THE BEGINNING

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THE STUDIO

With a face for radio, and the perfect voice for mime, the notion to start a podcast was somewhat daunting. As a 'bedroom' songwriter and music producer, I have spent several years building, changing, buying-and-selling, and generally throwing time and money at my small studio, tucked away in a converted attic room at home. The studio, despite having decent equipment and more software than NASA, is too small to accommodate more than two people at a time, so squeezing Bruce and the E-Street in here just ain't happening.

To be fair, that was never the intention. Ever since my early teens I've had a fascination with recording equipment, studios, and all the associated gear. I remember flipping through the pages of early editions of Sound On Sound magazine (to which I still subscribe) and drooling over bits of kit which cost more than the average family car (I still do this).

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THE TECHNOLOGY

I took my brother to a music technology show in London back in the late 80s or early 90s, and I remember being transfixed at the Studer Revox stand, looking at an A800 2" 24 track tape machine, which was bigger than a washing machine, and cost more than my house at the time. Back then, the best I could stretch to was a Tascam PortaOne 4-track cassette recorder, before eventually progressing to a very early Apple Mac which couldn't record audio.

So with the benefit of ever-advancing technology and the time afforded by ever-advancing years, paired with an eclectic love of music and music-making, here I sit surrounded by equipment, the capabilities of which would have blown my younger mind. The thing is, I'm by no means alone. Technology has advanced so far that it's now possible for any singer-songwriter to make a reasonable recording of themself using nothing more than a smartphone, and then share it with the World. But the World isn't listening. Or rather, it is listening but the din is so loud that the quiet voices go unheard. And there are thousands upon thousands of quiet voices; of singer-songwriters, bands, rappers, and the entire spectrum of creatives out there, all making great music...which no one gets to hear. Remember the tagline from Alien? - "In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream." This is the exact opposite - no one can hear you scream because a million voices are screaming a shitload louder.

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THE PLAN

So there it is. There's the plan. Get more people to hear the quiet voices. Simple eh?

The internet has made so many things possible. Podcasts, a novelty a decade ago, are more popular than ever, and easier than ever to publish. This idea of a music podcast dedicated to unsigned artists isn't new by any stretch. Many already exist. Some are successful, some aren't. The point is, there is more new music being produced by independent artists than ever, and one more podcast devoting time to sharing it can't be a bad thing.

So here we go. It's happening. But to make a success of it I really do need your help. I can't do it without the music to play, obviously. I know it's out there. You know it's out there. You might even be one of the special ones making it. So I ask you to please spread the word. Subscribe to the podcast. Share the podcast. Send in the tracks, and keep sending them. I've made it simple. Go on the website www.unsigned.rocks. It's all there.

We're coming into Winter 2025 and I've made a snowball. It's time to roll it down the hill.

Cheers

Jared