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.