Performer vs Musician vs Songwriter…
I have never cared for the spotlight.
I’m not one who seeks out opportunities to jump on stage and Perform, whenever I can. I have a few friends and family that are like that… and I admire them for it. One guy I know carries a guitar in the trunk of his car, “… because you never know when a jam is going to break out !” I am all for supporting spontaneous acts, but I won’t be the one in the centre of it.
My friends and family all say, “You’re just nervous.” No… Nerves have nothing to do with it. I see the thrill that my friends get from performing, and the rush of pleasure that an audience reaction gives them, and while I am delighted for them… I don’t understand it.
I’ve gone up on stage a number of times, after each time being convinced that THIS time would be different ! And each time I come off afterwards, knowing that nothing had changed for me, and hoping that the audience got more out of that, than I did !!!
Those same friends encourage me to play guitar… but again, there are many much more talented folks, and I have no desire to impose my mediocre playing skills on their fun.
The Musicians are easy to spot… In the midst of a song, they will be absolutely LOST in the music… eyes closed… playing as if their lives depended on it, and absolutely loving it. They could be playing for themselves, or they could be playing Madison Square Gardens… it would be the same for them, in that moment.
I don’t get that either.
The thing I love, is the crafting of a phrase. The moulding of words and music into a single being. Like driving a car fast around a corner, and straightening out from the curve at the perfect moment… that is the rush I get from making the words match seamlessly with the music. The shadings of light and dark, fast and slow, staccato and legato. Playing with words to express the maximum feeling and emotion, constrained only by the metre of the melody.
That is where I find my rush… my drug of choice is the written word.
We’ve established that I am not destined to rock a stadium full of crazed music fans. We’ve also confronted the reality that as a musician, I am passable, but pedestrian in skill.
So, we are left with the Songwriting… and daunted by the marketing.
If I cannot bring my product to the masses, how shall the masses have my product revealed to them ?
The purpose of today’s article is to frame the question.
The journey towards an answer shall be the subject of what I imagine will be an on-going series of posts, which I shall submit to this Blog as I get to noteworthy points along the path, either for their discovery, or for their revelation of a confounding dead end.
Stay tuned !!!
Thought Provoking Quotes From Jimi Hendrix…
I saw this item in a Tweet last night, from Fred Shadian.
If you haven’t checked out Fred’s site, you should do so… Vibrational Oneness
Here is the article, originally posted September 18, 2009…
Thought-provoking quotes from Jimi Hendrix
(Born November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)
Every time Jimi Hendrix plays a song, I hear his guitar sing.
Enjoy these wonderful thought-provoking quotes of wisdom.
• “All I’m gonna do is just go on and do what I feel.”
• “All I’m writing is just what I feel, that’s all. I just keep it almost naked. And probably the words are so bland.”
• “Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel.”
• “Even castles made of sand, fall into the sea, eventually.”
• “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.”
• “I don’t have nothing to regret at all in the past, except that I might’ve unintentionally hurt somebody else or something.”
• “I try to use my music to move these people to act.”
• “I was trying to do too many things at the same time, which is my nature. But I was enjoying it, and I still do enjoy it.”
• “I’ve been imitated so well I’ve heard people copy my mistakes.”
• “If I’m free, it’s because I’m always running.”
• “Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction.”
• “It’s funny how most people love the dead, once you’re dead you’re made for life.”
• “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
• “The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar.”
• “You have to give people something to dream on.”
• “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”
Ripples, Puddles and Google Analytics…
I’ve just been awoken by Statistical Analysis… Yes, I’ve graduated to a WHOLE new level of web geek.
It’s Monday morning, and a little after 2 am. I’ve been awake for an hour, and, having been unable to get back to sleep, have been trying to look at, review and understand the various statistical breakdowns that are supposed to be critical to a Blog’s success.
I believe that much of the traffic that is drawn to my site, comes from Twitter.
So, I turned to a Twitter Analyzer with the thought that perhaps my Tweets are driving the traffic. I have recently been talking with people about the use of Hashtags (#) as a search device, and so I find it not surprising that 51.9%of my Hashtag comments are #Canucks related, with a further 16.5% being attributed to mentions of #Canada, after the #WJHC(World Junior Hockey Championship) in December, which contributed 4.7%. With the Winter Olympics imminent, and the inherent NHL Break, I expect #Canada to do some serious catching up !
While the Hashtag stats are interesting, I saw nothing there that would give me any aid or guidance, in being a better Blogger… So, moving on.
Google Analytics – Starting from Zero…
Google Analytics tells me that 54% of my traffic comes direct to my site, while 27% gets referred, and 19% from Search Engines. I guess this is a baseline, and I can see what the relative numbers do, going up or down. On an unrelated note, I think it’s interesting that the 5th highest source of visits is Facebook, although I haven’t pushed my Blog there. Hmmm !
Owen Greaves on his Blog, has written a number of thoughtful and insightful articles, and says that he has found that the best time of day to Post a blog is between 5 pm and 10 pm. I’m not able to grasp that level of detail, but there are some revealing stats, and being a bit of a numbers geek, I am looking forward to reviewing this again, sometime soon.
But what has awoken me just recently, is mind-numbing in its simplicity… elegant in its mathematics… and daunting in its implementation.
I think more than anything else, I view my Blog… like one of the science experiments we did in Elementary School. I’ve got a bunch of seeds, (my postings) some get sunshine, (viewers) some don’t… some get more water, more fertilizer (multiple mentions) others not. And at the end, we get to see on a very organic level, what works… and what doesn’t.
I was getting bogged down in minutiae. Stuff that doesn’t matter. So what if I overuse the word “Awesome” in my Tweets, and use the salutation “Cheers” too many times ? (Other than perhaps being minorly annoying… It doesn’t matter !!!)
What DOES matter, is the resonance of your message, and the distance it carries. Thus, the ripple and the puddle analogy.
On Twitter, my account @BobSongs has 750 followers. Owen Greaves has 15,200. Jaff Jarvis has 34,000, and Gary Vaynerchuk has 846,000.
Even if EVERY single one of my followers reads one of my Blogs, I will still get less hits than @GaryVee gets in an hour.
Scale of economy.
This should NOT have been mind blowing to me… except for some reason, I believed something different.
I have a music website, Blog.BobSongs.com that I don’t tweak or overtly promote… and it smacked me in the face to know I got NO TRAFFIC !!!
In the drop of water that is that puddle, my Music website has no ability to create a ripple.
And similarly, with Google Analytics… I can’t get bogged down in the very fine print… yet.
So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get a bucket, and find a tap… because my puddle needs to be bigger !!!
Cheers !!!
😀
Musicians, Songwriting & Twitter…
I think it happens almost every day.
As @BobSongs, on Social Media… I’m a Blogger, Writer, and Songwriter. I’m on Threads most days, and Facebook a few times a week. I have a LinkedIn Profile, that I’m working on, but not 100% familiar with, yet.
I’m also involved in the BC Songwriters’ Showcase Association, and help out where I can.
I am often surprised by the frequency with which I will encounter someone who expresses a desire and drive to become a songwriter or performer… but have no Photo, Biography or Contact Information on their Twitter Profile.
I understand that a LOT of new users don’t understand the ebb, flow or even the concept of Twitter and Social Media.
But, if you want to attract and grow an audience, then it is important to greet them properly.
Sad as it is, we are a society of people who judge books, by their covers.
As we gather a sense of people from our first impression… so we gather a sense of you, as an Artist, from your Social Media.
Many times a week, I send friendly Tweets to folks, reminding them to fill out their Bio and Location information.
If you are on Twitter to have fun, and talk about school… sure, lock your profile down.
If you are on Twitter to promote your Product, or especially if your Product is Yourself… you really need to put your Best Foot Forward !
If your Band is following 200 Tweeps, but you only have a following of 18… it probably means that you are probably only reaching the hardcore audience (family and friends) that already know about you. You are “preaching to the choir” and the rest of the people you follow are not interested in your message, or your “Product.”
How To Make It Better:
At the top of your Twitter Page, are a series of words… Everthing that people will base their first impression on, (other than your Tweets,) is contained under the Settings “tab”:
1) Post a picture ! If “you” are your product, then the picture should be of you. If that doesn’t work for you, take a picture of a guitar, microphone, or your cat… My picture is currently one of my Cats, who snuck into my guitar case… but I change it regularly ! (Points get deducted for using a photo of ANOTHER person, as your photo.)
2) Say where you are ! Maple Ridge, BC, Canada. If you are not comfortable with saying the exact city you are from, pick the closest big City. Vancouver, Canada If that causes you concern, go regional… Canada’s West Coast Give us SOMETHING, because, who knows… we may want to work or write with you !!!
3) Give us a sense of “you” ! If you are a guitar-playing country music loving songwriter… say so. If you’ve got a bunch of things going on, say that too ! My profile says: Blogger, Songwriter, Writer, married to @loriegray, right-handed, wacky sense of humour, cat lover, Hockey fan, Uncle… and Canadian ! There’s a lot of info in there, but I wear a lot of different hats, when I use Twitter.
4) Websites ! If you have your own website… fill it in ! If you have a MySpace profile, and one song… fill it in ! If you have a grainy video on YouTube… fill it in ! Whatever the ONE best website you have, that represents your product best ? Use it.
I’m not writing this to be mean. I’m not writing this to underscore that Artists sometimes have different gifts, and can be technically challenged.
I’m writing this with the hope that it may help someone look at the deficiencies in their Twitter profile, and be able to effect changes because of it.
If these instructions help you… I’m glad !
If you need help understanding how to implement them, please send me an e-mail or a Tweet.
Please don’t go on, without filling in the blanks… because in many cases, it means we will probably Not Follow You or Follow You BACK… and only YOU know what we’ll be missing out on !!!
Hope to see you on Twitter !!!
Twitter, Tweets and Twits…
With all due respect to the fine work @Mashable does, on an on-going basis, to keep everyone “on the path” of using Twitter in a socially acceptable manner…
… I would like to offer my own list of “Rules” which I use to guide my Twitter journey.
I realize some of you use Bots to send Tweets, find followers, acknowledge followers, or do other sundry tasks… but I have a 2 part request:
– If you stopped using Twitter in August… and haven’t Tweeted since late July ? Maybe turn off the Follow Bot ???
– Tailor your Bio to reflect the actual, not project the possible. I’m a big fan of “Fake it until you Make it” but if your User Name or Bio says you are a Twitter Marketing Expert, and the Tweets you’ve posted, still include your “Twitter is stupid… I don’t get it” Tweet… I would say that it marginally diminishes your Brand.
I also have a series of ever lengthening rules, which when I review your Twitter Page, may dictate that I’m not going to Follow you (or Follow you back) if:
a) You Tweet about getting whiter teeth
b) You obviously use trending topics and hash tags (other than #Canucks) to get “hits”
c) You Tweet about how I can make big $$$ on Twitter, like you
d) You are a Restaurant 3000 miles away from my home
e) Your User Name has the letters BRITNEY with interspersed punctuation.
(If you don’t understand what this rule means, you are either VERY lucky, or don’t review your followers)
f) You are a New York Rangers fan. (And yes, I intentionally chose “F” for this rule)
g) You are following 6000 people, and have 12 followers
h) You are following 16000 people, and have only posted 3 Tweets
i) Your whole focus seems to be anger or frustration, over a cascading series of progessive Tweets, on various days. (The OBVIOUS exception here is if that anger is directed at the New York Rangers… then Welcome Friend !!!)
j) If you have (for example) Tweeted that you want someone to publish the songs you have written… but have no location, website or ANY information in your Bio that would enable someone else to know if they could or should possibly help you
I’m sure there are more… but this was written in the middle of the night, when sleep was an escape that seemed not to be an option, and I was looking at people who had followed me, who I STILL haven’t followed back… and these folks apparently, just don’t “get it” !!!
The other subject that personally is up for debate, is the Direct Message reply… (as opposed to a General Tweet or an @Message) Some people have expressed an almost fanatical dislike for the DM reply, to the point where they will unfollow someone who DM’s them. I don’t mind a DM, if it is a private matter, but get irritated when I get a DM that could easily be public, and sent by @Message. The reason for me, is that I’m often on Twitter using my Blackberry, and NEVER check my DM’s on mobile. It is also contrary to the very nature of Social Media, to hold private conversations about subjects that are public. (The Canucks played well last night, I tried a new Scotch, like your Blog, etc)
Whew… I certainly feel better ! (Not that ANY infringers are likely to stumble across my Blog, but…)
If you see any “Rules” I’ve missed, please don’t hesitate to let me know, and I will edit/amend as necessary !
If you are reading this, and not following me, providing you “meet the criteria” posted above, please follow me on Twitter… my user name is BobSongs !
“Thank you for Following me… I look forward to reading your Tweets !!!”
; D
Tune In…
So, at this moment, I am feeling slightly old, and VERY out of touch.
I have a collection of over 280 GBs of music, which I have collected (100% legally) through buying CD’s, and digitally through I-Tunes. At last check, I had a little over 30 days of music, if I was to play them consecutively. (Yes, I have nightmares of a hard drive failure… thanks for asking)
Anyhoo… I grew up in an environment where all my friends downloaded music illegally, and I always made a big deal out of it… A) Because it was illegal and B) Because I was a songwriter, I feel that the Songwriters and Musicians should receive benefit from their music being played.
Now… I am on Twitter, and I constantly see folks using Blip.fm to “play” music… and tonight, I became a Blip.fm DJ.
However, it goes against everything I have been saying for a long time. I sent a link, to my 500 (or so) Twitter Followers, asking them to watch and/or listen to music for free.
I referenced a recent Blog Posting, and acknowledged two glaring omissions from my “Under The Influences” Blog, which were James Taylor (Fire and Rain) and Jim Croce (Lover’s Cross)
However, the addition of their names to my Honour Roll of Songwriting Rock Stars, doesn’t in any way diminish the fact that I have been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 90’s. I posted music without it being paid for.
I’m not too sure how the Canadian Government (or, for that matter, the US Government) view the advances of technology that allows us to type in the name of an Artist, and have access to their catalogue of musical performances, for broadcast to the world.
I understand the popularity of YouTube, and hey… I love a good cat video as much as the next guy !!! I’m just not sure that I’m ready to take that step, and cross that line. It is something that I know labels like Nettwerk have been working to break down the walls… but they appear (IMHO) to be one of the few. Others are still licensing music differently, and behaving as if we were all listening to LP’s on a record player in the living room.
I have an I-Pod, and it is crammed with a diversity of Music that makes my wife’s head spin… (when we listen to music in the car together) I just am uncertain if I am prepared to endorse broadcasting songs for others to listen to, when they aren’t my own… or I haven’t paid for them.
I think I will have to think a bit more on this, and do some research.
I’m not certain what I think, and I think that some of what I think, is because of my age… and THAT makes me feel old !!!
— Follow Up —
I’m posting a Follow Up, directly IN this posting, as I feel that the comments of @StacieBee were of such profound impact, as to allow me to “get over myself”, and embrace the Technology that allows us to Tweet links to songs to our Followers. As I stated in my “Under The Influences” post… many of these songs are the cornerstones of my awareness of songwriting, and I believe, being able to share them, is a joy and a gift. Below is Stacie’s comment:
Bob, virtually everything that *I* blip, is in my iTunes so I don’t feel guilty. Before I switched to digital music, I had hundreds of CD’s that I’ve since copied to my computer. I’m usually listening to my iTunes library when I decide to blip a song. To me, Blip.fm is for sharing music with people not so that they don’t have to pay for it, but for them to discover music they like and can go buy. I’ve bought songs that I’ve heard because of other blippers and I’ve had more than one person tell me that they bought music because of what I blipped.
——
Thanks Stacie !!! You ROCK !!!
Cheers, Bob