Season Two Finale Of "Make It Up As We Go" Podcast: Original Song Released

 The season two finale of the scripted musical podcast Make It Up As We Go from Audio Up, is out now through SiriusXM audio entertainment platforms.  

 Make It Up As We Go invites the world into the music of co-creator Burke. In the 11 episodes of season two, listeners followed the story of Charlotte Sayles, a fictional singer-songwriter from West Texas, who heads to Nashville to chase her dreams and faces the harsh realities of the high stakes writing rooms of Music City.

  Following the death of her beloved father, Charlotte returns to her home state of Texas. Stricken with grief, and pulled in countless directions, Charlotte decides to attend legendary country songwriter, Liz Rose’s, writing retreat in Hill Country. Her experience writing at the Wayside Ranch pushes Charlotte to reach a turning point in her career. She pursues a deal with a big publishing company, and fights to balance work with her relationship with Marshall, seeking harmony between emotional stability and professional independence. 

Right when everything seems to be looking up, Charlotte is tested again, as the reverberations of “cancel culture” behind the scenes in the Nashville songwriting world are exposed, bringing to light the complexities of fame and fortune in Music City.

In conjunction with the podcast, Audio Up Records has released the original single created for the podcast titled “Honky Tonk Disco Nights,” performed by GRAMMY-nominated artist Elle King, and GRAMMY Award-winning music icon Nile Rodgers. 

Nile Rodgers is a multiple GRAMMY-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist who’s been inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. As the cofounder of CHIC Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart topping hits like “Le Freak,” (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with “Good Times”.

“Honky Tonk Disco Nights,” was co-Written by Scarlett Burke, Audio Up CEO and founder Jared Gutstadt, Abby Anderson, and Gabriel Kirshoff; the upbeat, funk-inspired track made its premiere in the season two finale this past week, and is now available across all streaming and digital platforms.  

Get the single HERE.  

Watch special behind the scenes footage with Elle King and Nile Rodgers HERE.

Scarlett Burke and Audio Up Founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt, who co-created the series, provide original music along with acclaimed actor Garrett Hedlund, GRAMMY Award-winning producer and recording artist Shooter Jennings, GRAMMY Award-winning Nile Rodgers, GRAMMY-nominated artist Elle King, award-winning Nashville songwriter Liz Rose, Kat and Alex, Breland, Abby Anderson, and Chord Overstreet. Shooter Jennings and Elizabeth Cook, who both host shows on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country (ch. 60), are also in the cast, with Jennings co-producing the show’s soundtrack with Audio Up’s Gutstadt.

The podcast has succeeded in seamlessly blending audio fiction with music -- including original music -- in such a way to create a compelling narrative,  infectious music, and characters we care about.

The degree of difficulty here is high. But the people at Audio Up has pulled it off. The show expands what podcasting can do in the entertainment realm. 

 Although the podcast’s title is Make It Up As We Go, I am certain that the extensive planning involved with blending a narrative with audio fiction and original music was anything but “made up on the fly.” Well done!