COTTON AND CHINA

It would probably be a good start to explain why I have titled this blog post as 'Cotton and China'. Cotton is described as the 'traditional' gift of a second wedding anniversary and 'china' being the 'modern' gift of the same. Well, for the past two years I have been married to the music industry and I thought that I should mark the occassion with a little gift for myself. I am going to interpret the 'cotton' as going into town to buy myself some new clothes and I'll meet a few friends for a cuppa to honour 'china'. Then it's time to move on and prepare for year three of this marriage. It looks like a pair of 'leather' trousers are on the cards for next year's anniversary gift!!

Mine will be slightly 'shorter'

I have discovered that the people who enjoy reading the 10,000 blog are people interested in getting an understanding of some aspects of the music industry, maybe some people starting out in it and hopefully some people who enjoy keeping up with my own adventures in it.

2012 was a strange year for me. It began it with complete burn out. Having worked on three projects (3 single releases) throughout 2011 right up until January 2012, I had no option but to stop for a few months to take stock and find out what exactly had worked, what hadn't etc etc.
It was March before I started to think straight again and before I knew it, I was overloaded with ideas, with 10,000 being the idea that I loved the most.

I knew the volume of work and time was going to be incredible but I was hopeful that the concept alone would pull a few punches for me. (please see previous blog posts for all the info on the 10,000 project). I began with great gusto and sense of spirit for the project and spent from April until September knee deep in the 10,000 experiments.

With hindsight, being one of the great 'wonders of the world' of course, I have come to the conclusion that the project idea was excellent but the work involved in achieving all of the experiments was over ambitious. I am not going to make excuses either. I don't do trying to explain my way out of things. It was a superb idea and worked on many levels but I also experienced another period of burnout from September to October and normally life dutes were difficult to fulfill, never mind trying to achieve targets. So with that in mind, I would have set the project targets for a period of 12 months rather than 3. So with that knowledge, I decided to keep the 10,000 project ticking over into 2013 and make the most of a product and project that I am extremely proud of!

Over the past two months, after I caught up on my sleep, I decided to open up my eyes and ears to everything else going on around me musically and I discovered some gems. I had the pleasure of playing a traditional music set in PJ O'Hare's in Carlingford every Tuesday night for a couple of months and rediscovered my love for Irish traditional music, especially a contemporary style of it and one of the acts I discovered doing this very well are 'Ciorras'. CIORRAS

I also got back to listening to music from some popular piano artists such as 'Gavin De Graw', who I am a big fan of. Gavin De Graw LIVE with 'Chariot'

I also had some time to think about some things I had overlooked, such as a website!! www.sineadmcnally.ie
I got the ball rolling and through the magic of 'Twitter', I accidently found a web designer whose work I really liked. Within just days of correspondance with him, the web design was created and we launched it on the 19th October. It is a work in progress with pages etc to add to it. I'd like to give Ross a plug here as he was a pleasure to work with! ELECTRIC KIWI WEB DESIGN

Whilst enjoying the time to listen and watch and take in the successes and failures of my projects in 2012, I have enjoyed some correspondance with the 'Lady In Red' man himself Mr.Chris De Burgh who got in touch to say he enjoyed listening to my music. I was delighted to hear of my five nominations for the Music Review Unsigned Awards being held this December 16th. With the shortlist for each category being announced next week, I have my fingers and toes crossed that I make it on to one of the shortlists of 5 acts. You can check out Ireland's FIRST ever unsigned music awards event here: MUSIC REVIEW UNSIGNED

I have also found myself laughing a lot over the last month or two and it is true that laughter is the best medicine. So with that in mind, I'll leave with a piece from Mr.Tommy Tiernan that cracks me up everytime I watch it. Anyone who grew up in Ireland especially will get this. Enjoy and take care. I'll chat to you soon xx

TOMMY TIERNAN LAUGHTER MEDICINE

 

 

 

1,000 WORDS PUBLISHED

So the idea behind this experiment was to write my own press release about the 10,000 project, hopefully make it interesting and convince journalists to write about it over the 12 week period! All the experiments in the project are based on aspects of the music industry, so this one was all about PR skills and the task that is learning what to target, who to target and how to target them.

I hadn't used a PR company for any of my releases so I took the risk of doing this launch again myself plus the budget wasn't there anyways so I had to make the best with my own literacy skills. I had written press releases for the first three singles and 'Dance With Me' managed to get on 'TV3' and 'RTE Radio 1' so I knew I obviously wasn't that bad at writing my own! My leaving cert English teacher Mr.Murray would be proud. Although, don't ask me anything about Shakespeare. 'King Lear' tortured me for my leaving cert. My answer to that part of the leaving cert paper was 'nothing can come of nothing!!'

I scheduled a few different press releases over the course of the project. However, the great news was that the first press release I sent out managed to find it's way onto a few newspapers including The Argus, The Newry Reporter, The Drogheda Independent, The Wexford people among more and the 1,000 words published experiment was met within the first two weeks of the project going live! I didn't continue to add up the words once I went over the 1,000 marks, which I probably should have done but as soon as I had that experiment in the bag, I just left it and moved on..

This was actually the easiest experiment overall. 1,000 words is actually a small amount of words in terms of newspaper articles but in saying that, it was the concept of the experiment that made journalists interested and one thing I always bleat on about is the 'thinking outside the box' side of the industry. So many bands and artists are out there doing pretty much the same thing, hoping to get picked up by management or a label so the problem is trying to stand out. I come up with ideas all the time. Some are crazy, some are great. I get dissappointed when the ideas I get that I think are great, don't come to be because I am not physcially able to manage the project on my own or the financial costs of it are too much. So you have to decide what's 'do-able'. At times, this whole project got too big for me but in saying that, a lot of it was achieved and it was a lot of fun.

Special thanks to Margaret Roddy, Martin Hearty and Jim Hayes who were the first journalists to get straight in there and write about the project.

1,000 FACEBOOK LIKES

 

Ok so this would seem relatively easy too to achieve. I made a decision when I set this target to try and get the 'likes' in a genuine way, as in not paying FB for ads etc. Apparently the correct term for that I have learned is 'organic' likes.

I have an official singer/songwriter page as well as a personal account on FB. So my challenge was to build 1,000 new FB page likes and use the page more than I use my personal account. When I set the challenge I had 840 likes on my page. It currently stands at 899 which is a fairly miserable increase of 59. Long way off 1,000.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting the result to be so poor. The week that I started the experiments was the first week that I noticed people posting about changes to FB pages and that in order for you to be successful with your page, you had to pay for ads. Well, I'd agree to some extent, I probably could have popped a few quid in the FB advertising accounts and bought myself some extra likes. But I also know that I didn't spend enough time myself. I mean, you really need to be on your page everyday posting events, links, videos, sharing the page on all the other sites you have.. twitter, reverbnation, bandcamp, soundcloud and really focussing your attention on increasing that number.

So this experiment, out did me. I wasn't expecting to have to put much time and effort into it and definitely underestimated how difficult it would be! I have learned through this experiment that the social media end of promoting your acts requires a plan of action, a disciplined routine and perhaps a person to actually work on this on your behalf.

Chat soon xx

1,000 YOU TUBE SUBSCRIPTIONS

I might as well have been looking into a ditch

Result: Fail

Grade: Disastrously

What I learned: I am useless at utilising YouTube..

1,000 BROADCAST MINUTES

This was a risky one by all means. 1,000 minutes of broadcast time is the equivilent of 16.66' hours. I had also given myself the added challenge of setting a timeline of 12 weeks. Basically I was relying on any kind of radio or tv plays of my music and included any live interviews/performances too.

So how did I do????? Well I have to be honest and say that although I knew it was going to be tough, I had a really good feeling and yes I met the challenge. It's mid October now and whilst it doesn't count anymore, I have over 1,500 minutes of airplay accumulated. I had just over 1,000 at the end of the 12th week.

So how did I monitor it? Well the lovely people at Nielsen music were very helpful in getting me set up with them so that any plays of my music on regional or national radio are automatically registered. So each day I was able to go into my account and check if my songs had been played, where they had been played and I rounded each play off at 3 minutes although all of my songs actually last around 3'20 or 3'30. NIELSEN MUSIC

The long and short of it is that there are some seriously supportive radio stations in Ireland, who are only too happy to play unsigned acts and will do their upmost to get them heard. I have to say a very special thank in particular to the following stations. There were many stations involved but the following few had an enormous impact:
C103 www.c103.ie
LMFM www.lmfm.ie
SOUTH EAST RADIO www.southeastradio.ie
DUNDALK FM www.dundalkfm.com
NORTHERN SOUND/SHANNONSIDE www.northernsound.ie
GALWAY BAY FM http://www.galwaynews.ie/galwaybayfm

There is an ongoing argument about the lack of support on Irish radio for Irish acts. I don't want to go too heavily into it here, other than to say that I of course agree there are many stations who could be doing a lot more than they are. However, I also believe that you shouldn't focus on what's not being done, but rather what is being done and who is doing it. Get to know the radio stations, get to know the dj's and you will find that they usually want to help out. Sometimes, the powers that be don't give individial dj's a chance to play what they want so get to know those who can play what they want and take it from there!

Before I go, I just want to mention IASCA www.iasca.ie  who have a PLAY IRISH initiative that is really worth checking out if you are an Irish singer/songwriter or band.

Chat soon xx

1,000 KILOMETRES

So one of my experiments was to travel 1,000 kilometres promoting the release of the EP. This was a relatively simple experiment and we had it covered within days rather than weeks. I didn't include my trip to London, thought that would be cheating but great too that I did get to the UK as part of the promoting tour.

It really isn't all that hard to cover 1,000 kilometres. I travelled mostly by van to places including Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Tipperary, Athlone, Monaghan, Cavan, Meath, Westmeath among more. Being on the road is great in so many ways. The opportunity to meet and perform for people and to just to get out of the house and away from behind the computer. The downside of it of course is the expense. It cost hundreds of euro to visit those towns and the sales of CD's never quite cover the long journey expenses. There were also nights that we had to stay over so we had to fund accommodation ourselves too. One trip in particular saw us travel from Dublin to Cork then on to Wexford and back to Dundalk in the SAME day!! Most venues don't pay original artists to play, which is without question a bone of contention with me now considering the fact that so many people have told me that in other European countries, they are very good at looking after the artists financially.

Anyways, I did enjoy my 1,000 kilometres experiment despite the cost of it! I enjoyed passing through the counties and seeing a bit of Ireland and saying things like, "well at least we got the good roads of the the celtic tiger". My highlight of being on the road was finding myself doing my make up in some stop off garage on the way, grabbing a wee roll and a cuppa to keep you going on the next leg and tuning into all the different radio stations passing through the counties. It's probably those times that will mean a lot in the future.. good times indeed!

And we smashed the experiment with over 2,000 kilometres travelled in the end..

ALPACAS, CHOCOLATE BARS AND SERVICE STATION STOP-OFFS

With so much happening and so little time to write about it, I thought a little summary of the past week's events and a little update on some of the experiments was the best way to tell you about the first official tour week of 10,000.

The week saw me visit so many counties in Ireland, not necessarily stopping off in all of them but I have performed or stopped off to promote in Dublin, Tipperary, Monaghan, Wexford, Cork and Louth since my last post. The 1,000 kilometres travelled experiment is already well over 1,000 and with visits to Galway, Donegal and possibly Antrim this coming week, the experiment is going from strength to strength. Whilst being on the road is expensive, (diesel, food, tolls), nothing beats getting out there, talking to people and being able to perform for them or even just tell them about 10,000. I have just accepted that I cannot afford to be embarrassed about handing out flyers with my face on them or sticking them to random notice boards, doors and walls wherever I go!! The last place I got to stick one of my flyers is on the noticeboard in some fairly stinky mens Gaelic football club changing rooms in Monaghan!!!


Have you seen this face...!!


I got to perform at the legendary Ruby Sessions in Dolyes Pub in Dublin during the week. I had waited so long to be invited to perform that I actually built the sessions up in my head and on the night didn't perform to my best, which was dissappointing for me but I accepted that there will be good days and bad and that performance for me just wasn't up to scratch. A few hours of frustration then I let it go.

Ruby Sessions Website

Ruby Sessions Performance

 After a few hours sleep in a questionable 'hotel' in Dublin west, we were on the road early to visit C103 in Mallow. There was a storm warning issued but it didn't cause us any bother except for a few big puddles on roads into Mallow and Fermoy. C103 were one of the first radio stations to play 'Moody Blues', my first single. I always feel my late grandparents are looking after me, getting so much play in their home county. I feel part Corkonian so it was great to get down there to say hello and thank you.





Me and Colum McGrath C103



We were straight back in the van by 12pm and on our way to Wexford. I called into say hi to Tony Scott at South East Radio who again have been supporting my music since the very start. I can only imagine how difficult it is sometimes for head's of music deciding on what music to playlist, especially coming from independent artists who may not ever have been heard of in their locality. It takes a lot of courage to take a gamble on someone unknown so I am always very aware of that!



Me and Tony Scott South East Radio



On Wednesday night before I performed at the Sidedoor Sessions in Wexford's 'Chocolate Bar', I listened to singer/songwriter 'Charlie McGettigan' feature 10,000 on his radio show as his CD of the week. I had a lump in my throat listening to a writer I always admired talk about my music so highly. I have great belief in my ability as a songwriter but it just brings it home when someone so experienced makes a point of letting his listeners know so much about me. We drove home after the gig in Wexford, at which stage we were exhausted and tired of service station tea and deli grub!

There was lots of admin catching up to do on Thursday morning so not much time for rest. There were lots of emails awaiting responses and still some CD deliveries and posting out to do. I also popped in to the drivetime show on Dundalk FM for a chat and a song. The rain poured out of the heaven's on Thursday night as I rehearsed with the boys in Drogheda. I love rehearsing and getting into the songs, working out new ways of delivering them and hearing them performed as a group and not just alone as I would more regularly hear them!

On Friday, I had another private function to perform at in the afternoon, which was a good distraction from 10,000 for a few hours. I was a little nervous ahead of my gig at the Spirit Store as I had discovered during the week that the gig I had organised could not go ahead as planned due to the venue renovations not being ready in time. The gig suddenly became a free acoustic set in the bar downstairs and it took a little bit out of me to get my head round the fact that my 'hometown' gig was not going to be what I had hoped for. To my surprise, it was actually a super night. Myself, Dave, Aaron and Tadhg worked with what we had to work from in a confined space and put on a really good show. Lots of people turned up and it really was just like singing the set in someone's sitting room. The atmosphere in the room was electric and we had a great night all round. The nice thing being that a lot of people turned up to the bar not expecting entertainment and found themselves involved in the gig. We sold loads of cd's and the feedback was brilliant! The best part of the night where the moments when the audience were singing my songs with me!! Couldn't believe how many people knew the words..

There wasn't much sleep before we were on the road to Longford to visit Charlie McGettigan who asked me to be a guest on his Saturday Show on Shannonside Northern Sound. I was feeling very very husky and my vocals were weak so I had three cups of honey and lemon before I left the house. I actually don't like the taste of honey but it certainly helps. Some chewing gum and warmish water also helped improve things along the journey. I sang three songs on Charlie's show much to my surprise as I didn't believe my voice was going to hold up!

Me, Charlie McGettigan and guests!

From there we meandered the roads of Co.Cavan and Monaghan to get to the Tydavnet Show in north Monaghan. We made the mistake of going through Cavan town on the way and the fleadh traffic delayed us by about thirty minutes. It was a beautiful day and the same has to be said of the people at the Tydavnet Show. They went out of their way to say thank you and make sure I was looked after. Thanks to Joe who made things easier for me too by keeping his PA set up for me to use. I got chatting to country performer Brendan Shine who said he heard me performing on Charlie's show on their way to Tydavnet so he gave me a great plug when he started his performance. I got to wander round after my performance and spend some time chatting to the locals. One little girl spotted me, which was a weird moment and her Mum called me over. They told me that 'Moody Blues' is a great 'milking' song and that for me was the best moment of the week!! I left Tydavnet with my faith restored in the kindness of people and the reminder that it's the simple things that count. I got to pet an 'Alpaca' while I was there too and took home some home-made local Irish whiskey marmalade and pineapple chutney courtesy of 'Pollocks Pickles' Co.Monaghan! Yum!!!

The 'alpaca' I met in Tydavnet!

On a final note for this week, the success of 10,000 is going from strength to strength. I have managed to achieve 735 broadcast minutes from airplay and interviews and live performances. 'Something Has Changed' had 23 plays on regional Irish radio over 3 days alone!! Newstalk 106 are going to give it it's first national radio spin this week so looking forward to that. The 1,000 kilometres travelled is getting smashed and 1,000 live audience is doing so well, already at 620. So things are great and having a little bit of rest today gives me a chance to recharge the batteries for week two!

Till next time xxxx

THE BATTLE

It's the end of week 8 in the 10,000 project and whilst I know as well as everyone else how time flies, it is really hard to believe that I am two thirds of the way through the project!  There have been a series of highs and lows over the last few weeks and sometimes easier to avoid updating the blog than having to try and condense it all into a few paragraphs..

For those of you only coming to the blog for the first time, 10,000 is the title of my debut EP, officially released on August 10th and it is also the title of the project I have created to make the release a little more interesting and successful. The overall concept is to bring the EP to the attention of 10,000 people through 10 smaller experiments. All of it is inspired by Thomas Edison who said "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work." For me, success in the music industry is all about having great music and great ideas and of course luck. I have faced the fact that having a lot of money is going to buy opportunities regardless of the standard of what I produce. I am not in a position to buy my way in so I have to think of other ways of building interest and support for my music. This project has its supporters and it's critics. That's how it should be..

Here are the 10 experiements and a little update on them:

1. 1,000 SALES - There were 200 pre-orders of the EP before it went on sale as a download last Friday. I spent the last few days of last week getting those 200 out (post and deliveries) but have no idea yet how many have been downloaded since the release on Friday as the sales reports take a week or two to process. I sold an additional 10 physical copies since Friday. Long way to go so will have my work cut out for me to really sell hard at gigs, on the road etc..

2. 1,000 KILOMETRES - Currently stands at 250kilometres. This experiment got off to a start two days ago when I travelled to Clonmel to gig at the Clonmel Busking Festival. We drove down in the evening and came back up afterwards as I had a wedding to play at on Saturday afternoon. With a gig in Dublin tonight and a visit to Cork and Wexford this week, I am confident we will have reached 1,000 kilometres travelled by next weekend. It is important to note that it is essential to make the most of the distance travelled by advertising the project as we go. I am going to organise branding of the vehicle we are travelling in with the 10,000 info to make the most of every 'traffic' opportunity. I have also organised flyers to hand out along the way and at stop offs etc..

3. 1,000 LIVE AUDIENCE - Currently stands at 230. This experiment only kicked into action at my London Olympics gig last week when I performed in Olympic Park on the Bandstand/Spectator Experience. It is difficult to put an exact figure on the audience but to say there were 150 people is a very fair amount. I got to perform all tracks off my EP and was my very first gig in the UK so it was a good start. We did a headcount of 80 people on Friday night when I performed in Eldons Bar in Clonmel. 

4. 1,000 NEW FACEBOOK LIKES - My singer/songwriter page on FB had 840 'likes' when I started the project. It currently stands at just '868', an increase of 28, which is a disaster really. I have found myself posting less and less on my page when I should be posting more I suppose but the FB page 'posts' policy changed just I began this project and it may be a case that the only way to achieve this target is to pay to advertise my posts. I hope to achieve it by genuine interest and support so hopefully over the two weeks of the tour I can build on thisfigure and then see where I stand in the last 2 weeks of the project.

5. 1,000 NEW TWITTER FOLLOWERS - Currently at 230 on this experiment. On twitter, you notice that spam twitter accounts start following you and just as quickly unfollow you. There are also ways and means of getting yourself instant followers. A lot depends on how much time you spend on Twitter making contact and asking for RT's. I know I haven't been giving it sufficent time every day although I also want to build this up through genuine interest and support and I am still confident it can be achieved in the time frame.

6. 1,000 BROADCAST MINUTES - Currently stands at over 500 mins. (around 520 mark) This experiment really has renewed my support of some Irish radio stations who really do all they can to support new Irish music and it was the experiment that concerned many people in the industry who gave me feedback when I launched it. As a member of IASCA, I am very aware of the debates that Irish radio does not support it's own independent acts. This is very true of some of the bigger stations. However, the good news is that there are lots of community, regional and local stations who are only too happy to introduce new music, playlist it and or organise interviews with you! To know that since the launch of this project, I am well over half way there to 1,000 broadcast minutes is something I am really proud of!

Thanks to Kildare TV who added to that figure this week:
KILDARE TV INTERVIEW

7. 1,000 WORDS PUBLISHED - This target was reached by the second week of the project and continues to generate interest. I will do a final total of words publised at the end of the project to see how much it was surpassed by.

8. 1,000 FACES - Lots of work being done on this as we speak now that the tour is underway. I have about 900 faces to photograph over the next 4 weeks!!! The good news is that some large groups of people have expressed an interest in getting involved so going to be out in force hopefully taking the photos of sports teams, dance groups, knitting classes etc etc.. It's a lot of fun and looking forward to getting stuck in!

9. 1,000 ARTISTS - I made a decision to delay all work on this until the tour is over. There is a lot of time invoved in this one and will need a clean few weeks, where I am not on the road or preparing a release. It has been started but I felt it important to tackle it all in one go at a later stage in the project!

10. 1,000 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIPTIONS - I actually don't know what to say about this one. I really wish I had chosen something else!!!!.Not being an active youtuber I think I got this one very wrong. However, I know that with some thought and some creative ideas, it may be an experiment I can find a solution too...


Well that's the project up to date! There are some flourishing experiments and some failing.. I have put myself under a lot of pressure, which some days I find overwhelming. However, I am stubborn, possibly unrealistic at times. While I use my head the odd time, I follow my heart mostly. Only time will tell which of the two have the greater impact..

Till next time, thanks for reading xx

THE OLYMPIC DIVERSION..

I'd like to start this latest blog post with a reference to my pyjamas..As I type, I am wearing my pink and white sheep decorated pyjamas with the words "Absol-ewe-tly Fab-ewe-lous" embroidered across them. I don't know which is worse.. the fact that I am still in my pyjamas at 13.06pm after starting work in them at 7.50am this morning or the fact that there is such an irony in the fact that I really don't look anyway fab-ewe-lous right now.. In fact the sheep on my pyjamas look in better nick..

It literally feels like I am cramming for my leaving cert!! The hours go by and all you keeping thinking about is the chapter you still haven't got through. There are half-drank cups of tea everywhere and pieces of paper with scribbles all over what used to be my kitchen!

Despite all that, things are good..No, things are great! This week marked the official two year anniversary of my new venture into life as a singer/songwriter! Hard to believe it's two years since I started working on the 2011 plan of action. It's also the end of week 6 of the 10,000 project and a little anxious at how much work still needs to be done in the next 6!
The project in some ways became diverted with my announcement of the Olympics gig next Friday 3rd August in the Olympic Park. Naturally this has been big news for me and it actually hasn't sunk in at all yet. It has meant that my focus on the project has been sidetracked somewhat but it is an incredible opportunity and very important that I make the most of it! In saying that, some of the project experiments have been doing very well. For exampe:

1. 1,000 BROADCAST MINS - I have made it over the 400 broadcast minutes ahead of the EP release. The single from the EP 'Something Has Changed' is officially on the airwaves from today. LMFM have added it to their A playlist. It has also already started to get plays on South East Radio, Breeze AM and Northern Sound!

2. 1,000 KILOMETRES - Whilst I haven't actually got on the road yet, the routes have been planned and the destinations organised and the kilometres being covered providing everything goes to play is actually closer to 2,000!! Starting out at Dundalk, the 10,000 troops will make their way to places like Galway, Cork, Limerick. Cork, Wexford, Donegal among more..

3. 1,000 WORDS PUBLISHED - Done and dusted in week 2 and has since been smashed with more articles over the past 2 weeks! Delighted.

And some, not so well just yet...

1. 1,000 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIPTION, 1,000 FACEBOOK LIKES - I have grouped these two together because they are both as appalling as each other! I have spent no time on either of them which of course doesn't help the situation but they are failing miserably at the moment. My plan is to really focus on these after the tour and see what strategies work best!!
2. 1,000 FACES 1,000 ARTISTS - Again I have bundled these 2 together as they are off the ground but the main activity on them takes place the two weeks of the tour and the two weeks afterwards!


Over all, I am really enjoying the project and whilst I know it is very ambitious and requires a lot of work, a lot of the experiments are really opening up so many new networks and all sorts of different opportunities..

Time to go, so much to do..Be back soon!! Olympics 2012 here I come....

10,000 WEEK 3 - THE IMPORTANCE OF A CURRY CHIP AND A BOOGIE!

So week three of the '10,000' project finished up last Friday and I'm beginning to contemplate the idea that I am in fact nuts and 3 months of constant promotion, emailing, selling, performing etc is quite a mountain to climb. Which is probably why I took the unusual step of having a boogie on Friday and wait until you hear this, Saturday night too!!!!! Not like me at all but without doubt, one of the best moves (not the dancefloor kind) I have made in a few weeks.



Working round the clock on a project like this requires serious discipline and effort and giving myself the chance to dress up, dust off the heels and eat a curry chip at 4am was the best thing I could have done. That used to be my life every weekend and I can appreciate now the importance of letting the hair down and thinking about something other than the music!

Nothing like a curry chip at 4am!

The week finished with a visit to the madness that is the LMFM Breakfast Show with Seamus and Chris. They have been great from day 1, supporting 'Moody Blues' from the minute I sent it to them despite being a completely unknown artist. Since then, like many other Irish regional and community radio stations, they have playlisted my songs and have plugged everything I do. I remember hearing Ian Wilson of 2FM say at a music discussion in the last year that he doubted the relevance of radio for artists/bands in Ireland and I couldn't have disagreed more. Getting my songs played on radio since I started putting them out there has been the most definitive reason for me being here believing in what I do and enjoying it and continuing to do it. Getting to know the presenters personally has been a pleasure and I have already made some great friends whose support I will never forget. I am also gradually starting to see the financial reward of radio plays. Radio for me anyways, is not just relevant but vital!

The usual cake and madness at LMFM!

Anyways, getting back to the project. It is the beginning of week four. I reached my FUND IT campaign target last Thursday and would definitely reccommend it to other artists and bands. My advice is to be realistic with rewards and targets. It is very easy to over estimate how much people can afford. I enjoyed running the campaign and thanks to all of you who funded it. My pre-sales are also approaching the 200 mark and the next few days will be occupied with making the last sales to anyone who would like to have their name on the EP packaging. (mcnallysinead@hotmail.com if you want to order one). On Friday, I have to finalise the database of names and get it all sent off to the designers. Next week sees the beginning of the manfacturing of the CD's so there is a lot of coming and going between all the people involved in getting the right information and ensuring everything from track codes to barcodes to design measurements etc are all in order!

I also reached my 1,000 words published last week thanks to a super amount of newspaper space being given to the project from Martin Hearty of the Newry Democrat.

Newry Democrat Piece

Hopefully that experiment will just go from strength to strength over the remaining weeks. Thanks to all the journalists who have written about it so far! I finally got my 1,000 faces off the ground and thanks to Carl in Ard products in Dundalk for the extra discounts on goggles and disposabe lab coats!! People's intial reaction is a little awkward but once the goggles and the lab coats are on, everyone just has a laugh with it and it's fun feeling a little silly for a few seconds. By the way if you wish to join in 1,000 faces, all you have to do is dress yourself up in whatever you think resembles a scientist/inventor look and send it to me at mcnallysinead@hotmail.com and I will add it to the gallery for 1,000 faces!!

Louise of Dundalk FM!

The 1,000 broadcast minutes is up to 231 already which I am delighted about as it is the one experiment most feared by many people in the music industry! For me, 1,000 new Facebook likes and 1,000 new YouTube subscriptions will leave me chewing off the ends of my nails I'd say. Whatever is going on with Facebook pages is making it extremely difficult to draw traffic to my page without paying for it! So, that's something I will have to figure out. My lack of activity on YouTube isn't helping that experiment either but again is something I just have to look into and see how I can get it working for me!

On a final note for this week, thank you for taking an interest as a supporter or a cynic. This project is bound to draw both. That doesn't bother me. I'm having fun and enjoying all the opportunities it is bringing in! Until next time, mind yourselves xxxx

GETTING OFF THE GROUND...

Day 12 of the 10,000 EP project is drawing to a close and I thought it was time for a little update! Since launching the project on Friday 15th June, I have been up to my eyeballs in sending emails, handing out pre-order cards, posting updates on social networks, designing and ordering flyers etc. etc.. And then there are normal life things like washing up, taking the dog for a walk, going to the bank, grocery shopping, which have just been completely put on hold. Sleeping and eating are about the only two normal life routines that have stayed the same!!!!!

The excess tea drinking problem I have has not been affected..

Anyways, I am happy and feeling good about the project. It has already attracted a lot of attention. The main experiments that have progressed since the launch are:

1. 1,000 SALES - currently have approx 100 pre-orders placed!
2. 1,000 WORDS PUBLISHED - 580 have been officially published up to today. Thanks to journalist Jim Hayes and Margaret Roddy of The Argus. The Newry Democrat will publish an article in their 'Vibe' section of the newspaper next Tuesday and some positive feedback from Hot Press has opened up the possibility of a mention of some kind in the next few weeks. My only concern on this experiment is the possibility of missing a publication and not being able to acknowledge the journalist!
3. 1,000 MINUTES BROADCAST - This experiment definately concerned music professionals the most. Getting 16.66 hours of radio or tv time is very very difficult even for the most established artist. I can't explain why but I have a quiet confidence on this one. Maybe my gut feeling will be proven otherwise but I have accumalated 60 mins of airtime over the past 12 days. Harry Lee on Louth Internet Radio kindly gave me 40 mins of airtime on his show this morning which of course makes up the most of those 60 mins. The remaining minutes come from an interview on Northern Sound with Sean McCaffrey, airplay of my singles on various radio stations throughout Ireland. (I am registered with Nielsen Music so I can keep a weekly track of my plays!) and project mentions on other radio stations that I have been informed of.
4. 1,000 TWITTER FOLLOWERS - I have nearly 100 new followers, without spending or devoting much time to twitter so that's a positive start!

Of the remaining 6 experiments, some are slowly getting off the ground and some are not scheduled to kick into action until August!

I also enjoyed a visit to Mark McGuire photography in Newbrige, Co.Kildare for my EP photoshoot, which stressed me a little in the lead up to it. I had a lot of ideas for styling, locations etc and it began to get a little overwhelming in deciding on what look would work best. A quick visit to Penny's and a sorting through of clothes and accessories I already had made things clearer and in the end I am happy with my choices and the style I went for. There are lots more photos in the editing stages. The project is proving a lot of fun despite being intense and keeping record of all the different aspects is taking a lot of time. All in all, it's been a great start. The FUNDIT campaign is 80% funded and you can still pre-order the EP and some additional bits and pieces here. FUNDIT

Thanks for all the messages and gestures of support!! Chat soon xx

One of the 10,000 EP shots - MarkMcGuire Photography

I BRING YOU '10,000' - THE EXPERIMENTAL EP!

It is my pleasure to finally share with you the details of my debut EP '10,000'...

For months I have had my head down trying to find something a little different, something creative and in March when my frustrations with my creativity were beginning to rise, I came across the following words, which Thomas Edison is believed to have said:

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work"

Those words spoke volumes to me about a person who commited completely to finding solutions. A man who didn't see his failed attempts as reasons to give up but as reasons to keep going. Eventually he found the right combination of elements and conditions and the lightbulb came to be as we know it now. His patience and belief became his success.

I signed myself up to work in the music industry in September 2010 and I have been learning and finding my way around it through experimenting. Some things work, some things don't. Simple. The hardest aspect of it has been accepting the fact that it is an industry overloaded with aspiring artists and bands all hoping to achieve the ultimate ambition of being a recognised and respected act and there just aren't the opportunities to go round or even the interest in hearing what you have to offer. The nature of how it all works has changed and has been changing for many years and when I enrolled in the music industry nearly 2 years ago now, I had my eyes opened. Creating a great product really wasn't enough on its own.

So here I am on the very first day of my '10,000' project. I call it a project and have done since I created it. Part of the project is the EP release itself (on 10th August), which will feature 5 tracks. The rest of it is a carefully thought out plan of action. For the next 3 months, I have set myself an experiment of my own, to try and bring this EP to the attention of 10,000 people. To do this, I have created 10 smaller experiments, each one designed to attract 1,000 people.

1. 1,000 SALES (physical and digital through pre-orders and downloads)

2. 1,000 WORDS (published about the project)

3. 1,000 MINUTES (broadcast minutes on radio, TV and online including airplay, interviews etc.)

4. 1,000 FACES (collection of 1,000 images featuring people weaing the '10,000' goggles and badge)

5. 1,000 KILOMETRES (travelled over the course of the official release week to promote the EP)

6. 1,000 LIVE AUDIENCE (performed to during the course of the official release week)

7. 1,000 ARTISTS (establishing connections with 1,000 Irish artists across dance, theatre, music and visial arts, promoted and shared on the blog with links to artists work etc.)

8. 1,000 NEW FACEBOOK LIKES (on launch date stands at 840)

9. 1,000 NEW TWITTER FOLLOWERS (on launch date stands at 489)

10. 1,000 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIPTIONS (on launch date stands at 32)

I have a big challenge ahead of me and each experiment requires a lot of time and effort, hence my schedule of 3 months! I don't know if the experiment will be a success or a failure but I'm willing to give it all I've got, hopefully having a lot of fun in finding out! Each week, I will update you on the experiments and tell you how each one is doing! So please come and support 10,000. Who knows.. maybe it could be something special!

Over the next three weeks I will be asking people to pre-purchase the EP for just €5. You can do so here: FUND IT

or contact me directly: mcnallysinead@hotmail.com  

The following links take you to 3 of my other experiments, which you can contribute to in just a few seconds.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

'LIKE' MY FACEBOOK PAGE

SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Here's to making things happen!!

THANK YOU XX



MELLOTRONS AND EDISON..

The weeks are flying in and it's getting closer to the time when I tell you all about '10,000'. Yes, it's the title of my debut EP, out August 10th but it is also more than a title. It is a concept that I have been creating for months to make the EP as successful as possible and give it a fresh twist. At the start of 2012, I had complete burnout. I couldn't figure out where to go next with my music. I had totally exhausted myself with each of the three single releases in 2011. I reached all of my targets for my first year in the industry and felt very proud but it had knocked me for six and I needed time to unwind and take stock!!

"Is it ok if just for today, I have nothing to do and nothing left to say. I feel that I need some time on my own, my body is weak and I can feel it in my bones" (lyrics from 'Just For Today', Track 3 on the forthcoming EP)

I actually wrote those lyrics late last Summer but it was a gradual burnout that came to a head in late December. I love that song and can't wait for you to hear it! It is quite emotional for me to listen to it as it reminds of the days when I really do just want to keep the world away and hide under the covers but we have recorded and produced it in a way that is quite soothing and relaxing so it ironically will assist in a little relaxation!

 It was late March before I began to feel my creativity coming back then one day something clicked and the rest literally is history. It started to flow and hasn't actually stopped since!!!

The man in the photo to the left is Mr.Thomas Edison and he is a very big part of the inspiration for the EP. His words, his wisdom and his attidude. I have always enjoyed reading about the lives of inventors, composers and anyone who has had a lasting impact on the world. It is important to me to bring such figures into the creative elements of my projects! And trust me, it has opened up very interesting opportunities for styling and design and it's proving to be great fun.


One of the tracks on the EP is called 'Something Has Changed' and it addresses the fact that relationships (all kinds) can change very quickly and sometimes you have no idea why. It is written in 6/8 time and has an unusual sound and feel to it. It is probably my favourite on the EP as it is a lot of fun and features some difficult classical piano techniques, that require a lot of practice! It is in the key of G minor and is reminiscent of 'canon' style of composition in places! I absolutely love the fact that I get to use a mellotron string sound in the choruses..it's pretty funky in there and if you are not sure what mellotron sounds are like, you can check out this video!

Mellotron Sounds

Thats all for now folks..Hope you enjoyed! Chat soon xx

GOD'S PLAYGROUND....

I have been working hard but quietly for months now on the next phase in my music career and I have developed a concept that I am really excited about. I have been gathering quotes, creating vision boards, studying artist and band profiles and bascially engrossing myself in preparation. Nothing matters more however than being in the studio putting the music together. Writing a song is a creation that comes to life when I go to God's playground, which for me is the studio! It is here that the fun begins.The chords, the riffs, the pushes, the harmonics and all the other sweet things that develop when production begins. The build up to the studio for me begins a few weeks before I get there. I gradually become more and more excited as though I am packing my suitcase and boarding a plane to sunny Spain or some tropical island. I prepare what I am taking with me, what I am going to do when I get there and accept I will experience a mild depression when I return home...

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

It is day two today and I am in the expert hands of Martin Quinn at JAM Studios in Kells, Co.Meath. I had a frustrating start to the day when my piano part for a new arrangement of 'Just For Today' got the better of me at times but I got there in the end. It is close to 5pm and guitar parts are being laid down on 'Let You Down'. There are sentiments of so many of the bands and music genres I enjoy throughout this track and it's definately a strong contender for the single release off the EP. Mind you, I feel that way about every track as we move through them, upgrading and tailoring them as we go. I can't contain my excitment at times and find myself giddy and distracted at a time when I should remain more focussed than ever!

MR DAVE GOUGH

I can only compare the attachment I have to my songs to the attachment and bond I suspect you have with your children. I don't have any children so I am making an assumption here and it may seem a little dramatic. But my comparison is based on the fact that each of my songs are so precious to me that I can't bear to let them get lost or abandoned in the big old music world that is surrounded in so much pessimism and doubt. Each one of my songs has it's own personality, it's own special talents and there are totally different reasons why I love each one of them so much. I treat them with the same respect whilst accepting that they have different needs and purpose. After all I created them from scratch and want each one to make an impact on the world! This might explain my initial 'single' releasing strategy as opposed to releasing 'albums'. That strategy changes slightly this year however and I will put three new tracks out there all at once on my debut EP 10,000, out on the 10th August. Two of last year's 'little ones' will also accompany them to form a 5 track EP, which I will promote and sell from August through to the end of the year. I will also release another song, not featured on the EP as a single on the 30th November.

Day two is coming to a close now and time to put the music away for a few hours.. Well, that's a lie really, there is no getting away from it, not now that the songs have started to really make their mark on me. I will go over and over the structures and the arrangements and take sleep breaks in between!! I would say that I will have some rest when the studio part is done in a couple of days but that's a lie too. The truth is, I will commit to those songs so intently that I will live and breathe giving them the best start in life over the coming weeks and months...

Chat soon xx

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