How I use social media as a music maker
How I use social media as a music maker
And learning that I can't stand Threads
I was online a lot in 2020 and 2021. I was making short form video for Instagram and TikTok. I was Tweeting up a storm. I was doing whatever I could to get on the radars of potential clients and my colleagues. I knew social media was critical to what I did as a composer and music producer but I was exhausted.
So, I stopped. I just flat out totally and completely stopped. For all of 2022 and most of 2023, I just didn’t really use social media. I would post occasional updates about the things that I was doing but beyond that social media didn’t factor into my professional or creative practices at all.
There were some things I learned during that time. Social media definitely isn’t everything. My career growth didn’t stall out. I kept meeting and connecting with new people. I focused on in-person events and taking the time to connect one-on-one with people over Zoom. In a world that is totally dominated by social media, face time with other people is still invaluable and unrivaled. Not to get too business-y but a handshake and a good conversation cuts through the noise much faster than a viral post on socials ever could.
Over the summer, I released Fever Dreams at Ruger Place and, with it, an accompanying music video for the single “Death Only Comes When I’m Awake.” That whole process began to scratch an itch that had long been bothering me: I like sharing the things that I do. I couldn’t really avoid it any longer.
I want to be a part of the conversation happening. I want to make things that I think are beautiful or compelling or helpful and share them with the world. It's just who I am. So why did I stop in the first place?
I didn’t want to post for a long time
Frankly, I dealt with technical issues for a long time. When I first started creating video content in 2020, I was working on a 2014 MacBook Pro that struggled mightily with video editing. Firing up Premiere Pro meant transmuting my computer into a jet engine. Tasks that should’ve taken 15 minutes would take hours. Since upgrading my computer to a Silicon model, the technical bottleneck has completely evaporated. I would be amiss if I didn’t mention that. New tools are rarely the solution to problems, but, when they are it is glaringly obvious.
I also stopped sharing for other reasons. Social media can be time-sucking and anxiety-inducing. Everybody is online and the anonymous nature of it can bring out the worst qualities in others. (Related, but as an aside, if you’re an asshole online — no matter how righteous you believe you are — you won’t have a career in music, or at least a severely limited one. Everybody and I mean everybody remembers how you make them feel.) It can be incredibly scary to know that you could work hard at something and find yourself on the receiving end of shitty comments.
I’ve experienced that shit firsthand. In fact, the first time a game that I worked on received major news coverage, it was my music that got ripped to shreds in the comments section. Some of it was really funny. Some of it sucked. But eventually, I realized that I could not allow myself to care.
That was a hard lesson for me to learn. I’m the kind of person who hates to be misunderstood. I’m also the kind of person who desires consensus. The internet is not conducive to either of those things. I had to learn to accept that what I do won’t be for everybody and that I don’t have to justify myself to anyone. I’m only trying to share my music and help others make the music they want to make. If anybody seeks to fault me for that, so be it.
Learning what works for me
One of the most overwhelming parts of social media is the sheer variety. Thankfully, that’s also one of the benefits, too. I use to think that I needed to be active on every platform possible at all time. Essentially be everywhere all at once. I’ve since learned that it’s better to be engaged and active somewhere rather than failing at being everywhere.
I’ve also come to learn what formats work best for me — or at least which formats I like the most. Recently, I tried out Instagram’s new Twitter clone Threads and realized that I absolutely hated it. I only saw growth when I posted hot takes and that just kind of sucks. I don’t want to debate an idea back and forth with somebody over 250 characters. There’s little room for nuance and even less room for interesting ideas in that format for me. For some it works, but not for me.
I don’t think I would have realized that if it wasn’t for Substack, frankly. I enjoy writing quite a bit but I can’t do short format. I have to feel my ideas out, dance around the point a little bit, and venture into tangents. All of these things do not work on Twitterlikes. So, I’ll continue writing here.
I’ve also found that I do really like making video content when it isn’t like pulling teeth to produce stuff. It’s an excellent way to teach and share ideas. So, you’ll likely be seeing a lot more video content from me. I’ve got a nice little setup figured out now with my DSLR that makes things ultra aesthetic.
I’m also going to try new things, too! YouTube is coming! Twitch is coming! I actually think I’ll make a halfway decent streamer. I won’t be a full-time streamer but it’ll be a great way to share in my production process with others. I actually find that I like composing in front of an audience as that is often a part of what I do when I’m teaching. I’m coming into a season of wanting to try things and see what sticks.
Offerings coming in the new year
I’ll also have new offerings as well. Advanced Sampling Techniques: Sample Yourself happened this past Saturday and it was a great success. For those of you who missed it, the recording is now available for purchase. I won’t be running this class live again for the foreseeable future but I have several more in the works that I’ll be announcing early next year.
Similarly, I have exciting plans for Keep Living With Music to continue growing. That starts first with expanding the offerings available to paid subscribers. I’ll be talking about it more in the new year as well, but I plan on launching a free Ableton Live instrument series for paid subscribers of this newsletter as a way of thanking you all for helping to make this newsletter sustainable. I’ll be talking about that more soon.
Figuring out our place in the world is hard, figuring out our place online is so much goddamn harder. I sometimes wish that it wasn’t this way, that I didn’t have to make every last little thing and that I could just focus on making music. On the other hand, there is something I enjoy about crafting an entire ecosystem. I’m realizing that while I am limited to the platforms available to me, I am in control of how I choose to engage with each of them. If I frame it for myself this way, it keeps things actionable. I am, if anything, all about that action.
Until next time.
Quick Hits
I was interviewed on the Sound Business Podcast. Akash and I chatted about how to break into games, finding clients, and a lot more. Listen here.
I wrote music for the first VR Barbie game. This month, Peeka and Mattel released Barbie: You Can Be a Fashion Designer VR. Learn more here.
Do you need help with your music production or composition skills? I offer private one on one lessons over Zoom. You can sign up for lessons here.