Well it has been awhile since I posted last. A lot has happened since I was in Cleveland last year.
First and foremost, I finally released my album into the world! Normally, only friends and family get to hear my offerings. This time, however, I set about to create the kind of album I enjoyed listening to as a kid... not just a collection of songs but something cohesive within itself.
Dream:33 was born. I began it in December 2007, recorded and mixed throughout 2008 (including my time in Cleveland), and released with a concert on 3'30'09.
333 individually-numbered copies. Length: 33 minutes, 33 seconds, and 33 milliseconds (33:33:33). Three acts, with three songs per act, with an intro piece for each act. 12 tracks, 11 songs.
I would love to say the thing has sold like gangbusters. I would love to say it has generated "buzz" among music buffs or that other professionals in the industry have lauded my songwriting or that people appreciated the symmetry of the title, length, arrangement, and my efforts to make the CD itself look like a little 33 1/3 RPM record. In fact, no one really cared much.
We sold about 50 copies at the CD release party. I sold a few copies online and got fractions of pennies for a few listens on Rhapsody. I haven't made even $33 in online sales. I know because I set the service to pay me when it hit $33... and I haven't been paid. I also know that most of the online sales came from one family member, and one CD was bought by a friend.
So I'm disappointed. I sent out a number of copies at the request of online music reviewing sites and have seen no review. I gave copies to important music folk in Boise and they didn't even bother to listen. I sent copies to friends and got no feedback. I even paid for advertising on Facebook and MySpace to help drive people to my website, and to CD Baby, to help move sales on individual tracks. Nothing. Larger services like iTunes completely screwed up the track titles, too, which has been frustrating.
We try to set up shows. People don't come. It doesn't matter how late or early we schedule the shows. It doesn't matter what venue or how much advance notice we give. It doesn't matter, smoking or non-smoking. Not even friends want to hear me play my music. They only come if I'm having a special occasion like the release or a birthday. All signs point to no.
Despite such a dismal failure to connect, I'm readying material for a second piece called Cult 45. I will once again endeavor to match the title to the overall length but I don't know how many songs it will be. Probably 9.
Dream:33 was supposed to be a sort of musical dream sequence and it included a lot of very artsy sounds. Most of Cult 45 is more like blues-rock. Not that you care. You're not even reading this. How do I know? The service tells me.
Well get ready for Cult 45 - the greatest album you'll probably never hear.
First and foremost, I finally released my album into the world! Normally, only friends and family get to hear my offerings. This time, however, I set about to create the kind of album I enjoyed listening to as a kid... not just a collection of songs but something cohesive within itself.
Dream:33 was born. I began it in December 2007, recorded and mixed throughout 2008 (including my time in Cleveland), and released with a concert on 3'30'09.
333 individually-numbered copies. Length: 33 minutes, 33 seconds, and 33 milliseconds (33:33:33). Three acts, with three songs per act, with an intro piece for each act. 12 tracks, 11 songs.
I would love to say the thing has sold like gangbusters. I would love to say it has generated "buzz" among music buffs or that other professionals in the industry have lauded my songwriting or that people appreciated the symmetry of the title, length, arrangement, and my efforts to make the CD itself look like a little 33 1/3 RPM record. In fact, no one really cared much.
We sold about 50 copies at the CD release party. I sold a few copies online and got fractions of pennies for a few listens on Rhapsody. I haven't made even $33 in online sales. I know because I set the service to pay me when it hit $33... and I haven't been paid. I also know that most of the online sales came from one family member, and one CD was bought by a friend.
So I'm disappointed. I sent out a number of copies at the request of online music reviewing sites and have seen no review. I gave copies to important music folk in Boise and they didn't even bother to listen. I sent copies to friends and got no feedback. I even paid for advertising on Facebook and MySpace to help drive people to my website, and to CD Baby, to help move sales on individual tracks. Nothing. Larger services like iTunes completely screwed up the track titles, too, which has been frustrating.
We try to set up shows. People don't come. It doesn't matter how late or early we schedule the shows. It doesn't matter what venue or how much advance notice we give. It doesn't matter, smoking or non-smoking. Not even friends want to hear me play my music. They only come if I'm having a special occasion like the release or a birthday. All signs point to no.
Despite such a dismal failure to connect, I'm readying material for a second piece called Cult 45. I will once again endeavor to match the title to the overall length but I don't know how many songs it will be. Probably 9.
Dream:33 was supposed to be a sort of musical dream sequence and it included a lot of very artsy sounds. Most of Cult 45 is more like blues-rock. Not that you care. You're not even reading this. How do I know? The service tells me.
Well get ready for Cult 45 - the greatest album you'll probably never hear.
posted by Seth Asa at 7:31 PM
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