I GET cracking on the holiday lodge website – and start uploading a video ‘walk through.
We reckoned it might be a good idea to put out a download-only single in advance of the album launch – so Givers & Takers will be released on Friday 14 July.
Givers & Takers single coming soon!
So while the website video is uploading (slow progress!) I hit the studio and do some artwork to accompany Givers & Takers. Not my usual style, but I want it to stand out in the digital field and not be confused with the live album or the already-released EP.
Back in the office, the video walkthrough has hardly started the upload, so I abandon that until I can get a better connection and set up the release and distribution for Givers & Takers.
Then I get busy with the other parts of the website that I can do without a fast connection.
By dinner time I’ve got things pretty much as I want them – a few details to be confirmed and info to be checked – and just a placeholder where the video will be – so I call my client and let them know the holding page will be down for the next few hours to let them have a proper look at progress. They agree to let me know any changes either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
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IT CERTAINLY is ‘Friday the 13th’ – either that or I got out the wrong side of bed this morning.
First up, I’m getting security notifications when visiting my website. The SSL certificate I installed the other day seems to be creating more problems than it solves. I raise a support ticket with my hosting company to see if they can shed any light on things.
Second – our broadband speed has gone from poor to virtually unusable.
And thirdly – to cap it all – my tour dates aren’t showing up on my website. I use bandsintown to populate my tourdates page and, (I’m assuming) after yesterday’s WordPress update to version 4.7.1, something has happened.
I try a few edits and changes but nada. No solution. My bandsintown page and everything is OK so it must be something to do with the WordPress update that’s preventing the content showing when embedded in my own website. My Google ads ain’t showing up either but that’s no real loss.
Nothing I try wants to fix it so i end up creating a new tourdates page that will suffice until I work oiut what’s gone wrong – or WordPress, bandsintown or someone posts a ‘fix’ or update.
That’s the day all but gone. Dealing with shit. Not a single thing on my to-do list even looked at. I fiond myself wondering how everyone else manages to deal with all this crap. Firefighting.
I spend a couple of hours archiving and organising hard drives in the studio before throwing in the towel for the night and conjuring up a green curry.
On a more positive note, though, following my meeting with Google the other day, Ekaterina’s advice has already resulted in my site coming up on the front page of search results for the three keywords we chose 🙂
Dave Arcari is a full-time touring alternative blues (alt.blues) guitar player and songwriter
based on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond, Scotland
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I have a productive one-to-one meeting at Google’s Digital Garage event in Glasgow…
WE HEAD into Glasgow early. Margaret’s got stuff all day…and I have a mentor meeting with Google.
I drop Margaret off then stop in McDonald’s for a coffee. Nothing to eat ‘cos I’m skint!
My Google meeting is part of Google’s Digital Garage event….a one-to-one mentor meeting about reaching a niche audience online.
My idea was to park a few miles away and walk to the Mitchell Library, but I’m running late and there’s no ‘free’ parking with a few miles…so I park up in Berkeley Street and use the Ringo app on my phone to pay for my parking.
I get into the library and find registration where I run into my pal music journo John Dingwall. He;s here for a seminar, so we chat until he;s called in…and I wait patiently for my one-to-one. For nearly half an hour. No matter, tho’ – the receptionist realises and apologies profusely for having me wait then introduces me to an extremely helpful and knowledgeable lady called Ekaterina who runs though my website and comes up with a bunch of things I can do to boost my search engine rankings. We have a good, interesting chat..and it’s important to point out that she isn’t a Google employee, she’s a freelancer and, as such, giving impartial, good advice 🙂
One of the things I should be doing more is using my name – Dave Arcari, I guess! – and my music style – alternative blues or alt.blues – in more blog posts and throughout my website. I’ve a busy few days ahead, but will get her ideas put into action over the next week or so.
There’s probably still time to get some great tips from these folks – check Google’s Digital Garage out here.
I’m pretty happy until I go outside and find a parking ticket. On investigation, I must’ve put the car’s reg wrongly into the app and got a digit wrong. FFS. Hopefully I can appeal.
Next stop is the Scottish Music Centre where I drop off some posters for my upcoming Glasgow show at the Hug & Pint on Saturday 10 February…I say hello to everyone, have a quick chat with Sace, then go on my way.
At Love Music I drop off some posters and check CD/vinyl stock –some sales cash comes my way too, which is more than likely to save my ass!
The shopping – Costco, Tesco – before picking up Margaret and heading home.
We unpack the shopping then I wander along to Betty and Joe’s who have asked me to do a wee job for them… a glass or two of wine later and I walk home.
Dinner. Parking ticket appeal. Whisky. Email. Early night….I have a 7am call for filming in Glasgow tomorrow…
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Nice to catch up with folks at the Digital Parade/BIMA ‘Future of Music’ session in Glasgow
AFTER some more rehearsals of the new songs for this weekend’s shows down south I deal with a bunch of EP pre-orders…and orders for the new Hellbound Train t-shirt.
Next job is to get a holding page up for another website I’m developing for some local folks…then it’s onto the final phase of PR and promo for the upcoming EP launch shows in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Most of it’s all done, but there’s always more!
We head into Glasgow in the afternoon where I have a much-needed haircut appointment in town..haven’t had a haircut since the start of December and with shows this weekend I don’t wanna be using a tub of hair wax per show!
Once I’m done at the haircut shop we make for the west end where we park up close by the Record Factory for a Digital Parade/BIMA event ‘The Future of Music’. We’re given a warm welcome and a wristband entitling us to a free bar…plus some grub after the discussion session. Margaret’s driving 🙂
There’s not many familiar faces in the room when we arrive, but as we get closer to the session start time a good few folk we know come in and we catch up over a few beers.
The session is a little light, but brings up some interesting points…especially promoters’ use of Spotify to evaluate an act’s potential audience.
We chat with some pals over moe beer and grub after the session then make our way back to East Loch Lomond…I should really be packing guitars and merch etc for an early start in the morning. Instead I pour a large dram and we discuss some of the things touched upon at the evening’s session.
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