Social Media - Bee Active

If you are an artist, you are a brand, and if you don't have a social media presence, your brand does not exist. The success of one's business is rated through social media. The more followers you have, the more credible your brand becomes. This is true for all businesses trying to sell a product, and in this case, you the artist are the product.

I went to a twitter workshop on Sunday, run by StageFaves, and was taught how to maximise my twitter experience in order to really benefit from it. I learned that I don't spend enough time playing with all the features twitter offers, which will help boost my profile.

It's not easy to sell yourself. It can feel too pretentious or vain, and for those who try to live a humble life, can find this type of "bragging" exposure difficult. As a performer, you are subjected to rejection on a daily basis, so when you worry that no one will care about what you have to say on social media, you fear being rejected again, only this time by your peers. Many performers are adamant in keeping a level of privacy, which I support, but then struggle to find a fine line. Your personal life may sometimes spill into your professional life, which can be beneficial, allowing fans more access to the real you, as long as you stay diligent and be specific in what you choose to share.

The benefits of having a strong social media presence, is that you are not only building your fanbase, but allowing yourself to be seen by producers, casting directors, agents, writers, directors and anyone else who may be able to help drive your career forward.

My belief is that when you are offering a service, that service needs to be presented to the public in it's best light, and your best light is your true light. Your fans are your support and they will help drive your career more than anyone. In todays industry, entertainers are hired, based on their social media presence and follower count. Followers translate into dollar signs for investors and producers, so as a business person, you need to remember this when marketing yourself.

I am still learning the game, but have embraced the power of social media and so should you.

I Never Imagined...

When I started making music 5 years ago, I never imagined being on iTunes or making music videos that would end up on Vevo or Youtube with sometimes thousands of views. I also never expected my music to be played on the radio, whether it be internet radio, or on a FM station. The music industry was completely foreign to me.

I remember seeing my single Round & Round (Featuring Joe Budden) on SingersRoom and I couldn't help but think, 'Wow...this is amazing!'

http://singersroom.com/content/2013-09-03/hunnyb-round-round-ft-joe-budden/

Making up melodies and writing was something I was extremely passionate about, but how would I find a producer. My husband, who was just my friend at the time, so happened to be a music producer, and so it began.

I would write to his creations, and then we would find a studio to record in, or sometimes record at home in our make shift home studio. One hand would often 'stand' in as a mic stand, and I would hold the pop screen with the other. The mixing desk was my kitchen table, and having no speakers, we would rely on headphones.

I am so proud of where we have come today. I may not be Alicia Keys (yet), but we keep plugging away and moving in the right direction. We have immense support from our families and friends, as well as other music industry people who genuinely love what we do.

We have never had a label behind us, or a manager nor have we had distribution. Every article that has featured me, radio station that has played our music or interviewed me, blog that has written about our music, or show that has used our music, happened because 1) Passion 2) Drive 3) Belief 4) Support 5) Hard Work.

I don't know where our passion will lead us, however I do have a clear vision and that vision points up.

All of you reading this blog are supporting us now, and all of you reading this blog, who have done something extra to help our musical journey, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are continuing to make music, for ourselves, and to share with the world. I still have a million things to learn, and the music industry keeps changing, however we are determined and will keep hustling, ready to embrace all the blessings that come our way.

www.hunnybentertainment.com