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Artwork for The Working Songwriter

The Working Songwriter

Joe Pug
Songwriting
Nashville
Music Industry
Banzoogle
Country Music
Touring
Music Production
Los Angeles
Music
Bluegrass Music
K Flay
Steve Louw
Indie Rock
Chicago
Save Ferris
Creative Process
Michigander
Austin City Limits
Old Town School Of Folk Music
Joe Ely

Joe Pug hosts a weekly conversation with one of today's best songwriters. The Working Songwriter is a part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network. Interested in sponsoring us? Contact: bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods Over 300 catalog episodes available to stream in the Nation of Heat Vault. Visit joepugmusic.com/vault

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes364Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Music InterviewsArtsMusicPerforming Arts

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Artwork for The Working Songwriter

Latest Episodes

Our guest this week is David Shaw, the lead singer and principal songwriter of the rock band The Revivalists.

Originally hailing from Hamilton, Ohio, Shaw moved south to New Orleans after college graduation. A chance encounter with guitarist Zack Fe... more

This episode was originally aired on August 22nd, 2024.

This legendary musician and songwriter was integral to the Staxx Records sound, and has writing credits on "Green Onions" and "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay".

Our guest this week is Erin McAnally, the daughter of legendary songwriter and guitarist Mac McAnally. Born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and raised in Nashville, Erin grew up surrounded by the music business. Over the years, she has worked in A&R, musi... more

This episode originally aired on April 1, 2022.

The creative force behind Against Me!, describes founding the band, working with producer Butch Vig, and navigating the waters of the major label system in the late 2000s.

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Steve Cropper
Guitarist, songwriter, producer and member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Episode: Classic Episode - Steve Cropper
Erin McAnally
Singer-songwriter, Executive Director of Songwriters of North America
Songwriters of North America
Episode: Erin McAnally
Laura Jane Grace
Founder of Against Me; author of Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout
Against Me / Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers
Episode: Classic Episode - Laura Jane Grace
John Moreland
Headlining songwriter featured in this episode
Self-described musician in contemporary Americana
Episode: Live Episode - John Moreland at the 2026 Working Songwriter Forum
Dar Williams
American folk musician and author
Musician, author of What I Found in a Thousand Towns
Episode: Classic Episode - Dar Williams
Jim James
Frontman of My Morning Jacket; Kentuckian artist featured as the episode's guest
My Morning Jacket
Episode: Jim James
Amy Ray
Founding member of the Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
Episode: Classic Episode - Amy Ray
Gary Louris
Musician, member of The Jayhawks
Episode: Gary Louris
Chuck Ragan
Musician, frontman of Hot Water Music; Revival Tour founder
Hot Water Music; Revival Tour
Episode: Classic Episode - Chuck Ragan

Host

Joe Pug
Host of The Working Songwriter

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 2.3k ratings
  • Great stuff

    Been listening for years, thanks for the good work Joe! … and personally I think the website salesman ads are funny. Cheers!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    nahhhhh…
    United States5 months ago
  • If you write songs…

    This is the podcast for you. Joe is funny, intelligent and insightful. My favorite podcast about music and the reality of being an independent singer songwriter. The best!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MD Boat Guy
    United States8 months ago
  • Insightful, intelligent, and essential!

    This is one of the best songwriting podcast out there. As a professional songwriter, who’s been on a lot of interviews, I’ll say that Joe is a fantastic host and brings on amazing guests who reveal deep and unique aspects about themselves and the creative industry they are part of. I’m always enthralled and enlightened and I’m so grateful that this forum exists so we can get to know the artists we love and admire. Definitely give a listen. Ps he’s also funny which helps.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Robin Jacksophone
    United Statesa year ago
  • No

    First thing I hear is “Some guy named Tucker would drive an fj cruiser and would make you a website for $1000?” Absolutely not. What a moronic statement.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Ashexxx
    United States2 years ago
  • Always a great listen!

    Joe has a great conversational approach that is easy to listen to and his production is top notch. Easily one of the best podcasts out there today.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Russell Christian
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are consistently high-quality and provide fresh perspectives on songwriting.
Shows are engaging, informative, and useful for both aspiring and working musicians.
Feedback highlights the episode production and guest diversity as strengths.
Listeners praise the host's conversational style and depth of craft insight.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Classic Episode - Steve Cropper
Q: Can you describe the recording of that song and how it first broke?
Cropper recounts how Booker T. & the M.G.'s improvised during a Sunday session, recorded the instrumental, and heard it attract calls after it aired on Memphis radio.
Classic Episode - Steve Cropper
Q: What was the music that you were discovering when you first moved with your family to Memphis from Missouri?
Cropper says church music was an early influence, and he adapted blues and church sounds by changing sacred lyrics into love songs.
Erin McAnally
Q: What are the core changes you'd like to see in how music is paid for in the streaming era, and how should young writers prepare?
She explains the importance of copyrighting, the role of the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and the need for stronger data practices and diversification of income, including live performance and direct fan engagement.
Erin McAnally
Q: When did music become more than a family tradition and start to shape your own journey as a songwriter?
Erin discusses discovering her own voice later in life, the influence of her father's career, and the shift from private writing to public songwriting with encouragement from her husband, which helped her pursue collaboration and visibility.
Classic Episode - Chuck Ragan
Q: How did your writing process change when Hot Water Music went on hiatus and you started a solo project?
I began writing and performing acoustic material on my own, which was familiar but required adjusting to not having the other band members co-writing, while still craving collaboration later on when back in a group setting.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Working Songwriter

What is The Working Songwriter about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A candid, craft-focused conversation series where a seasoned songwriter hosts weekly chats with some of today's most respected songwriters. Episodes cover origin stories, writing routines, collaboration dynamics, and the realities of building a long-running career in music, with generous sponsor reads woven in. The show frequently highlights creative process, genre-crossing collaborations, and practical paths for indie artists aiming to sustain a musical life while staying true to their art. A standout angle is its emphasis on storytelling and craft from guests spanning folk, rock, Americana, and beyond, making it useful for listeners who want actionable songwriting insight and backstage perspectives on the music business.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Working Songwriter?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Working Songwriter. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Working Songwriter and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Working Songwriter get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Working Songwriter, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Working Songwriter?

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How many subscribers and views does The Working Songwriter have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Working Songwriter has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Working Songwriter?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Working Songwriter:

1. Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond
2. That's How I Remember It
3. Americana Podcast
4. Kreative Kontrol
5. Life of the Record

How many episodes of The Working Songwriter are there?

The Working Songwriter launched 11 years ago and published 364 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Working Songwriter?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Working Songwriter?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Working Songwriter from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Working Songwriter?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Working Songwriter. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Working Songwriter?

Recent guests on The Working Songwriter include:

1. Steve Cropper
2. Erin McAnally
3. Laura Jane Grace
4. John Moreland
5. Dar Williams
6. Jim James
7. Amy Ray
8. Gary Louris

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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