she sells on a USB stick.
“I had only written a hand-
ful of songs before starting the
Throwaway Song of the Week,”
recalled Riley. “The reason I did
it is because I knew I would have
to write a lot of songs before I
starting getting good. So, I told
myself I was going to do a full
year of weekly songs. By the
end of that, I was going to be
proud of my songwriting skills
and it pretty much worked!”
Her plans for a career in music
also led Riley to make the leap
from working full-time to part-
time. This was done for two
main reasons: it gives her more
time to focus on music and it
also forces her to find ways to
make money from her music.
“I think it helps me mentally be-
cause it makes me feel like I have
to try harder to build income
streams and build a career,” she
explained. “If you have a stable
job and you don’t have to worry
about money, I think it’s a lot
harder to make yourself take
risks and everything with music.”
Listen to “Scuffed Up Boots” by Amanda Rose Riley
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 46
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