Normally, I'd make this sort of post private, as I don't believe in bawling in public these days, but I need to send some positive props out and close out this year with some of the best vibes I've experienced in quite a while.
I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough year for me financially. While I didn't, for example, lose my job or become a victim of massive credit card fraud, my husband and I started planning some MAJOR life changes over the next year or so. Which means I had to clean up some financial house before the year ended. Which I did. Paid off my car loan (that was a big one). Erased some credit card debt. Was able to maintain some memberships in the process, but it's been hard. As you all know, I released a CD earlier this year. Wrote it, recorded it, had it professionally mastered, duped, and put online at a bunch of places. While the promotion I did for it was initially gungho press releases, CD sendouts, competition entries, etc.), my efforts slowed down when the economy crashed, back in September. I had to bypass promotional opportunities on places such as Sonicbids, so as I could put my money toward paying down my debts.
I'm not crying about it. It's just the way it is. Sometimes, you need to take care of the rest of your life first before you can go back to being an artist, again. I'm poor as a churchmouse, but I now own all of my stuff outright, and I can start fresh again.
Anyway, I don't do alot of self-promotion at the social networking sites on which I hang out (such as Friendfeed, Twitter and Facebook). While I will occasionally remind people that I have product to sell, I just think it's kinda tacky to put your wares in people's faces, all the time. There's also that fine line between self promotion and out and out spam that I'm still trying to straddle. I've become friends with a lot of the folks on FriendFeed, for example. I would not really care to alienate them with my promotional tactics, just because I made the choice to be a starving artist.
I also never maintained a mailing list. Aside from concerns of coming across as a spammer and possibly alienating friends and family with whom I converse via email, I just don't provide a lot of news and I'd just assume not bore people with the (lack of) activity going on in my musical life, or just my life in general.
Let's just say, all that changed this morning, due to this thread I saw on FriendFeed:
http://friendfeed.com/e/bf86c9aa-a1c4-4b24-8860-91b2f2bd6ea6/Helen-Sventitsky-Incident-At-Motel-6-Free/There are those of us who put music out there and don't expect much. And then get the surprise of their lives when they find out that word of mouth actually does work!
To say that I'm shocked about this would be an understatement. This not only made my morning, it made my month, and even my year!
So, in summary:
Getting CD written and recorded at home studio: Free, but with some health sacrifices involved (such as lack of sleep).
Mastering, duping and distribution of said CD: c. $500.00
Getting the hell promoted out of you on the internet by people who found you: PRICELESS!!!!
So my learning this morning: Fans are EVERYTHING! Keep them. Cater to them. Keep in touch, even if only for a minuscule newsbites. No longer be the shut-in to those who like your wares.
Off to put together that mailing list.
And thank you, Michael W. May, for all you've done on FriendFeed this year for independent artists, such as myself. I promised to do more, and better, next year. :)