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In conversations with musicians, they often mention how they miss album liner notes, which are another casualty of the streaming age. They especially liked the lengthy liner notes, where the artist wrote a bit about how the album was made, moments of inspiration for songs, etc.
But then you look at their social media and none of that material is there. There are tour dates and photos. Occasionally there is a video, but it often has nothing to do with their music. Your website and social media are great opportunities to create the ultimate liner notes. And while that material might not go viral, it will appeal to the portion of your fanbase that is most likely to buy hard copies of your albums. Make content for people, not algorithms.  Cris Cohen: From what I read, your first love is music, but your second love is counseling. And you are even in the process… or finished getting your degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Counseling. Is there any way that your work in music has influenced how you are as a counselor?
Barrett Smith of Steep Canyon Rangers: Definitely. No question. I'm a lifelong musician. I've been pursuing that really heavily since I was probably 14 or 15. When I was studying counseling in school, there was a lot about music that informed the way that I approached that. I'd say most importantly, that I've been teaching music lessons. I've been doing that since I was probably 20 years old. It was generally a weekly session with a person, one-on-one. That person is sitting in a chair, I'm sitting in a chair, and we hang out for an hour. And then it's like, “Alright, I'll see you next week.” And when I started really looking at the counseling session, the way it tended to go, where it should flow, I realized I've been doing some form of that this whole time with some students who came along. It was in a way as much counseling as it was music. You start digging into "Why do you want to do this? What does this mean to you?" All that. Watch the full interview Cris Cohen interviews Dennis Diken of The Smithereens. They discuss: - Their new release, "The Lost Album" - The emotional aspect of listening to the late Pat DiNizio singing on these tracks - "Playing for the song is the best approach a musician can take." - Being influenced by drummer Buddy Saltzman, best known for his work with the Four Seasons - "It's like you are having a dialogue musically" - And more The Smithereens website: officialsmithereens.com  A client complained about the social media sites. How:
My response: You are right. Let's post good material anyway. Because it will connect with some people. You cannot control what happens on the social media sites. Hell, the corporations who own the sites cannot control what happens on them. So don't spend your time worrying about that. Despite the mess the companies have made of these sites -- sometimes on purpose, sometimes because of gross incompetence -- you can still get your message to some actual humans. Make content for people, not algorithms. Cris Cohen interviews Lawrence Gowan of Styx. They discuss: - "The beauty of a band is that it is the essence of a combined spirit." - Styx's influence on Lawrence and his influence on Styx - His onstage, theatrical sense of fun - The special moment during a concert in Toronto performing one of his solo tunes with Styx - The challenges and unexpected benefits of finishing the album "Crash Of The Crown" remotely - His performance of Rush's "Limelight" in concert as a tribute to Neil Peart - And more You can also read the transcript of the interview. Styx website: styxworld.com
"We suggest that you re-record your song. This time fill it with these awkward words and phrases that a machine told us are trending right now. Will it turn your work of art into a complete disaster? Definitely. But it might help it show up in search engine results."
To me, it is just as insane as cramming keywords into your content just to please the code that operates Google. Make content for people, not algorithms. |
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