Creating a cohesive body of work is the ultimate challenge for rising artists. We explore the pressure of music production while balancing a relentless release schedule and touring.

Host Olivia Mancuso sits down with bass music powerhouse ALLEYCVT to discuss her journey from professional songwriting to becoming a headlining EDM producer.

We dive into technical sound design, the complexity of mixdowns, and the workflow required to bridge melody writing with professional electronic music production in the studio.

Learn how authenticity drives social media growth and why investing in a tour production team is vital for elevating your live DJing experience.

Beyond studio gear, we discuss the producer mindset, navigating the music industry, and the importance of fostering a tight-knit community within the bass scene.

Subscribe for more exclusive interviews and expert producer tips to level up your career!

👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth.
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Stop dreaming about the mainstage and start building your music career today. Discover how a bedroom producer went from downloading an Ableton Live trial to performing with Illenium at Lost Lands.

Host Olivia Mancuso sits down with EDM artist Avello to decode his rapid ascent in the electronic music industry. Learn how he turned a basic studio setup into a touring reality through sheer focus.

Master modern music marketing with Avello’s "Trust and Dopamine" content strategy. We break down why post-release promotion beats pre-release teasing and how to effectively cut through the noise on social media.

Explore professional music production workflows, from mastering VST plugins like Serum to overcoming the learning curve of DAWs. Get essential producer tips on navigating label deals and refining your DJing skills.

Whether you are focused on sound design or business strategy, this episode offers vital career advice. Shift your mindset from fear to "best case scenario" visualization to finally unlock your true potential.

👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth

👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__

👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

You're finally making money from music. Shows are coming in. Maybe you just got your first $10K, $50K, or $100K check. This is the moment every artist works toward—and the moment where most careers start falling apart.

The music industry doesn't teach you what to do when the money actually arrives. There's no handbook for navigating profit vs. expenses, budgeting for inconsistent income, or knowing when you actually need professional financial help. By the time most artists realize they're in trouble, they've already made costly mistakes that set them back years.

Jasmine Kwok has seen it from every angle. From artist relations to booking during the Avicii era, to banking, and now running ICONAC as a business manager for top DJs—she knows exactly where artists go wrong and how to fix it.

This isn't just about managing money. It's about understanding the difference between a business and gambling, building the right team at the right time, and recognizing that financial literacy isn't optional if you want longevity in this industry.

Key Takeaways:

- The critical difference between a business manager, CPA, and financial advisor (and when you need each one)

- Why most artists wait until there's a financial emergency to get help—and how much that costs them

- The invisible infrastructure behind every successful artist that fans never see

- What to actually do with your first big paycheck (hint: it's not buying a Rolex)

- The "need vs. want" test that stops impulse purchases in their tracks

- Red and green flags when interviewing business managers

- Why communication matters more than technical expertise

- How lifestyle creep kills more careers than bad music

Whether you're just starting to make money from music or you're already earning six figures, this conversation will change how you think about building sustainable wealth in the music industry.

Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth.

Connect with Olivia on Instagram

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

When success starts destroying you, do you walk away or do you rebuild on your own terms?

Sam Divine spent 25 years grinding her way to the top—from handing out flyers on Ibiza streets to becoming the Queen of Defected. But the journey nearly broke her. Depression, addiction, relentless touring, and the loss of her mother pushed her to a breaking point where the music that once saved her started hurting her.

In January 2025, she checked herself into rehab. Not just for the drugs and alcohol, but for exhaustion. For being a workaholic who couldn't remember the last time she just breathed. What she found there changed everything.

If you've ever felt like giving up, like the industry is too much, like you're losing yourself in the chaos—this conversation is for you. Because on the other side of rock bottom, Sam found something unexpected: a new era, a new label (555), and a profound new energy that's redefining what success means.

Key Takeaways:

• Why being a workaholic is just as dangerous as being an alcoholic
• How Sam went from hating her first sober gig to thriving in sobriety
• The real cost of 25 years on the road and how burnout compounds over time
• How rehab unlocked her creativity and led to writing "Scars" about addiction and faith
• What it means to rebuild your career when you can't even listen to music anymore
• The art of the 5-hour set and why going back to grassroots venues matters
• How losing her mother became the catalyst for finding herself
• Why the industry needs more female producers, not just more female DJs
• How to maintain your standards while the industry evolves around you

Sam's journey proves that hitting rock bottom doesn't mean it's over—it means you finally have solid ground to rebuild from.

Want personalized guidance on building a sustainable career in dance music? Book a consulting call with me on GreenRoom and let's map out your next move.

Connect with me: @oliviamancuso__

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Will Clarke posted that he was retiring. For 48 hours before revealing it was a remix album announcement, he experienced something unexpected: complete freedom. "I woke up the next day after retiring and was like, my god, this is so free."

That moment revealed a truth most artists won't admit - this career is both a calling and a cage. Will's been doing this since he was nine years old, DJing longer than he hasn't, and sometimes the only way to remember why you started is to imagine walking away.

Key Takeaways:

- Why the artist career is gambling - and what that really means
- The truth about sacrifice: how to know if what you're giving up is worth it
- Why playing more bad gigs than good gigs is the only path forward
- The windscreen vs. rearview mirror: why regrets are valid but what's ahead matters more
- Why dating outside the industry might save your sanity
- The real question: would you still make music if no one was listening?

If you're struggling with whether this career is worth the sacrifice, this conversation will give you the framework to decide.

Need personalized guidance on building your career and protecting your mental health in this industry? Book a consultation with me on GreenRoom. and let's create a strategy that works for your life.

Connect with me: @oliviamancuso__

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Think running a label is just passion and good taste? Charles D is learning the hard way what it actually costs to build something from scratch.

With releases on Drumcode and Pryda Presents, Charles has earned his stripes in techno. But now that he's launched KONKRTE, he's pulling back the curtain on what nobody talks about: the $2,500 per release, the £1,000 promo campaigns, and why most artists have no idea what they're signing up for.

We get into his bootcamp tour with Eric Prydz (9 shows in 12 days, every set different), the imposter syndrome that comes from calling yourself an artist when you grew up in an immigrant household, and the difference between being a producer who makes things sound good versus being an artist who has something to say.

Key Takeaways:

• The actual breakdown of what it costs to release music on your own label

• Why promo companies are eating most of your budget (and why you need them)

• The difference between producers and artists - and why most never make the shift

• Why imposter syndrome doesn't go away even after you've "made it"

• The economics of running a label without burning your artists

Need help building your artist brand or navigating the business side of dance music? Book a call with me on GreenRoom for personalized strategies that actually work: https://greenroomnetwork.com/creator/OliviaMancuso

Connect with me: @oliviamancuso__

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

New year, same you? Good. Because I'm not here to tell you to hustle harder or add seventeen new habits to your routine. The artists crushing it right now aren't doing MORE than you - they're doing DIFFERENT. They've figured out how to stop being a full-time employee in their own career and start being the CEO.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the one framework that separates DJs who plateau at year three from the ones who build sustainable, growing careers: Working ON your career versus working IN your career. And by the end, you'll have a four-week action plan to map out your entire 2026 strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• The difference between working IN (day-to-day tasks) vs ON (strategic planning) your career
• Why most DJs spend 95% of their time on the wrong things and plateau as a result
• How I built Chicago Music Nexus by spending 6 months exclusively working ON the business
• Why some gigs are strategic moves and others are just survival mode
• The 5 key areas where you need to work ON: strategic planning, content & releases, marketing assets, relationship building, and career development
• The Weekly CEO Hour: How to implement strategic thinking without adding more work
• The post-performance analysis framework (featuring insights from Rituals founder Rami Dabura)
• Your 4-week action plan to completely map out Q1 and set yourself up for success

Why This Matters: You cannot build momentum if you're constantly in the weeds responding to DMs, tweaking tracks that are already done, and staying busy without actually growing. Strategic thinking is what separates successful artists from everyone else - and it's the one thing most DJs completely skip.

Want help building your 2026 strategy? Book a 1-on-1 artist development call with me on GreenRoom where we'll map out exactly what you need to focus on to reach your goals.

Connect with me: @oliviamancuso__

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Think learning to DJ means mastering your equipment? You're missing the entire point.

Your Shot just wrapped their first-ever US competition after 15 years of success in Australia, and what I witnessed at the LA finals completely shifted my perspective. Hundreds of people across LA and New York signed up for six weeks of free DJ training - most had never touched a deck. The LA finals drew 4,000 people (the largest crowd Catch One has ever hosted), and NYC brought 3,600 across two days.

Nobody was competing against each other. Complete strangers were hyping each other up like lifelong friends. No one was on their phones unless they were recording their friends perform. Pure community, pure support.

The LA winner was Ashley Wilkins (@jellybean.dj), a 29-year-old wellness consultant from Santa Clarita. NYC's champion was Jade Letlow (@punkybutter), a 34-year-old Senior Claims Examiner from Brooklyn. These aren't industry insiders - they're regular people who committed six weeks to betting on themselves.

In this conversation, Rashna Krishnan explains why Your Shot teaches the soft skills and industry etiquette that no one else does. How to approach promoters correctly. Why showing up for your scene matters more than your mixing ability. The difference between networking and asking for gigs. And why putting yourself in uncomfortable situations is the fastest way to grow.

Key Takeaways:

• Your DJ career starts on the dance floor, not behind the decks
• Industry etiquette and soft skills matter more than technical ability
• Show up for your scene before expecting your scene to show up for you
• The right way to approach venues, promoters, and other DJs
• Why building genuine community beats competition every time
• How six weeks of pressure with a deadline creates transformation
• Creating your own opportunities when they're not presenting themselves

Registration for Your Shot 2026 is now open. Even if you never do the competition, the principles in this conversation will change how you approach your career.

Follow Your Shot: @yourshot_usa

Connect with me: @oliviamancuso__

Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx