We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ray Daniels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ray below.

Ray , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission behind starting Ray Daniels Presents and the programs we produce was built around the idea of “edutainment”. The marriage of creating a place where viewers can be not only entertained, but educated in a way that can actually benefit their everyday lives and dreams.

The shows we run will make you laugh, will leave you learning something and are meant to challenge your thinking. It is the #1 media outlet in music that offers real world information, unique perspectives and most of all educational moments. Education is power and it is the number one human currency in the information age.

When I started this media platform, my goal was to help change peoples thought processes for the better and in turn positively change their lives.

Ray , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I jumped into the world of podcasting, following an impromptu departure from my last label job. I started the Ray Daniels podcast as a way to share what I have learned in my two decades in the record business with those coming up behind me. I found that the music industry was gatekeeping a lot of information and this was severely limiting for not only individuals but, the music industry as a whole. In just a year, we now have our own podcast network, Ray Daniels Presents and are bringing in some of the most talented people in the business to share their game.

As the podcast started to grow, I realized that this was something VERY needed in media and people wanted more game from someone like myself who was still performing at a very high level in the music industry. I created an online community called The GAUDS SQUAD where I could actually engage one on one and in small groups with folks who are committed to making it. We kept on growing and growing, and with that I was like we need to take this show on the road and go directly to people and build these connections in person and that inspired the launch of The Game from the GAUDS tour – a fully interactive music workshop aimed and competitively priced for the next generation of artists, songwriters, producers and young executives.

I am most proud of the real world success I am seeing from our community members, the folks attending our events and tuning into the podcast. It is really exciting to see the folks investing in what we are doing winning.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It’s rare to find someone on the inside of an industry telling an audience how it works without rocking the boat. When my social audience started growing it is when I decided to lean into this unique selling point. We are constantly focused when starting a business in any industry on what is in it for us, rather than what does our audience want. I am always thinking about how I can provide value on social media to others because at the end of the day, my service is education and I know that if I can build trust and share nuggets – they will be lifelong fans.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The GAUDS Show on Ray Daniels Presents’ network came from an idea to start a podcast that I originally wanted to call “Convo with the GAUDS” but, I didn’t think anyone would show up. The first 15 to 20 episodes would be me, just sharing my thoughts on the industry, where I think people were winning and where I think people could improve.

Then people started to call me, and it made me realize that I could have different conversations around different topics and create a larger podcast network, now titled Ray Daniels Presents. I realized I could pivot and have an artist like LL Cool J on and then go to an emerging artist and share different POVs based on where guests were in their journeys. That sparked the idea to create multiple show formats and lean into my personal brand as I have seen those like Gary Vaynerchuk, Joe Budden and others do and guide them among the offerings to a show that meets the viewer where they are.

I started this podcast to get a job – I wanted someone to see this and say let’s give you a job – however, as the podcast grew I realized this was about creating something bigger than myself and when I took my thought process directly to the people it was immediate that I needed to pivot on creating a podcast network that can educate people on how to better navigate the music industry.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raydaniels
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrraydaniels/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/raydaniels
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RayDanielsPresents

Image Credits

Ray Daniels Presents