Episode 10: Ariel Hyatt on Marketing, Publicity, Artist Identity, and Building a Sustainable Music Career

Episode 10: Ariel Hyatt on Marketing, Publicity, Artist Identity, and Building a Sustainable Music Career

Send a Message to Stuck on Sound [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2613898/fan_mail/new] In Episode 10 of Stuck on Sound, Joey Stuckey sits down with music marketing strategist, author, educator, and Cyber PR founder Ariel Hyatt for a practical and deeply human conversation about what it really takes to build a lasting music career in the digital age. Ariel traces her path from a childhood shaped by theater, art, dyslexia, and music to the early days of independent music marketing, where she cut her teeth in scrappy grassroots scenes before launching her own publicity company at age 23. That journey eventually became Cyber PR, where Ariel has spent decades helping artists make sense of a music business that never stops changing. Joey and Ariel dig into some of the most urgent questions facing artists today: how to understand your artistic identity, how to find the right fans, why fake numbers and playlist-driven “buzz marketing” can leave artists with no real audience, and why 200 genuine fans can matter more than thousands of empty streams. Ariel makes the case for moving from shallow visibility to meaningful connection, what she calls shifting from buzz to bond. The conversation also explores the overwhelming pace of modern content, the loss of music as a focused listening experience, the value of physical releases and fan experiences, and why artists need a plan, a team, and a clear sense of what they are actually building. Later, Joey and Ariel discuss AI in the music space, where Ariel offers a balanced view: useful as a tool for marketing, organization, and efficiency, but dangerous when it floods platforms with more low-value content and makes it even harder for human artists to be heard. The result is an essential episode for independent artists who want to stop chasing vanity metrics and start building a more intentional, sustainable, fan-centered career. You can find more information about Ariel and her work at: https://arielhyatt.com/ [https://arielhyatt.com/] https://cyberprmusic.com/ [https://cyberprmusic.com/] ⸻ Stay Connected with Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey Follow Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey to stay up on all things going on in the Stuckeyverse. * Website [https://joeystuckey.com/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SenateRecords] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-stuckey-2858464/] * The Stuckeyverse Newsletter [https://www.joeystuckey.com/newsletter/] ⸻ Shadow Sound Studio With over 30 years of experience as a musician, recording engineer, and producer, and serving as the official music ambassador of Macon-Bibb, Georgia, Joey Stuckey can service all your professional audio needs. To learn more about working with Shadow Sound Studio and Joey Stuckey, visit the website or email Joey directly. Shadow Sound Studio Website [http://www.shadowsoundstudio.com/] joey@joeystuckey.com [joey@joeystuckey.com] ⸻ Subscribe, Rate, and Review Enjoyed this episode of Stuck on Sound? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who loves music, recording, creativity, and the stories behind great sound.

Episode 9: Ellen Francese on Creative Permission, Perfectionism, AI, and Art as Survival

Send a Message to Stuck on Sound [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2613898/fan_mail/new] In Episode 9 of Stuck on Sound, Joey Stuckey sits down with educator, artist, writer, and longtime Berklee professor Ellen Francese [https://college.berklee.edu/faculty/ellen-francese] for a deeply thoughtful conversation about creativity, self-worth, teaching, illness, community, and the human need to make art. Ellen traces her creative roots to a childhood shaped by curiosity and artistic freedom, where there was no “right” or “wrong” way to explore visual art, dance, theater, writing, or music. That foundation leads into one of the episode’s central themes: the danger of perfectionism, and the tragedy of artists feeling they need permission to create. Joey and Ellen also discuss what she has seen in students over more than two decades of teaching, including rising anxiety, fear of failure, dependence on laptops and AI, and the deeper fear underneath it all: not belonging. Ellen frames creativity not as a luxury, but as a source of agency, identity, and connection. The conversation moves into powerful personal territory as Ellen reflects on living with serious illness, bodybuilding as an act of resistance, and eventually shifting from a “warrior” relationship with illness to one of companionship. Joey and Ellen also explore self-worth, difference, community, and why truly loving others requires moving beyond our own reflection. Later, Ellen makes a passionate case for art as essential to human survival, drawing on historical examples of people creating under extreme oppression and deprivation. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, her message is clear: to surrender our creative capacity is to give up something central to being human. The result is a profound, moving episode about courage, humility, curiosity, and the sustaining power of art. ⸻ Stay Connected with Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey Follow Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey to stay up on all things going on in the Stuckeyverse. * Website [https://joeystuckey.com/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SenateRecords] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-stuckey-2858464/] * The Stuckeyverse Newsletter [https://www.joeystuckey.com/newsletter/] ⸻ Shadow Sound Studio With over 30 years of experience as a musician, recording engineer, and producer, and serving as the official music ambassador of Macon-Bibb, Georgia, Joey Stuckey can service all your professional audio needs. To learn more about working with Shadow Sound Studio and Joey Stuckey, visit the website or email Joey directly. Shadow Sound Studio Website [http://www.shadowsoundstudio.com/] joey@joeystuckey.com [joey@joeystuckey.com] ⸻ Subscribe, Rate, and Review Enjoyed this episode of Stuck on Sound? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who loves music, recording, creativity, and the stories behind great sound.

Episode 8: Thom “TK” Kidd on Analog Decisions, Producer Psychology, AI Tools, and Staying the Course

Send a Message to Stuck on Sound [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2613898/fan_mail/new] In Episode 8 of Stuck on Sound, Joey Stuckey sits down with producer, engineer, musician, and lifelong studio craftsman Thom “TK” Kidd for a wide-ranging conversation about career conviction, recording philosophy, studio psychology, gear obsession, and the changing role of technology in music. TK traces his path back to a ninth-grade guidance counselor form where he wrote that he wanted to work in a recording studio, a goal that led him to an Atlanta internship just weeks after high school and eventually to becoming chief engineer of a multi-room facility by his 21st birthday. Along the way, he shares stories about mentors, early sessions, Peabo Bryson, Tom Wright, Cheshire Sound, and a vintage Neve desk that connects Atlanta studio history to records by Soundgarden and Korn.   Joey and TK also dig into the human side of record-making: why producers are often “psychiatrists,” how to guide artists without shutting them down, and why the best ideas sometimes work best when the artist feels a sense of ownership. TK contrasts analog tape’s forced decision-making with the endless deferral of DAW-based production, while also offering a practical view of AI as a useful tool when guided by taste and craft rather than treated as a replacement for musicianship.   The result is a funny, thoughtful, and deeply practical episode about microphones, mentors, humility, creative struggle, and why, in TK’s words, “if you’re not learning something, you’re not paying attention.” ⸻ Stay Connected with Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey Follow Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey to stay up on all things going on in the Stuckeyverse. * Website [https://joeystuckey.com/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SenateRecords] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-stuckey-2858464/] * The Stuckeyverse Newsletter [https://www.joeystuckey.com/newsletter/] ⸻ Shadow Sound Studio With over 30 years of experience as a musician, recording engineer, and producer, and serving as the official music ambassador of Macon-Bibb, Georgia, Joey Stuckey can service all your professional audio needs. To learn more about working with Shadow Sound Studio and Joey Stuckey, visit the website or email Joey directly. Shadow Sound Studio Website [http://www.shadowsoundstudio.com/] joey@joeystuckey.com [joey@joeystuckey.com] ⸻ Subscribe, Rate, and Review Enjoyed this episode of Stuck on Sound? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who loves music, recording, creativity, and the stories behind great sound.

Episode 7: Eric Alexandrakis on Duran Duran, Creative Obsession, AI, Failure, and Survival — Part 2

Send a Message to Stuck on Sound [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2613898/fan_mail/new] Host: Joey Stuckey Guest: Eric Alexandrakis - Part 2 of 2 Release Date: June 3, 2026 Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour, 17 minutes Episode Summary In Part 2 of this two-part episode of Stuck on Sound, Joey Stuckey continues his conversation with two-time Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, composer, and producer Eric Alexandrakis [https://www.ericalexandrakis.com/]. Eric tells the story of how John Taylor of Duran Duran discovered him shortly after Eric’s first six months of chemotherapy: a tropical storm, a local Miami listing, an unsuccessful attempt to get into the venue, a hotel lobby stakeout, and finally a handoff of self-recorded cassettes that led John Taylor to offer Eric’s first solo album through John's website, Trust the Process. The story becomes a larger lesson in persistence, opportunity, and the idea that “if you don’t try, the answer is always no.”   The conversation also explores Eric’s belief that nurses, teachers, and creatives are essential to moving society forward, his deeply personal and unconventional album packaging tied to his cancer treatment, and his lifelong refusal to create anything ordinary. Joey and Eric trade stories about creative instinct, work ethic, and survival, including Joey’s own childhood brain tumor story and Eric’s reflections on how an exhausting grad-school year of overnight sessions and relentless pressure shaped his health, his urgency, and his approach to opportunity.  ⸻ Stay Connected with Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey Follow Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey to stay up on all things going on in the Stuckeyverse. * Website [https://joeystuckey.com/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SenateRecords] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-stuckey-2858464/] * The Stuckeyverse Newsletter [https://www.joeystuckey.com/newsletter/] ⸻ Shadow Sound Studio With over 30 years of experience as a musician, recording engineer, and producer, and serving as the official music ambassador of Macon-Bibb, Georgia, Joey Stuckey can service all your professional audio needs. To learn more about working with Shadow Sound Studio and Joey Stuckey, visit the website or email Joey directly. Shadow Sound Studio Website [http://www.shadowsoundstudio.com/] joey@joeystuckey.com [joey@joeystuckey.com] ⸻ Subscribe, Rate, and Review Enjoyed this episode of Stuck on Sound? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who loves music, recording, creativity, and the stories behind great sound.

Episode 6: Eric Alexandrakis on Streaming, Creativity, Cancer, Songwriting, and Surviving the Music Business — Part 1

Send a Message to Stuck on Sound [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2613898/fan_mail/new] Host: Joey Stuckey Guest: Eric Alexandrakis - Part 1 of 2 Release Date: May 27, 2026 Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour, 2 minutes Episode Summary In Part 1 of this two-part episode of Stuck on Sound, Joey Stuckey sits down with two-time Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, composer, producer, and creative force Eric Alexandrakis [https://www.ericalexandrakis.com/]. The conversation moves quickly from music industry disruption to deeply personal reflections on creativity, survival, and artistic purpose. Eric offers a provocative critique of the current streaming economy, including the rise of AI-cloned songs, fake artist activity, bot-driven marketing, and what he sees as the unsustainable economics of free access to music. He argues for a future in which artists have more direct control over their audiences, distribution, and the value of their work.   Joey and Eric also explore what it means to be wired for creativity, why creating can become part of mental health, how illness shaped Eric’s early solo albums, and why limitations can sometimes produce stronger creative results than having too many options. The episode also includes Eric’s powerful family story connected to World War II, Crete, DNA analysis, and the recovery of historical truth. ⸻ Stay Connected with Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey Follow Stuck on Sound host Joey Stuckey to stay up on all things going on in the Stuckeyverse. * Website [https://joeystuckey.com/] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SenateRecords] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-stuckey-2858464/] * The Stuckeyverse Newsletter [https://www.joeystuckey.com/newsletter/] ⸻ Shadow Sound Studio With over 30 years of experience as a musician, recording engineer, and producer, and serving as the official music ambassador of Macon-Bibb, Georgia, Joey Stuckey can service all your professional audio needs. To learn more about working with Shadow Sound Studio and Joey Stuckey, visit the website or email Joey directly. Shadow Sound Studio Website [http://www.shadowsoundstudio.com/] joey@joeystuckey.com [joey@joeystuckey.com] ⸻ Subscribe, Rate, and Review Enjoyed this episode of Stuck on Sound? Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who loves music, recording, creativity, and the stories behind great sound.