thoughts
Want your videos to go viral? Discover what really drives views, why reaching the right audience matters and what musicians should focus on instead.
Struggling to make regular videos for social media? Discover how batch filming can save musicians time and make content creation less stressful.
Three scenes, three shots and a freezing barn. Behind the scenes of EM Kane's Wasted Time music video, filmed in just two days.
A secret nightclub, choreographed dancers, a last-minute rethink and a special family moment. Behind the scenes of Anthony Hughes' Body Sayin' music video.
I'm not anti-Spotify. I'm anti the idea that getting more streams is the same thing as building a music career. Don't get me wrong. I love having practically every song ever recorded available in my pocket. It's a remarkable thing, even if it means I can spend 20 minutes deciding what to listen to and eventually put on something I've owned since 1987. Streaming isn't going anywhere. And nor should it. But if you're an independent musician, I think it's time to reconsider just how much importance you place on those streaming numbers. Because there's a rather big difference between somebody listening to your song and somebody becoming a fan. And that's where things get interesting.
Producing music videos during the Covid pandemic was a bit like cooking with half the ingredients missing—you had to get creative, or go hungry. I ended up making three music videos during the Covid pandemic and with each attempt the projects got braver, stranger, and more ambitious. This one might just be my favourite. Not just because of the finished video, but because of the problems I had to solve to make it.
You've got a new song. You've got a video idea. You've got your phone, your camera, your mate who reckons they're pretty good at filming stuff... You're ready to go. Except there's one thing you should work out before you hit record.
A musician messaged me recently and said I was wasting my time making music videos. Apparently her manager told her not to bother because “no one watches them anymore.” Which is always a fun thing to hear when a big part of your job is… making music videos. Now, before you think I told her the manager was clueless, I didn’t. Because here’s the thing. He’s kind of right. And also completely wrong.
Let's face the elephant in the room If you’re a musician thinking, “AI is going to make me irrelevant”, pull up a chair. I'm about to drop a few truth bombs - in fact a lot of truth bombs!
It doesn't matter what kind of business you run. If you're using social media to promote what you do, you could be missing something important. Turning followers into fans. Independent musicians, in particular, can be guilty of this. You post the song. You post the video. You post yourself performing it. And then... nothing. There's nothing wrong with posting performance videos. They're an important part of showing people what you do. But if every post is you performing at people, eventually you're just broadcasting. If you want followers to become fans, you need to give them a reason to get involved. Not just watch you. Here are three simple ways to get your followers talking, rather than just scrolling past.