What Comes Next?

     What comes next? That's a question that keeps me up some nights, especially now that I'm thinking about what my next EP is going to sound like. I want to create something innovative, but that question it isn't just about the music I'm making. I also want to make sure I'm taking advantage of every tool that is available to me, and using them in a smart way. Unfortunately, that is the hardest part about making music. The creating part of the process is fun, even when it's stressful. Trying to get your music heard on social media and other sites is the frustrating and demoralizing part of that equation. I understand why some people aren't interested in selling themselves to other people, because to be perfectly honest, it can make you want to quit altogether. There is so much music out there that most things cease to be exciting. A lot of people can recognize potential, but that doesn't mean they're going to be falling head over heels to buy your music just yet. What comes next? Patience. Lots of patience.

     And persistance. Even when it seems like no blog is interested in that single, you just have to keep sending it out until you find the one that does. If you really believe that what you're creating is good, then chances are that there is another person out there who agrees with you. That's the beauty of the internet. There is something for everyone. As time moves forward, I think the music industry is only going to get more and more competitive. You'll have to be pushing boundaries to remain relevant, and  you'll have to be inventive about selling your music over the web. Money is leaving the industry at this point, and of all the jobs to be involved in, music is one of the most unstable. But with new innovations like streaming and the death of physical media, a new system is going to be established. It's unclear at this point how this is going to effect musicians, but I suspect that things will get harder before they get better. 

     So seize the moment. Social media is still young, and there is a lot of positive change and opportunity waiting on the web. What I've really taken to heart in the past year is that no one is searching out your music. You have to bring it to them. A lot of musicians haven't realized this yet, or are afraid to put themselves out there. They want to continue to live in some other time where people payed ten dollars for a physical copy of your CD, but that isn't what is happening right now. Now is the time to take advantage of the vast resources of the internet. I really believe that making your presence known on social media today is what touring small clubs was in the 90's. As social media continues to evolve, the voices clambering to be heard are going to get louder. Refine what you're doing, consume as much music as you can, and produce something novel, soon. Get yourself heard online, because if you don't, someone else will. 

     

Social Media and Learning

It has really never been easier to teach yourself to play an instrument, or learn how to make your own hip hop beats, or become really good at mastering your own music. That's really scary for a lot of musicians, and in a lot of ways it is making the industry more oversaturated than ever. I think it's also making music more diverse and interesting, even if it comes at the cost of the demise of music as we've known it for the past 70 years.

Any question you might have about music (or anything, really) has probably been answered on a blog or video tutorial. This means that people like me can become knowledgable about music at our own pace, and fueled by our own interest, which is really the best way to learn something. Youtube has become the go to place to get instructional videos on how to play songs, and in my personal experience, it's a great place to learn production tricks. Some vloggers exclusively make videos explaining how to produce music that took professionals years of practice to achieve, all while these techniques become obsolete aesthetically because of overuse. Even so, producers are constantly pushing the envelope when it comes technique, and this has resulted in one of the most vibrant musical cultures that the world has ever seen.

So many perspectives and few opportunities for success mean that musicians are fighting tooth and nail to be the best. While I don't think this is necessarily good for the status quo, I am interested (and terrified) to see how this influx of music will play out.

Facebook and Influence

   Oh, Facebook. As if I didn't already have enough weird anticipatory insecurity leading up to the Solar Estates debut show this weekend. I've checked the band page at least twenty times a day since launching our single, and I'm in constant state of uncertainty about whether I'm posting too much? Or maybe not enough? And why haven't we gotten more likes this week? And is this thing even working right? 

   My personal Facebook page I really don't care too much about. At this point, I don't know that many people my age that really care about their Facebook. But we keep them because what would happen if we didn't have one? I don't know? I'm sure we would miss something, right? That's really the power that Zuckerberg has over us though: things are still happening on Facebook, and it's the simplest way to make sure that mass amounts of people know about your event or project, and that connection with potentially thousands of people is the cornerstone of maintaining influence online. I really believe that Facebook is still around because people know that it is the source of a lot of information, and they want to be plugged directly into that source. And when it isn't the source of information, it is still a collection of information. All of the news and music blogs that I follow have Facebook pages that they link their articles to every day, and that is the main way that I receive music news. I follow at least a few of those blogs because one of my friends shared a FB post that the blog made, and from there it's really simple to just click on the page link and hit "follow." 

   It goes without saying that having a well manicured Facebook page, and making it clear that your page is the place to go for up to date information about your music will cause your influence to spread exponentially. It's why every major politician, business, and band has one. It is central. It is the first site everyone visits when they get onto their computer. At this point, it isn't something we choose to do, it's something we need to do. The content may not always matter to people, but if you get enough of them "liking" and commenting on something that you've posted, then others will pay attention too. 

   Unfortunately, my Facebook page is still in that awkward growing up phase, because no one puts much stock into something that hasn't proven itself yet. That will hopefully change this Saturday.  

Crowdfunding

Our Lord and Savior, Steve A.

   I should preface this post by saying that I'm not anti-Kickstarter at all. I think it's a wonderful, inventive tool for musicians, especially those who want to answer more to their fans than to the music industry. I should also say that while I've supported projects, I've never actually been the person requesting funding on the site. However, that isn't going to stop from being judge-y and mean to some of the people that do, obviously, because here I am.

   If you follow Pitchfork or Stereogum, then some of you may remember a couple years ago when legendary producer Steve Albini called out Amanda Palmer for the way she was using Kickstarter, or rather, for the way she wasn't using her Kickstarter. Palmer decided to crowdfund her album Theatre Is Evil as well as the tour in support of it, and ended up getting over a million dollars. For each date, she asked local musicians to play in her band for nothing more than a thank you and some time back stage. Steve thought this was a little unfair, writing, "It should be obvious also, that having gotten over a million dollars from such an effort that it is just plain rude to ask for further indulgences from your audience, like playing in your backing band for free."Amanda relented, and ended up paying her performers for each gig, and the spat died away after that. 

   Unfortunately, I've seen this happen with the Kickstarters of people I've known personally. Just because you're crowdfunding your project doesn't mean that you can skimp on paying the people involved. If it's an album, then don't just raise the money for the recording and expect that someone will donate their time to doing artwork or whatever else for it. If help is offered, great, but remember to be fair with your fans. Make sure it's worth their while.

   And of course, always make sure you follow through with your gifts. I supported a really cool punk band from Corvallis a couple years ago. I couldn't believe how much I got in return for donating 5 dollars or the lengths they went to make sure it got to me when I moved back to California. I don't listen to punk music much these days, but I still think about those guys sometimes and check up on what they're doing. That's the power of showing your appreciation. I've said this in a previous post, but I'll reiterate it here because it's important: fans want to feel a personal connection to the artist. They want to feel like they are helping a friend. Give them that. Be personable, and within reason, make sure that you're being a friend to your fans, especially when they're the ones funding your project. 

It Starts With Bandcamp

     I really hate to call myself a "musician" in real life (and by "real life" I really mean "offline") because I don't make a living as a musician. I'm very far from it, in fact. I've made pretty good money from playing big shows with substantial crowds, but it isn't something I can ever rely on. I have a day job, and that's what pays the bills. 

    The problem here is that I would love to be able to tell someone who asked what I do that I'm a musician and then afterwards not feel like a delusional loser. How do you sell your music for a profit? Well, start with Bandcamp. 

     Bandcamp is an incredibly powerful first step for anyone who wants to start taking their musical career seriously, and it has gained enough popularity at this point that almost any local band you can think of has one. Like most websites that house user generated content, there is a lot to sift through before you find anything good if you're just searching for new music, but the beauty of Bandcamp really isn't in its capability to show you new music. The great thing about Bandcamp is that it gives the artist a homebase, and allows you to share your music in a very clean format and then check on the stats, like number of plays or downloads. Not only that, it also allows you to sell your music through the site, and Bandcamp's cut is substantially lower than a lot of other sites. Making physical copies of your first album is going to be costly and won't have the same amount of reach as an easy to access digital copy. The tagging function is another useful tool for the artist, as it allows you to see your ranking within any specific tag. For example, I always include the tag "Chico" and if you click on that tag, Bandcamp will show you where you stand in terms of popularity within the city.

I also use several other sites to upload music to, but they serve different functions for me. Bandcamp works well for uploading albums or EPs, while Soundcloud might be a great place to share your individual singles or that cover you made but aren't going to include in any collection of work. I'd suggest paying very close attention to visuals on any site like these. The way your site, banner and album art look is more important than a lot of musicians realize. You have to remember that no one ever hears the music before they see the artwork, and if you choose not upload any track art or if what you do upload looks unprofessional, you're going to lose plays. If people see a polished package, they're going to assume that what is inside is worth listening to. Often times these sites will suggest your music to strangers who listen to similar music, and you want to make a good first impression.

The internet has blessed us with many, many opportunities to garner plays and make new fans for our work. One of the few drawbacks to this is that there are millions of other people trying to achieve the same goals as we are. The good news is that because of the nature of the internet, where anyone can post anything they want, a well manicured, tasteful, and professional presence on the sites you use will put you above a massive number users in terms of accessibility. That means more money, more recognition, and more opportunities if you're willing to push your product hard enough. While Bandcamp and other sites are incredibly helpful tools, we still need to make sure we optimize our use of those tools.  

Making the Most of Your Online Presence

    One of the first and most important aspects of pursuing your career is maintaining your image. When you go to your interview, how do you look? When people look you up on Facebook what do they see? When a fan follows you on Twitter, are you making them laugh, or think, or providing them with quality content? Whether you choose to believe it's important or not, I think we can all agree that almost all people make assumptions about you based on how you present yourself. I can tell you that I've personally wished that many of my favorite artists didn't have an internet presence, but I've also been completely turned onto a random artist who seemed like a good person or made me laugh with their Twitter feed. 

    Phil Elverum, the man behind Mt. Eerie, is just such an example. His music I could probably live without, and to be honest I almost never listen to it, but I follow his Twitter feed with fervor. Simply put, he is witty and hilarious and he knows how to make you feel like you're a friend of his that he's PM-ing jokes to. He appreciates his fans, and provides them with entertaining and frequent tweets, and in my feed filled with news headlines and bland updates, it's invaluable. I wish Phil's online presence could be bottled and sold so that we less funny folk could pull more followers. 

    Jimmy Fallon's social media presence is similar: it's warm, it's funny, and it never feels forced or unappreciative. And sure, Fallon almost certainly has a person (or people) in charge of running his accounts, but the fact that someone is getting paid to do that just goes to show how incredibly, goddamned important it is to have a compelling and warm presence on the internet. For fans of the Tonight Show, it feels as if you're getting a tweet from a famous friend. Before you further your social network, make sure that you have a quality online presence. Put extra effort and thought into the things you release onto the web, always remembering that each post has the potential to gain or lose supporters of your work.  

    As a musician, if you're doing your job well, people will want to feel connected to you, often from a distance. You want retweets and reblogs, you want people sharing links to your new record on Facebook, and you want these people to stick around. Add people on Soundcloud, "favorite" bands on Bandcamp, share the work of other talented people on Facebook. Every person trying to make it in this industry needs all the help they can get, and every friend you make expands your network and theirs exponentially. I think I'm going to spend some time this week trying to expand my own online network. In the end, it's still a hell of a lot easier than standing outside of 7/11 trying to sell people CDs, so why not make the best of such an incredible and accessible tool? 

Intro

A recent photo of that guy S. Estates.

I’m a serious person. I don’t mean that I don’t have a sense of humor, or that I don’t get your jokes, or that I can’t laugh at myself when I get tongue tied. I mean that if I’m going to force myself to do something (and believe me, making myself “do things” can be a real struggle), then I’m going to be way too intense about it. If I’m going to make a music video, or record a song, or play a live show, I’m going to do it until I hate it, and then I’m going to keep doing it. I take my work seriously. If I care about something, I take it seriously. I’m a serious person.

For that reason, I feel like you should be warned going into this blog that I’m going to write about the music industry, social media, artists, and strategies for musicians like I know exactly what I’m talking about a lot of the time, but the reality is that I really only know one thing about “making it” in the music industry: it is all about luck and who you know, but mostly about luck. Despite my seriousness and my pretension, I am also a struggling musician who is trying to find the answers to success like any other nobody out there. I’m going to make observations about the industry and about artists. I’m going to examine methods for expanding your fan base as well as how to behave on social media so you don’t scare them all away. But it is important that you look at this blog as a personal commentary on my own journey, whether it be to success or to failure. I’m writing about these observations while I’m acting them out myself, not expounding on my own experience (for the most part).

With that said, here is a little about me. I am a “local musician.” I make music with my friends or by myself and I play that music in bars, cafes, clubs, and art galleries in my area, and sometimes I tour to the Bay or to Sacramento. I’ve enjoyed a bit of success locally, which is really, super nice, but I also think that local success has a way of blinding people to the flaws that will ultimately cause them to fail with a larger audience. I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of just being a “local musician.” I want more than that. So earlier this year I quit my locally successful band and decided to start a new project: Solar Estates. I’m about to finish up the debut EP, and let me tell you, there is nothing scarier than a new project and new sounds. Despite feeling reasonably confident, I don’t know if anyone will like it or even care, but I’ll be sure to update this blog when the results are in.