Post #36 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Is It Harder to Learn How To Be A Successful Artist Than To Learn How To Be A Neurosurgeon?
“I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!”
I recently had this conversation with another musician friend of mine who had owned his own label, and the label did not last as long as he wanted it to. This guy has been in the music business for years and years, and with the people he knows and the experience he has under his belt, you’d think he could have a successful record label. Well, the fact is, there are no proven courses or degrees at any schools on how to have your own successful career in the music business. Sure, there are classes you can take at colleges all over the U.S. (especially in Los Angeles), there are seminars and conferences (such as SXSW) and workshops and speaker events and all sorts of resources. But after everything is said and done, it’s actually easier to learn how to become a successful neurosurgeon (provided you get accepted into med school, and you subsequently get accepted through all the different hoops you have to get through). If all I had to do was study my behind off & get good grades and pass all the tests I had to pass to become a successful artist, even if it took me 12+ years to do it, I would have started on that path right after high school, and I’d be there by now! But that’s just not how it works. Every time an artist decides he or she wants to learn how to make a living with their music, they kind of have to re-invent the wheel. They have to come up with creative ideas on their own, or by reading what other artists have done, and find their own success. OK, they can also look for a record label that already has a wheel in place, but that does not guarantee they will get anywhere. One time I heard, for every act that “makes it big” on a major label, there are 99 that don’t. Those 99 get dropped, shelved, or even worse, they end up owing the label thousands and thousands of dollars after getting shelved or dropped. Even worse than that, they can’t do anything with the music they wrote & recorded while under contract with that label. They are in limbo for years. It’s really pretty scary when you think of it. Why would anyone want to put themselves at risk like that? If you do want to be on a label, work with a small, local record label who you have done your research on!
So, I think it’s actually easier to become a successful practicing neurosurgeon than to become a successful musical artist. Even the neurosurgeon that graduates LAST in his class gets the diploma and the credentials and the ability to practice medicine and make lots of dough. There is a system in place that he or she needs to get good enough grades to be accepted into, and the rest of it is following the rules and studying hard.
But there is no such system in place for the artist. The system in place (record labels) can be very scary, and lots of them can put the artist in a worse place than when they started. And lots of artists think the answer is to start up your own record label, and so to those folks, I say, “Good luck!” That would be the ultimate in re-inventing the wheel, and I believe artists would serve themselves better by just concentrating on making great records, playing shows, and selling merch.
Studying the industry and learning about which record label or labels would be right for you are also good ideas, and then you can go after those labels if you are so inclined. But the best case scenario is to be so successful on your own that the labels are coming to YOU.
One of the reasons for this lack of a learning system in place for us artists is because, especially now, the industry is changing so fast that people in the biz, even those who have been in it for a very long time and seem to know A LOT, can’t keep up with how fast it’s changing. Yesterday, I heard about this guy who JUST graduated from college with a marketing degree (or some other business degree) and he started working with a company who makes this tongue brush that gets rid of bad breath and other germs. He was the guy who never listened in class… he was too busy researching the in’s & out’s of the workings of Facebook, learning how YouTube can reach more people with less marketing money spent, and all the other blogs & online news about how it all works. He got hired to get a YouTube video up as a commercial for the tongue brush, and it has sold millions, with NO marketing dollars spent except the $500 spent to produce the video. Figuring out how to use YouTube as your ultimate marketing tool is one of the things this guy concentrated on while he “should have” been paying attention in class, and now he’s going to that same school to speak and share his expertise. But he figured stuff out on his own. That’s the challenge that we as artists all have. We are challenged with learning how to survive and succeed in an industry that is changing & presenting new concerns and considerations EVERY SINGLE DAY.
“Going Viral” was the key with this guy. As it has been with other success stories. But, how can you “make” a video on YouTube “go viral”? I guess THAT is the ultimate question for the day.
How do we deal with this? Well, the tongue brush guy got smart and could see how powerful the internet is, especially YouTube, and he researched it daily and came up with a plan. For the musicians, last year a group of business people got together to figure out how to help an artist “Make It”… 6 different “expert” groups who are supposed to know something about how to help musicians succeed banded together to create a basic, actionable music marketing plan designed around simple strategy, prioritization of tactics, easy to use tools, and a reasonable budget. The hope was that any hard working, talented musician can utilize this plan to grow their fan base and help lay the foundation for a sustainable career in music. Well, this plan did not result in any measurable increase in success for “Indie Artist X”, as he was referred to during the project. I wrote about it here: http://anniebmusic.com/day-335/, and it was very disappointing.
Is “going viral” on YouTube our answer right now? Even if it is today, that could change tomorrow! So, I urge all indie artists to continue playing, and continue researching what they can do to keep moving forward. Do at least one thing every day (or, better yet, spend at least one hour every day) working on getting better gigs, e-mailing your fanbase about your goings-on, blogging, putting a video up on YouTube, creating event pages on Facebook for your gigs & inviting all your FB friends who live in that area, and working on the business (& promotions and marketing) side of your career.
Today, I did four things so far: I called a manager about a potential gig, created a FB event for my show this week & invited all my Milwaukee friends, I blogged on my website (obviously), and I sent out an e-mail to my regular e-mail list about the “Annie B. Holiday Happenings”!! (Unfortunately, I have a limit and can only send e-mails to 500 people a day, and now I have reached my limit so I can’t send out any more e-mails today! Ugh! Guess it’s time to pay for an e-mail service like MailChimp!) All this stuff took me much longer than an hour, but every little thing I do will move me forward just a little. And at some point, there will be a snowball effect, and the avalanche will start!!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Day 667
Post #35 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Creating Your Creative Space Part 3
(Dec. 20, 2010)
Still working on the feng shui in my office, but one thing I have noticed is that this water fountain that I constantly have running seems to help with my productivity. This was purchased and placed in my office around Nov. 1, and it seems to help bring the right energy into my work space, or at least it helps with the flow of energy.
My office just feels really good and I feel a different energy than I ever have before when it comes to my career. It seems that things are moving in a new direction, and I have learned to create more opportunities for myself than ever before. For the months of November & December of this year, my income has increased by $500 per month, as compared to April through October of this year. This could be due to the fact that I now have my own office separate from all the other rooms in my house, but I strongly believe that’s it’s also due to the energy flow in this space, even though I’m not done designing it. (I guess that $100 fountain was a good investment!!) Just wait until my office is done and I have everything set up in here just how I have planned! I’d love to double my income and I believe it’s possible. That’s what I was making in Austin, just before I moved back to WI in December of 2007 (due to family stuff)!
Also, I’m the kind of person that generally has too many projects going at once, and can’t put enough time into most of them. This results in a lot of wasted time on things that really may not be going anywhere anytime soon, or ever! I’m now working on finding the right balance between my career and my personal life (this has been a struggle ever since I first picked up that guitar in 1993)!!! Eliminating certain projects or limiting the time I spend on them has been a very good move for me.
Working hard at practicing the national anthem for the Milwaukee Wave Game on Dec 31st at the US Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee in front of thousands of people! I’ll be sending my “audition tape” to other sports teams including the Brewers, Bucks, and Packers in the next couple of weeks. Very busy getting ready for the holidays, but that has not stopped me in the career department… in fact, I might have more work right now due to the holidays (I’ve played a few holiday events)… we’ll see what happens to my schedule & income in January. I am actively looking for new venues right now as well. The focus has been Racine & Kenosha, so I’ll start looking at other towns after the holidays. January is typically a very slow month for bars, so that may or may not be good for myself as an artist. Some places will not have live music like they did in December, and some might want to try something new to bring more people in.
I need to run to drop off some Christmas cookies and gift CDs to the fine people at Clark Graphics today (I go there for all my short-run poster orders) as well as drop off my guitar case… the handle broke! See you again soon!
(Dec. 20, 2010)
Still working on the feng shui in my office, but one thing I have noticed is that this water fountain that I constantly have running seems to help with my productivity. This was purchased and placed in my office around Nov. 1, and it seems to help bring the right energy into my work space, or at least it helps with the flow of energy.
My office just feels really good and I feel a different energy than I ever have before when it comes to my career. It seems that things are moving in a new direction, and I have learned to create more opportunities for myself than ever before. For the months of November & December of this year, my income has increased by $500 per month, as compared to April through October of this year. This could be due to the fact that I now have my own office separate from all the other rooms in my house, but I strongly believe that’s it’s also due to the energy flow in this space, even though I’m not done designing it. (I guess that $100 fountain was a good investment!!) Just wait until my office is done and I have everything set up in here just how I have planned! I’d love to double my income and I believe it’s possible. That’s what I was making in Austin, just before I moved back to WI in December of 2007 (due to family stuff)!
Also, I’m the kind of person that generally has too many projects going at once, and can’t put enough time into most of them. This results in a lot of wasted time on things that really may not be going anywhere anytime soon, or ever! I’m now working on finding the right balance between my career and my personal life (this has been a struggle ever since I first picked up that guitar in 1993)!!! Eliminating certain projects or limiting the time I spend on them has been a very good move for me.
Working hard at practicing the national anthem for the Milwaukee Wave Game on Dec 31st at the US Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee in front of thousands of people! I’ll be sending my “audition tape” to other sports teams including the Brewers, Bucks, and Packers in the next couple of weeks. Very busy getting ready for the holidays, but that has not stopped me in the career department… in fact, I might have more work right now due to the holidays (I’ve played a few holiday events)… we’ll see what happens to my schedule & income in January. I am actively looking for new venues right now as well. The focus has been Racine & Kenosha, so I’ll start looking at other towns after the holidays. January is typically a very slow month for bars, so that may or may not be good for myself as an artist. Some places will not have live music like they did in December, and some might want to try something new to bring more people in.
I need to run to drop off some Christmas cookies and gift CDs to the fine people at Clark Graphics today (I go there for all my short-run poster orders) as well as drop off my guitar case… the handle broke! See you again soon!
Day 664
Post #34 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: How To Copyright Your Songs
(Dec. 17, 2010)
I had 2 different people ask me how to copyright songs at a gig I played yesterday at Honda of Kenosha. It was a great show, and I think everyone at the Honda Event had a great time! I’ve decided to post this copyright information here on this blog, so I can refer people to it anytime!!! PLEASE feel free to send a link to this page to your songwriter friends!!!
First off, you can copyright a GROUP of songs… you DO NOT have to copyright each song individually. At least 50 songs can be copywritten at one time. I’m not sure if you can copyright more, but with the preferred form (Form CO), you are provided up to 50 spaces for different song titles. (If you have as many as 50 songs that you need to copyright, I think it’s best to protect them asap!!!)
The basics are here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
To explain it to you, the form you need to copyright & protect the basic music & lyrics is Form PA, and it’s $65 to use this form. You print it out and after you’ve filled it out, send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpa.pdf
For $50, Form CO replaces Form PA if you use it correctly: You fill this form out ONLINE, THEN print it out after it’s all filled out online, then & sign it. Send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics… here is the link: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/notice.html – you need to download the form (there’s a link at the bottom) and then fill it out online, etc. The instructions are right there. For copyrighting your basic songs, check the “Performing Arts” box in section 1a. (Then, when you’ve recorded the song professionally with full production, drums, bass guitar, harmonies, or any other things the song called for when you were in the studio, all these “sounds” will be protected when you copyright the song AGAIN, this time using From SR. If you only have a fully-produced song to copyright, you may as well use Form SR, or Form CO with function of protecting the sound recording. This will protect both the basic song [music & lyrics] AND all the extra “bells & whistles” in your fully produced recording.)
OK, so this will protect the basic melodies and lyrics. This should be done as soon as you have a number of songs that you can send in (even if it’s only a few songs… although you can certainly copyright just one song,) which will protect you if anyone hears it and tries to steal it by hearing it on a YouTube performance of the basic song by the artist, or at a live performance.
Once the song is recorded professionally, you need to protect the full production sounds, including guitar licks and other “sounds” you need to protect. (A great example here is the bass line on “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, but Vanilla Ice never got permission to use it. No lawsuit was filed, but it is likely that Vanilla Ice agreed to pay Queen and Bowie a settlement. According to industry insider Hans Ebert, Brian May of Queen first heard this song in a disco in Germany. He asked the DJ what it was, and learned that it was #1 in the US. – Source: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1414. If you, a relatively unknown artist comes up with a cool “sound” on the recording of your song, you’ll be glad you have protected it with Form SR in case you ever hear someone sample or steal your work. Form PA only protects the basic melodies -generally of the words- and lyrics.)
OK, so after professionally recording the song with full production, you should fill out form SR (it’s recommended you use Form CO for this also, but you’ll check the “Sound recording” box in section 1a).
If you want to use the “old” Form SR, that’s right here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formsr.pdf
Form CO has kind of replaced forms PA & SR, and it’s cheaper to use, so I recommend doing it that way. My guess is that CO Forms are probably processed quicker at the Copyright Office as well.
If you have ANY questions, please feel free to send me a message via this website… I am more than willing to help!
In other news, I’m VERY EXITED that I’ll be singing our national anthem for the Dec. 31, 2010 Milwaukee Wave Game against the Missouri Comets (major league indoor soccer) at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. A friend will be videotaping the performance so hopefully it will be up on my homepage soon afterward. I was fortunate enough to be asked to perform at a high-school basketball game & charity event a few weeks ago, and The Milwaukee Wave was sponsoring the event. I sang the national anthem before that basketball game, and the Milwaukee Wave Goalkeeper Coach, Mark Litton, came up to me after the event, bought one of my CDs, and told me he’d try and help me get a date to sing our anthem before a Wave Game. He was able to hook it up (Thanks, Mark!!!) and now I’m very excited about the opportunity! Hope to see you at the game! Just more evidence of how important it is to JUST BE OUT THERE as a singer/songwriter! Never pass up good opportunities to perform, especially if there could be some important people there!
Been very busy with finding new venues and putting together a permanent lineup for my original band. I also starting playing with a Guns N’ Roses Tribute band, and that’s been a lot of tun! Be sure to check out my schedule at AnnieBMusic.com/showdates/ to see when that band is playing if you’re a fan of GnR!
Hope to see you soon!
:)
Annie B.
(Dec. 17, 2010)
I had 2 different people ask me how to copyright songs at a gig I played yesterday at Honda of Kenosha. It was a great show, and I think everyone at the Honda Event had a great time! I’ve decided to post this copyright information here on this blog, so I can refer people to it anytime!!! PLEASE feel free to send a link to this page to your songwriter friends!!!
First off, you can copyright a GROUP of songs… you DO NOT have to copyright each song individually. At least 50 songs can be copywritten at one time. I’m not sure if you can copyright more, but with the preferred form (Form CO), you are provided up to 50 spaces for different song titles. (If you have as many as 50 songs that you need to copyright, I think it’s best to protect them asap!!!)
The basics are here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
To explain it to you, the form you need to copyright & protect the basic music & lyrics is Form PA, and it’s $65 to use this form. You print it out and after you’ve filled it out, send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpa.pdf
For $50, Form CO replaces Form PA if you use it correctly: You fill this form out ONLINE, THEN print it out after it’s all filled out online, then & sign it. Send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics… here is the link: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/notice.html – you need to download the form (there’s a link at the bottom) and then fill it out online, etc. The instructions are right there. For copyrighting your basic songs, check the “Performing Arts” box in section 1a. (Then, when you’ve recorded the song professionally with full production, drums, bass guitar, harmonies, or any other things the song called for when you were in the studio, all these “sounds” will be protected when you copyright the song AGAIN, this time using From SR. If you only have a fully-produced song to copyright, you may as well use Form SR, or Form CO with function of protecting the sound recording. This will protect both the basic song [music & lyrics] AND all the extra “bells & whistles” in your fully produced recording.)
OK, so this will protect the basic melodies and lyrics. This should be done as soon as you have a number of songs that you can send in (even if it’s only a few songs… although you can certainly copyright just one song,) which will protect you if anyone hears it and tries to steal it by hearing it on a YouTube performance of the basic song by the artist, or at a live performance.
Once the song is recorded professionally, you need to protect the full production sounds, including guitar licks and other “sounds” you need to protect. (A great example here is the bass line on “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, but Vanilla Ice never got permission to use it. No lawsuit was filed, but it is likely that Vanilla Ice agreed to pay Queen and Bowie a settlement. According to industry insider Hans Ebert, Brian May of Queen first heard this song in a disco in Germany. He asked the DJ what it was, and learned that it was #1 in the US. – Source: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1414. If you, a relatively unknown artist comes up with a cool “sound” on the recording of your song, you’ll be glad you have protected it with Form SR in case you ever hear someone sample or steal your work. Form PA only protects the basic melodies -generally of the words- and lyrics.)
OK, so after professionally recording the song with full production, you should fill out form SR (it’s recommended you use Form CO for this also, but you’ll check the “Sound recording” box in section 1a).
If you want to use the “old” Form SR, that’s right here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formsr.pdf
Form CO has kind of replaced forms PA & SR, and it’s cheaper to use, so I recommend doing it that way. My guess is that CO Forms are probably processed quicker at the Copyright Office as well.
If you have ANY questions, please feel free to send me a message via this website… I am more than willing to help!
In other news, I’m VERY EXITED that I’ll be singing our national anthem for the Dec. 31, 2010 Milwaukee Wave Game against the Missouri Comets (major league indoor soccer) at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. A friend will be videotaping the performance so hopefully it will be up on my homepage soon afterward. I was fortunate enough to be asked to perform at a high-school basketball game & charity event a few weeks ago, and The Milwaukee Wave was sponsoring the event. I sang the national anthem before that basketball game, and the Milwaukee Wave Goalkeeper Coach, Mark Litton, came up to me after the event, bought one of my CDs, and told me he’d try and help me get a date to sing our anthem before a Wave Game. He was able to hook it up (Thanks, Mark!!!) and now I’m very excited about the opportunity! Hope to see you at the game! Just more evidence of how important it is to JUST BE OUT THERE as a singer/songwriter! Never pass up good opportunities to perform, especially if there could be some important people there!
Been very busy with finding new venues and putting together a permanent lineup for my original band. I also starting playing with a Guns N’ Roses Tribute band, and that’s been a lot of tun! Be sure to check out my schedule at AnnieBMusic.com/showdates/ to see when that band is playing if you’re a fan of GnR!
Hope to see you soon!
:)
Annie B.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Day 613
Post #32 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Creating Your Creative Space Part 2
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
OK, so you may be wondering, "What ever happened to that plan to get organized and feng shui and all that?" Well, I am happy to report that I've successfully moved forward and have cleared the dining room, so that I can work on projects temporarily and then pack it up at the end of the time set aside for that project that day, leaving my dining room for my boyfriend and I to enjoy (or to just notice that it's not cluttered!!!) The spare bedroom has successfully been converted to my new office (much thanks to Dave Rossignol who helped me move the bed and other furniture ouuta' there including my Mom & Dad's antique secretary desk)!! The new office isn't quite feng-shui-ready yet, but I will give you the progress soon! In the meantime, I have found a whole travel bag of junk including old sets of USED strings I kept in case of a broken string at a gig!!! This system used to come in quite handy when I first started traveling all over the U.S. and played way too hard with too heavy a pick. I used to break a string at almost every gig. I guess I used to think it was cool..... I was a mean-ass guitarist, breaking strings all the time, right? (Wrong!!!) I finally learned that it was much better to play with the right guage pick and to have a few different guage NEW strings on hand in case of a broken string at a gig. I guess I thought it was better to have used strings to replace a broken string at a gig since then the string would be nice & stretched out and would stay in tune. But strings DO go bad after awhile, believe it or not! I found out not too long ago they do have an expiration date... like spoiled milk!!! Besides, who wants to play an old, dirty, dull, worn out string besides Eric Clapton??? Not me, I'm not talented enough to make those old strings sound good!!
So, moving forward and I'll soon have my new office ready to rock and will be back in business with all sorts of new gigs and opportunities. Like Jamie Lee said, you have to keep things orderly in order to have time for the things that are REALLY important!!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
OK, so you may be wondering, "What ever happened to that plan to get organized and feng shui and all that?" Well, I am happy to report that I've successfully moved forward and have cleared the dining room, so that I can work on projects temporarily and then pack it up at the end of the time set aside for that project that day, leaving my dining room for my boyfriend and I to enjoy (or to just notice that it's not cluttered!!!) The spare bedroom has successfully been converted to my new office (much thanks to Dave Rossignol who helped me move the bed and other furniture ouuta' there including my Mom & Dad's antique secretary desk)!! The new office isn't quite feng-shui-ready yet, but I will give you the progress soon! In the meantime, I have found a whole travel bag of junk including old sets of USED strings I kept in case of a broken string at a gig!!! This system used to come in quite handy when I first started traveling all over the U.S. and played way too hard with too heavy a pick. I used to break a string at almost every gig. I guess I used to think it was cool..... I was a mean-ass guitarist, breaking strings all the time, right? (Wrong!!!) I finally learned that it was much better to play with the right guage pick and to have a few different guage NEW strings on hand in case of a broken string at a gig. I guess I thought it was better to have used strings to replace a broken string at a gig since then the string would be nice & stretched out and would stay in tune. But strings DO go bad after awhile, believe it or not! I found out not too long ago they do have an expiration date... like spoiled milk!!! Besides, who wants to play an old, dirty, dull, worn out string besides Eric Clapton??? Not me, I'm not talented enough to make those old strings sound good!!
So, moving forward and I'll soon have my new office ready to rock and will be back in business with all sorts of new gigs and opportunities. Like Jamie Lee said, you have to keep things orderly in order to have time for the things that are REALLY important!!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Day 603
Post #31 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Creating Your Creative Space
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
These last several weeks have been spent organizing & submitting papers, tax documents, and other documents regarding my father's passing. I hired an organizing service a week or two ago; I was so overwhelmed with everything. I have had stuff & papers (& still have) in boxes since I left L.A. in 2006, and I am finally trying to empty ALL those boxes and find a place for everything. That's been my problem since I left L.A. in a frenzied scurry-hurry in 2006... I didn't even have time to finish packing everything... a friend of mine finished for me (Thanks, Roger!!), and when I returned to my boxes and threw them in the back of a pickup in 2007, I thought I'd unpack them all sometime before 2010!!!!! Living on the road and moving umpteen times in the last few years has prevented me from unpacking. It's time now. And I'm a little scared of what I am about to face.
The organizing guy organized one big banker's box of papers in about 2 hours, and it felt really good to just get through that one box. He helped me see that it's just a matter of doing it. It's really not all that complicated. It's just a pain in the rear & VERY BORING. I have some of that "hoarder" tendency in my family, and I can see it with how I have kept so many things that I just will not be needing anytime ever. I still have a box full of papers, publications/magazines, & other contacts I collected from SXSW (THE BIGGEST music industry conference in the U.S.) in 2006. Will I ever need any of those contacts? Will any of that stuff be useful to me at anytime? I guess I will never know unless I bust open the box and start looking. Oh, and THROW AWAY (recycle, that is) the papers & stuff that does not apply to me anymore.
What I AM learning through this whole process is that I am feeling a LOT better about getting rid of some of the clutter, and I'm slowly but surely finding more time for the important things, like vocal practice at home, keyboard drills and exercises, and working on the MUSIC part of my career as a musician. Remember the blog I wrote not too long ago about honing your craft? Well, it's very hard to hone your craft when your brain is bogged down with trying to figure out how to fit it all in to your busy day. There must be SPACE. Space in your home and in your HEAD. I picked up a recent issue Good Housekeeping (does that mean I'm old???) with Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover... the article was on her sharing her secrets on how she keeps her home tidy & organized, and how that allows her to do the things that are IMPORTANT. I used to think, "Ok, I can see I need to send this guy a CD in the mail, but I'll do that later tonight; the daytime hours are for phone calls & e-mails." And I HONESTLY thought that was the right way to go about things... make the best use of those 9-5 "business hours" contacting those 9-5 people (press people, radio people, talent buyers, etc), and the "other stuff" should be done later in the evening... because it wasn't crucial that those things were done in the daytime hours. I used to make a list of the things I needed to do that evening. Like work on my MySpace page, address envelopes for CDs to mail, and print out press kits & posters. Tell me: Do you think that "evening" stuff ever got done? HELL NO! I would get so disorganized with my backwards & disorganized multi-tasking, that by the end of the day, the list of things to do would be lost, or WAY TOO LONG to actually begin to tackle. I could make you a list of things on my radar screen right now and you tell me... does this list look like anything you'd get within 20 miles of?
1. Answer Facebook friend requests (I now have over 250) - this ALONE would take HOURS.
2. Enter e-mail addresses from mailing list sign-up sheets from my last 10+ shows (I am serious... I have NO IDEA why I don't enter these as soon as I get home after a gig... oh, wait... sometimes I am too tired from driving home 90 minutes after a 4-hour gig.) These have seriously piled up.
3. Review footage from Bay View Bash performance
4. Review footage from Lindenfest performance with UA (I don't even know what I did with the DVD at this point!)
5. Get chords & lyrics printed for "Ain't No Sunshine," American Honey," any song from Neil Young, any song from Lady Gaga, Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and practice "Give a Little Bit" from Supertramp.
6. Follow up with talent buyer from Potawatomi Casino.
7. Continue to research venues for CD Release Party in Milwaukee.
8. Figure out how to create playlists on my mp3 player.
9. Make a better sign for my CD sales at shows.
10. Burn promo CDs for The Kiwi Cafe
11. Create artwork for Kiwi Cafe Promo CDs
12. Review potential gigs/opportunities for submission via Sonicbids
13. Artbeat: Thank You letters for 2010 season. Start planning for 2011.
And the list goes on.
So it's no wonder why I can't seem to make the headway I'd like to make. I don't have any SYSTEMS in place. So, I've allowed myself to get caught up in all the stuff that needs to get done, with out actually doing any of it. I have piles of notes here & there, and lots of them get lost, ignored, and certainly forgotten. There needs to be a FLOW to my work and my workSPACE. It starts with just tackling that first box, like the organizing guy did. I can't beat myself up for not having all my tax documents ready for the tax lady, even though, I consider my taxes to be done as best as they can be. I'll submit my papers and see what she says. That will have to do for now!
So, the organizing guy asked me if I ever used feng shui to organize my work space. I know about it, but have not utilized the principles. How can I utilize feng shui if I can't get organized enough to find the space?
Like I said before, the thing to do is to just DO IT. Will things "fall into place" as the saying goes??? I hope so. Back to the act of doing the work. It's all fine & dandy if I sit here blog about it, about the work that I must do, want to do, or actually do. DOING it is the most important thing, however. So I'll finish up the day by cleaning up the dining room table that I have EVERY REASON TO CLEAN UP, now that my taxes are done. Wish me luck with the feng shui!!!!!!!!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
These last several weeks have been spent organizing & submitting papers, tax documents, and other documents regarding my father's passing. I hired an organizing service a week or two ago; I was so overwhelmed with everything. I have had stuff & papers (& still have) in boxes since I left L.A. in 2006, and I am finally trying to empty ALL those boxes and find a place for everything. That's been my problem since I left L.A. in a frenzied scurry-hurry in 2006... I didn't even have time to finish packing everything... a friend of mine finished for me (Thanks, Roger!!), and when I returned to my boxes and threw them in the back of a pickup in 2007, I thought I'd unpack them all sometime before 2010!!!!! Living on the road and moving umpteen times in the last few years has prevented me from unpacking. It's time now. And I'm a little scared of what I am about to face.
The organizing guy organized one big banker's box of papers in about 2 hours, and it felt really good to just get through that one box. He helped me see that it's just a matter of doing it. It's really not all that complicated. It's just a pain in the rear & VERY BORING. I have some of that "hoarder" tendency in my family, and I can see it with how I have kept so many things that I just will not be needing anytime ever. I still have a box full of papers, publications/magazines, & other contacts I collected from SXSW (THE BIGGEST music industry conference in the U.S.) in 2006. Will I ever need any of those contacts? Will any of that stuff be useful to me at anytime? I guess I will never know unless I bust open the box and start looking. Oh, and THROW AWAY (recycle, that is) the papers & stuff that does not apply to me anymore.
What I AM learning through this whole process is that I am feeling a LOT better about getting rid of some of the clutter, and I'm slowly but surely finding more time for the important things, like vocal practice at home, keyboard drills and exercises, and working on the MUSIC part of my career as a musician. Remember the blog I wrote not too long ago about honing your craft? Well, it's very hard to hone your craft when your brain is bogged down with trying to figure out how to fit it all in to your busy day. There must be SPACE. Space in your home and in your HEAD. I picked up a recent issue Good Housekeeping (does that mean I'm old???) with Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover... the article was on her sharing her secrets on how she keeps her home tidy & organized, and how that allows her to do the things that are IMPORTANT. I used to think, "Ok, I can see I need to send this guy a CD in the mail, but I'll do that later tonight; the daytime hours are for phone calls & e-mails." And I HONESTLY thought that was the right way to go about things... make the best use of those 9-5 "business hours" contacting those 9-5 people (press people, radio people, talent buyers, etc), and the "other stuff" should be done later in the evening... because it wasn't crucial that those things were done in the daytime hours. I used to make a list of the things I needed to do that evening. Like work on my MySpace page, address envelopes for CDs to mail, and print out press kits & posters. Tell me: Do you think that "evening" stuff ever got done? HELL NO! I would get so disorganized with my backwards & disorganized multi-tasking, that by the end of the day, the list of things to do would be lost, or WAY TOO LONG to actually begin to tackle. I could make you a list of things on my radar screen right now and you tell me... does this list look like anything you'd get within 20 miles of?
1. Answer Facebook friend requests (I now have over 250) - this ALONE would take HOURS.
2. Enter e-mail addresses from mailing list sign-up sheets from my last 10+ shows (I am serious... I have NO IDEA why I don't enter these as soon as I get home after a gig... oh, wait... sometimes I am too tired from driving home 90 minutes after a 4-hour gig.) These have seriously piled up.
3. Review footage from Bay View Bash performance
4. Review footage from Lindenfest performance with UA (I don't even know what I did with the DVD at this point!)
5. Get chords & lyrics printed for "Ain't No Sunshine," American Honey," any song from Neil Young, any song from Lady Gaga, Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and practice "Give a Little Bit" from Supertramp.
6. Follow up with talent buyer from Potawatomi Casino.
7. Continue to research venues for CD Release Party in Milwaukee.
8. Figure out how to create playlists on my mp3 player.
9. Make a better sign for my CD sales at shows.
10. Burn promo CDs for The Kiwi Cafe
11. Create artwork for Kiwi Cafe Promo CDs
12. Review potential gigs/opportunities for submission via Sonicbids
13. Artbeat: Thank You letters for 2010 season. Start planning for 2011.
And the list goes on.
So it's no wonder why I can't seem to make the headway I'd like to make. I don't have any SYSTEMS in place. So, I've allowed myself to get caught up in all the stuff that needs to get done, with out actually doing any of it. I have piles of notes here & there, and lots of them get lost, ignored, and certainly forgotten. There needs to be a FLOW to my work and my workSPACE. It starts with just tackling that first box, like the organizing guy did. I can't beat myself up for not having all my tax documents ready for the tax lady, even though, I consider my taxes to be done as best as they can be. I'll submit my papers and see what she says. That will have to do for now!
So, the organizing guy asked me if I ever used feng shui to organize my work space. I know about it, but have not utilized the principles. How can I utilize feng shui if I can't get organized enough to find the space?
Like I said before, the thing to do is to just DO IT. Will things "fall into place" as the saying goes??? I hope so. Back to the act of doing the work. It's all fine & dandy if I sit here blog about it, about the work that I must do, want to do, or actually do. DOING it is the most important thing, however. So I'll finish up the day by cleaning up the dining room table that I have EVERY REASON TO CLEAN UP, now that my taxes are done. Wish me luck with the feng shui!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Day 541
Started my list to submit The Kiwi Cafe for review:
The Shepherd Express
The Isthmus (Madison)
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Cue Section)
Third Coast Digest (online)
Milwaukee Magazine
Riverwest Currents
UWM Post
Marquette Tribune
(Network: Hayden House of Healing)
National Publications:
Filer Magazine
Blurt Magazine
Spin (Indie releases section)
Rolling Stone (Indie releases section)
VCT: Lilly's (Chicago)
Rock Island Cafe (Neenah, WI)
The Shepherd Express
The Isthmus (Madison)
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Cue Section)
Third Coast Digest (online)
Milwaukee Magazine
Riverwest Currents
UWM Post
Marquette Tribune
(Network: Hayden House of Healing)
National Publications:
Filer Magazine
Blurt Magazine
Spin (Indie releases section)
Rolling Stone (Indie releases section)
VCT: Lilly's (Chicago)
Rock Island Cafe (Neenah, WI)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Day 539
Post #28 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Making a Living as a Successful Toruing Singer/Songwriter
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
There is a really cool online community of female artists called GoGirls Music. They have a yahoo group and one of the posts was: "Acoustic tour advice". I figured, "I can offer a lot of good advice.... I think I'll respond to this."
I am also posting it here in case you are interested in finding out more about how I got to where I am today. This would be of particular interest to you if you are thinking about going on tour as a solo artist yourself! I hope you enjoy, and pass it on to a friend who is a singer/songwriter!!!
I have added two things to this list... in the DON'Ts list... the last two were added as I posted it to my blog here.
HERE WE GO:
I lived in my car for a year in 2006 and that's when I and learned how to make a living playing music... on the road. And now I make a living playing mostly in WI & Northern IL. The first time you do it, just plan ahead as many dates as you can, and DON'T be afraid to call venues a few days before or even the DAY OF your arrival in any given town.
DO:
1. Learn plenty of cover songs in addition to REALLY OWNING your originals... have as much music to perform as possible. I've already had a guy give me a $100 tip to "Keep playing" after I had played for 4 hours that evening.... he just got there and wanted me to keep going with the live music. I played for 2 more hours, playing every single song I knew that evening, only repeating about 3 or 4 songs. After tips & CD sales, I made about $300 that night. People who you play for your first time out will not be familiar with your originals, so you need to entice them with some covers that will blend in with your originals. They will put money in your tip jar asking for a certain song or a certain artist, and if you can "sell them" a different song from that artist, or a song from a similar artist, they'll be happy.
2. THIS IS HUGE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR FIRST TIME OUT: DO NOT rely on making money in big cities or even medium-sized towns. Stay with the small towns to rely on making money... bars & restaurants in these towns will most likely NOT already have music booked, and they are much happier to have you come down and play, and they might even pay you if you end up keeping people there who would not normally hang out late. They might just do it for the heck of it, since many bar owners are often open to trying something new, or they like to help the "little guy" since they are one of the "little guys". If you call a bar/restaurant (non-corporate... avoid Applebees and the like, of course!) in a small town, you're more likely to get the owner or the manager who can make that decision last-minute.... making it easier for you to get last-minute gigs. DO play some opening slots in big cities but do not expect to make much money. It's good exposure, though, to play a reputable venue in a big city, so find a good BALANCE between money-making gigs, and "exposure" gigs.
3. Book as many gigs as you possibly can while you're "on tour", leaving zero to to two nights off per week. This will keep you MOTIVATED to make some more calls that next morning when you wake up.
4. When booking, ask the bar owner if you can crash on one of the bartenders' couches. More than likely, they will be able to hook you up (and may feel especially obligated if you are playing for tips only). I can't tell you how many perfect strangers' couches I have slept on and was treated like gold, sometimes even the bar owner, but usually someone who worked at the bar... these people are trustworthy, or the bar owner would not have hooked you up to crash with them.
5. DO NOT BE AFRAID to HUSTLE THE CRAP OUT OF YOUR CDs AND YOUR TIP JAR (if the bar owner does not mind)!!!!!!!! This saved my ass.... I went up to every single person during my break and told them, "I'm working for tips tonight... I'm worth a buck, right???" Or, "You are REALLY gonna love my CD... I promise... it's just like what you've been listening to tonight!" VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION = Artists at the level we are at will sell most of their CDs at live shows, NOT online, NOT in record stores, and NOT out of their trunks, unless you're a hip-hop artist. My band in Los Angeles sold less than 100 CDs in 2005 (when our CD came out), and when I left L.A. to live out on the road, I sold the rest of those 800+ CDs (we gave lots away for promotional purposes, but I had about 800 left when I left to hit the road in 2006) in about 15 months. At $10 per CD, that's $8,000+ in 15 months = $533+ per month in CD sales alone. My mistake is that I did not re-order more CDs when I sold out. I could have easily made another $10,000 in another year.
6. The more merch you have to sell = THE MORE MERCH YOU WILL SELL. Purchases of CDs or other merch from the person playing at the bar/festival/restaurant/coffeehouse are ALWAYS IMPULSE purchases. This means they like you, and they want to have something to remember you by, and it's kind of on a whim. If you have a CD, they may or may not buy it, depending on if they want to spend that extra $10 they may need for beer. If you have CHOICES for them, they feel like they're "going shopping" (which is soooooooo much for fun, especially for girls.... we LOVE to shop) like a keychain for $2, a sticker for $1, or even a Tshirt for $15 or ball cap for $20 (in addition to those CDs,) they might just buy that $15 Tshirt instead of your CD (which is fine... take it!), OR you can do a special deal... CDs are $10 but a CD AND A Tshirt is $20........... get it? Or, with any purchase, you'll get a free sticker!!!!
7. BE SURE to be a part of the CDBaby Credit Card Swiper Program, so you can accept credit cards!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL SELL MORE IF YOU CAN TAKE CREDIT CARDS. I have found that about 1/10 of every credit card sale does not go through. This is due to the fact that you cannot actually run the card at the time of purchase... you have to mail in the carbon slip to CDBaby and track the sale on CDBaby. If you do not have your CDs for sale on CDBaby, you are MISSING OUT ON A LOT OF TOOLS to help you. GO TO: http://cdbaby.net and get your CD on there!!!!!
8. CREATE An 8 1/2 x 11 POSTER on your photo editing software on your computer for EVERY GIG and e-mail it to the talent buyer (owner/manager) and ask him/her to post it as far ahead of time as possible. Even if you book something the day before... it might spark the interest of a few of the patrons who go there every day after work.
9. Bring a pillow and blanket for those "sleep in your car" nights. Investigate where to stay, like truck stops that are OPEN & LIGHTED all night long. DO NOT STAY IN REST AREAS... THEY ARE UNSAFE. You should take the key out of your ignition since it's actually illegal to have your key in your ignition, or be sitting in the driver's seat (even with no key in the ignition) if you are sleeping in your car.
10. Eliminate bringing a huge P.A.... you can easily get away with a head and two speakers for almost any venue. I rarely use monitors. Those new BOSE towers are really nice and easily portable. MAKE THE INVESTMENT FOR SMALLER/LIGHTER EQUIPMENT NOW. YOU WILL MAKE YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU WORK AT IT, and you will save your back, and LOTS of gas money, by avoiding using a trailer. Get good at "playing Tetris" in the packing your gear. Invest in those wonderful bags for your stands... they will make all your gigs and your life so much easier!
11. EAT AS HEALTHY AS YOU CAN. Bring a small cooler and stock it with tortillas, cold cuts, and cheese. You'll save $$$ on food, you'll eat healthier, and YOU'LL FEEL BETTER! Grab an apple, banana, and orange at the truck stop rather than a Snickers bar & a bag of chips. Look for the package of 2 Pop Tarts, the Nature Valley Granola bars, the vanilla ice cream bar, instead of the cookies or M&Ms. They have fruit at lots of gas stations, believe it or not!
12. KEEP A RUNNING DATABASE of ALL venues contacted, all communications & dates of communications, all agreements and dates booked, guarantees paid, tips made, CD/other merch sales, and contact people's names/phone numbers/e-mails addresses.
13. JUST LIKE YOU HUSTLE CDs & merch, HUSTLE to collect e-mail addresses of every person in that bar. Keep a good list of e-mail contacts according to city.
14. BE SURE TO ASK THE TALENT BUYER/OWNER: Can I have a tip jar? Do you mind if I go table-to-table during my breaks to collect e-mail addresses and tell people about my CDs? If you prefer I don't, do you mind if I leave a card on every table asking people to fill out their e-mail address? GET A BOX OF THOSE LITTLE GOLF PENCILS and create cards to put on every table for every gig, even if you end up going table-to-table. BUT ALWAYS ASK THE BAR OWNER/MAGANER permission for anything you want to sell or do in addition to performing at their venue.
15. NETWORK WITH OTHER BANDS/ARTISTS!!!!!!! This will help you in finding a place to crash, in getting a better gig in that town, and in getting people to that gig! Gig-swapping is HUGE and a great way to build your fanbase... when you open for a band/artist in their town, they are more likely to tell their friends & fans about you. BE SURE to do the same for them when they are ready to play a gig in YOUR town.
16. Bring your computer and make sure you have somewhere to log on every day... there's so many free wi-fi spots even in small towns, you should be able to log on every day... check your e-mail to make sure your poster went through, book another gig for those open slots you still have in your schedule, log on to FACEBOOK and create an event page for EVERY GIG, and invite your friend(s) who live in that area and ASK THEM TO INVITE ALL THEIR FRIENDS!!!!!!!! KEEP EVERYONE ON A LIST on Facebook, according to what city/town (or state?) they live in.
DON'TS:
1. DON'T invite all your Facebook friends to all your gigs while on tour, asking them to invite their friends who live in those cities. They will stop opening your invites.
2. DON'T set yourself up to have to drive more than 6 hours in one day, unless you DO NOT have a gig that night. It will exhaust you and you will not be able to perform at your best that night.
3. DON'T be afraid to call and ask to play at a bar at the last minute. Call & ask for the owner or manager and WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, tell them you're traveling and you have an opening, and you'd rather work for tips than not work at all.
4. DON'T get offended when someone turns you down for a gig. BE POLITE and tell them you appreciate their time & consideration, and maybe you can work something out next time you are in town.
5. DON'T get drunk every night after or during (or especially, before) your gigs!!! This will KILL you and you might even end up canceling gigs due to your hangovers!!!
6. If this is your first tour, DON'T ASSUME YOU ARE AN ARTIST WHO IS TOUR-READY. Prepare for this tour physically... if you are a singer, your body & your vocal cords are your instruments, and you need to TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THEM!! You will find that unless you are used to performing 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 nights in a row, your voice will get tired very quickly unless you have learned how to sing properly for hours, and for several days in a row. The best advice I have for someone who's never done it before is to start small... start with no more than 3 gigs in a row, no more than 2-3 hours per night, and then have a night off. You will learn what your limitations are, and you will learn what to do and what not to do (like drinking heavily at gigs!) as you go. I also advise that your learn how to strengthen your voice with voice lessons. Take some voice lessons before your tour, and spend good money for the RIGHT vocal coach for YOU. Many voice teachers don't tour, they teach a few days per week, and they can't advise you on how to strengthen your voice so it's tour-ready. Look for a voice teacher that can advise you on how to become tour-ready. This is KEY to the success of your tour. You want to KICK ASS every night of your tour. You don't want your voice to be weak, you want it to be STRONG at every gig, for the duration of the entire evening. I've had pop, blues & jazz, and operatic vocal instruction, and the operatic training was the best instruction for vocal strengthening, in my experience. Opera singers need to be able to sing with amazing power & endurance, or they don't make the cut. The best rock singers have had operatic training, including Pat Benatar, Ann Wilson, and Steve Perry.
I hope that helps!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE feel free to visit my blog to find out more about my experiences MAKING A LIVING AS A SINGER/SONGWRITER: http://anniebmusic.com/category/blog/page/3/ - - Scroll down to the bottom and start with "DAY 1" and read on until you just don't want to read anymore!!!
I learned how to make a living as a singer/songwriter in 2006, when I left L.A. to live in my car, and I did that for about a year. I then moved to Austin, TX, and still traveled/toured a lot, then back to my hometown of Milwaukee, WI in 2008 when my mom went into the hospital. Now that it's been 4 years, I still schedule a tour about once a year, and I've built up a good database of gigs that pay well, and a whole lot of other contacts and opportunities for future tours.
I still make a living as a singer/songwriter today, and my current goals for this year are to (1) make a BETTER living as a singer/songwriter, and (2) to get more recognition as an original artist and to sell more CDs and get better gigs opening for bigger acts.
My name is Annie B.
Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)
Annie B.
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
There is a really cool online community of female artists called GoGirls Music. They have a yahoo group and one of the posts was: "Acoustic tour advice". I figured, "I can offer a lot of good advice.... I think I'll respond to this."
I am also posting it here in case you are interested in finding out more about how I got to where I am today. This would be of particular interest to you if you are thinking about going on tour as a solo artist yourself! I hope you enjoy, and pass it on to a friend who is a singer/songwriter!!!
I have added two things to this list... in the DON'Ts list... the last two were added as I posted it to my blog here.
HERE WE GO:
I lived in my car for a year in 2006 and that's when I and learned how to make a living playing music... on the road. And now I make a living playing mostly in WI & Northern IL. The first time you do it, just plan ahead as many dates as you can, and DON'T be afraid to call venues a few days before or even the DAY OF your arrival in any given town.
DO:
1. Learn plenty of cover songs in addition to REALLY OWNING your originals... have as much music to perform as possible. I've already had a guy give me a $100 tip to "Keep playing" after I had played for 4 hours that evening.... he just got there and wanted me to keep going with the live music. I played for 2 more hours, playing every single song I knew that evening, only repeating about 3 or 4 songs. After tips & CD sales, I made about $300 that night. People who you play for your first time out will not be familiar with your originals, so you need to entice them with some covers that will blend in with your originals. They will put money in your tip jar asking for a certain song or a certain artist, and if you can "sell them" a different song from that artist, or a song from a similar artist, they'll be happy.
2. THIS IS HUGE, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR FIRST TIME OUT: DO NOT rely on making money in big cities or even medium-sized towns. Stay with the small towns to rely on making money... bars & restaurants in these towns will most likely NOT already have music booked, and they are much happier to have you come down and play, and they might even pay you if you end up keeping people there who would not normally hang out late. They might just do it for the heck of it, since many bar owners are often open to trying something new, or they like to help the "little guy" since they are one of the "little guys". If you call a bar/restaurant (non-corporate... avoid Applebees and the like, of course!) in a small town, you're more likely to get the owner or the manager who can make that decision last-minute.... making it easier for you to get last-minute gigs. DO play some opening slots in big cities but do not expect to make much money. It's good exposure, though, to play a reputable venue in a big city, so find a good BALANCE between money-making gigs, and "exposure" gigs.
3. Book as many gigs as you possibly can while you're "on tour", leaving zero to to two nights off per week. This will keep you MOTIVATED to make some more calls that next morning when you wake up.
4. When booking, ask the bar owner if you can crash on one of the bartenders' couches. More than likely, they will be able to hook you up (and may feel especially obligated if you are playing for tips only). I can't tell you how many perfect strangers' couches I have slept on and was treated like gold, sometimes even the bar owner, but usually someone who worked at the bar... these people are trustworthy, or the bar owner would not have hooked you up to crash with them.
5. DO NOT BE AFRAID to HUSTLE THE CRAP OUT OF YOUR CDs AND YOUR TIP JAR (if the bar owner does not mind)!!!!!!!! This saved my ass.... I went up to every single person during my break and told them, "I'm working for tips tonight... I'm worth a buck, right???" Or, "You are REALLY gonna love my CD... I promise... it's just like what you've been listening to tonight!" VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION = Artists at the level we are at will sell most of their CDs at live shows, NOT online, NOT in record stores, and NOT out of their trunks, unless you're a hip-hop artist. My band in Los Angeles sold less than 100 CDs in 2005 (when our CD came out), and when I left L.A. to live out on the road, I sold the rest of those 800+ CDs (we gave lots away for promotional purposes, but I had about 800 left when I left to hit the road in 2006) in about 15 months. At $10 per CD, that's $8,000+ in 15 months = $533+ per month in CD sales alone. My mistake is that I did not re-order more CDs when I sold out. I could have easily made another $10,000 in another year.
6. The more merch you have to sell = THE MORE MERCH YOU WILL SELL. Purchases of CDs or other merch from the person playing at the bar/festival/restaurant/coffeehouse are ALWAYS IMPULSE purchases. This means they like you, and they want to have something to remember you by, and it's kind of on a whim. If you have a CD, they may or may not buy it, depending on if they want to spend that extra $10 they may need for beer. If you have CHOICES for them, they feel like they're "going shopping" (which is soooooooo much for fun, especially for girls.... we LOVE to shop) like a keychain for $2, a sticker for $1, or even a Tshirt for $15 or ball cap for $20 (in addition to those CDs,) they might just buy that $15 Tshirt instead of your CD (which is fine... take it!), OR you can do a special deal... CDs are $10 but a CD AND A Tshirt is $20........... get it? Or, with any purchase, you'll get a free sticker!!!!
7. BE SURE to be a part of the CDBaby Credit Card Swiper Program, so you can accept credit cards!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL SELL MORE IF YOU CAN TAKE CREDIT CARDS. I have found that about 1/10 of every credit card sale does not go through. This is due to the fact that you cannot actually run the card at the time of purchase... you have to mail in the carbon slip to CDBaby and track the sale on CDBaby. If you do not have your CDs for sale on CDBaby, you are MISSING OUT ON A LOT OF TOOLS to help you. GO TO: http://cdbaby.net and get your CD on there!!!!!
8. CREATE An 8 1/2 x 11 POSTER on your photo editing software on your computer for EVERY GIG and e-mail it to the talent buyer (owner/manager) and ask him/her to post it as far ahead of time as possible. Even if you book something the day before... it might spark the interest of a few of the patrons who go there every day after work.
9. Bring a pillow and blanket for those "sleep in your car" nights. Investigate where to stay, like truck stops that are OPEN & LIGHTED all night long. DO NOT STAY IN REST AREAS... THEY ARE UNSAFE. You should take the key out of your ignition since it's actually illegal to have your key in your ignition, or be sitting in the driver's seat (even with no key in the ignition) if you are sleeping in your car.
10. Eliminate bringing a huge P.A.... you can easily get away with a head and two speakers for almost any venue. I rarely use monitors. Those new BOSE towers are really nice and easily portable. MAKE THE INVESTMENT FOR SMALLER/LIGHTER EQUIPMENT NOW. YOU WILL MAKE YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU WORK AT IT, and you will save your back, and LOTS of gas money, by avoiding using a trailer. Get good at "playing Tetris" in the packing your gear. Invest in those wonderful bags for your stands... they will make all your gigs and your life so much easier!
11. EAT AS HEALTHY AS YOU CAN. Bring a small cooler and stock it with tortillas, cold cuts, and cheese. You'll save $$$ on food, you'll eat healthier, and YOU'LL FEEL BETTER! Grab an apple, banana, and orange at the truck stop rather than a Snickers bar & a bag of chips. Look for the package of 2 Pop Tarts, the Nature Valley Granola bars, the vanilla ice cream bar, instead of the cookies or M&Ms. They have fruit at lots of gas stations, believe it or not!
12. KEEP A RUNNING DATABASE of ALL venues contacted, all communications & dates of communications, all agreements and dates booked, guarantees paid, tips made, CD/other merch sales, and contact people's names/phone numbers/e-mails addresses.
13. JUST LIKE YOU HUSTLE CDs & merch, HUSTLE to collect e-mail addresses of every person in that bar. Keep a good list of e-mail contacts according to city.
14. BE SURE TO ASK THE TALENT BUYER/OWNER: Can I have a tip jar? Do you mind if I go table-to-table during my breaks to collect e-mail addresses and tell people about my CDs? If you prefer I don't, do you mind if I leave a card on every table asking people to fill out their e-mail address? GET A BOX OF THOSE LITTLE GOLF PENCILS and create cards to put on every table for every gig, even if you end up going table-to-table. BUT ALWAYS ASK THE BAR OWNER/MAGANER permission for anything you want to sell or do in addition to performing at their venue.
15. NETWORK WITH OTHER BANDS/ARTISTS!!!!!!! This will help you in finding a place to crash, in getting a better gig in that town, and in getting people to that gig! Gig-swapping is HUGE and a great way to build your fanbase... when you open for a band/artist in their town, they are more likely to tell their friends & fans about you. BE SURE to do the same for them when they are ready to play a gig in YOUR town.
16. Bring your computer and make sure you have somewhere to log on every day... there's so many free wi-fi spots even in small towns, you should be able to log on every day... check your e-mail to make sure your poster went through, book another gig for those open slots you still have in your schedule, log on to FACEBOOK and create an event page for EVERY GIG, and invite your friend(s) who live in that area and ASK THEM TO INVITE ALL THEIR FRIENDS!!!!!!!! KEEP EVERYONE ON A LIST on Facebook, according to what city/town (or state?) they live in.
DON'TS:
1. DON'T invite all your Facebook friends to all your gigs while on tour, asking them to invite their friends who live in those cities. They will stop opening your invites.
2. DON'T set yourself up to have to drive more than 6 hours in one day, unless you DO NOT have a gig that night. It will exhaust you and you will not be able to perform at your best that night.
3. DON'T be afraid to call and ask to play at a bar at the last minute. Call & ask for the owner or manager and WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, tell them you're traveling and you have an opening, and you'd rather work for tips than not work at all.
4. DON'T get offended when someone turns you down for a gig. BE POLITE and tell them you appreciate their time & consideration, and maybe you can work something out next time you are in town.
5. DON'T get drunk every night after or during (or especially, before) your gigs!!! This will KILL you and you might even end up canceling gigs due to your hangovers!!!
6. If this is your first tour, DON'T ASSUME YOU ARE AN ARTIST WHO IS TOUR-READY. Prepare for this tour physically... if you are a singer, your body & your vocal cords are your instruments, and you need to TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THEM!! You will find that unless you are used to performing 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 nights in a row, your voice will get tired very quickly unless you have learned how to sing properly for hours, and for several days in a row. The best advice I have for someone who's never done it before is to start small... start with no more than 3 gigs in a row, no more than 2-3 hours per night, and then have a night off. You will learn what your limitations are, and you will learn what to do and what not to do (like drinking heavily at gigs!) as you go. I also advise that your learn how to strengthen your voice with voice lessons. Take some voice lessons before your tour, and spend good money for the RIGHT vocal coach for YOU. Many voice teachers don't tour, they teach a few days per week, and they can't advise you on how to strengthen your voice so it's tour-ready. Look for a voice teacher that can advise you on how to become tour-ready. This is KEY to the success of your tour. You want to KICK ASS every night of your tour. You don't want your voice to be weak, you want it to be STRONG at every gig, for the duration of the entire evening. I've had pop, blues & jazz, and operatic vocal instruction, and the operatic training was the best instruction for vocal strengthening, in my experience. Opera singers need to be able to sing with amazing power & endurance, or they don't make the cut. The best rock singers have had operatic training, including Pat Benatar, Ann Wilson, and Steve Perry.
I hope that helps!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE feel free to visit my blog to find out more about my experiences MAKING A LIVING AS A SINGER/SONGWRITER: http://anniebmusic.com/category/blog/page/3/ - - Scroll down to the bottom and start with "DAY 1" and read on until you just don't want to read anymore!!!
I learned how to make a living as a singer/songwriter in 2006, when I left L.A. to live in my car, and I did that for about a year. I then moved to Austin, TX, and still traveled/toured a lot, then back to my hometown of Milwaukee, WI in 2008 when my mom went into the hospital. Now that it's been 4 years, I still schedule a tour about once a year, and I've built up a good database of gigs that pay well, and a whole lot of other contacts and opportunities for future tours.
I still make a living as a singer/songwriter today, and my current goals for this year are to (1) make a BETTER living as a singer/songwriter, and (2) to get more recognition as an original artist and to sell more CDs and get better gigs opening for bigger acts.
My name is Annie B.
Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)
Annie B.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day 536
Post #27 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
Well, today was another hard day. I got some cards & other stuff in the mail from people sending condolences. One letter was from another Marine, he sent a bunch of articles and poems about the Marines. I started to cry. I am finishing up with all those and will make copies for my family.
It's hard for me to move forward right now... I am feeling kind of stuck... kind of numb, kind of overwhelmed by it all. I have not been to check e-mail for at least a week. Somehow, I got lucky and decided to check my MySpace messages today. I got offered 2 gigs at a venue which is new to me: Magellan's in Waukesha. This girl Stacey used to work at the Coach House and she sent me a MySpace message looking to hire me. I called her we we booked a date in Oct. & one in Nov. I also got a call today from Dee of Almost Famous Booking. She secured a date for me at a place called Towne Square in Trevor, WI. I'm so thankful that I am reaching that point where people are contacting me for gigs and I don't have to bust my ass 8-10 hours a day looking for new venues & contacting old ones, although I really should spend at least an hour or two per day on that. There's plenty of venues that would be new & plenty return venues I would do well at. Like Walker's Pint, Sammy's in East Troy, and lots of others.
I have decided to cancel the Artbeat show in October. I have too much administrative stuff on my plate right now and not enough music-making. Besides the fact that I am dealing with my dad's passing and everything that goes along with that.
I can't remember when is the last time I added a new song to my set... Maybe "I Still Got My Guitar" but that's kind of a novelty song. I keep having songs come to me, and I do what I can to get them recorded in some fashion, but there's too much music coming to me, and not enough follow-through in making these new song ideas into complete songs. I bought a new loop station and have not had a chance to open the box! It's awful, how I have been busting my ass doing all this promotion and networking and poster-making and I still feel like I'm not where I want to me. Is it just a matter of time? I am so thankful that Vic Thomas called me two days ago to offer me a gig at the Bay View Bash. I am sooooooo excited about that... I will play with my new trio, all original music! But I do need to push for new songs. I do need to push for more of a "WOW" effect when I play a show. I feel that I am capable of so much more, but I have not had the time to develop it.
Maybe it's time for me to re-group. I think I need to put all my Artbeat stuff aside right now and get back into my career as an artist. I am a singer/songwriter first & foremost. I am a promoter and a producer of shows secondarily. I need to remember that. Artbeat will be on temporary hiatus until the beginning of next year. I will need to find the perfect balance to make it all happen properly next year; I cannot go on doing how I'm doing things right now. There is something crucial missing in my life right now.
I got a reading from Barbara Kruck at Artbeat in the Heat, and she told me some very interesting things. The main message is that I am on two (or more?) divergent paths right now. She said it's not necessarily a bad thing, but these paths are definitely divergent. I believe that my efforts as a promoter and event planner has taken away from my growth as an artist, and I need to return to my path as an artist.
Sure, I still have spend at least 5-10 hours/week on booking, making posters, and promoting my shows, but perhaps I need to scale it back so it's all about my music right now. More songwriting and rehearsals, more practice and learning how to use that loop station, more vocal exercises and guitar lessons.
I remember when I lived in L.A., I once waited on Helen Hunt... one of my favorite actresses. After she finished her dinner and walked out the door, I thought to myself, "You idiot! Ask her that one question you need to ask her right now, before she gets into the car & drives off and you never get this opportunity again!"
So, I chased her out there, thankful that she was waiting on the porch at the front doors, and I said, "Hey, Helen, I just love your work! I'm so glad I got the chance to wait on you! But I have to ask: If you were asked by people struggling in the business what is the ONE most important thing or key to success... what would you tell them?"
Her answer made SO much sense: "I'd tell them to study, and then study some more, and then go on auditions, and then study some more and study more after that... go on more auditions, and keep studying until you just hate it. And then study some more."
"Thank you!" I said, so excited that her answer applies to artists of every kind. The answer "Hone your craft" is so obvious, but so ignored by so many, including myself.
I've bumped into Jeff Goldblum in the coffeehouse parking lot, I've waited on MY FAVORITE Kurt Russell, Brooke Shields ate at that same restaurant, hell, I hung out with Dave Grohl at Paladino's in the San Fernando Valley and I've spent the whole night drinking with MY VERY FAVORITE Kiefer Sutherland at Joya in Beverly Hills (I have his cell #!!!) But I never asked their advice about how to "make it"!
I have read plenty of books and stuff online, I've gone to seminars and conferences and workshops and all sorts of crap, but getting advice from someone who I admire so much has more of an impact. So many of these "experts" at these conferences really don't know much of anything. There are true experts, but many of these people aren't telling you anything that will really increase your chances of success. They did a big study on this, which I told you about back in October or November of last year. They tell you how to promote, they tell you how to network and you can be taught how to get gigs, but the one thing that will allow you to stand out is if you are BETTER THAN THE REST. And really, there are only two ways to become better than the rest... you are either born with some amazing God-given talents, or you work hard at it for a long time and you continue to work at it every day.
That's my new success strategy. Vocal exercises every day. More guitar lessons. Time writing songs and learning new techniques for songwriting and better playing. I just changed my strings for yesterday's gig. Now is a really good time to find my way down that path.
:)
Annie
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at http://AnnieBMusic.com
THANKS!!!
Well, today was another hard day. I got some cards & other stuff in the mail from people sending condolences. One letter was from another Marine, he sent a bunch of articles and poems about the Marines. I started to cry. I am finishing up with all those and will make copies for my family.
It's hard for me to move forward right now... I am feeling kind of stuck... kind of numb, kind of overwhelmed by it all. I have not been to check e-mail for at least a week. Somehow, I got lucky and decided to check my MySpace messages today. I got offered 2 gigs at a venue which is new to me: Magellan's in Waukesha. This girl Stacey used to work at the Coach House and she sent me a MySpace message looking to hire me. I called her we we booked a date in Oct. & one in Nov. I also got a call today from Dee of Almost Famous Booking. She secured a date for me at a place called Towne Square in Trevor, WI. I'm so thankful that I am reaching that point where people are contacting me for gigs and I don't have to bust my ass 8-10 hours a day looking for new venues & contacting old ones, although I really should spend at least an hour or two per day on that. There's plenty of venues that would be new & plenty return venues I would do well at. Like Walker's Pint, Sammy's in East Troy, and lots of others.
I have decided to cancel the Artbeat show in October. I have too much administrative stuff on my plate right now and not enough music-making. Besides the fact that I am dealing with my dad's passing and everything that goes along with that.
I can't remember when is the last time I added a new song to my set... Maybe "I Still Got My Guitar" but that's kind of a novelty song. I keep having songs come to me, and I do what I can to get them recorded in some fashion, but there's too much music coming to me, and not enough follow-through in making these new song ideas into complete songs. I bought a new loop station and have not had a chance to open the box! It's awful, how I have been busting my ass doing all this promotion and networking and poster-making and I still feel like I'm not where I want to me. Is it just a matter of time? I am so thankful that Vic Thomas called me two days ago to offer me a gig at the Bay View Bash. I am sooooooo excited about that... I will play with my new trio, all original music! But I do need to push for new songs. I do need to push for more of a "WOW" effect when I play a show. I feel that I am capable of so much more, but I have not had the time to develop it.
Maybe it's time for me to re-group. I think I need to put all my Artbeat stuff aside right now and get back into my career as an artist. I am a singer/songwriter first & foremost. I am a promoter and a producer of shows secondarily. I need to remember that. Artbeat will be on temporary hiatus until the beginning of next year. I will need to find the perfect balance to make it all happen properly next year; I cannot go on doing how I'm doing things right now. There is something crucial missing in my life right now.
I got a reading from Barbara Kruck at Artbeat in the Heat, and she told me some very interesting things. The main message is that I am on two (or more?) divergent paths right now. She said it's not necessarily a bad thing, but these paths are definitely divergent. I believe that my efforts as a promoter and event planner has taken away from my growth as an artist, and I need to return to my path as an artist.
Sure, I still have spend at least 5-10 hours/week on booking, making posters, and promoting my shows, but perhaps I need to scale it back so it's all about my music right now. More songwriting and rehearsals, more practice and learning how to use that loop station, more vocal exercises and guitar lessons.
I remember when I lived in L.A., I once waited on Helen Hunt... one of my favorite actresses. After she finished her dinner and walked out the door, I thought to myself, "You idiot! Ask her that one question you need to ask her right now, before she gets into the car & drives off and you never get this opportunity again!"
So, I chased her out there, thankful that she was waiting on the porch at the front doors, and I said, "Hey, Helen, I just love your work! I'm so glad I got the chance to wait on you! But I have to ask: If you were asked by people struggling in the business what is the ONE most important thing or key to success... what would you tell them?"
Her answer made SO much sense: "I'd tell them to study, and then study some more, and then go on auditions, and then study some more and study more after that... go on more auditions, and keep studying until you just hate it. And then study some more."
"Thank you!" I said, so excited that her answer applies to artists of every kind. The answer "Hone your craft" is so obvious, but so ignored by so many, including myself.
I've bumped into Jeff Goldblum in the coffeehouse parking lot, I've waited on MY FAVORITE Kurt Russell, Brooke Shields ate at that same restaurant, hell, I hung out with Dave Grohl at Paladino's in the San Fernando Valley and I've spent the whole night drinking with MY VERY FAVORITE Kiefer Sutherland at Joya in Beverly Hills (I have his cell #!!!) But I never asked their advice about how to "make it"!
I have read plenty of books and stuff online, I've gone to seminars and conferences and workshops and all sorts of crap, but getting advice from someone who I admire so much has more of an impact. So many of these "experts" at these conferences really don't know much of anything. There are true experts, but many of these people aren't telling you anything that will really increase your chances of success. They did a big study on this, which I told you about back in October or November of last year. They tell you how to promote, they tell you how to network and you can be taught how to get gigs, but the one thing that will allow you to stand out is if you are BETTER THAN THE REST. And really, there are only two ways to become better than the rest... you are either born with some amazing God-given talents, or you work hard at it for a long time and you continue to work at it every day.
That's my new success strategy. Vocal exercises every day. More guitar lessons. Time writing songs and learning new techniques for songwriting and better playing. I just changed my strings for yesterday's gig. Now is a really good time to find my way down that path.
:)
Annie
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Day 534
My dad passed away last Thursday. Dad was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. The hardest part was watching him get confused, angry, irritable, paranoid, and when my mom told me she heard him crying saying, "What's happening to me?" He knew his mind was not right and he could do nothing about it. Eventually, and he did not open his eyes much, and he had to be spoon-fed pureed foods and encouraged to drink liquids. He did have a good spell about a month ago... but you could tell he sometimes had a hard time finding the words he wanted to say. That last time we saw him, he was asking to go out to a restaurant for lunch, or go for a picnic outside. I thought he was making a turn for the better.
The nursing staff thinks he had a stroke on Thursday morning last week and when they could see he might not survive very late into the day, they called me & my sister and we called the rest of my family and we stayed with him all afternoon/evening. He was unable to speak, and I don't know if he could see me (his eyes were sometimes open on that last day, but they did not seem able to focus). When the nurse said she was going to wash him up and maybe we should get a bite to eat, we left only to get a phone call before we sat down at the restaurant. The nurse told us to get back there asap. He may have passed away before we all got a chance to say "Goodbye." When I told him I loved him, it seemed like there was just oxygen coming out of the tube... he did not seem to be breathing anymore. I am thankful that I was able to sit right next to him, very close to him all afternoon long, and I held his hand and talked to him about the family members there who came to visit him, and about the rosary that the nurse put into his hand (it was blessed by the Pope). There was a chaplain who gave him his last rites before I got there, and the chaplain returned after my dad passed away, to say a bible passage for the family.
It was so sad to see him suffer. It was the hardest thing I've ever witnessed in my life. I wish I could have cared for him myself, since it was difficult to leave him every time I visited. The hardest day of my life was either the day my dad died, or the day I first moved him into the first nursing home (of two). That was also extremely difficult, because my dad knew he did not want to move there, but he knew he had to. I told my family I'd be willing to take care of my parents, but my brother and sisters talked me out of it... they said it would be too difficult for me emotionally and for my own sanity, and I'm sure they were right. Thank goodness his first move into the nursing home was into the facility where my mom was, and the staff was able to get them into a room together after about 30 days. At least he was not being moved into some place with nothing but strangers. That happened later... also a very difficult & sad day for me.
Well, I can say that these last 2 1/2 years of my life have been difficult, but also I am really glad I was able to help out. My dad's care was of the highest level, especially at this last facility he was living in. He lived there for about 9 months, and they were awesome. (The first nursing home my parents lived in was not so great, but I was there as an advocate for every issue that had to be dealt with... getting the heat turned up, getting my mom's medication when they seemed to "run out"... it was pretty pathetic and I was sooooo glad when we were ale to move them outta there.)
Anyhow, I am very sad because my dad went through some suffering, and no one deserves to go through the pain that one goes through with Alzheimer's. My mom witnessed a lot of it, and I am sad that she suffered as well. I guess you could say that Dad is now in a better place, but that does not make it all go away. It makes me want to do something to help other families who deal with the disease. I joined the Memory Walk... there is one in Milwaukee on Oct. 2nd. I have a page of my own as a person doing the Walk: http://Memorywalk2010.kintera.org/milwaukee/annieb
If you want to donate, that would be appreciated by myself, my family, and others who are dealing with, or have dealt with, the disease. I just think it's a tragedy and I wish there was more I could do. If I could just get all of my 908 Facebook friends to donate $5 apiece, I could raise $4,540 towards Alzheimer's research!
I guess you don't know what a tragedy it is until you know someone DIRECTLY affected by it. I am doing okay, for right now. I might start crying again later on or tomorrow, or maybe in a few days but it comes & goes.
The nursing staff thinks he had a stroke on Thursday morning last week and when they could see he might not survive very late into the day, they called me & my sister and we called the rest of my family and we stayed with him all afternoon/evening. He was unable to speak, and I don't know if he could see me (his eyes were sometimes open on that last day, but they did not seem able to focus). When the nurse said she was going to wash him up and maybe we should get a bite to eat, we left only to get a phone call before we sat down at the restaurant. The nurse told us to get back there asap. He may have passed away before we all got a chance to say "Goodbye." When I told him I loved him, it seemed like there was just oxygen coming out of the tube... he did not seem to be breathing anymore. I am thankful that I was able to sit right next to him, very close to him all afternoon long, and I held his hand and talked to him about the family members there who came to visit him, and about the rosary that the nurse put into his hand (it was blessed by the Pope). There was a chaplain who gave him his last rites before I got there, and the chaplain returned after my dad passed away, to say a bible passage for the family.
It was so sad to see him suffer. It was the hardest thing I've ever witnessed in my life. I wish I could have cared for him myself, since it was difficult to leave him every time I visited. The hardest day of my life was either the day my dad died, or the day I first moved him into the first nursing home (of two). That was also extremely difficult, because my dad knew he did not want to move there, but he knew he had to. I told my family I'd be willing to take care of my parents, but my brother and sisters talked me out of it... they said it would be too difficult for me emotionally and for my own sanity, and I'm sure they were right. Thank goodness his first move into the nursing home was into the facility where my mom was, and the staff was able to get them into a room together after about 30 days. At least he was not being moved into some place with nothing but strangers. That happened later... also a very difficult & sad day for me.
Well, I can say that these last 2 1/2 years of my life have been difficult, but also I am really glad I was able to help out. My dad's care was of the highest level, especially at this last facility he was living in. He lived there for about 9 months, and they were awesome. (The first nursing home my parents lived in was not so great, but I was there as an advocate for every issue that had to be dealt with... getting the heat turned up, getting my mom's medication when they seemed to "run out"... it was pretty pathetic and I was sooooo glad when we were ale to move them outta there.)
Anyhow, I am very sad because my dad went through some suffering, and no one deserves to go through the pain that one goes through with Alzheimer's. My mom witnessed a lot of it, and I am sad that she suffered as well. I guess you could say that Dad is now in a better place, but that does not make it all go away. It makes me want to do something to help other families who deal with the disease. I joined the Memory Walk... there is one in Milwaukee on Oct. 2nd. I have a page of my own as a person doing the Walk: http://Memorywalk2010.kintera.org/milwaukee/annieb
If you want to donate, that would be appreciated by myself, my family, and others who are dealing with, or have dealt with, the disease. I just think it's a tragedy and I wish there was more I could do. If I could just get all of my 908 Facebook friends to donate $5 apiece, I could raise $4,540 towards Alzheimer's research!
I guess you don't know what a tragedy it is until you know someone DIRECTLY affected by it. I am doing okay, for right now. I might start crying again later on or tomorrow, or maybe in a few days but it comes & goes.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 507
Post #25 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: "A Day in the Life"
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
So far it has been a good day. I am way, way behind on all things Artbeat, but I am moving forward nonetheless. Just confirmed the face-painter, Indie LaLonde, and the boys from D.C. Monroe are donating face-painting supplies. Working on having Artbeat in the Heat posted on the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee's website so we can hopefully recruit some good folks. You can have a free 6-month trial on thier site if you are a certified non-profit (I am still working on the LONG application for Artbeat)! The YWCA is the 501(c)3 we are working with, so I just left a message for Jeanette at the Y to see if she can create the event page there to start recruiting volunteers. She & the Y have been pretty amazing to work with!!!
Still recruiting artists/artisans who might like to have an Artbeat in the Heat booth as well.
Last week, Sarah Horvat invited me to the Spreenkler meeting and I got a chance to meet Steve Glynn (head honcho of Spreenkler) who also happens to be involved with Danny Gokey's foundation Sophia's Heart. I'd LOVE to have the youth choir who performed with Danny at Summerfest also perform at Artbeat in the Heat. I left him a message yesterday... wish me luck! Also at the Spreenkler meeting, I met Sarah Patterson at True Skool. True Skool works with kids who enjoy the hip-hop culture, and they provide creative & productive ways for these kids to perform & create art, such as breakdancing, graffiti art, music, and other cool stuff! Hoping to get some of the True Skool kids in Artbeat in the Heat as well! Then I also met LaDonna Leazer with B.E.A.M. (Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee). They work with kids to create art and I think we'll be able to have a booth that will feature some of their work (ceramics & photography). They graced me with a beautiful gift... a ceramic bowl made by one of the students! Photo on Facebook to be posted later today!!!!!!!!
Lots more to accomplish today, but I gotta run... I have a 2pm with Chris from Sooper Dooper to pick up my CDs for my CD Release & Website Launch at the Elbo Room tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and also I have to day, Heather Acton is doing an AMAZING job with all my websites!!!!!!!
Woo-hoo!!!!!
:)
Annie
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
So far it has been a good day. I am way, way behind on all things Artbeat, but I am moving forward nonetheless. Just confirmed the face-painter, Indie LaLonde, and the boys from D.C. Monroe are donating face-painting supplies. Working on having Artbeat in the Heat posted on the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee's website so we can hopefully recruit some good folks. You can have a free 6-month trial on thier site if you are a certified non-profit (I am still working on the LONG application for Artbeat)! The YWCA is the 501(c)3 we are working with, so I just left a message for Jeanette at the Y to see if she can create the event page there to start recruiting volunteers. She & the Y have been pretty amazing to work with!!!
Still recruiting artists/artisans who might like to have an Artbeat in the Heat booth as well.
Last week, Sarah Horvat invited me to the Spreenkler meeting and I got a chance to meet Steve Glynn (head honcho of Spreenkler) who also happens to be involved with Danny Gokey's foundation Sophia's Heart. I'd LOVE to have the youth choir who performed with Danny at Summerfest also perform at Artbeat in the Heat. I left him a message yesterday... wish me luck! Also at the Spreenkler meeting, I met Sarah Patterson at True Skool. True Skool works with kids who enjoy the hip-hop culture, and they provide creative & productive ways for these kids to perform & create art, such as breakdancing, graffiti art, music, and other cool stuff! Hoping to get some of the True Skool kids in Artbeat in the Heat as well! Then I also met LaDonna Leazer with B.E.A.M. (Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee). They work with kids to create art and I think we'll be able to have a booth that will feature some of their work (ceramics & photography). They graced me with a beautiful gift... a ceramic bowl made by one of the students! Photo on Facebook to be posted later today!!!!!!!!
Lots more to accomplish today, but I gotta run... I have a 2pm with Chris from Sooper Dooper to pick up my CDs for my CD Release & Website Launch at the Elbo Room tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and also I have to day, Heather Acton is doing an AMAZING job with all my websites!!!!!!!
Woo-hoo!!!!!
:)
Annie
Friday, May 28, 2010
Day 459
Post #24 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: The Importance of COMMUNITY
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Today I am so excited - getting a lot accomplished!! Got a drum kit secured for Artbeat In The Heat, secured the Jeanna Salzer Band for the show & the compilation CD, and got some leads on a sound guy. Also, will be checking out a band called I'm Not A Pilot tonight at Linneman's, then it's a going-away party for a friend & loyal Annie B. fan who is moving to China!! Looking forward to a fun-filled night, although I will certainly miss my friend Alon!
Just got off the phone with the Sunset Playhouse, they sound like a fantastic venue for my CD release party, with seating from 80-150 in their studio theater. And they also have a kitchen (but don't serve/sell their own food)... we'd be able to bring in appetizers. It should be lots of fun. Will be checking out more venues soon.
As I was talking with J. Christopher Hughes at the studio yesterday, the point came up about how an artist he used to work with (a hip-hop guy) was able to sell 1000 CDs from "the back of his car" in just a few months. We were talking about how many of the artists who make the most money are actually not very well-known, but underground artists, who are working on creating their own success, NOT relying on labels. Then he also brought up the jam bands, and how they are also very successful on their own, with no label support. This got me to thinking, what's different about the hip-hop world and the jam bands that they have sort of a built-in means to success? What they have is something that some other music communities don't have (except the punk scene, for sure): A real sense of community that seems to go hand-in-hand with that genre. These people hang out with each other and become friends with their fans. It's certainly got to be a huge factor in how successful they are. So it's now got me thinking... I've got this new idea on an artist/fan collective, where there are events that really involve the fans, and it becomes more of a community, and it's also artists who agree to promote each other. They try to play shows together, and they share their mailing lists with the whole group. I would have to put some thought into this, but I want to start up a little group of bands who are like-minded who want to be a part of something like this, and track the success of each band involved. It would be a little experiment, and if it works, how cool would that be?
Wanted to work on the poster today too... those need to go up this weekend but Kevan at Clark Graphics is not back in until Monday.
Tomorrow is Lisa's Lakefront Splash - looking very forward to that! I hope it's not too windy!!!!!!! The wind was not good to me when I played outside at Starbuck's two weeks ago!!!
I have to be up early to take my Mom to the clinic... she needs some antibiotics, and that's at 8am tomorrow morning!!!
Just got off the phone with the Sunset Playhouse, they sound like a fantastic venue for my CD release party, with seating from 80-150 in their studio theater. And they also have a kitchen (but don't serve/sell their own food)... we'd be able to bring in appetizers. It should be lots of fun. Will be checking out more venues soon.
Hope you have a spectacular Memorial Day Weekend!!!!!!!!!
:)
A
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Today I am so excited - getting a lot accomplished!! Got a drum kit secured for Artbeat In The Heat, secured the Jeanna Salzer Band for the show & the compilation CD, and got some leads on a sound guy. Also, will be checking out a band called I'm Not A Pilot tonight at Linneman's, then it's a going-away party for a friend & loyal Annie B. fan who is moving to China!! Looking forward to a fun-filled night, although I will certainly miss my friend Alon!
Just got off the phone with the Sunset Playhouse, they sound like a fantastic venue for my CD release party, with seating from 80-150 in their studio theater. And they also have a kitchen (but don't serve/sell their own food)... we'd be able to bring in appetizers. It should be lots of fun. Will be checking out more venues soon.
As I was talking with J. Christopher Hughes at the studio yesterday, the point came up about how an artist he used to work with (a hip-hop guy) was able to sell 1000 CDs from "the back of his car" in just a few months. We were talking about how many of the artists who make the most money are actually not very well-known, but underground artists, who are working on creating their own success, NOT relying on labels. Then he also brought up the jam bands, and how they are also very successful on their own, with no label support. This got me to thinking, what's different about the hip-hop world and the jam bands that they have sort of a built-in means to success? What they have is something that some other music communities don't have (except the punk scene, for sure): A real sense of community that seems to go hand-in-hand with that genre. These people hang out with each other and become friends with their fans. It's certainly got to be a huge factor in how successful they are. So it's now got me thinking... I've got this new idea on an artist/fan collective, where there are events that really involve the fans, and it becomes more of a community, and it's also artists who agree to promote each other. They try to play shows together, and they share their mailing lists with the whole group. I would have to put some thought into this, but I want to start up a little group of bands who are like-minded who want to be a part of something like this, and track the success of each band involved. It would be a little experiment, and if it works, how cool would that be?
Wanted to work on the poster today too... those need to go up this weekend but Kevan at Clark Graphics is not back in until Monday.
Tomorrow is Lisa's Lakefront Splash - looking very forward to that! I hope it's not too windy!!!!!!! The wind was not good to me when I played outside at Starbuck's two weeks ago!!!
I have to be up early to take my Mom to the clinic... she needs some antibiotics, and that's at 8am tomorrow morning!!!
Just got off the phone with the Sunset Playhouse, they sound like a fantastic venue for my CD release party, with seating from 80-150 in their studio theater. And they also have a kitchen (but don't serve/sell their own food)... we'd be able to bring in appetizers. It should be lots of fun. Will be checking out more venues soon.
Hope you have a spectacular Memorial Day Weekend!!!!!!!!!
:)
A
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Day 454
Post #23 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, these last few weeks have been interesting! For my Linneman's show on May 14th, I was hoping to get more friends out, but I was very happy that morning when VIC THOMAS (yes, Vic Thomas from Summerfest) actually called me, letting me know he's heard good things about me & he'd try to make it out to Linneman's to see me! I was surprised to get a call from him, but I also found out that some friends of mine are friends with him, and they had some very nice things to say to Vic about me the Thursday night before my show. Thanks, guys!!!! It turns out I did not see Vic at my show, but that does not mean he did not make it out (it's a very dark venue inside)!
Anyhoo, my schedule has changed... I am now looking to have my website launch party in July at the Elbo Room, and a CD Release party in Sept., maybe. I am scheduled to get back into the studio to work on the bass track for The Kiwi Cafe (title track) this Thursday. We started tracking bass about 10 days ago, and will hopefully finish editing on Thursday.
In another area of my life, I visited my Dad today (he has Alzheimer's) and he is not doing the greatest. I can tell he has lost weight but he can still converse with me. I hope to visit him a few times a week these days, rather than once a week or so. I have a picture of him on my dresser from when he was in high school... he was quite the handsome guy. And no, I'm not just saying that because he's my Pop.
Life is short, that's for sure. I know my Pop always wanted to be a famous actor. When I lived in Hollywood, he used to tell me about his trip to Hollywood when he was down there in So Cali (probably training in boot camp)... he went to the Brown Derby and the owner there said my Pop should go back to the Derby after the war to become a famous actor. My Pop used to tell me all the time, "Go find that guy at the Brown Derby (which is how just "The Derby") and tell him you're my daughter.... he'll remember me!" I guess I have always been a lot like my Pop... a person with some big dreams! Although I also think my Pop should have been a drummer... When I was a little girl, my family used to all eat dinner together at the dining room table at least once a week, & he used to do paradiddles at the kitchen table with his utensils... topped off with a couple of tasty drum fills on his milk glass and dinner plate. That's my Pop.... generally a happy guy, often in a sing-songy mood, but with a little Archie Bunker mixed in for good measure.
This should be a busy week. Last week, Sig (from the Hide House) and I met with Alderman Zielinski to get his blessing for ARTBEAT IN THE HEAT happening on July 31st in the Hide House parking lot! Need to get to the Licensing Division this week and talk to the guy about all the permits we'll need. Artbeat Board Meeting tomorrow night, and I need to rehearse with Eroc & meet with Heather Acton (website developer) on Tuesday if possible. Wed. is a day I can hopefully get caught up on e-mail & FB (over 100 friend requests that I am trying to answer, sorry I have been sooooooooo behind)!! Wed. night is our last JustFaith meeting, Thursday is my first "Afterwaterfest" gig in Oshkosh, and then we're already into Memorial Day weekend! The following weekend is the big Unnatural Act: Milwaukee debut at RipTide!!! Totally excited about that! We have to really spread the word - Lisa's List is helping get the word out on that one!!! Thanks, Lisa!!!
Hope you have a fabulous week. Peace & Harmony,
Annie B.
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, these last few weeks have been interesting! For my Linneman's show on May 14th, I was hoping to get more friends out, but I was very happy that morning when VIC THOMAS (yes, Vic Thomas from Summerfest) actually called me, letting me know he's heard good things about me & he'd try to make it out to Linneman's to see me! I was surprised to get a call from him, but I also found out that some friends of mine are friends with him, and they had some very nice things to say to Vic about me the Thursday night before my show. Thanks, guys!!!! It turns out I did not see Vic at my show, but that does not mean he did not make it out (it's a very dark venue inside)!
Anyhoo, my schedule has changed... I am now looking to have my website launch party in July at the Elbo Room, and a CD Release party in Sept., maybe. I am scheduled to get back into the studio to work on the bass track for The Kiwi Cafe (title track) this Thursday. We started tracking bass about 10 days ago, and will hopefully finish editing on Thursday.
In another area of my life, I visited my Dad today (he has Alzheimer's) and he is not doing the greatest. I can tell he has lost weight but he can still converse with me. I hope to visit him a few times a week these days, rather than once a week or so. I have a picture of him on my dresser from when he was in high school... he was quite the handsome guy. And no, I'm not just saying that because he's my Pop.
Life is short, that's for sure. I know my Pop always wanted to be a famous actor. When I lived in Hollywood, he used to tell me about his trip to Hollywood when he was down there in So Cali (probably training in boot camp)... he went to the Brown Derby and the owner there said my Pop should go back to the Derby after the war to become a famous actor. My Pop used to tell me all the time, "Go find that guy at the Brown Derby (which is how just "The Derby") and tell him you're my daughter.... he'll remember me!" I guess I have always been a lot like my Pop... a person with some big dreams! Although I also think my Pop should have been a drummer... When I was a little girl, my family used to all eat dinner together at the dining room table at least once a week, & he used to do paradiddles at the kitchen table with his utensils... topped off with a couple of tasty drum fills on his milk glass and dinner plate. That's my Pop.... generally a happy guy, often in a sing-songy mood, but with a little Archie Bunker mixed in for good measure.
This should be a busy week. Last week, Sig (from the Hide House) and I met with Alderman Zielinski to get his blessing for ARTBEAT IN THE HEAT happening on July 31st in the Hide House parking lot! Need to get to the Licensing Division this week and talk to the guy about all the permits we'll need. Artbeat Board Meeting tomorrow night, and I need to rehearse with Eroc & meet with Heather Acton (website developer) on Tuesday if possible. Wed. is a day I can hopefully get caught up on e-mail & FB (over 100 friend requests that I am trying to answer, sorry I have been sooooooooo behind)!! Wed. night is our last JustFaith meeting, Thursday is my first "Afterwaterfest" gig in Oshkosh, and then we're already into Memorial Day weekend! The following weekend is the big Unnatural Act: Milwaukee debut at RipTide!!! Totally excited about that! We have to really spread the word - Lisa's List is helping get the word out on that one!!! Thanks, Lisa!!!
Hope you have a fabulous week. Peace & Harmony,
Annie B.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Day 423
Post #22: 'Making it through this week' : ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Milwaukee Artbeat's One Year Anniversary is Friday. Thanks to all the amazing board members, I did not have to do almost everything by myself this time!!! We'll have a raffle, a silent auction, and a salsa dance lesson! These are all new since the last Artbeat. But I am STILL sick this week (I usually get sick the week of, or the week after Artbeat, due to all the stress of all the extra activity)!!!! But the fact of the matter is that there are almost 11,000 kinds in 30 MPS schools who have NO ART classes in their schools, & I want to change that!!!!
Good news = There will be an article online about Artbeat in the Shepherd Express, and in the Third Coast Digest - YAY!!! Plus I'll be on 91.7 WMSE on Thursday at 2! Totally cool!!!
Anyhoo, I am still working on getting my original music gigs too... I have been trying to get a hold of the Alchemist Theater for my CD release party. Thinking that June might be a good time for the CD release party, hoping I do not conflict with festivals. The website launch will be September maybe?
Too many tasks for one person... do I get an intern? To come to my house? Is that safe? Not sure... I guess I'd have to talk with Mike about that. I could really use one.
How to prioritize & balance everything - that's the big question. I know I am looking for more ORIGINAL music gigs right now, and that's been a nice change in direction. More soliciting for gigs, and less pay at first. But now I might be able to put together a promotional budget. Getting enough work these days to actually have the ability to put something back & start re-investing in my career. I'll totally have to remember to contact the Bay View Compass about my CD release since I want to do it in Bay View. Plus, getting posters up all over town for shows such as the Art Bar, etc., would have been a good idea. Street team... must do!!! But Don (Art Bar owner) estimated I had 80 people to see me at the Art Bar... was that mostly online/Facebook promotion, or what? I wish I knew!!! I guess my Linneman's show on May 14th & Elbo Room show on June 16 will be a good thing to start promoting right now!!!
Must get started on that Artbeat program... that's always plenty of work. Since I am a perfectionist... UGH!
Have a great evening, and send good vibes so I get better and my health is back to 100% by tomorrow!!!!!
Peace & Harmony!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Milwaukee Artbeat's One Year Anniversary is Friday. Thanks to all the amazing board members, I did not have to do almost everything by myself this time!!! We'll have a raffle, a silent auction, and a salsa dance lesson! These are all new since the last Artbeat. But I am STILL sick this week (I usually get sick the week of, or the week after Artbeat, due to all the stress of all the extra activity)!!!! But the fact of the matter is that there are almost 11,000 kinds in 30 MPS schools who have NO ART classes in their schools, & I want to change that!!!!
Good news = There will be an article online about Artbeat in the Shepherd Express, and in the Third Coast Digest - YAY!!! Plus I'll be on 91.7 WMSE on Thursday at 2! Totally cool!!!
Anyhoo, I am still working on getting my original music gigs too... I have been trying to get a hold of the Alchemist Theater for my CD release party. Thinking that June might be a good time for the CD release party, hoping I do not conflict with festivals. The website launch will be September maybe?
Too many tasks for one person... do I get an intern? To come to my house? Is that safe? Not sure... I guess I'd have to talk with Mike about that. I could really use one.
How to prioritize & balance everything - that's the big question. I know I am looking for more ORIGINAL music gigs right now, and that's been a nice change in direction. More soliciting for gigs, and less pay at first. But now I might be able to put together a promotional budget. Getting enough work these days to actually have the ability to put something back & start re-investing in my career. I'll totally have to remember to contact the Bay View Compass about my CD release since I want to do it in Bay View. Plus, getting posters up all over town for shows such as the Art Bar, etc., would have been a good idea. Street team... must do!!! But Don (Art Bar owner) estimated I had 80 people to see me at the Art Bar... was that mostly online/Facebook promotion, or what? I wish I knew!!! I guess my Linneman's show on May 14th & Elbo Room show on June 16 will be a good thing to start promoting right now!!!
Must get started on that Artbeat program... that's always plenty of work. Since I am a perfectionist... UGH!
Have a great evening, and send good vibes so I get better and my health is back to 100% by tomorrow!!!!!
Peace & Harmony!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 416
Post #21: 'COVERS VS. ORIGINALS: LIVING YOUR LIFE TO CREATE YOUR LIFE THE WAY YOU WANT IT' of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, it's a question that all original artists have. Do you play covers, or do you not? Plenty of us have to play cover gigs to pay the bills. We play hits on the radio, learn those songs from other artists, and we play the ones that we do well, since lots of bars that hire bands & musical entertainers cater to people who want to hear their favorite songs.... the radio hits. They can be from Frank Sinatra or from Lady GaGa. Either way, it's not a song written by the artist up there on stage. And I know some venues that will not book you again if you play "too many originals". But let's face it: We are never going to "make it" by playing covers. We need to get out there and push those original songs, we need to get our original music out there consistently and regularly growing a bigger fanbase with every show. In most venues, you can get away with playing one to four original songs in a whole night. You "sneak them in". Or, you just decide that you are not going to play cover gigs, and then you have to find another "day job" (which is what I call cover gigs.... that's my "day job")! Thank goodness I can make a living as a "live music entertainer" (but I am moving towards making my living as an artist, which is someone who plays their own music)! Granted, at this point, it's mostly cover gigs that pay my bills. But I am on a mission to earn my living with my original songs, making money at "original music venues", selling CDs and merch. So, how can that be done???
I guess the first thing we need to do is start looking for those venues, and start booking enough cover gigs to allow us to take a Friday night "off" and play a gig at an original music venue... where we won't make the same kind of money, if we make anything at all! But then, let's NOT PUT THAT OUT THERE! We have to start looking for our target audience at the right venues... it is here that we will find people who WANT to discover new artists, who will buy our CDs & Tshirts, and who will tell their friends about you!
Although, we might be better off just booking original gigs on Sunday/Monday/Tue. nights... since those are the nights that the club does not usually expect to have a big crowd of people who want to hear their favorite radio hits. I just e-mailed the Elbo Room in Chicago - I have played there before with Sparklepussy and am looking for some opening gigs as a solo artist. They should be able to offer me some dates. I also just e-mailed a venue in Madison.
So, the goal is to keep contacting venues until you get a substantial amount of dates lined up with your original music, and hopefully you will be asked back and can start building a regular following as an original artist.
It's hard to find that balance, though. As an original artist, you will not make the same kind of money until you have been doing it and returning to those venues for a year or more. It takes time and patience, which most of us do not have! I was just reading a book about building your audience, and the author recommends the artist hangs out at the venue where they want to play for a month or two, offer to play for free on a weeknight, and then work your ass off for weeks to promote the show to fill the joint and get a great review. Well, that sounds like a great plan on paper, but actually doing it would be frustrating. How can you put so much energy into ONE show, and expect to feel like you are accomplishing your goals? There HAS to be a better way.
We must actively create that perfect situation where we are making enough money playing original music to pay the bills and also have enough to keep getting back into the studio to record new CDs, etc, etc. That requires us to travel. You can't keep playing the same market an expect people to come out to your shows if you are playing every week. You must make your shows a big deal, and they must be sparse enough to compel people to come out when you do have a show, since they might not get a chance to see you again for 2 or 3 months or more.
Well, now at least we have a plan. I'll let you know how it goes with me! Anyone who can suggest a venue in SE Wisconsin or Northern IL, even as far as Dubuque, IA, PLEASE e-mail me at AnnieBBaby at gmail dot com!
Thanks!!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, it's a question that all original artists have. Do you play covers, or do you not? Plenty of us have to play cover gigs to pay the bills. We play hits on the radio, learn those songs from other artists, and we play the ones that we do well, since lots of bars that hire bands & musical entertainers cater to people who want to hear their favorite songs.... the radio hits. They can be from Frank Sinatra or from Lady GaGa. Either way, it's not a song written by the artist up there on stage. And I know some venues that will not book you again if you play "too many originals". But let's face it: We are never going to "make it" by playing covers. We need to get out there and push those original songs, we need to get our original music out there consistently and regularly growing a bigger fanbase with every show. In most venues, you can get away with playing one to four original songs in a whole night. You "sneak them in". Or, you just decide that you are not going to play cover gigs, and then you have to find another "day job" (which is what I call cover gigs.... that's my "day job")! Thank goodness I can make a living as a "live music entertainer" (but I am moving towards making my living as an artist, which is someone who plays their own music)! Granted, at this point, it's mostly cover gigs that pay my bills. But I am on a mission to earn my living with my original songs, making money at "original music venues", selling CDs and merch. So, how can that be done???
I guess the first thing we need to do is start looking for those venues, and start booking enough cover gigs to allow us to take a Friday night "off" and play a gig at an original music venue... where we won't make the same kind of money, if we make anything at all! But then, let's NOT PUT THAT OUT THERE! We have to start looking for our target audience at the right venues... it is here that we will find people who WANT to discover new artists, who will buy our CDs & Tshirts, and who will tell their friends about you!
Although, we might be better off just booking original gigs on Sunday/Monday/Tue. nights... since those are the nights that the club does not usually expect to have a big crowd of people who want to hear their favorite radio hits. I just e-mailed the Elbo Room in Chicago - I have played there before with Sparklepussy and am looking for some opening gigs as a solo artist. They should be able to offer me some dates. I also just e-mailed a venue in Madison.
So, the goal is to keep contacting venues until you get a substantial amount of dates lined up with your original music, and hopefully you will be asked back and can start building a regular following as an original artist.
It's hard to find that balance, though. As an original artist, you will not make the same kind of money until you have been doing it and returning to those venues for a year or more. It takes time and patience, which most of us do not have! I was just reading a book about building your audience, and the author recommends the artist hangs out at the venue where they want to play for a month or two, offer to play for free on a weeknight, and then work your ass off for weeks to promote the show to fill the joint and get a great review. Well, that sounds like a great plan on paper, but actually doing it would be frustrating. How can you put so much energy into ONE show, and expect to feel like you are accomplishing your goals? There HAS to be a better way.
We must actively create that perfect situation where we are making enough money playing original music to pay the bills and also have enough to keep getting back into the studio to record new CDs, etc, etc. That requires us to travel. You can't keep playing the same market an expect people to come out to your shows if you are playing every week. You must make your shows a big deal, and they must be sparse enough to compel people to come out when you do have a show, since they might not get a chance to see you again for 2 or 3 months or more.
Well, now at least we have a plan. I'll let you know how it goes with me! Anyone who can suggest a venue in SE Wisconsin or Northern IL, even as far as Dubuque, IA, PLEASE e-mail me at AnnieBBaby at gmail dot com!
Thanks!!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 362
Post #20: 'THOUGHTS OF AN INDIE ARTIST ON THE RADIO TAX BILL' of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE e-mail me at: RespondToAnniesBlog at gmail dot com
THANKS!!!
Day 362
You've heard the commercial, right? Talking about how everyone wants a new bailout and this is one that's going to only put money into the pockets of "people who don't need it... big record companies, most of which are overseas."
Hopefully you have at least heard about the Radio Performance Tax bill going through Congress right now, and most of your corporate radio stations & conservative groups are saying, "VOTE NO - it will only put more money into the pockets of big record labels, most of which are overseas"
Well, I am here to say "VOTE YES" and I will tell you why I feel that way about it, as an indie artist, and as someone who has worked for an independent radio promoter myself in Los Angeles for 5 years.
First off, let's take a look at the bill.
Here is the summary of the bill:
S.379
Title: A bill to provide fair compensation to artists for use of their sound recordings.
SUMMARY AS OF:
2/4/2009--Introduced.
Performance Rights Act - Amends federal copyright law to: (1) grant performers of sound recordings equal rights to compensation from terrestrial broadcasters; and (2) modify the circumstances under which the public performance of a sound recording is subject to statutory licensing.
Establishes a flat annual fee in lieu of payment of royalties for individual terrestrial broadcast stations with gross revenues of less than $1.25 million and for noncommercial, public broadcast stations. Grants: (1) an exemption from royalty payments for broadcasts of religious services and for incidental uses of musical sound recordings; and (2) terrestrial broadcast stations that make limited feature uses of sound recordings a per program license option.
Prohibits anything in this Act from adversely affecting the public performance rights or royalties payable to songwriters or copyright owners of musical works.
And here is a .PDF file link to the 21-page Text of Legislation:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s379rs.txt.pdf
Well, one of the first comments I got on this is from my fried, Tim, lead singer of a great indie band from Madison called Government Zero, he said:
"The problem is that they won't be exempt. Apparently this threatens to bankrupt small stations. Then again, it might get stations to play more local stuff. But let's not hold our breaths. :)"
If you look at the PDF file, you'll see that the stations making $50K or less a year pay an annual fee of $100, and it goes in increments... the stations who make $500K pay an annual fee of $5,000.
Start reading this thing on page 7 and you'll see the numbers in a few pages... here it is again...
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s379rs.txt.pdf
Well, let's just start by saying: YOU, the listener, won't get taxed. So, I am not so sure it's a bad idea, unless you support the huge radio conglomerates who will get hit the hardest. I am hoping it will be a vehicle for the little radio stations who actually play local artists, to having the playing field leveled a little. Indeed, they will have a small fee to pay, relatively small compared to the royalties the big stations will have to pay. The big stations will probably end up changing formats, becoming even more unpleasant to listen to (playing more of the same 15 songs on the radio, playing more commercials, maybe going down to 10 songs?) losing more & more listeners every day, and eventually having to go off the air. That would be fine with me!
The bad thing is that in the interim, the local businesses will suffer by paying for it (due to higher advertising rates on these big stations), but there are other ways to reach the local public, and hopefully local businesses are ahead of the curve and thinking along those lines right now. Since the internet, marketing can be done for a FRACTION of the price... and I've been doing it for FREE for some time now. Bands started a great trend by showing they could sell out shows by building a huge list of friends on MySpace. Social networking is really the way to go if you are paying attention, people. Now, local businesses are turning to Facebook and other networking sites and I think it's totally cool.
Getting back to the stations: If Clear Channel, Entercom, Bonneville, and all their compadres had to close down or change formats, then that's fine with me. They are in bed with the labels. The labels want this tax. They should have consulted with their bed buddies first, but we all know that big labels are in trouble and that's just fine with me. Looks like they have to take what they can and get a divorce before the radio stations come up with some way to get their money back!
Whatever happened to stories like The Coal Miner's Daughter, who drove around the country with her record and knocked on the doors of the radio stations and once she got them to play it, people loved it? These days, you have a little brother who is cute and can barely play guitar and you have an uncle who works at a big record label and they say, "You two could put out a record and make us millions" and that's exactly what happens... they hire a producer to basically write all the songs and they're off to take over the world. I won't mention what band this is, because you might like them and then get mad at me for dissing them, but do your research on these new bands out there and you'll find out that it's half of them! You should also take a look at the liner notes on the CD and see who recorded the album. I can think of one huge major-label band in particular where the only person who you are listening to on the CD (or on the radio, for that matter,) is the lead singer... all the other musicians were replaced on the CD for hired studio cats. But the band members who are not good enough to be on the record are the ones who go out on tour. And we wonder why some of these major-label bands sound like shit live.
Thank Goodness though, that the whole industry has been changing... since the internet came around and made distribution of records almost completely dispensable... among other things like artists having the ability to record their own music or at least have the ability to pay for it at a good, local studio. Things are changing, and I think it's all moving towards being a better situation for the indies. So, hey, support your local bands! Support them by buying their CDs, going to their shows, buying their Tshirts, hats, and buttons! When you see that sign that says "THINK LOCAL, BUY LOCAL" don't just limit it to the locally-owned restaurant, clothing store, or produce grower.
How about that cool 3/50 Project? You don't know about it? Well, check out this major coolness: http://www.the350project.net/home.html
Yeah, pick 3 local businesses to spend $50 a month at, instead of Wal-Mart (although I am guessing that anyone who's reading my blog does not shop there), Applebee's, and Kinko's, go to the local clothing/gift store (better yet, the cool second-hand store with amazing vintage styles at a GREAT price!), the locally-owned restaurant around the corner, (I'm a HUGE fan of Cafe Centraal on KK in Bay View) and Clark Graphics on Oakland. You can DO IT! And you feel good about it!!!
OK, here's my 3/50 proposal for music fans: Look at your music collection right now... your iPod, your CD collection, your record collection, For every 50 CDs you own that are from bands that are NOT local, or for every 50 songs you have in your iPod that are not local, buy at least 3 CDs or song downloads from local bands today. Hell, you can buy 3 of the same CDs from your favorite local band and give them away as St. Patty's Day presents for all the Irish drunks (just kidding!), birthday presents, Christmas presents, JUST DO IT! Then, start working towards making the ratio closer to 3/5, instead of 3/50. I know it will be hard to get the radio all the way up to 3/5, but work on it! You'd be surprised how much AMAZING local talent there is out there.
Indeed, I have digressed again.
Hopefully, the locally-owned radio stations will not suffer... THEY will hopefully be the ones to benefit, since they won't have to increase their advertising rates like the Clear Channels will have to. Local businesses will stop buying ads on the Clear Channel stations since they can't afford those rates anymore, and they'll buy their ads on the local stations!!! Let's put that out there! Join me on this, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW, the OTHER thing I didn't even mention is that this tax is actually supposed to go to the radio stations to be paid AS ROYALTIES... to who? WHO gets paid royalties??? THE ARTISTS!!! Ok, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT????? Do you realize that music is the ONLY art you can enjoy for FREE because there is a thing called the radio, providing you songs for FREE? How many of us as teenagers recorded the songs we liked on the radio on tapes so we didn't have to go out & buy the record? Can you get a sculpture and enjoy it in your own home for FREE? How about a painting? How about a live theater production... are those usually free??? OK, TV is "free" to a certain extent, but we all know how much those actors on TV make!!!!!!
Honestly, I am not really sure that the artists will be collecting all that money (don't trust record labels unless your mom runs it), but that's why I don't choose that as my reason to VOTE YES for the "RADIO TAX" BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell your Congressmen!!!!!!!!! Level the playing field for locally-owned & community stations! My hope is that the result will be: Something will HAVE TO HAPPEN to how you learn about new music. Lots of you people right now out there learn about new bands because you hear them on the "Clear Channels"... The new bands who are supported by big labels. They DON'T need your help. Most of them aren't bona fide artists anyway. They're manufactured by the labels. We've already had that conversation.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and help artists get paid the royalties they deserve. (The "artists" on the radio who are manufactured won't see any of that money anyway, trust me on that one. The record contracts they sign are not good for them.)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch the Clear Channels raise their advertising rates, passing that expense on to the buyers, who will start buying elsewhere.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch local businesses buy less ads on the Clear Channels and more ads on the locally-owned stations and sponsoring more of the community stations like 88.9
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and take the first step in changing things around here from a controlling class of the wealthy to more of a democracy. This is ONE AREA where we still have control people... WE STILL GET TO CHOOSE which radio stations we listen to. But because the powerful record labels have been controlling what's ON the stations, they are actually shooting themselves in the foot by taxing the vehicle by which they control us: The radio stations. I AM TELLING YOU, LET THEM DO IT... VOTE YES!!!!!
(Why do you think it's only the big "Clear Channels" airing those commercials that "Say NO to the tax"?????? Do the math, people!!!!!!)
(They want to expose us to only THEIR CRAP on the free radio stations, and then they put their own [yes, they are in bed together, people] radio stations out of business? It's wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! The result will inevitably be more cool music for us, less major-label crap for everyone!)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch the Clear Channels slowly suffer, few will close down, some will change formats, and yes, lots will survive and SUCK even more. (It's okay if they still exist. Let the stupid people continue to listen.)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and join smart listeners as we all stop listening to Clear Channel, moving to the 88.9s of the world, the college stations, and the locally-owned commercial stations, who will soon be playing less music from big major labels (they don't want to be taxed for playing those songs from those bands), and more LOCAL MUSIC.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX!
THINK LOCAL! BUY LOCAL!
WOO-HOO!
As for the tasks I am doing this week: I'm adding this to my schedule: Submitting to at least one new venue every day. If it's just an e-mail, or mailing a whole press kit, I promise to submit to a new venue every day, whether it's for a solo/acoustic act, or for Sparklepussy The Midwest Surfing Cat... One A Day!!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE e-mail me at: RespondToAnniesBlog at gmail dot com
THANKS!!!
Day 362
You've heard the commercial, right? Talking about how everyone wants a new bailout and this is one that's going to only put money into the pockets of "people who don't need it... big record companies, most of which are overseas."
Hopefully you have at least heard about the Radio Performance Tax bill going through Congress right now, and most of your corporate radio stations & conservative groups are saying, "VOTE NO - it will only put more money into the pockets of big record labels, most of which are overseas"
Well, I am here to say "VOTE YES" and I will tell you why I feel that way about it, as an indie artist, and as someone who has worked for an independent radio promoter myself in Los Angeles for 5 years.
First off, let's take a look at the bill.
Here is the summary of the bill:
S.379
Title: A bill to provide fair compensation to artists for use of their sound recordings.
SUMMARY AS OF:
2/4/2009--Introduced.
Performance Rights Act - Amends federal copyright law to: (1) grant performers of sound recordings equal rights to compensation from terrestrial broadcasters; and (2) modify the circumstances under which the public performance of a sound recording is subject to statutory licensing.
Establishes a flat annual fee in lieu of payment of royalties for individual terrestrial broadcast stations with gross revenues of less than $1.25 million and for noncommercial, public broadcast stations. Grants: (1) an exemption from royalty payments for broadcasts of religious services and for incidental uses of musical sound recordings; and (2) terrestrial broadcast stations that make limited feature uses of sound recordings a per program license option.
Prohibits anything in this Act from adversely affecting the public performance rights or royalties payable to songwriters or copyright owners of musical works.
And here is a .PDF file link to the 21-page Text of Legislation:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s379rs.txt.pdf
Well, one of the first comments I got on this is from my fried, Tim, lead singer of a great indie band from Madison called Government Zero, he said:
"The problem is that they won't be exempt. Apparently this threatens to bankrupt small stations. Then again, it might get stations to play more local stuff. But let's not hold our breaths. :)"
If you look at the PDF file, you'll see that the stations making $50K or less a year pay an annual fee of $100, and it goes in increments... the stations who make $500K pay an annual fee of $5,000.
Start reading this thing on page 7 and you'll see the numbers in a few pages... here it is again...
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s379rs.txt.pdf
Well, let's just start by saying: YOU, the listener, won't get taxed. So, I am not so sure it's a bad idea, unless you support the huge radio conglomerates who will get hit the hardest. I am hoping it will be a vehicle for the little radio stations who actually play local artists, to having the playing field leveled a little. Indeed, they will have a small fee to pay, relatively small compared to the royalties the big stations will have to pay. The big stations will probably end up changing formats, becoming even more unpleasant to listen to (playing more of the same 15 songs on the radio, playing more commercials, maybe going down to 10 songs?) losing more & more listeners every day, and eventually having to go off the air. That would be fine with me!
The bad thing is that in the interim, the local businesses will suffer by paying for it (due to higher advertising rates on these big stations), but there are other ways to reach the local public, and hopefully local businesses are ahead of the curve and thinking along those lines right now. Since the internet, marketing can be done for a FRACTION of the price... and I've been doing it for FREE for some time now. Bands started a great trend by showing they could sell out shows by building a huge list of friends on MySpace. Social networking is really the way to go if you are paying attention, people. Now, local businesses are turning to Facebook and other networking sites and I think it's totally cool.
Getting back to the stations: If Clear Channel, Entercom, Bonneville, and all their compadres had to close down or change formats, then that's fine with me. They are in bed with the labels. The labels want this tax. They should have consulted with their bed buddies first, but we all know that big labels are in trouble and that's just fine with me. Looks like they have to take what they can and get a divorce before the radio stations come up with some way to get their money back!
Whatever happened to stories like The Coal Miner's Daughter, who drove around the country with her record and knocked on the doors of the radio stations and once she got them to play it, people loved it? These days, you have a little brother who is cute and can barely play guitar and you have an uncle who works at a big record label and they say, "You two could put out a record and make us millions" and that's exactly what happens... they hire a producer to basically write all the songs and they're off to take over the world. I won't mention what band this is, because you might like them and then get mad at me for dissing them, but do your research on these new bands out there and you'll find out that it's half of them! You should also take a look at the liner notes on the CD and see who recorded the album. I can think of one huge major-label band in particular where the only person who you are listening to on the CD (or on the radio, for that matter,) is the lead singer... all the other musicians were replaced on the CD for hired studio cats. But the band members who are not good enough to be on the record are the ones who go out on tour. And we wonder why some of these major-label bands sound like shit live.
Thank Goodness though, that the whole industry has been changing... since the internet came around and made distribution of records almost completely dispensable... among other things like artists having the ability to record their own music or at least have the ability to pay for it at a good, local studio. Things are changing, and I think it's all moving towards being a better situation for the indies. So, hey, support your local bands! Support them by buying their CDs, going to their shows, buying their Tshirts, hats, and buttons! When you see that sign that says "THINK LOCAL, BUY LOCAL" don't just limit it to the locally-owned restaurant, clothing store, or produce grower.
How about that cool 3/50 Project? You don't know about it? Well, check out this major coolness: http://www.the350project.net/home.html
Yeah, pick 3 local businesses to spend $50 a month at, instead of Wal-Mart (although I am guessing that anyone who's reading my blog does not shop there), Applebee's, and Kinko's, go to the local clothing/gift store (better yet, the cool second-hand store with amazing vintage styles at a GREAT price!), the locally-owned restaurant around the corner, (I'm a HUGE fan of Cafe Centraal on KK in Bay View) and Clark Graphics on Oakland. You can DO IT! And you feel good about it!!!
OK, here's my 3/50 proposal for music fans: Look at your music collection right now... your iPod, your CD collection, your record collection, For every 50 CDs you own that are from bands that are NOT local, or for every 50 songs you have in your iPod that are not local, buy at least 3 CDs or song downloads from local bands today. Hell, you can buy 3 of the same CDs from your favorite local band and give them away as St. Patty's Day presents for all the Irish drunks (just kidding!), birthday presents, Christmas presents, JUST DO IT! Then, start working towards making the ratio closer to 3/5, instead of 3/50. I know it will be hard to get the radio all the way up to 3/5, but work on it! You'd be surprised how much AMAZING local talent there is out there.
Indeed, I have digressed again.
Hopefully, the locally-owned radio stations will not suffer... THEY will hopefully be the ones to benefit, since they won't have to increase their advertising rates like the Clear Channels will have to. Local businesses will stop buying ads on the Clear Channel stations since they can't afford those rates anymore, and they'll buy their ads on the local stations!!! Let's put that out there! Join me on this, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW, the OTHER thing I didn't even mention is that this tax is actually supposed to go to the radio stations to be paid AS ROYALTIES... to who? WHO gets paid royalties??? THE ARTISTS!!! Ok, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT????? Do you realize that music is the ONLY art you can enjoy for FREE because there is a thing called the radio, providing you songs for FREE? How many of us as teenagers recorded the songs we liked on the radio on tapes so we didn't have to go out & buy the record? Can you get a sculpture and enjoy it in your own home for FREE? How about a painting? How about a live theater production... are those usually free??? OK, TV is "free" to a certain extent, but we all know how much those actors on TV make!!!!!!
Honestly, I am not really sure that the artists will be collecting all that money (don't trust record labels unless your mom runs it), but that's why I don't choose that as my reason to VOTE YES for the "RADIO TAX" BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell your Congressmen!!!!!!!!! Level the playing field for locally-owned & community stations! My hope is that the result will be: Something will HAVE TO HAPPEN to how you learn about new music. Lots of you people right now out there learn about new bands because you hear them on the "Clear Channels"... The new bands who are supported by big labels. They DON'T need your help. Most of them aren't bona fide artists anyway. They're manufactured by the labels. We've already had that conversation.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and help artists get paid the royalties they deserve. (The "artists" on the radio who are manufactured won't see any of that money anyway, trust me on that one. The record contracts they sign are not good for them.)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch the Clear Channels raise their advertising rates, passing that expense on to the buyers, who will start buying elsewhere.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch local businesses buy less ads on the Clear Channels and more ads on the locally-owned stations and sponsoring more of the community stations like 88.9
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and take the first step in changing things around here from a controlling class of the wealthy to more of a democracy. This is ONE AREA where we still have control people... WE STILL GET TO CHOOSE which radio stations we listen to. But because the powerful record labels have been controlling what's ON the stations, they are actually shooting themselves in the foot by taxing the vehicle by which they control us: The radio stations. I AM TELLING YOU, LET THEM DO IT... VOTE YES!!!!!
(Why do you think it's only the big "Clear Channels" airing those commercials that "Say NO to the tax"?????? Do the math, people!!!!!!)
(They want to expose us to only THEIR CRAP on the free radio stations, and then they put their own [yes, they are in bed together, people] radio stations out of business? It's wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! The result will inevitably be more cool music for us, less major-label crap for everyone!)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and watch the Clear Channels slowly suffer, few will close down, some will change formats, and yes, lots will survive and SUCK even more. (It's okay if they still exist. Let the stupid people continue to listen.)
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX and join smart listeners as we all stop listening to Clear Channel, moving to the 88.9s of the world, the college stations, and the locally-owned commercial stations, who will soon be playing less music from big major labels (they don't want to be taxed for playing those songs from those bands), and more LOCAL MUSIC.
Tell your Congressmen to vote YES ON THE PERFORMANCE TAX!
THINK LOCAL! BUY LOCAL!
WOO-HOO!
As for the tasks I am doing this week: I'm adding this to my schedule: Submitting to at least one new venue every day. If it's just an e-mail, or mailing a whole press kit, I promise to submit to a new venue every day, whether it's for a solo/acoustic act, or for Sparklepussy The Midwest Surfing Cat... One A Day!!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Day 335
Post #19 of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE "Annie could be the most hard-working woman on the indie music scene today." - George Radai, Deep End Productions. ANNIE: "I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE e-mail me at: RespondToAnniesBlog at gmail dot com
THANKS!!!
Day 335
Sorry it's been almost 100 days since my last post! I guess I got pretty busy during the holidays, and now I am in WAY deep with Milwaukee Artbeat (www.MilwaukeeArtbeat.org)!!! Also working on getting my new band, Sparklepussy, into the studio for our first 2-song 'single': "Cat Girl" & "Marigold". My solo/duo/trio projects are still going but we don't have lots of gigs... looking to book more of that stuff since it pays $$$. And my cover band, Unnatural Act, is doing well and we were pretty busy last fall and this last month, but at this time we don't have any shows booked. I told the guys last fall that it might be time to start looking for a new lead singer since I was putting together Sparklepussy at that time, and now we have an AMAZINGLY talented female co-lead Aubrey... I'll keep playing with the guys and Aubrey until I just can't do it anymore. In the meantime, I look forward to some hot chick-rock songs with killer harmonies like "Heartbreaker" to sing with Aubrey - the guys LOVE to hear the two of us rocking out together!
Lisa's Birthday Bash & Charity Event is happening on Feb. 5th and I am involved in production for that show and Sparklepussy's Milwaukee debut performance happens at this event! Woo-hoo!!! Totally busy helping promote that event. I helped set up a radio interview on 3 Entercom stations for this event and it was a great interview. Nice job, Lisa & Chuck!!!
I'm FINALLY getting organized in my office and I got me a dry-erase board, a wet-erase calendar, and it's helping me keep my daily tasks organized. Immediate tasks include: Besides Artbeat, Lisa's Bash, and the single, I gotta call a few booking agents/contacts I met over the last month or so, also working on remedial children records page at Facebook.
I just received in my in-box a "GoGirls Music" yahoo-group post on a Billboard article about how CD sales are going down, down down, as well as digital sales. There was this additional comment about the article:
"One thing that all of the major stars in our business know is that the
bulk of the money that you make as an artist will come from performing, not
music sales."
-MAJOR TOM
Well, I have one thing to say about that:
Indeed, that is why we all need to get out there and PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Plus, indie artists who are out there making it on their own with no support from a record label sell MOST of their CDs at their shows! Something to keep in mind when you are wondering why the CDs you have placed at the one record store left in town aren't selling. Play in your hometown and then make that drive to play in surrounding towns consistently and you WILL sell more CDs. Because you'll be selling them at all your shows. And don't be afraid to GET OUT THERE during your breaks to get people on your mailing list AND bring a couple of your CDs to each table. People will buy if you make your product known to them. I released a CD with my Los Angeles band SHUT UP MARIE in 2005 and sold less than 100 in the first year because we were only playing 1-2 shows per month. I left town to live on the road, started playing 1-4 shows per week, and sold out the rest of my 800+ CDs in about a year. That's $8000 in CD sales in about a year. Not bad!!!!! And it's not hard if you just get yourself out there. All you have to do is book some shows!
OH, and for those of you who, like me, wanted to know the results of the ARTIST X MUSIC MARKETING PROJECT, the official results can be found at: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/11/indie-artist-x-project-wrap-up.html
The bottom line is: (Quoted from this site): "A solid music marketing plan is certainly helpful but there is no single tool or approach that can guarantee a successful career in music. Building a sustainable career in music these days takes a considerable amount of time, an extraordinary amount of talent and hard work, a “build one fan at a time” mentality and infinite patience."
That's why it's so important that if YOU like the music of an indie artist that you know of (hmmmmmmm... maybe you know of one who is struggling in Milwaukee, WI?), it's VERY important that you SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS. Remember, many, many of the great bands and artists you hear on the radio were once little indie artists trying to "Make It", and they simply cannot make it if they do not have your undying support!
What can YOU do to support your favorite unknown/indie artists?
1. Find out when they are playing & go see them.
2. Buy their CDs whenever they release one, & buy their Tshirts & other merch.
3. Tell your friends about them.
4. Burn a few of your favorite songs on a CD and give it to your friends.
5. Brings your friends to go out and see that artist.
6. Be on the artists' Street Team and do what you can to help out: Help post flyers up for their shows around town, invite YOUR Facebook friends to their shows via a Facebook invite, help spread the word!
7. Communicate with the artist - when you get an e-mail from the artist announcing an upcoming show or CD release, write back and ask how you can help get the word out for a specific show/CD release.
8. Follow their blog!
Thanks for reading and PLEASE invite your friends to read this blog!
Hope to see YOU at a show soon!!!
Peace, Love, & Light!!!
:)
Annie
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE e-mail me at: RespondToAnniesBlog at gmail dot com
THANKS!!!
Day 335
Sorry it's been almost 100 days since my last post! I guess I got pretty busy during the holidays, and now I am in WAY deep with Milwaukee Artbeat (www.MilwaukeeArtbeat.org)!!! Also working on getting my new band, Sparklepussy, into the studio for our first 2-song 'single': "Cat Girl" & "Marigold". My solo/duo/trio projects are still going but we don't have lots of gigs... looking to book more of that stuff since it pays $$$. And my cover band, Unnatural Act, is doing well and we were pretty busy last fall and this last month, but at this time we don't have any shows booked. I told the guys last fall that it might be time to start looking for a new lead singer since I was putting together Sparklepussy at that time, and now we have an AMAZINGLY talented female co-lead Aubrey... I'll keep playing with the guys and Aubrey until I just can't do it anymore. In the meantime, I look forward to some hot chick-rock songs with killer harmonies like "Heartbreaker" to sing with Aubrey - the guys LOVE to hear the two of us rocking out together!
Lisa's Birthday Bash & Charity Event is happening on Feb. 5th and I am involved in production for that show and Sparklepussy's Milwaukee debut performance happens at this event! Woo-hoo!!! Totally busy helping promote that event. I helped set up a radio interview on 3 Entercom stations for this event and it was a great interview. Nice job, Lisa & Chuck!!!
I'm FINALLY getting organized in my office and I got me a dry-erase board, a wet-erase calendar, and it's helping me keep my daily tasks organized. Immediate tasks include: Besides Artbeat, Lisa's Bash, and the single, I gotta call a few booking agents/contacts I met over the last month or so, also working on remedial children records page at Facebook.
I just received in my in-box a "GoGirls Music" yahoo-group post on a Billboard article about how CD sales are going down, down down, as well as digital sales. There was this additional comment about the article:
"One thing that all of the major stars in our business know is that the
bulk of the money that you make as an artist will come from performing, not
music sales."
-MAJOR TOM
Well, I have one thing to say about that:
Indeed, that is why we all need to get out there and PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Plus, indie artists who are out there making it on their own with no support from a record label sell MOST of their CDs at their shows! Something to keep in mind when you are wondering why the CDs you have placed at the one record store left in town aren't selling. Play in your hometown and then make that drive to play in surrounding towns consistently and you WILL sell more CDs. Because you'll be selling them at all your shows. And don't be afraid to GET OUT THERE during your breaks to get people on your mailing list AND bring a couple of your CDs to each table. People will buy if you make your product known to them. I released a CD with my Los Angeles band SHUT UP MARIE in 2005 and sold less than 100 in the first year because we were only playing 1-2 shows per month. I left town to live on the road, started playing 1-4 shows per week, and sold out the rest of my 800+ CDs in about a year. That's $8000 in CD sales in about a year. Not bad!!!!! And it's not hard if you just get yourself out there. All you have to do is book some shows!
OH, and for those of you who, like me, wanted to know the results of the ARTIST X MUSIC MARKETING PROJECT, the official results can be found at: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/11/indie-artist-x-project-wrap-up.html
The bottom line is: (Quoted from this site): "A solid music marketing plan is certainly helpful but there is no single tool or approach that can guarantee a successful career in music. Building a sustainable career in music these days takes a considerable amount of time, an extraordinary amount of talent and hard work, a “build one fan at a time” mentality and infinite patience."
That's why it's so important that if YOU like the music of an indie artist that you know of (hmmmmmmm... maybe you know of one who is struggling in Milwaukee, WI?), it's VERY important that you SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS. Remember, many, many of the great bands and artists you hear on the radio were once little indie artists trying to "Make It", and they simply cannot make it if they do not have your undying support!
What can YOU do to support your favorite unknown/indie artists?
1. Find out when they are playing & go see them.
2. Buy their CDs whenever they release one, & buy their Tshirts & other merch.
3. Tell your friends about them.
4. Burn a few of your favorite songs on a CD and give it to your friends.
5. Brings your friends to go out and see that artist.
6. Be on the artists' Street Team and do what you can to help out: Help post flyers up for their shows around town, invite YOUR Facebook friends to their shows via a Facebook invite, help spread the word!
7. Communicate with the artist - when you get an e-mail from the artist announcing an upcoming show or CD release, write back and ask how you can help get the word out for a specific show/CD release.
8. Follow their blog!
Thanks for reading and PLEASE invite your friends to read this blog!
Hope to see YOU at a show soon!!!
Peace, Love, & Light!!!
:)
Annie
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