One of the reservations you might have about starting a Facebook Live show is the thought of how much gear and money you'll need. Another might be how to manage getting your music from your equipment to Facebook in the first place.

I had many of the same concerns, and I'm happy to tell you that with just a little bit of planning and some equipment I already had, I was able to start a Facebook Live show with a very low startup cost. You can do the same!

Here are some of the questions I asked myself before I started my shows:

• What is my gear inventory, and what can I use to accomplish this without buying new gear?
• What can I borrow or barter for?

Here is the equipment I use for my shows:

• iPhone 12: I use the phone to record and broadcast the entire event. The camera is great, and I don't need anything else other than a mount for the tripod to hold the camera.
• Apogee Jam: The Apogee Jam is a single-channel guitar interface. Admittedly, it's old, but it allows me to send a direct out signal from my mixer to my phone. There are several similar interfaces on the market, most notably iRig.
• Behringer Xenyx 1002 FX Mixer: This used mixer cost me less than $50.00 on a Facebook Marketplace purchase. It has limited capabilities, and the effects are what you might expect from an entry-level mixer, but they are good enough to add a little bit of space to the mix that gets sent to Facebook. Also, it allows me to create a mix between voice and guitar. From there, I send it to both my headphones and iPhone.
• Headphones: Nearly any pair of headphones will do. I wear headphones during my broadcast.  I use AKG K52’s.  They are light, comfortable, fairly inexpensive and great for this application.
• Pedals: Right now, I only use 3 pedals, and most of the time, only my acoustic pre-amp.
  • Boss Acoustic Pre-amp AD-2
  • Boss Chorus Pedal
  • MXR Dyna Comp (occasionally)
• Tripod: It holds the iPhone at height and keeps it secure during recording.
• iPad and stand: I use my iPad to display show notes and lead sheets. You can also use iPads for recording and broadcasting as well. The chief advantage is that you have a larger screen to see during your show. I may do that in the future; I will just need a stand for the iPad. For right now, this works fine. This is clearly an optional item.
• Lights:
• Borrowed LS Photo Pro Studio with diffuser
• Neewer USB Table-top LED Light kit (Pair for under $38.00)
• Small Rig Vibe P96L RGB Video Light (Approximately $35.00 each)

• Performance area or “stage”

Make sure the background is clean! No one wants to look at a messy space. It will just turn people off before you even start. Make sure there aren't any private or sensitive items in the background. This could be easy to miss and as simple as a post-it note on your desk with your password on it. (You know who you are!) Make sure there aren't any items that might be considered offensive. If you're not sure, it's best to remove it from the area. 

In essence, other than the interface and phone, it really isn't much different than what you need for an in-person performance. In fact, some people simply set up their regular PA rig and connect a microphone to their phone. I've heard these, and they are perfectly fine. As long as you don't overload the mic with your PA, it should work great. There are a number of inexpensive condenser mics that could do the trick; you would just need to identify what type of interface you want to use to get the audio into your phone. (Again, look at the iRig-2 Pre. This is awesome and has phantom power and XLR connection.)

From the list of items above, the only items I didn't already have before starting this show were the lights. So, really, the initial startup for me was under $150.00. That being said, I already had a couple of ring lights in the house that I could have used as well. They wouldn't have been as nice, but they would have been functional. Then I wouldn't have needed any outlay of money.

(The best and cheapest light is natural light. It is a great option, however you will be limited by time of day, weather, and where you have actual space to do this.  It works great!  Just make sure the light is in front or at an angle to your front.  I have used it for videos that I filmed prior to my Facebook Live show.  Just keep the window in front or towards either front side. Make sure it is not behind you!)

So, as you can see, the entire operation is fairly simple when you break it down. You could actually just set your phone on the kitchen table and use it to broadcast. It works, but the biggest drawback is the on-board microphone of your phone. The bottom line is that you can get started at any level of sophistication. The most important thing is to start. You can always tweak along the way, which is exactly what I do every week. Most importantly, have fun! That is what will be most visibly and audibly transmitted to your viewers.

Remember, even the most basic setup can create a great viewing experience. Don't let the fear of needing fancy equipment hold you back from sharing your music with the world. So grab your phone, find a clean space, and start strumming!

I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.

As part of my overall approach to building a DIY music career, I decided to start a weekly Facebook Live show. Here are some of the reasons for doing so.

It allows me to bring people some joy or escape.

During the pandemic I performed a weekly show every Sunday night for over 20 weeks.  It was a wonderful experience for me, because it gave me something to focus on besides the news of the day.  (Which we all know was terrible and depressing).  Preparing the songs each week gave me something to do each evening after teaching all day - virtually, which was absolutely brutal. (Teach choir to students virtually, when they can’t sing with anyone but themselves…  I could go on, but that would involve volumes of blog posts!)

These “Crafty Unplugged” shows were by all accounts a success with those that watched them.   After the first summer of the pandemic I had to give it up to meet the newer and increasing demands of the virtual and in-person classroom while social distancing. I still receive thanks for those shows when I run into people around town or at family functions and it is a source of pride that something I did brought some escape and joy for a few moments a week during such a trying time. People have asked me about whether I would consider doing it again.  So, it seemed, there was at least SOME market for it.

I had a built-in audience that was still present on Facebook, but not being served.  My Crafty Unplugged Facebook Fan Page still had a decent amount of followers.  It seems logical to start with the people who are already on my side.  That helps in many ways.  All I had to do was rename the page.  Since I have started to revive the idea, I have even identified several Top Fans which helps me identify what works and what they want to see and hear. 

I had experience - During Crafty Unplugged, I had figured out at least the technical part of how to put a basic show on.  I had equipment and the technical skill to accomplish this and with some new knowledge and some new lighting equipment, borrowed and purchased, I felt I could upgrade the production value.  I also now had around a thousand hours of experience speaking to a camera and faceless people - thanks to teaching virtually for so long.  Surely, that will make the next steps even easier!

The audience for this type of show can, theoretically, reach countless numbers of viewers.  Realistically, if the show’s audience grows, it is not unreasonable to think that during one single online performance I could reach more people than I could ever reach in-person over the course of a year.  A development of a strong and loyal fanbase from such a venture could lead to other performance opportunities that a traditional approach might never be able to allow.

 It fits with my schedule and my objectives regarding my performance career in this stage of my life.  I don’t want to perform in bars or even in the evening if possible.  There are many reasons for this, but obviously, it limits my performance opportunities since that is the traditional performance market for a solo acoustic musician.  In addition, Thursday afternoons fit perfectly with my family schedule, as a part-time employee with a family business my duties as a grandparent and my goals outside of music.

It will allow me to continue to build my catalog at a comfortable pace.

I felt that this would allow me to develop and expand my catalog/library of songs.  The weekly challenge of developing new songs would keep me from becoming complacent and keep me practicing.  This helps not only my physical skills on the guitar, but helps to keep my voice in shape and allows me to experiment with keys and styles etc... Additionally, it will potentially make me more marketable for in-person shows.

It will help me to work past my perfectionism.  I have never been perfect, however the overwhelming desire to BE perfect, especially when it comes to music, has always been a thorn in my side.  I now have the opportunity to try some new techniques to help me quiet the voice inside that is constantly criticizing, note-by-note, beat-by-beat, and word-by-word.  

It keeps me focused on goals that are concrete and attainable.  It develops the skills I learned as a student in the Berklee College of Music Business program.  It allows me to put some of those methods to the test.  With analytics provided by Facebook, I can analyze where I am, what works and what doesn’t.  I can develop new skills and continue to pass those on to others.

Increased online exposure could open doors to in-person gigs.  Simply increasing my exposure, especially to those locally in my area, could increase my chances of landing gigs in-person.  Maybe an audience member might have a party, a wedding, or some other occasion that would fit my talents? Perhaps my established audience will share my show with someone in a position to book me as well.  

Finally, it will give me more content for my website.  Hey, it gave me this article!  In addition, I will be able to show or recommend these shows to potential talent bookers, to demonstrate what my show looks like, besides just some demo songs.  It will give them a taste of my actual pacing and stage skills in a performance setting.

I probably could think of several more reasons for doing some type of live weekly online performance.  There are other places one could do such a show, such as YouTube.  However, Facebook is where I am currently comfortable and where I KNOW I have people that might pay attention.  In the future, I may branch out, but for now, I am fine staying right here with my friends!  

If you want to see what the show really looks like, check out the show every Thursday on my MUSIC BY CRAFT Facebook Page at 12:15 EDT.  I will try to include a link to some of the shows as examples over the next few weeks. 

Let me know what you think.  Leave a comment below!

Be Well!

Crafty

To be sure, websites are a necessary part of any DIY musician's plan for success. Experts point to many reasons why a musician should have one. However, in today's social media-driven market, it's easy to dismiss this idea and convince yourself that focusing on your Instagram or Tik-Tok is all you need to do to create success.  Don’t allow yourself to get caught in this trap.

I'm not here to argue the importance or power of any social media platform. I think it's a vital part of today's approach to marketing an artist. I use it myself and plan to share how I use it in a future blog post. What I mean to impress upon you is that a simple, well-designed website is actually the MOST important thing you should have in your music business toolbox.

Here are 8 reasons why a website is more important than social media:

1. A website provides you a place to be found on Google and other search engines. If you aren’t easily found on Google, it is over before you begin.  No one is going to go looking for you anywhere else. Google is where a potential fan or talent buyer is going to go first.  Be there when they knock on the door!
2. A website provides you with a professional appearance. Talent bookers will be able to separate you from the fly-by-night garage band from one with professional attitudes and behavior. First impressions are VERY important.
3. A website allows you to update information instantly. Most offer some type of email and mailing list capability. Contact venues using your own .com email instead of Hotmail, Gmail, or AOL account. Keep track of your fans by various criteria: gig alerts, blog followers, geography and more.  One quick email and everyone in your mailing list has your updated announcement, etc.
4. Your website can always be visible, available, and up-to-date. Your social media feed is not. All social media posts are subject to an algorithm that determines what you see, who sees your post, and when they see it, if at all. The percentage of people that see any post is quite small. (I have read reports that list it between only 2%-6% overall.)  So even if you are double the average, you are still only reaching up to 12% of your followers. Not great (example - so far, I have an 88% open rate on the emails for these blogs and only two clicks from Facebook to my blog over the space of six months, despite posting and promoting links on all of my Facebook feeds).
5. If you are on multiple platforms, you will need to update or post to multiple platforms to ensure that all of your followers have the opportunity to receive your updates. 
6. You can’t be sure that all of your fans are on social media at all. Your website and consequent mailing list assures that they aren't left behind.
7. A website can be a "one-stop shop" for everything that relates to you or your artist/band. Your website can be your hub to everything, including:
   • Contact information
   • Upcoming schedule
   • Bio
   • Electronic Press Kit
   • Testimonials
   • Blogs
   • Newsletters
   • Mailing lists
   • Demo materials (audio and video)
   • Song lists
   • Upcoming gigs/Tour information
   • Directions
   • Links to streaming services
   • Photos
   • Online merchandise sales
   • Fan subscription opportunities
   • Fan galleries
   • Ticket sales
8. Because of its all-inclusive nature, it allows the artist/band to cultivate a more personal relationship with fans. This is really the most important part. When fans feel connected to you, they will support you. Social media can help do that, no doubt, but nothing will paint a clearer picture of you and what you have to offer, than a fully realized website.

I hope you found this article useful.  You will be seeing more on this topic in my upcoming  DIY Websites for the DIY Musician series.  Tell me what you thought. Can you think of other reasons for a musician to have a website?  I only used 8 for this article, but there are certainly more.  Leave me a comment below!

Sing on!

Crafty

During my career as a performer, I sometimes had to perform from memory. Nearly all of these involved just singing, or singing and acting. I found that as I got older, it took longer. Mostly the lyrics were the stumbling points, rarely if ever, the rhythm, melody, or harmony.

The times that I had to perform memorized, I would generally do the following:

• Learn the melody/harmony along with the words slowly and correctly.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat...
• Gradually speed up the tempo more and more, often to ridiculous speeds to drive in the muscle memory.
• Once I could sing or recite the melody/lyrics/lines at lightning speed, it was usually memorized.

However, over my career, the vast majority of performances were in the classical or liturgical realm. This means that most of the time, I did not need to be memorized for most performances, even as a soloist.

For decades, I had beautiful folders with my Handel, Mozart, Bach, hymnal, etc., inside. I didn't have to work my "memorization" muscles very often. As a result, they have atrophied a bit. Certainly, this is a bit frustrating to me today. I could memorize songs in other languages in relatively short periods of time. To be sure, while at Westminster Choir College and soon after, I think I memorized about as quickly as most of my classmates and fellow performers, no matter the language, composer, or difficulty. But I rarely had to, so memorization was not something I prioritized.

Today, I am facing a different animal altogether. Now, I must figure out how to increase my speed and ability to not only memorize melodies and lyrics—now I have to add the guitar in as a performance instrument with the correct chords, rhythms, and picking patterns. Again, I have been playing and singing my guitar for the past 40+ years. However, I have rarely had to perform more than a song or two singing and playing at any one time, let alone dozens.

So, how am I to improve this necessary skill set now?

Well, I had to take a bit of time and analyze where my major malfunction with this combination of singing, guitar, melody, and lyrics lies. What I have learned over the last several months is that I think I have been trying to learn my vocal/guitar songs incorrectly. Usually, I would try the same approach as above, just adding the guitar to each of the steps along with the singing. What wound up happening was that neither the lyrics nor chords ever felt locked into place in a reasonable time or repetitions.

"It shouldn't take me this long to learn these songs!" "What is wrong with you? You've been doing this your whole life!" "How embarrassing. This is ridiculous..."

These along with a lot of expletives have tended to play in my mind's ear each time a mistake occurs. What would I tell a student having the same problem? I rarely had discussions about memorization matters with my students. As I look back at them, they were really quite excellent at memorization. I suspect that is because memorization is what students do over and over and over again. They are "memorizationally" fit! - Me not so much! Like the rest of my body, those muscles have gone a bit flabby...

So I went back to the drawing board and thought about it as a teacher. What would I tell a student who WAS having the same problem? Probably, I would tell them to break it down to the smallest parts and build it back up. So that is what I decided to do.

• Learn the melody and form of the song: (e.g., Intro-Verse-Verse-Bridge-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Outro...)
• Memorize the LYRICS in the correct order:
  • Start slowly. Gradually increase speed.
  • Memorize phrase 1.
  • Memorize phrase 2.
  • Memorize phrases 1 & 2 together before adding the next phrase.
  • Continue in the same fashion until the verse is memorized.
  • Do the same for the rest of the song.
  • Add song sections to the pattern:
    • Verse 1
    • Verse 1 & 2
    • Verse 1, 2 & Bridge, etc. until the entire song is VERY well secured.
• Learn the Chords Separately:
  • Use the same technique as used when learning the lyrics.
  • Whenever you add a new section, repeat what came before. This adds repetitions as well, building mental memory and muscle memory.
  • Don't go too fast, play accurately and with steady, great rhythm.
  • I also started calling out one chord ahead as I changed the chords on the fingerboard. For instance, if Bar 12 started with a C chord, then the instant I landed on that downbeat, I would play the C but call the next chord out loud.
• Follow the same cumulative approach to playing and singing at the same time:
  • Play and Sing Verse 1
  • Play and Sing Verse 1 & 2
  • Play and Sing Verse 1, 2 & Bridge, etc. until the entire song is VERY well secured.

I have applied this process and have found it to be successful.   

This led me to a second discovery.

I have been suffering from what I am calling "comparison syndrome." I have been comparing my skills to those of others.  I have been of the belief that I should already innately be at an exceptional level because of my life’s work. I also learned that this line of thinking is certainly not beneficial for anyone, especially me.  

So, I am now trying to compare myself not to others, as well as not to where I think I SHOULD be. Instead, I am vowing to compare myself to where I was yesterday. That has made a big difference! I have found that as I have continued to show up and rehearse, practice, work the routine, those memorization muscles have gotten into better shape and the entire process has been more efficient. I am not expecting to get back to the ease of my teens and twenties, but I will take whatever step closer to that I can get!

I will keep you posted on my progress. Do you have a similar story or tips and tricks that you would like to share? Your tip may help someone else improve their skills! Drop a comment and help a fellow musician enjoy their craft even more!

Sing on! -  Crafty

Covering a song doesn't mean you have to be an impersonator.

Covering a song is a great way to share your love of music with others. It can also be a challenge, especially if you want to put your own unique spin on the song. But, it doesn't have to be difficult.

In this blog post, I’ll give you some tips on how to choose and learn a cover song that won't make you feel like an impersonator. We'll also discuss the importance of making the song your own, and how to trust your own musical instincts.

So whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, read on for some helpful advice on how to approach cover songs.

Choose a song you love.

This is perhaps the most important tip. If you don't love the song, you're not going to be motivated to learn it. So find a song that speaks to you, that you can connect with on a personal level. Whether it's a lyric, guitar riff, the song's message, or perhaps a personal connection to a person or time in your life, it's beneficial to find something in the song that makes it stand apart from all of the other countless choices. Personal preferences or personal nostalgia are fully legitimate reasons for your choices here.

Choose a song you can play/sing with reasonable effort.

Don't choose something that is beyond your skill level. If the song can't be simplified to fit your skill level while maintaining the integrity of the song, it's best to move on to another choice. I'm not saying that you shouldn't challenge yourself, but keep in mind that huge leaps above your current skill level may require an inordinate amount of time dedicated to just a part of the song. This will keep you from perfecting other parts of the song, lead to frustration, and perhaps keep you from devoting time to other songs in your set.

Helpful examples:

• If you are singing, change keys until it fits YOUR voice perfectly. Don't hold on to the idea of only performing the song in the key it was recorded. You are creating something new. Be comfortable. Most of your audience does not have perfect pitch.  And if they do, believe they don’t want to hear anyone shoot for the high note and miss. Not many can match Steve Perry or Adele note for note. 
• Use a capo to keep the song in a chord family that you are comfortable with.
• In Livingston Taylor’s book - Stage Performance, - Livingston offers several examples of working with very talented Berklee College of Music students that were struggling with their performances.  Often all it took was a small simplification of what the student was playing on their accompanying instrument to allow the performance to truly blossom.

Choose a song that lends itself to your instrumentation.

Do you need to completely re-imagine the song to make it work? If you are a singer/guitarist, then an old Kris Kristofferson or Bob Dylan song might be an obvious choice. Billy Joel's "Prelude/Angry Man"?? - not so much... Pick your battles. 

Play to your strengths.

In my instance, I am a very strong singer. I know what styles work for my voice and which styles don't.  I also know that my guitar skills lag well behind my singing talent. However, they are serviceable as long as I “don't get out over my skis.” In other words, I am not going to amaze anyone with my ability to solo/shred on the guitar, or create a loop.  But I might be able to lay down a nice little groove and then build a very cool vocal ostinato or clever backing harmony that will get some ears to perk up.

Make it your own.

Covering does not mean imitation necessarily. So make the song your own. Put your own twist on the song, change the tempo or style.

The first thing I would suggest here is to start by memorizing the song. Once you get free of remembering the chords, melody, and lyrics, then you can truly start to find YOUR interpretation of the song. Your individual creativity can truly blossom. Experimenting after you really know the song is much more enjoyable and beneficial.

Trust yourself.  Go For It!

Your audience will respond to the music that you perform from a place of conviction. Watching and listening to a performer that believes 110% in what they are doing is one of the most exciting things in the world. When you take the time to make the song your own, you will provide exactly that which your audience is craving, even if they are meeting you for the first time. It is what made the original version popular in the first place. A new voice, a new perspective, a new attitude... This approach is much different than someone simply replicating songs the way they were heard on the radio.

So trust your musical sensibility. If you are committed and prepared, there will be an audience for it. If it pleases you, it will please your audience.  So, has a reggae version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" been percolating inside you? Were you wondering if anyone else will like it? The answer is yes!  

Be fearless, be creative, and most of all- have fun!  Follow the steps above and let me know how it goes for you. Leave a message in the comments below and share your thoughts.

Sing on! - Crafty

Niches are very important in music and business.  Recognizing this can be the difference between success and obscurity.  The idea of “tribes” is a great way to think of fanbases.

Hopefully, this post will help make that more apparent.  I will use this actual blog as an example.-

There are many reasons that one might read my blog posts, and certainly, everyone is welcome, but I can’t write with everyone in my mind as the target audience.  The articles would become too vague, broad, and general.  I have to write for my tribe, a specific group of people. My tribe is primarily made up of the following types of people.

1.  Musicians that want to have successful DIY careers in music, build a devoted following, and maybe perform in places other than bars and pubs.
2. Any DIY musician who wants to see how the most popular trends in today’s digital/social media-driven techniques can be applied and how they work for someone implementing them without a media machine driving the bus.

Let me explain that a little more- 

“People like us, do things like this.”  

This is a sentence made popular by marketing guru Seth Godin.  The premise of his philosophy is not to try to market (cater) to everyone, but rather market (cater) to your tribe.  Talk to the people who want to know what you know, do what you do, and think like you.   Don't worry about everyone else.  It is not for them!  Focus on who it (your music) is for.  Let's be honest, Nobody is everybody's cup of tea.  So don't try to be, instead, be the perfect cup of tea for those that want to know you and what you are doing!

That is what you will see in this blog moving forward.  I will be writing to those people that I mentioned above, because, I know that there are others out there that want to do what I am doing.  Maybe not millions, but plenty. (One doesn't need millions to be highly successful in today's music model.) People like us have a burning desire to perform but don’t want to go about it exclusively by hanging out in loud bars where their performance is largely decorative. 

Not everyone will approach it from the same place.  Some will be original artists, writing and performing their own songs.  Others, like myself, will be performing covers of their most cherished classic songs.  Maybe originals will come down the road…

Some people will be able to take these techniques and make as much money as they want and build impressive careers, for others, it will be enough to perform once a month, as long as it nourishes their souls.  

“People like us, do things like this.” 

I feel this approach is the key to success long term.  The development and nurturing of your tribe can lead to loyal fans and a consistent career.  I will try to show you how to build your tribe and find the things that will help you connect with them.  Let’s create a tribe of superfans devoted to the things that you do!

Whichever your path was to this blog, I hope you enjoy your time with me and I hope you take the time to interact with me and our little community of people that “do things like this.”

Until next time,

Sing on!

PS - Here is one of Seth Godin’s great books.  I highly recommend it!

https://a.co/d/aa2lhU6

PPS.  Join our Facebook group - The Solo Musician’s Collective to connect with fellow members of your tribe!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/solomusicianscollective/

The amount of work necessary to start a music career in today’s DIY music industry can seem overwhelming. So, I decided to create a list of essential tasks that should be completed by every artist, and then order them by priority.  The ranking of this list may differ slightly depending on your personal situation, but it is the priority I would recommend to a management client and in this case, it is the order in which I will proceed with my own performance career.

Writing everything on a list helps tremendously with keeping a vision on track and for an artist to keep moving forward.  Just keep checking things off the list one by one and eventually, the goals become closer and closer!

Here is how I decided to prioritize these items. I acknowledge, that I may be pursuing many of these concurrently, however, I will continue to refer to this priority list as much as possible as I move along. All the while I will keep you updated if they change or if new items are added.

1. Song Selection
2. Song Preparation
3. (Song Research) 
4. Website
5. Blog/Newsletter
6. Mailing List
7. Social Media (Which ones?  All of them? Set up start using…)
8. Demos
9. YouTube Channel
10. Photos
11. EPK One-Sheet
12. Leads/Prospective Performance venues
13. Equipment

1-3  I decided to start with the songs because, in my opinion, the music has to be at the heart of everything.  Selecting the right songs, practicing, playing, and repeating will build momentum.  (Song research is listed here mostly for me because I intend to incorporate a lot of music/song history into my shows.  This is obviously not necessary for every artist.)  Along these lines, take every opportunity to play for people, friends, family, parties, or even online.  Putting a little pressure on yourself in front of others will help you reduce nerves, judge audience reaction, set order, musical arrangements, and much more prior to formal performances. 

4. Website- This is listed next because I believe that ARTISTS, should be in control of how and when they make contact with their fans. The website is most definitely the next necessary step.  A website allows the artist to collect contact information and speak directly to followers.  Even in the age of social media dominance, this is important because it cannot be controlled by an algorithm. Make sure you have a clear Call-to-Action on your site such as mailing list/newsletter sign-up forms. With a website, your contact list stays with and belongs to you. The chance of contacting one’s followers by email versus social media is shockingly higher.

Want a place to find websites tailored for musicians? - bandzoogle.com is the absolute best place to go!

5.  Blog/Newsletter- The blog or newsletter is next because it allows me to create content immediately and create a reason for people to follow my journey right away, even before I start to create musical content.  My thinking all along with this was to bring my audience along for the entire trip, so this seems logical.  Everyone starts from nothing, so why not show what the beginning can look like and show the growth of everything?  This is where you start to cultivate your superfans/evangelists.  The fans that tell everyone they know about you, and come to every show or buy all of your merchandise.  

If you are intimidated by the blog, at least start a newsletter that comes out regularly updating your growing fan list of upcoming events will be very helpful in many ways!

6.  Mailing List- The mailing list is born directly from the blog/newsletter.  Once people visit the website, I want a reliable and effective way to let them know when new content or events are occurring.  Social media is simply not enough or effective by itself.  Mailing list first- THEN social media.

7.  Social Media- Social media is VERY important and it should be used by today’s artists.  Which one?  All of them?  That is a discussion for another blog post.  However, it is best to create consistently on the platform you are most comfortable with as well as the one that best matches your audience demographics (another blog post coming on this).  I will try to constantly create posts that drive traffic to my WEBSITE!  For me, Facebook is the starting place for a variety of reasons that I will discuss in a future post.  That is where I will dedicate most of my social media time to start.

 8.  Demos - Every artist should have the best demos of their music that they can afford to create posted on their website.  Everyone starts somewhere.  Remember that the demo you create today doesn’t have to be your forever demo.  You can always change to others as you are able to afford better studios or equipment.  Most likely your skills will improve as well.  Additionally, your musical vision or direction might change, and your demo should reflect that as well.  Don’t stress over it, just make the best one that you can and get it on your website.  (Why not use the process to create content for your website and social media?)

9.  YouTube Channel - Yes, I know it is a form of social media.  However, I think it is fair to say that it is its own beast.  You need it, and your audience and prospective clients will demand it.  So embrace it and use it to drive viewers to your website!

10. Photos-  Much like demos, get the best photos possible.  If you can afford a professional, then do that.  If not, keep them simple and clear.  Additionally, your photos should also reflect your artistic vision.  In other words, if you are performing Dirt Emo, don’t use a picture with a jacket and tie.  Think about what your musical themes are and use colors and clothing to match that vibe. 

11.  The Electronic Press Kit (EPK) and One-Sheet are absolute necessities.  You need to build these items so that anyone who might want to book you for a gig, interview, podcast, article, etc. can find your information easily and succinctly.  This needs to be clean and well done.  For many talent bookers, this will be where their decision to book you or not is made.  For many writers/journalists, this is where they will find most of the information used in their pieces.

12. Contact Prospective Leads-  This is last because I believe in making a strong first impression.  You never get a second chance to make a first impression.  It is important that you demonstrate professionalism.  After all, you are asking professionals to take a risk on you.  They are making a judgment about whether you can deliver as a performer.  One of the best ways to do that is to show that you have put the appropriate amount of time into everything you do.  That starts with your website and the content you create there. If you have all of the things I have listed above, then you are ready to rock with the best!

13. Equipment- For me, this did not appear earlier on my list because I had mostly everything I needed to complete my equipment list.  I recently secured a set of speakers that fit my situation perfectly from a trusted source, so I am all set.  If you aren’t, then the more time you have to scour Craigslist, Reverb, or Facebook Marketplace - the better.  Picking up things when you find good deals is much better (and cheaper) than the night before the gig! You will have to decide for yourself where to prioritize this item.  It will be different for everyone. 

Conclusion

So, this is as short as I could make the “first steps” list. They aren’t written in stone either.  Some of the priorities could be different for different artists, but this is a pretty strong set for most and especially fitting for me.

I’ve clearly got a lot to do!  Is there something I missed on this list?  Please let me know in the comments section.  Let me know your thoughts, I value your opinion.  What you have to say may help someone else, so don’t be afraid to share!

It all starts with the music, right?  

What music am I going to learn and perform?  For some, that will be a very easy choice.  For others, it may be more difficult.  For me, it was more challenging than I expected.  I have been blessed to have spent a large part of my life deeply entrenched in several styles of music.  I am a classically-trained Bass-Baritone, performing in operas and other works in different parts of the U.S. and even Italy. I have trained and prepared thousands of students for Broadway-style musicals, as well as traditional choral music.  I have performed in clubs as a cabaret singer of the American Songbook and I have also been a professional church musician, singing in churches all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  All of these musical styles have brought me much joy. I was successful enough that it allowed me to have a very enriching career.

However, none of these styles were what originally fostered my love of music.  That came from someplace different.  Some of it came from 1960s and 1970s AM radio, but mostly from family get-togethers in the basement of a ranch-style house built by my grandfather in Southwest Idaho - and my first musical inspiration- Olie Peppley, my amazing and talented aunt.

Olie was always my hero.  As a child, it seemed she could do anything.  She was a fantastic bowler, could throw a perfect spiral, shingle a roof, play the piano, guitar, and sing her heart out. Funny?--- my goodness how she could make everyone around her laugh. To me, it seemed she could do anything.  She is deeply missed.  I share these thoughts about Olie because when I was trying to decide what music, what style of music I wanted to pursue TODAY, it was those old songs that I loved so much that called to me.  Those memories, and songs, kept playing in my mind.  When our family got together, it was a melting pot of music, Merle Haggard, The Beatles, Charley Pride, Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver, and Marty Robbins, just to name a few.  The great songs of Country, Pop, and Folk from the ’50s, 60’s, and ’70s.  This is the music that set me on my path.  This is the music that I have always loved and for reasons that I hope will become clear,  this is the music that I choose to use in Crafty: Act Two.

When a musician starts on the path to pursuing a career as a performer, one of the first concerns and priorities becomes building an audience.  Common concerns include:

What songs will they like?   

What songs should I learn for them?  

Will they like this song if I perform it?  

What if they don’t?  

Will I get another gig?  

Many singer/songwriters go through a similar process:

Is this song enough like my other songs for my audience to like?

Is this song too different from my other songs for my audience to like?

It is easy to fall into this mindset. My wife made it clear to me that I was falling into this trap recently.  

This brings me to one of my central beliefs - 

The key to building an audience is performing music that the artist LOVES, performing it well,  and performing it with conviction.  

If a performer can do that, then I believe that there will be an audience that will find the artist. 

So now, I will put my hypothesis to the test.  I am creating a list of these songs that I love and then preparing them to be ready to perform for an audience. Many of the songs on my list don’t fit what you might see in the local bar. (More to come on that later…) They aren’t all uptempo, they are too old, too slow, too mellow, too square, too sad, etc…  The one thing that these songs have in common is that I LOVE them all.  (I might even consider some of them my oldest and dearest friends.)   They were the songs that essentially wrote the screenplay of my early life.  I am learning and exploring these songs at new levels, and it is my hope that my love for these songs will be the driver to building an audience.  And although people will be seeing a solo acoustic act, I can assure you that most of these great old songs will actually be duets with Aunt Olie.

What songs inspired you during your youth?

Who inspired your love of music?

Let me know in the comments!

Be well.

-Crafty

Crafty: Act Two 

An Introduction 

Welcome to my first blog post for Crafty: Act Two at musicbycraft.com.  I hope you enjoy what I post here. If you know someone who might find anything I post here helpful, please let them know. 

Who Am I?

I am James Craft. Most people call me Crafty.  Last year, I retired from my job as a high school music teacher.  Today, I am pursuing a performance career as an “acoustic-classics” singer/guitarist.

Background

I grew up in Idaho where I was greatly influenced by my wonderful Aunt Olie, who first fostered my love for singing, guitar, and music in general.  

I left Idaho for Princeton, New Jersey to pursue a music degree at Westminster Choir College.  At Westminster, I got to perform great classical works with the greatest maestros and orchestras of the 20th century, including Riccardo Muti, Leonard Slatkin, and Leonard Bernstein. 

Afterward, I became a teacher in central New Jersey. For 30 years I prepared high school students for thousands of performances, directed musicals, and created courses in music technology and music business. Eventually, we even formed a student record label complete with a performing and recording student rock band.

Why Write a Blog?

As I am pursuing some new musical avenues as a “senior, ” I thought that it might be helpful to others if I shared my experiences in this “Act Two” of my career in case anyone else out there might find it helpful. Most of what I will talk about will apply to almost any musician looking to get their own DIY career kickstarted, but be aware - it may have a slightly “grey” tint to it!

What Gives Me the Right to Blog About This Topic?

I have a lot of personal experience as a performer in many different styles and facets of performing including, bands, sacred music, and even musical theater.  I have helped train countless performers and have seen many things along the way that have informed my learning and teaching.  The difference between all of my previous experiences and today is that my career as a performer has always taken a back seat to that of a teacher.  I never had the time (or energy!) to truly pursue my personal music-making in the way I really wanted to.

I have had the pleasure to manage a few artists before the pandemic and was able to see some things that worked along with some things that didn’t along the way during that journey. 

Finally, I was blessed to study at and complete Berklee College of Music’s  Music Technology and Music Business program. (btw- I got an A on every assignment of every course!  I am pretty proud of that!)  It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life and helped light a passion for the business side of music, that I didn’t know was possible.  The fire for everything I learned there still burns brightly.  I read and research topics such as music marketing, music management, publishing, and social media for musicians constantly.

What Can You Expect?

I hope to share all the steps I take along the way as my “act two” continues.  I will tell you what I decide to do, why I chose to do it in the first place and my thought processes along the way.

You can expect to hear about all the successes, as well as the failures too.  I won’t be writing only about what went perfectly because most of it won’t be perfect.  I know that I will fail at many things along the way.  But hopefully, you can gain knowledge from my failures and avoid them yourself.  You can expect honesty.  I will be upfront and honest about what I do and what I didn’t or can’t do.  

What Might You Get Out of it?

Some of you will be happy just to keep up with my adventures. You might get some new ideas about how to move along as an artist. Hopefully, you will realize that you are not alone.  Countless others are taking your journey alongside you.

 You will get all the benefits of experience without the risk.  

Resources-  I will try to provide you with resources that are practical and useful.  They may be apps, websites, services, books, etc.

A Final Note

I hope you join me and share your thoughts in the comments below.  This is my first blog post.  Let me know what you think and let me know what you want to know more about!

Here is the final thing -  Sign up for my email list, so that you are notified whenever I drop a post!

Thanks! - Crafty