Podcast Summary: From the Ground Up – The New Creative Frontier: Navigating the Creator Economy

Podcast: From the Ground Up by Inc. Magazine
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Bonnie Ghosh (Editorial Director, Inc.)
Guests: Matt Quinn (Lead Singer, Mount Joy), Dave Silver (Co-founder/CEO, REC Philly)
Duration: ~31 minutes

Episode Overview

This panel discussion explores the evolving creator economy and how founders, artists, and creative entrepreneurs navigate the challenge of sustaining audiences in an increasingly digital and crowded landscape. Bonnie Ghosh leads a frank conversation with Matt Quinn of Mount Joy and Dave Silver of REC Philly, delving into the realities of turning viral moments into lasting communities, lessons on authenticity and growth, and the business models supporting modern creators.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. The “Viral Moment” and Building Long-Term Audiences

• Internet Fame vs. Real-World Fans

  • Matt Quinn describes how Mount Joy turned an early “internet moment” (their viral song “Astra Van”) into lasting growth by consistently touring and reconnecting with local fans.
  • Quote:

    “You see this a lot with artists where they're having a viral moment on TikTok or something, and then they show up and they play a venue with 50 people in it, and it really isn't translating...”
    – Matt Quinn (02:25)

  • The big challenge: converting passive online audiences into real, active supporters who show up and spend money.

• Hardest Hurdle: Selling Small Venues

  • The transition from playing for a handful of friends to selling out 250-person rooms is described as harder than the leap to large venues.
  • Quote:

    “The hardest show to ever sell out is like... a 250 cap, which is like a bar... We sold out Madison Square Garden. But I think it's way harder coming from nothing to sell 250 tickets...”
    – Matt Quinn (14:56)

2. What REC Philly Offers: The Creator Ecosystem

• Agency and Community Space

  • Dave Silver explains REC Philly’s dual focus: a 10,000 sq. ft. creative hub in Philadelphia and a nationwide creative and marketing agency.
  • Services include music/photo studios, concert venues, memberships, content creation support, and a strong focus on helping brands connect authentically with Gen Z and Millennials (03:48).
  • Strategy is rooted in being “by and for” the demographic they serve: “We are who we're serving for.” (05:40)

• Empowering Creators

  • Focuses on providing resources, education, and a community for creators to experiment, collaborate, and grow – but leaves the drive and ownership to the individual.

3. Navigating Social Platforms & Content Strategy

• Shifts in Promotion

  • The creative world’s promotional landscape has changed rapidly, from iTunes and billboards to playlisting and TikTok trends.
  • Today’s expectation is constant self-promotion across platforms – something many artists (like Quinn) initially resisted.
  • Quote:

    “There’s a fine line between the sort of mystery behind the art... and, you know, sort of shameless self-promotion. And I think really during our career, that's like, completely shifted...”
    – Matt Quinn (07:24)

• Authenticity as Currency

  • Both guests reiterate: genuine, personal content outperforms contrived trends. Current audiences are savvy and can “call bullshit.”
    • Quote:

      “It's really all about authenticity online. It's really about just showing up as yourself. Because the younger demographic, I think more than ever before, can call bullshit on what's going on online.”
      – Dave Silver (05:40)

  • For Quinn, what works is inviting viewers into his real-life creative process, not staging artificial “content.”

• Viral Moments Done Right

  • Mount Joy’s recent local pop-up performance (“popped up on Frankfurt”) is cited as an example of content that “felt authentic” and went viral by capitalizing on an existing trend in a way true to the band’s identity.
    • Quote:

      “It’s finding the trend, but then finding one that's like, ‘oh, that's authentic.’ That's something we could do and wouldn't look ridiculous doing.”
      – Matt Quinn (10:51)

• Collaborations as Strategy

  • Silver emphasizes the power of collaborating with creators, brands, or fellow artists who authentically share an audience, multiplying reach and deepening engagement.
  • Quote:

    “Collaboration is... the strongest thing you could be doing right now... it's targeted growth.”
    – Dave Silver (18:43)

4. Metrics, Data, and Sustainable Growth

• What Metrics Matter?

  • Shift away from vanity metrics (likes/followers) to deeper indicators like engagement, comments, shares, and – most crucially – real-life actions (concert ticket sales, newsletter sign-ups).
  • Quote:

    “You can't fake a good conversation in the comments and you can't fake people sharing it around...”
    – Dave Silver (21:36)

• Owning Your Audience

  • Rec Philly encourages all creators to collect fan data directly, not just through social platforms, in order to maintain independence from the whims of algorithms (18:41).
  • Quote:

    “It's great to have the TikTok and Instagram followers, but we saw what happens overnight when TikTok decides that you're not going to have this platform tomorrow. And then where is your audience?”
    – Dave Silver (18:43)

• What about Monetization?

  • Streaming revenue is fractional; most profits come from live shows and merchandise.
  • The digital landscape creates opportunities, but the litmus test for success remains: “Are people showing up?”

5. The Business Side – Independence and Ownership

• The Risks of “Vanity Venues” and Record Deals

  • Not all big shows are profitable; venues like Radio City and MSG are sometimes “vanity plays” that may even lose money for the artist.
  • Quote:

    “Is the vanity worth it?... sometimes it is... Madison Square Garden... that's not the best deal in New York... but it’s putting a flag in the moon.”
    – Matt Quinn (27:16)

• Labels and Ownership

  • Artists are encouraged to retain ownership for as long as possible. Typical deals may “give you an advance... you make 20 cents on the dollar after we make the money back, which is insane.”
  • Quote:

    “Ownership is... massive, and I think artists are getting much smarter to that.”
    – Matt Quinn (27:16)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On viral-to-real audience translation:

  “The Internet is sort of passive, and then there's building out, like, real fans who actually show up for you.”
  – Matt Quinn (02:25)

• Why authenticity matters:

  “The younger demographic... really can call bullshit on what's going on online.”
  – Dave Silver (05:40)

• On shifting music promotion:

  “It really feels like it's pretty impossible unless you're promoting yourself consistently across some of these platforms – you’re just going to be forgotten.”
  – Matt Quinn (07:24)

• On collaboration:

  “Every single time you do a collaboration, you're growing your audience to a targeted group of people.”
  – Dave Silver (18:43)

• On real success:

  “If that's not converting into people showing up to your concerts, then it's going to be a tough business, I think.”
  – Matt Quinn (23:52)

• On vanity bookings:

  “You might lose money doing the production, selling 3,000 more tickets than if you go play on a rooftop, you know, down the street ... So for us, it's always just been like, is the vanity worth it?”
  – Matt Quinn (27:16)

Segment Timestamps

• 00:46 Panel introduction and overview
• 02:25 Mount Joy’s viral journey and translating online moments to real fan engagement
• 03:48 Dave Silver introduces REC Philly’s mission
• 05:40 Strategies for connecting brands with Gen Z and Millennials
• 07:24 Mount Joy’s approach to evolving social platforms and personal brand promotion
• 09:43 Social hacks and the quest for authenticity
• 12:51 REC Philly’s support, resources, and building real fandom
• 14:56 The backstory of “Silver Lining” and lessons from slow-burning success
• 17:13 Does branding/marketing dilute the art?
• 18:43 Agency approach for new/indie artists, and why collaborations matter
• 21:36 On data and analytics: which metrics really count?
• 23:52 Engagement is king: Quinn’s perspective on meaningful measures
• 26:44 The hidden economics of venue choices and label deals
• 29:56 Best-in-class brand strategies and local creator shoutouts
• 30:55 What’s next for Mount Joy – album and tour announcement

Conclusion

This episode provides a candid, actionable perspective on how modern creators – from indie musicians to brand storytellers – can build sustainable businesses in an attention economy. The recurring themes: prioritize authenticity; nurture small, dedicated groups of fans; collaborate for shared growth; and retain as much ownership and direct audience access as possible. Both guests illustrate their guidance with real examples and pragmatic advice, offering a blueprint for creators and founders eager to thrive on the new creative frontier.

Upcoming:
Mount Joy’s new album drops May 30th; Philadelphia shows in September.