No matter what your field is, you need video content. I don’t understand how in this day and age when cell phones can record video in High Definition, most Black and Latino indie gay musicians still don’t have much video content online.
Laugh all you want at him but Justin Bieber became the world renowned entertainer he is thanks to the videos of himself that he posted on the Internet.
Rapper Lil B wouldn’t be accused of being the best lyricist in the world, but he’s notorious for releasing new music videos every other week, many of them have millions of views. To date his YouTube channel has over 87 million views and he now earns his income exclusively from music, more than can be said for many indie rappers out there claiming to be better than him.
The reason having video content is so important is social media. Videos are much more likely to go viral over an extended amount of time than links to web pages or Soundcloud mp3’s.
Consider having your performances, interviews and appearances videotaped. The more video content you have, the better.
Worried that you need a budget and a huge crew to have an effective music video? Worried that it needs to be this huge production with tons of extras, locations and wardrobe changes? There are many examples of artists who have (literally) stripped down to the bare basics to get the job done.
Check out these super simplistic music videos made by D’Angelo and Erykah Badu:
These are simple yet effective music videos that were viral when they were released. But don’t assume that you have to get naked or take off your shirt for a simple music video to reach the masses. Check out this one location, single-shot music video by Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) that currently has over 13 million YouTube views!
Or how about this super simple music video from Sinéad O’Connor that pretty much only features a close up of her face while singing, yet still has nearly 50 Million YouTube views!
There’s no excuse for some of these video bloggers who have been doing this for 5 or more years to still have bad audio and poor video quality. There’s no excuse for podcasters and interviewers to still have poor sound quality for their releases. Why is it that you’ve been doing this for years but the music still drowns out your voice in an interview?
No matter how “established” you are in the indie community, many people won’t vouch for your work or share it with others if they quality is hard to hear, see, understand or just plain embarrassing.
If teenagers on YouTube with no allowance can provide better quality work than grown men with full time jobs, that says a lot. You should have more pride in your work if you’re going to take the time to do it. You rarely hear a story of an indie artist or content creator with shitty quality work being “discovered” by a network or major label to go on to fame and fortune.
Also, if you’re considering monetizing off of your work one day, you need to make sure it is of the quality worth spending money on. Ask you yourself this: “Would I spend $10-$15 on my work if someone else, a complete stranger, had produced it?”
Many independent Black/Latino content creators and artists don’t seem to appreciate the power of the Internet. For that reason, they don’t invest properly in their work when it goes to the web. And I’m not just talking about the Internet helping them to become local celebrities. In this day and age, profitable careers have been born on the Internet.
If you’re a filmmaker, consider this: You could spend thousands of dollars on a “quality” film and save it for film festivals (plus submission fees) that might draw a total audience of 500-1000 people. Or you could spend that same money on quality web series and video content potentially drawing an audience of 1,000,000 and drawing the attention of influential bloggers, writers, financiers, producers, network executives and more. The Internet can be a doorway to “overnight success”.
We’ve seen it time and time again. The game has changed. The major labels, film festivals and networks can still make people stars, but so can the Internet and a dedicated fan base. And a dirty secret in the game is this: There are now departments of people at Major Labels, Studios and Networks whose job it is to scour the Internet for filmmakers, musicians and properties to acquire. If you don’t invest in the work you put out there, you could be missing out on a big opportunity.
If you’re a filmmaker that feels the need to release a trailer…If you’re a musician that wants to leak a sampler of the album before the release…If you’re an event organizer that wants to hand out flyers to promote your event…Always wait until your teaser is top notch. First impressions really do matter.
There’s no quicker way to lose at least half of your potential audience than to release something unprofessional to introduce you and your work to the world. Even if your final project or event ends up being a great experience, a lot of people will never get to see it if their initial introduction was an awful mess. They will have already formed an opinion of the whole based on the sample.
Don’t release anything connected to your new project unless you feel that it truly represents what people can expect from you and your work. Musicians: Don’t pre-release your weakest tracks to tease the audience in order to save the better ones for the album. Filmmakers: Don’t quickly toss together a poorly edited trailer or web teaser. Event Organizers: Don’t flood the Internet with poorly Photoshopped flyers that will just weaken the integrity of your brand.
If possible, get out to as many events related to your field as possible. Work the room like a politician. Shake hands and kiss babies. If you make a good impression, they will forever remember you in a positive light, even if you don’t remember them in the future. Not only will you meet people you may be able to directly contribute to your growing career, you will also meet everyday people who are just as essential. What this does is encourage the people you build a connection with to share your videos, music, website and events with all of their friends. For an independent content creator or event organizer, word of mouth is everything. So get out of your comfort zone and start that face-to-face personal promotion.
– Nick D
I found this to be very insightful. These are procedures that are so simple yet very often EASILY forgotten or worse, overlooked. I was kinda teary eyed and inspired when reading this. My gratitude stems out to you guys. This is definitely on my bookmarks and reading list haha. Got a busy day when I wake up I guess hahaha!
this was so on point, but is seems like at first if you gonna release a project you need to have the small , medium, and the big picture in view, and market to Gay prides but you have to nail sum buzz before you get there, it is like most things that are worth doing, a process and to know that the music business is both creative (the music) and pointed and deliberate the business aspect the real deal. oh don’t forget the clothing line that goes with every song lol…. peace.