For the First Time in Decades....

Having dinner at a Ground Round somewhere in middle America.  These spots used to be all over Long Island when I was a kid, and we went there all the time as a family.  They still have the popcorn, although peanuts (and the shell-covered floors) are now just a memory...

Airport Bound...

6:30 am and in an uber on the way to the aiport for a trip to somewhere in the middle of the country.  Matt believes playing up the "pro gambler" angle would be an interesting story for purposes of ptomoting the album, but I believe it's in my best interest to keep that aspect of things quiet, at least for now.  There's already plenty of heat coming from casinos; I'm not sure I need any additional attention resulting from a marketing firm pressing that angle on my behalf...

Am at the point where I need to start putting that dedicated marketing plan into place... photo shoots, videos, single release schedules, artwork and label copy, etc.  Lots to be properly coordinated...

The Folly of Delta Airlines...

I called Delta airlines four hours ago with a question regarding the timing of upgrades as a Gold Medallion member.  An automated message confirmed that - due to long wait times - a Delta representative would call back when available.

How convenient!  A more than courteous and reasonable approach that conveys a high regard for my valuable time - and I can confirm that as promised, I received that callback about seventy minutes ago.

That might seem like a surprising statement - that I received the callback seventy minutes ago.  Why so specific?  Well... that's because - *ahem* -  Delta has kept me on hold for seventy minutes since initiating the callback.  That's not a typo.  I didn't mean to state 7 minutes, or seventy seconds, or anything along those lines.  I'm watching that call time continue to increase on my phone as I continue to wait on hold.  Within the last thirty minutes, I've actually had two computerized recordings (wait, make that three) confirm to me that I "am next in line to be answered".

Yet, here I am, continuing to be kept on hold.

To summarize... Delta offered to call me back so that I wouldn't have to wait on hold for a representative - and has now kept me on hold for more than 70 minutes since calling me back.

This is indicative of one thing - just like the governments of the United States and California: 

Delta is hopelessly broken.   Let's please put some smart people in charge (and while we're at it, let's do that for the U.S. and California as well).

Social Media Marketing

The last thing in the world I want to have to do is figure out how to market myself as an artist once the songs are ready to go.  Outsourcing this function to experts is clearly the way to go... but with social media being so youth-centric, it's hard to know who to trust with this task.  Experienced "brick and mortar" professionals may not be in touch with whatever makes today's youth (or at least users of social media) tick, and I doubt I would ever feel comfortable contracting with someone who's barely out of their teens.

I found a videographer who not only seems keen on the ideas of filming videos and EPKs for reasonable rates, but is also a big fan of ELO (and therefore likes the idea of working with my product).  So that's one key area potentially addressed.  But there is the question of regular contacts... the daily creation of posts to sites like Instagram and Facebook intended to be fresh and to keep product in the consciousness of potential fans.  Someone has to create the content; someone has to manage the website; someone has to create separate ad campaigns designed to drive viewers to those offerings... it's an incredibly complex (and potentially expensive) world...  

Random Thoughts On a Saturday Night...

Saturday night, drinking whiskey and waters with 805 backs at a bar that's within a reasonable uber ride from the old homestead.  It's nice to have a periodic retreat from the grind.  Islanders play tomorrow at noon on the east coast... going into game 1 of the opening round as an underdog.   I'm normally hopeful at the start of the playoffs, but I'm thinking they just don't have it this year.  Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

Recorded a bit yesterday with Mike and Matt.  Some great progress on "Endless Wire"... the guitar parts in the chrous seem much more coherent, and Mike's solo in the outro predictably rises to a majestic level.  Really loving how this record is coming together.

Incredibly cool that I have such fantastic musicians willing to work on this record.  The fact that Mike recorded with John Hiatt... simply mind-boggling.  And his solo on "Million Years" could have easily been laid down by David Gilmour.  Heady stuff...

Sent a couple of emails to marketing firms, inquiring as to the extent their services extend to targeted online advertising (as opposed to simple blog placements and/or playlist solicitation).  Advertising is the the key to acquiring dedicated fans, which is necessary for creating the recurring streams leading to longevity.  We'll see what they say...

Album Cover...

Returned Sunday from a profitable trip up north... only managed 30 hours at the tables as it was an unknown region, and had to do a lot of scouting... but my actual value exceeded EV for even 50 hours of play.  So all good.  One incredibly obnoxious casino refused to cash out without ID - and then when I provided it on a separate shift without playing, they actually said I would also need to get a player's card.  So now I'm getting spam emails from them as well... at least no backoffs this time around.

Found a great photo of Montauk Point off of the east end of Long Island online, now I need to find an artist to superimpose the Interstate Island logo over an artistic rendering of the shoreline for the album cover.  I'm looking to make it like ELO's "A New World Record", but with the Long Island shoreline instead of a cityscape... 

Following In the Man's Footsteps...

I loved ELO.  Still do... Jeff Lynne is a genius.  There has never been anything like those mid 70s albums... pristine rock/pop songs performed with both traditional commercial instruments AND a 32-piece string section. 

Jeff Lynne got tired of dealing with the orchestra after awhile, but I never got tired of listening to it.  Turn the page a few decades, and here I am now working on my own album that will incorporate the same rock and string arrangements.  How is that possible?  Somehow, I managed to connect with both (a) a multiplatinum record producer and (b) ELO's current string arranger.  That's right... the guy who's now overseeing ELO's string arrangements during their current live tours is also creating string arrangements for my forthcoming first album, much like Louis Clark created all of those phenomenal string arrangements for Jeff Lynne back in ELO's heyday.  Pretty cool stuff... and the ride is just beginning.

Waking up at 4am tomorrow to begin an 8-day road trip through my local region.  Car rental rates have skyrocketed of late due to suppliers having sold off significant portions of their fleets as a result of the pandemic - and there is now no longer adequate supply to meet the growing demand in this post-vaccination age.  While that's impacting my ability to schedule profitable trips in remote regions, this rental is from a neighborhood outlet - and those rates, while still elevated, are nowhere near as ridiculous as airport rental rates.

I'm looking forward to getting breakfast on the road at sunrise, just like I would do with my family on vacations as a kid...