This has been an exciting week for Anthony and Page 4, with an NPR article, and a recent interview with the buzz-worthy Little Embers, who are emerging in the NYC music scene as a tour-de-force.

We caught up with Anthony to get the scoop on his latest endeavor with Page 4 Music.

What was the inspiration behind your music podcast?

In college a friend and I ran a website called Page4Hoop.com. On Page4Hoop we wrote at length about NBA basketball. We found some success with site but ultimately tabled it when we both moved on to grad school. Since then I had wanted to return to the world of digital media in some capacity. 

I met Page4Music’s co-founder Leighanne Saltsman and we bonded quickly over discussions on the music industry. We would go for drinks and bring a friend who was involved in the industry in some capacity. Then Leighanne and I would interview the friend about what they did. At this point it was all social -- I had questions about how to streamline the process of booking my jazz group; she had questions about how to better streamline artist management.  

After several of these, what you could call “professional development” sessions I suggested we get a recorder and turn them into a podcast. From there we put out a few phone calls, booked some guests and built a website.

That’s how Page4Music.com came into being, but the real inspiration behind it is that at our core, everyone involved in the podcast is a music lover. The biggest thing that drives me is that through the podcast I am able to expose people to new artists, new music and new ways of making it all happen. 

The team is important when you're starting a new endeavor. Why is this show so important to you and Leighanne?

The site is a resource as much for musicians -- take the podcast with Eugene Carr, the Founder/CEO of Patron Technology wherein we discuss ways to improve your digital communications -- as it is for enthusiasts who just want to learn about new music. On our Weekly Review podcast Scott Palmer (a long-time music lover, but not a trained musician) and I discuss that we think people will enjoy. It can be something that everyone has access to like Kanye West’s new album, but it can also be something more obscure. 

For example, we just posted an interview with RocketHub’s own Little Embers. In addition to being one of the original crowdfunders, Little Embers is a group to whom our listeners outside New York City might not otherwise have access. 

Because we’re living in a time where most people experience new music through either Clear Channel-type radio or as some form of product placement (in a commercial or on a TV show) there is a clear need for increased access to independently produced music. Page4Music provides that outlet for people, be they musicians, administrators, presenters, financiers or enthusiasts. They can come to our site to hear new music. 

Little Embers is one of my fave current NYC artists. Great to hear them on your show. How is your podcast doing overall  thus far? 

I’m very happy with how things are going. Our audience-base is expanding each week and I believe the music and interviews are extremely compelling. Starting this month we are launching some additional podcasts. 

Our whole lineup is as follows: 

On Mondays and Tuesdays we’ll have our traditional interview-based podcasts. Tune in Wednesdays for Live Music Wednesdays wherein we showcase a live performance. Thursdays is the aforementioned Weekly Review. 

On Fridays we’ll have a podcast near and dear to me, a saxophone podcast! Growing up I had questions about saxophones -- what to practice, where to get reeds, which mouthpiece was best -- so though this series I aim to give young saxophonists some guidance on all of that and give them a chance to meet some of the luminaries of the saxophone world.

We also have a similar program for arts administrators. Our Page4Mentorship program pairs an up-and-coming administrator with a series of experts in the field. You can listen to their conversations once a month in podcast form. Our first Page4Mentee is Jessica Sibelman, the founder of the New York Chamber Virtuosi. 

Tell me about the challenges about running the podcast?

Aside from scheduling, rescheduling, editing, and scouting guests, the biggest challenge is to tell an overarching story. I hope that our listeners will be with us for years to come and I don’t want to continually retread the same few topics with different people. We all know the music industry has changed, the trick is staying up-to-date enough to know how it will continue to change and in what direction people should look in the future. 

Any advice for "on the fence" podcasters looking to start their own shows?

Go out and buy a Zoom a portable recorder. I recommend the H4N with built-in high-quality mics and XLR inputs. You can do everything you need with that and Garage Band. 

Podcasting is a lot of work and incredibly rewarding. That said, if you don’t have a burning desire to post regularly scheduled content and build a listener base, you might be better guest-spotting on an already existing one… like Page4Music! 

Thanks for the insights Anthony. We will be keeping an eye on Page 4 Music as you continue to fight the good fight!

-Brian