09/07/2025
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ayana Webb for the podcast she produces and hosts for The Musical Webb. Ayana created The Musical Webb initially as an online music training site, where she continues to offer piano courses, and which is growing into a hub of resources for musicians, with a blog, newsletter, and a cool podcast. A diverse community of artists is growing.
We shared our insights on the current state and future of the music business, and the interview became a conversation, as we discussed our shared vision in getting our businesses off the ground, and the purpose we both have found in our journeys.
“Business is not linear,”Ayana noted, “it’s turbulent and you have to be okay with the sacrifices you make when you are building it ” She talked about the “10-year path to overnight success,” saying that a good way to know if you are on the right track is if you are okay with spending the first ten years doing a lot of things you don’t like to do because you know these will get you to where you want to be.
A strategy we both followed in order to survive the turbulence in the music business was by keeping our overheard and underpricing the competition. Operating with kindness and without judgement has been key for both of us, and we have both found ourselves purposefully building very human communities.
“Machines help us, but at the end of the day, creators like to create - and there’s a joy in creating together.”
Ayana is an exceptional piano teacher, and she told me how she thinks it is so important to listen, to hear her students, especially those starting out. “I want them to feel confident making mistakes and to feel the freedom to grow.”
You can check out The Musical Webb here:
www.the musicalwebb.com
Ayana is offering a special discount on her one-on-one zoom lessons (only $47 for 30 minutes; $97 for 60 minutes!) but you need to jump on that because the deadline is midnight September 7th!
https://www.themusicalwebb.com/interview-with-4th-street-recording
