Michael Kinkle aka The Kink joins me at the venue he is books at, West End in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We took a deep dive into the state of the music industry, we covered his multiple new releases from his solo venture, as well as a collaboration with Caroline Mendoza.

We also discussed AI's place in art, and we went over the upcoming shows during Arkansas Music Week 2026 and some great things going on there in September and beyond.

00:00 Intro

00:43 Introducing The Kink & his music projects

02:11 Eureka Springs Music Venues

03:11 Arkansas Music Week and Upcoming Shows

06:05 About West End in Downtown Fayetteville

08:45 AI Artwork 11:23 NorthWest Arkansas Music Scene in 2026

12:35 The battle of live music and keeping venues alive

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Robert Locke (Arkansas Music Experience, Joe Holmes Band) is one of my best friends, is one of the best singers you will ever hear, can rattle off more Arkansas music knowledge that most folks I’ve met, and is a connector in the Arkansas music community.
On this episode, Robert joins us to talk about his music career, our work together in Arkansas Music Experience, the upcoming Arkansas Music Week taking place in Fayetteville, Arkansas on August 23-30, The Music Industry Meetups, Film and movies in Arkansas, and so much more.
Arkansas Music Experience - https://www.arkansasmusicexperience.com
00:00 Intro
02:25 Introducing Robert Locke
08:13 Shindig Music
10:00 About the Arkansas Music Experience
18:00 Arkansas Music Week & It’s Programming
43:00 Music Industry Meetup
50:12 Film & Music Connection
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Produced by TSP (www.travissmithproductions.com)

n this episode, Spida aka Spida Verse aka SpidaCrazy8 joins me to talk about his spida-web of music industry work spanning from artist management, product and business promotion, and even being a writing and performing artist. He has worked with his team to put the NW Arkansas Rap & hip-hop scene on the map. From local showcases and concerts to large-scale national-act productions, Spida has been bridging the gap between NW Arkansas and the world. It was great to sit and get his perspective on our local, regional, and global music scene.
Spida - https://www.instagram.com/spidacrazy8/

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Bruce Bennett joins me to talk about his music career as a bassist in multiple projects in the Arkansas-Oklahoma region and his journey to performing with country music hit machine Ricochet. Bruce is one of the most loved and respected musicians in our regional music community, where we are located, and he is known for being one of the most reliable and professional bassists you can hire. We dove into his history and his process for sustaining such a long-lasting music career.
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Produced by TSP (www.travissmithproductions.com)

On this episode I dive into the actions I am taking as I start a new band, building the materials and things needed to do business in our regional music industry including:

- Creating the email.
- Social Media Creation
- Domain/Web Host Purchasing
- Logos/Artwork
- Gigging Strategy of a New Band
I am going to keep recording episodes as we continue along, tracking what we are doing every couple of weeks. Hopefully this might help some folks who starting new projects of their own.

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Produced by Travis Smith Productions (www.travissmithproductions.com)

On this episode, we dive into defining market value for artists and how they get paid for their performances at different types of venues. I dive into the science of the value of an original, as well as a cover/tribute band. We also dive into ways to "boost" your market value outside of ticket sales. There are 50 things I could have added, but I hoped to help some folks out on navigating some swim lanes for quoting themselves at future gigs.

Email me at BeatsByTravis@gmail.com

The royal highness, King Pimpin, joins me on the podcast to talk about his history in the rap game, where he's from, where he is going, and we make some funny jokes and laugh a lot.
Every time I have been around him, it has been nonstop laughter and good energy, and I know others get that radiating off of him as well. My band, The Juice, added him to our 90's hip-hop project, and he came in with that vibe and helped us set the pace for a super fun project.
He releases music like a mad man, videos up what feels like every week, and has collaborated with all the folks putting in the work themselves. KP!
King Pimpin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Hbyc0m8wo
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Produced by Travis Smith Productions (www.travissmithproductions.com)

This episode has TWO folks who I have great history with. Papa Rap & Lance Wright!
Al “Papa Rap” Lopez, originally from Puerto Rico, is an award winning song writer (John Lennon Song Writing Contest) and a charismatic Latino performer, musician, writer, and inspirational motivational speaker.

Lance Wright is one of my best buds, we have shared countless hours chatting, on podcasts and not, about music, life, comedy, and more. Lance always brings the funny, and Papa Rap visited BOTH of us at our elementary school as kids. How cool is that?!
Papa Rap: https://paparap.net/