What is in the numbers?
One of the things that wore me out on social media and streamers was the numbers. I would spend a lot of time and effort in analysis of these numbers every program gives you. The object of the game is to make the next number higher. It’s not about making the current number happy they listened or read something.
I think of those numbers as folks who’ve checked me out. Those are folks I should be talking to. Yet, I get the sense from many musicians, they are talking to folks who haven’t heard them yet. It’s your decision as a musician. Just know as someone who listens to you, it’s fun to get talked at.
Side note: “Be humble.”
Is a lot of this society’s expectation for musicians to be humble when they start out or something unless they’re famous? Maybe? It’s your game, but humility isn’t a good position to tell people stories from most of the time, especially with a guitar. To me, if I’ve been writing songs for 30 years, (which I have), folks are just going to have to get over or move on about me not being humble. I don’t expect it from any musician I work with too. It’s just not a trait that’s important to me. I wonder why it’s important to anyone. Talk about style over substance. But keep in mind, the reason for this paragraph, if you talk to people like friends, some of them will tell you to be humble. Just the way it is. That is not your problem.
For me there’s one number, one.
I sing to one person at a time in an audience. I focus on my delivery to them. I concentrate better that way. If I sing to the whole room or back wall, I wear out quickly and don’t come across the way I’m aiming for. It sounds much better doing it this way for everyone, not just me and I can last longer.
When we shout to the folks in back who aren’t in our corner yet, the folks in front look for a seat. It’s tempting to grab listeners any way you can. But you probably already have listeners. You just may not be looking at them. It’s every day as a fan of indie music I read about or listen to a musician who is trying to muster folks who have not heard them yet. As a listener I can tell you, that doesn’t always feel great.
Side note: House shows.
I like playing house shows because it isn’t many people and folks act different at home. It’s comfy. Shoes fly off and food is prepared. It’s a small crowd, sure. But I get to look everyone in the eye while I play at my favorite volume. I know they heard me. The numbers do not give me that at all. Also, they don’t give me dinner. Kind of a rip, if you ask me.
Why I did this site.
The reason I made a website was to focus love on those who already knew me. Antifascism and tons of indie music is a niche thing. Here for the niche. Not concerned with who could be reading. I already love the hell out of who is reading. My music operates the same way. So I tossed streamers and social media to write and make more music, for friends.. not strangers. I think of stuff to show friends, not clicks for a high number. I don’t have notifications. Don’t even run the site with SEO plugin. You know where to find me.
Am I convenient enough?
Someone told me I tossed them when I tossed streamers and social media. I do not feel that way. I’m easy to reach. Music is free on bandcamp and I stay busier than ever doing stuff. If you’re under the impression that social media keeps folks together, you’re wrong. It makes it convenient. But it also conveniently gathers data you provide in the form of clicks and scrolls and sells it to folks for a lot of money. It’s simply under the guise of keeping folks together so you feed the machine. Folks keep folks together. We’re actually good at it.
Your game is your game.. but most of it really is a game.
Everyone has decisions to make. I decided early on I would prioritize experiences and people. Haven’t changed my mind about that. It’s worth getting to know people in any business. People are awesome. Way cooler than numbers, for me. In my case, I could not get to know people the way I wanted while worried about the numbers. So the numbers had to go.
Return to home.
There’s 40 or so codes left at GetMusic of Djembe Funk Debut! Enjoy.
Pssst!!
I see musicians every day who give their guts to folks they don’t even know or who have heard them yet. As someone listening to them or watching them, I want to say, “I’m over here.”