This is the season where our email inboxes will start to get inundated with offers. Offers will vary from musical gear to opportunities to sell your music on iTunes or CD Baby.
With so many offers coming your way, there will certainly be no way to take advantage of every one. This can lead to what has been called FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out.
This fear can be aggravated if you see a bunch of ads to get your music into stores in time for the holiday season…and you’re not ready.
But, I say, “Fear not my friend.”
Instead, what I would suggest you do first is take this time to reflect on how far you’ve come in the past year. Are you better off now than you were last year at this time? Have you made any progress toward your goals at all? Celebrate your victories!
Secondly, if you’re not going to be able to get your project on store shelves in time for the holidays, you can still take advantage of the momentum of the season. Here are a few ways…
- Start a Kickstarter campaign. One trend that has been catching on has been that of people wanting to give money to a worthy cause as a gift. In our family, we’ve done things like give a card that says a certain amount of money has been given to a certain charity in the recipient’s name. Why not give people the opportunity to do the same for your Kickstarter campaign?
- Put a freebie on YouTube. Do you have any holiday classics that you love? Do you think you could record yourself or your band doing a cover of that song? Just an intimate session with you singing a cappella would be a great way to engage with your fans. Remember, it’s the season for giving.
- Go with the flow. Just because you’re project may not be ready this year, doesn’t mean you can’t plan and make preparations this year. Take advantage of the spirit of the season and let it inspire you to get ideas, and even preliminary tracks, for next year’s release. If you do any live performances, even if they’re for your church group or other organization that is not affiliated with your brand, you can still capture those performances on video or with photos that can be used as promotional material when your release does become available in the future.
If you take any of these steps, you can be sure that you will definitely be better off next year.
Cheers!