|
Robin
Barrett
Some have measured musical success online, by the hundreds of requests
they've had for their songs, and then are some like blues artist Robin
Barrett who thinks of online success in the terms of millions. He
has made #1 in his genre with 15 different songs and having just broken
the seven digit barrier, Robin has established himself as one of the
true success stories at mp3.com. I finally caught up with Robin between
his schooling, writing of hits and feeding of horses...
Mb: Hey Robin.
Robin: HOWDY!
Mb: I'm perusing your page.
Robin: Cool
Mb: Congrats on the stats! 1 million!!
Robin: TY a little over :D Naughty Little Girl is #47 today.
Mb: I see that! OK, what's the secret, other than having some killer
tracks?
Robin: Asteady diet of SPAM! LOL
Mb: Do you do a lot of emailing?
Robin: I post to Yahoo and MSN groups quite a bit. Auctions do work too,
in conjunction with other promoting.
Mb: Are they Yahoo groups you've developed or one's you've joined?
Robin: Ones I've joined, I try not to spam too much, but a well placed
message helps a lot. It really isn't ONE thing that keeps you out front.
More of a combination. Kind of like a battle, it works better if you
attack from a couple different directions.
Mb: Do you think the charts help?
Robin: I KNOW that as far as Blues goes, the charts help ALOT! When NLG
["Naughty Little Girl"] hits #1 I get a noticeable increase
in plays for ALL of my songs.
Mb: I've found the same thing in the jazz and easy listening charts,
but not the rock and pop sub genres.
Robin: Yes, it seems the Pop/Rock charts are a bit more fickle.
Mb: Why do you think that is? The nature of the listener?
Robin: Well... People that come for Blues, Jazz, or Easy Listening are
coming to find new music maybe. The ones listening to Pop and Rock tend
to get there from the main page.There are a lot less majors on the Blues
chart.
Mb: I think people listening to blues, easy listening and jazz hit
the "play chart" button and letting it fly, while the pop listener
is actively surfing pages?
Robin: Yes you are right, as far as I can tell. About a third of my plays
come from the chart.
Mb: So what's an average day for Robin Barrett?
Robin: Online or off?
Mb: You have a life off-line?
Robin: LOL I just started back to school for fall quarter, Gayle and
I have 12 horses and 8.5 acres and I'm getting ready to release "Blue
Movie" FINALLY! My days are full to say the least.
Mb: Sounds it...What's up at school... going to be scientist?
Robin: LOL Although my right brain is pretty strong, my left brain is
old fat and tired! So no, not science... or math!
Mb: Colouring? Paper mache?
Robin: LMAO! I'm just finishing a tech degree in Digital Media and starting
a B.A. in Sociology with a biz minor. Don't even ask what I'm gonna be
when I grow up.
Mb: A horse rustler?
Robin: The horses are really Gayle's passion. Music is my "air"
Mb: So are you going to learn how to digitally enhance society with
your tunes?
Robin: Tell ya what, I can't afford to quit school and pay back student
loans, so maybe the economy will turn around in three years. I won't
get started on politics!
Mb: What about George Bush anyway? Like him?
Robin: I've seen from the message boards that we agree (you and I) on
most topics political. Does that tell you anything? OK short and sweet:
No I don't like anything about Bush.
Mb: How about farm life? Do you roll around in the hay and stuff?
Robin: When ever I can catch Gayle! LOL
Mb: You must be an early riser or are horses lazy too?
Robin: They're lazy too LOL I have a problem with staying up late (Too
many years as a musician) so sleep has become a valuable commodity.
Mb: I see you're over at the Reel Music site.. Joanne is doing a good
job for everyone.
Robin: She's putting ALOT of work into the project. And doing a good
job.
Mb: I imagine you believe in networking, seeing that you're "minoring"
in biz at school.
Robin: Yes of course! You can't have to many friends in this biz.
Mb: OK.... so you have 50$ left in your wallet.. What do you spend
it on?
Robin: I'm 6'1" 200 lbs, so.... FOOD! LOL
Mb: That's a lot of food!
Robin: Not these days...
Mb: What happens when the food runs out?
Robin: I don't know... hopefully it won't.
Mb: lol... Not prepared? Are you living for the moment Robin?
Robin: One day at a time my friend.
Mb: So what's the last thing you want to say about yourself?
Robin: Well... As I mentioned "Blue Movie" will be released
soon (about a month) I'm in the process of hiring publicity and promotions
people right now. Looking forward to reaching a broader audience off
line.
Mb: So it's about business?
Robin: Having to be my own record Co SUCKS! But by the same token the
deals being handed out by the record companies these days don't sound
too inviting. I like having control of my music.
Mb: Are you a control freak Robin?
Robin: Damn straight! LOL
|
