Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz on the Power of Podcast Interviews, Sitting Down With Joe Rogan & Rick Beato

Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz doesn’t think he always got a fair shake from the music press. Around the time Counting Crows released its 2008 album Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, the band had gone through “about 10 years of just no good press,” says Duritz. “Everything was sort of dismissive. We’d become sort of a punch line.” 

Seeking friendlier voices, Duritz started speaking to blogs and independent outlets such as AbsolutePunk.net, places with independent writers who operated outside of the mainstream press. “There was a huge generation of songwriters that came up who were very, very influenced by us and not influenced by whoever is writing for Entertainment Weekly,” he says.

Eventually, Duritz took his storytelling to a new format: podcasts. They are in many ways an improvement on the typical interview, he explains, allowing listeners to get an unfiltered view of him and his career. “It’s not five minutes long. It’s not the same questions,” he says. Compared to quick radio spots or short press interviews, podcasts give him room to explore ideas with depth and give the audience insights into his personality.

One of Duritz’s most memorable podcasts was his three-hour interview with The Joe Rogan Experience in 2024. “I was floored by how good that interview was,” he says. Duritz admired Rogan’s preparation and curiosity. “The depth of research he has to do is incredible,” he adds. But Duritz also expressed mixed feelings about Rogan’s approach. He thinks Rogan’s openness to hosting different — and often controversial — viewpoints can sometimes amplify bad ideas. “By going along with it, it’s like putting a stamp of approval on it,” Duritz says.

Another standout podcast for Duritz was his appearance on Rick Beato’s YouTube show in March. Beato, a trained musician and accomplished producer before becoming a popular YouTuber, is passionate about the craft of music. Their conversation left a strong impression on Duritz, and the reactions from friends and listeners told him the appearance had struck a chord. “I’ve never gotten as many texts from my friends in music as I did after the talk with Rick,” he recalls.

Podcasts also give Duritz an opportunity to promote Counting Crows to a new audience. In June, Duritz was a guest on Mustache Tales, a podcast hosted by Jay Chandrasekhar of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard and actor-comedian Hayes MacArthur. Mustache Tales doesn’t have the audience of Rogan or Beato, but being on a show that typically hosts comedians allowed Duritz to reach an audience that may not otherwise be exposed to Counting Crows. “Finding someone new to discover you is not easy,” he insists. 

Now, Duritz’s podcast promotional tour takes him to Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast for a conversation about music and the music business. Duritz recalls the long searches for albums — the likes of Big Star, Fairport Convention and The Modern Lovers — before music became instantly accessible online. He explains why the band splits income evenly and how Counting Crows has always acted like an independent label. Duritz also talks about the band’s latest album, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, released in May through BMG.

Listen to the interview at the embedded Spotify player before, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, Podbean or Everand.