More loops, more beeps, more reverb. Remember, it’s not on / off, black or white. You don’t have to be in a recording studio or on an expensive set shooting a video. Start where you’re at, put it out there.
LIKES
“A lot of the “creator economy” is basically mainstreaming what bloggers have been doing for years now. Own your platform (WordPress + email list), sell products (PDFs, eBooks), build a community (FB groups). It’s like watching history repeat itself, but with different software,” @monicalent
“Stop calling yourself an “aspiring” writer. If you’re putting effort into writing, no matter how financially successful or big an audience, guess what, you’re already a writer. Stop selling your own passion and achievements short,” @mattmillswrites
The fantastic Andy J Pizza gives some solid, practical advice in this podcast, talking all about using social media for your benefit while being mindful of the cost.
One of the biggest take-aways – stop focusing on new followers and instead put effort into engagement. People who follow you are the fans at your show, the friends at your gallery show, the people who bought a print.
Keep putting out killer work so you’re top of mind for the people who already raised their hand and said, “I want more of this.”
It starts with a sample, really. Oh, I’ll just make a drum beat. Then before you know I pull out the microphone and weirdness just happens.
“You are the center piece, you are the way to go!”
Between full-time professional musicians who are in real studios recording albums, and the whole “I just don’t want to make music” (which is where I was a few months ago), there is a wide ranges of places to be. I see these people everyday on social media, playing guitar and singing in front of a propped up smart phone. Finger drums on some cool piece of gear. Ambient live streams with enough equipment to launch rockets.
I discovered the idea of “picking yourself” from Seth Godin, who wrote about it back in 2011 and 2015 (and other times, too, probably).
Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound. No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.
There is room for all of our music, our art, our photography. But we can’t hoard it. We can’t wait until it’s perfect, for someday, because someday we might not be here. The world needs softness, and weird music, and quirky art.
Pick something you made and put it out there. And do it again. Pick yourself, we need you.
Feeling absolutely zero inspiration at the start of this one today, and ran into some software issues, but it got done.
The links below… just, damn. I spend far less on social media than I used to, and these sorts of gems belong somewhere, you know? Like, that artwork is from Ms Wearer. There are so many people who aren’t on Instagram, or the various other channels they’re on. I don’t know. I just want people to see all this wonderful art, and photographs, and solid quotes, but I also want it to be somewhere, too, and not locked away in random silos.
Okay, I need some coffee. Have a good day, friends.
LIKES
“I refuse to create for engagement. I don’t care if my art flops, I’m here to share ME & if someone follows me, I wish it to be from a genuine connection made. I wish for the meaningful to succeed over the consumable,” @Vlizzyjpeg
I played around with Revue back in late 2019 for Metal Bandcamp Gift Club, but moved to Mailchimp because I needed to control more of the sign up process. Fair enough.
Then today Revue announces they’ve joined Twitter, which is an interesting move, and I think plays into what I’ve been talking about for awhile: use social media to build your email list.
Social media can be great for the quick, off-the-cuff conversations, and lots of good can come from those conversations! But having an outlet for longer form thoughts, fleshed out ideas – email is a great medium for that. And no doubt Twitter is going to make it easy to build your list with this integration.
There was supposed to be snow outside when I woke up, but there’s nothing by grayness. Up early, crack open the laptop; gotta get some joy and smiles in front of all the oncoming dread of the day (this took from about 7:05am to 8:02am to make, completely from scratch).
Sampled bit came from this 1993 Barbie commercial:
LIKES
“Since I’m thinking about weird social media things, I’d LOVE to end the era of superfluous posting. Somehow ppl have been convinced that having a regular posting schedule is more important than having worthwhile content and it shooooows,” @lilbadsnacks
“PA’s vote by mail law got more R votes than D votes. It has been upheld in court. Now the most extreme Republicans in Harrisburg want to repeal the law (that they voted for) because they didn’t get the election results they wanted? Come on,” @JoshShapiroPA
Technology has been against me all day, in the form of errors, mix ups, and whatever else. Even had to reboot my computer because of some audio issues. It’s been a day.
A Daily Loop and a Goodnight Metal Friend mix, on a Monday? Well, been doing my best to stay off social media, and it’s amazing how the time adds up. From sourcing music instead of doom scrolling, to getting in front of the computer after waking up instead of checking Twitter… it’s not much, but it really is. It adds up.
It’s Monday, again. A weekly reminder that our weekends are no longer filled with rejuvenating times with friends, new experiences, random encounters, and spontaneous adventures. Nope! All gone.
So turn on your computer, dial into the internet, and let’s just pretend everything is normal.
The main riff in today’s Daily Loop was played on my bass, which I converted to MIDI notes.
LIKES
“Some days, I really hate this shit. Like really fucking hate it on an extra level. Today is one of those,” @georgehahn
This one’s kinda different than my usual fare but … at the same time not at all? Anyway, excited to share the cover for Sarattma’s debut release Escape Velocity! I did this in gouache on arches hit press paper. Album cover proper in a reply tweet. pic.twitter.com/h9ogUE5Owf
Anyone (literally) can get their song up on YouTube.
You don’t have to out run a bear, you just have to out run your friends.
Set up a site for your album. Put up your lyrics, your photos, your stories. You wish a cool media outlet would do a feature on your new release, right? In the meantime, do it yourself.
You’d post a link to that cool press if you got it.
For now, build your own “press” and post that link instead.
You dream of your killer live stage set up – lights, video screens, dancers.
Start now.
Make your website your stage. Fill it with your art, your ideas, your dreams, your colors, your imagery.
Because someone else just starting out in stage design is looking and listening and watching.
Because someone else is just getting started in costume design. And video editing. And graphic design.
Put more of yourself out there, in full form. Attract your people, your fans, your team.
Today isn’t the time for just posting throw-away Tweets that wash away in an hour. Not time for “stories” that float off like a plastic bag in the breeze.
Buy a domain name, set up a site, and stake your place on the internet. Your home. Your HQ. The source for your magic and your art.
Don’t just add a photo and post a link. Rip open yourself and get more of yourself onto the screen. Answer interview questions you’ve not yet been asked, list your favorite horror films, post that video of yourself making coffee in the morning with your music in the background.
Your music is part of life, part of existence, part of the human story. Don’t let your music fight all by itself on a crowded playlist, which is just two steps away from looking like a Google Sheet:
Control your destiny, your branding, and your look. Put together more of what you do, and who you are, in a space that you control.
Simple loops, for complicated times. It’s Sunday, time to replenish the soul in whatever fashion suits you.
LIKES
“Can you grow it with your tomatoes? If the answer is “yes” that’s a plant. America’s utterly bizarre superstition: criminalizing a plant and ruining peoples lives with a criminal record for consuming it. End this War on Drugs,” @JohnFetterman
“Passed by a Chili’s tonight with a dining room full of people. Imagine risking your life during pandemic when nearly 4000 people are dying every day in order to eat inside at a Chili’s,” @AstroKatie
