This week singer-songwriter Patrice Peris joins Dave to flip the script on building a music career. That question musicians always get – what’s your backup plan? – is a terrible one, because Plan A was never required to land where you first mapped it. Through COVID, a Cancer diagnosis, and a bone-marrow transplant she now calls a rebirth, Patrice kept asking what each detour was teaching her and never stopped writing, landing sync placements on Netflix, HBO Max, and The Voice along the way.
Want to break into sync licensing yourself? Get resourceful and bullheaded: take a class, build multiple streams of revenue, and gamify the grind: how many gigs can you find, how many music supervisors can you email? Every musician is an entrepreneur, and the numbers game rewards whoever keeps opening doors.
Then Patrice gets practical, because gigging musicians are athletes. You get her playbook for protecting your voice across three-set nights: a real warmup, scale work, stretching, smart placement that pulls the sound out of your throat and into the mask, and the vocal rest you keep skipping. From there comes the band conversation nobody wants to have: in-ear monitors and the whole mix exist to serve the lead vocalist, so drop the ego and decide together what you actually want your band to sound like. Build a backup bench while you’re at it, because life happens and roles need filling. Patrice stepped back from the stage but never stopped creating, and that’s the whole point: keep writing, keep adapting, and Always Be Performing.
- 00:00:00 Gig Gab 540 – Monday, June 29th, 2026
- 00:02:36 Live has given me things in waves that weren’t what I wanted
- 00:05:20 “What’s your Plan B?” Is a terrible question
- And Plan A doesn’t have to go where you planned
- 00:07:55 COVID and Cancer…all a journey
- 00:09:10 Perspective… always be asking: what is this teaching me?
- 00:10:43 Always writing
- 00:11:40 How do you get started writing for sync?
- A nod to bullheaded persistence
- 00:15:10 Starting a Sync Business
- Always have multiple streams of revenue
- Take a class (or two)
- 00:19:44 Being resourceful is the key to bullheaded persistence
- Gamify it all!
- How many gigs can I find?
- How many people can I email?
- 00:22:57 Learn to be strategic and mindful
- Anytime you’re climbing the ladder, failure is inevitable
- Invest energy into the creative realm and also into the business realm
- 00:25:54 “No Plan” isn’t a plan
- Listen to your inner 16 year old…sometimes!
- 00:29:47 Coaching people to let go of the hat
- 00:35:20 Growing your music business
- 00:35:38 Vocal blowout
- 00:41:00 Listening for Placement
- Where is the voice going?
- 00:42:31 In Ear Monitors can make a big difference
- Bands need to understand the sound has to serve the lead vocalist
- 00:44:42 What do we want our band to sound like to people listening?
- Bands need to come together as a group
- Communicate and decide upon the goal for what the BAND is going to sound like
- 00:49:38 Get two of everything
- 00:50:56 Gig Gab 540 Outtro
- Follow Patrice Peris
- Contact Gig Gab!
The post Patrice Peris on Sync, Survival, and Why You Don’t Need a Backup Plan – Gig Gab 540 appeared first on Gig Gab.
Dave Hamilton, a seasoned tech enthusiast, podcaster, and publisher, has dedicated the past three decades to aiding computer users globally. Known for his insightful advice and valuable product recommendations on the Mac Geek Gab podcast, Dave also enjoys an esteemed reputation as the founder of BackBeat Media, a network of fiercely independent publishers. His online publishing journey took off with The Mac Observer, an acclaimed Apple news site he co-founded in 1998 and led to its successful acquisition in 2021.
Beyond his tech-savvy persona, Dave embraces a vibrant life filled with music and family in the New Hampshire seacoast. He passionately performs with bands Bitter Pill and Fling, among other musical projects, creating a harmonic balance between his love for technology and music. Alongside his wife, Lisa, he raised their two children amidst this symphony of innovation, passion, and independent spirit, showcasing the power of embracing one's interests and using them to make a meaningful impact in the world.
