Category: Music

PROMOTE BY DOING

Since I’m done promoting things on social media, I should probably post about my new things here, right? Makes sense.

One of those things is a new HUNTERTHEN release, ‘ASCENDING TO THE DECOMPOSITIONAL TIMESCAPE.’

‘ASCENDING TO THE DECOMPOSITIONAL TIMESCAPE’ is a transport vessel to unknown, desolate worlds, destined for the monotonous hum of cold, futuristic data work lit by the glow of computer screens and datapads.

Since I’m spending less time on social media, I’ve put out a release in February, March, and April of this year (you can see them all here).

My last two sales on Bandcamp came from my Goodnight, Metal Friend mixes, not social media.

By putting out a mix every week this year, and also uploading them to YouTube, I’m getting more listens, all just because I’m putting things out consistently, and not spending so much time on social media.

And what about growing my HEAVY METAL EMAIL subscribers? How can I do that without social media? Well, that video interview I did with Laura Kidd led to my biggest rush of new subscribers ever.

While I did post that video a few times on socials, I wasn’t pushing for newsletter subscribers – I was sharing something big I did, without really asking for anything.

Do the big cool things, and maybe the subscribers and sales will come, maybe?

FAVORITE THREE ALBUM RUN FROM ONE BAND

Had a fun talk the other day with my “Social Media Escape Club,” where we hopped on a Zoom call and talked about… getting away from social media.

One of the things I mentioned was instead of Tweeting out some random thought, or in the case of the image above, my “favorite 3 album run by your favorite band,” why not text a friend? Send a photo. Call a pal. Write them an email.

Someone on the Zoom call said something along the lines of, “why should I give my best material to Twitter?”

Why put so much into a platform that limits my reach anyways, when I can message my friends directly and I don’t know… grow closer?!?!

So in the spirit of putting my best material on a platform that I control, you see my “favorite 3 album run by your favorite band,” which are Helmet‘s ‘Meantime,’ ‘Betty,’ and ‘Aftertaste.’

I remember driving around town in my Nissan Sentra Wagon XE trying to play air-drums to the Meantime album.

Betty wasn’t nearly as crushing. Had lots more melody and dynamics, but having come out my senior year of high school there’s no way I can listen to this album without thinking about my younger days.

‘Aftertaste’ came out in 1997, three years after graduation, and so did Limp Bizkit’s ‘Three Dollar Bill Y’all’ and Deftones ‘Around the Fur.’ Oh, the 90s were a magical time for heavy music.

AT PEACE WITH MY PACE

Marlee Grace really sums it up here:

I noticed in my month off social media the ideation phase of my practice felt so serene, I had less money then and yet I still found myself with so much more trust. Left without the reminders that everyone else is always launching, always sharing, always has something to sell. I found myself peaceful with my pace.

YES, this is so great: “I found myself peaceful with my pace.”

I’ve stopped promoting Goodnight, Metal Friend on social media. Each new mix just goes out to newsletter subscribers first. A day later they go up on YouTube and Mixcloud.

Less promoting, and I still got a HUNTERTHEN track featured in this ‘Spectra-Sonic Sound’ mix.

Less promoting my HEAVY METAL EMAIL newsletter on social media, and I’m still welcoming new subscribers, and some of them support my work financially.

Trust that your work doesn’t need to be plastered on billboards, you don’t need to stand outside a venue handing out flyers. Let the magic go where it’s going to go.

CALL SOMETHING GREAT

I’ve seen lots of discourse recently over the struggle for the press outlets to keep up with the unending wave of music releases each week.

For me I think it’s so many sites trying to cover so many genres.

And also trying to do interviews, reviews, and live gig coverage.

There is just too much, everyday, every week.

I’d love to see a site that just covers the metal shows happening in PA every month.
A newsletter that rounds up 10 great beat-maker videos.
A YouTube show like the old MTV Top 10 Video Countdown.

Be editors. Be tastemakers.

The internet is wide open again. Let’s fuck it up.

DJ SETS RULE

I’ve gotten super into watching DJ sets over the past few years. Yes, I still love my metal, but man… there is just so much music out there to explore. How many 1000s of songs have I still not heard? How exciting!

Love this nugget I found about these DJ sets:

“All of the gear you see in this and the upcoming episodes, from turntables to pre-amps & speakers – new and used, are available in @audiogold store.”

Just look at this amazing shop:

Source: Audio Gold

You can hear more from GUiNNY here on Mixcloud:

FLIP SAMPLES, MAKE FRIENDS

This looks absolutely amazing:

Producers show up to the venue, a folder of samples culled from old jazz and soul records to use as source material is passed around and each producer gets to work transforming the sample into a brand new piece of music. From there, each producer will play their new track, receiving encouragement and feedback from their peers onsite and around the world as the sessions are broadcast via zoom each month.

Yes, online communities have their place – the Discords and email lists, but in-person is where it’s at, even if I’m still hesitant to get out there (I’ve been to three shows since 2019).

The magic is isn’t just in people, but finding the right other people.

Read more of this article about Philadelphia’s Flip A Beat Club here.

NO MAGIC IN ALGORITHMS

The local university has a radio station, and I finally looked it up and of course found HEAVIER in their Mixcloud archive.

Letting a radio show just play can be hard, as DSPs and social media has made me so impatient. But I let it play, and to my pure delight Kublai Khan TX came on, which is one of my client’s bands, and a band I saw a bit ago on tour.

Over the past few years I’ve danced with the magic of the radio, mixes, and DJ sets, watching chemists mix together tracks like potions. I’ve watched hours of ambient drone made in real time using equipment I’ve never heard of.

All this stuff is harder to find, harder to “consume” while on a bus or whatever. But I grew up in a home with a music room.

There was a stereo, shelves of records, and that’s where you listened to music. I have memories of mom dancing to the Rolling Stones, Abba, Kris Kristofferson, and Dire Straits.

Some nights I just never want to go to bed. Hopping from one YouTube video to the next, looking up something on Wikipedia, then digging for a track on Bandcamp. On Spotify. Whatever.

A whole world of music is out there, still waiting to be discovered, and it’s so fun to just dig through so much of when you discover it from other people.

GIVE ME THE EXPERIENCE

I got into heavy music because a good friend hauled my ass to a sketchy venue in NJ back in 1994 or so. Into Another, Life of Agony, Biohazard.

If our parents knew where we were at, they’d be furious. That was an experience. A life changing event when I was just 17 years old or so.

And 30 years later I just went to a show with that same friend.

So yes, we’re making videos and writing newsletters and putting out vinyl and tapes, and that’s all well and good.

But there’s only so far that online marketing can take you.

Those social media posts are stacked up against long drives, truck stops, and scary venues as a teenager.

It’s not about the product, it’s the experience.

YOU NEED A PLAN

@Gen_Erik on Twitter

Love love love this quote:

“What you need is a strategy to grow your fanbase. And as you’re growing your fanbase, you keep making music and improving your craft.”

If you write shit songs and get on stage and notice that no one is interested in what you’re playing, you’re going to make adjustments.

You work on your craft, develop your skills, and learn how to put on a show. This can take years, but that’s how it’s done.

This goes for writers, photographers, artists, whatever!

Goals are great, but what’s the plan?

MEG WHITE RULES

Imagine waking up and posting garbage like this:

The audacity to post “Meg White was terrible” to the entire world is beyond comprehension.

Meg White won four Grammy Awards
She’s in Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Drummers of All Time’ list
She’s a 3x Platinum selling artist.

You know what most normal people do when they don’t like something? They don’t think about it.

There are 1000s of bands and albums and song I don’t care for. Think I’m going to spend energy and time and effort and mental bandwidth letting the world know?

Nah.

This, though? This new album from Carmen Jaci is amazing, and I just pre-ordered it today (it’s out March 30th, 2023).