Making Sound Work: A Conversation with G. Wright - Part 2

“We really believe that everybody out there has an X-factor to them. Everybody has something that’s unique, that stands out, and now is the time, like, one of our mottos is ‘you have a voice and it deserves to be heard.’ And you’re a storyteller and it’s time for people to share their stories, to feel really good about what they’re doing. To make more money, of course, because it’s a business, but to really enjoy life. And we’ve gotta stop following trends, we’ve gotta stop worrying about what everyone thinks, this idea of what this company is or something. If you find your passion, your ‘why,’ right, you just do it and it resonates.”-- G. Wright

This episode's the second half of my interview with producer, sound engineer, and rock star media trainer G. Wright as we talk about the differences between introverts and extroverts, the importance of knowing your worth, and how streaming sound fatigue has led to what G calls "Zoom ear."

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That Rock Star Mode

As our interview continues, G and I talk about introverts and extroverts, and how we all have different ways of building up our energy each day. “We each need different ways to recharge,” he says. “We each need to find ways to get into our inner Zen, into that pre-show, into that rock star mode.” We go on to discuss how devaluing ourselves as creators and setting too low a price point can undermine our efforts and, ironically, lead to fewer sales. “If you’re offering things for free or very cheap,” G tells us, “Their attention span isn’t there, they’re not as committed.” There’s real value in art and creative work, even if it seems intangible: as he puts it, “people will pay to see the Rolling Stones or any of those bands that have been around for a while because there’s value associated with them.”

The New Business Card

We continue to talk about creative entrepreneurs and the importance of properly valuing the service that they provide. "If the car needs to be fixed,” G explains, “I take it to the mechanic, I don’t take it around to five different mechanics and find one who says ‘I'll do it for free.’” As he says, “hire professionals who do this every day and you get more out of it than putting a dollar amount on it.” The topic shifts to podcast marketing, and how, as he puts it, podcasts are becoming the new business card. “When you’re going on a podcast,” he says, “this is the best way for people to get to know you.”

Connecting One-on-One

“I think with all the technology we have," G says as we talk about podcasting and social audio, "it really is going to come down to people connecting one-on-one with people through sound." As the episode wraps up, we talk about "Zoom ear" and how streaming apps have left people accustomed to a subpar, even unhealthy, sound quality. "There are frequencies that are going into the ears," he says, "that are not good frequencies." It all comes down to the importance of sound, and G notes that this is a lesson he regularly finds himself teaching his clients. "People were spending so much money on cameras and lights and how they look on camera," he notes, "and I was like 'the sound is just as important, not just how you sound to the audience but protecting your own ears.'"

Episode Summary