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Posts Tagged ‘Pitch’
Challenge Week 2: Your Perfect Pitch
Read this blog in 27 different languages
Branded. I am now a commercial commodity; a product. Hard things to come to terms with as an artist whose music, regardless of its form, is meant to be the product, not the person. Today, however, the artists themselves are so salient in this industry (facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.) that the person creating the art also needs to be relate-able outside of their music in order for people to really pay attention… in the long term. A hit song isn’t enough anymore and in many cases isn’t even necessary to have a meaningful career as a musician. In the independent world, bands and artists can tour for years without ever being in the top 100, let alone 10, and make a living. Fans (aka: people) want to connect. That’s a good thing. Human connection is one of the biggest reasons for why I pursue music, I had just never thought of it as something that would be included in a marketing plan.
While many artists, myself included, cringe at the idea of defining themselves in relation to other artists (we’re all unique and special, right?), the truth of the matter is … my uniqueness isn’t in being completely different and separate from everybody else (after all, we are all made of DNA that has been recycled for billions of years), rather my individuality is in my own unique and complex mix of similarities to others. If I was completely different from anything else and anyone else that ever existed, no one would have a frame of reference for understanding me or my music and that’s not what I want.
Take, for example, being introduced to a new food. When someone tells you that alligator tastes like chicken, and you like chicken, you’re happy to at least try it. If you don’t like chicken, or you are a vegetarian, you know not to waste your time. If the person can’t tell you what it tastes like, because it’s never been tasted before, the two of you are left standing saying: “Okay, well … who’s going to try it first?”, “I don’t want to, you go first”, “What if it’s poisonous?!”, “You’re right, let’s go barbeque some chicken”. In terms of music marketing, the chicken lovers would be the target market, the non-chicken lovers and vegetarians would be people not yet (or who never will be) in the target market, and the unrelated consumers are the potential fans that got away.
These are all concepts that I had to contemplate and come to terms with while proceeding with Chapter 2 of Ariel Hyatt’s Music Success in Nine Weeks Blog Challenge: Developing “Your Perfect Pitch”.
I had a bit of an advantage going into this week. As I mentioned in my Chapter 1 blog, I read the whole book before starting. When I got to Chapter 2 though, my keen interest in problem solving got the best of me and I came up with the first draft of my Pitch in under 5 minutes … then continued reading. I came back to it this week to actually follow the rest of the steps in the chapter, check out the links in the book, and test drive the pitch in the forum (all of which I skipped over because I just wanted to read the book first).
The process began with looking over some examples that Ariel provides of clever, yet authentic, pitches that work well for her clients because they are both memorable and really represent their sound. I didn’t have a computer with me at the time, so I skipped over the video that Ariel and Derek Sivers (CD Baby) made which further rationalized the need for a pitch (which I did eventually watch this week). The fun began with the writing exercise though:
Brainstorming the genre of music I play has always been the most difficult part for me, as I’m still not really sure what genre I fit into, though I have been recently calling it Alternative/AAA/Rock (formerly Alt/Pop/Rock … not really feeling the pop influence anymore). During this past winter, in an effort to uncover my artistic self, I went through a declared ‘hibernating’ phase from performing. One result of this retreat was a blog I wrote while researching a bunch of different genres and trying to figure out which ‘family’ I belong to. At that point I was seeing myself in a Post-Rock light. Though the discovery of Post-Rock certainly influenced me and is shaping the sound I am creating now with my new music, I recognize that I am not pure Post-Rock and cannot claim to be. If you’d like to read that blog, you can access it here. Get a cup of coffee first though. It’s a long one!
Next: Creating a list of artists that other people say I sound like. This was easy. I’ve been collecting names ever since I started pondering my sound/musical direction and have been posting them in the “Sounds Like” box on my MySpace over the past year and a half. Because I didn’t really feel comfortable telling the world who I think I sound like, I decided to list the artists my fans and audience members have connected me to in conversations we’ve had following performances and then I invite new visitors to leave suggestions of their own. If you’re reading this, feel free to do the same!
Though there are a few, the most common and obvious ones are Alanis Morissette and Dolores O’Riorden (The Cranberries). Since an adolescent, I have been told on an ongoing basis that I look like Alanis Morissette. It doesn’t matter if my hair is short, long, or up in a bun. I get it everywhere I go. Probably because we’re both short girls with brown hair, wide jaws, and big smiles. When I started singing, during the end of my undergraduate studies, people started saying my voice sounds just like hers. I can’t escape it and in the past would get angry about it. Despite the comparison being a massive compliment, I wanted to be recognized as an artist who has their own sound. Well, I got over that. I came to the conclusion that a healthier, more productive way to approach the issue is to embrace our similarities while emphasizing our differences. Being from the East Coast of Canada, I have a strong Celtic connection in my background and musical influences. Also, my music is less angry and blunt (if we’re comparing sound to Jagged Little Pill, which she is known best for), but still at times aggressive and opinionated. I’m a little darker in an ethereal kind of way, sometimes referred to as “weird”. We both have a softer, hopeful side.
Third reflective category: A list of authors or famous people that have influenced me. I didn’t have to go any further in the pitch brainstorm exercise, because the answer for the whole thing came to me like a pie in the face: Alanis in Wonderland … and Charles Dickens is hanging out there too (not quite an elegant pitch, but the root is there!). Charles Dickens is by far the biggest influence on my music and writing style, more so than any musician or musical genre. The reasons are unraveled in my 2009 interview with IndieToronto.Com
To try and fuse things together a bit better, I asked myself “If I was in Wonderland, what would I do if I crossed paths with Charles Dickens?” … I would talk to him of course! There would be so much to talk about though, I’d need to sit down somewhere … over coffee? No, tea! I LOVE tea and Mr. Dickens is British so he must (stereotype) like tea too … and the Mad Hatter is having a party at his place down the rabbit hole! How convenient.
So, Alanis (my voice)… in Wonderland (illustrating my slightly weird and dark, though not inherently threatening, flavour) … having tea with Charles Dickens (my main songwriting influence). The picture painted is accurate, but feels cut short … like it is missing something: My Celtic roots. The Cranberries are the next in the list of artists, they have a similar sound, are also from the 90s (the time my musical vibe resonates the most with), are Celtic in origin and probably (stereotype) like tea too; they complete the scene. I love it! The image feels like the sound I have been struggling to define. Sealed, framed and hung all over my internet walls and spaces, my pitch was now on display… but still awkward to say.
“My music? It’s like Alanis in Wonderland having tea with Charles Dickens and The Cranberries”.
It’s hard to bring yourself to say something so bizarre when someone asks you what kind of music you play. I know they just want to hear “Alt/AAA/Rock”, but I want to wow them and give them a more specific sound to relate to… and I knew that would happen once I was more comfortable and confident with saying it. It took a lot of one-eyebrow-up-eyes-rolled-to-the-North-East-not-going-to-face-you-as-I-say-this-because-I-feel-silly attempts before I could look someone in the eyes and say the pitch with excitement. I know Ariel recommends that you pick something you CAN say, and do so comfortably, but I really believed in this pitch and recognized that the only thing awkward about it was my fear of trying it. Luckily, I’m becoming well rehearsed in pushing myself through fear (I wouldn’t be performing on stage today if I had never put myself in that fearful situation).
There was one other thing I came to see was contributing to the awkwardness of my pitch this week: the lead in. Starting with the name “Alanis” didn’t feel right for me. It didn’t feel like a complete sentence starting that way. I needed a segue from “What kind of music do you play?” to “Alanis in Wonderland … etc.”. I had been saying “It’s like …” , because that would be a logical way to start a reply sentence. On paper it worked, but in conversation it made me sound like I was unsure about what I was about to say and, as a result, I did feel unsure about it. I knew this for sure when I tried conveying the pitch during a telephone interview with Lenny Stoute of Cashbox Magazine on Tuesday. So, I tried practising in front of a mirror like Ariel recommends, but I just started laughing at myself instead.
I wanted more conviction in my delivery. So I approached the Chapter 2 forum to post my pitch for review by the other Challengers and Ariel’s Community. Before doing so, however, I read through a few of the other pitches that were posted and saw the word “Imagine”. Bingo! As Salavdor Dali says, “Good artists borrow; Great artists steal”.
“Imagine Alanis in Wonderland having tea with Charles Dickens and The Cranberries”
I like the word ‘Imagine’ as it is a call to action for the listener (right from the start) and paints an image of mystery in and of itself, which is something I do want to create sonically with my music. So, I posted the new edit on the Chapter 2 forum and the response was unanimous. “Imagine” was a better choice. I had also asked for opinions about the pitch length, as I was wondering if was too long for people to pay attention to. I hated the idea of uninviting Charles or The Cranberries from the tea party, it wouldn’t be the same with both of them there, but wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me being stubborn. With great relief, the results from the forum suggested that is was not too long. This blog, on the other hand, may be getting there!
So, now I have updated my pitch on all my web presence and am ready to really start putting it out there as the Meghan Morrison brand identity. I will include it on the new business cards, posters, etc. that I make after I redesign my website next week (Chapter 3) so that I have brand consistency across all platforms.
I tried using the 15secondpitch tool that Ariel suggests, but the save button isn’t working at the moment and every time I have tried to register over the past few days it gives me an error message. Alas, it will have to happen another time. I did, however, email my pitch to Ariel for review (at the end of the aforementioned video with Derek Sivers, she invites the viewers to do so). Fingers crossed!
5 Successes from this past week:
1)Created my perfect pitch!
2)Had 2 interviews (print and webstreamed)
3)Someone in California (who I don’t already know) bought my CD online!
4)Recruited potential new guitarist, PR assistant, and webcast directing assistants.
5)Performed well at a gig with Brad on a full kit for the first time in concert.
Goals Review/Update:
In reflecting on the goals I set for myself last week, we (mainly Leandra, my newly acquired manager) have made progress toward achieving the print and radio goals we set to be completed by August 18th. I’m well on my way on my way to achieving my songwriting goals that are to be completed by August 25th. Also, I see that if I complete my website overhaul next week, I will be ahead of the game!
I have, however, neglected my physical, psychological and spiritual goals over the past week in order to catch up with tasks that I should have done in July. Now that I am reminded through this reflection, I will make an effort to incorporate it into this week’s plan.
Next Week/Chapter 3: Optimizing Your Website
Last Week/Chapter 1: Getting Mentally Prepared
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