This Week’s Guest Born in Memphis, TN, to a classically trained pianist, Derek took to music naturally, as both a musician and a songwriter. After taking a single guitar lesson, he was self-taught, and by his sophomore year in high school was on the road as a touring musician. Derek joined his first band, Caedmon’s Call, in 1993. They were signed to Warner Alliance three years later. Two years following, in 1998, the band’s self-titled release won Gospel Music Awards Modern Rock Album of the Year. Following numerous other, critically acclaimed releases with Caedmon’s Call, Derek struck out on a solo career in 2001. He would go on to release four studio albums with label INO, before going independent to self-release five additional records. His latest, Targets, is slated for 2019. In addition to Derek’s songwriting, recording, and touring career, in 2008, he founded NoiseTrade, a pioneering direct-to-fan platform, which was acquired by Pledge Music in 2016. Highlights The power of singular focus in an artist’s career Knowing how and when to jump – to seize opportunities when they arise Becoming a “middle class musician” The seasons of investment and return in an artist’s career Why the debate about streaming as good or bad is irrelevant Streaming’s place in an artist’s overall revenue equation The differences and shifts in power and money between content creators and content owners Using streaming to cultivate super fans Taking the pressure of revenue off a young artist’s music The story behind the appeals on against the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate increase How emerging technologies like VR can foster or hinder connection and empathy between artists and fans Resources Derek on Twitter Derek on Wikipedia derekwebb.com NoiseTrade Middle Class Musician