A look back at 9 weeks:
- Came up with my pitch that I am stoaked on and is on my banner above
- Branded my social media and websites for uniform design and message
- Tripled the size of my mailing list
- Established a quality Newsletter
- Started a weekly giveaway of a brand new song made exclusive only to my mailing list
- Recorded 15 songs from start to finish that will all eventually be released to my mailing list and they will vote on which ones will be on my next album
- Gave an in depth interview on musicbailout.com
- Received play on the "best of Itunes" podcast Coverville
- Wrote a song for a fellow artist which is in heavy radio rotation
- Collaborated with artists in Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Brooklyn
- Played over 20 shows and have many high profile gigs booked
- Secured a top dubstep producer to remix one of my tracks for my upcoming release
- Worked with a college to get a free video shoot for my band the WATCHLIST which is almost done
- Had 6 free professional photo shoots
- Created a picture bio which has received great feedback
- Started reading and interacting with 12 blogs that specific to what I have going on musically
- Completed 95% of the WATCHLIST record
- Was mentioned in Citybeat (local mag) and sent press kits out to all markets within a 3 hour drive of Ocean Beach for CD reviews.
- Placed a song in an upcoming Indie Flick
Looking back I am proud of what I have accomplished by hustlin' and no matter what happens with this contest, I am moving forward at this pace.
Week 9: Creating a continuum program
The Ultimate goal for any musician is to be able to support themselves by doing what they love and if you look at the statistics in regards to people who actually can do this.... it is very dismal. That is why I love this book. The idea is not to get a gold record, but rather connect with a manageable amount of people who will support you in your career. When you realize you can achieve financial success by making 1000 true fans rather than 1 Million, your attitude starts to change and become more positive.
Right now I am giving away all my music, If you come to my shows you probably have seen me dumping boxes of CD's into the audience. I would rather my music be heard for free then ignored for a price. Hopefully that person I gave a disc too will listen to it, burn it for their friends and then come out to the shows... that is the goal.
Moving forward however, I will continue to build my fan base and start making things available ranging from low to high price. The idea I am most stoaked about is custom handmade merch made to order. I have been screening shirts, jackets, hoodies and other shit in my garage for years and in the near future I am going to offer this up to everyone on my mailing list. The idea is you can pick any article of clothing, any color of design and any location of screen and I will hand make them and ship them out. I don't know anyone who is doing this and I could not be more excited about it.
We are also talking about deluxe releases with video, posters, stickers and double discs that would be limited run and available in low quantities.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog series, I know its a little different to click on a bands website and see career goals and marketing tactics discussed, but it seems like everyone has enjoyed reading.
I have really learned what can be done if you put your mind to something and wanted to let all the fans know that I will be pushing forward at this pace for as long as I can. All I ask is if you enjoy my music, please share it with others that you think might as well. If you need a CD, hit me up and I'll get you one, If you want to help me... hit me up and we can figure something out and if you want to just enjoy.... do that too.
Much Love
Hey Tommy,
ReplyDeleteI just read your blog. Thank you for your participation on the challenge!!! Keep up the good work!
Best wishes,
Chereen Soedardjo
Ariel Publicity