Sean Harley [Tucker]

I'm a songwriter and I'm trying to use the social media channels to try and cultivate an audience. To learn about social engagement and music marketing in this new economy I read blogs, and subscribe to newsletters, by respected authorities like Thorny Bleeder, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ariel Hyatt. 

The advice I get from all of them is:

• Be yourself
• Put out compelling content.
• Don't spam people

In a market teaming with incredibly talented indie artists, all vying for the ears and hearts of the internet, I wanted some compelling content, that I coulld publish on a regular basis, to put alongside my music. I came up with 'Deep Readings' where I embrace the time tested gag of reading pop lyrics without the music. The difference being I would do it with equal parts irony and drama and put a twist on the classic. And in a really deep voice.

Don't Stop Believing by Journey was my first Deep Reading.

I posted it on a Tumblr blog and shared it with my normal social media channels like my Facebook page and twitter. Then came the slippery slope to accidental spammerdom. 

I used twitter search and looked for "Don't Stop Journey". I got quite a few results and responded to their comments in a friendly way by responding to the actual tweet and not just sending a link. For example one tweet said their favorite part of singing along with the song was doing the guitar solo. I replyed that there were no guitars in my version. They responded back with a follow and a compliment that it sounded awesome. Super fun, I had achieved engagement. Someone else responded that it was cool and reminded them of Leonard Cohen. High praise! Let's keep this twitter train going ...

Someone else has a hashtag #Nowplaying Don't Stop Believing - Journey and I respond with "When you're done check out my version and tell me how they compare." Their response? They retweeted me and added "THE BOOK IS ON THE TABLE". I Googled the phrase and found this song:

It was my first request! I was so excited I immediately got the lyrics did a deep reading and sent it back to him with expectations of him retweeting it to his 31,000 followers and experiencing immediate and overwhelming web fame. I then twitter searched the phrase and responded to the several others who were using it in their tweets assuming they were talking about this crazy Brazilian dance song.

Nothing. No response. 

Getting a bit of a sinking feeling I dug a bit deeper into Google and found this video where the government of Brazil is trying to explain why it's important to learn english. The punch line of the video is when the Portuguese woman says the only english phrase she knows. You guessed it ... The Book Is On The Table.

I use Google to translate a few of the tweets I had responded to. None of them were talking about the song. In my overzealous attempt to engage people with my silly pop song readings I wound up spamming a bunch of friendly Brazilians with complete nonsense.  

Lesson?

Social rules are social rules. Online or off. People are having conversations with friends and family out here. You can't just walk up and start selling something or blasting your song out the window thinking they'll love it enough to run up and buy your stuff.

So remember:

• Be yourself
• Put out compelling content
• Say hello
• Answer questions
• Be approachable
• Say please and thank-you
• Learn a bit about who you're talking to
• Don't spam friendly Brazilians with nonsense they won't care about

When I finished my EP I asked a group of friends and fans to listen to the songs and fill out a 5 question survey (Feel free to take the survey if you wish). I was given artists as diverse as Chris Isaak and The Wallflowers to Blue October. I was offered genres of Country and Folk. People pulled out Girl All Alone from the group more often than the songs I was expecting to resonate. I talk about my surprise at the responses in a previous post.

Taking all this into consideration I put together my 'Elevator Pitch', the phrase that intrigues enough to elicite the action of checking out your music. I took pieces of everything and put together a few:

"Imagine Danial Lanois produced The Wallflowers making a folk rock album for dreamers"

"I’m a rock-infused-folk-pop singer-songwriter with songs from love soaked ballads to dreamy lullabies."

"Poppy-folk-rock delivering dreamy lullabies, songs of wanderlust and love soaked heartache."

"Imagine The Wallflowers and Fastball had a fight on Daniel Lanois' front lawn."

All pretty good1 but the advice given by Ariel Hyatt is you have to live with it because it's going to go everywhere your music goes. Everywhere your brand goes. Everywhere you go. So I landed on what my biggest fan (Hi Mom!) is tweeting in the side graphic.  

"Singer-songwriter sharing folk-pop songs of wanderlust, dreamy lullabies and love soaked heartache."

So there you have it, me in less than a tweet. And it only took a survey, a trip through my iTunes library, advice from a few of the other blog challenge participants, rereading Ariel Hyatts 'elevator pitch' chapter a couple times and 10 revisions.

I hope you like it 'cause it's going to be on my site, my Facebook page, my Twitter, My Soundcloud etc...

If you have your own pitch feel free to share it in the comments I'd love to hear it.  

1Although I kinda like the visual of Daniel Lanois in his underwear pulling Jacob Dylan off Tony Scalzo in the middle of the night.

Last week I not only recapped my entire last year of blogging in a single post, I told you how I had joined 60 other artists in a 9 week marketing and business skills challenge. Read it when you're done this week's post. 

My six month and twelve month goals.

My 6 month and 12 month goals for my music business

The first chapter of the challenge was on setting goals. Sounds simple right?

I kept writing out lists of things I needed to do: Write a blog post, Contact so and so, Stop looking at tech blogs and write a new song already etc. These are all things I need to do but they aren't places I need to be. They aren't final desitnation kind of things. 

I just kept writing and I wound up with a couple pages of tasks I needed to do. Then I started grouping them into common buckets and labeling them with what they pertained to: Grow Audience, Sell CDs, Sell Kids Book etc.

I still had a million things to do but they all fit into less than ten buckets. They felt way easier to deal with because the were working towards something (not just doing work).

I looked at my big buckets and asked myself “What do you think you can do with all of this in 6 months? In a year?” Then I wrote those down. If they didn't really fit with my bigger buckets I wrote it on my 'more than a year' list to be visited later. As an example I wrote down ‘Make a full length CD’. Since I’ve only just put out my EP it’s not really feasible for me to be writing or funding a new album project. 

Once I had my big goals I wrote them out pretty and hung them on my wall. Now every task I do, will be in support of those goals. 

Tasks: What you do to get to your goals. Goals: What you say you'll finally get done one day. 

If you'd like to know more about how I got to my goals just get in touch. Or if you'd just like keep up with how I'm doing with the challenge you can follow me on twitter, @SH_Tucker, or you can come join me at Facebook.com/SongsTuckerWrote

If you are one of my regular readers (I love every single both of you), then you may remember some of my posts where I was putting together my current philosophy on Getting To Done. 

These five articles are the mantras and phrases that have been helping me get to done: 

1. If you want to do something. You have to do something
2. Done is when you say you're done
3. Find the reason to say yes
4. Success is what you say it is
5. The story is as important as the song

I wanted to get better at networking and buildng an audience for my songs and stories. So, in the spirit of mantra #1, I have accepted the challenge set out by Ariel Hyatt and her book Music Success In Nine Weeks. The challenge is simple: Do each week's exercise and write about your experience each Monday. 

The first chapter is about setting goals so you can look forward to my retelling of the self torture I put myself through because goals I have some trouble with. Tasks I can list out for days. But goals? That's a different story. 

To keep up with how I'm doing with the challenge and meet some of the other artists taking part you can follow me on twitter, @SH_Tucker, or you can come join me at Facebook.com/SongsTuckerWrote 

Previously on Songs Tucker Wrote I told you about my Jars Project. It's official, it's started. I asked a group of artists if they'd like to take part and they said yes. All I had to do was ask.

I could have talked myself hoarse, with as much passion as the project creates in me. I could have waived my arms and sang the song. I could have filled them with excitement about the project and waited for them to offer their talents. I probably would have been waiting a while.

People are made to be chosen all the time - Wait to be chosen in line at the bank. Wait to be chosen for a record label. Wait to be chosen to for the Red Rover game. It's the greatest playground fear to be chosen last. But who likes to put their hand up? We love to be acknowledged with being chosen but hate to look show-offy by volunteering.

I waited quite a while to be chosen. To have someone say my music was good enough to be put in an album. To say my story ideas were good enough to be made into kids books. Once I decided to complete those projects I guaranteed I would never be chosen last. I put myself in the position of the chooser and as such I have to ask who wants to be on my team. I can't simply wait for people to volunteer, they are probably on the other side of the playground waiting to be asked. Or they are hoping I don't ask 'cause then they'd have to say 'no'.

I'd rather they said no to me when I asked than have them not volunteer when they did want to take part. That being said if you'd like to join us contact me, we'll be glad to have more friends in the project. 

Is there a project you need help with? Choose yourself first then ask someone to help, if you're passionate enough, they'll probably say yes.

I've been thinking of a project for my song Girl All Alone. The song is about a girl who keeps all her dreams in a jar so they're safe from the world buuuuut ... things don't go so well for her. My project idea is to have a group of artists create what they think a dream jar is. You can read more about the project here. 

Part of my hopes for my songs is that they allow other people to tell their own story. Something in the song clicks with the listener and they feel like they can share their story as well. I hope that this song, and the jar project, might inspire people to start acting on their dreams. A jar is a terrible place for a dream.

I had the idea about a year ago and asked an artist friend of mine, Spencer over at Monkeyslunch, if he'd be interested. He was and has been waiting patiently1 for me to get my shit together and start the project. Since I recorded the song for my EP I thought this was a perfect time and got to preparing.

One thing I've learned over time is that people like to help. They like to take part. They like to support people and projects they like. All you have to do is ask. Sometimes people are too busy and can't take part and sometimes the project just isn't something they're interested in. You will never know, either way, if you don't ask. So, the first step to me getting this project underway is asking people if they'd be interested in joining me.

Learn more about the jar project here and if you are interested in joining me I'd love to have you along. Or if you know of someone who might be interested feel free to forward this article on to them.

1 By patiently I mean asking me, every few weeks or so, if the project was ready because he'd already bought the damn jars. 

Nope, it's just the old one some some new paint and curtains. 

Although I have added the feature that allows you to download the title track to my upcoming 'Born To The World' EP. Just leave your name and email on the right and you'll get the MP3 version of my song to tide you over until the CDs are pressed. 

You can also subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on twitter. I've also updated the About Me section a bit and in the Store1 I've added a link to where you can buy my book. 

You'll also notice my shining face on the banner, that was a photo taken by the same photographer who did the shot on the cover of my CD. You can see his stuff at ChrisRatzlaff.com. 

For the longest time I didn't have a picture of me on my site and always used cartoons as social media avatars. It took me a while to be myself on the internet. I thought I could/should be anonymous but I've come to realize that who I am when I'm walking around is the same person I am when I'm surfing around. The internet is no longer this other place where websites are and where chatrooms live. It's such a part of daily life it's just like a phone line or the postal service, it only facilitates communication. I'm always me on the phone I should be me on the internet. 

To get a little more philisophical in my ramblings: Just like it's no longer 'Cyberspace' or 'The Information Superhighway', soon there will be a day when it's no longer 'online' or 'on the internet' because it'll just be as prevelant as telephones and light switches. 

Wow, that was a bit different than what I set out to write.

In short:

• I've updated my website with a picture of myself
• One day the internet won't have a name

1 It's not really a store it's more like a table at a church bazaar or a garage sale or something. 

It's taken a while with a few starts and stops but I finally finished it and the CDs are scheduled to be pressed any time now. I bought a short run of CDs so I'll have a small inventory of discs but I also put my songs up for digital distribution so we'll see which sells out first.

The EP is called 'Born To The World', has five songs on it and the cover art is a photograph taken by a friend of mine1. The songs range from being written in the '90s to just months before recording. Most of this entries here at Songs Tucker Wrote are basically a process diary about how it all came together. 

I'm pretty excited because once the discs are in my hand it will be on my list of done. As I've mentioned several times here Done Is When You Say You're Done. Because it'll be considered done I'll be free to finish other projects like ... figuring out how to sell it.

I keep calling it my EP because it's not an album. Someone asked me what EP stands for, "Extended Play" I said. Then I chuckled as it's not really 'extended play' because it's shorter than an album. The term comes from back in the days when singles were king. An EP was usually longer songs or two songs per side of the vinyl record making it too long to be a single (SP) but too short to be a long playing record (LP). Today it just means around 5-7 songs 'cause the band was too broke/cheap to pay for a full album. 

You can also expect a post about how you'll be able to buy my EP so put $10 aside now so you'll have it handy when I come calling. 

1 - His name is Chris Ratzlaff and you can see some of his work at ChrisRatzlaff.com

Last week I put together a single page site that streamed my five song EP. I had a four question survey and asked people they thought of the songs. Thanks to everyone who took part I wound up with close to 20 respondents.

The first question I asked was "Are there any recording artists you were reminded of while listening to the songs?". I got a vary wide range of singers and songwriters like: Chris Isaak, Eric Hutchinson, Blue October, Roch Voisine, James Hetfield and Roy Orbison. I'm not sad to be in that mix at all.

Then I asked what overall impressions people thought of the songs. A very strong theme was that they had a bit of a country crossover vibe to them. COUNTRY?! I've written two songs I thought were country songs, neither of them are on this EP. 

I thought back, to when I was first recording the songs, to how the producer, Aaron Young, had turned what I thought was a simmering jazz number into a pop-rock song. I feel like someone who hears their voice back on a recording for the first time: "Is that really what I sound like?" 

I also got lot's of feedback saying to not try and sound like anyone else and I should find my own 'sound'. The point of asking the question about who I reminded people of wasn't to find out who I should try and model myself after. The point was to give people some names they might recognize when they ask what kind of music I play.

In short, I wrote a jazz song that turned into a pop-rock song that people thought sounded kind of country.

If you'd like to be notifed when my genre bending EP is available for purchase you can sign up here

In May of 1990 I was 18. Just over half a year out of high school and on my way into the world as an adult. This was the month Jim Henson died. The Muppet Show had shaped part of who I was creatively. I still have visions of Leo Sayer dancing with the enormous bird. The Mummenschanz pulling each other's paper faces and the guy who did the pick-a-sausage-any-sausage with Sam The Eagle. I loved it. Funny, creative, silly. I slowly over time discovered who Jim Henson was and how it was his vision that guided the show and the everything Muppets. Then he died. It was the first time I'd felt a loss for someone I didn't know. For someone I'd never met. But someone who had influenced me immensely.

Later that year I discovered a band called Jellyfish. They were like nothing around in the '90s. Sunny happy pop-rock album called Bellybutton. It had an album cover that was a naked woman covered in Aim toothpaste with the tiny band members playing the in the plastic flowers around her navel. I loved the hell out of that album. A couple years later they came out with Spilt Milk. I bought the album and went directly home, put on a pair of headphones and listened to the album 3 times in a row (It was easy 'cause my tape deck had an auto flip feature so I didn't have to get up to turn the cassette over). Spilt milk starts with a lullaby, spikes the punch at an elementary school, has a Greek dinner in the middle and ends with a big parade. Then they broke up and never made another song together. These two albums shaped my appreciation for music for the next couple of decades and inspired me to write my own music. But once again a feeling of loss for people I never knew. For people I'd never met.

That was my kid years, teen years and twenties. Then, in my thirties I bought an iPod. Then a Mac Mini. Then an iPod touch. Then a Macbook Pro. Then an iPhone. Then an iPhone 4. Then and Apple TV. They all worked together seamlessly. It seemed like everything I wanted to do ... these devices just did for me. I didn't have to troll sites for shareware or fuss with a registry to get my printer to work. I could share family photos and home movies on the TV in my living room. I could connect with and share photos with my friends through my phone and it all just felt right.

I had slowly learned who Steve Jobs was over all these purchases. I learned what he meant to the creativity and vision behind all the devices that were allowing me to create music demos and edit home movies. He was an enigma and each story about him seemed to speak to a man who had a vision and a plan about how to make a dent in the universe. Then he died and I never met him and I never knew him. But he affected the way I look at things and how they could be if I just, do it.

I still love the Muppet Show and I often listen to the Jellyfish albums and I'll get an iPhone 5 when it's announced. But Kermit don't sound quite right anymore and the solo stuff by the Jellyfish members never really hit the spot. So, I'm a little scared that eventually my Mac will still be great but it will have a new voice that doesn't quite sound right.

I guess it's time to take everything my heroes have taught me and seriously put them to work in my own creative projects.