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“To help those in the music industry and businesses beyond reach their full potential by bringing their ideas to life through music and media, as well as showcasing my artistic talent”

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To help artists complete their creative vision and bring it into reality

Help businesses create their own unique soundtrack for adverts, socials or video

To help businesses and music artists grow social media engagement and awareness

To help businesses and music artists increase consumer sentiment and conversions

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In the marketing sector, researchers have found that 90% of quick judgements on a product are based on colour and how it is used (Ciotti,2014). Clearly the colours used in logos and branding have potential to impact the profits and success of a product and/or business.
Everything included in logos and branding for example the fonts used and the shaping contribute to a brands 'visual equity' thus contributes towards brand recognition which makes certain products or services stand out amongst others (Lightfoot and Gertsman,1998).  There is sufficient research into the ideas of colour appropriation and how the public view colours with many experiments concluding there is sufficient evidence that the majority of people share the same colour ideas and connotations (Bottomley,2006). It is important however to recognise that a lot of the theoretical and empirical work done on this topic is still in early stages of development, meaning there are still many studies that need to be undertaken in order to understand anomalys or solidify past results validity (Elliot,2015).
The colours of my branding, why?
1. White -
White is generally perceived as the colour of purity and peace. Therefore, it is said to be calming and comforting (Waggener,2019). It is often looked at as a space for creativity, as it portrays a 'clean slate' (Dashburst,2014).
The idea that white can spark creativity fits well with my brand as all 3 elements of it stem from creativity.
2. Black -
Black is a popular colour for branding as it is perceived as sophisticated and powerful (Ferreira,2019). However it is important to note that black can also be viewed as a negative as it can be seen as evil due to its historical connotations e.g. The Black Plague (Cherry,2020). This contrast brought about by these ideas create a good look for my specific branding. This is because it elevates the idea of power. All three elements of my business are supported by the idea of power and thus being reputable.
3. Blue -
Blue is arguably the most used colour in my branding of all 3 elects of my business, due to my hair colour being mainly blue, use of blue clothing and it being the main colour in my artist logo. Blue is often perceived as reliable and can also enhance productivity (Cherry,2020). Blue can be very striking against more monochrome backgrounds allowing the perceptions of the colour to be elevated (Palmateer,2019); this is how I use the colour, drawing customers attention to crucial areas of my website and logos whilst still seeming reliable and trustworthy.
4.Red -
Red is a colour that is known to capture the attention of people and also project dominance (Mentzel et al.,2017). In many research studies into colour psychology red received the highest and most consistent emotional response/connotation (Jonauskaite et al.,2020) proving that it does tend to capture the attention of people more than other colours hence why it is used widely in road signs and areas where attention is required quickly. This suits all elements of my branding as it draws potential customers in and prompts them to look further. I, however have been very careful with the amount of red I use as it can be a very overwhelming colour when used in excess reducing its dominating value.

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Analysis
Synchronisation revenue had the second highest growth rate with +22.0% supporting my ideas of writing songs to briefs for media and YouTube videos for clients I currently have to build my portfolio. This portfolio will allow me to get in touch with publishers and publishing houses that may be able to promote my music for these sync opportunities and provide me briefs for sync contracts.
As well as this when considering my career as an artist its is important to keep analysing my demographic and target audience and how to get them synonymous. As the top three music markets globally are currently USA, Japan and UK it is clear that this is a great time for me to release music as most of my demographic lie within these three countries  so I can capitalise on their current popular music market. This is also important when looking at how to grow my songwriting business as it shows me where I can target artists and businesses that may be interested in what I can do to make their creative vision a reality.
Finally, top genres is an important topic for me to continuously research as it is can help me focus my songwriting so I can concentrate and research on techniques used in these specific genres. This not only makes me a better choice for songwriting clients but also allows me to capitalise on this as an artist due to my artist USP of being genre-bending, meaning I can use different elements from each of the top genres and combine them to make my tracks more desirable. In recent data the prevalent genres are pop, rock and urban which is now currently my 3 main focuses.
Finally, the idea that now fans like to feel closer to the artist and understand them on a more personable level rather than just a figure supports my website development. This is because it incorporates different parts of my career which without fans may mot have known about, it allows them a sense that they are embarking on may career journey with me. Overall allowing them to feel closer to me as an artist as well as an entrepreneur which is currently what they are looking for.

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For this project it is important for me to look into detail of the UK copyright laws and make myself well informed on the way copyright works in order to make sure my creative work is fully protected from being copied by others. This is often an issue when independent artists like myself as they are not fully informed thus do not know how to protect their work which can lead to unauthorised people using their work without credit thus losing royalties. If an artist is not fully informed it can lead to difficulty with monetisation and success for the artist therefore I must consider all legal aspects to prevent this from being a downfall in this project (PTSD Single Release and website uploads).

Music copyright is the legal ownership of a piece of musical work and/or recording (Pasthukov,2020). There are two types of music copyright:
1.The compisition - this is the track itself, all musical components and lyrics
2. The Sound Recording - The specific recorded version of said musical components and lyrics
The composition copyrights are normally owned by the writers or publishers of the piece of music whilst the sound recording copyrights are normally owned by the artist or their label (Majewski,2022). Copyright of a musical piece is automatic and occurs as soon as a piece of music is created or recorded(PRS,2022). However, it is important to note it must be documented in writing or on a database with a creation date in order to be covered by copyright laws (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,1988). In the UK copyright for composition usually lasts for 70 years after the creators death and for sound recording it usually lasts 70 years from its first publication date (GOV.UK,2022).

In order to make sure I am fully protected under the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988 I have recorded and saved all the original demo versions of PTSD as well as the finished version of the track in an unopened folder which is fully sealed. This allows for time stamps on each piece of work, which would provide sufficient legal proof if any of my work was involved in a copyright altercation prior to release. Similarly I have a lyric sheet turned into a document that I have emailed between my personal and business email to create a time stamp for the lyrics specifically which are now also being stored in the sealed folder displaying the download date. I have also done this with any and every track that I will be publishing on my website for my portfolio. This is as further legal proof incase it was required. In doing this my copyrights are clear allowing me to be as protected as possible through the process of the PTSD release. As the track is released this will give additional legal proof as the release date will be time stamped on all major streaming platforms I have used. Similarly, to this all of my tracks that are displayed on my website are time stamped with when they were published on the site to the public, furthering my copyright validity. In taking these extra precautions I have only expanded my evidence of copyright.

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As a starting point to developing my business idea I needed to research which business structure would be best for my idea, therefore I looked into being a sole-trader or limited company. A limited company is a business structure where the company is legally distinct from its owner/owners (Korchak,2017). Whereas a sole-trader is a self-employed person who is the sole owner of their business and the business doesn’t have a distinct legal identity (Korchak,2021).
After reviewing the positives and negatives of both registering as a limited company and sole trader I have decided that I will register as a sole trader. This is because there is no start up costs meaning I suffer no financial loss where it is not necessary. As well as this I am currently using a portfolio career model, having to register each aspect as a limited company would be tedious and would take up unnecessary time considering all aspects of my career are under my personal name and not a company name. Also it means there is no private company information in the public domain as there would be with a limited company. This may have caused a problem if I registered as a limited company as my personal address and information would be available to the public which is not secure as I am also pursuing a my artist career as part of my portfolio.

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The Disney method-Initial ideas-LO1,LO2

WB10 Reflection and new project rationale - LO1

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Portfolio career research - and mini reflection

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Portfolio career research - and mini reflection

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I am looking at a portfolio career with a main focus on songwriting, as this is the area of the industry that interests me the most. As a songwriter alone it is hard to predict how much income will be generated each year and it is never guaranteed (Barrow and Newby, 1994), therefore a portfolio career is more beneficial as multiple Income streams allow for more financial security and less risk (Castrillon, 2019). All aspects of my portfolio career allow me to educate others and portray important messages which is what I strive to do through my creative output.
As being a songwriter will eventually be my main source of income I must make sure I build a successful and relatively large portfolio of work in order to make this reality (Udemy Editor, 2020). This will mean having the experience of working with artists and creating high quality demos in order to get my creative work out to potential clients. The ability to work with artists and other songwriters requires an adaptive attitude as every experience will be different and briefs for the tracks can vary. Collaboration is an important part of being a songwriter as in the current industry there is rarely a song which is written by one sole writer (Woodcock, 2019) so my ability to work collaboratively as a team must take precedence over other skillsets. This skill is also transferrable to all other aspects of my career when working with producers, other artists or session players.
In order for this career plan to be a success I need to develop my managerial and organisational skills. As most elements of my portfolio career are self-employed I must learn to manage my time between each aspect to create the most successful career possible in each.

As being a songwriter and independent artist are the main sections of my portfolio career I must also be very strong-minded, neither of these jobs are typically seen as secure due to fluctuations in income which can be seen in many case studies even in the most successful writers and artists (Grierson and Kimpel,2009) A specific issue causing this fluctuation may be the ever-changing industry and the shift towards streaming in the modern industry (IFPI,2020). Due to the low income from streaming (Ditto editors,2021) it is very important for me to keep focusing and developing my resilience in order to keep this career path viable.

Currently, I am still building my ability to work collaboratively and this will be one of the most important skills required in my career. It is of upmost importance that I continue to network and work with new people to develop this skill and also my communication skills, particularly online with the issues we face in todays climate (COVID-19). This could be seen as one of my weaknesses as this is an area I can sometimes struggle with when working with people of a higher status in the industry, however, I instead look at it as an area to develop and grow which will occur through more practice and as more opportunities arise.

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Types of CV:

Chronological -

Focus on work history first

Lists most recent employment first
Preferred by employers
Most common type

Functional -

Focus on skills and experience first
Often used when changing career or there is gaps in employment

Combination -

Mix between both chronological and functional
Highlights key skills and work history in relation to an area of industry

Infographic -

Includes graphic design elements
Uses layout, colour, design, formatting, icons and font styling
Usually not submitted initially but brought to interviews for more information
Incorporates personality and professionalism

Targeted -

Customised to a specific area of the industry
Highlights key skills and experience in a particular area
Useful for portfolio career as more than 1 CV ensures it stands out in each specific sector

Non-traditional -

Unique version of a CV
May include photos/graphics/image/video/graphs ect.
This as well as a targeted CV is common in the creative industry

Essential information to include:

Contact Details

Personal statement -> including most recent/relevant qualifications -> attempts to include how actions have positively effect employers and employees

Core Skills

Work Experience

Qualifications -> layed out explicitly

References -> on request

In conclusion I have decided to use a combination CV as it will highlight my key skills, work experience and work history allowing my potential employer to easily access all of the information they may need. This will be targeted to the job opportunity I am applying for however with relevant experience and skills.
In addition to this I will include links to my website as it showcases my portfolio and active work aswell as showing my creative capability.

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To have a portfolio career in the industry - including mentoring, solo artist work, songwriting and social media management

For songwriting to be my main source of income

To be able to live comfortably from income made solely in the music industry

To help others in the industry reach their full potential (through mentoring, songwriting, media management and songwriting app business )

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Currently, I have a portfolio career including:

Student - I am currently studying a BA(Hons) Degree which is coming to an end in August 2022. This was crucial for my career as it allowed me time to learn relevant industry appropriate skills and knowledge that I can now take forward into my career. It also allowed me to build a network in the industry.

Songwriter -  I am currently working as a freelance songwriter for businesses in and out of the industry to provide personalised high quality tracks and audio for their videos, media posts and adverts.

Social Media Manager - I am currently working with businesses and artists in and out of the music industry to boost and manage their social media to a high standard. This is synonymous with my songwriting career as through this I acquire the contracts for adverts and video synchronisation.

Independent Artist - I am currently working as an indie artist by writing, producing and releasing my own tracks on streaming platforms as well as organising creative direction with photo shoots, video and content design.

Bar Manager - I am currently also working part-time as a bar manager to fulfil financial needs at this current time as well as creating sufficient savings to launch my further business plans

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Through my research I have found that a press release continues to be a very important practice for artists in the music industry to publicly announce the release of new music and to add to PR campaigns that may run aside releases to promoting the singles/albums into the public domain (McCauley,2020). Creating a unique press release also allows the artist to be more professional with their work and promotion as it is not usually something new amateur artists will consider with their first releases (McCauley,2020). It is important that my press release does not appear as an advertisement as it must provide accurate information with no subjective beliefs or exaggerations in order to keep professionality (McCauley,2020).

During further research I found that many press release examples follow similar formats and are kept simple and concise even if the artist is a big name in the industry for example Dua Lipa created a press release for her 2018 performance in under 250 words (Open Mic Uk,2018). As a smaller artist however it may be wise to create something more unique in order to grab a journalists attention and get a feature with catchy headlines that will entice the consumer to read on (Wilson,2020). Even though an enticing headline is important it still must contain the artist name and song title to make sure the Press Release itself can be as concise as possible (Wilson,2020).

Due to the fact journalists will receive many press releases from various artists (McCauley,2020) I wanted to make mine more interesting so it would stand out among others. I found that including multimedia in a press release could make the piece more immersive and cater to online news mediums (Tolhurst,2019), in todays social climate through the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of social media, online consumption of journalism has risen dramatically (Newman, 2020) so this approach would be much more likely to appeal to my demographic of online consumers, hence my use of video and imagery.

When looking into the use of different types of media to a further extent I found that creating shareable content within my press release may push it further within modern consumption (Forbes Agency Council,2016). The usage of social media has grown 13.13% from 2020-2021 (Dean,2021)which is made up of shareable content and social networking which only enhances the importance of presenting shareable content as part of a press release. As my target audience is between the ages of 15-25 it is important to consider the type of digital media they are consuming and their most used social media apps; as of August 2021 the average amount of videos watched by Tik Tok users per internet minute was 167,000,000 (Statista Research Department,2021) meaning watching videos is the most popular thing in the internet at this moment in time with Youtube also reaching 82% of 15-25 year olds in the UK (Statista Research Department,2021). Due to these facts I decided to create my press release as a short embedded video to capture not only the public eye and attention of journalists but also the attention of my target audience.

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PRS stands for the Performing Rights Society (PRS for Music,2022) and collects royalties on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers (Dodgson,2022). It also is home to MCPS which stands for the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society which distributes the mechanical royalties to songwriters, composers and music publishers when physical copies of their music have been made for example CDs or downloads from a website (PRS for Music,2022).
For my previous single release I did not upload it to PRS and did not sign up to PRS. This was because it is £100 sign up fee and I did not believe there would be any profit margin at that point if I was to sign up as its was my debut single. However now with the release of my single PTSD and the launch of my website there is more of my creative work in the public eye, getting listened to and used therefore I believe it would be beneficial to sign up. This makes royalty collection easier and even though my distributor Distrokid helps me collect royalties it is not as profound as PRS thus cannot collect all royalties. As PTSD will also be available for download it is important that I sign up to MCPS also so that all my royalties are collected and my rights to the tracks are also protected. Signing up now will also enable me to collect retroactive royalties from my single release as they are kept for 3 years before going into what is known as the "black box" where they are no longer owned by anyone.

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Logo Creation -  Carmel Carey Songwriting

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Logo Creation -  Carmel Carey Songwriting

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Logo Explanation - Carmel Carey Songwriting

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Logo Explanation - Carmel Carey Songwriting

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Logo Creation - CC Social Media Marketing

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Logo Creation - CC Social Media Marketing

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Logo Explanation - CC Social Media Management

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Logo Explanation - CC Social Media Management

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This logo has been consistent in my artist career. Consistency is key in the industry as in any business as it allows you to be instantly recognisable (Lanseng and Olsen,2012).
I have since created many different versions of this logo but the main image is consistent which provides the diversity required between projects and releases whilst still maintaining this consistency.

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Planning - moodboard - incorporating artist presentation with professional presentation

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Planning - moodboard - incorporating artist presentation with professional presentation

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By using the same moodboard as my artist personna it incorporates both professional and creative aspects of my career allowing them to be synoptic. This leads to a more recognisable brand across platforms.

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1. To grow my songwriting portfolio

2. To run a beneficial release strategy backed up by research including the creation of an EPK to make it easier and less tedious for press to find information about my brand

3. To create a smooth, professional website to showcase my songwriting, social media management and EPK, allowing more business opportunities for all three aspects of my current portfolio career

4. To create a credible platform to launch my next business plans to help young aspiring music industry professionals learn about the modern industry, allowing them to reach their full potential.

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Conclusion
After considering the pros and cons of a range of distributors I have decided to use Distrokid as my distributor for this EP project.
This is due to the fact that I have previously used Distrokid as a distributor for my single 'Suit&Tie' and the process of uploading and approval was very smooth. However, it must be noted that after my research I did consider moving my distributor to Ditto Music or AWAL. Firstly, I considered Ditto Music due to the opportunities of Spotify playlists that they offer and the fact it has its own publishing arm which would allow me to collect more of my royalties and allow further monetisation. However, after delving further into the topic and discovering the extra £39/year cost for these rights it did not seem plausible considering I could just join PRS for a £100 one off fee to solve this issue whilst still keeping the lower yearly membership of Distrokid's services. Secondly, I considered AWAL as it has a lot of perks for artists including its own A&R team and offers of marketing advice which could be advantageous to my trajectory. However, due to the need to apply and the selectiveness of the company about who they take on this may not have fit well in my available time frame; to reduce added stress due to time constraints  I decided it would be more beneficial to stay with Distrokid and potentially look into AWAL more for my future artist career development.
Overall, the distributor that is of most benefit to me at this time is Distrokid due to its relatively cheap costs, its quick efficient uploading and its ease to use which some of the competitors do not provide to the same standard.

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Distribution - digital sign up confirmation

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Distribution - digital sign up confirmation

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My first step after graduation is partaking in my masters degree at Waterbear College of music. This will help me develop many skills particularly my creative direction, production and self-management ability. Therefore, this will be beneficial to my career as it will amplify my skills and make me a more well-rounded business women which I can take forward into the rest of my portfolio career. It will also play a part in helping to build my network leading to more job opportunities. As part of this degree I will be creating and releasing my 'Burning My Fears' EP allowing me to improve and put into practice skills in creative direction, management, technical music ability, production and songwriting.
As this will be my first year of business in the industry I will still continue with my bar management job in order to stabilise income however within the next year I plan to significantly decrease the percentage income this generates and I concentrate more on my roles within the music industry. This will naturally occur as I build my network leading to more clients and more experience.
This first year will be about gaining more experience thus leading to not only a higher level of professionally and credibility within my work but most importantly an increased knowledge of the music industry and how it works.

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# data[].attributes.body
SMART Targets -LO1,LO2,LO4

Working From Home-LO1

Income Streams from Project-LO1,LO4

Personnel - LO6

Operational issues - LO1

SWOT Analysis - LO1,LO4

Project Timeline - LO1, LO2, LO4

# data[].attributes.body
Risk Assessment-LO1

Health & Safety compliance statement-LO1

# data[].attributes.headline
Relevant Professional Bodies and legality

# data[].attributes.subject
Relevant Professional Bodies and legality

# data[].attributes.body
Copyright - PTSD & Website publications - LO1

PRS-LO1,LO4

Distribution - digital- LO1,LO4

Distribution - digital sign up confirmation -LO1,LO4

Distribution - physical- LO1,LO2,LO4

Taxes - LO1,LO4

Draft Contract - LO1,LO4,LO5

# data[].attributes.body
Mission statement - LO1,LO4,LO5

Business goals & aims - LO1,LO4,LO5

Limited Company or Sole Trader? - LO1,LO2,LO4

Invoices - Social Media and songwriting for ads - LO1,LO4

Invoices - Songwriting for video - LO1,LO4

Invoices - Songwriting for social media - LO1,LO4

# data[].attributes.body
Jessie Murph - LO1

Chri$tian Gate$ - LO1

Conclusion - LO1,LO4

# data[].attributes.body
Planning- site map and architecture - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Planning - moodboard - incorporating artist presentation with professional presentation - LO5

Design - colour scheme -LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Design - Wireframes (low fidelity) - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Development - Building Pages - LO1,LO2,LO4

Development - Code (HTML and CSS) -  LO1,LO2,LO4,LO6

Publishing - Connect Domain - LO1,LO2

Publishing - Final Checks and Going Live - LO1,LO4

Rationale/Reflection - LO1

Progress Check 01/08/22 - 15/08/22 - LO1,LO4

# data[].attributes.body
Colour psychology research - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Colour scheme creation - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Logo creation - Carmel Carey Songwriting - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Logo explanation - Carmel Carey Songwriting - LO1,LO4,LO5

Logo creation - CC Social Media Management - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

Logo explanation - CC Social Media Management - LO1,LO4,LO5

Artist logo - Carmel Carey - LO1,LO5,LO6

Artist Logo Creation - collaboration - LO6

Business Card Design - LO1,LO4,LO5

Email Banner - Business - LO1,LO4,LO5

Email Banner - Artist - LO1,LO4,LO5

# data[].attributes.body
Lyrical techniques - metaphors and similes - LO1,LO2

Harmonies - LO1,LO2

# data[].attributes.headline
Writing processes and reflections of tracks used on website

# data[].attributes.subject
Writing processes and reflections of tracks used on website

# data[].attributes.body
Testing - writing process - LO1,LO2

Testing - critical reflection  - LO1

PTSD and Suit&Tie - writing processes - LO1,LO2

PTSD and Suit&Tie Reflection - LO1

# data[].attributes.body
Release GAANT chart - LO1,LO2,LO4

Market Research - LO1,LO4

Social Media Audit - LO1,LO2,LO4

Official Press Release and research - LO1,LO2,LO4,LO5

BBC Introducing - from press release and platform upload - LO1

# data[].attributes.body
Working with an advisor - web developer - reflection - LO6

# data[].attributes.body
CV Research - LO1,LO4

Website link for attachment to CV - LO1,LO4,LO5

Professional CV (combined) - LO1,LO2

# data[].attributes.body
Portfolio career research - and mini reflection - LO1,LO2,LO4

Career Goals - LO1,LO4,LO5

Current Roles & Responsibilities - LO1

Portfolio career - 1 year - LO2,LO4,LO5

Portfolio career - 3 years - LO2,LO4,LO5

Portfolio career - 5 years - LO2,LO4,LO5

Future Business Venture to launch from current business - LO4,LO5

Skills Gaps & Actions to bring career plan to fruition - LO1,LO4

# data[].attributes.body
The Champagne Bar - Songwriting and social media - LO6,LO1

RightHookLTD. - Consultant - LO6,LO1

JoeyB - Mentee - LO6,LO1

Chris Captures - Photography - LO1,LO6

# data[].attributes.body
Ingoings and outgoings since website launch 01/08/22 - 15/08/22 - LO1,LO4,LO6

Final Reflection - Using GIBBS reflective cycle - LO1,LO2

# data[].attributes.body
At this 3 year mark I will have completed my university studies and will have a masters degree this will be important for my CV. As well as this I will have a larger portfolio providing credibility. This will allow me to make more money from my songwriting and social media management work in the industry; therefore they will increase in how much percentage income they provide me.
By this point I will have sent a portfolio to publishers and now will hopefully be receiving synchronisation briefs for my writing boosting income from this avenue.
As well as this I will have more released music including my 'Burning My Fears' EP and other singles therefore increasing my fanbase allowing me to make revenue from merchandise including physical distribution and potentially gigs.
I have kept a small percentage income as being a bar manager in order to take into account any set backs that may occur due to mental or physical health. Including this in my income allows it to remain stable as a safety net. This is an example of good management as failure to consider set backs and how these may be accounted for has potential to lead to mental health problems in the future.
At this point from 3-5 years I hope to update my research for my 'Songwriting Pro' App business plan to check viability in the climate and then begin to run development for it to come to fruition to be released.

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WB10 Reflection and new project rationale

# data[].attributes.subject
WB10 Reflection and new project rationale

# data[].attributes.body
My initial aim was to release an EP titled ‘Burning My Fears”, working with a producer to create a body of work that represents me as an artist and songwriter in the present. Although this would have been valuable and could have led to my career as a successful artist, I found the project would have been rushed. Therefore, I would not release my best work, which may have instead hindered my artistic performance. Particularly when considering it would be my first EP.

Due to this, I re-evaluated my project and decided to instead create a website that incapsulated all aspects of my career plans, allowing for a smooth transition into the professional music industry upon graduating. As well as this, in the future I am aiming to focus on my songwriting as my main income. The idea of a website allows me to explore this avenue more than just releasing an EP, as often people focus on the artist rather than the writer when they are synonymous in a release. The website showcases my abilities as a music artist, through my accessible EPK, and promoting my sole trader businesses as a songwriter and social media manager. In turn, this project allows me to present myself in a professional light and sets up a platform for my career, giving rise to more opportunities.

As part of this project, I have enhanced and developed many skills, including but not limited to:As part of this project I have enhanced and developed many skills including but not limited to:

Digital design - branding (artist & business)

Use and knowledge of promotional/marketing platforms, models and materials

Songwriting

Production

Stress management

Time management

Project planning and management up to fruition

Knowledge of fundamentals of releasing and earning royalties (monetisation)

Managing team morale

Professionalism

Innovation

Knowledge of copyright

Knowledge of professional bodies within the industry

Critical thinking and evaluation

This was all through extensive research and project planning using established commercial and business models.

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Conclusion
After considering both the pros and cons of the main types of physical distribution I decided that at this moment physical distribution would not have any benefit for my current career.
As I don't have a large fan base yet this would add unnecessary costs to my website creation as I would have to pay for extra features to be added to my website in order to create an online store. As well as this I would have to pay for the creation of these products which would amount to a large unnecessary expense.
This is something I will begin to consider as I grow my fanbase as a music artist where it will be more beneficial and provide more income.

# data[].attributes.body
When considering the logistics of my project I wanted to run it and work from home, before I could commit to this I needed to research the positives and also the possible issues with doing this. An advantage of working from home is that there is no commuting to and from the business making it better for the planet, less time consuming and eliminates the need of spending money on means of transport (Ward,2021). This is good for a start up project like mine as it limits the outgoings and expenses of the company. On the other hand, it may become difficult to rest from work as office and home life may merge due to both being in the same place (Hurd,2020). This may impact mental health and may cause stress which ultimately effects the quality of work. However, to combat

this I will be closely monitoring it to make sure there is no negative effect on person or quality of the project, if there are any issues caused by this I will rectify it immediately. Another advantage of working from home is the location independence, this means it is possible to work with people on my team at any time despite geographical location so there is constant workflow (Courtney,2020). On the contrary, a lot of people who work from home-based businesses may be effected by feeling isolated (Ward,2021), due to the fact myself and my team are creatives this could pose a threat to this method. Nevertheless, due to having a variety of people in the team who are accessible through the internet at any time and work together as a unit this should not be a problem for this project. After evaluating both the positives and negatives of a home-based business I concluded that it would be the right choice for this company due to it being more efficient, less costly and better for the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
As part of the development phase of the website build I started turning my low fidelity mockups into a working website using wix (a page builder software). All pages were fleshed out by layout using the page builder supplied.

I built 4 pages in total in relation to my sitemap and designs:
Home - This was built as a landing page - a landing page is required as a synopsis of the whole website and has links to all of the most important aspects of the website
EPK - This page was built to showcase myself as an artist. It is typical of a newly emerging artist as it has all the information press/radio may need including a gallery and videos for them to use. It is a professional resume which is easily accessible therefore more desirable for music professionals (e.g. booking agents, promoters, venues ect.) to navigate (Apple Music For Artists,2022).
Songwriting Services - This page was built to promote my songwriting and includes details of what I offer and what I can write including a mini portfolio. This was built to kickstart my career as a songwriter. It also contains a contact section for new clients to get in touch and submit questions and queries.
Social Media Management - This page was built to promote my social media management for artists, industry professionals and businesses. It includes details of what services I offer and how they can help the customer.It also contains a contact section for new clients to get in touch and submit questions and queries.

I utilised a navigation bar which was sticky to ensure user experience is high and users can navigate around the website without getting lost, this is synonymous with my site map as it allowed access to any page from any part of the website

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When building the website I ran into a few problems with the Wix page builder. This include limitations in styling and having the ability to change the colour of certain elements such as the social media icons. To change the colour from white to black I used custom CSS which is a programming language. Although this is basic within the art of coding it allowed me to read up about a new skill and put it into practice on a live working website. I used https://www.w3schools.com to learn more about HTML and CSS and I have even put a code snippet in of what I have changed:
Before:
._2O-
Ry .xb9fU ._3lu8e ._26AQd .uWpzU {

color: #ffffff;

}

After:
._2O-
Ry .xb9fU ._3lu8e ._26AQd .uWpzU {

color: #000000;

}

Here, I used the google chrome inspect tool to select the social media icons, find the CSS code and change it to black as:
#ffffff is white
#000000 is black
After creating and implementing the code I had created I had it checked by Matthew Smith (a website developer from RightHookStudio Ltd.) to make sure there would be no bugs. This was an important step as it was one of my first times learning and using code.

# data[].attributes.body
At this point I felt its was important to have my own domain separate to wix to enable easy access to my website through a more simple web address and make it easier to find (Strikingly,2021). Therefore, I purchased 'carmelcarey.co.uk' from google domains for a small fee. I then connected the domain to my wix site by updating the DNS settings to point the domain to the wix server instead of google (Hoffman,2018). The domain was then propagated allowing me to do the final checks and publish the website.

# data[].attributes.body
At this point in my career I will have worked in the industry for 7 years in total as I began work including academic studies in music at 18. At this point I aim to have irradiated any percentage income outside of the music industry (bar management) and instead stabilise income through mentoring as I will have enough experience in the modern day industry to confidently help students navigate their potential careers.
My songwriting business, social media management and artist income will have continued growing as I will have been working in each sector through my business for 5 years. Although the amount of income generated will have grown in each sector, when considering percentage income I will hopefully be at stage where I can dictate which jobs I take on, therefore the percentage income from social media management will drop from 25-20%  and songwriting will grow to 40% of my percentage income as this is the sector I am most passionate about. This growth will be through more sync opportunities and expansion into writing for music artists bringing their visions to life.

# data[].attributes.body
There are many income streams that surface from my website project due to the fact it encapsulates my portfolio career allowing me to attract customers and collaboration from all relevant sectors of the industry. These are the main income sources it will help provide:
1. Revenue from streams, downloads and public uses of my artist tracks
- monetisation, royalties collected through PRS and MCPS
2. Revenue from Social Media Management
- from businesses and artists that need help and management of their media accounts (£20/hour rate charged)
3. Revenue from Songwriting
- sync, advertisement, for remix, artists ect. (Wage dependent on type of writing/if it is collaboration there will be royalty splits)

# data[].attributes.body
The main body of work has been done by myself for the my website, including:

Creative direction, songwriting, most instrumentation, and most of the production of demos used on the website (unless specified)

All written content

Web design, website building and coding

Design work, inc. logos and single artwork pieces

Planning, inc. health and safety, operational issues and logistics

Research

Reflection and analysis

This allows me to have full creative control over the project and helps develop project and time management skills.As well as making me a more well-rounded music professional.

Sam French (producer and artist) has done production of released tracks as a remote collaboration. This helped enhance my skills in team management and morale, which is especially difficult in a remote setting. However, it provided lots of crucial knowledge on best practices and working as a team.

In the ‘EPK’ section of the website, there was also lots of collaboration on creative projects in YouTube videos, including performances of guitar and production from Sam French (previously mentioned); session bass work by Adam Josephs (bass player and token honey band member): session drum work by Tom Walker (Solo Artist- sin seeker and drummer) and video editing by Brandon French and OpenMicUK editors. This was to eliminate the need for samples and create more immersive high quality videos.

Photography and photo editing was performed by Chris Milburn (Chris captures) to create high quality photos to add to the professionalism of the website.

Matthew Smith (RightHookStudio Director) also provided advice on web building design and coding to ensure that all aspects of coding and development I had completed ran smoothly and was up to a professional standard ready for publishing.

# data[].attributes.body
With the career path I have chosen I will have multiple streams of income which will all need to be documented for tax purposes. There will be royalty incomes from both songwriting and as an artist (Hull, Hutchinson and Strasser,2010). As well as this as an artist there is opportunity for income from merchandise, tours, festivals and special events. There is also opportunity for income from freelance as a session vocalist and also from vocal samples. Finally, any income from employed jobs like teaching and music journalism, which will be deducted at source.
Taxation is hard to accurately assess when considering a career mainly through income of being a songwriter due to the fluctuation of income(Barrow and Newby,1994). However, it is important to still consider the ideas of taxation and to have the knowledge regardless of income. Currently the tax rates are as follows:
Taxable Income.      Tax Rate
Up to £12,570            |0%
£12,571 to £50,270   | 20%
£50,271 to £150,000 | 40%
over £150,000           | 45%
(GOV.UK,2022)
Vital Tax Information:
The tax deadline is the 31st January of each year for online returns.
Register by 5th October if in 2nd year of business.
Record must be kept of sales, income, costs and expenses from the start of business in order to have the right information to create a tax return.

To make sure record of every expense is kept I have set up a business bank account separate to my personal on Monzo as this is a banking system without extra software that keeps track of all expenses and income with fewer steps.

Tax returns are done through the GOV.UK website where the business is registered and a letter sent out containing a unique tax reference and activation code which allowed me to create an account online ready to submit my tax return in my second year of business which will be January 2024.

# data[].attributes.headline
Future business venture to launch from current business

# data[].attributes.subject
Future business venture to launch from current business

# data[].attributes.body
My artist logo was outsourced from an artist on fiverr. It was ordered and completed within 3 days from 19th - 22nd January.
I decided to outsource this as I am not an artist and this has never been a skill of mine. This was the most efficient and effective way of getting a high quality artist portrait that originally was only meant for my gallery however was so impressive it became my artist logo.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ingoings and outgoings since website launch 01/08/22 - 15/08/22 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ingoings and outgoings since website launch 01/08/22 - 15/08/22 

# data[].attributes.headline
Final Reflection - Using GIBBS Reflective Cycle

# data[].attributes.subject
Final Reflection - Using GIBBS Reflective Cycle

# data[].attributes.body
The Gibbs reflective cycle allows the user to build on existing knowledge and develops clinical skills (Walsh,2014).

In this project, I created a website showcasing my artist EPK, songwriting portfolio and social media management business. It was an eye-opening experience, as I have moved through different ideas and disciplines, evaluating each effect and outcome to conclude on the most viable option for my current and future career.
It was a beneficial project, as it has enabled me to grow as an industry professional and develop and create a high quality portfolio for use in current and future work.
This project has been positive, as it has helped me understand how I work and what delivers optimal results. This has included understanding and improving my time management; understanding my personality type and how I can collaborate with others; the importance of a workplace environment for optimal performance; and how my career can move forward. However, there have also been some difficulties I have faced throughout the project.
One positive thing about building this website was that it made my presence in the industry more known. With a public website, I can be more discoverable by fans, other artists, businesses and other music professionals, leading to a better business identity. This gives me more opportunities to get work and creates a platform for my career.
Time management has been particularly difficult for me throughout this project, due to my indecisive and procrastinating nature, which stems from my ADHD. This is due to having many ideas and lacking the ability to focus on a specific one. However, this project has helped me learn to overcome this issue, as creating a website has allowed me to combine all aspects of my career in one place. This means I focused on a single project without ignoring any other aspect of my career and achieving optimal results. Therefore, although my time management has still caused me difficulties, I have been able to work with it and improve it. To better address my time management problems, I could have set strict goals with reminders and shared them with other people outside the project, so that I could increase accountability, which in turn ensures that tasks are done on time.
On the contrary, this project has enabled me to continue working on other external projects within my career that may not have been possible with other project ideas. I have been able to take on solo songwriting jobs and manage artists and local businesses’ social media platforms, whilst still fulfilling my project, which is a very relevant positive, as it has not disrupted my career plan in any way and instead enhanced it.
Another difficulty I have had in this project is a lack of knowledge in creating and coding my website. Although this was not a big enough problem to stop progress, it has led to problems with things taking longer than they might have. For example, I learned to code as I created the website, and also to navigate the web builder as I went through the tasks, which was perhaps not the most beneficial way to create the web pages. To make this issue more manageable, I could’ve done more research on coding and design prior to starting building my website, so that I was better equipped to deal with any issues that arose, potentially taking less time and causing less stress. Nevertheless, it has helped me broaden my knowledge of web-based designs, which is a great transferable skill for my artist social media management.
In my next project, I will take these learning opportunities forward and increase my accountability for completing tasks on time by telling an external figure my plans and completion date. I will also make sure that I do as much research as possible before embarking on a new task, so that I am fully prepared for any problems or dilemmas I may face, and that does not cause me unnecessary stress and time management issues. Finally, I will focus on presenting myself professionally as I did in this project, as it has helped me gain more work opportunities and further develop my career in the music industry.

# data[].attributes.headline
Invoices - Social Media and songwriting for ads

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Invoices - Social Media and songwriting for ads

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BBC Introducing - from press release and platform upload

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BBC Introducing - from press release and platform upload

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Skills Gaps & Actions to bring career plan to fruition

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Skills Gaps & Actions to bring career plan to fruition

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Networking/communication - Networking is a key part of the music industry in order to source potential clients and also get your name/business heard of through referral ect. This is a skill I need to improve in order to keep gaining new urines clients and keep people aware of and up to date with my work this is particularly due to the online nature of the world through COVID-19 as I was starting my journey in the industry not fully allowing a personal interactions. To improve this I will be travelling between Brighton and Newcastle for my masters next year meet more like- minded individuals. This is possible due to my MA course as it requires me to spend rime on site and online.

Project Management - Project management is a key skill for any business owner or industry professional as it provides the ability to manage time, morale and stress. I feel this is a skill that always gives opportunity for improvement through the vast array of ideals it covers and the unique encounters one faces on each project. To improve this I will be managing different projects throughout the next few years as a sole trader. Specifically, for my MA I will be running and managing my EP release and creation and also managing different mini projects through my songwriting and social media business.

Production - Production in the modern day industry is a skill that is very sort after in indie artists and songwriters as demos are becoming more and more like fully mastered tracks ready for release. By embarking in the MA Music Performance, Production and Business I will be improving and learning more production techniques increasing my ability making me a more well-rounded industry professional.

Confidence - Confidence is always something I have struggled with, not outwardly but as an internal battle similarly to many others in the music industry due to an issue many face called imposter syndrome. As well as this my ADHD can make me feel inferior thus effecting my confidence. However, in the industry it is one of the most important skills as it enables the ability to seek out work and grants more opportunities. To overcome this and increase this skill I am going too push my boundaries and put myself in as many new situations as possible including seeking work opportunities through networking and building my portfolio to increase my experience and thus making me feel more able.

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Publishing - Final Checks and Going Live

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Publishing - Final Checks and Going Live

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At this point it was very important to do all the final checks of the website so that it was ready to go live, this was to make sure it was fully functional, professional and no problems arose after publication where it is harder to fix and would cause unnecessary stress. (Kurpe,2021).
These checks were:

Checking buttons were linked correctly and corresponded to their titles

Contact forms were working

All links included in the site were working correctly

All videos and audios were playable

The image and graphics quality was high

All relevant content was included

All text had correct spelling and grammar

After all these checks were completed I could publish the website live.
The website went fully live at 15:05 01/08/2022 and has already helped generate a total of £1,173 income minus expenses.

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This project has been beneficial for me as a music industry professional and artist.

First of all, it allowed me to create an online portfolio that is easily accessible to potential employers and consumers, particularly publishers. This means it could serve as a non-traditional CV displaying my current and previous work in the industry, providing credibility to my abilities in my profession. As it is online, it is easily accessible to any person at any time, making it easier for future collaborators to find. This is beneficial, as many opportunities in the industry are one-time offers, and ease of access allows everything to be quick and hassle free, allowing more chances at these opportunities.

In addition to this, the website combines all aspects of my portfolio career into one place (artist, songwriter and social media manager). Not only does this make it easier to manage, but also allows people to evaluate my services as a whole, which could lead to customer conversions between my services. For example, if they are looking for ‘Carmel Carey’ the artist to book for a festival, my website could lead them to my songwriting and social media management, which in turn may prompt them to inquire about a theme song for social posts and design work. This not only allows me to perform as a paid artist, but also provides business for my songwriting and social media management, generating increased income.

To add to this, having a website showcases me as more of a professional. This professionalism allows me to appear more trustworthy and credible to others working in the industry. Consumers, customers and collaborators prefer to know they are working with someone experienced, professional and trustworthy. This added element means I am more likely to get opportunities, as people are more likely to want to work with me. It gives me a full business identity, which separates me from others who may just be starting out, enabling more rapid growth, propelling me closer to my career goals of being fully financed by my business in the music industry.

The process of creating this website was very tasking, but helped elevate and improve my performance, professionalism and enterprise skills.

In particular, it has enabled me to expand my songwriting skills, including trying new lyrical and melodic techniques through research and application. This is due to the different demo types I have made for my portfolio, contained in my website in the ‘EPK’ and ‘Songwriting Services’ pages. The experience I have gained from writing in many genres to fully showcase my abilities will allow me to continue to improve as a songwriter in many genres without limitation, propelling my future career and allowing me to pursue more collaborations in the future. It has already given me the opportunity to explore more genres through briefs I have received through my website kick starting my songwriting career.

As well as this, it has provided many more learning opportunities, including production techniques. This has been implemented into my demos through research and application to ensure that my audio quality in videos, demos and tracks is of upmost quality. This was extremely important, as it amplified my skills and abilities, as well as professionalism. Now that I have acquired these skills, I can take them forward, making me a more well-rounded songwriter and musician.

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Carmel Carey - songwriting - social - musician

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Working with an advisor - web developer - reflection

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Working with an advisor - web developer - reflection

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In this project I worked closely with a web developer from RightHookStudio Ltd. in order to ensure there were no issues with my website and the project ran smoothly.
It was ideal to have someone there who could double check my work as it provided me with more confidence that I was presenting myself in a professional manner.
The only negative of this collaboration was the fact it took up additional time where if I did not use the advisor the project may have came to fruition sooner. However, the extra time used was in order to make sure everything ran smoothly so was a small price to pay for more professional optimal results.
Clearly, having an advisor who was a professional was very beneficial due to it being a new area of exploration for me as an entrepreneur.
To improve next time I could have used this collaboration more by asking more direct questions to get quick advice and techniques instead of trying to figure everything out by myself and then running it past the advisor as this would be beneficial for time management and allow my learning experience to be faster and more efficient.

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Lyrical Techniques - metaphors and similes

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Lyrical Techniques - metaphors and similes

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Metaphors and similes
Metaphors and similes are a literary device that allows us  to think more deeply about a topic and connect with each other (Schumacher,2020). They are a very common lyrical device used in music throughout history up to the modern day (Kelly,2019). I often find that writing similes and metaphors in lyrics creates a more detailed piece for the audience to interpret and understand therefore I like to employ this technique in most of my tracks. However, it is important to consider the problems that may arise when using metaphors and similes. It is very easy to become cliche due to utilising metaphors and similes which are overused thus creating a dull experience for the audience (Tagarro,2020), this is counterproductive to the main purpose of this lyrical technique. To avoid this I made sure to not use any common metaphors or similes in my lyrics.

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Short Exploration of Approaches to Harmonies
Harmonies are the vertical aspect of music and aim to compliment the melody line (Senn,2018). There are two main types of harmony which are consonant and dissonant (Brunotts,2021). Consonant harmonies are a combination of pitches within a chord that are agreeable (Schmidt-Jones,2013), whereas dissonant harmonies are harsher, carrying more tension (Rodman,2018)

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I chose Jessie Murph as a case study as we have similar vocal styles and persona and she is a well established artist because of these things. Understanding her audience and social presence will allow me to use this to my advantage to see where I need to be targeting my audience and what socials I should be focusing on.
Jessie Murph's social audience distribution is very skewed with 86.2% of her fan base coming from TikTok and the second highest social traffic being from Instagram with only 6.2% of her fanbase coming from there. It is clear to see that TikTok has a large influence on her success rate and popularity. Fans will follower her on this platform and this is where they will stay informed about her musical output and keep up to date on her career.
As well as this, her TikTok engagement has been the most consistent engagement she has had with fans since October 3rd 2021, with usually at least 5 posts a week. This consistent posting paired with good quality content has allowed her to keep her fanbase and also grow her audience and reach.
In order to make sure I am beginning to reach a similar audience I have took note of Jessie Murph's most used hashtags on TikTok that are not personal to her music which are:

#duet

#greenscreenvideo

#stitch

#onlyinmycalvins

#voiceeffects

#energydrink

I will use these where applicable in my TikTok captions in order to hopefully attract the same traffic of users that will enjoy my music and become part of my fanbase.
The majority of her fanbase comes from the top 5 areas:

1. USA

2. Australia

3. Norway

4. UK

5. Canada

With a large 43.67% hailing from the USA. This is important to note as I can use this data for target ads/ SEO purposes to push my music in these places aiming to hit the same audience and thus growing my fanbase.

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I chose Chri$tian Gate$ as my second case study as he is an up and coming artist who writes about similar themes to me and is very active on social media. Understanding his audience distribution and social presence will help me to see what kind of content works for him in turn helping me promote my work and build my audience.
Similarly to that of Jessie Murph, Chri$tian Gate$'s fanbase is also heavily skewed toward TikTok with 87.5% of his audience traffic surfacing from the platform. The next closest fanbase hones from Spotify at only 5.3% and then instagram with an even lower 4.0%. TikTok has clearly been a large contributor to his fanbase giving rise to his success as a music artist and content creator.
However, surprisingly his TikTok and instagram post engagement have been quite similar from August 25th 2021 with both accounts being used consistently. It is clear consistent posting allows for more traction toward an artists socials and subsequently their music on streaming platforms and other available official download sites.
In order to make sure I am beginning to reach a similar audience I have took note of Chri$tian Gate$'s most used hashtags on TikTok that are not personal to her music which are:
#hardtoget
#playinghardtoget
#stopplayin
#singing
Similarly I looked at Instagram Hashtags due to his regularly engagement and growth:
#hardtoget
#songcover
I will use these where applicable in my TikTok and Instagram captions in order to hopefully attract the same traffic of users that will enjoy my music and become part of my fanbase.
The majority of her fanbase comes from the top 5 areas:

1. USA

2. Australia

3. Canada

4. Germany

5. UK

With a large 48.08% hailing from the USA. This is important to note as I can use this data for target ads/ SEO purposes to push my music in these places aiming to hit the same audience and thus growing my fanbase.

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Overall, it is clear that TikTok is a major platform for new up and coming artists to gain traffic and build a solid fanbase, with its user base consistently growing and its engagement being as high as it is.
Both case studies I researched have their main fanbase on TikTok so it is important that in my artist career I capitalise on the success of TikTok and use it to my advantage to support a fanbase growth. Consistent posting and fan engagement seems to be key on this platform with more detail of specific content each artist uses that I will also begin to create in my Social Media Strategy section for the EP.
Instagram engagement is also important to keep fans updated on performances, gigs, interviews, releases, tours, merchandise ect. as it is used as a more informative platform for todays artists rather than for entertainment purposes like TikTok.
It is also to be noted that both artists have similar distribution of audience world wide. Thus I must take particular note to these shared countries which are:

USA

Australia

UK

Canada

This has helped me find locations for target audience and I can use this for any future promoted ads ect. so that they are completely targeted.
In addition to this it was interesting to find that Chri$tian Gate$ did not have his own website whereas Jessie Murph did. Perhaps this is because Jessie Murph is signed to a bigger label (SONY) who have added to her professionalism by creating a website:
https://www.jessiemurph.com
Having a website makes her seem like more of a credible artist and makes her work accessible globally with photos videos , tracks and merchandise all available from one place. As Chri$tian Gate$ lacks this it makes it harder to find him or get into contact with him which may have negative effect on his career.
Researching into this and noticing the differences between the artists and their success has solidified my idea to create a website in order to boost my credibility in a similar way to that of Jessie Murph.

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https://carmelcarey.tumblr.com

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Typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
Don't send 'em.
Typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
Don't send 'em.

Typing texts u know there's no point in sending,
Cos I'm not answering your message is pending.
A little nutty but I'm always impressing,
Handle my whiskey yeah this liquor be testing.

People looking at me like im just a piece of meat,
but I got my own two feet to stand on.
I know what I like,
and your just not my type,
because I'm more of a man than you'll ever be.
Take your hands off my waist,
no I don't want a taste,
Go back see your mates i'm sure they've missed you.
Now don't take it to far,
we might be at a bar,
but not even ten shots will make me wanna kiss you.

Typing texts u know there's no point in sending,
Cos I'm not answering your message is pending.
A little nutty but I'm always impressing,
Handle my whiskey yeah this liquor be testing.

Heavy is my head,
dripping chains on my neck,
my rockstar life got nickel back of the set.
The real main event,
yeah, you heard what I said,
try to top me but I know you're too scared.
People coming for me,
hunt me down when I sleep,
i'm Freddie Kreuger, eat you up in your dreams.
Try getting close to me,
I'll be your nicotine,
'cos i'm addicting and the thought of me won't leave.

Typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
Don't send 'em.
Typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
typing texts, you know,
Don't send 'em.

Typing texts u know there's no point in sending,
Cos I'm not answering your message is pending.
A little nutty but I'm always impressing,
Handle my whiskey yeah this liquor be testing.

Once I had mixed and mastered my penultimate version of my track and converted it to a wav. file I decided to listen to it through different types of speakers that listeners may use (phone speakers, earphones, computer/laptop speakers and car speakers). I did this in order to get a more accurate picture of how the track sounds and how it will be received when it gets released.

During the majority of the track the dynamics of the vocals and the dynamics of the synthetic samples were balanced well and did not overpower each other. However, I noticed during the first half of the first verse the vocal dynamic was slightly off as the vocals were slightly too quiet in places meaning they were being overpowered by the main melodic loop. Through phone speakers this was very evident and as this is a popular way of listening to tracks this is an issue. Originally, the vocals in this part of the track were panned in order to make them sound fuller and create atmosphere by accentuating the building emotion of anger throughout the song which . When the vocals were tracked I also was portraying this rising emotion through the way I performed my vocals. Both of these elements could be the potential cause of the dynamic mixing issue in the track.

In order to rectify this I am going to increase the dynamics and adjust the panning of this section of vocals to make sure the vocals are clear and fit well with the rest of the track. If necessary I will also lower the dynamics of the main synthetic melody and 808 so that the building anger and atmosphere can still be clearly felt in the track. If these ideas do not fix the issue I will re-track my vocals for the first verse to make them clearer and louder but I must make sure to keep the confrontational feeling behind the song building through the way I deliver my vocals.

I have attached a link to the penultimate version of my track:
https://waterbear.instructuremedia.com/embed/62725d9d-9e78-4128-8854-e5ddebddfb2d

In this post I give a brief outline of the main musical components of my track.

My track is 122bpm. Originally the first loop was 141 bpm however I found that this was slightly too fast for vocals so slowed the bpm to allow for my vocals too fit with the track how I wanted them. I took reference from tracks like 'Daisy'-Ashnikko and 'Switch Up'-Toni Romiti as these were the style of tracks that helped loosely inspire my track.

My track is in the key Cm. Due to this it is important to make sure certain components of the rest of the synthetic sounds fit in this key in order to avoid any off sounding notes. For example the 808 I used is also in the key Cm in order to fit within the key of the whole track.

My track structure is 4 bar intro, 8 bar bridge, 8 bar chorus, 16 bar verse,8 bar chorus, 16 bar verse, 8 bar bridge, 8 bar chorus.

I used a simple time signature of 4/4 as this is one of the best time signatures to work in when using samples as this time signature covers a vast variety of samples and loops in the hip hop, r&b and trap genres.

My song structure is:

intro, bridge, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus

This is a simple standard structure in order to fit with the genre.

In this post I will be discussing how my track illustrates the start of my music career and where I may take my music.

The track I have/am creating for this module is very different to my usual songwriting style. Previously I have only used my acoustic guitar and vocals to create story-like songs however this track has created a new experience of using samples and synthetic sounds to create a more modern feel.

Due to listening to the hip-hop and r&b genres quite a lot it is clear there has been lots of influence from current artists. The trap elements of the track are loosely inspired by artists like Blackbear and Ashnikko who despite not being trap artists use similar sounds as are in my track to create a more upbeat feeling to their songs. This can clearly be seen through the instrumental arrangement of the drums in my track as a clap is used instead of a snare drum which is typical of trap and hip-hop artists and also an 808 is only used in the chorus with a kick in order to emulate the sense of a 'beat drop' which is seen in lots of trap and hip hop songs. As a specific example these techniques are both used in Ashnikko's song ' Daisy ' where the drum instrumentation is a central part of the track.

Through the writing and production of this track I am challenging myself to work in a variety of genres as an artist due to the fact this is not the usual genres I write in. Most of my originals are acoustic and are hard to define as a specific genre. Through challenging myself in this way I believe it will make me an overall better songwriter. In the future this may enable me to be more comfortable with a career as a songwriter as I will have pushed myself to work in a variety of genres thus enhancing my skills and knowledge base of each. This will also benefit me when looking at any sync jobs available as it will allow me to understand what fits the certain brief and what doesn't with valid reason and understanding.

In terms of my own music as an artist myself making this track has allowed me to gain crucial production skills and allowed me to be more comfortable with samples and synthetic sounds. This will allow me to modernise my music and enhance my already created originals to be fuller. Gaining these skills will allow me to be more of an independent artist who has the knowledge of how to create a track to a high enough standard to release. I am learning that my own sound as an artist is a lot more versatile than I originally thought as I am able to tackle multiple genres. I am planning to make my sound a mix between the r&b, hip hop and pop punk genres in the future in order to create something unique which will hopefully spark a lot of interest.

A Target Audience is defined as "a particular group at which a product such as a film or advertisement is aimed." (Oxford Dictionary)

It is important to know your target audience in order to market music and all other revenue (e.g merch) correctly. As an artist you need to strive to create an active fanbase so that your music can be enjoyed and engaged with through the same passion that you created it with. Here is where understanding your target audience is crucial to keeping fans interested and invested in the music you produce and to make it more appealing to them.

Personal target audiences can be identified through analytics on various social media platforms (for example instagram) and streaming services such as Spotify (for artists). As I do not yet have any music fully released on any streaming services i cannot currently look through my own Spotify account to find my personal target audience however I can see the engagement with my instagram insights where 69% of my followers are aged 18-24.

For my assessment I am creating a hip-hop/R&B track with some trap elements so in order to find the target audience for these specific genres I have looked at artists that use similar writing styles and themes to my song in these genres. First I looked at Ashnikko I found that on Spotify the worldwide city where she is listened to the most is London, England with 179,375 listeners. The majority of her listeners are from the UK and US so clearly she appeals to more Western countries. Her audiences also mainly young adults and teenagers which coincides with her contemporary themes and sounds and also her songs being popular on the social media platform TikTok. Her themes of female empowerment also clearly influence her audience as her audience is more female based.

Next I looked at the artist Toni Romiti. I found on Spotify that the country she is most listened to is the US. specifically Chicago with 26,109 listeners, this is not surprising as this is where she was originally from. Similarly to Ashnikko, she appeals to a more female audience due to her use of female empowerment themes.

Clearly when looking at artists which create similar music to the song I am creating the target audience is mainly young adults in western countries like the US and UK and themes of female empowerment also appeal to a majority female audience.

In order to make sure muscles and tendons do not fatigue with guitar practice it is essential to do warm ups. This allows for longer practice and playing with a smaller risk of strain or small damages. I have attached pictures of some examples of warm ups I have been using before playing the guitar:

Similarly, vocal health needs to also be considered. Vocal warm ups before practice and performance are necessary to avoid vocal damage. Vocal health is extremely important because even when we are not singing we use our voices everyday and it is essential we look after it. I have attached some YouTube links to vocal exercises I commonly use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck1pzgy07ZU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQUo7eimhWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAx0UF_k2hM

In the hip hop and r&b genres free-styling is very common and i use free-styling to instrumentals and audios often to create my own melodies, lyrics and to inspire my own ideas thus this is something i'm used to however not in the context of the hip hop genre itself.

Here i used free styling to help me form my second verse for my summative I have attached the link to the original voice recording I made whilst free-styling to the instrumental to this song. From here I will need to refine the lyrics and make them as engaging as the first verse.

I feel free-styling is a great technique to allow for creation of lyrics and melodies however they can require a lot of 'cleaning up' and various takes to get something that sounds good with the certain track you are free-styling to. Clearly, there are other more consistent ways of lyric writing however I find this technique allows more room for creativity and is a very natural way of making lyrics. To improve I could focus on a single theme for the freestyle to create more focused lyrics to fit the specific song. However I believe the majority of the lyrics do fit the vibe of the song I am producing quite well.
https://waterbear.instructuremedia.com/embed/7d9d4bb8-b89b-4802-9d69-2f8aadde06fe

After writing my lyrics for the first verse and chorus and I practiced singing them over the instrumental and at first pieced together they sounded very flat as there was no variation between the vocal melodies of the chorus and verse. Therefore I needed to make them more diverse so needed to create more dynamic shape especially to my chorus. From here I used the pentatonic scale to make the chorus a lot higher and more melodic than the verse. The key of the song is Cm so I used the Cm pentatonic scale of C, Eb, F, G and Bb. I used these notes on my keyboard to create a simple repetitive melody of:

C Eb F G F Eb C Eb F Eb C

Typing texts you know there's no point in sending,

C Eb F G F Eb C Eb F Eb C Eb

'Cos im not answering your message is pending.

C Eb F G F Eb C Eb F Eb C Bb.

A little nutty but im always impressing,

C Eb F G F Eb C Eb F Eb C Bb.

Handle my whiskey but this liquor be testing.

When singing this I based my melodic contour and dynamic shape on this melody and recorded singing it over the instrumental. To fit the sound of the instrumental the melodic contour had to change slightly so the notes are not exact but this is what the vocal melody of the chorus is based on. It is a conjunct melody to make the chorus easy to sing and therefore more catchy giving it the desired effect of a hook.

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Typing texts, you know,typing texts, you know,typing texts, you know,Don't send 'em.Typing texts, you know,typing texts, you know,typing texts, you know,Don't send 'em. Typing texts u know there's no point in sending,Cos I'm not answering your message is pending.A little nutty but I'm always impressing, Handle my whiskey yeah this liquor be testing.

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https://musicaldevelopment-cc.tumblr.com

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From formative feedback:

Overall the feedback for my tracks and process was very positive, with only small suggestions made for improvement, which involved focus on chord writing to make sure the song doesn't clash. As, I have been building my knowledge of music theory this was a great pointer to work on.

From here I have already made small adjustments to the chord progressions in both tracks to allow them to both sound seamless. In track 1: the chords were only Bm G A power chords played in varied strumming patterns and finger style play throughout the different parts of the track. However this did not fully work with the vocal melody of the chorus. Therefore, I matched the chords to the melody and switched the Bm to a D to begin the chorus as my vocal melody also began on D. This works as the track has a key of D major which means I substituted the submediant (Bm) for the tonic (D) so I was able to do this whilst making sure the chords didn't clash.

Similarly, I also used chord substitution in my second track to create a contrast between the fast verses and slower chorus. Originally the track was Am C G Dm the whole way through, however after substitution the track is now:

Verses- Am C G Dm

Chorus- C Am Em Dm

Bridge/Outro- Am C G Dm C Am Em Dm

After reflecting on the feedback and creating this outcome I feel it has helped me make changes that have boosted my progress on the tracks for this module.

Overall progress reflection based on action plan and personal practice:

Currently I am not as far forward as I'd have hoped to be due to difficulties out of my control, meaning I am slightly behind on my action plan. However, when creating my action plan I allowed personal deadlines for specific tasks to be in advance so that if this problem did occur I would have slight leeway to enable me to get the tasks done on time and in advance of official deadlines. By doing this I have made sure I did not encounter unnecessary pressure which may have hindered my performance and outcome in this module.

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From formative feedback: Overall the feedback for my tracks and process was very positive, with only small suggestions made for improvement, which involved focus on chord writing to make sure the song doesn't clash. As, I have been building my knowledge of music theory this was a great pointer to work on.

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The Champagne Bar - Songwriting and social media

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The Champagne Bar - Songwriting and social media

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'Carmel has been a complete asset, fast-paced, hard-working and happy to help in anyway. When writing songs for our social media she has listened to briefs to the key and is happy to make any changes required to fit our needs. She has already created a boost in our social media awareness with 70% growth in just 2 weeks and has helped us get closer to our goals in just a short time of working with us. She is clearly a very talented writer and we are so happy with her work we are now working with her on a monthly basis to continue our positive trajectory to our goals'

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'Carmel has been very easy to work with. Her adaptability and project management skills are like no other entrepreneur I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. No matter the issue she always overcomes it in a quick fashion, its like working with an already professional web developer. Every interaction has been smooth with very little, if any mistakes even though this has been her first time completing a web development project. An extraordinary talent that I am hoping to work with again in the very near future'

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' Having Carmel as a mentor has been amazing! As I am just starting out in the industry there was lots I didn't really know or understand and Carmel has helped shed light on all of this. From taking every opportunity i'm given, how to approach people in the industry, songwriting techniques to how to fully protect my songs through copywrite to name just a few. It has been very educational for me and I now feel so much more equipped to face the industry'

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'One of the easiest photoshoots I have ever done. Normally when working with music artists it is a long process as there is so many different ideas they want to work with and there is a lack of planning. Carmel on the other hand had every aspect of the day planned out making for a pain free session which was extremely enjoyable. A true professional!'

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Contained in S1 Appendix - Highlighted Blue

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Contained in S1 Appendix - Highlighted Blue

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Everything on this Padlet to be considered for S2

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Everything on this Padlet to be considered for S2

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All relevant statutory health and safety documentation including the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety at work regulations 1999, the PUWER 1998 and the Electricity at work regulations 1989 will be considered and managed within the project.