The Music Industry is About Money, Not Talent – Rock Talk Podcast Host Sommer Sharon

Liz Cirelli describes her music journey as a push and pull affair that began from an egotistical point of view. She's been challenged by a fear of financial lacking, elusive fame, and the absence of help. Today she finds solace in the realization that she's always had everything she needs.

Cirelli was born in the UK of Italian parents. Today, she lives in the tiny village of Roseto Valfortore, in the Puglia region of Italy. She describes Roseto Valfortore as a beautiful place, free of distraction and great for creativity. She's a composer, producer, and creative mentor. Her studio lives in a laptop, going where she goes.

The state of Liz's music career is very much the product of a recent trip to California, where she met with her now music production mentor Gary Gray. At the time Liz felt she lacked the funds for the trip, but said it was a calling of the heart that restored her faith in humanity. The trip was to attend an educational event for music producers, songwriters, and music entrepreneurs (aka musicpreneurs). At the event Liz met a panel of great educators and connected with two fellow students who are now important friends and collaborators. It's no surprise that Liz believes in the mind-expanding and horizon-broadening power of travel.

During her California sojourn, Liz took a licensing course by Aaron Davison. She'd hit an impasse with licensing, and had many questions. Because most of Liz's questions were of a technical/production nature, Aaron referred her to Gary Gray. Soon after their first meeting, Gary became Liz's production mentor. He offered important production advice such as A/B, referencing, stressing the importance of using existing commercial tracks as a point of reference. Not all of his advice was production related. According to Liz, Gary also said, “If you want to change your thoughts, first change your behavior.” This bit of advice proved quite important to Liz. She talks about this profound tip in a video on her YouTube channel. The ensuing revelation has helped Liz change her behavior such that it is in alignment with who she wants to be as an artist. It has also enabled her to feel a sense of forward motion in her life and music.

Liz finds it challenging to place herself into a specific genre, but admittedly identifies with electronica, dream pop and deep house. Where she sees herself in terms of genre was a personal curiosity of mine. I have an appreciation of electronica, but don't know much about the important artists or sub-genres. Liz has given me a brief education and new point of reference. It could be her classical/DJ/electronica influence and fusion that appeals to me personally. Whatever it is–I like it.

I saw Liz as a standout for this podcast the moment I discovered her via social (Twitter or Facebook). Her online presence, marketing, and breadth of work impressed me instantly. Once we connected via Twitter, she gently asked if I'd be interested in a sample of her music and other goodies via email. I said yes, as I was curious to see her marketing funnel in action. She quickly sent me a pre-release gift from her forthcoming release.

Liz's journey as an artist goes back to her teenage years as a ballet dancer and spans music studies, DJ'ing, and ultimately falling in love with electronic music. Her desire to create music also meant learning how to produce it. She confessed to me that she initially lacked the patience and humility required to produce music, adding that she struggled to make a decent living in the beginning. Time told Liz, however, that creating music is what she needed to do. Moving to Italy helped.

After taking Aaron Davison’s course on licensing and meeting with Gary Gray, it dawned on Liz what she needed to become an indie artist. Among those lessons, Liz learned how to set herself up online with WordPress, learned social media, and continues to invest in education. She's also figured out how to package all of what she's capable of offering into a livelihood. Her ongoing education, she says, has also provided the benefit of a strong support network.

Coursework has also taught Liz how to properly nurture her fan base. She spends 1-2 hours daily interacting with her audience, be it by email or social media. A growing Facebook community that she calls Day Dream Believers and a twice monthly email newsletter adds fuel to her fan base fire. It's not all marketing for the sake of marketing though. Liz tells me that she finds the contact to be a pleasure, because she’s dealing with people who actually care about what she’s doing.

Liz starts her day with a cup of mate tea, but otherwise often heads straight to the studio. Once upon a time, her mornings revolved around yoga and meditation. While she still pr...