Jun 15, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min · 12 segments
Ben Johnson (“All The Way” BigXThaPlug & Bailey Zimmerman, “TRUCK BED” Hardy, “Dying Man” Morgan Wallen) is on the pod this week to discuss family, outliers, finding co-writers and lawyers. Hey Souper…
Ben JohnsonGuest
Laura VeltzHostTracy HackneyHostKevin SokolnickiHost
I remember being on a flight with my wife and she was looking at the deal and she was like, think this could be an issue like my wife's brilliant and she was like I think this and this and this could be an issue one day I was like eight years into not having published now I'm like I don't care I need to make money right now I was like and of course that's how they get you but yeah you know I like I said I wish it had been different but I wouldn't change anything yeah that's how it is so well I think everybody's first deal is kind of call
it the shitty deal for a reason we have one chapter in this mythological book that we have the shitty deal phase it really is really there's a reason for it and it's yep i want to say though there is
there is like a sliver of asterisks you know a parentheses you know subtext or whatever that says there are layers shitty deals are shitty yes but um I'm not going to jump in your head about the deal you signed.
But I will tell you, there are practices that take advantage of your thrill and your excitement.
I call on all of my people when a new songwriter, and I'm not platforming myself, but I kind of am.
I am because I think it would have been so sick if just one person, two people in that phase could have just given you a little heads up about what you were signing.
I remember being on a flight with my wife and she was looking at the deal and she was like, think this could be an issue like my wife's brilliant and she was like I think this and this and this could be an issue one day I was like eight years into not having published now I'm like I don't care I need to make money right now I was like and of course that's how they get you but yeah you know I like I said I wish it had been different but I wouldn't change anything yeah that's how it is so well I think everybody's first deal is kind of call
it the shitty deal for a reason we have one chapter in this mythological book that we have the shitty deal phase it really is really there's a reason for it and it's yep i want to say though there is
there is like a sliver of asterisks you know a parentheses you know subtext or whatever that says there are layers shitty deals are shitty yes but um I'm not going to jump in your head about the deal you signed.
But I will tell you, there are practices that take advantage of your thrill and your excitement.
I call on all of my people when a new songwriter, and I'm not platforming myself, but I kind of am.
I am because I think it would have been so sick if just one person, two people in that phase could have just given you a little heads up about what you were signing.
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