#tunepatch

We’re profiling each of the students from the June program of the Orbital 1K and their amazing projects. If their stories resonate with you, sign up for our mailing list so that you can be notified of future 1K programs.

Caleb Dolister is a musician, a composer, and works on technology projects. In the 1K program, he launched a campaign for his latest album, Daily Thumbprint Volume 2.

During the program, Caleb also pulled together a remarkably useful list of on-demand merchandising services for musicians.

Hi Caleb! What are you most excited about with regards to your project?

My final project was based around releasing an album, but what I find is exciting is that there’s a lot more below the surface than just putting it out. For starters, the album demonstrates a model that small labels or bands can use to create diverse merchandise using print-on-demand resources instead of going out-of-pocket to mass produce. It also showcases a web service I’ve been building to use physical merchandise as access points to exclusive digital downloads and streaming. Musically, the album happens to be my second solo album in series I started writing over a decade ago, and it features live drums with electronic compositions. 

What was the hardest part of launching for you?

My idea changed a lot over the course of the program, and that created a lot of challenges because the program moves… quickly. Changing course meant backtracking and catching up. I originally wanted to launch a couple of campaigns that would feature the music of a couple active bands signed to my creative-music record label (snprecords.com), but getting them to work on the same timeline was nearly impossible. Luckily, I also had my own album that was nearing completion, which meant I was able to shift gears and focus only on a project that I could control. In the end, it ended up being much better, and more personal to work on my own material.

What’s your biggest takeaway from the 1K program?

I think one of the main important things I learned is that it’s totally ok to put my name on something I made, and that I can share it tactfully. Self-promotion has always been one of my roadblocks, and I think it’s common for a lot of creative people. I’ve often hidden behind the names of my projects, which makes it hard to engage with a community. Part of what I did throughout this program was to step outside my comfort zone and to put my name on the stuff I’ve already made so that it can be used as a foundation for the stuff I make going forward. In that sense, for me the Orbital program wasn’t so much about launching one project… but more about building a skill set that I can use to continue creating bigger projects down the road.