New musical discoveries, CCC music, good playlists to submit to, and the interview of Paul Beaudoin.
New piano music released
After "Walking on the Sand", which was added to my first editorial playlist "Instrumental Reading", I have worked on a new piano solo music : "Introspective whispers".
I have used a photography taken this summer as a wink to the "Walking on the Sand" artwork (footprint in the sand).
The felt version is a little bit different (the notes at the end).
Musics added to "Thriller Reading"
Iodine Watt - Swarm Ten-Fifteen
Very experimental ambient music, with dark effects on it.
Do you have this kind of music? Submit to "Thriller Reading" here :
Hari Maia - Isca Viva
This music is composed for a movie and we feel it, all along the track.
A very cinematic music !
Morning Haze, Raffaele Monego - Hell
Minimalist dark ambient music, almost an horror drone music, perfect for my playlist !
CCC : Contemporary Classical Composers
Roger Evernden wrote this on his website :
"The Contemporary Classical Collective (CCC) is an informal group of spirited musicians, dedicated to a sub-genre of contemporary classical music that variously goes under the label of neo-classical or indie-classical.
The musicians in this group are united by their passion for an increasingly popular musical style that is minimalistic, independent, and often collaborative. As with this group, composers and performers are well known to one another, and communicate frequently together via social media.
CCC is a truly international phenomena, including artists from all parts of the planet.
Compositions are often piano-based – although not exclusively. The music is often calm, relaxing, and meditative – again, this is not an absolute. Arrangements may include strings, harp, flute, and guitar.
Influences on this genre are far and wide, from the gentle tones and subtle harmonies of Erik Satie, Debussy, Brian Eno, and Nils Frahm."
https://www.rogerevernden.net/contemporary-classical-collective-ccc/ I am a member of CCC, and a lot of projects are in preparation !
Here is a playlist with musics from the artists of CCC :
TOP50 Neoclassical playlist : how it works.
This playlist is updated every sunday, each week.
The Top 5 changes often, and it is shared on IG (post or story, where I tag the artists in the top 5).
I just created an "archive" version of the TOP 50 neoclassical playlist.
All the tracks removed from the main playlist are added here :
Playlist of the Month : Orchestral Music + Nature Sounds
Ok, yes, thats is not easy to submit that kind of music ! But there are more and more listeners and streams : 229 streams / 28 days, (+54%)
You can submit here, for free :
Interview : Paul Beaudoin
1.How long have you been on Spotify?
I have been listening to Spotify far longer than I have been a recognized artist on it. For years I thought that Spotify was for "commercial" musicians and that the music I make would not fit in. That certainly changed a few years ago when I discovered the incredible number of independent artists who use the Spotify platform for their work.
2. What is good for artists on Spotify ? And what is bad? How has Spotify (and the other stream services) changed the way people engage in music? How have you, as an independent artist, changed?
Spotify is a relatively free platform for independent musicians to share their music. There are better places – say Bandcamp, for example – but far and wide, Spotify is the most widely recognized and publicly used streaming platform. It is an excellent place for artists to create a niche for their work. Nevertheless, it does have some complex challenges. Because Spotify is geared towards "very" commercial music, it takes thousands of plays before an artist can generate income. With the sheer volume of Spotify artists and uploads, It is now a myth that more than 60,000 tunes are uploaded to Spotify every. Single. Day. Realistically it is closer to about 25,000. It is impossible for anyone even to come close to listening to that much music. However, most artists average about 50 listeners for their account. An independent musician's successful and achievable goal is to build their own niche and organically grow their listener base. It takes time – some say years – but it can be gratifying to know your listeners genuinely appreciate your work.
An independent artist can also reach out to numerous curators of Spotify playlists. There is something for every kind of music – and the playlists are a great way to get visibility. Many playlist curators create podcasts that showcase artists or genres; others do a weekly set of new releases and spotlight emerging artists. With enough visibility, the "giant" Spotify algorithm takes notice, making it possible to land on their coveted "Daily" Playlists created for individual listeners based on their music choices.
It takes great patience for this to happen – because the process is slow. Remember how many thousands of other pieces of music you are competing against. So, critical to your release is to have some basic "business" skills that help your marketing. For example, be consistent in releasing music. Furthermore, that newly released music needs to be as polished as possible – put out enough low-quality work, and the long-term damage can be irreparable. Develop a way to connect with your listeners. Many artists tend to create videos that accompany their work or "merch" – everything from custom-designed artwork signed and numbered to the traditional t-shirt and coffee mug. Merch is a proven track if you are looking for a general way to increase your income.
3. Do you have a favorite playlist on Spotify? How often do you listen to it?
It is a funny thing about the Spotify algorithm. Every year they sent each listener a kind of year-end summary of their listening habits. Two years ago, I was surprised to learn that my Number ONE listened-to artist was Celer (a drone and ambient artist from Japan who stopped creating music just this year). As it turns out, I often have insomnia, and I discovered that if I listened to Celer, I could fall asleep more effortlessly– consequently, that meant that Spotify was left running for 7, 8, or 9 hours at a time. Do that over a few months, and it will appear like you have a new favorite artist.
As you know, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of playlists on Spotify. There are many that I am devoted to. The Sound of Ambient, Ambient Dreamscapes, and Compositional Ambient are currently "in rotation." However, to be 100% honest, I curate my playlist – for myself only – that I am constantly refreshing as I discover new music that I relate to. I also listen to internet radio stations such as Stillstreams, Ambient Sleeping Pill, and SOMA.FM. I have a wide listening range though you will find that my home is quiet more often than not. There is a reason for it – but it strikes people as odd. I have often said that the best pieces are the ones that stopped hours ago, but I never noticed.
4. You made some collaborations. Is it what you are looking for, thanks to the internet?
One of the great things about the web is the way it connects people from around the world. It is now possible to collaborate with anyone, anyplace, anytime, from anywhere. My studio in Estonia is a virtual home to musicians from New York, small villages in France, a glitch artist in Tokyo, and several sound designers in Brazil. The strategy is to find the community you belong to – and believe me, there is a community for every conceivable artist. Participating in these communities can also be great for developing your work as you can get Feedback and Commentary from like-minded people. While there are services that offer feedback, most of it, it seems, is far too generic and not worth the money. When you participate in a community, you (and them) are interested in doing the best possible work. That is the goal to keep in mind!
5. What is your favorite music you have composed? Why this one?
It comes as a surprise to many people that I am a professionally trained "serious" composer. I have a Ph.D. in music theory and composition from Brandeis University in the US. I spent most of my professional life writing music for the concert hall. That world began to dramatically change when I moved out of the US to live in Tallinn, Estonia. There is something about the natural beauty of the landscape here and my slowing pace (mainly as a practicing Buddhist) – the music I write now is what I engage with most. Even though I continue my "academic side" (I have a journal article published in a journal from the University of California Press), I am also a painter, video artist, and writer. I have committed to using the best medium to "speak" with my creative voice.
6. Can you share with us 2 or 3 very good tracks you like very much (from different artists)?
If you have not already gotten a hint that Celer would be on the list, let me add a few more. The Caretaker's work "Everywhere at the End of Time" is an absolute masterpiece.
If you do not know it, you need to. It will change your life.
And since I am fond of long pieces, The Disintegration Loops 1 by William Basinski is gold.
Finally, I have to nod to Brian Eno – listen to "Neroli" or, better, find his masterful 77 Million Paints – a work on CD-ROM that generates images and sound at the same time.
Thank you Paul for this interview !
Listen to Paul's music here :
New playlist : Huit femmes (Original Theater Soundtrack)
Here is an idea I have seen on Spotify (I don't remember from whom it was) : to make an album a playlist !
So this album can be liked (as a playlist) and I can see the number of followers (We can't see on the spotify application the numbers of likes for each album).
Maybe it isn't a good idea, but, as usual, I want to try ! ^^
I share this idea with you today, maybe some of you would like to convert their albums in playlists too !
Rendez-vous next month for new musics !
Next release : "Sleep Among Nature", a compilation of relaxing musics with nature sounds.
Here is the tracklist (in exclusivity ^^)
3 minutes to sleep : a new version (nature sounds added) of this popular track (60k streams)
Self Empathy Night Version : the most listened ambient music (90k streams)
Water Therapy : I have changed the normalisation (the music is less loud)
Tocane : a new and unreleased music, with my own recording of the river at Tocane in France (24)
Counting to Nothing : an unedited version (soundscapes and nature sounds)
Serenity
Self Empathy 2 : the track will be released as a single 3 weeks before this album
Relax Time : I have reduced the sound volume
A friend of mine gave me this idea of a compilation.
On my Spotify page, he told me : "What music can I listen to if I want relaxing musics?"
So, I had the idea to make a compilation with released musics and new tracks (or new versions).
Thank you for presaving it !
#french #beauty #music #ambient #orchestral #cinematic #Minimalist #atmospheric #ethereal #ambient #ambientmusic #compilation #bestof #unreleased
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