The story of why my crowdfunding failed started with my last album.  When planning a new album, I thought of the lessons learned from my previous album.  I read, did research, and drafted a plan for the five months prior to release.  Thinking of the release shows I planned, I knew I’d have an ok amount of friends show.  A crowdfunding campaign to allow for immediate downloads, pre-orders, and house concert tickets seemed like something that would work.  Well, it didn’t.  Here’s some thoughts on why.

1. I’m bad at self promotion

One thing I loved about punk rock when I got a taste in the mid/late 80’s was the genuine nature of the beast.  Popularity wasn’t a goal nor important.  Being you was all that mattered.  Well, besides pit etiquette.  Being an artist now, it’s easy to create and put your work out there.  Telling people and figuring out ways to get them excited or to care, that’s another skill set.  I have a hard time marketing myself.  I can see why many musicians fall into the traps of paying for promotions–it’s not easy.

2. I dreamed too big

I know, dream big, plan, make it happen.  Well, this is another area that with another musical release, I’d do differently.  Two other reasons for the campaign was to promote and support the other artists at the release shows.  Perhaps having one stellar show would’ve been better than two.  My intent was on including others instead of the dollars and cents.  Not that the events are too big, but costs would be much lower with one show.  Since it’s months in advance still, I have time to evaluate, learn, and make any changes.

To summarize this idea, because you need to dream big: I should’ve done more preparation and got the word out better.  Expecting people to care without first asking was my mistake.

3. Confidence…about that

When performing, most of the time a switch flips and something inside just takes over.  When not on the stage though, my mind constantly chews on something.  I’m a scathing self criticizer and it’s hard to continue to move forward, follow plans, and promote when you start second guessing everything.  Thoughts of doubt are a slippery slope and fighting those takes time and energy.

Not all is lost

I’m always interested in learning, getting better, and trying to apply what I learn to new situations.  Hopefully, whatever next musical release I have, things will avoid this setback.  Until then, I’ll work on keeping promotion consistent and at a level I like.  I’ll still want to include various artists because that’s fun.  With confidence, the bar raises with each song I write.  I’ll let the natural progress of trying to improve calm those self critical urges.

Shows coming up

• May 6, 2016 @ Stone Spiral
• May 13, 2016 @ The Wolf
  • Diffused album release with Catching The Westbound, Joey Kenig, and Nathan Jones
• June 3, 2016 @ Henry House Concert
  • the second Diffused release show with Catching The Westbound, Lia Glynia, Chris Johnson