The Good news is that anybody can get their stuff on the internet. The bad news is that anybody can get their stuff on the internet.
What's a body to do? As a creative person I want (and sometimes need) an audience. My personal coat-of-arms should have the motto: "Look at me". Some days, however, I feel like I'm trying to whisper at the Super Bowl. I'm old enough to know that not everyone is going to like my music or my blog, but there are a lot of people on this planet and it seems like more than a few should.
What's a body to do? As a consumer I go on the internet to find stuff. But there's a lot of crap out there. How do I wade through all of this and find stuff in that big old pile of crap? I type in a couple of key words or phrases and Google gives me nearly a million options. And I think "This is gonna take a while".
What's a body to do? There are third person, "pick-and-shovel" companies that constantly approach me about getting my stuff seen by more people. I know advertising can work, but I don't want to be a pest. I mean what kind of a creative genius could I be if I have to keep telling everyone that I am one? Kanye?
I use social media, of course. I have two FaceBook pages. One is personal and the other is my "band" page. (I guess if you're a musician you must be in a band.) I don't post on the band page often so FaceBook sends me reminders: "You haven't posted anything in over a week. How will your fans know what you're up to?" These have the same urgency as "We've run out of food!" or "Timmy just fell into the well!"
Of course the flip side is that this works exactly the way it was supposed to. I've been heard around the world thanks to internet radio and various streaming sites. Granted not much money has found its way back to me, but I think I've been heard on every continent but Antartica. I find that very gratifying.
Just as important to me is the number of artists I've discovered on YouTube. Wonderful musicians that would have slipped under my personal radar. Or performances that I can watch that I would have only heard about without experiencing first-hand. And so many of them who might not have had careers if not for the internet. Like Justin Bieber.........Ok, I know.....But what's a body to do?
If would like to hear me or follow me:
www.rogerhumphrey.com
www.facebook.com/RogerHumphreyClassicalGuitar
www.YouTube.com