How
Sunfall Festival Got Signed
When
the members of Sunfall Festival landed their Garageband.com
recording contract, they really had no idea it was coming.
They had uploaded the song "I Walked Away" a year
ago on the recommendation of some friends, thinking that
would be the end of it. After tracking hits on their own
website, www.SunfallFestival.com, they noticed a lot of
traffic coming to it from Garageband.com. They checked it
out and found that their song was sitting at No. 25. It
gradually rose, and after four days of sitting at No. 1
they were anxious for something to happen so they could
get some sleep. Then they received the phone call. They
had become the winners of the seventh $250,000 award the
site has given.
(from
Salt Lake City Weekly) This
article continues at SunfallFestival.com
A
Conversation with Sunfall Festival's Chris Peterson
To
discover the secrets behind Sunfall Festival's success,
LDS Music World interviewed the band to get some insights
and advice for other LDS musicians:
LDS:
Congratulations on winning this contract! How do you envision
Sunfall Festival changing as a result of this breakthrough?
What opportunities does it provide you, and what does the
future hold?
SF:
Thanks. A big change is that we now can devote more time
to what was once our hobby, and treat it more as a profession
without feeling guilty. To all of a sudden be in contact
with people like Jerry Harrison and other executives at
Garageband will hopefully open up a lot of doors for us,
both creatively and on the business end.
We'll
most likely be doing a lot more writing and practicing now.
We've always had the luxury of recording in Scott's studio,
so sometimes we head in without really doing a lot of pre-production.
Now that we'll be recording on a label's budget, we'll probably
go in to the studio more prepared. That will have it's good
and bad sides.
LDS: Obviously, your fans have been an
integral part of making Sunfall Festival a success. How
have you built your fan base? What are the essential elements
involved in gaining and retaining fans?
SF: Obviously, you need to start with music that
connects with your audience in some way. We also try to
stay in communication with our fans as much as possible
through our website and our mailing list. We don't abuse
the mailing list, which is pretty important when you have
people around the world voluntarily giving you access to
their inbox. It's a relationship, not an excuse to spam.
Though
the real key for us having a fan base has been perseverance.
We have been around for a while, compared to other bands
in this area. It's important to stay together. We've seen
a lot of great bands come and go. If they didn't have the
success they hoped for, they moved on. Best way to gain
and retain fans is to keep at it. Keep writing songs. Keep
playing. And keep putting up posters in the snow.
LDS:
You have embraced the internet as a means of gaining exposure
and delivering your music to the masses. What do you see
as the key features the internet has afforded you in your
success?
SF: Exactly that - the internet allowed us to get
our music heard outside of Provo, Utah without paying for
gas and a U-Haul. If you use it correctly, a website can
help you maintain a relationship with fans that you could
only maintain through touring. Video, audio, and constant
news updates will help your fans feel connected.
LDS:
What advice would you give to other LDS musicians about
using the internet to their advantage?
SF: There's a lot of music out there, and it's difficult
to cut through the clutter. One key has been to find similar
sounding artists, become friends with the band or fans of
their band, and get the music into as many hands as possible.
Word of mouth is the most popular way for independent music
to spread. Upload your songs (not all, just a few - you
don't want to give away your entire repertoire) to as many
music sites as you can find. But don't stop there. Talk
about your music, talk about other people's music. Network.
With time, it will spread.
LDS:
Getting signed is not entirely about marketing and promotion.
It's also about creativity and talent. What would you say
to musicians who are just getting started regarding the
development of their talent and succeeding as a musician?
SF:
The best musicians are the smart musicians. From what we've
seen, it seems the best musicians are those who know when
to play, when not to play, and what to play without adding
in extra notes or ideas. Some people have a hard time sorting
through their songs by themselves and in that case it can
be a very good idea to find someone to collaborate with,
whether it be a fellow musician, an arranger or a producer.
Though, in the end it takes a lot of practice and experience
to improve as a musician/band. Good vocals is always a helpful
thing.
