Today I put my Patreon site into action. I routinely make things for musicians, typically on my YouTube channel, but sometimes digital artifacts as well. Now I have a place to easily vend these, much like my music on Bandcamp.
I feel like right now my focus on UVI Falcon — an amazing product with an underserved user community — is a fine place to put my energy. The growth on my channel is a litlte slower for now. Over time I intend to branch out, since I’ve been getting into hardware as well. I feel like a hybrid approach is something that can appeal to both software and hardware music enthusiasts.
Recently I acquired some goodies that have helped me put my Chapman Stick back into service as well. I’ll end up writing more about that at some point and provide some resources for other Stick musicians. But really playing Stick is just a means to an end. It might be cool to feature that somehow in YouTube videos as well, and tie it into some of the other things I do. That might also expand the audience for my Patreon site.
The end is my ultimate goal to kick myself back into regular solo work. I did this briefly in the early 2000s but was didn’t have the confidence for booking myself. Now that I’ve done this for numerous bands, I feel a lot more ready to take this on. In addition, I’ve made numerous contacts in the local community that I can leverage — not in a purely mercenary way, but in the way of service. Working in music or entertainment in general, after all, is not about oneself, but about engaging others.
The Patreon site is more preparation for the future, when I’m in a different work/life situation than my current one. I’m not counting on it supporting me, but to be able to grow engagement with others in a quantifiable, meaningful way is still compelling.
This blog is not a request to sign up for my Patreon site. But if you want to keep an eye on it with a free membership, you’re welcome to do so.
Featured photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash.