The Art of Getting Heard

So having spent the morning glued to my little computer screen, I am wondering about the need for a presence on the net. Do we as older folksingers need a web face? Is it only for the younger set or should we bite the bullet and promote using as many tools as we can?

In the old days, you played concerts, sold CD's, got signed to a label (a mere few) and hoped folks would find out who and where you were. Nowadays, you can do all of that from the comfort of your kitchen table with the internet. You don't need to leave so much anymore because folks can find you soon enough on the net just by typing in your name. But what a lot of work.

When I came back to my songwriting and performing, I didn't have a website or even a FACEBOOK account. Didn't know they existed. My first website was so HTML-laden that it was a bitch to update and I had to hire someone to do it for me.

Getting my music heard was another matter all together. I sent hundreds of emails out to prospective radio stations with programs that might play my songs and waited until they replied before I sent out a CD. I got about 60% replies and perhaps of those maybe 30% played a tune or two from my first CD. That however, did not equate to any money but it did grease the wheels for future CD releases.

By the time I recorded my second CD, I had built up a wee list of DJ's who wanted to play my music. But it was painful and so much work. Keeping that list current was so time consuming that I'm afraid I let it lapse.

This radio list email is just a very small part of the online presence. There's a whole lot more.....stay tuned....