Friday 27 September 2013

Musical Genious, A touching Story




He cant tell his left from his right and cant count to 10, but he can play every note of every song he ever heard. even if he only heard it once, 10 years ago.

Derek Paravicini, aged 26, was born 14 weeks prematurely and was within an heartbreat of death.

When Derek came along a few minutes later, the doctor presumed that he, too, could not possibly live. And yet just when his mother Mary Ann had given up hope, she heard the faintest of whimpers, the tiniest of muffled squeaks. He had made it. 


Three decades on, Derek no longer makes muffled squeaks. Instead, he brings a rapt audience in St George’s concert theatre, Bristol, to their feet again and again, with a dazzling range of music — an Oscar Peterson arrangement of Greensleeves, his own version of Bach’s Air in the key of G, a jaunty ragtime taste of Debussy.
You’ll have heard of perfect pitch. Well, Derek has absolute pitch — a rare gift, meaning that, when he hears a chord with ten notes in it, he can identify every one. Most professional musicians can get about five. 
He can master any melody on earth, has a databank of thousands of songs in his head and can play any one of them at will, improvising as he goes. 


Because he was born so early, Derek is blind. The oxygen used to revive him at birth caused certain vessels in his eyes to grow abnormally, damaging his retinas, in a condition called retinopathy of prematurity. 
 

As he is blind, he cannot read music — he can’t even read Braille. All his performances — his and the orchestra’s — is encapsulated entirely within his head. 
Remember, Life Does not Limit you, Only your own fear can

Tuesday 24 September 2013

How Youtube is driving Innovation




Chris Anderson is an editor, journalist and a creator of a popular games website IGN and in this video he talks to TED audiences on how Youtube is driving innovation. He explains the rise of web video that is driving a worldwide phenomenon he calls the Crowd Accelerated Innovation which is the self fueling cycle of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print.

How does this affect us? Well, taking an example from the video, as students we learn from age old history and research, but today lessons are available to us from the best teachers and audience. right on your computer screen. 


Please watch the video and share your thoughts and comments in the box below!

X

Romy

Friday 20 September 2013

Copycats








Last year, in the Daily mail I read an article on copyright laws for major designer labels and how Copycats are able to get away with making Knock Offs in this instance, Louis Vuitton Knock off Bags. Upon watching my weekly dose of TED talks, I came across the same topic being discussed and thought it is a sign to share it with all of you.  

The speech lead by Johanna Blakely touches on the lack of copyright laws in the fashion industry as opposed to the firm grip the law has on Film, Music and Software.

In the world we live in today, there are so many niches and groups of people who like different things and in most instances, different budgets. With the internet, we are able to get it twice as fast than in previous years.
Johanna touches on competition, so what does this mean for artists? Well everyone wants a bigger piece of the imagination pie or want to be the first in innovation at the same time keeping things fresh. But a quick search on Google on a certain topic or idea you are playing with will see this having been done before, in some form or another.

Creativity is defined as the ability to channel carious existing ideas and make them into something new and better. In simple terms, copycats are merely serving a need within a market in order to make money. A wise women once said, “Copycats are here to make money, Artists are here to make a difference.”

X

Romy

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Creative Refreshers Course 101


"The Creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." - Carl Jung

Twice a week, a find myself committed to writing business blogs, managing social media content as well as trying to not feel like I am just churning out words. As a blogger I have to constantly draw inspiration and be creative.

I thought I would share 3 tips on how to be more creative in order to a creative. Some tips are nothing new and I’m most certain I have explored and shared these with my lovely readers in the past, however, they are effective and, well, and they work.

Let’s begin with the first tip.

-       Creativity is ignited by surroundings, including experiences and sensory emotions. I find when I have been sitting at my desk too long (although as previously discussed I have feng shui’ed it) - my mind draws blanks. Instead, I take a walk up the road to the off-license and buy myself a bag of skittles (true story) and on the walk back, I look at the houses lining the streets, I gaze up at the clouds and I take in the smells and sights. Think of it as imagination kindle. Whatever it is that you do, seeing things through new eyes will surely jog creativity.

-       Creating routine and jotting down schedules always helps. My daily routine starts after I have had breakfast and put on my Spotify and create my to do list for the day, scheduling in priorities. If you are like me, you tend to jot things on paper and risk misplacing it, ensure you place all your bits and bobs in one place. This could be a file, draw or box, as long as you know you will find it in there somewhere.

-       Do things differently… if you are a musician, strum a little harder  or try using a pic, if you are a designer, try a different stitching and so forth.
-       And finally, never dwell on mistakes. Start from fresh each time!

X
Romy

Many thanks again to Pikaland, illustrator’s blog for always inspiring me! 

Friday 13 September 2013

EP Coming out?





                                           How to promote and maximize sales of your album.

So it’s been months of rehearsals, promotion, cutting and recording. But what now?
You have the album in the digital format but how do you maximize its reach and sell sell?
Remember… maximizing an opportunity and an album can maximize its sale potential, drop the ball and it could sink without a trace.

I’m going to use one of my favourite bands as an example for this blog, The Black Keys, and an article I discovered for the PR they did on the Album, El Camino

It’s was a stressful time for the record label Nonesuch/warnerbros and their management, Q Prime and especially for the band members. However, how they promoted the album has become a case study on how to best release an album in the digital age. The result was 206,000 albums sold in the first week of release in the USA. Pretty great right?

So how did they do it?

Well, first off, the rule in promotion and marketing is to always have a strategy. The Band used every opportunity they had to mention the release. This wasn’t just on a few occasions where they deemed fit, but at EVERY possible chance and daily too. Here is a simple breakdown.  

·         email blasts to a fan mailing list
·         Twitter and Facebook updates
·         viral videos
·         tour date releases
·         Record Store Day record release
·         TV, print and  radio interviews
·         video interviews
·         album release shows
·         live stream broadcasts

Now as a new artists and one without a label, PR company and management behind you, some of the tasks seem daunting. But refer back to a previous blog on INDIE-Pendance where I explain how to be your own manager as well as to use Social Media to its Maximum capacity for free.

The Black Keys were successful in creating somewhat of a frenzy in their fans, encouraging them to pre-order albums for a fear of missing out. They created a demand.
If you are doing this independently, please remember a few things.

With emails, you have to give as much info as possible and be very direct with your fans
-       Always insist fans to join the email lists
-       Try and gain as much support from local music stores and independent outlets as much as possible. This seems quite daunting, I understand, however, you would be pleasantly surprised how much people are willing to do. Refer to previous blog on Amanda Palmer and the Art of Asking.
-       Use twitter at least 3 times a day to promote it
The band did chose an unusual album release date of 6th December however, Pat Carney Noted in an interview,
There’s a rule you release albums in February-March, then you tour the summer. Then there’s the September-October schedule. Our new album is out on December 6. I asked the label for a list of major rock bands that had released albums in December. In the last 10 years there’s maybe four. But our manager said it’s a shame more bands don’t, ‘cos it would force the industry not to shut down. So we’re going to try it.

Perhaps without the major competition of releasing against other artists in your genre will work in your favour. Do a bit of research and find out who is doing what, when and why.

Having never released an album myself, I can only imagine the stress, time and money it takes to get promotion started. However, if you take a small page out of some of the big names “book” and find a way to make it work for you, you will be on the road to success in no time.

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to an autographed copy!


X

Romy
romy@beonthescene.com

Tuesday 10 September 2013

BOTS Partners Spotlight




Be On The Scene has many Partners and one in particular, Success Express has taken the spotlight.

Success Express mentors Singers, Artists and Bands towards performance opportunities at some of the best music venues in and around London.

Since launching live music 18 months ago, already three of their associated singer songwriters are in the process of signing deals with major labels.

Aside from the promotion aspect, Success Express hosts workshops and Technical development for the Artist with Mentor and TV Vocal Coach, Joshua Alamu who is no doubt, one of the most highly regarded vocal coaches in the industry having worked with The Voice and DanceX.

Take a look at this video where Josh coaches an artist and the noticeable difference in a few steps!

To connect with Success Express, simply go to our partners section on our website! 

Enjoy! 

x

Romy




Friday 6 September 2013

The BLOG-olution



These days, with the abundance of tools and new technology anyone can post their work online and hope for the best. However, there are thousands of Artists, illustrators, musicians and writers that have their work on the “Virtual Shelf” waiting for closer inspection. The saying goes, “what makes someone want to take a closer look?”
Today’s blog is inspired by a fellow blogger, Pikaland, whose blog focuses on living an illustrated life. I will revisit some of their findings

"Pikaland is a blog about living the illustrated life- an art and illustration blog that is a collection of beautiful things and inspirations that i stumble upon on the internet thats made/designed by illustrators and artists, and is updated almost daily."

So, why should we blog?

By creating your own blog, you are giving yourself a virtual voice. You are able to tell people how you went about making your artwork and why you made it. What are you doing that makes someone want to click next to all your other entries?

The “Blogosphere” is a powerful tool and often free way of sharing your work, in the way you want it to be represented. You are able to connect to people through stories and share meanings with them. However, it’s ironic that some artists chose to draw, to avoid talking or writing?
People, believe it or not, want to hear others opinions. They want to understand the thought process that went into the artwork as well as the connection between your mind and hand.

“I’m not a mind reader. On a very basic level I seek to connect and to identify – and while having work that will make me understand at once what I’m looking at is great, a lot of the time interpretation of the piece, together with an artist statement (or in the case of illustration – reading the article that went with the illustration) will shine a light on the subject matter better than any standalone image. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be flexed every day. Much like drawing has become a habit, so will writing be when you put in small doses of effort over a long period.” -Pikaland

A picture is worth a thousand words, yes. But a short paragraph will open up a bridge to those thousand words.

So start a blog with Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr or whatever blogging platform you’re drawn to.

Draw. Write, Rinse, Repeat, who knows who will be reading.

Romy

Tuesday 3 September 2013

INDIE-pendant!



It’s a fact, independent artists are just that…Independent and one of the many perks of being an artist, is your creative freedom. An artist has the opportunity to work with their own time to complete projects and the ability to be in charge of their own pressures.
However, there is a downside to this and that is the lack of support from a financial perspective. For instance a musician does not have the backing from a record label and design students do not have the help from a manufacturer. As a result, the artist is left independently on their own, in relation to marketing and Pr.
Here are a few tips I picked up from several blogs, including one written by Author, blogger and journalist, Cendrine Marrouat, who started her career as an independent artist focusing on poetry and spoke word, but found her calling in the social media field. She is the founder of the blog Creative Ramblings that often focuses on small business and social media marketing. In a particular blog Cendrine translated an insightful article for other Independent artists.
In this blog I will summarize on her article of how musicians and creative’s are able to support themselves, independently.
First off, valuing your work,
The artist creations are a direct result of their passions and hard work, but success also depends on how high they value their products
“For instance, if you are a musician and plan on giving away your album, label it as “demo.” That way, your CD will be considered as a work in progress by listeners. You will have a better chance to actually sell it when it is officially released. You can also choose to share a couple of tracks instead. It is up to you
“If you are an author, share extracts from your book(s). Before sending anything, make sure that both parties agree in writing on certain terms. E-mails work too.” Cendrine Marrouat
Think about costs involved in the production of your product, remember, time is just as valuable as money and signed artists do not offer discounts. So, it should be the same in the independent industry.
Networking with like-minded people.
As much as BOTS loves to mingle with our members, our Monthly Get Together’ s and events are not just a chance for us to show off our amazing community, but the simplest and effective way of networking. People need to interact with people in their own industry, especially as these people speak the same language. As a result, you are kept in the loop and part of a community that is unified.
Choosing the right medium for exposure,
Not every opportunity for exposure is a good one. There are many services and Websites that offer help, sometimes for free, such as BOTS. However, it does take trial and error to find out which ones will work for what you have to offer. It’s much like small business marketing, essentially you are your own business and to get your product out there to achieve your goals, you need to look at the correct target audience. Artists tend to spread themselves all over to gain exposure, and while there are many advantages of this, you could be wasting your times on others. Instead, do a bit of research into the community you are a part of, and find out who their target market is and if it is in line with your goals. Quoting a previous blog I wrote on Anti-Social Media, “Your next step should always be able to get you closer to your target goal”
In conclusion to this, being an independent artist takes willingness to self-promote, valuing your-self higher and networking.

“Often results exceed expectations” – Cendrine Marrouat
x
Romy 
romy@beonthescene.com

share your ideas or stories with me and you could feature on the next upcoming blog!