I can only speak about the music business from the prospective
of an independent artist and I have come to realize that it’s a labor of love. As in independent artist there is no big budget behind you. Neither do you have radio since the majors have control over that. So it becomes imperative to build a local following and an online presence the best you can @Janeliasoul
Janelia Soul
Episode #342 : A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax :
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2016/07/20/episode-342-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax
GETTING TO KNOW JANELIA SOUL
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
JaneliaSoul
I can only speak about the music business from the prospective
of an independent artist and I have come to realize that it’s a labor of love. As in independent artist there is no big budget behind you. Neither do you have radio since the majors have control over that. So it becomes imperative to build a local following and an online presence the best you can.
The pro is that I’ve been fortunate to build a fan base
for myself and I have a group of people who care about my music and come out to see me when I perform. The con is that there are many people out there to take advantage of independent artists by selling them fake dreams. In order to overcome, one should never give up and most importantly, learn to make wiser decisions that would have a positive impact on one’s music or return on investment on a project.
Talk about the differences in your marketing strategy to support your preference.
I use to release albums, but I have recently developed a conviction that it is best to release singles instead. Again, as an independent artist without the big marketing budget and radio behind you, one of the best ways to stay relevant is to constantly put out new material by dropping singles. When you release an album, you are talked about just once when the album comes out and most likely not again until the next album drops which could be in another year.
I focus on both online (social media) promotion as well as offline promotion locally.
I found that word of mouth is a very powerful tool. I encourage my friends and family to spread the word about my music and a portion of my fan base has come from this approach.
CIA, I love the way she writes songs.
I have been her fan long before she became a pop star and I would just love to be in a song writing session or jam session with her. I see her as a super talented lyricist and vocalist, 2 areas I also want to continue to excel.
Too much emphasis on being current and trendy.
I am more concerned with being able to balance my music life with my other obligations. I have become an expert in multi-tasking and time management. That is what allows me to juggle the rest of my responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in my music life. As an independent artist; music is the icing on the cake of my life and not the cake itself.
“Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem” – Lauryn Hill
I grew up in Nigeria and was exposed to a lot of traditional African music
with heavy percussion drums. It was the singing and dancing with the elders at the many festivals during my childhood that made me fall in love with music and decided I wanted to become an artist.
Love-Hate
I was inspired to write the new tune after a spiritual journey
of self-discovery in my homeland, Nigeria, West Africa. During my excursion, I learned how to come to peace with the love-hate relationship in my life. Read the press release here http://brettdavidstewart.com/the-independent-spotlight/janeliasoul
Support artist: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1086161132?ls=1&app=itunes
I started writing Love-Hate while I was in Nigeria,
I finished writing the song in the USA. The track was produced partly in Fiji and partly in the USA. The vocals, mixing and mastering was done in the USA in my home studio. I performed both the lead and the backup vocals in Love-Hate, so all you hear is my voice.
Love-Hate which is number 24 on the DRT National Airplay Top 100 Independent Chart http://www.digitalradiotracker.com/chart4302016.html is the first insight into my new direction. I put my heart and soul into it because I wrote about a topic so close to home and I usually don’t do this. I decided not to hold back on this song and I’m so happy I did. The end result is a song so raw and true.
I live in Baltimore, MD.
It is not the best city to try and make it as an independent artist but there are lots of live music venues with lots of touring national acts passing through for some inspiration. The inner harbor is my favorite place to go in Baltimore and I can never get enough of steamed Maryland crabs. One of my favorite things to do on a weekend I don’t have a gig is to order a bushel of crabs and invite friends over for a mini crab feast and great conversations. Sometimes in turns into a jam session depending on who shows up.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.janeliasoul.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Janeliasoul
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeliafan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeliasoul/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/janeliasoul/lovehate
Google plus: https://plus.google.com/+JaneliaAKAJaneliasoul
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Q0b6TEwSsEVidnCmKH-IQ