I don’t care what anyone tells you, marketing is difficult. Personal promotion is no different. There are a plethora of videos and articles, and support groups that will tell you marketing is as easy as carefully designed posts and frequent and regular engagement, but no one ever talks about how hard it is to create an identity and not forget who you really are.

Branding is all about establishing who you are, what you are about, and what you are trying to sell. It sounds pretty simple, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty it can get a little personal. Sitting down and trying to figure out what kind of person you are, forces you to think about who you really are. Who am I? What do I stand for, and what do I have to offer?

Barring a potential existential identity crisis, once you manage to get past the details of what makes, you, your next task is to figure out how to show your potential fans who you are. You’ll suddenly find yourself spending hours of research on finding the perfect keywords to describe yourself. Sure I’m a country singer, but country singers are literally everywhere these days. What sets me apart? Atlanta Country Singer? Is my music more honky-tonk, Nashville, or outlaw country? What colors best reflect my message. Am I a blue or a yellow person? Would black be an accurate accent to my personality?

Hours, days, weeks, months pass and I have a hefty collection of trendy hashtags and keywords to describe myself and my music. I’m swamped with color swatches to represent my varying projects, and my collection of social posts read like a timeline of my marketing journey. Each image is carefully weighed and measured by engagement and analytical metrics and I find myself asking, is this all that I am?
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 Of course, the answer is no, but do my followers know this? How can I accurately portray myself without losing myself in the process? The quest for the perfect balance continues.
 

Social media, everyone who is anyone is on it. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. Everyone has something to say and they use these platforms to say it. With the world connected through digital fingerprints its an obvious choice for musicians to launch their brands and increase awareness. With the potential to reach billions of prospective fans with a few clicks and some carefully designed posts, musicians are now able to enjoy the benefits of promoting their talent within a multi-billion-dollar industry with relatively small marketing budgets. But as promotions seem to get easier and more affordable, how does this change the social landscape of the bond between musicians and fans?

When it comes to social interactions I’ve always landed on the introverted side of the conversation. Its not that I’m not a people person. Its more like I get so far in my head sometimes I forget simple things like saying hi to people when I see them. I’ve improved a lot over the years, thanks to countless hours of adulting and semi-awkward social experiences, but now that I’m actively pursuing my musical dreams, routine social exercises have become a daily necessity.

So what does it look like when an introvert tries to connect with strangers over a world wide network? Take a look at my social profiles and you’ll see. I struggled to create relatable yet original content to post on a daily basis. At times I would post multiple times a day and others a few posts a week was the best I could do. While I feel like I’ve done well to offer unique and captivating content I feel like I could do better on a regular basis.

But creating great content isn’t the end all of establishing a social empire is it? I’ve watched countless hours of social media marketing videos on YouTube. Adam Ivy by the way is frequently played. The one thing that always comes up is engagement. Every social media “guru” will post video after video on the importance of social engagement and sing hymns to the wonders of it’s unlimited following potential.

So here lies my biggest struggle, how does an introvert like me boost my engagement? The videos and articles make it sound as simple as commenting on posts and videos. But like establishing and nurturing any kind of relationship, this task gets a little more complicated. Who do I follow, and what am I supposed to say? A big part of me wants to just hideaway in my music studio and focus on the next greatest song I’m going to produce, but even the small pragmatic portion of my brain realizes that to create great art simply isn’t enough to be famous. Look at Van Gogh for example, he was clearly a talented artist who unfortunately never enjoyed the benefits of stardom. Picasso on the other hand was a rock star in his time. Why? It wasn’t because one artist was better than the other, but it was become one artist was just better at self-promotion.

Self-promotion doesn’t come naturally to me. In fact I’d prefer it if I could just let my music do the talking, or singing, for me. But in the interest of keeping my mood up, I won’t be going down that rabbit hole of things I can’t control. Instead I will be focusing on what I can do.

In order to find new fans and followers social roles will need to be tweaked. The traditional musician-fan relationships will need to shift from musicians on the stage and fans in the audience with a clear dividing line between the two, to musicians join the fans and become an integral part of the experience. Maybe your big wig rock stars can get away with not responding to comments or engaging in personal conversations, but for starting musicians, these kinds of interactions are crucial to building up a solid social presence.

It’s easy to get caught up in vanity metrics. The number of likes and followers we have are not fully indicative of our level of talent and it really isn’t the point of what we’re doing is it? These metrics are merely numbers that occasionally rob us of our self-worth, if we allow it. Numbers don’t appreciate music, share meaningful moments, or attend shows, fans do. Therefore, our mission as musicians is to chase the fans, not the numbers.
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Thanks to the past year and this semi-constant state of lockdown and quarantine, people are looking to social media more than ever to find and maintain meaningful relationships. My goal for the coming month is to set aside some time every day to reach out and talk to people. I want to talk to them, hear their stories, and of course share some great music. I’ll be posting follow ups and sharing my experiences in future posts, so make sure you check back often so you don’t miss anything. And for my fellow musicians out there who are experiencing the same struggles, you are not alone. Let’s work together to bring “social” back into social media, where the focus is on the people and not the numbers.

Invented by Adolphe Sax, the saxophone has been used in a variety of musical genres ranging from classical to jazz music. Although the instrument is made of brass, it is considered a woodwind instrument due to the use of a reed. The current saxophone family today currently claims kinship to six varieties despite the inventor’s original line up of fourteen. These relatives include soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass.

Adolphe Sax was a Belgium born instrument maker who lived between 1791 and 1865. The son of Charles-Joseph Sax, he studied at the Royal School of Music in Brussels and later went on to own a wind instrument factory in the same city. He developed the saxophone in an attempt to bridge the tones between brass and woodwind instruments and first introduced his invention, at an Industrial Exposition in 1841. The instrument was later patented in 1846.

Made of brass, the saxophone is comprised of mainly cooper and zinc although some may have a gold or silver plating. The instrument itself is categorized into four parts, the neck, body, bow, and the bell. Yet despite its simplistic form, the instrument holds roughly 600 parts including 25 tone holes, keys and levers, and pads to cover the tone holes.

Since the genres of jazz and classical music have different goals in terms of sound and tone, the saxophone offers varying designs to cater to the musicians needs. Jazz players will prefer an instrument with a higher taper in the neck. The increased angle will result in a raspier tone better suited to the improvisation and individual flairs associated with jazz music. Classical musicians on the other hand prefer a less graduated angle in the taper for a cleaner, and finely controlled sound better suited to technically proficient performance. (Yamaha Corporation)

Famous saxophone players include Charlie Parker, aka Yardbird, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz. Other notable celebrities, but not musicians per say, include the likes of Bill Clinton, Hugh Lorie, and Bob Hope. The instrument can also be heard on hit songs such as Lady’ Gaga’s “Edge of Glory,” Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey,” and George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.”

References Yamaha Corporation. The Structure of the Saxophone: Jazz Saxophones and Classical Saxophones. n.d. https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/saxophone/mechanism/mechanism004.html. 17 February 2021.

It’s true that the world has slowly been building itself up to a digital world, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put everything on the fast track. As if being a solo artist in a highly competitive field wasn’t hard enough, we all had to switch gears and rethink our personal promotions. Gone are the days of passing out flyers and playing as many gigs as possible. Being a musician on your own today now involves a prerequisite knowledge of social media and internet marketing.

I think about what it was like to be a musician before everything went completely online, way back when MySpace music was one of the few online resources available to aspiring artists. Promoting myself and my music was a boots on the ground and personal exercise, but now all of that has changed. Self-promotion today is all about vanity metrics, likes, followers, subscriptions. It’s such an impersonal thing and I have to say I miss the face-to-face interactions.

Where do I fit into this digital mix up? I try to stay relevant. I have accounts with the major social media platforms. I post regularly and try to engage as often as I can. I have a YouTube show and post new episodes weekly offering little pieces of my life, music, and knowledge. But is it enough to simply exist online? At what point does a musician lose his personal identity to become merely an online avatar for the person behind the screen, and how can I as an artist prevent this?

With the promise of readily available vaccinations, it would seem that an end is in site for this pandemic that literally stopped nations, but I have to wonder if the reopening of the world will change the course that music promotion is on. It would seem to me that audiences are now trained to search for music through their phones and computers, just as movie goers have happily made the move from costly movie theaters to affordable and more accessible streaming entertainment options from the comfort of their own homes. Does the music industry share the same fate? Will live concerts be muscled out and considered a thing of the past for the sake of affordability and ease of access or will devoted fans be glad to pay premium fees to see their favorite musicians up close and personal once again? What do you think?

The truth of the matter is that the answer lies solely on us, the musicians. Sometimes we need to step back and remember that it’s about the music rather than how many likes or comments we get on our posts or videos. It’s our responsibility to the music community to keep true to our standards fighting the urge to focus solely on metrics and obscure marketing jargon.
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So here is what I have to say to all aspiring artists and musicians out there. Keep playing. Strum that tune, and belt that melody, because its people like you, who live for the music, that keep the music industry going whatever paths, digital or organic, it may take.

Those who know me know that I have an eclectic taste in music. Some might go as far as describing it as eccentric. So today I thought I would share with you a few interesting selections from around the world.

NETTA – “Bassa Sababa” Israel

Israeli singer and recording artist, Netta Barzilai or simply just NETTA, launched her music career in 2017 as a contestant of HaKokhav HaBa during its fifth season. Having won the contest and earning the right to represent Israel at Eurovision, Barzilai’s career has been blossoming since. Her discography includes “Bassa Sababa” and cover of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” for the Disney film Mary Poppins. She has also been featured on the Netflix Original Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga featuring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.

The HU – “Wolf Totem” Mongolia

The Mongolian band The Hu is a distinct blend of heavy metal and traditional Mongolian throat singing. The band’s name is derived from the Mongolian root word for human being and they describe their music as “Hunnu Rock” citing their inspiration from the ancient Mongolian empire the Hunnu, or the Huns. (thehuofficial.com)

Otava Yo – “Timonia” Russia

Formed in St. Petersburg in 2003, Otava Ya is world-renowned. Together the band has played in many countries including the United States, Mexico, Germany, Finland, and India among other countries. While they originally set out to play Celtic punk, the band eventually turned its focus to traditional Russian music.

NINGEN ISU – “Heartless Scat” Japan

Formed in 1987, Ningen Isu took its name from the 1924 short story, The Human Chair by Edogawa Rampo. Guitarist Shinji Wajima and bassist Kenichi Suzuki first met at a concert and quickly became friends bonding over their musical interests. The two released their first album under the Ningen Isu name in 1990 featuring their favored heavy metal sound joined with classical Japanese literature.

Die Antwoord – “Enter the Ninja” South Africa

 Die Antwoord is a hip-hop group formed by Watkin Tudor “Ninja” Jones and “Yolandi Visser” du Toit in 2008. The due took root in the South African counterculture movement otherwise known as zef. Zef was first coined in the 1960s and used to describe working-class white people. Yolandi describes the movement as “you’re poor but fancy. You’re poor but you’re sexy. You’ve got style.” In addition to their musical talents, Die Antwoord worked as costars on the 2014 feature film Chappie.

Last week I released an episode featuring my double bass, so I thought I would take a moment to explain what the double bass is, and its history. Let’s begin.

What is a double bass?

A double bass is a stringed instrument also known as a string bass, contrabass, or bull fiddle. It is a member of the violin family and plays an octave lower than the cello. While the size varies at times, some double bass can stand just under 6 feet with the body itself ranging from 3.8 feet to 4.5 feet. There are typically four strings, pitched E – A – D – G, although a fifth string may be added to enable easier access to higher notes.

Double Bass History

The double bass’ story first began in Italy when Italian musician Silvestro Ganassi created the bass viola da gamba in 1542. Considered to be a predecessor of the modern violin, the instrument featured six strings with sloping shoulders and frets. Years later in 1585 Ventura Linarol made a bass viola da gamba with the lowest four strings tuned to E1 – A1 – D2 – G2 – C3 – F3, the same as double bass today. Although it was originally considered to be a violone, or large viola, as the term fell out fashion violoncello, then Violones became the terms that classified the large stringed instrument.

Despite its birth within the 1500s, the double bass had yet to find its rightful place in the music world. By the end of the 17th century, the bass found a spot in the twenty-four “Violons du Roi” and later made its way into an opera orchestra in 1700. Its inclusion is attributed to that of Neapolitan Giuseppe Aldovrandini, an Italian Baroque composer, and Marin Marais, a French composer.
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As the instrument continued to develop, so did its techniques, styles, and practical applications.  During the classical period, the double bass was introduced to jazz to accentuate the beat. Through jazz slap bass and walking bass techniques were created and the bass grew to become a standard in modern jazz music.

I’ve got some exciting news for you folks. You can now find me on Patreon and Rumble! This is an exciting opportunity for me to reach out and connect to even more amazing people while sharing my music with the world. I hope you’ll join me on these platforms and help spread the word about what I’m doing.

Patreon
For those of you who don’t know, Patreon is a membership platform designed to help fans help their favorite artists. At it’s simplest, Patreon is a crowdfunding site that enables fans to financially support their favorite artists and creators. Founded by Sam Yam and Jack Cont in 2013, the site reports having about three million active users.
I currently have six tiers of membership ranging from $3 per month to $90 per month. Each tier has its own set of bonuses and perks and was created to offer thanks for your continued support. Benefits include sneak peeks and bonus content, special subscriber-only posts, video suggestions, ask me anything private messages, and live video chats.

You can visit my Patreon page and show your support by following the link below.
https://www.patreon.com/stanfordlee?fan_landing=true

Rumble
Rumble has gotten a lot of attention lately as many conservatives have left social media giants like Twitter and Facebook in the name of free speech. The Toronto based YouTube alternative was first formed in 2013 to effectively verify and manage copyrights of uploaded video content. Since it’s beginning the platform has partnered with big names like MTV, Xbox, and Yahoo! offering monetization of video content “up to 90% of what the video makes on YouTube as well as another 60% of what the video makes through other partners.” (TechTimes)

I thought I would check out what all of the hoopla is about and set up my own account to see how it works. So far I like how it’s set up and I’m eager to see how it works to get my videos seen. You can watch my episodes of the Stanford Lee Show on Rumble now with the link below.
https://rumble.com/c/c-534247

What’s Next?
My new site is still in development, but I will be so happy when it can go live. Right now the hold up lies within merchandise development. I’ve got a few cool designs in the works and official Stanford Lee merch will be available when the site goes live. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you’ll be notified when everything goes through!

Last Friday I filmed more episodes of the Stanford Lee Show at Ashcraft Studios. As usual Tessellation Media Productions came out to shoot, and they did another great job setting up and providing direction as needed. I thought this week I would share a little bit of the set and offer some sneak peeks at my upcoming episodes.

The Set

My wife carved out a portion of the studio to set up a nice set for the Stanford Lee Show. The cowhides on the couch make a nice touch for that extra country feel. She also hung-up pictures of the artists and legends that inspire me. We recently added two new additions to the wall when the studio’s promotional director gifted us two portraits of my wife and me.

Filming

In this session, we shot for three episodes. I can’t say much about what they’re about, but I can say that I did an interview and there are some props involved. We had a lot of fun filming and I truly missed being up in the studio.
Now that I’m able to walk around, I was able to get up the stairs and help out with the setup. I did get scolded a lot for doing too much though. Typical me, they told me to sit down and I would walk away and do something else.

I guess I may have overdone it in the end because I passed out on the couch after filming. It was worth it though. There’s something about sitting in front of the lights that make things exciting. We didn’t get to film everything we wanted as set up took a little longer than expected, but I am confident that the shots we got were great.

The next Stanford Lee Show episode will be released this Friday. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss the release. ​

First off, Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday season and are safe and healthy going into the new year. We had a small gathering to celebrate the New Year. While my wife and I are known to host legendary New Year’s Eve parties, we decided to keep things small this year to stay safe. But even with the small group, we still had a blast. In fact, we were having so much fun we almost forgot to countdown. The champagne was uncorked a couple of minutes after midnight, but it’s the thought that counts right?

Last year I took it easy because what else could I do during a global pandemic? I used the time to reflect on my current situation, redefine what I want in my music career, and plan what I want to do in the future. There may have been a lot of soul searching and a few wacky chords along the way, but I am excited and determined to make something out of the new year.

Now nine episodes into my Stanford Lee Show, the show is one of my top projects. I have filming scheduled throughout the year and I’m excited for all of the fun content I have planned. If you haven’t seen it already, you definitely should. It’s a great mix of music, history, and a little bit of my special brand of wackiness.

Last week I celebrated the New Year with a special New Year episode with a Great Gatsby theme. I played “Hollywood” and added a bonus performance of “Auld Lang Syne” because what is a New Year without it? I can’t tell you what’s coming next, but I can tell you that you should check it out because it's going to be awesome.
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Also in the works is a website redesign and product development. The new site will boast a new look and a full catalog of original Stanford Lee merchandise. I’m excited about the new website launch and look forward to sharing my music and vision with everybody. Make sure you join my mailing list to stay on top of the latest news and updates so you don’t miss a thing.

2020 has been one heck of a year hasn’t it? We saw so many things this year it’s hard to even process all of it. I felt like the year started off strong. I had a lot of big dreams thought up for this year and had some big plans going into play. Then COVID-19 happened and everything went on the backburner. But I’m not going to let that bring me down.
Despite the hardships I experienced this year I am still optimistic about the next year to come. While I didn’t get to accomplish the goals, I set out for 2020, I am still proud of the things I was able to do.

Elon and the Hotrod Race

This year I released my first animated music video, Elon and the Hotrod Race. I had a lot of fun putting this together and it was the perfect project to squash the quarantine blues. The video is about a hotrod race between Stanford Lee and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The race was between Stanford’s American made muscle car and Musk’s technologically advanced electric car. There are a few twists as the race progresses and some interdimensional travel happens at some point. Production took about a month and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Songwriting and Album Development

While I was scheduled to release a full album this year, I decided to take this year long time out to delay the release and focus on the content. I have the songs to complete the album, however, I am taking my time to perfect and master the final tracks, and maybe even write a few more.

Stanford Lee Show

I launched my own YouTube series this year. The Stanford Lee Show first aired on Halloween night with a special performance of “Zombies of the Road” by Mark Simon of Kategory X. The show has released a new episode every week since and we have no intention of stopping. If you haven’t checked out the show yet, you definitely should because it’s a lot of fun and I do a special live performance at the end of each episode. Don’t forget to subscribe and turn on your notifications too so you can catch every episode.
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Next year will be a brand-new year and hopefully 2021 will be nicer than the last, but only time can tell. Regardless of what happens I don’t plan on giving up. Happy New Year folks!