Martin and Billy discuss independent music promotion, building a loyal audience, the cost of getting noticed and Fontaines D.C.'s new album Dopamine Chamber.

For independent bands, attracting listeners is only part of the challenge. Radio plugging, social media, playlists and advertising can all help get music heard, but how much are those numbers really worth? Is it better to have a thousand people listen once, or ten people who keep coming back?

The conversation explores the importance of identifying genuine fans, the realities of DIY promotion, the costs involved in building a career and why personal recommendations still matter.

Fontaines D.C.'s Dopamine Chamber raises a different but related question: how far can a band develop its sound without losing what attracted its audience in the first place?

Martin and Billy explore the band's move towards more electronic, studio-based production, with influences ranging from New Order and The Cure to Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys. They discuss low-register vocal melodies, synthesisers, sampling, the collaboration with Rosalía and how the creative process changes when songs are developed in a studio rather than a rehearsal room.

Topics include:

• The cost of promoting independent music
• Radio plugging and the difficulty of measuring results
• Loyal fans versus streaming numbers
• Building an audience through gigs and recommendations
• DIY marketing and social media
• Fontaines D.C.'s Dopamine Chamber
• New Order, The Cure and electronic influences
• Writing songs in the studio versus the rehearsal room
• Experimenting with production and arrangements
• Rosalía and unexpected collaborations
• Musical identity and changing audience expectations
• Combining influences to create something individual

Find Apollo Audio online:

apollo-audio.co.uk

The Apollo Audio Podcast is hosted by record producer Martin Lumsden and musician and studio owner Billy Hills and is recorded at Apollo Audio Hertford.

Each episode offers insight into songs, records, and the creative process, drawn from real-world experience in studios and making music.

Also available to watch on YouTube and Spotify

📍 www.apollo-audio.co.uk

📷 Instagram: @apolloaudiopodcast

📧 apolloaudiopod@gmail.com

A Froody Music Production. Production and editing by Martin Lumsden.

www.froodymusic.com

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-apollo-audio-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin and Billy discuss recording sessions, pre-production, band collaboration, studio creativity, live sound and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life.

How much preparation should a band do before recording, and how much should be left to develop in the studio?

Billy shares his recent experience recording drums and bass for his band's new EP at Apollo Audio, including the value of demos, guide tracks, tempo mapping, alternate takes and having the whole band involved in the process. Good preparation can save valuable studio time, but it also creates opportunities for new ideas that might never have emerged in rehearsal.

Martin reflects on the producer's role in developing recordings, how advance listening helps shape production decisions, and why capturing spontaneous moments can be just as important as following the original plan. He also shares some experiences from running live sound for the recent We Will Rock You theatre production.

The album discussion celebrates 50 years of Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Martin and Billy explore the extraordinary musicianship, layered vocal arrangements, instrumental performances, musical influences and ambitious production behind the record, alongside questions about song length, sequencing and how the way we listen to albums has changed.

Topics include:

• Recording a band EP at Apollo Audio
• Why demos and pre-production matter
• Tempo, guide tracks and arrangement decisions
• Capturing spontaneous studio ideas
• The value of having everyone involved
• Live sound and We Will Rock You
• Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
• Layered vocals, drums and musicianship
• Song length, editing and production choices
• Album sequencing and the vinyl listening experience

Find Apollo Audio online:

apollo-audio.co.uk

The Apollo Audio Podcast is hosted by record producer Martin Lumsden and musician and studio owner Billy Hills and is recorded at Apollo Audio Hertford.

Each episode offers insight into songs, records, and the creative process, drawn from real-world experience in studios and making music.

Also available to watch on YouTube and Spotify

📍 www.apollo-audio.co.uk

📷 Instagram: @apolloaudiopodcast

📧 apolloaudiopod@gmail.com

A Froody Music Production. Production and editing by Martin Lumsden.

www.froodymusic.com

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-apollo-audio-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin and Billy discuss remote recording, production collaboration, AI tools, real musicians, the Apollo recording grant and Keo’s Put A Smile On For Me.

This episode looks at where technology helps, and where music still needs people in the room, or at least properly involved in the process.

Remote vocal recording can solve a practical problem. AI can help an artist hear a version of an idea. Session tools can sketch drums, bass or keyboards when there is no full band available. But the question running through the episode is what happens next: who shapes the part, who performs it, who brings taste, instinct, judgement and feel?

The studio discussion focuses on collaboration, arrangement, production support and the value of bringing real musicians into a project. The AI discussion looks at the difference between using a tool to develop an existing song and asking a machine to create the song for you.

The album discussion is Keo’s Put A Smile On For Me, with a focus on guitar-band energy, artwork, emotional weight, vocal identity, live potential, influences, sequencing and the work behind a band building real momentum.

Topics include:

Remote vocal recording

Production collaboration

Apollo’s recording grant

Using real musicians in studio projects

AI as a sketch tool

Where AI stops being songwriting

The Pope, AI and the spark of human art

Keo

Put A Smile On For Me

Artwork and album identity

Guitar music and live momentum

Why new bands still need to keep playing

Find Apollo Audio online: apollo-audio.co.uk

The Apollo Audio Podcast is hosted by record producer Martin Lumsden and musician and studio owner Billy Hills and is recorded at Apollo Audio Hertford.

Each episode offers insight into songs, records, and the creative process, drawn from real-world experience in studios and making music.

Also available to watch on YouTube and Spotify

📍 www.apollo-audio.co.uk

📷 Instagram: @apolloaudiopodcast

📧 apolloaudiopod@gmail.com

A Froody Music Production. Production and editing by Martin Lumsden.

www.froodymusic.com

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-apollo-audio-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.