LESSON: Why You Should Post Your Spotify Wrapped (Even If You Have Mixed Feelings About Streaming) Every year, Spotify Wrapped brings a wave of emotions for artists: excitement, frustration, pride, comparison, confusion… all of it. And I get it. Streaming can feel like a necessary evil. The payouts aren’t great, the system isn’t perfect, and it’s easy to feel discouraged if your numbers aren’t where you want them to be. Streaming services are one of the most powerful promotional tools we have in today’s music industry. Not because of the royalties… but because of the reach. My Personal Goal This Year I set out to get my annual streams back over the 1 million mark.I didn’t quite hit it, but I came close. And here’s what matters more than the number itself: Streaming has pushed my music into the ears of millions of new listeners who never would’ve found me otherwise. Even though album royalties have dropped dramatically for many artists (myself included), streaming has opened doors in every other area of my business: - More fans discovering my solo project - More support at shows - More opportunities - More visibility across platforms - More momentum for every new release That’s the real win. Why Your Wrapped Matters (Even If You Don’t Love Spotify) Think of Spotify Wrapped as: - A snapshot of your growth - A marketing asset - A fan engagement tool - A confidence booster - A milestone worth celebrating You don’t need millions of streams to show off your achievements. Even 1 listener in a random country across the world is incredible. That’s someone who chose your music out of 100 million songs. That’s real impact. Why You Should Post Yours Posting your Wrapped isn’t bragging. It’s storytelling. It shows: - Your consistency - Your dedication - Your global reach - Your progress - Your resilience - Your authenticity as an artist Fans love seeing behind the curtain. They love rooting for you. And every year you post your Wrapped, you build your narrative. You show growth. You show commitment. You show that you’re in this for the long game.

December Lesson: Why This Month Is Your Secret Weapon as an Artist (Don’t Wait for January) Most musicians slow down in December. They tell themselves: “I’ll start fresh in January.”“I’ll get serious next year.” But here’s what top artists, producers, and music entrepreneurs really do: They use December as leverage because this month is the quietest, clearest, and most strategically powerful month of the entire year. Let’s break it down so you can hit January at full speed. Why December Is a Power Month for Musicians A pattern shows up every year: January is one of the biggest months for growth. Streams go up. Content views go up. Course sign-ups go up. Fans engage more. People set goals, get motivated, and look for new music, new artists, new creators to follow. Not because your music magically gets better, but because listeners get hit with the “fresh start” energy. Last year, I pushed hard in December, content, marketing, release planning, tightening my offers, and January exploded. And I noticed two more unexpected benefits from not “checking out” early… #1: Fewer Distractions → More Creative Flow December is quiet. People stop emailing. Everyone slows down. Industry folks stop scheduling meetings. Which means: You get long, uninterrupted stretches to produce, write, organize, and build momentum. Deep work becomes easier. Creative output feels smoother. Focus becomes effortless. #2: January Becomes the Easiest Month of Your Year While most artists scramble in January to: - reconnect with fans, - finish the songs they put off, - get artwork done, - plan releases, - restart content… You will already have everything ready. You’ll “turn everything on”… and watch it run. January becomes calm, productive, and even fun, because the hard part is already done. (And yes, you can still take holiday downtime. This isn’t about grinding through Christmas, it’s about being intentional.) So What Should You Actually Work On in December? Here’s where most musicians fall off:

The neuroscience of struggle, and why the pain you feel when learning music is actually proof you’re leveling up. 1. “If practice feels easy, you’re not learning, you’re looping.” 2. “That frustration in the studio? That’s not failure. That’s your brain upgrading.” 3. “If your hands, brain, and DAW all feel like they’re fighting you, good. That means you’re in the growth zone.” Let’s Talk About Something Uncomfortable Not the kind of pain you get from a long night on tour, I mean the mental pain that hits when you’re learning something new. That brain fog when your groove falls apart, when your ideas dry up, or when you’re trying to mix and everything suddenly sounds off. That ache, that friction, that voice saying “this is too hard, maybe I’m not good enough”, that’s effort. And the crazy part? That pain isn’t a red flag. It's the exact signal your brain sends when it’s upgrading. Full lesson here https://www.skool.com/elevate-your-craft/classroom/ac0935cf?md=f8e0136d59434c31b8340bf4d833624e

Hey gang, I've been trying to make the production group session happen this month, but with the 10-hour time zone difference and traveling each day, I'm going to need to push it to next month. I'll create a lesson post for this group session, so we can chat on various topics, but unfortunately, there will be no live production session this month. If anyone needs extra support, please reach out. I'm here for chats and a few 1:1 sessions each week.

The challenge is posting as much content in 7 days as you can. Likes, comments, and shares are even better, but overall posting it up is the challenge. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places all get a KJ Sawka sample pack that you don't already have. Or if you have them all, I'll send you an unreleased one. We start at 3:30 PM PST on Tuesday, following our Rhythm Round-up group call.