7 Tips for Building an Online Audience for Your Music
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.พ. 2018
- In this video, I share 7 tips for building an online audience for your music. These are things that I have learned over the last 4.5 years of growing Chords of Orion. Excited to share with you!
Follow Chords of Orion Music on:
Bandcamp: chordsoforion.bandcamp.com
Spotify: goo.gl/LeHwJx
Apple iTunes/Music: itun.es/us/iPqNQ
Chords of Orion Gear Recommendations:
www.amazon.com/shop/chordsofo...
Equipment used in many of my videos
PRS Guitars SE-277 Baritone Guitar amzn.to/2BOOzpo
Heet Sound EBow / EBow Plus amzn.to/2ETfrmR
Wampler Ego Compressor amzn.to/2H3gcuX
Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal amzn.to/2Co4dEZ
TC Electronic Flashback Triple Delay amzn.to/2HJaEq4
BOSS DD-500 Delay amzn.to/2ESEyuc
boSS RV-500 Reverb amzn.to/2oqE83N
Avid Eleven Rack amzn.to/2nO8Cwl
Focusrite Saffire Pro 40: amzn.to/2es9elp
Apple Logic Pro X
Chords of Orion - Ambient guitar music for the mind and heart.
Bill Vencil - Guitars
Web: chordsoforion.com
Facebook: / chordsoforion
Instagram: / chordsoforion
Twitter: / chordsoforion
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
Chords of Orion is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for Chords of Orion to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. - เพลง
Amen, Bill! You have to be super passionate about what you do, very productive and perseverant. You and I started our TH-cam journey pretty much at the same time, and analytics show me that it will have taken me 5 years to get to 10k subscribers. To anyone reading here considering doing the same thing, but not ready to commit in terms of YEARS, I say: don't take that route. It will leave you frustrated if you're not in for the long haul, but still expect results. It has to integrate to your lifestyle. Making videos and creating music for TH-cam is as important to me as eating and sleeping at this point ;) And the beauty of it all, is that you will spend so much time doing it, that you WILL become an expert at what you do. And all of that by doing what you love, isn't that beautiful?
Antoine: Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom!!!
Making music weekly and stripped to the essentials hit home for me - we often think in ambitious visions of how an album has to sound and the massive amounts of production we are obliged to do because it’s technically possible - but why not get super focused and dialed in on one thing you can generate consistently and easily that’s still dope ! 🔥🔥
tHESE VIDEOS ARE THE BEST
Thanks so much. This year, no more "but"s. No more excuses. No more "but I'll do it tomorrow," or "I would today, *but* I don't have a good camera for this," or whatever it might be.
I have an electric cello coming tomorrow, inspired by this channel. I remember when your video came out about the DittoX4 last year and I mentioned using it with cello and got a response. Then I wimped out. Too much fear, too much doubt, too many reasons why not.
No more! Life's too short!
Yes! Get started and keep improving!!!
Big thumbs up Bill! I really think your tip about staying true to yourself is really important. Even if it comes at the expense of not growing as fast as others, it will be more rewarding to you and will allow you to keep doing it for the long term. I have another (non-music) channel which I'm actively working on and it will likely take me 2 years to reach the 1k subscriber mark (I'm in the upper 800's now).
I know that if I engaged in the more drama related videos that people put out in my area, I'd probably grow a lot faster. But I really don't enjoy that type of content and so I don't want to make it.
I look forward to dedicating more time to my musical endeavors too but I'll definitely be staying true to what I am about there as well.
Thank you for all that you do!
Good to hear you are staying true to your artistic vision. The good news is that the internet audience is so large, there's an audience out there for just about anything.
I find that being generous with my digital products has been great for both my music and my art career. Giving away free hi-res, downloadable prints of some of my paintings as well as some tracks on Bandcamp, has led to opportunities and connections I might have never made any other way. Loved your tips... another awesome, inspiring video. Thx much!
Great point! Almost everything I do can be had for no money, or at least no extra money.
In 12 years I'm up to 71 subs. It took forever to develop an ear for recording. My tip would be to play from the heart. People can hear it when its authentic. Those Grey Eyes, gets me every time.
My main thing is that I am a classical guitarist, and I use cello / electric cello. I also have tons of orchestral VSTs I use as well. Now I just need to create more :) I am, however, my own target audience. So I don't focus as much as you do haha. I have things from ambient guitar, to John Williams style orchestral themes. I do however, ONLY do TH-cam
Great tips here. My go to tip is networking. There are a lot of people that have small success with certain things, and if you're one of those, karma comes your way when you extend a hand. Building a rapport with like-minded artists is vital.
Great advice!!
This is certainly helpful advice. I rehearse every day to make shure I can be good at what I do. I'm all about variety. I mainly focus ambience but I like to make posts of other styles of guitar too. I like Michael Landau and he's played on albums of many many artists of all genres. Rock, blues, jazz, country, R&B, soul, you name it. Michael Landau is versatile. And I'm all about versatility. So I do limit myself to just ambience. Sometimes I'll do somethin' that's a cross between ambience and another style. I got plans underway to post an ambient slow blues piece. Been practicin' that all week. And I plan to have it up hopefully in the next week or so. Thanx fer the tips. And as always, keep up the good work!
Hey Lightnin'. Yes, you will need to focus on your channel. I would say pick the genre that you are best at and would enjoy making a lot of content of. That way the results will be good, and you won't burn out because you will be having fun.
The choice between acoustic fingerstyle and electric was difficult for me as I enjoy them both. But I knew I had to pick one or the the other to keep this channel focused. I sneak a little acoustic in here, but if I was going to switch, I would probably think about starting another channel.
Chords Of Orion I do plan to create playlists on my channel as I go along, ones that showcase a specific guitar and even ones that showcase a particular genre. I find myself quite good at ambience cuz we both know that there are virtually no rules. But versatility is what I'm all about and I intend to showcase that with the world.
That's great, Bill!
Bill, thank you for your wise tips. Your album "Peace" is simply glorious!
thanks very much!
Thanks so much, Bill. Great lesson! So much wisdom and experience in those 6 minutes! I'll do my best to put it all to good use. Thanks again for everything you do!!!
Token female in the audience!! Lol thank you so much for doing this. I am so thankful you are guiding us. Your content really has been vital to my creative journey.
The Tired Horizon wonderful, I've only found men in my searches. I would love to hear them! got some names I can look up?
Here is one: th-cam.com/channels/x6KAGjiD7QOQD_ZqLdEUeQ.html
Joan, both Zoey Keating and Jami Sieber make ambient/looping/new age music on cello. Both are worth checking out.
Joan of Heart : yes, I was a bit surprised by that remark. Although I don’t think he specifically targets a “male” audience. How could he?
Unfortunately, TH-cam analytics show the vast majority are male. I am not targeting one gender over another, however, I suspect guitar "geekiness" tends to attract more men than women.
This 4 video series is exactly what I needed to watch/hear today.....and probably every day for at least the past 10 years!
Every single point, good & bad, in each of the 4 videos cycles through my psyche at least once a week! Fortunately your evaluations of each point have helped to clarify them as they pertain to my own insecurities regarding whether or not to give up or continue making my music!! I think I'll keep going!! Thanks Bill!!
Great video man!
awesome 😎
I've been here probably since the beginning, mininum 3 years. These tips definetely reflect your passion and dedication! You more than deserve the growth and the traction you've got! Thank you
Thanks for all the support and being part of the channel!!!
Nice Video 😊 Great tips.
Great video, thank you very much for this.
You are welcome!
Good advice, thanks for sharing! Just subscribed.
GREAT stuff Bill!!! Very useful and doable stuff!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your videos! Great advice!
Glad you like them!!!
Thank you !!!!
You are welcome!
Amazing video...thank you for the tips!
Glad you found it useful!
Merci pour ces conseils et encouragements !
Bill! ever thought of creating a second channel for different styled projects or gear reviews outside of the ambient sounds? Even if it's incredibly infrequent.
I'm genuinely interested in what else you can create, I'm sure I'm not alone!
Greetings! I actually do have a second channel (th-cam.com/users/chordsoforionlongplay), however it is in the ambient guitar realm - very long extended versions of what I do here. That being said, I don't see myself starting up any other new projects at this time. I have a full-time day job and this is about all I can handle.
thanks for this dear
Very helpful and timely advice. Doing a couple things really well, and having a distinct niche are probably the most helpful tips for me.
Glad it was useful!!!
Have you tried the Ed O’Brien Strat? It’s got a Fernandez sustainer, which means; in-built ebow. I have one. It’s great.
Really found this valuable, Bill. I am launching on June 1st so this is timely.
Cool!!!
Number 3 was good to hear. I play different styles and I sometimes wonder if I should release lots of them, kinda guessed it would divide the audience. You're a great creator man!
Yeah - Focus is super important. I made the mistake on my 2008 acoustic album of sneaking in 2 ambient tracks. It really confused a lot of people. Not good.
I'm not the right person to say this, but #8 tip would be : never give up and always try new ideas!
For example, I just add lots of Oud and Lute sound on my tracks and make them Iranian sounding music! Ambient music which sounds like my homeland. Also, I add metal drums and lead lines to ambient backing tracks and those make my songs sound great! And then, the songs cover all of my inspirations!
Totally agree - never give and always try new things!!
I will be doing this soon so stay tuned
Rick Nicholson as will I
Excellent!
And great!
Indeed.
Appreciate the frankness Bill!
Thanks!
Lovely tips, Bill! Need to wonder and improve some of them. Thanks for your honesty and brilliant work.
I Have a suggestion, as topic for one of your next videos... would you mind to tell us more about harmonic contents you like to use? How do you deal with progressions, modes, dissonance and etc?
Many thanks!!! Also, on the video topic, I could probably do something like your suggestion. Let me give that some thought.
Chords Of Orion Nice Bill, I'm sure that would be awesome!!
#8: Practice. Practice. Oh, and practice.
yep!
The more content you have on Spotify, the more chance you have of building an audience.
Greetings from Poland :)
Greetings back from the eastern USA!
Bill this is excellent. How important would you say engagement with your followers on Facebook and TH-cam has impacted your followers/customers? Really enjoy Nightfall!
I think engagement is really important. I try to answer / comment back on as many comments here and FB, etc. as I can. It really helps to build a relationship with the folks who are interested in what you are doing. Also, glad you are liking Nightfall. I really enjoyed putting that one together!
I think when Rick Beato interviewed Steve Vai (or someone else interviewed him), Vai was saying that you should own your own publishing company. I guess that would be tip #10 in the comments. :-) Thank you, Mr. Orion.
I guess he meant to just self-publish? Totally agreed! I think the notion of trying to get a record deal in this day and age is outdated and counter productive.
18 months to hit 1000 subscribers.! Taken me that long to hit the grand total of 29! I know I need to up my output and improve my recordings if I want to shift that number.
Yes - you will need to post more frequently to gain traction. At least once per week on TH-cam. I did once per week for 2.5 years and then moved to twice per week. I think the frequency change made a difference. Thus the one tip about creating frequently.
What do you think of doing collaborations as an audience building strategy?
Bill, have you, or any of the others watching your channel, had any experience with the Savvy Musicians Academy? It’s Leah’s method of finding your niche audience and targeting with Facebook adverts. I’ve watched a few into videos, but haven’t tried it. Pretty expensive! Just wondering if anyone around here has tried it.
I have seen her ads, but that's it.
Be good
Have good lighting
Lighting definitely important for decent videos, although it can be very cheap and simple.
6b: don't be in it for the money. I imagine that that's pretty slow in coming, if at all.
Excellent point, although I might reword to say "don't worry about the money until you have an audience".
tip number 8? plug the mel 9 into the ud stomp and then the big sky😳
:-)
Pjr J Yes! Bill please do more more with this signal chain! Also just UD and Big Sky, those videos were so Holdsy, the best!
Hey, you are in contradiction with your tip 3 about focus with this vid. :)
Just joking, I really like your channel a lot, and your tips here, they are excellent points I've never even considered before. My channel for instance was in the beginning about bassline covers (with some success, some follwers, a good beginning I'd say), but I eventually mixed it with other non related things, with bad sound and vid,, no production whatsoever .... I realize I have to clean that and make new vids. I even had a cool format, with a green color, accident coming from my first broken camera, with is quite catchy actually, visually.. Thank you for this awakening
Actually I was looking for a tip on a tremolo pedal inyour channel. Would you know some kind of tremolo that is dynamic,?i.e. that ajust its speed according to the dynamics of the player. Got a EHX Pulsar the other day for its choppiness, but have a hard time in following the machine pace, I would prefer the machine could follow my rhythm instead. Ha ha ha... Any tip about that? Cheers and keep on with the good job, Orion !
Tip #5 is the one us "old farts" HAVE to come to grips with...
This generations wants SONGS, NOT albums.
This generation likes Digital,NOT CD's. I want SOMETHING for my $$, something to hold, to read, something Physical...today's audience is more accepting of getting "nothing" for their $$, nothing except the song you have created.
So pace yourself, and release tracks at a semi-steady rate. Even a track a month is WAY better than an EP every 3 months.
And all of this is IMHO, YMMV, yadayadayada....
Agreed on the CD front. I did a small run of CDs in 2016 for my album "Nightfall", and made my money back, however, I still have a bunch left, and they only sell at a rate of one every month or so. Won't be doing that again unless I start playing out live with a merch table.
Also agreed that releases should be paced at a steady. I am finding that Spotify favors frequent releases just like TH-cam, and your tunes will bubble up to the top faster that way.