Welcome back to our appointment with Independent Interviews.
Today is a special interview for me because I have known her digitally for a long time, one of my first American contacts thanks to independent music.
We’ll have a chat with the talented Kody McDowell, founder of Affinity Music Group, an agency for promoting artists on the independent live circuit.
Hi Kody and thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview you here for my independent blog Trex Roads. Tell us a little about yourself: where you were born and raised, your experiences before becoming a booking agent in the music business.
Hey Dear Claudio, I believe it has been 5 or 6 years now that we have been friends? First I want to congratulate you on all of your many successes and thank you for taking the time to speak with me!
I remember how we used to talk about our dreams.
So I was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas.
My parents and grandparents were huge music enthusiasts so music was a big deal growing up and has remained so throughout my life.
I had an opportunity to open up with my great and dear friend, Scott Youtsey at “Death Before Pop Country”.
Then an opportunity came from that to try my hand at booking.
I used the name Kody McDowell Productions to get started and then was asked to team up with BWC Music Group.
I did that for almost a year and really enjoyed my time there but wanted more independence. I then built Affinity Music.
Tell us about your agency: when, how and why did you make this decision? Did you decide everything from the name to the logo?
Are you sure you have time? lol I can talk about Affinity all day.
I knew what I wanted, however I wasn’t sure how to achieve it.
I knew I had to be in control, so after so much thought I decided to do my own thing and hope that things fall into place.
I chose the name Affinity because of its meaning, it means attraction.
My friend Kyle at Kyle Brown Designs created the original logo.
I had Affinity Music for a year and half and was very successful, although my dreams were not in sight yet.
That is when I found the most amazing business partner and together we decided to rebrand Affinity Music to Affinity Music Group. She is the master behind the new logo!
What does your job consist of? Is the world of independent live music really as tough as people say?
A whole lot of excitement haha, it is truly never a dull moment.
It takes a lot of organization, research, networking, planning routes.
As advocates for our artists there is so much that goes into putting these things together. I can’t speak for everyone on the difficulty of the industry, but for me, I think it depends on a few factors and circumstances.
It can be challenging due to the highly competitive nature of the industry, limited resources and the need for self promotion.
It requires a ton of hard work, determination, and dedication, but with strategic planning it is possible to succeed.
Are you alone in this adventure or do you have collaborators?
I knew if I wanted Affinity Music to grow I would need a team.
I am proud to say that I do have one partner and we currently have one agent on our team.
We all work together in all aspects of the business and we plan to continue to grow our team of amazing agents!
Which artists do you have with you now?? How does scouting work? Are they looking for you or are you the one keeping an eye on the movement looking for new talent?
We currently have the original two I started with, Branden Martin and Daniel Johnson. We recently added on: Billie Jo Jones, Mike Donnell Band , Chace Rains, Lane Hunt Band, Chase The Night, Chris Cunningham, Cody Paul, Colton Rice and Cole Ferguson.
We met thanks to our common love for music. Who are your favorite artists? And if you had to choose one favorite song, just one, what would you say?
That’s a tough question to answer.
I think if I had to name some of my favorite artists Cody Johnson is at the top.
Others include Whiskey Myers, Shane Smith and The Saints, Them Dirty Roses and so many more!!
When someone says what is your favorite song I’d have to say anything sung by George Strait!
If there is an artist or band who, after reading, is interested in your services, how can they contact you?
The best way to contact us about our services is to send an email to info@affinitymusic.net with music links and all the info that they would like to share with us.
We love to see live performance videos.
Thanks Kody for your availability and your job for independent music, the Trex Roads blog wishes you the best for your adventure.
agency website: https://www.affinitymusicgroup.com
Trex
