Are you a sellout?

April 17, 2019 Emmanuel Aboagye

Selling my music makes me a sellout

To put it simply, nobody and I mean absolutely nobody will care more about your music than you will. So with that said, who do you think would be the best sales person for your music?

If you guessed yourself. Then yes! You are indeed correct and at the same time you are also wrong.

Because nobody can fully comprehend the meaning or the message that you are putting out, you are best placed to craft the positioning and the heart of the music.

There is however also a downside. Because you are so close to the fire so to speak, you are probably also the worst placed to punt your music because you probably cherish it too much and are afraid that someone will reject your little darlings.

The curse of too much knowledge and intimacy. This is why doctors don’t operate on family members.

So what is the answer then? Perspective. You really have to separate yourself from your creation. If you ask me, I think this is also the reason most creatives have a stage name or pen name. It clearly allows you to separate yourself from what you do. A mental game but very effective. You also have to become a student of marketing, to educate yourself on the simple ways you could be missing out on branding your music because it seems trivial or uninteresting to you but may appeal greatly to your audience. For instance, documenting your progress as an artist, or preparing for a show. This ability to peel back the curtain has always been an effective tool to market creative projects.

Are you inviting your customers into a story?

March 20, 2019 Emmanuel Aboagye

Build it and they will come

This is the first myth that I believe is also a trap. We as artists and creatives can easily get sucked into the vortex of creating that we forget about everything else. Like food, water and the reason why we are creating this thing in the first place.

Most times if we are looking closely at the heart and motive of what we are creating it is often birthed out of a desire to share. To help someone else who feels, needs or wants something that we can give them. That is also why I believe it is so painful for a creative if no one buys or shows up to appreciate what we have labored on for so many hours. It feels like a rejection.

Often nobody knew that you were working so hard on your project to begin with and that they were invited to witness the journey and enjoy the fruits of your labor with you.

Build it and they will come - No they won’t.

Invite them. Remind them. Show them. Tell them then remind them again and then they might come. And when you are finished, learn from it and do it again.

Essentially this is what is at the heart of marketing. If people don’t know what you are doing, if what you are creating is not in the public’s eye how can they ever support you?

How can they share your story?

We all love sharing stories, so create your art and give people a reason to come.

Fork in the Road

May 15, 2018 Emmanuel Aboagye

The proverbial Fork in the Road

It happens often, if we are wise enough to recognize it. Choosing a path leading down one road, means that you must forego the opportunities that are on another.

From the start of the year already I’ve had to make some tough choices for what I’ve felt would be for the greater good on my quest to doing this musi business thing full time.

One of those tough choices, was choosing not to apply to go to South by Southwest, in order to focus on plans to build my business. That was a tough one for me as I have absolutely loved the experience of SXSW and all the energy, ideas and people that come with it.

But sacrifices must be made for long term gains. And nothing worthwhile comes without a cost. So while I juggle a full time project management job and keep my Side-Hustle running it’s inevitable that choices will have to be made that I may not always like but will be rewarding done the line.

Its like going to the gym, saving or eating healthy, Continually choosing the right path even if it doesn’t feel good in the moment can lead to big payoffs.

Question:

What are some tough choices you have had to make recently?

Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you

Moving pieces (Project Management 101)

October 5, 2017 Emmanuel Aboagye

The toughest thing but also the most rewarding thing about being a project manager is that you depend on other people to do the actual work. Yes, you plot the course, set the milestones and remind the team of the deadlines. But ultimately your success is often determined by the teams performance.

Like a professional coach or business owner, a large part of your work goes unseen. And it can all fall a part or come together while you stand on the sidelines cheering your players on and directing their movements.

You need to anticipate the next move constantly and the quicker you learn the ins-and-outs the better for you and the lifecycle of your project.

Every move has a desired outcome.

Know the players.

Understand the game.

Learn the strategies.

Okay, So I was wrong! (GarageBand is pretty cool)

April 19, 2017 Emmanuel Aboagye

Recently, I came across an article that has absolutely blown my mind. It is a classic example of how the Music Industry is being transformed by the change in technology. Which creates an abundance of opportunities for the DIY musicians and Independent Artists.

The article is from Wired, titled: The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything On His iPhone.

Yeah, That's right. His cell phone. What's your excuse?

The article and video introduces a young new producer called Steve Lacy, an 18 year-old musician who produces music for J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. All on his iPhone 6. Using Garage Band.

Yeah, That's right. Garage Band.

For years, that has been a software application that many, (myself included) use to look down on and classify as inferior to other DAW's because of its simplicity. But I'm man enough to say. I was wrong. And Steve Lacy is living proof.

The fact of the matter is, we now have a more powerful tool in our pockets with our smartphones than The Beatles had in the entire Abbey Road Recording Studio in the 60's.

Honestly, stop for a second and read the above paragraph again to let it sink in (I'll wait).

And the next time you feel limited by your gear, read that paragraph again.

There are four things this article highlighted for me that I wanted to share and hope you would benefit from:

1. Making music should be fun.

Often in the business-end of trying to create the perfect HIT song and getting your music to make money, we forget why we started making music in the first place. To share a message, for the love of music, to express an emotion and just to have fun.

2. You shouldn't get bogged down in the complication of making music

The fancy expensive DAW's with all those shinny buttons can often be a huge distraction to the creative process. Sometimes, too many options is worse than no options.

3. It makes sense - Keep it simple

Being able to make music on the same device that a majority of your customers are probably going to be listening to it on just makes sense. It's just smart business. Whether young master Lacy realizes it or not. He has just given himself a serious advantage over the competition. Not to mention the mobility and easy access to a recording studio, which he literally carries in his pocket.

4. A good craftsman doesn't blame his tools

There is really no point or excuse anymore for not being able to create your music your way. From free software to relatively inexpensive gear to get you started. The only person standing in your way of creating is yourself. Get the skills you need and start creating as fast and as often as you can. That's the only way you'll get better at it.

Side note:

To get the skills I highly recommend signing up for something like The Recording Revolution.com. Graham has a wealth of knowledge that he graciously shares to get artists started and moving in the right direction.

Checkout the article from Wired. Let me know your thoughts.

Question:

What do you think of Garage Band as recording tool?

Source: https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-i...

This is how you create a Hit Factory

January 23, 2017 Emmanuel Aboagye

Question: How do you transform a generation?

Answer: By making an impact on culture.

But how exactly do you do that?

Help us pick artwork for our new single

November 24, 2015 Emmanuel Aboagye

I have always liked the idea of involving people in the creative process. Most of the time as an artist you get lost in your own ideas and imagination. Which is fun, but it does get a bit lonely. So to take the time to stop and show people what you have been working on is always an eye opener. You get to hear other peoples perspectives and see things from a different angle. This I believe, almost always leads to creates better art.

Currently, I am working on the Soldier.Lover.Poet EP and have re-recorded some tracks that have been great performed live with a band. The first single to be released will be "Makin' it Happen".

And I would love to have your input on the cover artwork.

Take our survey by clicking here.

What's next to fall?

October 24, 2015 Emmanuel Aboagye

Without a doubt this is a major issue that could have been avoided. As Maxwell says: "Everything rises and falls on leadership."

And so, as the dust slowly begins to settle, one can not help but wonder. What is next?

How long can you poke a lion and expect it not to roar?

And when the lion realizes it has a voice... What happens next?

For Free Money, Click Here

August 25, 2015 Emmanuel Aboagye

7 Really Cool opportunities all creatives should know about.

Now that I hopefully have your attention. I think that it is safe to say that nothing ever really comes for free and there is always some investment of time, passion and petty cash required to fully take advantage of any situation.

With that disclaimer out the way allow me to introduce you to some of the COOLEST opportunities I have come across in my years as a Creative Director at Dynisty Entertainment.

And over the next while I will be digging deeper into a few of these golden opportunities to help you maximize your advantage. So stay tuned and come back to this post whenever you think that money is the stumbling block, because it isn't.

Limited thinking is your greatest enemy as a creative.

If you know where to look there are plenty of people and places ready to support your art, if you are ready to present it in a professional manner. You just need to be bold enough to ask the right questions and follow through on what needs to be done.

1. Arts & Culture Trust (Nedbank)

This is a great initiative that I have personally benefited from and have seen the value of their funding. They have a great funding model and in the early stages of developing this blog I received a huge boost from their funding. It really did allowed me the chance to structure my organization better. It is well managed and the individuals really do care about the arts. If you meet the criteria it is definitely worth checking out and they have a great informative newsletter worth signing up to.