pop rock art Gallery Thoughts.
latest blog entries
- 3:37 afternoon delight
- How thick is a Comedian's Skin?
- Stop Whining about Getting a Record Deal!
- London Subway Bombings
- Rubber Octopus
- I fought hard for my corner cube.
about me
By day, I (Kristin Royce) am a search engine optimization and online marketing professional specializing in search marketing solutions for recognized online properties (iVillage, World Class Strategies and the National Safety Commission to name a few). More info on my SEO services.
Being the work-a-holic that I am, it's hard to break away from the computer, but the stories waiting to be told in my collages eventually pull me in. As a matter of fact, I have 2 works in progress waiting about 3 feet behind me right now...
Stop Whining about Getting a Record Deal!
Maybe musicians shouldn't focus so much on the record deal. From my experience in dealing with A&R, independent musicians are better off going about business as if they'll never get a deal.
These days, the labels like to see hard-working bands that have shown success at marketing, branding, having a business plan, etc. Then, as you learn more about the industry, self-production and distribution, you will have a lot more negotiating power when the labels start conversations. Learn to enjoy the small success stories along the way, rather than the constant weight of waiting for a record deal to present itself.
Two idependent musician success stories that inspired me this past weekend...
1. Elmo Shropshire invested $40,000 of his own money and shopped his "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" tune for 4 YEARS before being offered a record deal. He has since become a millionaire five times over.
I put my money where my mouth is
2. A 27-year-old British singer/songwriter set up an auction on eBay, enabling users to purchase a quarter per cent of his entire life earnings until 70 years after his death. Each share cost 3,000 euros ($5,272.20 US) and just seven days after posting his advert, Shayan had investors pouring in from around the world.
The shares he sold financed the recording and release of his debut album and he has since won some noteable awards and became the first unsigned and unpublished song to get airplay on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
Young singer finances career via eBay
If these stories inspire you, here's an article I wrote called Free ways to promote your music online. It's a good place to start.