Podcast Junkies - Storytelling Interviews & Conversations with Podcasters Podcasting Passionately · Harry Duran

358 Jay Franze - From Limos to Grammy Wins: Inspiring Journey

·1 hr 14 min·4 clips

Jay walked into SAE and found his former teacher running education there.

1. Podcast Junkies episode 358 centers on Jay Franze's path from music production to podcasting. 2. Host Harry Duran interviews Jay Franze, a seasoned music producer and podcast host, because Jay has worked in Nashville, Boston, and New York. 3. The episode asks how Jay moved from behind the console to becoming a host while keeping his creative drive intact. 4. Jay's earliest music memories come from his father's car, where he heard Barbra Streisand, Air Supply, and Kenny Rogers on cassettes and eight-tracks. 5. He says Boston's rock bands and Berklee College of Music made him want to be in the room with musicians. 6. He started writing songs to get attention, work with performers, and learn how records were made. 7. Jay later worked in Nashville for 20 years of a 35-year music career, touching country records tied to Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Lee Brice, and Jerry Lee Lewis. 8. He says he worked with three producers who covered demo work, mid-level artists, and major artists. 9. Jay describes starting in Boston studios by recording books on tape during the day and rock bands at night. 10. He says becoming a freelance engineer meant hustling bands for work and learning what a producer actually does. 11. One memorable shift came when a studio owner told him he was a producer, not just an engineer. 12. Jay explains that a producer organizes sessions, brings in musicians, and knows which microphones and timing choices the room needs. 13. He later moved to New York, bought a building, and built a studio that also included photography and graphic design services. 14. That setup helped him charge for album covers and art work when artists pushed back on recording fees. 15. He recalls seeing Bob Bullock's name in a Shania Twain CD booklet and deciding to go to Nashville to work for him. 16. He also saw a Mix Magazine ad for SAE and decided he would teach there as well. 17. Jay says he arrived at SAE, found his former Recording Workshop teacher as director of education, and was told he needed either a degree or major-act credits. 18. He enrolled in school, earned the degree, built credits, and was later hired to teach the next day. 19. The conversation stays practical and story-driven, with Harry Duran asking about drive, discipline, and whether ambition can be taught. 20. People who like studio stories, career pivots, and Nashville music industry details will get the most from this episode. 21. People wanting a strict podcasting how-to or a short interview may skip it.

As heard by us

A studio-craft story about patience, polish, and staying long enough to get the call.

The episode looks at the less polished side of record-making, where a vocal can still be adjusted after it has already hit every note, just because a producer wants the line to sit differently on the graph.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

A studio career story about being the last one standing when the room finally needs you.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Podcast Junkies - Storytelling Interviews & Conversations with Podcasters Podcasting Passionately