Is the gig economy really built to support musicians and freelancers, or is it setting them up to fail?

In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle Podcast, Bobby talks with Ben Ikwaugwu, CEO of SoundCheck Live, about why the freelance economy is growing faster than the tools designed to support it. Drawing from his background as a professional vocalist and supply chain professional, Ben explains why fragmented communication, lack of systems, and one time execution pressure make it harder than ever for musicians and gig operators to run a sustainable business.

Ben also shares how SoundCheck Live is being built as an operating system for the gig economy, and why understanding people, workflows, and relationships matters more than technology alone.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• “Companies are operating more and more with freelancers, but they want to act like they’re enterprises.”
• “The number one pain that we’re eliminating right now is the fragmentation of managing gigs and freelancers.”
• “You don’t get a performance review in the gig economy. You have one time maybe to just screw it up.”
• “Musicians turned business owners are some of the best negotiators, but some of the worst at building systems.”
• “We’re building an operating system for on demand teams.”
• “You have to be really good at your job to keep getting jobs.”
• “More than half of the US economy will be freelance.”
• “We don’t have infrastructure built for people who don’t operate nine to five.”
• “The world is built on relationships and how you treat people.”

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Coming up...
00:01:14 - Meet Ben Ikwaugwu and the gig economy problem
00:03:21 - Learning systems through supply chain
00:05:08 - The idea behind SoundCheck Live
00:07:37 - Fragmentation in gig management
00:11:50 - Why the gig economy gives you one shot
00:16:10 - Education, AI, and building your own tools
00:21:14 - Leadership lessons from supply chain
00:26:19 - Building teams and company culture
00:29:00 - Advice on balance and staying grounded

Ad link: Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing: https://sholink.to/themixingengineershandbook

Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world.

📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books:
https://sholink.to/bobbyowsinskibooks

🎧 Free “Magic Frequencies” mini-course, learn the EQ secrets behind pro mixes: https://sholink.to/bobbyowsinskieqcourse

🎙️Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready.
Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course: https://sholink.to/vocalmixingcourse

🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses:
https://sholink.to/bobbyowsinski

📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social

🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.

Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.

Produced by APodcastGeek
https://apodcastgeek.com/