Just in case you’re not familiar with the social news site reddit, here’s a quick overview: Users submit content and other users vote on that content, they can upvote it to say they like it or downvote it to say they don’t. Content with more upvotes becomes more visible and will get more views. This creates a cascading effect. Content with more upvotes gets more visibility, which means it gets more upvotes and even more visibility.

Users can also leave comments on submitted content. These comments go through the same upvoting process to work out their order of visibility. The site has a very high content turnover rate. Popular submissions will get hundreds of thousands of views within a few hours and then quickly fall out of visibility in favour of fresher content.

Using Reddit to get listeners

Reddit has millions of users and if used correctly, has the opportunity to expose content to a very large audience.

My plan was pretty simple: find a good submission and use it as inspiration to write and record a new song in under an hour. I’d leave this piece of music as a comment to the submission and hope that it gets upvoted into a position of good visibility and gets a good number of views.

It does sound straight forward on paper but there’s a delicate balance in finding the right submission at the right time. A good submission has to be found before it becomes too popular. Too late to the party, the comment will get buried in amongst the rest and will slide by, unnoticed.

I devised these criteria for finding a submission where I would leave a song as a comment:

• from the /r/pics subreddit
• less than an hour old and with over 20 upvotes
• still getting upvotes
• inspired discussion
• was inspiring enough for a song

I chose the pics subreddit because it’s got over 2.5 million followers, it contains a wide variety of image content and it’s readers seem to reward quality submissions. I also find images to be a much better open inspiration for writing a song than a piece of text. The picture would also need to be interesting enough to invoke questions. If the picture raises questions, people will be more likely to look into the comments and then find my submission.

If the submission has had more than 20 upvotes in under an hour it’s a good indicator that it’s a good quality submission which will continue to get attention. However, many submissions will fail to make it because they don’t continue getting upvotes fast enough. I watched the submission for 10 to 15 minutes to make sure it was still getting regular upvotes.  And if the submission was already more than an hour old and didn’t have more than 50 upvotes, it generally wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Finding these submissions in the first place is a challenge in itself. This required sifting extensively through the new page of the subreddit and also watching /r/risingthreads (although a lot of popular posts seem to be missed there).

Putting the Plan to the Test

After finding this thread I decided it was time to put this plan to the test. The picture met all my criteria and it had already gotten the cogs of inspiration turning in my mind.

Right… No, left… Shit
The Image of Inspiration

I wrote, recorded (on a simple handheld recorder) and uploaded the song in just under an hour and posted up the link in the comments.It seems I’d timed it perfectly. The picture only had a handful of comments, making mine clearly visible to anyone reading them and it only had about 200 upvotes at the time, before continuing on to get over 3,000 and being the top result on the front page of reddit.

The feedback was enormous. Over 10,000 listens in just a few hours and dozens of fantastically encouraging comments were left.

You can hear the original recording of the song on soundcloud: Orrin Hastings – Supertanker.

For the Future

It really was a delicate balance finding the right place to leave the song and there still seems to be a hell of a lot of luck involved. I’ve since tried a few times to repeat it but haven’t again quite managed to find the perfect place to post it and the other recordings have gone essentially unnoticed.

The challenges of continuing this seem to be the:

• amount of luck involved
• the low conversion rate
• and the awkward time zone (for me)

From all the listens only about 15 people subscribed to the soundcloud channel, which is a very low conversion rate but really not too surprising. This could probably be improved with some tweaking.

Living in Europe makes the timing a little awkward for me. The prime time to make a post is late in the evening, when I’m often already out and about. This makes repeatedly following through on this consistently a little more difficult.

I’m going to continue with the project over the next few months since it also has a number of great benefits such as:

• consistently practice my songwriting
• work on finding and building an audience
• improve my home recording abilities

It may also be worth exploring making posts in smaller subreddits where songs will get less listens but may perform more consistently. Any feedback would be most marvelous! I’d also encourage others to give it a go. When done right, it’s a great way to quickly get a large  audience and a load of encouraging feedback.

In late 2011 they flew over to L.A. to begin their 5 state US tour, the result of months of preparation and sacrifice. As Silence Breaks saw great increases in their following, their merch sales and especially their online sales during and after the tour. They’ve put themselves out there and people have stood up and taken notice.

our facebook followers jumped up a lot, most of them are from the west coast of the US. We also sold a bunch of merch and shifted a lot of units on iTunes since the trip.

Preparation

Countless hours went into preparation for the tour and each band member made a whole slew of sacrifices to reach the end goal. Extra shifts at work, selling stuff on eBay, one even sold his house; all just to make sure they’d be comfortable and be able to make the most out of the tour.

It was extremely hectic but we all made a decision that if you want this dream to work you cant just half-sacrifice to get there – you need to be willing to sacrifice everything. It will all come back to you in the end, hopefully 10 fold!

Getting around

For a smaller crew it can work out cheaply to travel with a car or van, either sleeping in it along the way or checking into hotels. As Silence Breaks had a bigger crew and so they hired themselves an RV, giving them plenty of space for equipment, a constant home ground and an answer to the question of accommodation. This worked out to be the far cheaper option. Although, the RV can be an unwieldy beast… so pick a good driver.

However you choose to get around, you’re going to be in close quarters and passing a lot of time with your bandmates and this can really be a challenge within itself. You’ll be missing the luxury of open spaces and privacy and being in constant close quarters can put a strain on things.

A big challenge was living in such close quarters for so long. The novelty wears off, sometimes you just want time to yourself while you’re on the road and it was hard to get that.

You’ve gotta get along and you’ve gotta try not let egos get the better of you. Roll with the punches and take it in stride. Let it be known that you’ll all probably be on edge. There’s a lot of energy and emotion going into the tour and it’s understandable for things to go awry and nerves to get trod on. Everyone is going through the same thing and you’re all going through it together. Try to be understanding and patient and don’t be afraid to ask for a timeout if you need it.

Meet some locals

Make friends or find someone trustworthy from the country you’re from to take with you on tour. They know the good and bad spots, they can drive and they know the shortcuts that will get you where you need to be.

You’re not from ’round here… you’re basically flying blind. A local knows the traps, has insight into how the scene works and has the resources to help you out in a pickle. And this isn’t just from a technical point of view. A local will also know the best way to get across town, where you’ll be able to park and pick up some quality food on the way. Depending where in the world you are, a local might also be able to help you out with the finer points of their language.

The more locals you can meet who know about or are a part of the local scene, the better. They’ll be able to give you information, connections and opportunities that might otherwise have passed you straight by. They’ll also be around to help you out when you come back for another tour.

Which of course means:

 Being Friendly

If you want to get anywhere in this industry you really cant have an ego. We were just really friendly and talkative and met some amazing people who really helped us out and formed close bonds with us.

You’re going to be meeting a lot of new people and relying a lot on those around you. Be open and friendly to everyone you meet. You never know who’s going to be able to help you out and what opportunities might crop up.

Attitude

We didn’t care that some shows had no people or that we all got food poisoning 3 days in. We we’re just stoked that we had built up our band enough to warrant going overseas to showcase what we love doing and that there were people there who actually knew who we were and were singing along and buying merch.

The actual ”success” of the tour is subjective and your attitude and how you approach it will define how you feel about it afterwards. Be prepared to take the good with the bad and expect some disappointments. It’s probably not all going to run to plan but you’re out there doing some amazing, pursuing your dream.

Take pride in your work and what you’re doing. You’ve built up your band enough to warrant going overseas to showcase yourselves. That’s no mean feat.

And most importantly you want to be able to kick back and enjoy the ride. Don’t get too tied up in the details. Relax and let it happen. Have fun. You’re on tour, in another country, chasing your dream. Soak it up, enjoy it.

Too many bands get caught up in trying to micromanage their trip and end up missing out because they’re so damn stressed. Focus on having fun as much as possible, don’t let the organization and stress deter you from the fact that you’re on tour! in another country!

The Wrap Up

There’s a lot of time and money that goes into a tour. If your band is ready to give it a go, be ready to commit to making it happen.

Use the opportunity to meet as many people as possible. Be friendly and network, you never know where a contact might lead you.

We were just stoked to be in the US makin’ friends and playin’ metal

As Silence Breaks are big players in the Sydney Heavy Metal scene. Their new album The Architecture of Truth was released in July 2012. You can hear more about them and their music on the official facebook page and youtube channel

Originally from New Zealand, Mat is now based out of Berlin, Germany, a modern cultural focal point. The guitar, singing and performing has been a big part of his life for a long time and now he’s making his living through his music, regularly touring through Germany.

Choosing your location.

Germany felt like the best place to be for this genre. There’s a long history here of supporting culture generally.

Germany was an intentional destination for Mat. After a number of painful years playing gigs to listless ears through Australia and New Zealand, it seemed an obvious choice to step out and look for greener pastures.

Relocating comes with its own fair share of challenges but taking the step may save lots of headache in the long run. Relocating to somewhere with a growing or established culture built around your style of music will make life a hell of a lot easier. You’ll be with musicians who understand you and working with venues and crowds who already enjoy your style.

Getting Established

My first year in Germany was relatively difficult, but I stuck to the realistic goals I’d set for myself and built up from there.

Not having a firm grip on the German language, setting up in a new land and being on the other side of the globe from his family made Mat’s first year challenging.

As with most things in life, it came down to putting in the hard yards and setting sensible but realistic goals to get through the first year and to keep on target. Consistent, persistent work pays off over time. Mat gives the example of contacting two venues every day and always having your ears open for network and contact building opportunities.

Call on those around you

I’m very grateful for the help of other musicians on the circuit and have found that people do help each other out.

Mat recalls that other musicians on the circuit were generally really helpful and were more than willing to lend a hand. They would help out with contacts and networking and with tips for getting by on the circuit. Being approachable and flexible are essential qualities if you want to get by. The people you perform with are your colleagues.

Maintaining the career

Keeping songs and performances strong and treating people with respect will help with longevity in the music business.

Mat makes the bulk of his income from his live music. Live performance fees, performance royalties and CD sales from shows give him the income he needs to continue doing what he loves. Online CD sales have also brought in money but live music is where it’s been.

So as a touring musician, the people you work with day in, day out are who make your career possible. It’s the venue owners and event organisers who’ll be taking your requests to return and play. Treat them with the respect they deserve and you’ll see the same in return. And don’t forget to put on a good show.

Make your songs as strong as you can and be approachable and flexible. Everything else should flow on from that.

Using crowdfunding bands can reverse the traditional business model. Bands have the opportunity to sell their product before it’s been produced and then use the money raised to create it. They just need to pull in the supporters to help them meet their goal. Kickstarter is a popular example of a crowdfunding system.

Prylosis had already started pulling together a new album but needed funds to help get them across the finish line. As a local band, consistent pay can be hard to come by. They saw their opportunity after seeing a few other local bands running successful crowdfunding campaigns.

 Building the campaign

You have to be very specific about what it is you are using the money for and what backers will get in return for their donations.

Your fans aren’t just giving you money. They’re putting down money upfront for a product they want to receive in the future. They’re giving you the funds you need to create the product they want.

Careful thought needs to go into what you’re offering your fans for their support. Make it worth their while, give them no reason to pass up on the opportunity. You can offer unique reward for supporters such as pre-release copies, demos recordings & alternate mixes) or custom-made t-shirts. Be creative and be generous.

Promoting the campaign

Crowdfunding is all about calling on your existing fan base to show their support. Your backers are going to come almost exclusively from your current fan base, so make sure you let them know what’s going on.

The most effective place to promote was through Facebook, Twitter and our website. Nearly 50% of our goal was raised by just 3 backers who are close friends and fans of the band.

Your fans follow you because they’re interested in hearing from you. Get in touch and let them know how they can support you and what they’ll be receiving in return for their support. Keep them updated throughout the life of the campaign and encourage everyone to get involved and spread the word.

Meeting the goal

Meeting our goal was a challenge. It really came down to the wire.

Getting across that finish line and meeting your target is essential for the campaign. If you don’t meet your goal the money raised gets returned to the backers, you won’t see a cent and you’ll have to find other means to get things finished.

Choose a goal which is achievable and will be enough to let you produce what you’ve promised your fans. Work out just how much you need and stick to that. There’s no upper limit to how much money you can raise through the campaign, so if things go much better than expected, you won’t be missing out.

The keys to success

The key to success was being sincere and really getting the point across that we want our fans to get the best final product that we can give them when it comes to the new album.

Your fans are your lifeblood, let them know how much you appreciate them and their support. Let them know that their support will help create a product which they will want to be a part of. You’re giving them the opportunity to come in behind the scenes and really get behind a band they believe in.

Success comes from a combination of a well thought out campaign with good rewards, good promotion and calling on your fans to get involved.

We learned just how amazing our fans can be. Be sincere, you’re asking people to fund your dream. You owe a lot to anyone who backs your project no matter how big or small.

You can check out the original kickstarter campaign from Prylosis, including their self produced promotional video and rewards for backers here.

Prylosis are a hard rock band hailing from Sacramento, California, releasing their first album in 2009. Their new album Moral Insanity was released on July 28th. Check out their homepage and their facebook page for more information.