How can I help you?
I want to create my first mini-product for you. Something that over-delivers in value. Something that solves your specific small or medium-sized problem. And make it super-affordable (maybe $9).
I don’t need for this to be some big product launch or even have tons of people buy this.
Inspired by a recent Dave Navarro article, the reason I’m doing this is I want to start positioning myself as a solution provider, in addition to writer and electronic music artist. And I’m taking small steps by creating a bite-sized, super-affordable product.
This is for you. It’s not about me.
You’re not doing me a favor by paying. This is me pushing myself to over-deliver value to you in a format beyond what I could achieve in an article.
And because it’s about you, that’s why I’m directly asking:
How I can help you?
This isn’t something to make for myself, then slap on the site and hope someone buys it. I want to create for YOU. And even if for just a few people, that’s okay. I will have helped a handful of remarkable folks, and that would be an awesome first step for Lifebeat.
So tell me: how can I help you?
Would you want practical steps to find and pursue your passion? Or creative help, whether to be able to create more, improve faster, or get past creative blocks? I can draw from my own personal experience and challenges I’ve overcome.
Or music production lessons and tips? Like, how to get a pro-sounding mix the cheap and easy way. Or how to get started in making electronic music fast. I have experience teaching people music-making, and I’ve been able to achieve a pro-level of production without expensive gear or a professional studio.
Or maybe something on the business or marketing front? How to utilize internet marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) to get your creative work out there – without resorting to time-consuming MySpace promotion and whatnot. Like my experiment of anonymously uploading a remix on YouTube and researching keywords to insert (total work time = 10 minutes), not touching it since, and getting over 10,000 plays and counting.
How can I help you?
Please send me an email, leave a comment below, or–if you’re getting this post via email–hit the reply button.
I’m looking forward to helping you. And beginning to position myself as a solution provider.
Hope your holidays are awesome. Here’s to an outstanding 2010 – and me hopefully helping you make the start of the new year better.
15 Comments
I would love to learn more about the internet marketing/promotion front.
I have a few youtube videos that I want to spread around more.
I would ask about blog publicity, but I haven’t been updating it as much as I should so that point is a bit moot. I would want people to have something to see on a regular basis.
I suppose since I’m asking, I’d appreciate some help on dream-following. I’d like to continue to work and live abroad (I’m a Russian-American). I want to keep volunteering, traveling, and working with NGO’s and NPO’s for causes. Yet, not all of it pays. Volunteering is great, but it bleeds money. How can I have a regular source of income while I’m out trying to spread some good in the world? Without resorting to getting a job for a year in the US and then taking off for a year? I just want to stay abroad and not have to stay miserable in an office job.
I’m sure you’ll get plenty of interesting and creative emails/comments about this post.
Thank you,
Yanina Wolfe
Thanks for your comment and idea on dream-following Yanina. Adding it to the bank of ideas.
Since I’m not a fan of the abstract, wishy-washy “be a better version of YOU” stuff, if I do this I’ll push myself to create some practical guide. And pull from my personal experience in dealing with obstacles and the steps I took to hone in on my passions (an ongoing process).
In other words, answering your practical questions
Oleg
Thank you for responding so quickly!
Yes, practical advice would be quite sound. I don’t want hand-holding, I want tools and information, so I can progress and then spread it to others.
I hope my suggestions come in handy to you as well as to other readers.
Cheers,
Yanina
Oops, forgot to mention that I added your internet marketing/promotion for YouTube videos idea as well. Thanks Yanina.
Hi Oleg Mokhov, Always you make different this time also. I have gone through details in your post. Can you clear me one thing that what kind of product you are going to lunch. I think after going through your product may be I will take your suggestion.
Waiting your response!
Chris, I’m actually asking my remarkable, super-awesome readers on what mini-product they’d want. I have a few ideas, which I listed here, but they’re just starting points for you all to generate ideas on what YOU want. If there’s anything you’d like me to help you with, using my humble skills, please let me know. I want to create a solution for you, not a product to please myself
Keep being awesome and I appreciate your support and frequent comments Chris,
Oleg
I love the music making and self promotion idea, Oleg. I am extremely interested in it. I think self-starter types who are the least bit interested in making music would benefit greatly from anything you have to offer, judging from the stuff you produce. I’m learning a little bit more everyday, but only due to my own research into electronic music production. I’d love some sort of guideline to stick to, that wouldn’t pigeonhole me into one genre of electronic music.
I’m surprised how many people still think that techno is the only style of electronic music around.
Thanks for your awesome ideas on music marketing and making Mark. I’m adding it to the list.
I know much and would love to write about music-making and production (and making it simple and accessible), so I’m glad there’s interest in something like this
To clarify: regarding music self promotion, you’d want a guide on how to utilize search engines, YouTube, articles and blogs, and internet marketing techniques, correct? Get the potential listeners to come to YOU instead of constantly seeking them out on MySpace.
And regarding music-making: are you interested more on the technical side with how to produce certain sounds, how to get your mixes sound hot, and so forth? Or on the musical side of how to create rhythms, melodies, and mix up styles to find your own unique style (rather than being pigeonholed as house, drum and bass, hip-hop, etc.)
Thanks for your interest and support Mark. I’m excited to hopefully create an electronic music product for you.
Oleg
Yes, with regard to the promotion end of things, I personally would like to take control. I’d like to be able to figure out which places to actually post my music and get it to the people wanting to hear it, as opposed to just throwing it on myspace, purevolume or *insert music/social networking site here*, pigeonholing it into a few vague music genres, and hoping for the best.
I’d be looking for would be some sort of system that would minimize the amount of time it takes searching for listeners and, as you said, let them come to me, probably through the use of keywords and whatever else is necessary (which you probably know quite a bit about!)
With regard to the music making process itself, I’m always looking for new and unique sounds that I can incorporate into my music, whether they’re acoustic or electronically produced, so any insight into creating those sounds would be helpful. I’m very open minded in my approach to making music, so learning a bit more about the structure about different genres (drum and bass, house, dub-step, break beat, etc.) would be helpful as well.
I’m an engineer, and have never had any formal music training. It has always been a passion of mine, so I’m interested in the DIY end of things.
Thanks Oleg,
Mark
Hi again Oleg,
. I’d be more interested in the electronic music product. For instance, I’d like to know how DJs strip the vocals out of a song (if that’s even the process) but any comments online will just point you to software, not the process. Hope this helps,
I’m not a big fan of those “selling” self-help, but I’ll stay off my soapbox on that one
B
Thanks for your electronic music idea Brian – adding it to the list.
I’m with you on selling self-help. That’s why if I were to do something for how to find your passion or whatnot, I’d make an actual practical guide, with specific steps and techniques to get concrete, desired results. And I’d pull from my personal experience. None of that “become a better YOU by believing in yourself” gobledygook
The best personal development books (and the ones I liked) were practical as well. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win Friends and Influence People, etc.
To clarify on your “stripping the vocals” comment, did you mean that you want to know how that process is done, or just how to get and use vocals for remixing/DJing in general?
Thanks for your feedback, looking forward to hopefully creating something awesome electronic music-wise for you Brian,
Oleg
Well to give you an example, there’s a mashup called “Until it Talks”. It mixes Metallica vocals with Coldplay. While I’m not familiar with the Coldplay song, the Metallica song that the vocals came from is pretty heavy, so guess I’m wondering if the DJ had to somehow process or use a filter to isolate the vocals from the original drums, guitar distortion, etc. And if so, how that was done. I’m not a DJ (former multimedia geek), I just think it’s a really neat effect. By the way, I really like “Future is Bright”; good soundtrack for my commute
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Gotcha. There’s phase inverting techniques where you could isolate vocals. But sometimes it’s just using an equalizer to filter out frequencies (heavy bottom end), and when mixed with another instrumental, it sounds like only the vocal (the highest frequency) is left.
Anyway, I know what you mean. For a music production product, you’d be interested in how to do things of this nature basically, correct?
Glad you like the “Future Is Bright” MokhovMix. Next mix coming soon
Oleg
hiya! i would be very interested in the marketing of music (not electronic music, but i am also a muscian), and promoting your blog – getting followers, guest posts, etc. i’m writing in a vacuum right now, and i fear that my blog does not have much direction. it would be great if you would also review blogs – i would definitely sign up to purchase that.
great ideas! can’t wait till a product comes out!
Bloom, to clarify, you’d be interested in one/all of the following:
1) Marketing your singer/songwriter music online – making the internet work for you and have the listeners come to you
2) Gaining readers and subscribers for your blog – the most effective techniques to do that (and the tips for applying said techniques, such as getting higher-level guest posts)
3) Personal blog reviews – consulting and advice for getting desired results
Let me know if I’m missing something (particularly point #3, since “review blogs” is pretty broad), and feel free to add anything else.
Thanks Boom. I’m looking forward to helping you by creating a mini-product that over-delivers value to you.
Oleg