Week 3, here we are.

This week is all about having an effective website.  I will admit, I was a tad cocky going into this challenge.  Look at the thing of beauty that surrounds this here blog!  It was designed by my dear friend Megan Grieves, and is supported by Phil Levine, the husband of my oldest friend in the world, Melanie Levine. 

Let's look at Ariel's requirements, shall we?

1. Add your pitch to your homepage.  Called Phil Friday, it was up in the headers Saturday Morning.  Fab.  I also added it to the first paragraph of the main page.

2. Your site must load in 3.5 seconds.  My site has always been a quick loader (thanks Meg).  Sweet.  (I may or may not have spent a good 30 minutes this morning panicked over the actual timing, which is more like 6-9 seconds, but I checked the sites of the last challenge's winners and they all have similar load times to mine.)

3.  NO Flash Intros. Yeah.  Not my style in the first place.  Especially since getting an iPhone, I'm less and less interested in Flash.

4. Have a consistent look and feel all over the Net.  This is where I spent the majority of time; messing with the colors on my Twitter, Myspace, and ReverbNation profiles so that they'd match this thing of beauty, and then changing the avatars on all the sites to be the same photo. Good thing I love Blue so much. :-D

5. Give away an exclusive, free MP3 in exchange for an email address to satisfy the "What's In It For Me" factor.  And this is where we're falling a little short at the moment.  I have Bobbi Sue up right now.  That, however, is not exclusively available on my site, it's on the EP.  No go.  What I would LOVE to put up is an MP3 of Notting Hill, but none currently exist.  SO, until we do have an MP3 of Notting Hill, I'm currently trying to enhance the audio from the video we took at the release party of Mixed Signals.  The EP version is all acoustic guitar and vocals, very stripped down.  The live version is the way I want to make it eventually - full band, with guitar solos right out of the Blues Traveler playbook.  The quality needs a little work, though, so this part is still in progress.

6.  Make it clear and set them at ease.  Updated paragraph at the top of the main page to include a bit of reassurance that Spam ain't my thing.  I'm Jewish, after all, and it just isn't Kosher.  Well, unless we're talking about Monty Python.  Then I will have the Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Baked Beans & Spam. 

EXTRA CREDIT (I'm adding this bit myself) Make it easily accessible.  I know Ariel is a big believer in the yourname.com domains and she's completely right, but I think this is a nice little addition in my personal case.  I went to BIMAFest this weekend.  They had a fantastically informative day of panels on Saturday, and it was so worth the time.  I got a lot of great one-on-one attention, and therefore Rockstar, Bitch came up in conversation a fair amount, as it is just wont to do.  One of the speakers asked me if it had a comma in the title, which put me on my "I'm not the bitch, HE'S the Bitch" wagon.  Everyone got a kick out of that, but they suggested that since everyone's really picking up on the idea of me as the "Rockstar Bitch" that I should just run with it.  Make t-shirts with pink glitter and the whole 9.  They're totally right.  So in the car on the way home I was telling my husband, Adam, about it and he said "You know, we should see if Rockstarbitch.com is available."  It was, quite possibly, one of his best ideas ever.  First of all, how are you ever going to forget Rockstarbitch.com?  Besides, I play Rockstar, Bitch last for almost every single set - it's the last thing people hear from me on the night.  So now, if you are so inclined, go to Rockstarbitch.com and you will see that it brings you to my RachelSchain.com homepage.  Rachel Schain is my name, it's as easy to post as can be, but it's not that easy to spell for some people, and after a few beers, who's going to remember my name?  Ahh, but they WILL remember Rockstar Bitch (they always do).  As soon as I start singing it, I can see people's brains click into "OH THIS GIRL!" recognition.

Next week's entry, which I'll start a LOT sooner than previous weeks, is all about effective Social Media usage. 

And while I have your attention, go check the Gigs page for my upcoming dates.  I am adding a whole bunch!

So, Week 2, where I stumbled last time.  Pushing through this wall.

I was feeling a little pressure because OMGMUSTHAVEAPITCHBYENDOFWEEK2.  Then it came to my attention that it isn't something I MUST have finished by the end of the week, but rather just something I need to start working on now.  I wish I understood that the first time around.  I'm so the type that does things step by step.  Even when I was a kid I refused to read book series in the wrong order.  You start with Kristy's Great Idea, and THEN you can read Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls.  It horrified me that someone could read Mary Anne Saves the Day right out of the gate. 

(Yes, I know the titles of the Baby-Sitters Club books off the top of my head, don't you?) 

(And yes, I know I skipped over The Truth About Stacey - it was done for added effect, going straight for book 4, what are these people thinking?!) 

In my last entry, I mentioned my first attempt at the MSI9W course, and how I let it lapse. I was hung up on trying to craft my pitch by copying the other examples I've read, citing specific artists. In true Rachel Style, I pushed myself to hit the ground running and find the best pitch that anyone had ever come up with.  Sigh.  Oh Rachel.  My original idea was "Imagine if Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell, and Dar Williams went out for a cup of tea." That (rightfully so) was criticized as "polite and boring" and "gives the idea that you're British" (which is funny to everyone who knows my Anglophile tendencies, I know).  But I got hung up on what else those three women could be doing together instead of drinking tea, which was the wrong road to go down entirely.

Now that I know we can start with coal and make it a diamond, I reviewed all the tips again and took the pressure off.  I honed in on the idea that the pitch should be a few words that give someone an idea of what you're going for.  I think I've got something better where we can start.

"Honest, melodic, acoustic pop sung by a devotee of Tori Amos and Dar Williams."

Good, right?  At least a good place to start, if not the most attention grabbing thing you've read (my husband's suggestion was: "EXPLOSIONS!!!!  Listen to Rachel Schain").  I think that I can best be described as acoustic pop, and the two things I'm most proud of in my songs are the melodies and the honesty of the lyrics.  I put Tori because people are constantly saying they can hear her influence in my singing style, and Dar because I wanted people to understand that I'm fairly literal in my songwriting.  I say what I mean to say, whereas Tori is very obtuse lyrically.  I left Joni out because even though people have compared me to her (and Yay For That), I don't want to give the idea that I'm a devotee of hers.  I have LOADS of respect for the woman, but I haven't spent as much time listening to her as I have the other women.  

While I have your attention:

• I'm happy to report that Happy Happy has almost sold out of its first run, and I'll be ordering a second one shortly.  If you've been to CDBaby.com to get it, you probably know that it's back-ordered.  They ordered more from me on Thursday morning, I had the package in the mail that afternoon, so we're waiting on the Post Office. 
• HOLY CRAP I'M ON iTUNES.  And emusic.  And Last.fm.  I know this shouldn't be such a surprise because I signed up with CDBaby specifically so they would arrange this for me, but hey.  It's real now.  Go take advantage of the convenience.
• I'm all set to go to the Future of Music Coalition's Policy Summit again this year.  MASSIVELY excited about that one.  Last year I went for just the first day and learned quite literally everything I know about the business end of this music thing.  I know I didn't get everything because it was a little overwhelming.  This year I get to go back and pick up what I missed last time.  And then some.

I am so far behind everyone else, but here goes.  Week 1 of Ariel Publicity's Music Success in Nine Weeks Blogging Challenge!

For the next several weeks, I'm going to study being a better businesswoman when it comes to my music.  Honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time.  I just put out my first EP, and I've actually got to buckle down and do this for serious because there are more things at stake than my pride and dreams for a change.  I didn't realize how scary this would be, to be honest.  I mean, I'm running a Business now (caps intentional). 

Of course, since I've been in prep for Friday's release party all this week, I'm behind on my week one entry.  Sorry Judges.  I'll do better. For my course notebook, I've chosen the blank book I got from my friend Sam as a bridesmaid gift last weekend.  The first page is a letter of love and encouragement, and I can't think of anything more valuable.  The successes of the past week include throwing an incredible release party, selling a third of my CD inventory in that one night, having email accounts set up on this site for both me and Katy (my good friend who is going to help me get off the ground), and getting copies of the EP in some form or another into the hands of some other artists whom I really admire. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you all that at the beginning of this year, I started this course and never made it past week 2.  The good news is that I discovered that I was able to meet some of the goals I set for myself back then, some even within the time limits I set for them.  So that's good.  Time for some new goals.

Short Term Goals (things to accomplish during this course):

1. Develop a more polished pitch - this is where I stumbled last time.  I had this great idea for a pitch, and then I put it online and it was called "polite and boring."  That flustered me, and while I honestly have been trying to think of a better way of describing myself as an artist I just haven't gotten it yet. (By the end of Week 2, obviously)

2. Book a few shows out of town at the end of September - I've been talking about wanting to do this for a few weeks now, but I really need to actually do it.  I have a lot of fans in the NY/NJ/CT area, and in the Rochester, NY area as well, who have been asking for a show so I want to play for them.  Then there's my college town of Binghamton, NY, where I still have friends/listeners and where the college station has a copy of my EP.  Also I'd like to play in Boston, since I'll be in town for a wedding anyway.  I might as well make use of that time, right? (By September 5)

3. Get my music reviewed/add some press to my profile - When I first saw Ariel speak at the FMC Summit last Fall, she said "Make sure you're part of the conversation about you, and if there isn't one, get one started."  That line really stuck with me.  I would love for there to be a conversation about me and my music!  So yeah, let's get one started. (By September 30)

4. Develop better habits when it comes to communicating with my fanbase - I think I'm still too passive about talking to my fans.  I don't regularly send out emails, I am sending out tons of Facebook event invites that get little to no result, and I'm still thinking in terms of quick broadcast messages as opposed to structured ones.  Plus I definitely have the "oh I don't want to bother people" mentality.  (Before September tour)

Long(er) Term Goals (next 4-6 months):

1. Write the rest of my next album - There are two songs that I play out regularly that aren't on my EP, and everyone's bugging me about them.  Sorry guys, I couldn't get them recorded in time for this release, they're going on the next one.  In order for there to be a next one, I need 4-6 more songs written.  I've got all these ideas that need to be fleshed out anyway.

2.  Get enough money together to record that next album and give the people who helped me on this one some - I got really lucky on this last EP and had some friends who were willing to do some work for free, but I feel like it put a strain on things that didn't have to be there.  So I want to do everything as a paying customer next time around, and hopefully I can make that happen.

3.  Get my life more organized - I'm not living in squalor or anything but I think it's fair to say that my maid has had the last few months off, if you get my drift, and what they say is true; cluttered surroundings make for a cluttered creative process.  I mean, just sitting down to write this blog entry I was sidetracked by half a dozen things that made me say "oh I'll just do x" and now it's almost 1 am.  If I'm caught up on all the other ridiculous stuff, I'll have less to distract me.  Plus working a day job AND doing the musician thing cannot be made easier by the fact that I can never find anything and often times I'm running around 5 minutes before I need to leave trying to find a shirt to wear.

Long Term Goals (in the next year):

1. Figure out "Step 2" - You know that bit in South Park with the Underpants Gnomes?  "Step 1: Collect Underpants, Step 2: Shrugs, Step 3: Biiiig Profit!"  Well, those words have been on my mind a lot lately, except my step 1 was "record a CD and start being serious about my music."  I'm not so naive as to think it's only 3 steps, that's just for comedic effect.  Last year at the FMC Summit I was totally overwhelmed by all the "Step 2" information I got, and only really picked up a few things.  I put most of those things to work, though, in the last year, and so now I've got to get more pieces into place.

2. Drop some weight - This is as much about health as it is for self-esteem.  My 30th birthday is this Friday and I think my body is starting to tell me that it's not going to be able to deal with this extra weight as well as it used to.  If I'm going to be touring more in the next year, well then I'd better get my health improved.

3.  You know, World Domination and all that. ;-)

OK, Week 2 in the next few days.  I'm feeling good, people.

Hi everyone!  I hope you're having a wonderful day.  This is a BIG DAY for me, as I am finally releasing my very first EP, Happy Happy.  We're going to start by celebrating over at The Bellefonte Cafe with a concert featuring me and The Awesome Band!  I hope to see loads of you there.  The EP is available for download or purchase over at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/RachelSchain, and will be on iTunes, Amazon MP3, emusic, Rhapsody, Spotify, and a BUNCH of other places very soon.  I'll keep all of you posted on that.

Also, I'm a little behind, but I am participating in a very special course/contest run by Ariel Publicity.  Ariel's book, Music Success in Nine Weeks, is a course for Musicians who want to start thinking like business people so they can promote their art more effectively.  My next several blog entries will be judged by Ariel and her panel of experts (including this one, hi guys).  My week one entry will be up tomorrow, so now you'll all get some valuable insight into the process of music promotion and you'll just plain be hearing from me more.

Lots of love guys, thanks for all the help and support you've already given me!

Hey everyone, sorry I've been quiet for awhile.  It's been a busy couple of months.  I come with big news, however.  In, oh, 20 days or so (August 13), we will be celebrating the release of my very first EP, Happy Happy.  Why is it called Happy Happy?  It's named after this amazing piece of art I saw while visiting my friend in Los Angeles about a year ago.  I loved it so much, I made it the cover, see?

What you're looking at, basically, is a whole lot of 99 cent store junk that Choi Jeong-Hwa, a Korean artist, bought and strung up on wire hanging from a tent structure outside LACMA.  My friend and I were walking by and she said "Rachel.  We need to play THERE."  So we ran around for a few minutes playing in the 99 cent store playground that is Happy Happy.  We took photos, generally had a good time.  But as the months went by, the piece really stayed with me.  You can look at it from a bunch of different angles, but at the heart of this piece, it's a bunch of stuff from the 99 cent store.  It is this gorgeous plastic fun playground, and in your kitchen it could've been useful, but it doesn't have a whole lot of longevity.  Being such low quality, it won't last forever, and eventually winds up in a landfill polluting and leeching chemicals into our planet.  So it got me thinking about what "happy" really is.  This EP explores the concept of fleeting joy versus lasting happiness. There are a lot of things that are going to seem like they’re the right path when you’re taking them because they make you happy right then and there, but you’re going to have to go back to reality sooner or later.  I wrote to Jeong-Hwa and he graciously allowed me to use my photos of his gorgeous, thought-provoking art for my cover.

Here's the deal for purchasing, because a whole lot of you have asked how to pick up a copy.  I will have physical CDs and download cards (neat little cards with a link where you can download the music) available through me directly, obviously, but for those who are not local, you can get physical copies through CDBaby.com (link forthcoming) and digital downloads through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, and CDBaby. 

And finally, the biggest news of all.  I'm having a CD release party on August 13th at the Bellefonte Cafe.  It's fitting that I should have the party there, as that's where everything started.  I'll be joined by The Awesome Band for an acoustic set of all the songs on the EP, as well as some additional originals and covers.  It's going to be pretty great, if I do say so myself, and I hope you can make it.

I promise you'll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks.  Thanks for coming on this ride, guys. 

Hi everyone!  I hope you're loving the sunshine (or if you're not in a sunny area, then I hope you're loving something else).  I am about to run out and do some errands, but first let's get you guys up to date.

This week I got together with Devin, Markus, and Clint for our first band rehearsal (Beau couldn't make it, but he's promised to come to the next one).  Those within earshot said it sounded great, and I'll have to agree.  I'm really excited about what these guys are doing with the songs.  They add a dimension that you guys might not have heard just yet.  What I love best about singing with them is that I can concentrate on what I do best, rather than what chords are coming up on the guitar.  I really hope you'll get to see us live. 

Which brings me to the next order of business.  The Bellefonte Arts Festival is May 15th.  It will be superb.  The lineup is shaping up to be fantastic, and if it's anything like last year, boy are we in for a treat.  Mark your calendars, guys, because it's worth checking out.  Oh, and the band will be making their debut, in case you needed another reason to show up.

Make sure you check the gigs page to see the next time I'm playing.  I want to see all of you at shows!

Lots of Love,

Rachel xoxoxo

I'm blogging here briefly so that when I announce the new site, in, oh, the next few minutes, you all have something to look at over here in the blog section.

Hi everyone! Welcome to my very own website! Before I can do anything else, I absolutely must thank two people from the bottom of my heart: Megan Grieves, who designed the look of this gorgeous site and Phil Levine, who is providing me with all the technical stuff and hosting.  This would've at least been a lot harder without their help, and I cannot fully express my gratitude in this venue.

So my darlings, click around.  See what you like, what you don't, and let me know.

Smooches,

Rachel