We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robby Busick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been a singer my whole life. My whole family sings. I never thought I’d go into the music business or be a creative. When I went to work for a label I fell in love with helping artists and songwriters grow, creatively and business-wise. The passion for the business side came when I realized how fear gets in the way of creativity. When money is involved, everyone gets scared. I want to eradicate that fear as much as possible.

On the creative side, we didn’t have an A&R team at my label. The executives sat in that role and I served their vision by hosting song listening sessions where I’d take notes on their critiques. One day the president of the label turned to me and asked me “What do you think”? That’s the day I fell in love with songwriting. I needed to have an opinion and I became a student of the songs. I learned how to listen for what moved me and pull out the gold in songs and songwriters. Eventually that helped me in my own writing, and now I’m signed to Curb (a music publisher in Nashville) and write for them all the time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started the Indie Friend because I had a certain skillset and I saw that the industry of music is open to independent artistry now more than ever. However, the majority of artists and writers that have learned how to write, record, and release music, have no idea that they’re actually running a business. They don’t know the intricacies of intellectual property and all the ways their music can or does make money for them. Because of that lack of knowledge, they’re afraid. That fear causes them to self-sabotage good deals, or sign bad ones. I wanted to create a resource and community where an independent artist feels safe to learn and ask questions from an industry professional, without having to pay thousands of dollars on a course. We help artists figure out what to do next. That could be negotiating a contract, understanding where the money comes from and how to go get it, how to talk to a producer or co-writer about royalty splits, understand what type of budget is needed, how to grow your audience, and what resources are available to help an artist be the CEO of their own music business!

As far as what I’m most proud of, I think that would be that I haven’t quit. You see a lot of both good and bad in the industry. It’s so easy to get bitter and jaded. I’m most proud of my family. They’re my world. Without their support I couldn’t do what everything I’m doing.
Outside of that, I’m proud of what I’m building with The Indie Friend. We’re resourcing indie artists with e-courses, artist development coaching, monthly Q&A’s to help them solve problems they face in the moment, and connecting them to our friends in the business! Our podcast is The Indie Friend Music Business Podcast. Please check us out! We’re hosting indie creatives and industry pros to help you grow in your craft!

Creatively, I want to write and sing songs that inspire the world to action, to change, and to better humanity. Some of my songs have already made their way around the globe and I’m so grateful for that influence.

Business-wise, I’d love for The Indie Friend to soar. It truly is a divine assignment for me. I don’t even feel like it fully belongs to me. I see myself more as a steward of this place where people have access to information and help that isn’t given in many other places. My hope is that The Indie Friend becomes the go-to place for independent artists to know what to do, when/where/how to do it, in a way that allows them to build a legacy of creativity.

There are a couple of other great resources out there that are amazing at this, but it’s not enough. I think what sets us apart at the Indie Friend is that we’ve been in the industry AND we’re creatives. A lot of resources are started by business-only folks who are great at marketing, or they’re started by a musician who got hurt and wants to make a difference. My co-founder and I are both! I’m a professional writer, and I’ve been a music publisher, a label production manager, a rights administrator, and a consultant for for-profit and non-profit music entities. My co-founder was an artist on a label, is a business coach, a manager of indie artists, and a fellow entrepreneur. We’ve sat in all the shoes that an indie artist finds themself needing to fill.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel most connected to my purpose in the act of creating. I think it’s what I was meant for. However, my favorite part of creating a song is not even the songwriting. It’s the other people in the room. A pastor/mentor of mine once told me “Robby, what if you’re not in the room because you’re writing a song. What if you’re in the room because of the other writers in the room.” That changed my life. From that point on, I’ve walked in a room thinking about the heart(s) of the people I’m creating with, and I’ve learned I get way better songs when people are the priority instead of the song.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Value the work. In most cases, songwriters make the least of any creative out there! In the U.S. we need to get rid of consent decrees that keep songwriters and publishers from being able to negotiate fair rates for their songs. Also, instead of trying to figure out how to listen for free, pay for the subscription, sign up for their Patreon subscription, subscribe to their release announcements, read their emails, and share on socials.
Don’t be passive. If you find enjoyment in someone’s work, share it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theindiefriend.com
• Instagram: @theindiefriend_official
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiefriendofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robby-busick-1807ba26/
• Twitter: @The_IndieFriend
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theindiefriend?feature=shared