In a music economy this saturated, authenticity is the only thing that breaks through. Release Foundations from Curious Goldfish is a positioning, press, and rollout package built around the one specific thread that makes your record yours. The process is built to set you up for success without breaking your budget or wasting your time.
Four deliverables built specifically for your release. Not generic. Not "soulful Americana with shades of folk and country" boilerplate. Your actual words, pulled from a real conversation, shaped into materials a music journalist will actually open.
Your archetype, narrative hooks, and the specific story behind this record. Plus a handful of different biographies you can use across various platforms and purposes.
Week-by-week content table, a 4-week milestone roadmap, and 3 to 4 social pillars built around your story. The plan reflects your capacity and appetite to produce content.
500 to 750-word EPK bio, full press release, three ready-to-send pitch emails (local, national, niche), a social hook, and subject lines that actually open.
Your situation mapped against findings from the State of Music in the Age of AI & Streaming survey. Guidance on how to reach your best fans.
Every artist has a thread that explains their new release better than any genre tag, comp list, or algorithm can.
After 130+ episodes, the pattern is unmistakable. This offering exists to find it on purpose for you.
The independent music economy is saturated. Press inboxes are full. Algorithms reward volume over signal. Most "release toolkits" respond by handing artists more templates and longer posting calendars. That's the trap, not the answer.
Here's what 573 listeners told us in the State of Music in the Age of AI & Streaming survey:
Translation: fans are tuning out what doesn't feel real. They are paying, with money and time and attention, for the artists they can clearly identify. Original songwriting and emotional storytelling outranked production polish and social media presence.
The best quotes come from the moments artists thought they were just talking, not working on a strategy packet. That's where the real story lives.
30 minutes to walk through your release timeline, get an honest read on whether Release Foundations is a fit, and understand the process and timing. No cost, no obligation.
A focused intake questionnaire designed to surface scenes, not summaries. The record, the moment, your collaborators, what you're actually trying to do. About 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
A 60 to 90-minute recorded conversation. The goal is to find the thread: the one specific story behind this release that no one else can tell. Recorded so we can mine it for verbatim source material later.
Transcript review, quote extraction, identity strategy, rollout plan, press package, data brief. You get a Google Drive folder with everything plus a short walkthrough so you know which pitch email to send first and what to do on day one.
Ideal lead time: 8 to 10 weeks before release. Minimum: 4 weeks. Earlier is better, especially if you want a shot at Spotify editorial, which needs a 7-week pitch window.
Every artist starts with a free Discovery Call. If we both think it's a fit, you choose the package that matches what you need.
Jason English hosts the Curious Goldfish podcast. With 130+ interviews under his belt, he knows how to tell an artist's story. Take advantage of his framework, which is built to surface your unique story and the underlying threads of your creation. Former journalist, current business executive, music podcaster the rest of the time.
The show isn't about new album cycles or tour dates. It's about how an artist actually got here, what it cost, and what they're still curious about. Guests have ranged from Americana legend Webb Wilder to artists with 100 monthly listeners. Release Foundations exists to bring that same level of care to the materials press and platforms see before they ever hear the music.
Jason's process connected several different elements together that I never would have. He makes it easy and the content alone is worth the investment.
Wyatt Espalin, Independent Artist
Because more posts is not the answer. The CG survey calls this The Content Trap: the assumption that volume on social platforms drives a successful release. It doesn't. What drives a release is a specific story, told well, to the right people, at the right time. Release Foundations is built around that. Less noise, more signal.
No. The Base Plan does not require a podcast appearance. Release Foundations Plus is for artists who want the additional source material and reach a full episode provides, plus 10 free-use clips for their own socials.
Some windows will already be closed. Spotify editorial needs 7 weeks minimum. Local press needs 3 to 4. The free Discovery Call is the right first step in this case so we can be honest about what's still possible.
The lead single's lyrics are the minimum. Without them, the press release uses bracketed placeholders for any lyric reference. It still works, but the materials get sharper when lyrics are in.
This is a one-time service tied to a specific release. Some artists come back for a second release, some don't. There's no retainer or ongoing contract.
Curious Goldfish focuses on Americana, folk, roots, country, and rock-adjacent independent artists, but Release Foundations works for any genre where the story behind the record matters more than the algorithm.
No, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does. What you get is a press package strong enough to give you a real shot, sent to the right targets at the right time, with subject lines that actually open.
Thirty minutes. Honest read. No cost, no obligation.
Book Your Free Discovery Call