Hello!

The Sukey Rose Project is SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED and therefore this blog is wonderfully closed and sealed for all of posterity. I am now blogging about my experience as an unsigned, indie musician on my tumblr: http://sukeyrose.tumblr.com/.

Please update your bookmarks and come visit!

Thank you for being part of The Sukey Rose Project!

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So, I know it may look like it, but I swear, I haven’t abandoned this blog nor this site!

It’s been 1 month since the album released on iTunes and I’ve been working on promo and getting album reviews. I have so much more to share, and will do so this week when we unveil the NEW WEBSITE… but the biggest change that has occurred is: I’ve left my day job and am now focusing on music FULL TIME during the week! No more splitting my focus and running around from one place to another. Though I was grateful for part-time work, I want to devote all my energy and time to this album. So, expect bigger, brighter, larger, shinier, happier, sparkly-er things from now on. I’M SO EXCITED TO START RUNNING THE RACE!

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Hello! I put up a new poll asking, “What’s your favorite song on the new album?” If you’ve got the album, please go and vote! http://www.sukeyrose.com/sukeyroseproject/index.php/think-tank/

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wazup. why is july going by so quickly? can someone please push the pause button on the time machine? thanks. more significant blog entries coming soon.

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Oh my goodness, I haven’t updated the blog! I just don’t have enough time! 3 jobs, and remembering to eat and go to the bathroom (TMI sorry) is all I can handle right now. But I love all 3 of my jobs! Anyhoo. So… we had a great album release day yesterday (TUESDAY). I did a facebook promo asking friends to post a link on their walls, and so many people did! I was SO grateful for everyone’s support. I spent most of yesterday and today packing up Presale orders to go out to the Sukey Rose Project Members. Seems as if people are downloading the album on iTunes and so far the most popular songs are “Enough” (one of my faves, pretty definitive of my style), “Marionette” (always been a fan fave) and… “Evangeline”!!! Evangeline was always one of my favorite songs but it seemed not that many people reacted to it. Maybe iTunes is just makin’ stuff up… or maybe it’s hitting a chord. Hmmm….

Ok, my head is about to pop. I’m up during my usual early morning working hours (3:52am!) but I have to go to work tomorrow so I better hit the sack soon. I just wanted to write a quick blog thank you everyone for helping me create this album. As an artist, it gets to a certain point where you need *help* to take your art to a higher level. God provided me 100+ people to help. I’m grateful.

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Tomorrow, 8 boxes full of 6 panel-digipak CD’s are due to arrive at my door. It will be a truly amazing moment. A goal I almost gave up many times, finally achieved, and realized in a little 5X5″ package, by the grace of God and with the help of many kind souls. You can bet there will be pictures!

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Visit the HAVE YOUR SAY page and VOTE on what song you want to hear previewed next on my Myspace. It’s the last preview song before the Album comes out on July 14th and the poll will close Tuesday night at 9pm.

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Head over to the HAVE YOUR SAY page to have your say on the new album cover!

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So I haven’t heard back from the album art designer yet so I’m preparing for the worst- which is, that I do indeed, have to design the album art myself so that it’s done by Tuesday. There was also a deadline tomorrow of getting the album cover to Tunecore for posting on iTunes but that’s not going to happen on time, so I pushed the album release date back one week from July 7th to July 14th. It’s really no big deal, and it’s actually better because we have more time to set up some web promo and interviews for the album release.

*sigh* so I actually wrote a lot of that last “Many Hats” blog not only to share what I’ve learned in the past but also to remind myself that “If a deadline isn’t met, it is NOT the end of the world.” That is definitely not the motto for signed artists. Oh no. So another perk of being indie! But you really don’t want to go changing deadlines. Annie and Jo started doing some press and promo and they have to contact the publications they emailed to let them know about the changed date. I hesitated about that, about not looking professional, but decided in the end that it was NO BIG DEAL. What is the use of having flexibility of running your own business if you don’t take advantage of it? And honestly, I’m on very few radars right now, so it shouldn’t make much of a difference. (BUT I WILL BE ON A LOT OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE’S RADARS VERY SOON!)

I’m just SO EAGER to release this thing and get the album OUT THERE for everyone to hear!!!!!

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If you want to be a successful independent musician, you need to wear many ‘hats’. You need to be the ARTIST, PRODUCER, PROJECT MANAGER, TOUR MANAGER, BOOKING AGENT, MARKETING MANAGER, ART DIRECTOR, sometimes GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ACCOUNTANT, etc. If you’re blessed, like I am, you have people who are willing to help with some of the tasks listed above. But there are two things I’ve come to learn after doing this for a few years. First, even if you have people helping, it still gets overwhelming. If you are independent and unsigned, YOU are your business and YOU are the one that has to keep it going. The details can get a bit stressful. Case in point, right now I’m dealing with manufacturing and artwork deadlines for the album. Read the rest of this entry »

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To be a successful unsigned musician you MUST work your ARSE off. For the past year I’ve been in the starting gate, ready to blast through. I couldn’t do anything without an album in hand but the album is now in HAND! And now that I have clear things TO DO, I’m lovin’ it (Having clear goals that I can go after)! Here’s my to-do list for today:

LISTEN TO MASTER #2 CD!!!! and send Priority Mail to Manufacturer.
pay for Tunecore Rush Promo, email Annie and Jo confirm 7/7/ on iTunes
do basic template press release, email to Annie: “Indie Musician Mia Kim Announces Fan-Funded Album Release Date, July 7, 2009. ”
ADD ALBUM TO CD BABY AND GET BAR CODE
FOLLOW UP/ CONFIRM iTUNES/TUNE CORE RUSH PROMO

DO ALBUM ART!!!

SHORT RUN INTO PRODUCTION: DROP OFF MASTER as soon as you get 3rd master

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Ho-hum, every Tuesday night until 7/7/09, a new song up on Myspace. Two up already. Yeah!

www.myspace.com/miakim

ALSO! You can NOW PURCHASE THE PREVIEW TRACKS via My BANDBOX on my myspace page. Bandbox is a service that favors indie artists by providing them a way to sell digital tracks and keep 100% OF SALES. I’ll be doing a future blog post on Bandbox and what it means for me, the independent musician.

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I’m still on STEP 1 of Section 1, but I’ve done step 2 and 3! So that’s progress!

After recording steps:
1) Album Art (<-- I am here. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.)
2) Album Duplication Choices (<--DONE!)
3) Album Distribution Choices; Digital and Hard Copy (<--DONE!)

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So an example of an “Album Cycle” for a PERFORMING MUSICIAN is as follows:

#1 Go into the studio and record your album. Ideally finish it within 6-8 weeks. Release date is set as nearing the end of the album is made clear.
#2 When you near the end of recording and have an album title, the ‘marketing dept’ (i.e. me myself and i) is supposed to get the album art ready and start setting up pre-release press interviews and reviews.
#3 Finish recording the album. Send the album away for replication, do a short run of a couple hundred CD’s to send to press for reviews, radio, pre-release promo etc. For indie artists, the short run step is skipped due to lack of funds, or done home-made CD burning ghetto style or just skipped. Your ‘booking dept’ (i.e my myself and I or a management team, i.e. friends who are willing to help) starts booking gigs and performance dates for a couple weeks before the release thru to a month after the release date. They/we are also ideally setting up a more substantial ‘tour’ or grouping of shows for the next touring season (Fall or Spring). Your ‘marketing dept’ is setting up some live tapings and web promo.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Here’s where the real HARD work starts for the unsigned musician who is serious about getting their music OUT THERE and to the NEXT LEVEL. That’ll be me folks.

I had too much bouncing in my head last night so I quickly wrote down all the things I have to do in the next few weeks. Are you ready? This is just a summarized list and doesn’t include everything. Lucky for me, I’m an artist who enjoys administration and business (except booking, not so much). Right now I’m on Step #1 of “After Recording Steps”. Here’s the trick: BABY STEPS, TAKE BABY STEPS and thus, move forward.

After recording steps:
1) Album Art (<-- I am here. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.)
2) Album Duplication Choices
3) Album Distribution Choices; Digital and Hard Copy

Pre-Release Promo/Buzz
1) Pre-release reviews, interviews, press with select publications
2) Post preview mp3’s MySpace Streaming Track, etc.

Business:
1) LLC or DBA? $150 (had on East Coast, need to do for CA)
2) US Copyright, PA/SR $400

Then Full-On Marketing and Promo!
(send out Cd’s to Project Members)
1) new mkonline.com udpate srp.com, update myspace, facebook, bebo, reverbnation, lastFM, iLike, all new web 2. sites, etc. etc. etc.
1) send out CD’s for reviews
2) let everyone know about the release
3) press release, interviews, promo, etc.

Release Party Planning
1) opening band
2) food
3) my band, practicing

Booking and Playing Out
1) send out CD’s
2) follow up with Venues
3) open mics
4) active booking

and document it all on SRP and twitter.

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done done doneeee done done done done done, done done donnnnnnne done done done done done.. donnnnne done done done done donnnnnnnne donnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeee.

this is a new song i just wrote called ‘done’. I kid. the album is done! I just emailed Mr. Producer the final track listing. It’s done done done! done done finished, alive, real, breathing, done done done!

I HOPE EVERYONE LIKES IT!!!! I sure do.

Tentative release date is JULY 7, 2009, and “Miss Regret” is going to be your SONG of the SUMMER.

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Yes, by the end of this week, I should have a finished CD in my hands. Well the music part of it that is. In the end, it’s such a small thing compared to all that’s going on in the world, but for me, it’s a big goal accomplished so, I take that back, it’s a BIG thing! and I couldn’t have gotten this far without every single person who has supported/funded/encouraged me doing exactly that.

I plan on taking a little breather this weekend then it’s time for PHOTO SHOOT, ALBUM ART, (stay tuned to vote for your fave album cover pic), DISTRIBUTION STUFF, SENDING CD’S OUT FOR REVIEWS (and to INDUSTRY PEEPS), BOOKING SHOWS, NETWORKING, PRAYING, WEB PRESS/PROMO, oh and planning and practicing for a RELEASE PARTY. I”m thinking, real party, with disco music and all. No ‘artist sings a whole hour of their new stuff’ and people just sit there, no. Maybe I’ll sing a few songs, and then everyone will EAT and there will be cool music playing and maybe, I dunno, games like twister? Do I know how to throw a party or not?

Otherwise, I really have my work cut out for me. Though I must say, I’m REALLY blessed to have people (my peeps, I have peeps!) who are willing to help me with some of the above.

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Hey y’all, if you’d like to follow along, I’m twittering the last few days of recording!

www.twitter.com/sukeyrose

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One month from now. The album should be done. This is both scary and frightening, disappointing and exhilarating. Just think of this as the quiet before the happy amazing big promotional storm to let the world know about the album! Head’s up Grey’s Anatomy music supervisors… we’re on our way.

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