan hear you in one click, from your bio link to a pinned track
  • Are your tour dates current, and does every date have a ticket link
  • Is there somewhere to buy a shirt, and does the store work
  • Are you collecting fans you own: an email or text sign-up
  • Do the name, logo and artwork match on every platform
  • Would a promoter find a contact, live footage and a reason to book you

What you get

A written review by email within five business days. No call, no pitch. If a fix would go faster with an hour together, we will say so, and a mentoring session is there if you want one.

We only see what is public. We cannot see your streaming dashboards, your sales or your inbox. We take a limited number each month; if we are full, we will tell you when we can get to yours.

We use these details only to send your review. See our privacy policy.

Request a session

$75 an hour. Tell us a little about the band and we will get back to you to set a time.

A singer in a dark shirt mid-song on an outdoor festival stage

Which session?

We use these details only to reply to you. See our privacy policy.

Friends of ours

The A&R Foundation

Free business education for independent musicians and creative businesses in Texas.

The A&R Foundation is a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit built around one idea: turning creative work into a business that lasts. Its free Music Business Accelerator pairs group sessions with one-on-one coaching across two tracks: entrepreneur fundamentals (goals, business planning, entities, bookkeeping, banking) and music business essentials (publishing, contracts, copyright, industry relationships, DIY touring and personal money). Austin-area creatives can also apply for free one-on-one coaching.

It is run by our friend Austin Breckenridge, the foundation's executive director and co-founder, who started out booking shows in the Bay Area before running an independent label. If you are in Texas, start there. If you are not, their work is still worth following, and worth supporting.

Both programs were closed to new applicants when we checked in October 2026. Check their site for the next window.

Music Business Accelerator (opens in a new tab) Visit the foundation (opens in a new tab) Donate (opens in a new tab)

Austin Breckenridge on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)