SINGER/SONGWRITER - STORYTELLER - YOGI/COACH
Vinnie Hines is an American Music Mogul that has performed more than 2,000 shows in 16 countries, using his signature style of acoustic looping and groovy delivery he affectionately calls “Rock & Soul”. He aims to ease the world’s hardships through connected live performance, heartfelt, hilarious storytelling, and a message of love.
His musical roots were formed in Central Illinois, where his parents could be heard blaring Classic Rock down country roads. Bands like Foreigner, Styx, Steve Miller Band, and Bon Jovi were constantly ringing through the house or through his dad’s karaoke speakers on the weekends. Other days, you might hear soulful classics from Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Michael McDonald, The Temptations or Ray Charles. Through his high school years, he’d discover acts like Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters, Bill Withers, The Beatles, and Arctic Monkeys. In college, he blended these influences as he learned to play guitar amongst hundreds of covers, developing a sound that can only be called “Rock & Soul”.
This new-found passion for music lead him to leave his hometown, joining a band in St. Louis, MO. Here, he’d street perform, write, and practice daily with his rocker roommates, throwing parties to pay the rent when Jimmy John’s money wasn’t enough. They had a blissful time living the dream in a low-rent apartment nicknamed “HQ”, which later became the name of Vinnie’s debut album in 2015. Singing for various local guitarists, Vinnie went solo when Carnival Cruise Line offered him a full-time job as an Acoustic Soloist! He hadn’t left the country in his adult life, so this was quite the thrill.
For nearly 4 years, Vinnie explored the open ocean, living about 75% of the year at sea, performing nightly for whatever country’s crowd his itinerary put in front of him. Bouncing island to island, country to country, engaging with the incredibly diverse cultures onboard and on land. During that time, he learned more than +500 covers and mastered the art of storytelling onstage, incorporating comedy and his own life story into his performances. Between contracts about 3 years into his Carnival Cruise Line career, he was lucky enough to win a ‘Golden Ticket’ on American Idol XV, representing The Bronx, NY, where he’d been subletting for just a few months with an old flame.
When he was released from the show, (debatably for some naughty behavior… 😆) he went back to his seafaring adventures until he heard the siren song of Memphis, TN. Here, he would find a new passion for booking, building a wildly successful booking agency wing for Artist Collective, becoming a Co-Owner and now former COO. During his time there, he would book thousands of hours of shows across the country for thousands of artists. The company was exploding and lots of artists were getting paid wildly more than they were accustomed to because of it. Then, the pandemic of 2020 hit.
When live music was shut down, Vinnie asked himself the same thing all musicians were asking: “What now?!” His answer was save those very musicians crying for help as he began crafting systems and methodologies that musicians could use to rebuild, diversify, and continue creating their craft profitably. Employing these in his own career, he continued building his music empire for his own original music as well as dozens of successful clients.
Perhaps the most powerful tool during this time (and the coming years) was the MICPodcast. The MICPodcast set out to be a free source of education and entertainment for musicians hoping to build a profitable music business. During that time, Vinnie interviewed dozens of epic personalities, music moguls, and industry leaders, breaking down the industry one interview at a time. As his expertise grew, so did his desire to put this new knowledge to the test, and in May of 2022, Vinnie resigned as COO of Artist Collective, setting off to a new city, eager to be a solely a musician.
As Vinnie settles into his new home of St. Petersburg, FL, he looks to the future, excited to release new genre-bending songs that continue to tell his unbelievable stories. This time, with the weathered hands and voice of a weary sailor that finally understands what it means to be a man…
Be sure to subscribe to The MICPodcast and follow him on Spotify today to hear all of the new music and content!
