Market Justification - E Portfolio

Why is an e portfolio important and useful to a freelance musician?

An E portfolio is becoming increasingly popular for many reasons such as its availability. By putting your portfolio on the internet for everyone to see you are widening your potential marketing audience.  This means that people from all over the world will be able to see your webpage and find out more about your music. This could lead to potential job opportunities outside of the country which could not only help you gain popularity but also give you an experience.

In researching different artists and musician’s blogs I have found that they all carry a house theme throughout the website and on each page. I have also noticed that there are links to social media such as twitter and Facebook. This helps promote their other pages and expand their audience. The TwentyOnePilot page is a good example of this as it shows the Facebook link and twitter follow buttons underneath their contact page. They have also got video links on their page. This promotes their music as it is the first thing you see when you enter their website. This also will inform you if there is a new music video out.  

 Some of these pages have given me inspiration for my own website. I have also added YouTube, Facebook and google+ links at the side so people can easily visit my other websites. I have added a banner at the top of the page with my picture on it as well as the title ‘Chloe Purser Music’ so people can see what the page is straight away. You would also add a logo on the banner so people will know your page just by the logo. The TwentyOnePilots logo is found on all of their merchandise so it has become a trademark. I have also stuck to using a similar colour throughout my blog however I was unable to use the same colour as blogger would not let me.

 I have also looked at other musician’s websites such as the session musician Nathan East. His front page keeps you informed of his up-coming performances with musicians, an example of this being Daft Punks ‘Get Lucky’ tour. I do not have the option to do this on my blog however I have set my newest articles to appear first. On his page is also a link to his documentary, although only certain countries are allowed to see it which means he is limiting his audience. However this also means that whenever people visit his page the first thing they see will be his documentary which is instantly promoting his video.

Currently some of the content features of my blog include a professional approach to freelance employment, health and safety for musicians and financial management. These help promote and market my website as many new freelance musicians will be looking for help and tips which my website will provide. Health and safety is essential for freelance musicians as it can possibly stop them from getting sued if something goes wrong. As my post involves pictures as well as being short and to the point I am more likely to have people read it. My financial management posts will also inform people on how to manage their own money and how important goal setting and networking really is.

The CV I have included is particularly suited to the role of a session musician/performer. My CV is relevant to this job role as it shows I do a performance course which suggests that I enjoy performing. By adding where I have performed also shows my enjoyment of performing as they are spaces that can carry a large audience. I have also included in my work history a two week job as a music technician. I have elaborated and explained that this means restringing and fixing guitars which shows that I have a large understanding of some instruments. In my personal statement section of my CV I have written that I can play all different types of genre from country to funk. A successful session musician should be able to play a variety of different genres so they can apply to more artists. An example would be Nathan East who has performed with artists such as Eric Clapton, Daft Punk and Stevie Wonder. By having my email and phone number at the top of the CV makes people looking to contact me a lot easier as opposed to not being able to find it and giving up.

Also included in my blogs are two videos. The first is an instrumental cover – this is often a useful marketing tool for session musicians because it shows my abilities and what my sound is. For example if you were looking for a singer a cover would help show you what they sound like and if they’re right for the song you’re planning on recording. Also by posting covers onto the internet you could increase your audience. If your long term goal is to become a world famous solo artist this could lead to being signed up. An example of someone who got signed up by posting covers would be Justin Bieber. Cobus Potgieter is a YouTube drummer who also offers session recordings. His videos have gained him a large fan base and he also does drum lessons. My other video is a tutorial of the song ‘Here Without You’ by 3 Doors Down.  This isn’t the easiest song to learn on guitar so many people prefer to see a video tutorial

rather than the tabs. Tutorial videos are also a great way to market your profile because it’s similar to a one to one lesson. An example of a musician who uploads tutorial videos and has a large fan base would be ‘martyzsongs’ (also known as guitarjamz.com) who has 100,000s of views and even some millions. I could improve my videos by zooming into my left hand when playing so it is much clearer for people to see what I’m playing much like he has. I could also add a tab at the bottom of the screen for those who prefer reading tab or want to play along. This means I will be expanding my audience to not only visual learners but also tab readers.

A Professional Approach to Freelance Employment

Being reliable in the freelance world is a key point. It is important to be consistently good in performance for people to be able to trust you. If you don’t show up to gigs or events that you have promised to attend you could lose an audience and give off the impression that you do not care. Justin Bieber turned up to his own concert 2 hours late which caused havoc amongst the crowd of teenage girls, since then he has been known as ‘unreliable’ which has chased off many of his fans unlike most artists who attend every concert on their tour and are on time. As a professional touring musician it is important to be reliable so others can see that you care about your job and fans instead of taking them for granted.

It is also important to be committed to your job. By devoting more time to your musical career you will be able to feel more confident and prepared before performing. Another example would be getting a part time job so you will have more time to play music. This means you will be able to practice and attend more gigs as you will not be working. Such bands as All Time Low and Tonight Alive have worked part time in cafés and shops so they were able to gig and practice with the others in their band. Beyoncé also commits a lot to her performing as she not only has to sing but also dance. She meets with her dance choreographer who goes over dances with her as well as her vocal coach. As a professional touring musician you will need to dedicate a lot of time to your performing so you can be committed to your job and reach the best of your abilities.  

Preparation is key in succeeding in the freelance world. It is important to have everything planned out before a show especially if you are unfamiliar with the process as it will make you feel more confident. Many musicians will have spare equipment such as jack leads and guitars/guitar strings in case something breaks on stage. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys had broken a string at one of their shows and had a different guitar for the next song. This showed that they were prepared and didn’t want to have to cancel the show due to a broken string. However as freelance musicians it will be difficult to have 2 guitars ready, so make sure you have had enough practice when it comes to stringing so you will be able to continue the show without a huge delay. Every well-known artist is successful due to their preparation as it shows professionalism and indicates that they are able to plan for the worst.

Being a member of PRS will help protect your songs from being stolen or played without your permission which is important for a freelance musician. PRS is the UK’s leading collecting society to help protect musicians against plagiarism. They have had the opportunity to work with many musicians such as Bjorn Ulvaeus from the world-known group ‘ABBA’. It is only £50 a year to join and you can also sign up to the sister company MCPS. MCSP is focused solely on performers and song writers. They collect royalties whenever music is reproduced for products such as CDs, DVDs and digital downloads. This also another £50 which adds up to an annual expense of £100 which could be difficult to maintain if you don’t have a lot of money. However both of these companies are important for performing musicians as it will cover them from any plagiarism which may occur so you will feel safe performing your own music.