I have been wrestling with the direction of my music career for quite a few years now.
As you may know, I am and have been quite a successful trailer music composer; I got regular placements and earned great money doing it (I even won some awards).
However, over the last few years, I have been yearning to do something else.
And that something else is to focus on my own music - music that I make as an ARTIST and not as a composer providing a service.
This idea has terrified me to the point that I have been dipping my toes in and out of the water for many years, but now it is time I took charge and owned my decision.
I am going to focus all my energy on building my own record label. All my own music in all the genres and styles I want.
Just a little chat going over the thoughts in this post
It's taken me a while to get to this point, and I often wonder/worry that I am trying to do too much and not enough at the same time.
But this image says it all:
Why a record label and not just put out your music?
Well, I have always been keen on video, photography and art.
I have missed using them in creative ways. I even started a webcomic as an outlet.
Having a record label where I put out album artwork, music videos, BTS footage, whilst documenting it all, will allow me to express myself in loads of ways not just music.
It will also mean that I can put out lots of different types of music and have a home to put it all.
Plus, I want to leave some kind of legacy for my kids that they can either get in on or have to do as they see fit when the time comes.
So what is this going to look like?
This is the part that I have been struggling with the most: what the hell does the content look like?
I thought it would be like my current Diary of a Music Maker output - I would share myself writing the music. But this just hasn't been sitting right with me.
I love sharing this stuff, but something didn't quite click.
So I think I am going to share most of my content on this blog as well as my Substack feed and YouTube channel. To keep it simple, I am just going to focus on those platforms:
- Blog
- YouTube
- Substack
Daily content strategy
I am a big fan of daily content and producing something small, often. So I want some daily content in there:
- Blogs as thoughts and updates
- These will be paired with Substack notes and Rich's Notebook (YouTube channel)
I could add Instagram in there for good measure, which my FOMO is telling me to do, but I am still unsure as Instagram tends to absorb me. So I may add it in...
This will take the form of:
- vlogs
- audio recordings
- images
- quotes
- short posts
These will all be centred around creating and building something that matters.
Ok, so the daily content is taken care of, what's next?
Weekly Content Strategy
This will be centred around newsletters and YouTube updates. This has been the biggest cause of uncertainty for me.
I want to have a "show" where I share a kind of "this week in Pryn Music" type of thing. I want it to have a clear format and segments. The main reason is that it would help me deliver the content, it would mean that I wouldn't have to think up new ideas each week, and also (hopefully) it would inspire new fans to me and my music.
This will be in the format of a YouTube video, podcast and email that is also hosted and delivered via Substack.
This would also mean that I wouldn't spend too much time creating videos and content.
I would also share a weekly curated playlist of my music. This is a targeted approach to getting more fans and listeners.
So far, this is what it looks like:
- Building a Record Label (show)
- Weekly Playlist (YouTube video as well)
I also plan to do monthly roundup versions of each of these. BUT, all these plans are loose and not set in stone.
If the last decade or so has taught me anything, it's that I quickly get bored. This is one of the reasons I have decided to embrace this style of work to give myself enough variety and freedom to come and go as I please.
Member discussion