Over the last several years, I've spent countless hours scrolling TikTok, slowly curating an algorithm that gave me exactly what I wanted: new music. My end-of-the-year top artists slowly transitioned from artists I've been listening to for most of my life to artists who were just starting to release music. I've discovered artists in genres I didn't think I liked, artists in genres I didn't know existed, and I came to realize that genres don't really matter anymore. There are now so many genres of music that there are no genres of music. And I think that's a beautiful thing.
As I continued to listen to these artists, many of them daily (I think there was a three-month stretch in 2022 where I listened to All The Wine's "Empire Builder" every single day — sometimes multiple times a day.). But despite my own listening habits, the monthly listenership for most of these artists was not growing at the level they deserved. I knew I wanted to do something about it but I didn't know what. So I did what any white guy in their 30s with a problem to solve would do: I started a podcast.
On a cross-country flight that involved a healthy mix of Xanax and gin, I began messaging some of the artists I had been listening to for years. "I have a new podcast where I feature up and coming artists…" I shot off about 20 of these messages somewhere over Oklahoma. By the time we landed a couple hours later, I had at least six responses — every single one of them telling me they'd love to.
There was only one problem: I did not have a podcast. But with an incredible amount of help from my best friend, Bryan Kelly, First Spin Podcast was born. A year later, First Spin continues to grow, introducing fans to new music through artist interviews, playlists, reviews, and more.
Thanks for hanging out. Hope you find your next favorite artist today.
— Hayden