Author/Speaker/Publisher Seth Godin sends out an email to his mailing list every single day. In fact,there have been 24 hour periods when he shows up in my inbox more than once. I'm a huge fan of this guy and his ideas about creating your own success and happiness. Have I ever rolled my eyes at seeing yet another Seth Godin note mucking up my email feng shui?
Yes, by gawd. Eye roll. Heavy sigh. Even now and then a swift and satisfying delete click right where it counts.
Yet the day Seth Godin stops showing up in my inbox to share, teach, scold, charm, market, promote, and sell what he's out there fully engaged in selling is a day I hope never comes. I might roll my eyes sometimes at his passionate persistence, but I'm also doing my very best to learn how to duplicate it.
So this is a letter to everyone I might be annoying on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, via Email, Yadda Yadda Yadda. I apologize to you if you're already sick-to-death of my endless pursuit of album sales, CD reviews, gigs & attendance, PR opportunities, etc. The last thing an artist hopes to do is turn off and turn away her audience just because she won't shut the hell up already.
But, folks, here is the thing. When a singer/songwriter jumps off the very steep ledge of making-a-living-making-music it's a long, loooooong way down if we don't work insanely hard --- and make an annoying amount of noise while doing it -- to stay in the air somehow. If I sell a few CDs a week and only book a couple of gigs a month, I can't survive. I want to sell a hundred CDs a week. Book 20 gigs a month. Get 50+ people to every small venue show, for starters. Not to mention a label deal, licensing income, and the pie-in-the-sky list goes on.
Thanks for your patience as I try to find the right balance. As I work toward inspiring more than I annoy. As I raise both my expectations and my investment returns high enough that I can then hire someone to do all the loudmouth marketing for me.
For now, I'm a one woman show. And every time I ask for a CD sale, a review, your presence at a show....know that it's because I believe deeply in what I do and would love to keep on doing it.
I hope you feel the same way -- and shout just as loudly and proudly -- about what you do, too.
Best,
Jennifer
PS....Oh, and please buy my CD! And write a review! And come to my shows! ;)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jenniferhaase2
www.rhymeswithclassy.com
Good for you,
ReplyDeleteYou really need to believe in yourself
before you can expect others to believe in you.
I know you'll make it big and someday
realize all your goals, just keep it going :)
Ellen, thank you for your kind words. Rah, rah, rah! :)
ReplyDelete