# data[].attributes.body
This week I wrote some lyrics for my song (which I have now called 'My Ways'). (See lyrics attached)

The song is about not knowing what path you are taking in life, and needing more time to figure out what you are doing, whilst dealing with various pressures and responsibilities.

# data[].attributes.body
I sat down in front of my project today and decided I wanted to scrap the vocal track altogether. I don't like the fact that the vocal melody in the verses is the same as the guitar melody throughout. Too repetitive.

So I decided to write some new lyrics, and change the melody a bit, as well as making it a bit less busy vocal wise.

While I was at it, I changed some of the middle 8 instrumental; took the drums down to just hats, then hats and bass drum with some accented toms, so that when the final chorus came in it would create more of a dynamic shift.

I changed the structure slightly as well, so now there is two choruses instead of just the one at the end, to make the chorus more memorable. I also added a couple of stops and instrumental cut outs to make some moments of the song more dynamic, and focus attention on certain lyrical lines that I want to emphasise.

The song has now changed its meaning completely, and is now called 'GREAT!' - it is a bit of a sarcastic song about a relationship failing, and pretending everything is alright, or 'Great!'.

I like this version a lot more, I think it's more dynamic and less repetitive.

My next step is to record it at Small Pond with real instruments.

# data[].attributes.body
My inspirations are Vukovi, Spiritbox and Issues.
But what makes me different to them?

What's different about my band (Petty Harbour) and Vukovi?
- I feel that my band's guitar riffs are slightly more complex than Vukovi's.

What's different about Petty Harbour and Spiritbox?
- As a singer I will not be screaming. I want to record melodic vocals over a heavy instrumental.

What's different about Petty Harbour and Spiritbox?
- Petty Harbour has a female, British singer
- Petty Harbour's vocals are slightly less poppy, and more metal-driven.

I feel that my USP is complex, tight riffs with melodic vocals, sung by a British woman, as supposed to a lot of metal which tends to be male-fronted and/or sung by an American.

# data[].attributes.body
My next steps are to book a recording session at Small Pond and bring a guitarist friend with me to carry out the Studio recording of my demo. I will then bounce it to George Campbell, who will mix it for me to a professional quality.

Meanwhile, I will be working on some other demos that explore other genres, so I can find my sound and dicover the kind of music I wish to put out when I eventually release my debut single as a solo artist.

# data[].attributes.body
I finished tracking my vocals and took Sam's feedback into account with the middle 8 and the final chorus.

I really like the way the middle 8 builds, and the vocal layering was a lot of fun and I feel it is effective.

My next step is to play the song to some lecturers and peers to receive some feedback.

# data[].attributes.body
I played my song with the newly tracked vocals to my lecturer, Sam, who really liked the energy and said it reminded him of 'Wet Leg'. He agreed that if I was to add real drums they shouldn't be too dynamic to keep the unchanging vibe.

He also helped me come up with a middle 8 (see voicenote attached) and an ending chorus.

I look forward to adding these elements.

# data[].attributes.body
Today I sat down with my housemate and played him my chords and melody idea for the track. He really liked the vibe and said he'd be happy to replace the synth with guitar.

We used the Logic preset 'Spin Speaker Blues' as we felt that it really gave the song that indie surf rock sound I was after. We then tracked bass too, a simple pattern for some much needed low-end support.

I'm really liking how it's sounding. My next task is to write some lyrics and track the vocals.

# data[].attributes.body
I played on my keyboard and came up with a chord sequence that I liked. I felt that this chord sequence had both happy and sad undertones, and sort of sounded like sadness being masked by happiness.

So I decided to write a main melody line over the top. It is using a midi keyboard for now, but I will replace it with electric guitar, and add a rhythm guitar part that follows the chords I have written. I want the guitar tone to have reverb and sound a bit surf-rocky, with elements of the bands Peach Pit and Her's.

I also wrote a simple drum beat that is reminiscent of the programmed drums heard in lots of indie music today, by the likes of artists such as Dayglow and Declan McKenna. I will replace these with real drums, but the constant unchanging, programmed drum-esque rhythm will remain.

# data[].attributes.body
My next steps are to

Create a new vocal track

Write some new lyrics

analyse my track and play it to peers and lecturers

change what I feel needs changing

Finish the demo

Evidence every step if the process

Record it at Small Pond

Start building hype on social media

Work on WB09 - conduct primary research.

# data[].attributes.body
After having played my track to my friend Phoebe, she told me that she liked the instrumental backing, but that the vocal track needed to be louder, and the melody needed to have more range as I stay in the same region for too much of the song.

This is great feedback as the vocal track is the part I'm going to redo, so I can incorporate this feedback into the new take I create.

# data[].attributes.body
I am looking to get some feedback on my demo. I have already played it to two of my lecturers, who told me they liked the energy and the vocal harmonies, but perhaps it was a bit too busy lyrical wise. I completely understand this feedback as I have a habit of cramming lots of lyrics into my music.

My lecturer Sam suggested I leave a bit more space, and use less words. He told me to use the band 'Wet Leg' as an influence. I like this band so it shouldn't be a problem for me to take some inspiration from them.

So my next step is to mute my vocal track, and record another one that is a little less busy. Then I can chop and change, taking some vocal parts from one track and some from the other.

In terms of future feedback, once I make a couple of changes to the track and I'm happier with it, I will show it to as many people as possible; lecturers, peers (musical and non-musical) and some of my producer friends. I will make sure to take feedback from some of the people who fit my target audience demographic, as they are the people I want my music to appeal to the most (young adults).

Once properly recorded, I will be able to tell that my song is of good enough quality by listening to already existing music that is within my intended genre. I can then compare the production elements and aim to make mine resemble the already existing tracks. I will use bands and artists such as Wet Leg, Peach Pit and Lily Allen.

# data[].attributes.body
Attached is a spreadsheet I made, planning a budget for my eventual single release.

# data[].attributes.body
Discipline and adaptability - Despite all the changed that have come about since the start of the academic year, I have managed to start over again by myself and come up with a new demo last week, despite feeling relatively uninspired.

As soon as things changed and I realised I had to essentially start again, I started working as soon as I could, because last year I left a lot of things til much later in the term, which only causes major stress.

I can already see noticeable results by organising myself in this manner, because the song I have written is already sounding vaguely how I want it to sound in its early stage, and I know that there is plenty of time to work on it and get it sounding clean and professional.

# data[].attributes.body
Lily Allen and Kate Nash (vocal style)

Peach pit and Dayglow (guitar tones and drum pattern)

The Wombats (lyrical flow)

These artists justify my rationale because they each have an audience, particularly younger people, which are my target audience. British female singers who don't disguise their accents such as Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Katy B were more popular a good few years ago, so I feel that there is a gap in the market for this.

Reverb-y guitar and simple repetitive drums (peach pit style) are a popular feature in a lot of modern indie music, and will help my music to fall into the genre I want it to be.

The Wombats started their journey with Alternative Indie rock, then merged into a more synth-y, more relaxed indie. Now they are far more pop-central. However, Murph's lyrical patterns didn't change too much throughout, he has always used a talk-y way of delivering his lyrics, as if he is ranting to somebody. I have taken inspiration from this, as well as the band's use of layered harmonies on parts of the song where I wish to build tension.

# data[].attributes.body
What kind of industry or career would be your plan B?

Primary school teacher

Can you identify any Good Practices that you could transfer for this career path?

Setting clear goals (what you wish to achieve from a class/a term)

Organisation (lesson plans and keeping track of student progress).

Which of the skills cannot be transferred and why?

Consistent social media content - there is no connection between being a primary school teacher and using social media.

Do you think it's important to have a plan B?

I think it's very important to have a Plan B, because while it's good to work towards a goal of how you want your life to look, things don't always work out exactly how you planned, and the music industry is brutal. So to save feeling like a failure, having another career path to fall back on, while continuing to work on music on the side, is a good idea.

Will you actively avoid it or will it be incorporated into your plan A purposefully, and why?

I am starting a job as a teaching assistant a couple of days a week, so I will be dipping my toe in the water of my Plan B lifestyle, while obviously still working towards my music career as the Plan A. A nice way to incorporate the two plans would be to become a music teacher. If this is the case, I may try secondary school teaching as this is where music practices start to be taken a bit more seriously.

# data[].attributes.body
I need to gather primary and secondary data to support my intentions for the Final Major Project delivery this term

Primary data:

Instagram insights to assess target audience

Questioning people, asking them what kind of music they want to hear as I am not pinned to one genre

Researching the artists who are dominating the music industry now, particularly gaining popularity with young audiences, and assess the genre of music they create, as well as the themes, and their marketing techniques

Secondary data:

I will look up studies in social media marketing (which ties in with my WB09 project). For instance, the influence TikTok has on an up-and-coming artist's growth and the success of their release. I will then use this data to draw conclusions as to what percentage of my marketing should be done on each social media platform, and what form each post should be in (e.g. reels, stories, instagram album/carousel, stills, videos, tiktoks)

Analytics of successful releases of other artists

Assess how other artists create their music (eg Charlie Puth's how-to TikToks, and Dayglow's youtube tutorials).

priority 1 - at least one song written, then plan the recording process for it.

next week challenge - choose one idea and make demo to show Stu.

# data[].attributes.body
How will you show your technical and performance development?

lyrical drafts

videos of experimenting with chord progressions

demos on logic

primary and secondary research to find my target audience and the methods needed to appeal to them

make a timeline and amend it weekly if necessary

videos of rehearsal and recording sessions

self analysis (SWOT, PEST, GIBBS reflective cycle)

# data[].attributes.body
Setting clear goals and working towards them.

Organisation

Consistent social media content

Why?

Setting clear goals is good practice because it helps you stay focused

Organisation is good practice because if you stay on top of things (e.g. learning your parts before going into the rehearsal room) you save yourself and others a lot of stress and time.

Posting consistent social media content is good practice because it keeps you in people's minds, builds your fanbase and encourages more streams for your music.

# data[].attributes.body
To me, 'good results' are when I achieve the goals I set for myself. By the end of the academic year, I will have achieved 'good results' if I have released a song, with a single cover, professional shoots for marketing, and a significant amount of promo across several medias.

# data[].attributes.body
Due to personal/relationship reasons, my band has split up. Possibly the shortest lived band ever created. However, I see the positives in this change, as the music we were creating wasn't completely 'me'. So I'm excited to go solo and write something authentic and personal.

I have a few ideas for songs I want to write, so my plan is to create as many demos as I can in the limited time I have, and choose one to go forward with.

# data[].attributes.body
Who benefits from your idea?
- Young metal and rock fans, particularly beginners to the metal genre looking for an introduction that isn't too painfully hardcore.

Who do you collaborate with?
- Videographer
- Director
- Photographer
- Studio engineer

Where do you draw inspiration from?
- Vukovi
- Spiritbox
- Issues

Who are your competitors?
- Mission Creep
- Fez

What resources could you share?
- Some audience crossover

Are you following footsteps or forging futures?
- Forging futures. What my band has is similar to some of my inspiration bands, but newer, fresh and youthful.

How will you research further?
- I will look into more of the local metal core bands to further analyse my competition.

# data[].attributes.body
Metal core bands with female vocalists
- Vukovi
- Spiritbox
These two bands are indirect competitors. This is because my music would appeal to a lot of their fans, however I am not established enough to inherit any of them. Therefore they are currently competition to me, but not I to them, though my music would appeal to their fans.

Small Brighton bands
- Fes (female led heavy rock band)
- Mission Creep (female led heavy rock band of my age group)

I would consider these bands to be my direct competitors. This is because not only do they produce similar music to me and my band, but we have similar opportunities (particularly Mission Creep, as we go to the same Uni). We are promoting our music in the same space, to the same target audience. They have a bit more experience in their band than I do in mine, which just means I have to work harder.

# data[].attributes.body
Due to the fact that this EP would be the first music I am releasing under this band, I have decided a more appropriate aim would be a single release, with a music video. That way, I don't throw out all that I have with this new band, leaving me with nothing else to release, and also I keep it interesting with adding the music video too. This will also be fun for me to make as it's always something I've aspired to do. Finally, releasing one song will be a better choice to gauge ourt audience's reaction to our sound, and see if it's something we should stick with, or if we should test the waters of a different sound.

# data[].attributes.body
Ways I will be able to test my market throughout the process of this timeline:

- releasing snippets of the song and of the music video on instagram and tiktok to gauge reactions.

# data[].attributes.body
- Studio engineers - work at small pond. Very easy to 'pin down'.
- Musicians (my band) - already pinned down.
- Photographer - I have a few photographer friends so should be easy enough to pin down.
- Videographer - I know someone who would be cheap and willing.
- Video editor - this will require a bit of research and money
- Graphic designer/Someone who knows enough about photo editing (for album cover) - I know somebody for this also.
- Promotor (me and the rest of the band can take care of this).

# data[].attributes.body
- Logic Pro
- Computer editing software
- Camera for photos
- Camera for recording
- Music recording tech - eg. interface, amps, mics, instruments, jack leads, XLRs.

# data[].attributes.body
- Keep it simple and specific - give them clear goals as to what they can do to improve.
- Keep criticism constructive! Don't just say something was wrong, say what they can change for improvement.
- Tell them something good they did before the constructive criticism, to start on a positive note.
- Be honest - don't just tell them it's great.
- Maybe suggest videos to watch/pieces of music to listen to/exercises to carry out - as a frame of reference and a supporting piece of feedback.
- Evidence or experience - credible
- Choice of words/tone of voice - keep it kind and not patronising
- Non-judgemental

# data[].attributes.body
- I was researching EPs to assess if it is the best format of my first release. This website states that EPs 'are often used as a way to introduce an artist to fans and to introduce a new sound.' This is ideal for my band because it will give us experience in marketing our sound to an audience through dynamic and engaging social media posts - snippets of songs and performance videos. EPs are also a great way to experiment with new ideas, and to see how an audience receives the 4 or 5 songs we release, to know what sound the public want to hear from us going forward. Finally, cost-wise an EP is the way forward as it is much cheaper to produce than a full album. It's a great way to dip a toe in the water, so to speak.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why is the EP the best asset for emerging artists?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The EP is the perfect assets for independent artists who want to promote their music and start getting their music known.

# data[].attributes.body
The Destination:
- This term I would like to release an EP as a singer in my band, Calathea. This will give me some experience in working with a band on a large project, rather than just a single. I want to be hands-on with creating demos in preparation for studio recording sessions. I will also be able to gain experience with marketing my work, understanding who my target audience is and how to attract them to my band's music to gain streams.

My long term goal:
- My long term goal is to be a singer in one band, and a drummer in another.
I have already achieved this, but I would like to be able to support myself through money earned from regular releases and tours, at least countrywide. Preferably from the band in which I sing, Calathea.

What is achievable during this module?
- Releasing an EP and doing at least one gig with the whole set.

Who are my competitors?
- Other bands within the genre (heavy rock/metal) particularly with a female vocalist.

How will I show academic research?
- I will document my research process through padlet.

How will I present my ideas?
- I will document each step of the way within this padlet, and include our promotional material that we will be releasing onto social media. I will also attach demos and rehearsal clips to document progress.

# data[].attributes.body
What is competition?

Who are some examples of artists who are competitors?
- Nicky Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion

What are the three types of competition?
- Direct competitor - Does the same thing as you do, and have the same target market. Eg Apple and Samsung.
- Indirect competitors - Same sort of field, slightly different target market with some crossover. Eg Taco Bell and Subway
- Replacement - Offers something to have/use instead of your product - new and fresh.