Week 4: Peace of Mind

“I understand about indecision, 

But I don’t care if I get behind, 

People livin’ in competition, 

All I want is to have my peace of mind” – Boston

I had a conversation with a member of one of my bands, who was concerned that the first original song they were working on was a ballad. The band was worried about creating marketable songs, and I immediately shut down that narrative. One objective from this project is creative freedom for my artists, while I manage the marketing aspect. Even if I have to beg people to stream their music. 

That won’t happen, as the project’s instagram is gaining traction with 58 current followers! This week, I edited and posted two more reels, which significantly increased my follower count. I split last week’s content into two videos: one containing clips from a rehearsal, and the other with clips from the recording studio. 

There were slight differences in the content from this week. I spoke to my external advisor about promoting my project, and he gave me a piece of advice. First, complete what must be done, which was in reference to the first video I posted. Next, improve and learn as you go along. Filming vertically and creating shorter videos appeals more to the audience, which I incorporated while filming and editing. Additionally, I got to show off my band in the recording studio, as I used their original audio in the reel!

Some ongoing orders of business include: 1) brainstorming band names, 2) organizing new members into a band, and 3) finding ways to interact with the audience on social media. 

1) Band names are important, not only for ease of organization, but also to book live shows. Earlier this week, I saw someone with a guitar performing on the streets of Willow Glen, so busking will probably be our first step as well. However, a name is needed when booking a band in a venue, which can hopefully happen next week. 

2) Completely by coincidence, a girl who knows two people participating in this project contacted me because she was interested. She only found out about the project through a video I posted. If we can find more artists to participate, I hope for this (fourth!) band to be an all-girl band, as feminism in the music scene is incorporated in my research. 

3) I want my account to be more interactive, so I plan on sharing other content I find interesting. I’m currently saving videos of creative covers, performances, or even funny content that I can share on my account as well. 

I will be out of town next week, but I still want the account to be active. I’ve told my bands to keep up rehearsals, but I still hope to churn out content remotely. See you (not really) next week!