THE final batch of Kickstarter reward packages with the red vinyl need to be packed up and postage applied/labels printed. There’s still one or two folks who haven’t responded to the Kickstarter ‘survey’ emailed out to get mailing info but at least that’s it largely done now.
Have a guitar session with one of my in-person students mid-morning then get back to the studio.
The tube in the laser machine I use as part of my merch production seems to be dying, albeit slowly. It’s had a good innings – often folks only get a year out a tube and I’ve manage three, so I can’t really complain. I call my supplier and order a replacement.
Between that and the postage for the Kickstarter rewards the credit card takes a big hit. I know I had the postage cash for the Kickstarter rewards, but it’s long gone on other bills that came in between the campaign ending and the vinyl being delivered. Such is life.
The summer wetsuit needs cleaned and hung to dry before being put away for the winter…it’s been sitting waiting to be done for. day or two. I get it out the way.
I spend a good few hours on PR/media promo for the Scottish shows later in the month and use the forthcoming. single release (Younger Days – Friday!) and new vinyl as news hooks.
Before I know it’s time to go to the local village hall AGM. It trundles on ’til nearly 10pm then home for dinner and a little more work before bed.
THE ALARM goes off before 7am to remind me to get the oven on for the sourdough. A little time to heat up to max temperature then the sourdough goes in a Dutch oven and into the oven for 40 minutes. Then another ten minutes with the lid off the Dutch oven.
Once it’s cooked the bread needs to cool for at least an hour so I head out for paddle. Been a while since any time I had and relative calm have co-incided, so it’s good to get out for a wee while.
Back home I have a quick shower, breakfast featuring freshly baked multigrain sourdough then hit the studio for my first Zoom guitar student of the day.
After the session I fire through the remaining video edits for The Zips and start work own an online strategy for my pal Kevin.
I have an in-person guitar lesson late afternoon then a courier drops off more vinyl mailers.
After getting some more online postage labels sorted out and printed I have another Zoom guitar session hen my weekly livestream into my Facebook group. There’s a load of techie issues and I end up doing the livestream with just a crappy webcam. Goes OK tho’… 🙂
AFTER breakfast I doing some pizza dough out the freezer and put it in proving tray to defrost for tonight’s dinner.
In the studio I trundle through some more video edits for the Zips then take a break for lunch.
Thankfully there’s been a bunch of vinyl and other orders in that let me pay the invoice from our t-shirt guy. Once I’ve paid my debts I pack up the orders and buy/print postage.
I also get another batch of Kickstarter rewards sorted. Just a few left to go now…and they’re the folks that haven’t responded to the ‘survey’ that asks for their mailing info.
There’s also a lot of other stuff needing done…then dinner. the pizzas are good and I make a ‘spare’ for tomorrow’s lunch.
MARGARET and Jennifer are working on a community project today.
After unloading all the gear/merch and tidying up a bit, I get busy organising the remaining Kickstarter reward packs to go out. I’ve run out of vinyl mailers tho’. Hopefully the batch I ordered the other day will be here by Monday.
Now that the red vinyls have started to go out and hit folks doorsteps I get them listed in my online store. need to try and shift some so I can pay some bills!
I edit up a video from last night’s show and start splitting it up into sections for TikTok, social reels etc through the week.
We take a walk along to Betty’s for dinner along with Rachel, Greta and Karen and have a lovely evening…
Berwick’s Radio rooms is a crackin’ wee venue…but….
THERE’S set lists to be printed, merch to be sorted and gear to be packed for tonight’s show at The Radio Rooms in Berwick,
I’ve just finished packing the car when Betty drops by and hangs out for a bowl of soup before we need to get on the road.
We’re impressed when we roll up at The Radio Rooms – owner Brian and his wife Karen are waiting for us and make us welcome. It’s a great wee room and a first class PA.
But…there’s not many tickets gone in advance via the Eventbrite ticketing I set up…and no walk ups. I hang out and chat with ‘all’ the folks before I kick off the show – none of them had heard of me or my music before they saw one of my Facebook ads. When they ‘clicked through’ they were happy to take a punt and buy tickets for a show from someone they previously hadn’t been aware of?
What becomes apparent is that the venue hasn’t really done anything to indicate there was a show on or that I was visiting. Nothing on their website, nothing on venue’s Facebook page…a couple of posters up but given that the venue is only open for the gigs and private hire there hasn’t been much opportunity for ‘visibility’. For grass-roots level shows to work they need everyone to pull their weight – venue, promoter, artist everyone needs to put in graft and work together.
As it’s a self-promo show one could argue that responsibility lies squarely on my lap – and I don’t shirk that responsibility…nor am I trying to play any kind of blame game. I’m just trying to get my head round the current climate and perhaps validate some of my growing thoughts and theories,
The low turnout and feedback from the folks that have come out confirms my theory of late…none of the ‘traditional’ press/media really seems to get noticed these days. I don’t want to diss the support of traditional media but it’s really looking like the best you can do is get the coverage then spread it online as extra content and social proof.
The fact of the matter is, that if I hadn’t done some paid advertising on my socials we would have had a zero turnout.
It crosses my mind that perhaps I have no audience in the area and while that no doubt plays a part in the situation along with our (necessary) ticket price (the gig is a self-promo). In conversation owner Brian tells me that they had a zero turnout for a well-known artist (who I shan’t name) recently…and attendance has been low across the board.
Maybe my PR/promotion is shite? Possible, but unlikely given my track record and the amount of work and effort I put in.
The town is of a reasonable size and there’s not much else to offer venue/live music wise so I don’t think folks have too much choice. perhaps The Radio Rooms is a bit off the beaten track not being bang in the town centre…but it’s still in easy walking distance and is a really good venue for both performers and audiences.
What’s the problem here…me? My music? No profile in this area? Lack of teamwork? Wrong venue? Economic climate? Poor promotion? Something else? One, some or all of the above?
Ultimately, these things happen and sometimes defy logical explanation. But still…the more we understand, the better we can do….
Anyway, the ‘Berwick Four’ as they will be known thoroughly enjoyed the gig – as did the owner, Margaret and myself. They were great company, good craik and bought merch. We all had a nice time.
Margaret and I with ‘the Berwick Four’ after my show at the Radio Rooms 🙂
OFF first thing for a couple hours with some of the kids at the school in Balloch.
We have a good session and they’re pretty engaged. Then it’s off to the post office to drop off a big batch of Kickstarter rewards then onward into Glasgow to pick up some more hoodies and t-shirts from our merch printer Kenny.
From there I head to Costco, Tesco, Chinese supermarket and get home just in time for my 4pm guitar student arriving.
it doesn’t end there, though – more Kickstarter rewards to be packed, labelled and postage applied to go out tomorrow…and there’s some t-shirt orders to go too 🙂
MARGARET’s off early to a rural housing conference…she’s been invited to moderate a session because of her work in furthering our local affordable housing project.
I have a few things on my list today. First up, I get some video editing on The Zips live video. A huge file that needs split up, colour graded and the sound sorted out.
After lunch – steamed bar buns with air fried avocado, pickled red onion and sriracha mayo – I pull together some ideas for my pal Kevin’s new album project then get back to the video editing.
I have a break mid-afternoon when Fiona drops in to discuss some stuff for the local village hall and its website.
There’s various other bits and bobs to be done, so I leave the video editing for now and get on with the other stuff.
After dinner I get back on packing the vinyls and other rewards for buy Kickstarter backers…a much more involved job than I expected!
I HAVE a Zoom guitar student first thing then I get the studio sorted for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
I decide to keep my backdrop down as we’ll likely take to to Berwick for Friday’s show at The Radio Rooms – so I spend some time seeing the scene with a curtain and various lights.
Next job is to start editing the video footage from the last few days’ shows – I wanna get it finished so I can spin it into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream.
Just as my Monday afternoon guitar student arrives I get a call from a delivery guy – he can’t find us…a couple of minutes later he’s off-loading a pallet with the Devil May Care vinyl. Yay!
I leave it all outside the studio until the guitar lesson is done then get all the boxes shifted into the studio. Gonna be a busy time packing, labelling and shipping all the Kickstarter rewards!
The video edit is done just before my evening Zoom guitar student then I go straight into the livestream, phew…!
AN EXTRA hour in bed thanks to the clocks going back…so we’re up at a decent time. Loads to get done.
I’m in the studio trying to get gear tidied up and put away as well as dump the video footage from the last few days when Mikey turns up. He’s staying tonight and Margaret’s helping;ping him get his accounts in some kind of order.
In between transferring video files I get some stuff done in the office…then make dinner.
Very cool gift from my guitar student and pal Neil in Hull…made with his own fair hands…
WE have until midday too get our the hotel room which is just as well 0- for although here’s no gig tonight, there’s lots of bits and bobs of work that need dealt with.
My pal and Zoom guitar student Neil was at last night’s show and we’ve arranged to meet for a coffee. Margaret goes to the shops and Neil and I have a good catch up…as we’re going back to our respective cars he surprises me with an amazing gift – one off his “Dead Bod Guitars’ four-string cigar box guitars. I’m kinda speechless…he sent me a three-string as a gift a while back and I love it. I can feel a CBG album coming soon!
We split the drive home stopping in Glasgow for some shopping.
We’re both pretty goosed when we get back. After putting all the gear away and unpacking all our other stuff we have a late dinner then collapse into bed…
