About CDF Music Group

THE
STORY
BEHIND CDF.

An independent live music platform built by a musician who wanted to give original artists the kind of platform they deserve.

Jason Mlakar — Founder & Creative Director, CDF Music Group
Jason Mlakar
Founder & Creative Director
Scott Clements — Sound Engineer, CDF Music Group
Scott Clements
Sound Engineer

Where It
Came From

CDF Music Group started with a simple frustration: original artists don't get enough room. Cover bands fill the bars, streaming algorithms favor the familiar, and the independent musician grinding out real original music rarely gets a platform that treats them like the artist they are.

Jason Mlakar built CDF to fix that. A musician himself, Jason created a studio environment where original artists could come in, perform their own music, tell their own story, and leave with something that actually captures who they are on film.

Behind the sound is Scott Clements, CDF's sound engineer and a musician in his own right. Scott holds a Master's degree in Jazz and Commercial Music from the University of Denver and brings years of professional experience as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and music educator to every session. His ear for live sound is a core part of what makes CDF recordings feel the way they do.

No covers. No compromise. Just the music and the conversation behind it.

The platform has grown at a remarkable pace across all channels, driven by organic discovery, a loyal and expanding audience, and targeted YouTube advertising that keeps delivering.

What We Do

Every CDF session is built around one thing: giving the artist the space to be fully themselves. The format is intentionally stripped down — no overdubs, no heavy production, no gimmicks.

Live Studio Sessions
Long-form live performances filmed in studio. Stripped down, one take, raw by design. The performance exactly as it is.
Artist Interviews
In-depth conversations covering origin stories, songwriting process, life on the road, and what drives the work. The full version of who the artist is.
Remote Interviews
For artists who can't make it to the studio. Same conversation, same depth, same production care — conducted remotely and edited to the same standard.
Short-Form Content
Clipped moments from sessions and interviews optimized for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok. Primary discovery driver for new audiences.
The Standard
Every session is filmed, edited, and distributed to the same standard regardless of where the artist is in their career. The format does not change. The care does not change.
Original Music Only
This is a non-negotiable platform identity. Every artist who comes through CDF writes and performs their own music. No covers, no tribute acts, no exceptions.
Built to Last
Sessions live on YouTube and across all platforms indefinitely. The content keeps working long after the filming date.

Where You Find Us

CDF content lives across four platforms and is optimized for each one — long-form on YouTube, short-form discovery on TikTok and Reels, community on Facebook.

YouTube
Full-length sessions and interviews. The home base. Where the complete story lives.
Instagram
Reels and short-form clips. Visual moments from the studio. Discovery and community.
Facebook
Broadest reach. Clips and sessions for the live music community that lives here.
TikTok
Short-form discovery. Where new audiences find CDF for the first time.

Jam w/
Jason

The interview series at the heart of CDF. Jam w/ Jason is a long-form conversation between Jason and the artist — no script, no pre-approved questions, no PR filter. Just two musicians talking about the work.

Every Jam w/ Jason interview is also released as a podcast episode, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major streaming platforms. The same conversation — formatted for wherever the listener is.

Peer to Peer
Jason is a musician. The conversation feels like two artists talking — because it is.
No Script
Questions are prepared but the conversation goes wherever it goes. Real answers come from real exchanges.
Long Form
No five-minute fluff pieces. These conversations run as long as they need to.
Original Only
Every artist featured writes and performs their own music. Non-negotiable.

Are You An Original Artist?

We film in rural NW Illinois and accept remote interviews. Original music only.

Apply for a Session