Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-neue-indie-podcast Being independent in music is being redefined. The Neue.Indie Podcast is about figuring out what it means to become the new indie — an artist who builds a sustainable career on their own terms, with real strategy behind it. Each episode covers the business decisions, music industry news, sync licensing opportunities, and career moves that shape what long-term independence actually looks like. Hosted by Deraj and Frank Bentley, two full-time indie artists building in real time. (Credits: Marvel, NBA 2k, NFL, Fortnite) New episodes every week. Follow @rep.indie everywhere. © 2026 See & Hear 68e790ed-ba84-5046-99b3-8ef1fafb2dae yes en Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:00:08 -0400 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:02:09 -0400 http://repindie.club https://img.transistorcdn.com/JKxesRe8mG9Kyl55R2B7lqbaw1xMEvLAs1sR1nYwTVY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zMTZm/NWM3NTMxZTI2MGMz/ODkxN2UxMWEyZTc3/YTY4Yi5wbmc.jpg http://repindie.club episodic Deraj & Frank Bentley Being independent in music is being redefined. The Neue.Indie Podcast is about figuring out what it means to become the new indie — an artist who builds a sustainable career on their own terms, with real strategy behind it. Each episode covers the business decisions, music industry news, sync licensing opportunities, and career moves that shape what long-term independence actually looks like. Hosted by Deraj and Frank Bentley, two full-time indie artists building in real time. (Credits: Marvel, NBA 2k, NFL, Fortnite) New episodes every week. Follow @rep.indie everywhere. Being independent in music is being redefined. indie, music business, independent artist, hip hop, podcast Deraj jared@weseeandhear.com No Yes 11 11 Making Music for the Love of It (Honest Conversation) | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 11 full 92407325-ebeb-4e44-927f-5ded70636a75 https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/11 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 5746 Strip away the money, the followers, and the fame — would you still make music? That's the question Deraj and Frank sit with in Episode 11, and the honest answer might surprise you. Both hosts get real about when music started feeling like a job, whether getting paid changed their relationship to the craft, and what it actually means to chase your purpose instead of someone else's definition of success. Deraj shares the "bamboo tree vs. oak tree" analogy that puts the whole conversation in persp Strip away the money, the followers, and the fame — would you still make music? That's the question Deraj and Frank sit with in Episode 11, and the honest answer might surprise you. Both hosts get real about when music started feeling like a job, whether Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, Frank, Bentley, Right, Okay Yes 10 10 Stop Blaming the Algorithm & Start Building Your Career | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 10 full 9c6cb381-ee5c-4e48-a567-2b62e086ad7a https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/10 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:30:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 5569 Episode 10 of The Neue.Indie Podcast gets into a conversation that every independent artist needs to hear. Spotify pays you pennies, the algorithm feels rigged, and the industry seems stacked against you — and you're not wrong. But none of that is your next move. Deraj and Frank Bentley break down why being right about how unfair the music business is won't change a single thing about your career, and what actually will. They cover the $17M Apple Music streaming fraud exposé (85% AI-generated), Episode 10 of The Neue.Indie Podcast gets into a conversation that every independent artist needs to hear. Spotify pays you pennies, the algorithm feels rigged, and the industry seems stacked against you — and you're not wrong. But none of that is your ne Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, Frank, Bentley, Right, Netflix Yes 8 8 Should You Chase the Bag or Chase Your Dream as an Indie Artist? | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 9 full 41651f60-8d4e-4e30-866d-20eeab2e9faa https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/8 Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 6174 Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast Yes Mental Health in the Music Industry — The Conversation We Had to Have | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep.8 full 6218767e-b058-41f5-a906-81c6dca6b4e8 https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/episodes/mental-health-in-the-music-industry-the-conversation-we-had-to-have-the-neue-indie-podcast-ep-8 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj & Frank Bentley Deraj & Frank Bentley 5675 --- Mental health in the music industry is one of the most important conversations nobody is having — until now. In Episode 8 of The Neue.Indie Podcast, we start with the Heat Check: a Christian rapper named Datin just dropped a 10-minute diss trac --- Mental health in the music industry is one of the most important conversations nobody is having — until now. In Episode 8 of The Neue.Indie Podcast, we start with the Heat Check: a Christian rapper named Datin just dropped a 10-minute diss trac indie, music business, independent artist, hip hop, podcast No 7 7 An Honest Conversation About Marriage as an Independent Artist | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep.7 full 08a4c0ba-0008-4f6b-9429-37ac5484a2fa https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/7 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 5331 This is an honest conversation about being married as an independent artist. Deraj and Frank Bentley — both married over a decade, both active indie artists — sit down and talk through how marriage actually affects a music career. Not as a warning, but as the truth: a marriage you steward well becomes one of the greatest sources of support, belief, and stability an artist can have. Left unstewarded, it's the thing that can quietly derail everything you're building. They get into what that looks This is an honest conversation about being married as an independent artist. Deraj and Frank Bentley — both married over a decade, both active indie artists — sit down and talk through how marriage actually affects a music career. Not as a warning, but as Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast Yes 6 6 How to Make Music Faster Without Losing Quality | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 6 full 7ef11abc-5eb2-4a99-a941-3d39820b9afc https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/6 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 5604 Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full song in 30 minutes. And we got into the conversation that every indie artist in 2026 needs to hear: how to create high-quality music fast enough to keep up with industry demand, and why going direct-to-fan isn't optional anymore. We broke down th Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full s Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, sync licensing, direct-to-fan, music production, going independent Yes 6 6 How to Make Music Faster Without Losing Quality (And Get Sync Deals Because of It) | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 6 full 383c7126-5c3f-41a8-87bc-2bdc0f941f5d https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/6 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 5604 Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full song in 30 minutes. And we got into the conversation that every indie artist in 2026 needs to hear: how to create high-quality music fast enough to keep up with industry demand, and why going direct-to-fan isn't optional anymore. We broke down th Episode 6 and we're going live on Instagram for the first time — and the energy in the room is right. Deraj just got booked to perform at a boxing event in Spain because of a sync licensing deal. Frank came through with the blueprint for creating a full s Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, sync licensing, music production, songwriting Yes 5 5 The Psychology of Procrastination for Independent Artists | Neue Indie Ep. 5 full fb37b0db-f7f3-40f2-8575-acba925801ec https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/5 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 6237 They say procrastination is just laziness. It's not. It's fear — fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, fear of the gap between your vision and your current skill level. In this episode Deraj and Frank break down why the most talented indie artists are actually the most likely to leave songs sitting on hard drives, and how to build the systems and mindset shifts that get you moving again. Plus: Does Suno AI actually give you full copyright ownership of your music? The answer is more co They say procrastination is just laziness. It's not. It's fear — fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, fear of the gap between your vision and your current skill level. In this episode Deraj and Frank break down why the most talented indie arti Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast Yes 4 4 How Indie Artists Earn More By Doing Less full 101d9f20-53c2-4738-9963-8589e88e9c9b https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/4 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:28:42 -0400 Deraj Deraj 6224 Most indie artists are drowning in everything except the music. This week Deraj and Frank get into how to flip that — how to earn more by doing less and build a music career that doesn't need you 24/7 — plus a Heat Check on Drake's surprise triple drop, a sync masterclass, and a few detours nobody saw coming. Pull up. 🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/ 🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/ Most indie artists are drowning in everything except the music. This week Deraj and Frank get into how to flip that — how to earn more by doing less and build a music career that doesn't need you 24/7 — plus a Heat Check on Drake's surprise triple drop, a Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, Right, Drake, Okay, Kendrick Yes 3 3 AI Music: Useful Tool or Creative Threat? (Indie Artists, Listen Up) full 95377d26-c542-4c60-b7c6-d8e4b9c0e1a3 https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/3 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:29:53 -0400 Deraj Deraj 6309 AI music is the fight every indie artist is having right now, so Deraj and Frank put it on the table and refused to pretend the answer is simple. Frank isn't scared of AI — he sees opportunity — but he can't get past the unethical core of tools like Suno: train a model on an artist's voice and cadence, let a stranger steal it, then pay session musicians to recreate the result. His fix is obvious and damning — just compensate the source and the whole thing becomes defensible. Deraj leans pro-AI, AI music is the fight every indie artist is having right now, so Deraj and Frank put it on the table and refused to pretend the answer is simple. Frank isn't scared of AI — he sees opportunity — but he can't get past the unethical core of tools like Suno: Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, AI music, Suno, sync licensing Yes 2 2 How to Go Full-Time in Music Pt. 2 — The Power of Focus full 614c55d9-cdb7-43e5-a5b8-e75f1ebedb19 https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/2 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 8127 Going full-time in music isn't a talent problem — it's a focus problem. In Part 2 of the full-time conversation, Deraj and Frank Bentley get into the one thing that actually moved the needle for both of them: relentless focus. Deraj breaks down leaving a 40K job, the real-estate decisions that quietly wrecked his cash flow even in his highest-grossing year, and the budgeting system (Profit First + Mercury) that finally gave him peace. Frank brings the lateral-collaboration pl Going full-time in music isn't a talent problem — it's a focus problem. In Part 2 of the full-time conversation, Deraj and Frank Bentley get into the one thing that actually moved the needle for both of them: relentless focus. Deraj breaks down leaving a Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast Yes 1 1 What It Actually Takes To Go Full-Time As An Indie Artist (And Why You're Stuck) full a313efc1-dd3a-41e6-883a-59d05ffff75a https://the-neue-indie-podcast.transistor.fm/1 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:00:00 -0400 Deraj Deraj 6249 Welcome to Episode 1 of The Neue.Indie Podcast. Deraj and Frank Bentley open the show with the question every independent artist is quietly asking: what does it actually take to go full-time, and why are you still stuck? They trade the real version of their own stories — Frank quitting his day job two weeks after getting out of the hospital with COVID, Deraj scaffolding into full-time through a sync licensing course, rented-out rooms, and an ESPN placement that paid the same as a live show. Got Welcome to Episode 1 of The Neue.Indie Podcast. Deraj and Frank Bentley open the show with the question every independent artist is quietly asking: what does it actually take to go full-time, and why are you still stuck? They trade the real version of the Neue Indie, indie music, music business, independent artist, The Neue Indie Podcast, Deraj, Frank Bentley, podcast, Frank, Bentley, Right, Okay Yes