Stephen James Moore has worn a lot of hats – musician, author, PR agency founder, industry thought leader – and he wears all of them without apology. What ties every role together is a single conviction: that real human stories, told with care and precision, will always cut through. We asked him to make the case.
Stephen James Moore, the founder of Music With Depth PR, is regarded as one of the most respected independent music promotion agencies on the planet, Moore has spent over a decade building a company defined by what it refuses to do as much as what it does. No AI-generated copy. No algorithm-chasing. No shortcuts at the expense of the story. Since establishing the company in 2011 – then known as Independent Music Promotions – Moore has quietly become one of the most influential thought leaders in independent music, authoring the bestselling music marketing book Your Band Is A Virus and earning recognition from outlets including The Huffington Post, Influencer Marketing Hub, and Two Story Melody, the latter naming Music With Depth PR one of the ten best indie music promotion services in the world.
What makes Stephen James Moore’s perspective genuinely rare is that his authority doesn’t come from the business side alone. He is, first and foremost, a musician – a lifelong one, with fifteen albums to his name and a creative output that shows no signs of slowing. His industrial rock solo project Post Death Soundtrack, which he co-founded in 2006 and has steered solo since 2023, recently culminated in a trilogy of three double albums released within a single year — an artistic statement as bold as anything he advocates for on behalf of his clients. It is precisely this dual life as working artist and industry professional that gives Moore his edge: when he talks about the power of authentic human expression in music, it is not a marketing position. It is a personal conviction, road-tested across two decades of creative and professional life. In this interview Moore talks about the state of independent music, the dangers of AI in creative industries, and what it really takes to get the underground heard.
- You’ve described Music With Depth PR as “musician-run” and “art-first” – in an industry increasingly flooded with algorithm-chasing and AI-generated content, how hard is it to hold that line, and why does it matter so much to you?
Stephen James Moore: It’s not hard at all. I think people often forget that much of the internet is propaganda, and a big part of the reason generative AI tools, courses and agencies have been overly shoved down our throats these past few years is that the companies peddling this technology are in debt. Massively in debt, because AI is nowhere near as effective as they had hoped. They want to recoup their losses by having the public take on these subpar tools. I’ll take human creativity and writing every time. It’s fine to use a tool for research, or to get ideas on ad targeting, presenting your work to the algorithm/etc. But it’s not sophisticated enough for creative things and I prefer human writing.
- You founded the company back in 2011 under the name Independent Music Promotions. What did you see happening in the industry at that point that made you feel a dedicated PR service for independent artists was not just viable, but necessary?
Stephen James Moore: I started Independent Music Promotions as an extension of my own art and my own frustrations with music marketing services at the time. I hired a PR company for an album I was very proud of, and they did not deliver much at all. Likely 3 features. I turned around and landed over 50 for the same release. This showed me that music marketing is largely a practical thing, and you simply need to be able to communicate your niche with clarity and passion to get results. I decided to provide my services and use my skills to help other independent musicians. Essentially, through my own experience and by hearing the frustrations of other musicians and bands in the scene around me, I knew I was the perfect candidate to launch an ethical, guaranteed coverage model.
- Music With Depth is selective about who it works with. What does a pitch or a piece of music have to do – or make you feel – for you to say yes?
Stephen James Moore: I just need to believe that the artist believes in what they’re putting out there, their ethos, their energy. It also needs to be good quality overall and for the genres they are working with. Lastly, I need to be certain I can help them on their long-term path. As long as those simple things are in alignment, we strike the match.
- You’ve publicly positioned the company against AI shortcuts at a time when many agencies are quietly leaning into them. Is that a business risk you’ve had to think carefully about, or is it simply non-negotiable?
Stephen James Moore: I don’t think it’s risky at all. Just like in artist promotion, you NEED niches and elements to actually define who you are. For example, a shoegaze artist is MUCH better off embracing that they are a shoegaze artist and going after shoegaze enthusiasts aggressively, as opposed to being restless and confused, perhaps thinking that niche is too small and they want to appeal to the masses. That dilutes everything and is a big mistake.
The fact that I write all the news releases from scratch or even use text at all (hello, you pop-up playlist pitching companies who use no story) makes Music With Depth PR very, very different from AI companies who will likely deliver a bunch of poorly written slop that half makes any sense. They do that to save time and you get less quality for it. I’m pretty certain most independent artists want to work with a human who is educated and passionate about music marketing, and that won’t change no matter how much of our society gives in to AI. I doubt I have lost much business, and most likely I am gaining a lot from the mass exodus currently in progress.
- The Huffington Post said your goal is to “save independent musicians years of wasted time.” What’s the single most common and costly mistake you see artists making when they try to promote themselves?
Stephen James Moore: The most common one is being cynical just because it takes time and money, or one of the two, and they give up. They give into cynicism or dystopian world views, spinning in circles, all because they have to do what every other human being has to do – promote what they’re doing. If you do not want to spend money, for example, it’s going to be much more difficult for you. But there are ways. You will then need to spend 1-2 hours daily on platforms like Instagram or TikTok networking, actually engaging with and commenting on other artist’s music posts. This creates relationships and more SEO for your own profiles. You can get a very engaged following by doing this. Now, what I unfortunately see a lot of is artists who do not want to spend money AND also do not want to put time into relationship building on social media. In this case, that is entitlement, and there isn’t a solution to that, because you do need to do something.
- Your services are described as SEO-focused as well as art-focused — two things that don’t always feel like natural bedfellows. How do you reconcile the technical side of discoverability with genuine storytelling?
Stephen James Moore: It’s simple, and they go together well. If you look up Sonic Youth on Wikipedia or for their news in Google, the articles are not radically promotional or sales-based. They are fact and story-based. They also happen to be keyword rich, mentioning the artist’s location, subgenres, similar artsts/influences, news and impact, quotations directly from the artist fleshing out their inspiration and the why? To the story. It’s all there, and you do not need to betray artistic integrity to have a strong article that helps with discoverability.
- Music With Depth PR specifically champions experimental, multi-genre, counter-culture and avant-garde music. Is there a commercial ceiling to that, or do you think the underground is actually where the most interesting promotional opportunities live?
Stephen James Moore: Actually, we work with all genres and subgenres, from singer songwriter and pop to jazz, blues, soul, electronic, hip hop, world music, metal, punk, rock, alternative, and everything in between. The difference with this agency is we advocate for daring and bold art, whereas other PR’s may turn artists away because it does not fit with their mainstream ethos. Me, I love noisy, politically charged, activist-based and otherwise controversial or challenging music. So I’m conscious about being a safe haven for all the artists who think ‘my music is too weird’. It’s never weird enough!
- You’re an official partner of the International Songwriting Competition. What does that relationship mean to you in terms of the artists you’re able to discover and serve?
Stephen James Moore: I just like to team up with good people, so I partner with many industry entities. As long as we can cross-promote, it’s positive.
- Your Band Is A Virus became a bestseller in music marketing. Looking back at it now, what advice in that book do you stand by completely – and is there anything the industry has changed enough to make you want to revise?
Stephen James Moore: I’m likely going to write a new book or an update because all the apps and technologies have changed drastically since 2012 when the revised edition came out.
- You’ve been described as a “thought leader” in the music industry by multiple outlets. Is that a label you’ve consciously cultivated, or does it sit uncomfortably with you in any way?
Stephen James Moore: It’s fine with me. I’m outspoken and a bit brazen on account of being a passionate musician so long, and growing up in the Calgary punk scene around all walks of life. I take on the music industry with an artist-first perspective and am against outside entities telling an artist what to do with their direction.
- The book’s title is striking and deliberately provocative. What’s the core idea behind it, and how does that concept still shape the way Music With Depth PR operates today?
Stephen James Moore: Each one teach one. I would liken an artist moreso as a cult leader these days. Your fans need to be allowed into your mythos, your ethos, the world you create around your soul, your subconscious, everything you project. Just as with a virus, what you share and do should be downright contagious. Your energy should be infectious.
- You’ve just released a trilogy of three double albums within a single year under Post Death Soundtrack – that’s six albums’ worth of material. What drives that kind of creative urgency, and is it discipline, compulsion, or something else entirely?
Stephen James Moore: It is likely compulsion. I felt I had to do it, and this is exactly why we should very much hesitate before taking inappropriate industry advice such as ‘albums are out. Release singles.’ In this world right now, we need bold people who make moves, unpredictable moves. I thought, 3 30 + song double albums within a year is something few other people are doing. And if people don’t have the attention span, no problem. This IS niche. Treat it like all the many books you read, or long movies, and put it down, then come back. When did music fall into this trap of ‘keep it under 3 minutes?’ No. Movies are 3 hours these days. Let’s do what we feel.
- Post Death Soundtrack began as a collaborative project in 2006 before you went solo in 2023. What changed when the rotating cast of musicians fell away – did the project become more or less of what you originally envisioned?
Stephen James Moore: It allowed me to create way more music because I wasn’t held back by anyone who didn’t have the time. The last 3 albums are exactly what I envisioned.
- Running an award-winning PR agency while simultaneously releasing a body of work fifteen albums deep is an unusual double life. Do those two roles feed each other, or do they ever compete for the same energy?
Stephen James Moore: They do feed each other and I see them as co-existing perfectly. They have the same ethics. When I work with Music With Depth, I am just looking to provide the same care to other artist’s releases as I do mine.
- Industrial rock is a genre with a very specific and demanding aesthetic legacy. How do you position Post Death Soundtrack within that tradition while keeping the work personal and distinctly your own?
Stephen James Moore: It always ends up sounding my own because I only take on some of the trademarks of that genre, while mixing it evenly with doom metal, grunge, post-punk, classic horror, avant-garde noise, rock n’ roll, ambient, trip hop, trap, metal, electro and darkwave. I know that sounds like a lot but it’s not. They are all complimentary subgenres and create a singular sound.
- As someone who markets artists for a living, how do you approach promoting your own music? Do you follow your own advice, or do you find yourself doing things completely differently when it’s personal?
Stephen James Moore: I constantly test out new methods and connections to see if they come through. Often I will test these out with Post Death Soundtrack, and if I’m impressed, I’ll use the same methods in campaigns for my artist clients.
- The music industry in 2026 is in a genuinely strange place – streaming economics are brutal, social media is fragmenting, and AI is starting to generate music at a massive scale. As someone who has been watching this space since 2011, what concerns you most right now?
Stephen James Moore: I’m most concerned about artists giving up the fight and giving in to the relentless propaganda and control moves major companies are making. The best thing to arm yourself with is education on the industry but by bit, and to research things like sync licensing, lean into areas or promotion where there is more community than streaming such as Bandcamp, and communicating with other artists and industry people in places like Threads or Reddit, where people share honest answers and provide wisdom free of charge.
- “Music with depth” is both your brand and your philosophy. Do you think depth is something audiences are actually hungry for, or is it something you’re fighting to keep alive against the pull of disposable content?
Stephen James Moore: Strange question but a good one! Yes I do think audiences are hungry for it. Is absolutely everyone hungry for it? No. But it a complete illusion to think there is not a massive worldwide market for human art. There always will be. Most of the people who actually enjoy AI artistic content are non-creatives. I don’t think you’re going to have an AI artist ousting Radiohead’s spot any time soon.
- Independent artists are bombarded with promotional services, playlist pitching schemes, and marketing gurus. How does an artist with a limited budget and limited time figure out who to actually trust?
Stephen James Moore: Be media and online literate. Check reviews. Ensure each company has a legitimate website, story, social media, verifiable accolades, etc.
- If you could say one thing directly to an independent artist who is on the verge of giving up – not on music, but specifically on the idea that their work can find a real audience – what would it be?
Stephen James Moore: Think niche and the audience is already there. There is a market for pretty much everything, and if it’s not there, you need to place it there. Your people are waiting.
OFFICIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE: www.musicwithdepth.com
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/musicwithdepthpr/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/musicwithdepthpr
