Meet the host: Allie Payne
Passionate about the local San Diego music scene, and giving a platform to uplift the voices behind the band, Off the Record was born! Outside of studying Journalism at SDSU, searching for the best coffee shops, and sitting down with friends to record new episodes, I can be found volunteering at the Che Cafe, or any local venue taking pictures or hanging out.
Off the Record Podcast Overview:
Off the Record is your backstage pass to San Diego’s underground music scene. Featuring interview-style conversations with local artists, musicians and bands, this podcast spotlights independent and DIY creatives shaping the city’s sound. From up-and-coming bands like Thrown Away discussing their latest EP to reggae artist Mia Jativa breaking down the culture and challenges of the local scene, Off the Record gives listeners an inside look at the artists pushing boundaries creatively and carving out their own path in San Diego’s musical landscape. Whether you’re a musician, a fan of underground music, or just love discovering rising talent, this podcast brings you closer to the artists who keep the scene alive. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Follow Off the Record for exclusive interviews, behind the scenes content, and realities of the creative process.
Target Audience:
This podcast is geared towards music enthusiasts aged 18-34 both male and female, who are fans of local and underground music, are supporters of DIY and independent artists, and also for listeners interested in pop-punk and experimental or alternative music scenes. The geographic focus for this podcast is primarily in the U.S., with an emphasis on listeners from or currently living in SoCal, zoomed in on hyper-niche music subculture pockets within San Diego.
Stream Off the Record:
https://soundcloud.com/offtherecordx
Podcast Cover Art by Allie Payne
Jativa Medicine Woman Album Cover
Sample Sound Bite:
Marketing Plan:
Overall Goals (Three Month Rollout):
Grow awareness of Off the Record within SoCal’s music circles (Awareness Stage)
Build a loyal and engaged listener fanbase in San Diego and encourage audiences to stream on SoundCloud to boost follows/subscriptions (Engagement & Growth Stage)
Position the podcast as the go-to for underground SD music culture, gaining new connects with artists + bands for future interviews (Community Stage)
Platform Specific Strategies (Three Month Rollout):
Instagram:
Goal: Build community and establish a cohesive and aesthetic brand voice.
Run paid ads using single posts with artist specific music (Pre-drop)
Story poll: “Do you know this San Diego band?” with the cover of Thrown Away’s EP (Pre-drop)
Instagram LIVE Videos during the recording process (Pre-drop)
Teaser post with BTS clips of artist interview, and cliffhangers of “Between You & Me” segment; caption leading viewers to stream FULL episode on Soundcloud (Day of Drop)
Carousel post: “5 San Diego Artists to Watch” including Thrown Away (Post drop)
More BTS content, include “Rate My Setup” or “Bev Check” during interviews and encourage fans to send in their answers (Post Drop)
Story polls asking for feedback or to submit favorite artists for future episodes (Post Drop)
User-generated content prompt: “Tag us when you’re listening to Off the Record for a repost!” (Post Drop)
Community content: share fan art, listener reactions, tagged stories (Post Drop)
**Posting Frequency: 4-5x per week (stories, posts + reels)**
TikTok:
Goal: Promote engagement and gain virality, participating in trends and showcasing BTS content.
Launch teaser video as the first post with text overlays with phrases like: “If this is you every weekend… *clip of mosh pits/concerts* you need to listen to this podcast called Off the Record… (Pre-drop)
Post short artist clips with captions like “Unreleased stories from Thrown Away/Jahtiva Reggae” (Pre-drop)
TikTok LIVE Videos during the recording process (Pre-drop)
Use trending sounds where appropriate (Pre-drop)
Same as Instagram/double platform post—Teaser post with BTS clips of artist interview, and cliffhangers of “Between You & Me” segment; caption leading viewers to stream FULL episode on Soundcloud (Day of Drop)
BTS clips: show how the podcast is made, gear setup, random convos before the interview starts/after it ends (Post Drop)
Encourage duets or stitches: “What would you ask a local hardcore band?” (Post Drop)
Artist shoutouts: drop 15-sec clips recommending local bands (Post Drop)
**Posting Frequency: 3-4x per week**
Linkedin:
Goal: Reach professionals and other podcasters interested in sharing their progress.
Post about Off the Record launch, highlight the value of independent media and subculture storytelling (Pre-drop)
Write a brief post: “Why I started a podcast about San Diego’s underground music scene…” (Pre-drop)
Behind the scenes post: How I prep for interviews and my research process (Pre-drop)
“For the past few months I have been curating and perfecting my podcast platform ‘Off the Record,’ and today the first episode drops. It is available for streaming on all platforms. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!” (Day of Drop)
Round-up post: “5 Things I’ve Learned from Interviewing DIY Artists in San Diego” (Post Drop)
**Posting Frequency: 1-2x per week (more professional)**
Twitter (X):
Goal: Join conversations and promote episodes via threads, memes and shared quotes.
Announce episode drops with quotes from interviews (Pre-drop)
Participate in music Twitter convos and threads— reply to other local artists, use hashtags like #DIYMusic #SoCalScene #UndergroundSD (Pre-drop)
Live tweet during episode drops or ask-along style threads right before I record (Pre-drop)
New episode just dropped: “Interview with SD local pop-punk band, Thrown Away” tweet (Day of Drop)
Meme content from episode clips — making the artist convos funny and entertaining (Post Drop)
**Posting Frequency: 1x per day (develop brand voice)**
Week 1: DIY, aesthetic collage post with OTR logo and the interviewee’s music to tease the launch
Week 2: Paid post running as a sponsored ad for dropping the episode (1st drop)
Week 3: DIY style graphic keeping the feed/theme consistent with a highlighted, key quote
Week 4: Upload a TikTok with a CTA caption to invite engagement (2nd drop)
Week 5: Teaser post with a guest appearance as a short-form video
Week 6: BTS content, Rate my setup, Beverage check, highlight “Between You & Me” segment (3rd drop)
Week 7: Twitter short post and Instagram polls asking for feedback
Week 8: Meet the host reel (4th drop)
Week 9: Short-form video for TikTok and Instagram to share some “Best of highlights”
Week 10: Carousel post on Instagram with upcoming Episode/where and how to stream details (5th drop)
Week 11: Engage with a trend on TikTok and Instagram via short-form video
Week 12: Invite user-generated content via a “Band call,” asking for listeners to submit their favorite band in the comments or via DMs to gain an interview with them
Caption 1 Thrown Away (Instagram):
Episode 1 is up. Thrown Away talks their new EP, the local scene, and what’s next.
Catch the full convo + a few things they’ve never shared before @OfftheRecordX on Soundcloud. Link in bio.
Caption 3 Thrown Away (LinkedIn):
Kicked off “Off the Record” with Thrown Away—one of San Diego’s up-and-coming bands. We talked about their new EP, navigating the local scene, and what’s ahead.
Check out Episode 1 on SoundCloud.
Caption 2 Jahtiva (Instagram):
New episode out now: Mia Jativa of Jahtiva talks reggae roots, creative growth, and navigating the San Diego music scene.
Stream it now—link in bio.
Caption 4 Podcast Promo (Cross platform):
Behind the mic, building something I’ve wanted to do for a long time—”Off the Record“ is a podcast focused on San Diego’s underground music scene.
It’s about the artists and the DIY ethos of the San Diego music scene. Grateful to highlight voices that are shaping the sound of this city.
New episodes drop bi-weekly on SoundCloud.
If your weekends revolve around live music, this is for you.
“Off the Record” is a San Diego-based podcast going behind the scenes of the city’s underground music culture.
Conversations with local artists, bands, and creatives—unfiltered, highlighting San Diego’s DIY ethos.
New episodes drop every two weeks. Stream now on SoundCloud.