Meet Andrew Galucki of Nashville For Hire

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Galucki.

Hi Andrew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Andrew Galucki. I’m a singer-songwriter, podcast host, and the founder of Nashville For Hire. I grew up in NH and then moved to Nashville in 2010 to attend Belmont University and major in guitar performance.

Music school is… weird. And expensive.

But, while I have notes (MANY notes) for the university system in America in general and Belmont specifically, I am very thankful for the 4 years I got to be a student in Nashville before I had to be a “professional musician” in Nashville.

Most people come to Nashville because they were big fish in a small pond. And most people get the wind knocked out of their ego when they realize what made them special in their hometown is barely even noticeable in the sea of the truly amazing talent we have here. I was no exception. And I’m glad I had a few years in school to build up my “Nashville confidence”.

After college, I played guitar professionally for a few small acts in town.

Parallel to my years doing freelance guitar work, I started exploring the world of music licensing (getting my music onto TV/Film/ Commercials). I worked with a company in town called Sorted Noise and started landing some pretty fun placements on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, Batwoman, Reign, Lethal Weapon, and Good Trouble. Along with some ad placements for brands like Chase Bank and Rogers Wireless.

After a few years, I realized I didn’t want to be on the road playing for others. If I was going to be doing music long-term, it was going to be my music predominately. I came off the road and most of my freelance work involved singing on other people’s songs remotely on a few sites that were just starting to take off at the time. This was a great new way for artists like myself to make money, but yet again… I had notes.

The sites I was using to find work had some glaring issues. I thought they were overly reliant on algorithms and automation in a way that was not congruent with the artful process that is making music. And I didn’t like that anyone could sell their services on these sites even if they just started playing their instrument last week. It means less work for those who need it and more hassle for anyone trying to sift through thousands of musicians.

I thought I could make something better. So in 2017, I launched a bootstrapped beta version of Nashville For Hire: a curated marketplace that helps connect music creatives all over the world with a curated roster of Nashville music professionals for remote music recording services.

I have no tech experience. I don’t know how to code. So I “digitally duct-taped” the site together with different templates and software available. It was clunky and a pain in the ass to run, but it was alive.

Eventually, I expanded the site and added our Pro Membership: A monthly membership that gives music creatives access to professional quality recording services at very discounted rates. So far, it has been a huge success with our clients and we’re currently honing our services, even more, to better fit the needs of our most active members.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Nashville For Hire was built with my own personal finances. I have spent 10s of thousands of my own money and while I’ve learned a lot and the site has continued to grow, it has proven to be more of a money taker than a moneymaker in its infancy.

The hardest moment was probably in 2019. I’d spent years working on my business and it just wasn’t giving me the returns I wanted or frankly needed (financially). Money was TIGHT. Not like “uh oh we went over budget this week and now our savings is smaller” but “is my net worth big enough to cover this chipotle burrito without over-drafting my account?”

Spoiler alert: The answer was no (thanks for that $37 overdraft fee Fifth Third Bank!). Right around the height of the money stress, I found out some great news. One of my songs was going to be used for a car commercial and my take-home was going to be $100,000. It was a done deal and only a matter of time before that ad started running and my bank account got an upgrade.

I called my girlfriend at the time (now fiance!) Alexa. We cried. I told my family who happened to be in Nashville that weekend for something else. I still remember watching my dad get up and dance around the room. Years of being a stressed-out month-to-month musician were finally over. It was going to be ok.

Two days before the ad was going to start playing, I found out that an executive at this car company came down from his high tower and told the creative team they should go with the song they used on the last campaign. I can’t verify this, but I’m pretty sure that the executive who made this last-minute change smells pretty bad and hates puppies.

And just like that… I lost $100,000.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more at a loss for “next steps”. Just a few days before, I was driving with Alexa and talking about how perfect timing this $100,000 paycheck was going to be. Things had been tight for a while and we both couldn’t imagine how we would have gotten by financially if it had not happened.

Like a cruel joke, that conversation played out in my head as I sat outside the hotel wishing I could just go home. That was the first time I thought about closing down Nashville For Hire. I was angry at it for taking so much of my time and having yet to give me a financial kickback.

I didn’t end up closing Nashville For Hire. But for the first time, I knew what it felt like to have part of me want to.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do?
Nashville For Hire helps music creatives all over the world create more music, more affordably and more often. We do this two primary ways:

1. Our Nashville Marketplace: a curated roster of Nashville-based music professionals that anyone from anywhere can hire for remote music services.

2. Our Pro Membership: think Sam’s Club or Costco membership but for music services. Our members pay a low monthly membership fee to get access to severely discounted remote music recording services.

What makes this membership different than other services is the radically low prices for incredibly talented musicians. And the fact that we built a system that treats our team of musicians ethically and compensates them fairly even when our members pay such low prices.

My favorite reaction I’ve gotten from our members when they start ordering from us is “this feels too good to be true” (it is true, for the record).

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Well, if you are reading this and you record music and you’d like that process to smoother and be more affordable… then I’d check out nashvilleforhire.com.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.nashvilleforhire.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashvilleforhire/