RIOT - Making The Jump From Support Act To Headliner

RIOT - Making The Jump From Support Act To Headliner

From Headliner Mindset by Nik Cherwink

August 4, 2025 · 56 min

About this episode

The episode discusses RIOT's journey from support act to headliner, focusing on career sustainability in bass music.

RIOT just dropped their new album The Machine on Slander and NGHTMRE’s label, Gud Vibrations, and are hitting the road for their first-ever national headlining tour. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to build a sustainable career in bass music—while staying true to your vision and leveling up every step of the way. We dive into: The grind of moving from support slots to headlining shows How they balanced singles, a full album, and tour prep all at once The investment behind their visuals, branding, and comic book universe The realities of touring life, burnout, and building healthy routines Why up-and-coming artists need to slow down, stop chasing trends, and focus on quality music If you’re serious about building a real career as an artist, this one’s packed with lessons on patience, strategy, and doing things the right way. Follow RIOT here: https://www.instagram.com/riotmusic https://www.tiktok.com/@itsriotmusic Follow Nik Cherwink here: https://www.instagram.com/nikcherwink And visit my site to join the mailing list or book a free coaching call: https://www.nikcherwink.com

People in this episode

Host: Nik Cherwink

Topics covered

  • bass music
  • headlining tours
  • artist career development
  • music production
  • touring life
  • branding
  • artist strategy

Keywords

  • RIOT
  • headlining tour
  • The Machine
  • bass music
  • artist strategy
  • touring life
  • branding
  • music production

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Slander, NGHTMRE, Gud Vibrations

Books & works: The Machine

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