FIRST job is to finish editing the sourdough bread-making video, I really made it for Catriona, but it’s good social media content.
I leave some time after posting it so I don’t incur the wrath of the Facebook algorithm by posting to often…I have a teaser video for (Looks like you’re) Walkin’ on Water to go out later.
Meantime, I create a Facebook event for the album release…not a ‘real life’ release, but just something that I can post in and link to without having to use links external to Facebook.
After a midday session with a Zoom guitar student I sort some lunch then start posting the teaser video…and posting the pre-save (and win a tour shirt) and CD pre-order links. Then I share the info to my email list and Bandsintown followers. Gets an almost instant reaction 🙂
Early evening I have a Spotify webinar then get back to the house to quickly help Maggi with the Facebook page and chat through some Christmas merch she’s after before Lynne arrives for a meeting with her and Margaret. I get busy in the office.
It’s after 10pm when the meeting closes and nearly 11pm by the time I have dinner ready…
I HAVE a new Zoom guitar student first thing…a one-off introduction to slide guitar which goes well. Hopefully they’ll follow up with another session in a few weeks.
Then I get on with a bunch of other stuff before getting the bike out for a trip to the dentist.
The dentist fixes by cracked filling tooth and I manage to avoid the rain on my cycle home.
In the evening we have a local community trust meeting.I’ve been brought back on board to help with communications…an activity that’s been sadly lacking since my services were dispensed with a couple of years ago…not for any bad reason, just because there was a potential conflict of interests with Margaret being secretary of the trust.
The trustees discussed the situation recently and found out that as long as they were all in agreement the conflict of interest issue doesn’t apply. So I’m back!
I rustle up some selfies..need some promo shots for the new album and tour dates!
THERE’S an order in for the pumpkin earrings…but I’m not 100% happy with ones we have so I spend some time tweaking the cuts and stuff.
After my first Zoom guitar student of the day I realise I don’t have any new promo/PR photos to send out with the press packs for the new album and associated tour dates.
I grab a camera and set up some selfies. Quite pleased with the results!
TIme’s moving on and it’s past lunch time by the time I get back to the house.
The afternoon is swallowed up with more promo and website updates for the album…and I need to have some idea what I might include in tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream.
Once I’m up to speed with everything I take a walk up the lochside and do some livestream promos for the main event later on. I add a link to a pre-save page for the album and also put CD pre-sales in the online store. I won’t publicise them until the Wildcats’ group has had a chance to get in first 🙂
Back in the studio I dump the sourdough making footage onto a hard drive then check the shirt/hoodie order Margaret’s just collected form Kenny, our merch guy. All looks good except the hoodies aren’t zip up one’s that I thought I’d ordered. I shoulda made it clearer when ordering…I just asked for ‘same as last time’ which were, in fact, zippers….they look good tho’. I’ll sort it out tomorrow.
After the Wildcats’ livestream I have dinner then dash to the local pub to meet Matty’s pal James for a pint. he and his cronies are walking the West Highland Way in full fire-fighters gear – including breathing apparatus – to raise money for suicide awareness.
CATRIONA and the kids arrive just as we finish breakfast…Margaret’s taking them all swimming.
I tidy up the breakfast stuff then make a batch of sourdough to use later tonight. I save some starter for Catriona and ‘feed’ what’s let of mine for next time.
I’m up to my ass in promo for the new album and tour dates but nip back to the house to see everyone and have a coffee..then it’s back on the case. One of the mail tasks is adding private downloads to Soundcloud so media folks can listen and choose to download via Soundcloud or Dropbox – whichever suits them best.
Mid-afternoon I cut a bit of flank steak in two, season and vacuum seal each and get the Instant Pot heating up to ready to sous vide. I get some more work done while I’m waiting then do some work on the sourdough…it”ll get stretched and folded over the course of the evening, put in the fridge overnight and go in the oven in the morning.
So many folks have been asking about it since I posted a few pix on my socials last week I decide to make a video to document the process and show how easy it is.
After dinner I do some work on the local community trust website and help Margaret put out some updates to members.
AFTER a bit of a long lie, coffee, email checking and social media posting we have breakfast then I spend some time on the pumpkin earrings. On sale now!
A pal in the next village is hosting a Macmillan fundraising coffee morning. It’s well past morning when we get there but we spend a good few hours drinking coffee, eating cakes and chatting away.
We’re both knackered when we get back and fall asleep on the couch in front of the fire!
I get some pizza dough ready for later and prepare some pasatta, mozzarella, basil etc.
I make up a wee video using footage from our wee SUP adventure during the week…
IN the office I finish of the large ‘I climbed Conic Hill’ fridge magnets for the shop then do a little work on some hallowe’en earrings.
It takes me a while to get things right then I get some prototype ‘bits’ together for Margaret to assemble.
There’s some video from Wednesday’s SUP trip to Inchmurrin to edit and I wanna identify some of the footage to make a Spotify canvas for (Looks like you’re) Walkin’ on Water from the new album.
After lunch I carry on with the video stuff, upload the canvas then set about making some more video content – a personal ‘thank you’ to go in my Spotify 2022 ‘wrap-up’ video that is sent to all my listeners and a couple of other social video – square and vertical formats – promoting the new album and tour dates.
Suddenly it’s after 8pm and I realise I should shut of shop and light some charcoal for the grill…
Vic Galloway and Nicola Meighan host the SAY awards at the Albert Halls, Stirling
FIRST UP one of my guitar students arrives for her weekly lesson. She’s coming on leaps and bounds and building her confidence too 🙂
I get busy in the studio then nip back to the house for a coffee and to help Betty with a couple of tech-related things on her iPad.
A courier drops off some wood slices I need to make a batch of XL fridge magnets for the village shop. The batch I made the other day were ruined by paint leaking into the grain of the wood. i get going with the new batch.
I carry on with the PR/promo for the new album and tour dates then it’s time to head off to Stirling for the Scottish ALbum of the Year (SAY) awards. It turns out to be a good evening and great to catch up with so many folks after a few years of not seeing many faces.
My sundried tomato sourdough loaf turned out pretty good…
IN the office I take the masking of some of my painted wood magnets to find the paint has soaked into the grain of the wood. They’re unsellable. I have to order more wood and let the village shop know they might take another coupla days.
Meantime, I pull together another batch of stuff for the village shop then, after a Zoom session with one of my guitar students, deliver the stuff.
My bandsintown email promo for the tour dates has gone out…not seeing nay direct results tho’…and my online chat has had zero response, even to my last message expressing disappointment at a lack of response.
For info, here’s a transcript of the chat as at 19 October…
October 13
Other
No problem. Which of these topics is most relevant to your question?
Something else
No problem. We’ll connect you with the team, and they’ll get back to you as soon as they can.
Hi, Dave Arcari from Scotland here…I’m considering my first paid promotion of bandsintown and see the minimum budget is £150 which, for an indie artist, is quite expensive. I’m keen to try it out tho’ and wondered if you had any promo code discount for a first time user of the service so I can try it out?
Thanks in advance.
Dave
You’ll get replies here and in your email:
✉️ studio@thebuzzgroup.co.uk
Our usual reply time
🕒 A day
October 16
H again…dunno if someone’s seen my message from Thursday?
October 18
…five days and still no response doesn’t exactly instil confidence in putting some money behind bandsintown ‘premium’ services..,very disappointing level of customer service and artist support 😞
…I’d say that’s a pretty bad show. I’ll keep an eye out for results and chat responses!
There’s a lot of media/PR promo to be done for the album and I spend most of the afternoon on that…taking a break to get my sundried tomato sourdough loaf in the oven to take along to Betty and Joe’s for dinner later.
I make good progress with the to-do list and we have a nice evening sharing dinner with our pals.
Fantastic weather for a SUP adventure to Inchmurrin…
I NEED to get a bunch of work done before I go out on the water at 10am to meet Fiona and David for a paddle.
The weather is good and we spend a few hours going to Inchmurrin and back. It’s a great paddle and another island ticked of my ‘visited’ list.
When I get back Mikey’s up on the roof sorting out some stuff for us. We have lunch then Mikey hits the road back to Dundee.
The village shop needs some more ‘I climbed Conic Hill’ pin badges and some other bits and bobs so I get busy in the office for the rest of the afternoon.
In the studio I download and go through some of the video footage I took while;e out on the water earlier then it’s back to the house to make dinner and chill for a while….
A still from the Wildcats’ livestream…join the group here
AFTER breakfast I make for the studio and get set up for a Zoom session with one of my Monday guitar students.
After a quick trip to the postbox to send off some West Highland Way Gifts‘ orders I revisit the bandsintown artist page to see if I’ve had a reply to my ad payment query form Thursday that I sent a reminder about yesterday. Nada. Not very inspiring.
Meantime, I create a video teaser post for the album and post that round my socials.
Mikey’s busy waiting our living room ceiling and doing other odd jobs that Margaret had lined up…I spend the afternoon int he studio preparing for tonight’s livestream into my Wildcats Facebook group. I spend a fair amount of time doing some test streams and setting up audio delays etc in a bid to get the audio and video in sync.
Another Zoom guitar session then it’s livestream time… all goes fine, but when I watch the replay the audio/video sync is still dreadful. Jeez – there must be a better way to do this!
