I Have Grand Visions and I Am Boldly Proclaiming Them

June 26, 2008

Welcome, new visitor! My name is Ari, the man behind Aries9. Here I share my thoughts on music and life, so you can get to know me and my music. Thanks for visiting!

Wow!  That’s a title. ;-)  Quite a change from the last couple of mopey posts, isn’t it?

I’ve been meaning to do this, but I’ve been scared to.  But now is as good of a time as any.

To let the world know what my intentions are.

My World Domination.

I am not kidding.  Here is how I plan to start:

By writing and recording music, and distributing it freely, using blog as the delivery/distribution mechanism.

In the other words, I’m going to pursue a blogging business, with a twist — offering music as the center piece, with writing served on the side.

No, I can’t post a new song a day.  But I plan to release at about one-a-week pace.

Yes, I’m ripping off the model Jonthan Coulton used.  I don’t think he can sue me, though, unless he patented his business model 

In all seriousness, when I read what he did, and when I read Steve Pavlina’s post about how to make a living as a blogger, dots connected in my head.

I’ve had problems with traditional business model of recording and touring.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to play live and I plan to do so.  But what I am really exceptional at is in writing, arranging, producing — “constructing” music.  Plus, touring is hard for a family man.  And putting and keeping a band together is a baggage I don’t need right now.

I’m making music that is “me” — and I also needed a business model, a method of pursuing my music making as a business, that is also uniquely “me” and suits my needs, personality, and style.

So how does the “mp3 blog” model enable me to do that?  Here is how:

• I’ve always planned on having a life-long career, putting out music in multiple genres.  Aries9 is my first and primary love, but I have songs that don’t fit this project’s range.  Specifically, I plan to put out music that are:
  • Gentler/uplifting rock, using more acoustic guitars, like Jars of Clay
  • Children’s music. Collaborating with my wife, who’s a terrific singer
  • Film/classical/instrumental music
  • Blues/roots/folk
  • And of course, more Aries9!

  They will be organized under various project names, so people know what to expect. Aries9 is one of them.  My range and versatility is wider than most musicians — comparable to Zappa, They Might Be Giants, and Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree.

• This business model combines everything I know — music, writing, online business. In addition to releasing music, I’m going to continue traditional blogging. This blog (well, it’ll probably move to arikoinuma.com) will be my central music blog where I release songs, discuss how my business model is working, and give tips to other musicians, songwriters and home recordists. My other blog will continue to discuss my other passion of realizing one’s potential as a human being. Blogging alone, when done, is proven to make a profitable business. Combining that with music (I will blog everyday, even on the days when I’m not releasing new songs) will be a potent match.
• I can build up momentum without having to rely on live gigs/touring initially.  My family and I will be happy.
• Remember, I’m bilingual. Once I build up my catalog and web sites in English, then I can duplicate the whole thing in Japanese. Another one of my unique assets being utilized.  Japanese music industry is in even worse trouble than American counterpart.  A musician’s success story will be good news to that country.
• I work well with deadlines and when imposed limitations.  I get more creative that way, and make better music when I don’t have time to second-guess what I’m doing.
• I have a wealth of other ideas that I can experiment with — like allowing fans to commission songs, recording Phil Keaggy-style improvisation daily, writing e-book on how to sequence realistic drumming (my specialty) and so on.

How am I going to make money, when I’m releasing songs for free?  Well, I will put ads and affiliate links on my site, in addition to offering CDs and more traditional music merchandise.  I’m also toying around with the idea of subscription/membership for a low monthly fee — for additional content, free CDs and T-shirts, and so on.  Of course, I’ll take donations. 

The idea is to build up a suite of web sites which attract high traffic.  Once I have the traffic, there are many ways to earn income from it.  Not to mention, it’ll help me play gigs.

So, when am I going to start this?

As soon as I can.

Here’s where you come in.

Obviously, it takes a lot of time to create tunes at a pace where I can release them on a weekly basis.  I have most of the equipment I need to start this right now, but what I need is time.  I did my research and I’m confident that if I do this on full-time basis for 2 years, I will be able to build up a sustainable business.  And my income potential will grow exponentially from there, as my catalog builds up.

I need something, some kind of arrangement that will allow me to spend time building this for 2 years.  There are many ways that can happen.  Getting a grant.  Finding investor(s)/patron(s).  My blogs taking off traffic-wise.  Getting a loan.  Inheriting (?) a house I can sell….

I just need to find some way of doing this without starving and neglecting my family.  Going at this in a “working 2 full-time jobs” way is not acceptable.  Everyone will be so stressed if I did that — and that’s not conducive to making good music.  The whole point of doing this is to make everyone happy.

I just need to find time to do this, without sacrificing my family’s well-being.  But I’m open as to how that works out.

So, if you like me or my music, and think this idea has a potential, do me a favor — just mull over my plan in your head.  Be on the look out for ideas, hints, and inspirations for what can allow Ari 2 years’ worth of music-making time.  If you have any ideas or questions, let me know.  (comments are open below) And look forward to the day when you can come back here and find a new tune that’ll surprise you and thrill you.

I strongly believe that the world will be a better place when I’m making music all the time.  What I outlined here is just a start — once I get this thing going, I’m going to use my knowledge to help others live a life of pursuing their passions.

But above all, I believe that my music is good.  People get happy when they listen to my music.  Me getting prolific and releasing a lot of different music will be good for the world.  And my success will be an inspiration to many others.

So — thanks for reading.  And send me your well-wishes, prayers and kudos.  If you think I’m lunatic and my plan will never work, then kindly keep that opinion away from me.

The important thing is that I have a vision I’m excited about, and I’m going to boldly pursue it.  While I have every reason to believe I’ll be successful, ultimately, that’s not what matters.  I’m having fun pursuing it.

Life is what happens when you’re on the way.

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