The Entrepreneurial Spirit with David Britt | Live in rBeatz Radio Studio

Q & A on Local Music Somewhere

Welcome to Local Music Somewhere here on the rBeatz network on rBeatz.com. I’m your host, Terry Hudson here at Local Music Somewhere. I’m an author, coach, connector in the music industry. And my guest in the studio today is David Britt. He’s a singer. He’s a songwriter. He’s an inventor. Many things going on.

His songs have been used for some great causes. He’s even written for a movie soundtrack. And we’ll cover it all today, including the phone accessory that he invented that will change your life so make sure you stay tuned for the whole program. Welcome David Britt. 

Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here. It’s an honor and a privilege. 

We’ve known each other a while through social media. I can’t believe we’ve never met. We just found out before this, but we both have actually been in a wrestling ring some time or or another in our lives. So between that, you have such a diverse background of music. You have some things that are country, some things that, to me, are kind of roots -oriented, some things that are pop. You even have some classical touches and some blues touches and everything in there. How did you even get started? 

Good question. When I was a little, little guy, three years old, my parents got me a violin. So I played classical violin and bluegrass, you know, most of my childhood. 

Which is one of my favorite instruments. 

Oh, okay, such a beautiful instrument. Violin is a gorgeous instrument. And so, you know, I kind of took a hiatus from playing for a long time because I became a national junior tennis player and I was traveling all over the country.

I had forgotten that. 

I’ve been everywhere. From 10 years old, all the way through college. I played a little bit after college. I was heavily involved in tennis. So I’d pick up the violin every once in a blue moon. But really back in 2010, in that time frame, I’d written a few books. I written a couple children’s books, one book on tennis for parents. And I started wanting to write music. And I didn’t know how to play the guitar. I got hooked up with a guy named Gray Brewster. He kind of showed me some chords and I said, listen, I’ve got these songs in my head. I want to write them and I want you to play the guitar. And then eventually Gray started a new band. He’s like, I’m not going to have time to do this. He goes, you know, go ahead and start playing that guitar. So I started playing it, taught myself how to play. And Gray introduced me to Jason Scovone, who’s been my producer since 2010. 

Yeah, well -known guy. 

And, you know, fast forward, 3,000 plus songs later, and soon to be 10 albums after next year. 

What is that, like 30 releases?

I’ve got over 160 releases.

Wow, I’m really behind the times.

It’s funny because sometimes I think, did I write that many songs? But they’re out there and it’s been a blast. Some fortunate things happened with me with music, it kind of helped propel my career and people find out about me between Jimmy Johnson, the NASCAR driver, promote my music, a song I wrote about him. 

Everywhere, yeah. 

He did that back in 2012, and so many NASCAR fans found out about me. And then, of course, the Oak Ridge Boys, I wrote a song about them. 

Great guys. 

They shared that song. And, I mean, the amount of people that I met because of those individuals, I will never be able say thank you enough to all of them. 

And, you know, music is such a great connector. I’ve had somebody text me that meme the other day that says, you know, where would I be without all the people that I met through music? You know, you make so many friends. And it’s not that they just, you know, a lot of people make music, but things don’t just come your way because you happen to make music. Things come your way because you use your music to get out there. It’s not only a great connector but you have to have this entrepreneurial spirit. I have three or four things that are connected to my name and that wears me out, but then I sit here and listen to you between tennis and author and songwriter singer and now inventor. In the last couple years you you are involved in a lot for sure. You have not just sat and rested, you’ve done things to get your music out. You just didn’t write them and sit in your home studio and hope that one day that somebody would hear these. This is one thing that I tell artists. It’s not like the older days where somebody’s just going to discover you and it didn’t really happen then the media made you think it happened then. It might have been a rare case but all those guys that I knew, they were very entrepreneurial. They were not going to take no for an answer. They were spending their time knocking down doors and trying to get people to hear and they would listen to people that had done it. You have to you have to be willing to take advice from other people. You were talking about the Oaks when you were just saying they were kind of your mentors as well. 

They have been literally since 2012, just the greatest guys in the world i’ve made Joe Bonzo, obviously. 

I was just going to say we just lost him this year.

Yeah, and he was like a second dad to me. But between him and Dwayne, they listened, I don’t know how many songs over the years they’ve listened to. I mean, I’d shoot them things that I hadn’t, you know, studio record yet. What do you think about this? The amount of knowledge I’ve gained from both of those individuals and just the friendship and the brotherhood. 

They’re genuine people.

Everyone in that group. They’re families, their wives, their kids, everybody, their grandchildren. They’re just salt of the earth people. I can’t say enough good things about him. And so I’m so thankful that, you know, that God blessed me with those friendships. And I’ll, you know, I’ll never forget, Joe. I still, I told my mother, I was like, he’s been gone since, I guess, must have been a few weeks, July, 8th or 9th. We talked on Father’s Day, which was wonderful. But I forget he’s not here anymore. And we communicate so much and I’d send him, hey, you know, Joe, here’s what’s going on or something funny we might text back and forth. It’s hard to realize he’s not here anymore because I pick at my phone so many times and I want to text him and I’m like, David. It’s just, you know, it’s, it’s tough, but he left a mark on this earth that few will ever, you know, be able to do like that, all those guys. 

Oh, usually an artist has a shelf life for five years. Those guys went on for decades. They’ll live forever. They’ve touched so many lives it’s incredible you go one of their shows you see a baby there all the up to people who are 100 years old. They have touched so many lives, every artist loves them. 

That’s how I met them. I started off in southern gospel music way back in the day. It was my first music experience when it came to management. When it came to radio promotion and all that, I was sitting in with their record company one day and we were talking about things you have to do as an artist. He told me that the way the Oaks operate, if they do a festival, a fair or whatever event it is, that promoter has a thank you letter in their box or in their email within a couple days. I don’t know if they just write it on the bus, had the office do it, or how they were doing it. But that was something that they were known for is their follow -up. And that’s a huge entrepreneurial thing. You have to follow up. You have to take care of the people that are taking care of you. They were great at that. You’re great at that, too. 

You’re very kind. I appreciate that. I try my best. I always want to make sure I give credit or credit’s due and thank the people out there have helped me and try to help those who are coming up, if there’s something I can do to help them. But when you see the artists out there that recognize the Oaks, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift,  Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks. It’s unbelievable, the people that The Oaks helped coming up. It’s fascinating. So many people that they were involved with.

We were talking about the wrestling thing a little bit. That’s the way you are supposed to take care of the next guy you’re supposed to take care of the guy you’re in the ring with, but as you’re about to leave the business or you’re mentoring people that are coming up, but they actually win the match against you on your last match because you’re putting over the next guy. It’s such a valuable lesson for musicians to learn you’re not in a silo you can get much more done if you have the right group around you and your opportunities are as big as your circle. 

Exactly. 

And if your circle has influence because you’ve brought value to the table, wow, you’re going to make some great things happen and great things are going to happen to you. 

I completely agree. 

So, your music. With your writing style, how do you get your ideas?

That’s a good question, too. I could be literally walking out to my car. I could be in the car with my kids. I could be in the middle of the night sleeping and wake up. I just had these things pop in my head. And, you know, there could be some event going on in the world that, you know, some of my songs have been centered around because it’s in the moment. It could be, you know, a relationship. It could be a variety of different things. It could just be some kind of mood hits you. And I’ll hear tunes in my head and I’ve always been like that and I will write songs. Some of my best songs I’ve written in five minutes wow and I’ll just be walking and I’ll hear it in my head I remember a song that that actually got me my record deal back in 2014 or 15. I wrote a song called To Hell with your Love which most of my songs are really sweet and kind and funny or whatever romantic And this one just hit me, and I was at Freedom Park, and I was walking around the lake. I wrote that song in one lap around the lake. I called my producer up, I said, I think I’ve got a really good song here. I want to record this. That song right there was the lead track on that album back, whenever it was, 2014, 15, whatever. And I wrote that song in literally under five minutes probably. Now, I’ve had other songs that have taken more out of me that I’ve had to really pour my soul into. Sometimes the songs about my kids are like that. It really just depends.

You have a lot of fun with your kids. You guys go to some great places.

We have a good time together. They make the job being a parent very easy they’re the two greatest kids in the world. Nothing but amazing things to say about those two little ones but they’re not little anymore. My daughter’s going to college next week. My son will be starting high school a few weeks, but they’re they’re wonderful kids. I mean, whatever really kind of strikes me, it could just be something I’m going through. We all go through tough times, right? You go through things, sometimes the greatest outlet is song writing because the way my little brain works, I don’t really stop and so I use songwriting as a way for me to be like ‘okay I’m handling a purchase order for spiider griip or I’ve got to take a call with the manufacturer, like overextend my mind for a little bit and I got to grab my guitar. I’m going to get some chords down. I think I’ve got a song here and it helps me release things. It’s just a great outlet for me. 

Right. It’s a distraction. You know, that’s a big help with anxiety. If you get distracted and you come back, it’s like that dissipates. It’s a technique, so I can see how that would work with music. And you have used your music in such great ways. I mean, you’ve drawn attention to many philanthropic charities you’ve worked with. And you were doing one annual year. Are you still doing that? 

Yes. So we, during COVID it didn’t happen, obviously. The last time I did it, we formed it around the 4th of July parade. I performed out, I guess, two years ago, did not do it this year. We’re going to have it probably in the spring of 25. It’s called Singing for a Reason. It raises funds for pediatric cancer research. And all the funds go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in honor of one of my high school friends, her son, who’s got an operable brain tumor. So that was why I started that event. And yeah, we’ll be getting back into session with that next year. It’s been, honestly, it’s been tough playing out, which I used to do quite a bit. I just, it’s been so hard with the company because I’m just doing that all the time. But, you know, I’ve been in the studio, I’m actually going back in soon. I haven’t not been in the studio since last December, which is crazy, but I’m actually going in in a couple weeks. 

I thought you were going in [earlier]. 

Normally it would be that way. Yeah, I’ve been writing, but I’ve got a new song that’s going to be in my 10th album, but I’ll be recording that here pretty soon. But I’ve tried to use my music in a good way. You know, I mean, I obviously, I’m not kidding anybody. I mean, I’m not a billboard artist at the moment. But, a lot of people know me because of my music and I’ve got friends all over the world because of it. It’s been neat. It’s led to some great relationships in business but I’ve always tried to figure out a way I can use my music in a good way. Whether it’s raising money for cancer research, I wrote the theme song for Gretchen Carlson’s book, Be Fierce, which, you know, helps benefit the Gift of Courage fund that she started to help women. And so I’ve tried my best to do things good with what I have. And I’m not making millions off my music, but I know I’ve touched a lot of lives with my music. And to me, that’s the most important thing possible. 

Well, you know, music itself, the value has changed so much since, you know, it’s just how it worked. You know, when there were certain physical elements to it, it had a greater value because it was physical from a financial point. And then it changed to where it became more like air or digital. And it changed the price, not really the value, but the price of how much you cost to actually get it. But that music itself creates so much opportunity and so many things around it that the value is still huge. And there are artists, you know, they’ll look at certain streaming numbers and not realize how other stuff works around it. And that this is the catalyst for, you know, all the other things that they’re going to make money for. It’s just a different environment. It’s a different way it’s sold. But the value right now is probably bigger than it ever was. 

I agree. Yeah, it just works differently. 

Yeah, it opens so many doors. And somebody like you, and we’re going to talk about this here in the second half, is it led to so many relationships that when you invented this particular product, like I said, we’ll talk about it here in a little bit. When you invented that, there were doors already open and people that already knew you that helped propel that quite a bit. And one of the things with entrepreneurship, when it comes to music, I tell artists all the time, this is one of the things I say all the time. I understand when you watch shows like America’s Got Talent and American Idol, I have friends. In fact, I’ve had the casting producer for American Idol on the show, but I have friends at these shows, great shows, but just n as important as you need to be watching Shark Tank and shows like that. Because those are the real questions that are going to come with your music. You know, what is your demographic? Whether it’s a sponsor, a record company, the new forms of record company, booking agent, whatever it is. You know, what is your demographic? Like, do you really understand the teeth of your demographic that it can’t just be a male, you know, between 18 and 35 for instance it has to be a there’s there are different males between 18 and 35. They have different likes and you have to have the ones that fit a lot of what you’re doing. It also has to do with the valuation of yourself as an artist, the company, how you’re going to present that and and what is your marketing strategy and those come from shows like shark tank and that is how you get your music out there. It’s not just you record a great song and as artists you know they oh well you know I’m a singer too, I just have been more on the business side of it. You know how good you are correct for the most part and you believe that should just be obvious yeah and it’s not you still have to get in front of people you got to be in front of people just don’t go out there and you shine to the world it’s just how it works. So understanding those things are and you’ve understood that. And the other thing that I appreciate about you is I’ve had songs with charities too. You know, where I’ve worked with different artists. And I was talking to you a little bit about this on the air. You have had songs that have fit specific charities or you wrote something that was a charity close to your heart. You were not just trying to fit something that you had into something where it didn’t, you know, a company that didn’t fit or a cause didn’t fit. Just to try to get that attention. 

Correct. 

You were trying to be of service. Sure. You’re not trying to capitalize, and there’s a big difference. I’ve seen that work both ways and the heart really matters. 

It does and I think when you go into something with the right intentions, things can work out really for you. If you’re going in, trying to fit a round peg in a square hole, where it doesn’t really fit, you’re not doing it for selfish reasons, things don’t work out as well. I mean, like I said, that’s why I always just try to go the route of, I’m going to do this for the greater good because it’s something I believe in, but I’m not doing it. Let’s see if I can capture the attention of whoever. I’m not, that’s not me. 

And people know that about you, and I think that’s been another factor with you, how the doors have opened, is you have a strong likability factor. And when you’re looking at artists, this used to not matter as much. But these days and where everything has to go and getting people in the doors, likeability factor is a key. It’s a key in businesses. It’s a key in music. It’s a key in speakers. Even some authors. It’s like you have to have something that draws people into you so that they look at your product. 

Absolutely. You’ve got to recognize every time, whether you’re on TV, radio, Facebook, whatever it is. You’re representing your brand, your name, your family. And so you’ve got to remember that when, you know, today, everything lives forever. The internet lives forever. And just always, you know, choosing to be above board and do the right thing. and just realize you’re representing your brand at all times.

That’s great advice. We’re gonna take a quick break and when we come back, we’re going to get into the inventor side of David Britt. 

Sounds good. 

Welcome back to Local Music Somewhere. Today on the show, I have singer, songwriter, inventor, entrepreneur, David Britt. We’re talking to a lot of artists out there that we’re just letting you know the importance of entrepreneurship. And this is a great guest to have for that. Not only has he used entrepreneurship to get his music out there, he actually has an invention that he’s done very well with. So we’re going to talk to David right now about, I’ll just let you even tell them the name of it. 

All right. Well, it’s called Spider Grip, and that’s S -P -I -I -D -E -R -G -R -I -I -P. If you don’t see the double I’s, it’s not the real thing. We’re based here in Charlotte, North Carolina, and made in the USA. Spiider Griip keeps your phone in your hand and not on the ground. Is that a plug or not? 

That was one thing. I was looking at the slogans. I think it was the grip ‘that don’t slip or that won’t slip’. 

Yeah, the phone grip that won’t slip. 

And what was the other one? 

It’s all about the grip, grip to freedom. We got 14 registered trademarks.

I think that comes from being a fan of wrestling, something they do so well with the slogans like ‘can you smell what the rock is cooking?’. They’ve got it on t-shirts. Those slogans do stay in your head. They were. I love that you had done that with a product. So tell us a little bit more about what it is, and let’s start with even how you came up with the idea. 

Sure. So 2017, a good buddy of mine was in New York, and he walked into the restroom of the restaurant and another gentleman, I guess maybe he was startled, but he was on the phone and dropped his phone and of course the one place you never want to drop your phone. So my buddy called me that night and he told me what happened and he said I’ve got an idea. We need to create some device to keep people from dropping their phones and at that time there just wasn’t anything out there other than the obviously leading competitor, pop sockets, and it’s just more of it’s like a circle you kind of put your fingers around It’s not something that would actually keep your phone in your hand. 

And you definitely don’t want to sit on it. 

No. And so we’re like, what could we come up with that would allow you to hold your phone naturally without, you know, holding it oddly and where it wouldn’t come out of your hand? And so after we talked he said to start trying to come up with some ideas. And so I got out a piece of paper. I started, you know, drawing images, studying how people held their phones, talking to folks, you know, and looking at the natural curvature of people’s hands. Nobody walks around with their hands straight out like this. So they naturally kind of curve. So I want to have something that when you walk, you didn’t have to hold your phone, your phone held you. And so we started out some things like that. And, you know, our families who get together, we’d share, like, you know, ideas and stuff together. It was really a neat experience. And lo and behold, I had a very dear friend of mine who was a patent attorney at one of the world’s largest firms. That ended up being the firm that has represented it since day one, They’ve been amazing. We’ve got over 50 patents worldwide and 14 registered trademarks. It’s been quite amazing what’s happened in the last few years. We launched in the fall of 2019 and, you know, we’ve got some great partners, obviously. Locally, Alan Tate is one of my main partners. Our families have been friends for decades and decades and decades, all the way back to our fathers. So it’s been so wonderful having him involved and just got a great team of people. Obviously, through music connections, actor and producer Kate Bosworth, film director, writer and film director, Michael Polish, Mr. Worldwide Pit Bull. I mean, we’ve got lots of great partners who were partners of the company. And so just a great team and we’ve had so many wonderful people who’ve been so supportive. I mean, even the Oak Ridge Boys, we go back to them. I mean, day one, even before day one, they were already helping me promote Spiider Griip day one. And so just, it’s been a neat experience. We’ve had some fortunate things happen for us. We became the first ever presenter on America’s Big Deal. 

I remember you on that show. What was the network again?

USA owned by NBC. We were the first ever presenter on that show. Sold out live on air, the most amazing experience ever. The Dawson brothers from pro wrestling were my guests on that skit we did. We went live on HSN after that, we just signed our vendor agreement for Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. So we’re embracing every minute of every day, because even though we’ve been around for a few years, you’re still technically a startup. You know, it’s still a, you know, a climb. 

Yeah, because you might have been around since then your assent did not just start there. I mean, you’re walking on the ground for 2019 and you’re trying to get the wheels going and everything after that. So, yeah, there are relationships that have to be made. There are plans, improvements, I don’t know if it always looked like this, but it’s very sleek and it’s got a distinctive look because you’ll see something that could be similar, but you know it’s not because of how the design Spiider Griip is. So was that like that from day one? 

It was. 

That’s usually not the case. 

It’s not. I think we got lucky, and I say this because, you know, my buddy and I, who took this whole idea on years ago, neither one of us are engineers. We come from different backgrounds. Because I’m not an engineer, I thought about it differently. From a practical standpoint of being a phone customer myself. I have a phone, how do I want to hold it type thing. We wanted to make sure that it rotated 360 degrees, propped up as a stand. We wanted to make sure it went in your pocket so we beveled the edges so it’d lay down flat. We wanted to have something different and as far as the design goes, we had the original, which is obviously the little Spiider Griip and the logo, which my daughter when she was 12 she drew that logo which is hilarious, and then we have an XOXO design which is some of the other colors that Kate Bosworth actually designed those as well as Michael Polish. So it really it’s been a neat process. The whole thing has just been one of those things that has been the most fulfilling of my life when it comes to bringing something to market. It’s a really neat thing.

It’s a great business lesson too because you said you’re not an engineer. You don’t have to be, what you have to do is you have to look for a need like what is missing what is missing what’s That’s right. How can that be solved? I agree. You solve somebody’s pain. You can find people around you to help do the other stuff. 

That’s the thing. It’s like, you know, I had a friend who introduced me to designers and engineers. Initially, we worked a group up in New York called Brownlee Design. And then we transitioned down to Inventus. And Brownlee was great. But Inventus is here in Charlotte. And we got connected with them, and they’re the ones who brought this to life. Just amazing. Inventus Partners were, you know, they were amazing. They still work with us to this very day. We’ve got other things that are going to come out in the future. But you’ve got to surround yourself with people who are a lot smarter than you. I always say that I’ll try my best to do that. But, you know, when you do that, if you put a team together, you can do anything. I mean, You just got to get the right people around you. 

I’m a believer in that old adage of if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. 

I’ve never been the smartest person in the room. I never will be. 

You don’t want to be. There’s too many people with too many different skills. You know, they can do the things and be the hands and feet for the things that you’re trying to do in the same way that you serve them. And with coming up with something like this, to get it out there, to spell it different, that was a genius move too. What is the website for the product? 

We’re www spiidergriip.com and we are also on all social media. We’re on facebook we’re on instagram, we’re on X now we’re on TikTok, everything is S -P -I -I -D -E -R -G -R -I -I -P.  I probably say that quite a bit. It kind of rolls off the tongue easily. 

You’ve been on a few shows. I didn’t even know until today of all the podcasts that you had been on as well. I mean, I’ve seen you on TV shows, but even being on the pro wrestling podcast…

It’s cool stuff. Those guys have been so supportive. It’s amazing how supportive they all. Arn and, oh my gosh, J .R. and Eric and Al Bromwell and Conrad, everybody. It’s just, we’ve got a great group of people who’ve been so supportive. 

And, you know, that’s an area they definitely understand marketing. Let me tell you. They definitely understand it. 

They’re brilliant. 

So before we go into your music, what’s next for you? 

Next for me, from a music standpoint, I’ve got, my 10th album is going to be called Fire. That’s the name of the album. And so my lead track is also called Fire. And so I’ll be recording that. We’ll start in a couple weeks. I don’t know how long it’ll take us to get that one done, but we will be starting a couple weeks. So that’s the next thing on the music horizon, or if you want to call it. 

That’s Jason? 

Jason Scavone. Shout out to Jason. Shout out to Jason. He’s like a brother to me at this point. But we’ll start recording that and kind of get that nailed down. As far as Spiider Griip goes, right now we’re focusing on a huge Amazon campaign that we just started. We literally just launched last week with our partners on labs that’s based here in Charlotte as well. They’re doing a phenomenal job. We just started this campaign on August first and so we’ve been going for however many days, what eight, nine days and the response has been overwhelming. It’s incredible what’s going on so we’re real excited. And then, of course, with Lowe’s and we’re focusing on that as well and so excited to be partners with them and hoping to hopefully get in stores with them, maybe Q2 of next year. So that’s kind of what’s next. Other than that, taking my daughter to college next week for a freshman year and not looking forward to that one. But got that going on and just trying to hang out with the family as much as possible and do my thing.

Well, while I got you here and I’m able to sit across from you, and we’re not just on social media, I have to tell you, it is always great to see great things happen to somebody who’s such a nice person and who has a great heart for what they’ve done.

Thank you. Likewise. And congratulations on everything. This is awesome. 

Thank you. Thank you very much. So I believe we might take a really quick break. And when we come back, we’re going to have David playing his actual music. So make sure you stay tuned. 

*song* 

Thank you very much. That was David Britt. And be sure to go check out everything he’s doing. Such incredibly nice guy, such great artist, and just a brilliant mind. And thank you very much for tuning in. As you know, we love what you’re doing as local artists. We love you as music fans, make sure you keep tuning in with us here at rbeatz.com and much love. See you next time.