Mastery Journal

You've just finished recording your latest release. It's now available on all major streaming platforms, yet your audience is nearly nonexistent. What can you do? In today's digital age, music promotion has become as crucial as creating great music itself. As an artist, I've learned that promoting your music effectively is a journey filled with creativity, strategy, and dedication. In this guide, I'll share my insights and strategies on how to master the art of music promotion.

Section 1: Building Your Brand

Creating a strong brand identity is the foundation of successful music promotion. Start by defining your unique sound and crafting a memorable image that sets you apart from the crowd.

One of the first steps in building your brand is to understand your musical style and influences. Finding artists or bands that sound similar to you can help you define your niche and target audience. Here are some valuable websites and tools to assist you in this process:

1.1 Discover Artists Similar to Your Sound

Music Streaming Services: Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music often recommend similar artists when you search for a specific artist or song. Explore these recommendations to discover artists who share similarities with your music.

Music Discovery Websites: Websites like Last.fm and TasteDive provide personalized music recommendations based on your musical preferences. Enter your favorite artists or songs, and these platforms will suggest similar music you might resonate with.

Analyze Your Music with AI Tools

Use AI-driven music analysis tools like SoundGrail or Musiio. These tools can analyze your tracks and provide insights into your music's style, tempo, and mood. They can then suggest artists whose music aligns with yours.

1.3 Attend Local Gigs and Open Mic Nights

Engaging with your local music scene can help you connect with artists who share your sound. Attend gigs, open mic nights, and local music festivals to network and discover like-minded musicians.

Section 2: Utilizing Social Media (X - Twitter)

Harness the power of social media by choosing the right platforms, creating engaging content, and maintaining consistency in your online presence. Remember, content is king, and storytelling is your secret weapon.

2.1 Choose the Right Platforms

Social media platforms play a pivotal role in music promotion, and one platform that has emerged as a game-changer is X (formerly known as Twitter). With its real-time updates and vast user base, X is an ideal place to connect with your audience.

2.2 Content is King on X (Twitter)

On X, brevity is key, with a 280-character limit per tweet. Here are content ideas to engage your audience:

Teasers and Previews: Share short snippets of your upcoming music releases or music videos. Create anticipation by revealing a catchy line of lyrics or a brief instrumental preview.

Behind-the-Scenes: Offer a glimpse into your creative process. Share photos or videos of you in the studio, practicing, or writing lyrics. Humanize your brand and connect with fans on a personal level.

Interactive Polls and Questions: Engage your followers with polls or questions related to your music or upcoming projects. Ask for their opinions on album artwork, song titles, or even tour locations.

Share Influences: Mention other artists who inspire you. This not only gives your followers insights into your music tastes but can also attract fans of those artists to your profile.

Promote Collaborations: When working with other artists, promote your collaborations on X. Tag your collaborators to expand your reach to their followers.

2.2 Consistency and Engagement on X (Twitter)

Building a loyal following on X requires consistent interaction and engagement:

Respond to Comments and Mentions: Engage with your audience by responding to comments and mentions. Show appreciation for their support, answer questions, and create a sense of community.

Retweet and Share User-Generated Content: Encourage fans to create content related to your music and share it on X. Retweet or quote tweet their posts to acknowledge their dedication.

Use Hashtags: Utilize relevant hashtags to increase your tweets' discoverability. Research trending hashtags related to music and incorporate them into your posts.

Announce Live Q&A Sessions: Host live Q&A sessions where fans can ask you questions in real-time. This fosters a direct connection and builds excitement around your music.

Transitioning Followers from X (Twitter) to Other Platforms

While X can be a powerful tool for engaging your audience, it's essential to use it as a stepping stone to transition followers to other platforms where you can deepen the connection. Here's how:

Promote Other Platforms: Regularly mention and link to your profiles on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. Encourage your X followers to follow you there for exclusive content or early releases.

Run X Contests and Giveaways: Host contests or giveaways on X where participation requires following you on other platforms. Reward your followers on X with exclusive content or merchandise when they engage with you on other platforms.

Tease Exclusive Content: Occasionally, share exclusive content on your other platforms and promote it on X. Let your X followers know that they can access something special if they follow you elsewhere.

Engage Cross-Promotion: Collaborate with fellow artists or influencers who have a strong presence on other platforms. Cross-promotion can introduce your music to a new audience on those platforms.

Remember that transitioning followers takes time, patience, and consistent effort. Building a strong presence on multiple platforms ensures that you can connect with your audience wherever they prefer to engage with your music.

The quarantine has reeked havoc on the music community. My team and I planned a house music event series before the outbreak, and we finally received the okay to perform a show at Pegasus Lounge on 14 August 2020.

This is great news because DJs and dancers can get together for the first time in a long time for most of them.

Come out and join us!

The world is full of people—lonely people. Some have a genuine connection with a few special people in their lives, but time is a precious commodity. Life happens and demands time, creating distance in those connections we hold dear. That may leave you on an emotional island, but you can change that.

Remember:

•This is your life.

•Your routine is not your life.

•You define your actions.

•You create your moments.

•You make your memories.

Your life is your story. Do something you'll be excited and proud to talk about. Build a legacy, and share your experiences with those you choose to invest your time in. Your investment may not increase your quantity of time, but well-invested time will improve its quality.

Depression is very real, and, if you’re going through it, you know just how important being repeatedly reminded of your value can help. Even if you don’t ever go with your friends, you want to be wanted, because it lets you know people are thinking about you, though you need time alone.

[doubting your ability to clearly explain it all, you say you’re just tired]

You want your loved ones to get past the awkwardness of asking what’s wrong so you can tell them, but your words barely make sense to you. So, doubting your ability to clearly explain it all, you say you’re just tired, and you really are.

[...but this all-encompassing cloud hangs over you]

You’ve dealt with so many thoughts about how you could feel better; for you to be out of pain, truly experiencing the professed love of your family and friends, and the sense of being important instead of just hearing it. That would tire anyone out, but this all-encompassing cloud hangs over you.

Eventually it dissipates, and you don’t know how. You think about what you went through, but you can’t quite put your finger on what changed. You appreciate the little things again, like when someone holds a door for you or waves you on in traffic.

Though you want to figure it out for next time, because their is always a next time, you don’t want to look back on it for fear your thoughts might take you there again.

So you live with this hidden shadow, waiting to come back, and there, perched in the back of your mind it bides its time. It knows—No, you know it will be back, and maybe it never really goes anywhere. Maybe that’s why you’re sitting in your mind, pondering your self-worth based on your contributions to a group of people you love, while you go through your everyday routine, waving a smile and cheering up others.

[...that was the solution last time]

Maybe you convince yourself the smile you’re selling is real. Maybe that was the solution last time. You didn’t want to remember it before. Did the cloud ever stop raining? Did you find your thistles to chew on in the Thousand-Acre Woods?

You don’t know. Perhaps you weren’t actually depressed because you convinced yourself it was real, the smiles and cheer, and maybe that makes this time worse.

[This is your normal]

It is never about any time. This is living with depression, and you’re strong despite being exhausted. While you’ve considered giving up, something always brings you out of it. This is your normal.

Neck and back pain are a regular for me, stemming from a car accident and my military service. This seems common place for most people, and I let my pain keep me from living life to its fullest for the last four years.

I recently completed physical therapy to help with the pain and mobility issues. The strengthening helped my mobility, but nothing stops my nerve pain.

I also saw a nutritionist to help me combat my weight gain. Anyone dealing with limited mobility can relate. My weight slowly increased 40 pounds, and I needed to do something about it.

We set up a plan, reducing my soda intake while increasing my water intake. Now, three weeks later, I’ve lost nine pounds, and I rarely drink a whole can of soda. I drink between 120 to 160 ounces of water every day, and I feel better.

My wife decided it was time to get me new sandals, my most worn shoe, and, with my focus on feeling better and improving my quality of life, I thought better shoes might help me feel a little better. I was wrong. It made me feel a lot better.

I am wearing a new pair of Finn Comfort sandals: German made, hand sewn, Italian leather sandals with removable insoles and the ability to be resoled. I love the feel and understand what I previously would have considered a ridiculous price. These are the Mercedes Benz of sandals, and they are worth every penny of the $200+ price tag. This experience prompted me to share my realization with you.

I grew up not wanting for much. Part of this is because my parents set my expectations early on. We had what we needed, and my parents went out their way to get us special things when they could.

The most important thing my parents spent on us was their time. We had a good life, and it was because my sisters and I knew we were loved. There wasn’t a price tag on my parents’ time for their kids. This is something I try to emulate with my daughters. My five daughters and my wife are the most important people in my universe.

I don’t want any regrets when I leave this world. I want my time, the most precious commodity I have to offer, to be comfortable. Yes, I deal with pain, but I won’t let it control me. My comfort is worth the fiscal price I pay because it affords me the priceless, quality time with my family.

My footwear choices are no longer solely based on functionality and acceptable levels of reducing discomfort. My priority is now is comfort so I can enjoy every special moment with my family. I challenge you to do the same.

Treat your body right, feel good, and enjoy your time with the ones you love. The memories you form with those loved ones are priceless. To think, I learned all this buying a pair of sandals. I can’t wait until I need new sneakers.

But what is Choon?

Choon is a possible solution to the music industry’s upside-down revenue distribution. You might not be aware there is a problem with how revenue is distributed in the music industry.

Here’s the Problem

The music industry has faced numerous changes over the years as technology has improved. Gone are the days of stores filled with vinyl albums and cassette tapes. CDs came and have slowly fallen by the wayside, giving way to digital downloads, but even downloads are becoming a thing of the past. The new way forward appears to be streaming music. Whether it be Spotify, Pandora, AppleMusic, or SoundCloud, listeners get what they want, music, whenever they want it, but this comes at a cost to musicians.

Copyright laws and royalty rates are slow to change, and despite market and technology changes, streaming services are legally required to pay 10.5 percent of revenue to master recording rights holders (think record labels and sometimes artists).

Let’s break this down to simple math. The Copyright Royalty Board has set a cost of living adjustment to the rates paid to master recording copyright holders for 2018, with the rate increasing on basis point each to $0.0018 for ad-supported, non-subscription music streaming services; and $0.0023 per performance for paid subscription services. Previously, the rates had been $0.0017 and $0.0022, respectively.

So… let’s say you’re a Spotify premium member, and you stream my single Eyes Are Here on Spotify. You would have to stream the song five times before I make my first penny ($0.0115). At that rate, Eyes Are Here needs to be streamed just about 435 times before it earns its first dollar, almost 4,350 times before earning $10.00 and so on. Fortunately, I completely own my rights; otherwise, I would only receive a percentage of that revenue with the label and publisher receiving the larger share.

Here’s the Solution

Imagine trying to earn a living based on streaming revenue. It is not feasible, and that is where dance DJ and producer Gareth Emery looks to make a change with Choon. Choon is a cryptocurrency-based music platform that simplifies the revenue stream for artists and simultaneously encourages listener-artist interaction. This sounds like a win-win situation.

Choon is opening its beta testing sometime during April 2018, and it seems promising. This seems like a great way to change the music industry, and I see this as an investment in my music that allows me to engage with my fans while cutting out the middle man.

Downside Up, my upcoming dance single, will release exclusively on Choon. I have chatted with Gareth and other artists involved in the beta testing and early adopting in the platform, and the energy and enthusiasm from each of them is exciting. I am excited for all this could mean for artists and fans alike.

It’s Thanksgiving in the United States, and with that comes a day to spend with those you love and cherish, followed by eating turkey until your heart’s content. That is where the Avarice (greed) begins.

Soon after the turkey has settled, Black Friday begins. It’s okay to be greedy if you’ve got the “go-ahead,” and here is your chance to listen free and enjoy some greed with my new track, Avarice. Please enjoy, like, and share. Happy holidays to you and yours. Cheers!!!

It’s always to see positive progress. Thank you.

I’m often asked how I come up with my music, the melodies, harmonies, and ideas for my different songs and instrumentals. Those who are familiar with my work flow know I create at least a track every day. For those who didn’t know this about me, now you do. I don’t say this to brag. I say this to explain my mindset in creating music.

Music is my method of communication, not the message.

Think about that for a minute. The message is what I feel and want to share with my fans. I could write words and try to express what I feel, but the texture is not there. Music, especially dance music, is meant to be tactile, in my opinion. I don’t want to listen to a song that has no movement or grit to it, and so I make music that moves and lets listeners feel what I felt while creating it.

Sometimes my songs convey the feeling of awe, as if I’m looking at life through a new set of eyes. Other times, I want my listeners to groove out while melodic lines express the darkness I feel when I deal with my PTSD.

The fact that I am here making music is proof that communication is the key when I’m dealing with different issues, especially PTSD.

https://soundcloud.com/rezvidal/rez-vidal-time-stops

Sometimes words can’t clearly express what I feel. That’s why many of my tracks are instrumental. Sometimes I feel multiple emotions, and I incorporate lyrics that express one concept while building on a separate mood created by the music.

Listen for what the songwriter, composer, or artist felt while creating their song. You might learn something. You may also find your own interpretation to the song, giving it personal meaning.

It’s been a while since I wrote you all, side effects of the all consuming life. We wake up, work, and try to spend time with our loved ones, while attempting to squeeze in a little creative time. That’s the life of a part-time, dedicated artist, a full time dad, and full time husband.

So— “What’s new,” you ask? I released another album, “Bump In The Night,” on September 22. This is house music with texture. Some people call it Tech House, but it feels psychedelic. The transitions themselves dance, flowing into each other, as the harmonies move to create space for the melody; meanwhile, the melody builds, as filters scan and scroll the frequencies, so your ears may drink something new as the kick drum drives you on.

https://soundcloud.com/rezvidal/sets/bump-in-the-night

That sounds psychedelic to me. I think it’s Psy-House. Is there such a thing? If not, there is now, and it’s here. Check it out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to share on Facebook.

Ladies and gentleman, this is the last mastery journal I will post. I say that because my degree program is nearing its end. I graduate August 4, and I am excited. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

My final class was Public Relations: Final Project and Thesis. The class sounded like it was going to be simple. I figured I would compile the final results of my capstone project and put together my thesis. I was right, but there were some key lessons that helped me add something extra to my website. These lessons focused on web optimization and ease of use. This was reminiscent of my first bachelor degree (Technical Writing), but the application was practical and immediately useful.

One of the assignments required me to edit my website based on best practices and usability. I adjusted my fonts and topic placements. I adjusted the color scheme, and I was inspired to compose a new music track: Dark Nebula (Space Vampires), because of the movies I watched when I first studied basic web design. 

The class was an overall success. I am much more confident about public relations than I was before the program. I can put together a social media marketing plan better than I previously could have imagined. My new knowledge even allowed me to network while at the Tampa Bay Comic Con. This was exciting because I found a like-minded musician who is trying to build awareness for local artists in Pasco County, FLA. 

I am also encouraged by some of the outstanding work and design my classmates implemented in their projects and assignments. The hands-on approach to learning the material was excellent. The program is not perfect, but it beats a strictly traditional classroom setting.

I can without a doubt call myself a public relations professional. My work speaks for itself. I worked with multiple real clients throughout my program because others saw the results and growth for my primary client. I consider myself fortunate and blessed to have the guidance from my professors and mentors. I am blessed beyond words for the support of my wife and five daughters. I am grateful for this opportunity to develop my PR skills and portfolio.

Make sure to follow my blog.  I will update you on what is going on in the entertainment industry and provide tips about public relations. Sign up for my newsletter, and I will update you with new music releases and upcoming events.

My class this month was Online Media Room. I did not know what to expect in this course. I expected I would perhaps learn to run an online news service for my client; however, I was greatly mistaken.

 This month’s course focused on compiling information and resources for the press. I studied different companies’ media rooms to determine what practices were acceptable to customers. There was more information to process than I realized, and I was shocked to find many profitable companies were not as good at providing centralized information as I expected.

 Additionally, this month I compiled the information I put together for my client. I created a campaign snapshot video, built a proper online media room, and created a social media report. The information became instantly apparent to my client. He was already impressed by the results of my campaign, and he was amazed at how much work and research went into the campaign once he saw the media room. While the details have not been finalized, he wants to permanently bring me on with the organization.

 The most exciting part of this month was seeing my client exceed his goals. My client exceeded his goal by 133%. This is exciting for any business, especially for a DJ and event planning service. Exposure becomes viral in the DJ world. Demonstrating success leads to people posting pictures of the events. That leads to other DJs and vendors wanting to work with my client, and this process allowed my customer to open a club. I am excited because I was part of this experience. I helped make this happen, and it is a sense of accomplishment.

This month’s course was Reputation Management Strategies. The course met and exceeded my expectations when looking back at my original goals. I wanted to:

1)    Identify potential risks to my client’s reputation;

2)    Plan ways to mitigate those risks; and

3)    Create a plan to handle potential situations that could damage my client’s reputation.

I did all these things and more.

I did not realize the planning that goes into reputation management prior to this class. I understood the importance of not making inflammatory statements and keeping up with proper social etiquette; however, I feel somewhat remiss by not formulating a template or crisis strategy prior to this class. This is important.

A story will be told any time a notable event happens. Will your company shape the narrative, or will your company react to the narrative? Crises befall many companies, and the way companies respond often dictates the public’s perception of that company. This can determine whether a company’s reputation recovers from a crisis or not.

I developed a detailed plan for a crisis communication team to help ensure my client can respond effectively to any potentially detrimental media situation he faces. I assigned roles, outlined training, and provided a crisis communication template for the team. I am confident my client can successfully handle a crisis if he follows my detailed plan.

I was originally unimpressed with the materials until I looked at the practical applications of the crisis communication plan. I identified historical and current situations where companies and artists did not have plans in place to handle crises. One of these situations was a missed opportunity by a record label to turn something as horrific as a terror attack into a method to enhance the artist’s reputation while benefitting the victims and their families.

I messaged Ariana Grande on Twitter, suggesting she have her PR personnel setup some sort of benefit for the victims of the Manchester Bombing. Not only did they not do something to benefit the victims and their families, but Ariana Grande cancelled her tour. I do not understand the logic behind this, but I know I vaguely remember bad press about Ariana Grande in a restaurant. Positive efforts to help those affected by this terror attack would have overshadowed the negative press from her restaurant incident from a year or two ago.

This month's studies were incredibly useful, relevant, and timely for ongoing activities with my client and other aspects of my business. Event planning is essential in the public relations world. Knowing how to design an event to meet your clients' needs and specifically target their audiences is a difficult task if you do not know what you are looking for. These skills are an art form, tempered in research. They can be time consuming; however, success can be rewarding. Here is a for instance. My client, VntiDope, has been playing different shows and venues. He took a break from his residency to work on events and festivals. During the course of his planning, VntiDope put me in contact with a DJ working to put on a festival on May 6. They asked my advice regarding the festival and how to coordinate it, as neither of them have significant experience with planning large scale events. Within minutes, I showed them this month's proposal from class, explained the importance of areas to focus on, and was fully integrated into working and playing in the festival. I have since written a press release for the event, created promotional materials, and earned the respect of over 20 DJs playing the festival. This also afforded me significant networking opportunities.

 The exciting part is that other DJs and promoters are noticing my work on the PR side of the house. That offers a service few DJs can provide. While it may not get me steady PR firm placement, this does allow me to do independent contract work for the industry. I was also offered a DJ residency based on people who have heard me play through this process.

 The discipline required in the entertainment industry is more substantial than most aspiring artists realize. For musicians, the image must be presented in as professional matter as the sound. This month has further helped me promote the professional image my client and I need to be successful in our symbiotic endeavors.

 Be sure to check out my website. Check out my new posts, and be sure to download some music on me.