The Gigging Musician Podcast

Hosted by Jared Judge

Entrepreneurship Arts Education

Website RSS feed

Episodes

299

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Playing music for live audiences is one of the most rewarding things on the planet. In this podcast, we dissect everything that goes into being a successful gigging musician.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 30, 202653 min

Ep. 312 Mike Zabrin: How He Charged $27,000 for One Gig

Mike Zabrin built two Chicago-based entertainment companies — Funktastic Productions and DJ Hybrid Chicago — and just hit $100K in bookings on BookLive to earn his Major Sixth Gold Record. In this episode, Mike breaks down the "old money vs. new money" approach to marketing, why your musicians matter more than your clients, how he uses BookLive workflows to stay out of "the weeds," and why Instagram is NOT your main revenue source. Contact Mike: MikeZabrin@gmail.com Try the platform Mike uses every day: booklive.com — free 30-day trial, $40/month after that.

June 16, 2026Episode 31136 min

How This Vegas Musician Books Multiple $10,000 Gigs on the Same Day

Jeff Celentano has spent 30+ years in the music industry — performing on the Vegas Strip, running touring tribute bands, and working with names like Grant Cardone and Alex Hormozi. In this episode, he shares how he thinks like a Broadway producer instead of a band member, why musicians should 'Disneyfy' their performances, and the sales philosophy that books high-end gigs without pressure tactics.

June 11, 2026Episode 31039 min

From PhD Dropout to $100K Wedding Musician with Matt Ferree

Matt Ferree was working toward his PhD in chemical engineering at Ohio State when he realized his real passion was in the weddings he'd been performing at for a couple hundred bucks as a favor. He quit grad school, dove in headfirst with his piano + DJ company Seamless Sounds, and built it into a multi-op wedding music business with employees, an exclusive venue partnership, and over $100,000 booked through BookLive. He's now also a coach inside Full Time Music Academy. In this episode, Matt shares 6 business lessons behind his success: Winning Beliefs, Winning Habits, Winning Attitudes, High-End Image, High-End Service, and High-End Music.

May 29, 2026Episode 30928 min

How Celeste Vee Built a 200-Gig Violin Empire in the South Asian Wedding Market

Celeste Vee is an electric violinist who built V Entertainment — a multi-city agency placing trained violinists at South Asian weddings. In this episode, she shares how she went from solo gigging to coordinating 180+ gigs a year across New York, DC, Dallas, Atlanta, and beyond — and how she's training the next generation of Bollywood violinists.

April 27, 2026Episode 30741 min

BookLive's 3rd $500K Award Winner: How Jen Cancio Built a Full-Time Music Career

Jen Cancio just became the third BookLive user to earn the $500K Award — and she did it without social media virality, touring, or a record deal. Just smart gigging at high-end private events. In this episode, Jared Judge interviews Jen to unpack exactly how she built a full-time music career, from landing her first premium gig to running a band that books out months in advance.

March 27, 2026Episode 29637 min

From 3 Musicians to $500K: How Viva Strings Built a Multi-City Empire

Pendra Lee Snyder of Viva La Strings joins Jared Judge to share how she grew her string ensemble from a nameless trio to a multi-city business generating over $500,000. Learn how she built a repeatable model across Dayton, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Cleveland — and why NOT focusing on the money was the key to making it.

March 18, 2026Episode 29530 min

From 9-to-5 to $10K in Gigs: How One Harpist Is Building a Full-Time Music Career

In this episode, Jared sits down with harpist Carrie Tollett to share her inspiring journey from a full-time teaching job to building a growing high-end gigging business. In just a few months, Carrie has booked nearly $10K in gigs by taking consistent action, overcoming introversion, and following a proven strategy. They break down how simple actions like sending emails, going on venue tours, and doing sales calls can create a ripple effect of opportunities—and how she’s preparing to go all-in on music as her primary income source.

March 18, 2026Episode 29431 min

From $100K to $500K: How One Musician Built a Thriving Event Business Without Social Media or Luck

In this episode, Jared sits down with Alison Suell of Electria Strings to break down her incredible journey from $100K to over $500K in booked gigs. They dive into the real drivers behind her success—strong relationships with planners, simplifying her offer, building systems, and shifting her mindset around money and growth. Alison shares how niching down, raising prices, and treating music like a true business allowed her to scale without burnout. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to build a high-income music career, this episode pulls back the curtain.

January 15, 2026Episode 29314 min

Why Marketing Yourself as a High-End Service Changes Everything

In this episode, Jared explains why musicians should position themselves as high-end services rather than just artists. Using Apple vs. Chromebook as an analogy, he breaks down how to target corporate events, weddings, and galas where clients value the guest experience and are willing to pay premium rates.

January 5, 2026Episode 29211 min

Why High-End Gigs Saved My Cat's Life

Jared shares a deeply personal story about how charging premium rates allowed him to afford a $7,000 emergency surgery for his cat Nori—something he couldn't do years earlier when he was charging only $500/gig. A powerful reminder of why your rates matter beyond just income.