This is just a brief entry to describe this morning's activities, particularly in regards to the title 'Comments and Backups.' That specifically refers to the inclusion of a commenting module on some of the pages my websites and the installation of a backup process for them as well. Comments also refers to the following additional comments on my efforts at building my online presence.
A few days ago I was looking into securing rights to post some cover songs on YouTube because I didn't want to run afoul copyright laws so I explored eventually joining one of the Performance Rights Organizations (BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, or some lesser known ones) which led me down a rabbit hole described in my blog entry on chasing rabbits. Among the rabbits chased that I didn't mention in that article was one presented by Ryan Waczek and his Indie Music Academy which focuses on ways to monetize your music using social media. He definitely has lots of good information and suggestions which he provides for free but I'm personally not quite to the point where I am satisfied enough with my music to want to promote it 'full blast.' Still, I gave him my email to get some of his free stuff I've been getting his follow up sales promotions to join his academy that are accompanied by additional teasers like this mornings video on using Facebook ads to target your fan base. If you don't already have a clear plan how to develop your online marketing strategy and you have material you're ready to promote then by all means check out his program as it does provide valuable guidance. I just can't justify the cost for myself at this time because my product isn't finalized and I have access to other resources that provide similar information. Still his program could save you a lot of effort and time spinning your wheels going nowhere if you're ready to promote yourself and your product aggressively.
I have developed for myself a reasonable timeline to expand and enhance my online presence and this site is one part of that process. The timeline I am referring to is the four years it will take me to finish my music program at UGA and that program provides an ideal framework for me to use to make my music into the tangible products that I will ultimately produce. Although the appeal of arranging popular songs and releasing my own versions of them is still quite strong, the copyright implications I was exploring earlier have made me realize that I would be better off simply by writing and producing my own material which is one of the areas that I have wanted to focus my attention on anyway. I now have all the time and resources I need to make significant progress in that endeavor this summer while at the same time setting up my system for distributing the fruits of those efforts in a way that will eventually lead to a similar outcome.
Yes, I will want to start building a fan base at some point in the near future and I will want to use as many methods as I can effectively employ to grow that fan base but, before any of that happens, I want to ensure that my music or the information I share is of a standard that first satisfies my needs for self expression and, if it is able to pass that benchmark, that it will be of value to those who might choose to consume it. I suppose I could call this 'being true to oneself and ones music' and for me that is more important than any monetary gain I might make by promoting something I'm not completely satisfied with. So with that I'm going to lay down a percussion track based on Wednesday's lesson and write a song around it. I'd love to hear any comments you may have about your efforts.
Greg Shoemaker