<!— /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073741899 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:”Marker Felt”; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”“; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Cambria”,”serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:12.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} —>

It’s been 12 weeks since I started the program (so much for staying on track), and i’ve finally gotten around to talking about week 9, the final week.  Woot!

So I’m in an interesting situation: i’ve just arrived in the Philippines to pursue a nine-month Fulbright fellowship.  I’m super-exciting, but it’s also a challenge to come up with ways to engage with my fans during that time, since I won’t be able to play shows in the U.S.  

Good thing the last week of the program talks about creating a “funnel” of content for fans.  The idea is to start off with a low-risk/free incentive to attract fans, such as a free download in exchange for signing up for the email list, and then move “deeper into the funnel” by offering creative ways for them to show their (financial) support for you.   It’s not just about buying tickets to shows and cool t-shirts (although those are still important) — it’s also about offering creative and personal tangibles, like house concerts or personalized songs, etc.  

But the Fulbright terms stipulate that I’m not to engage in any unauthorized income-generating activities.  This, combined with the very-in-progress nature of my EP (won’t be ready for months), means that for the next 9 months I’ll be holding back on releasing any for-pay content.   So I drafted up a funnel of free stuff that I could do during these next 9 months to keep people engaged:

I also did a funnel for after the 9 months, when I release my EP and hit the ground running:

If you have any ideas you’d like me to try during these next 9 months, shoot me a line in the comments section!

—-

So that brings me to the end of the Music Success in Nine Weeks program.  It’s been quite a ride, but was it worth it?  Was it a “success.”

Well, yes.  But for reasons you may not expect.  Let’s break it down:

Highlights (!!!):

Mailing list membership went from 22 to 245

10 songs released so far under the Year of song project

Got paid songwriting gig for start-up coming out of Stanford

Oh, and remember those goals from July?  Here’s how I did:

Surpassed 100 mark (doubled-plus my goal!)

Have 4 new Youtube vids up (wanted 10 up)

30 people attending Red Rock (shooting for 100)

180 pounds?  um…yeah.  about that.  :P

25 YouTube subscribers (shooting for 100)

I can fluff it up all I want, but I only achieved one of those goals.  So why was it an #andrewfail?  A lot of it was just spreading myself thin — outside of these goals, I spent the latter half of the program recording as much as I could so my producer could have the raw material for an EP.  So things like pushing the YouTube channel and the Red Rock show fell by the wayside.  

But I don’t really see it as a fail, since I’ve seen the need to change my goals.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have some really great, tough conversations with people who have been involved with the music industry, and I’ve realized these past couple of weeks that I really need to focus on developing myself as an artist:  who I am, what I stand for, and how my music is a reflection of that.  It’s a lot like Week 2, but on steroids — not just developing a pitch, but figuring out who I am, and what my message is as an artist.  These are things I’ve put off for years now, but once I find that footing, I’ll be much better prepared to take my writing and musicianship to the next level.  

So.  New goals!  Big questions!  Let’s recap.

My goals for the next nine months:

Figure out “Who am I?”

Determine my message as an artist

Develop an elevator pitch

take my songwriting to the “next level”:

-study my influences

-go through berklee songwriting books

take my singing to the “next level”:

-take voice lessons

-play at local bars

-karaoke it up

Of course, many of these goals are lifetime endeavors.  But it’s time to get started!

If you’ve been following this up to now, thank you so much for reading and listening to the songs!  I’ll be keeping you posted on Philippines adventures and music updates as they materialize.  :)

Take care,

Andrew