Amanda Grace Artist Matching/Comarketing Interview

17-Mar-2021 By Phil Harrington Leave a Comment

Amanda Grace has comarketed with The Blue Dolphins. Here’s what she had to tell us about her experience:

“Youbloom is connecting artists all around the world for a real partnership in the now by requiring each other to promote one another. It’s a genius idea!” Amanda Grace

Have you previously partnered in any way with other artists? If so, could you tell us about that?

I have done a couple of collaborations but definitely not enough. My life is sometimes busier than I wish. I did a co-release with an artist named Prime Blaq a few years back on a song called, “Los Angeles” – it was all done through sending tracks back and forth with the producer and pretty easy actually after I did my vocal/guitar parts.

What inspired you to match and co-market with other youbloom artists?

I really liked the positivity of the Blue Dolphins single they were pushing. It was such a key time to be playing about getting through things and reminding others that we are able to do hard things. I think it’s a great tool to get to know other artists and youbloom is right on about requiring them to work together and support each other.

What do you think the future holds for artist partnering in general?

I think it will continue to be strong and a vital part of success.

Would you consider giving us an artist matching/comarketing testimonial we can share with other artists and fans?

I think it was smart to have shown a youtube video and do the interview combination. There is so much that can go wrong in streaming that it was a wise move!

Connect with Amanda Grace

Linktree • Website • Facebook • Instagram • Youtube • Bandcamp • Spotify • Apple Music

Play high quality curated shows in new cities, towns and countries. Working together with other emerging, independent music artists and bands, around the world, similar to you in genre, location, etc.

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youbloom Interviews • Amanda Grace • Comarketing • Artist Partnering • Music Collaboration • Virtual tour • Music marketing • Find similar artists • Music collaboration • Emerging musician

Be Yourself: Raised on TV’s Advice

21-Jul-2020 By Leave a Comment

(Post via) Marie Tobias)Keaton Rogers offers some excellent advice, tells his band’s story, and elaborates on how they’ve arrived where they are: released their debut album titled “Season 1” two months prior to playing at the youbloomLA Music Summit & Festival back in 2017! One word of advice: Be Yourself!

Photo: youbloomDublin 2018

Garage Band Beginnings

Keaton, Kacey, and Ryan, the members of Raised on TV, began “working away in Ryan’s mom’s garage” in the summer of 2015. Keaton and Kacey, who are brothers, “always thought it would be cool to be in a band together”. So when Keaton’s previous band disbanded and Kacey and Ryan’s previous band also fell apart, they joined forces to create Raised on TV. With influences such as Weezer, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, and Blink 182, there’s no doubt that Raised on TV’s first EP, released in 2016, had rock and roll roots. Since their humble beginnings, they’ve toured twice and recorded a full-length album. And they “feel like [they’re] in a good place as a band.”

When asked about the band’s vision, Keaton joked that their band’s vision is “20/20 when [they] wear [their] glasses”

To “make and share quality music” is, “in all seriousness”, their true vision. Live performances hold an especially special place in their hearts, as Keaton stated “having an amazing concert experience is very much at the heart of our vision for our band.” And if they can help others “get through a tough day” with their music, even better. “It’s not about the competition!” Last year, Raised on TV entered a battle of the bands competition for a chance to play on the Vans Warped Tour. With 200 original contestants, they successfully navigated through the hoops to compete out of 8 groups in the final round. However, their “mindset was never that [they] were competing with other bands.” Instead, as Keaton states, they were just aiming to become “the best version of [themselves].” Again, be yourself!

Even though they lost in the final round, they reminded themselves that “it was never about winning in the traditional sense anyway. So, don’t get caught up in the competition. When you go see twenty or so amazing bands at a festival, there’s no first or second prize, no gold or silver medal, there’s a bunch of freaking awesome music and people there to enjoy it.”

Keaton’s word of advice? If an artist is true to themselves, “there will be nobody else like that artist and that’s what it’s all about.”

Check out youbloom Connect and/ or sign up here: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/ where you can get partnered to perform with other local artists, build a steady fan-base, and even get your band on the road.

youbloom Through the Years

14-May-2018 By Leave a Comment

Here’s a look back at what youbloomDublin and LA festivals have been doing since 2010.

youbloomDublin 2017 took place in Dublin’s city centre (Dame District) and at Bloom with a mix of Irish and international bands. The conference keynote was by Scott Cohen, founder of The Orchard.

youbloomLA 2017 took place in the NELA area of LA. Over 90 acts played in venues including HiHat, Highland Bowl, Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita, Griffins of Kinsale, Offbeat Bar and Five Star Bar with conference keynote speaker Andy Gould (Linkin Park, Pantera, Rob Zombie) with a total of over 40 speakers.

youbloomDublin 2016 took place in Dublin’s city centre and at Bloom with a mix of Irish
and international bands. The conference keynote was by legendary trad Irish musician Donal Lunny.

youbloomLA 2016 took place in the NELA and DTLA areas of LA. Over 80 acts played in venues including Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita, Griffins of Kinsale, The Lexington and Five Star Bar with conference keynote speakers Liz Garo, Talent buyer for Spaceland (The Echo/Echoplex/Regent Theater) and Darrell Brown, Hit Songwriter, Arranger & Producer with a total of over 40 speakers.

youbloomDublin 2015 took place in Dublin’s Dame District with a mix of Irish and international bands, and saw over [insert figure] of acts plat over the three days. The conference keynote was by Martin Elbourne (Founder of Great Escape, booker for Glastonbury, New Order, The Smiths etc).

youbloomLA 2015 took place again in the NELA area of LA. Over 50 acts played in venues including Old Towne Pub, La Cuevita and Griffins of Kinsale with conference keynote speaker Tom Sturges.

youbloomDublin 2014 where Alan McGee, the legendary manager of Oasis, Primal Scream and The Libertines was the keynote speaker, had 110 bands from 20 countries play to venues in Dublin’s Dame District.

youbloomLA 2014 took place in November 2014. Los Angeles hosted over 60 bands from all over the world for a rockin’ 3 days/nights of live music and networking. The conference hosted UK A&R legend, Nigel Grainge as keynote speaker. Other speakers included Dede Flemming, Jan Fairchild, Mike Bone, Vince Bannon and Tom Sturges.

youbloomDublin 2013 took place in June 2013. This consisted of a two day industry led music conference and 90 bands from 11 countries playing over three nights. The conference included music industry icons Dave Robinson of Stiff Records who gave the keynote address, Tommy Silverman of the New Music Seminar and producer Rupert Hine.

youbloom Music Awards 2010: The youbloom Music Awards began in 2010 primarily as an online event with fan voting and high profile judges led by Bob Geldof, Nigel Graine (Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats, Sinead O’Connor, 10 CC, Waterboys) and Rupert Hine (Tina Turner, Rush, Stevie Nicks). youbloom formed an A&R team that ran alongside the roll out of the live program in the UK, Ireland and Argentina.

Check out there rest of our video interviews with youbloom artists and speakers on youbloomTV.

ELLYD Interview Part2

05-Mar-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: ELLYD

In Part 2 of my interview with ELLYD we discuss her humble beginnings as a musician as well as future goals in wake of her EP, Lighthouse. Also, read to the end to learn a little bit about youbloom’s newest project, youbloomConnect.

You’ve been writing lyrics since you were 11. How long had you been playing music before that? What did that start look like for you?

Yeah I’ve been writing songs for a while now. Music is something that I’ve always been hugely interested in – I can’t remember a time being without it. My mam and dad got me guitar lessons when I was 6 years old so I guess after that it was a natural progression to start writing songs.

What was the first track you ever produced? What’s the story behind it?

Oh god, it’s hard to remember it exactly but I do know the first song I ever wrote was about flying. That was many many years ago – I was only a kid. It was a full song though and I think it was about believing in yourself, I think!

What did success look like for you in the beginning? At what point did you begin to consider yourself “making it?”

Yeah I think at the start gigging as much as possible is a good thing to do as its important to learn and experience the different aspects of the live environment whether it be the venues, the sound, the equipment, the audiences… I think progress happened for me within music when I started to get a bit more confident in what I was doing. Having the confidence to fail and having the confidence to succeed has definitely made a big difference for me. There were times in the past when I was afraid to share songs because it made me feel very vulnerable and now that vulnerability is an ally in my creative world. After that small change, better songs, and better gigs have somehow come about.

Everything inspires me – love, life, loss, family, friends, people I meet, conversations – everything.

What do you use to inspire your writing/lyrics?

I find a lot of my songs are from sub conscious thoughts – I never really understand what they’re truly about until I finish them. Apart from that, everything inspires me – love, life, loss, family, friends, people I meet, conversations – everything.

Could you describe your creative process a bit more?

My songs usually start with me playing some chords on my guitar. Sometimes it may start on bass or keys. Then when I hear a melody, the lyrics come. Once I get the structure sorted, and I feel the song is good enough, I demo it and add all the bass, drums, keys, and whatever other instruments and sounds I want for the song. These days I usually do that on Garage band. Then if I like it enough I bring it into the studio and get it down professionally.

What hobbies do you turn to outside of music, and do you use these hobbies as musical influence or to get away from music?

Hobbies outside music? That’s a tough one. I like running and rowing but that still involves music because I would have my earphones blaring. Saying that, I’ve finished some of my songs while I’ve been out running so I guess running has influenced me musically. I love going to local gigs too, so seeing new bands would have and will no doubt in the future influence me in my music.

Going forward

**You just released your new EP, Lighthouse. Can we expect a full album to follow?**

At some point, yes. I would hope there are many albums to follow! Realistically, for the time being, I’ll be releasing more singles and perhaps another EP or two before any album.

Do you currently have something new in the works? New Project?

I’ve just demoed some new material and I hope to be back in the studio very soon.

What is your vision going forward? Tour more, grow your audience, record a lot?

I’m writing a lot at the moment. So recording more material is definitely in my immediate future. I also want to get my music into as many ears as possible so there’s talk of doing some gigs across the waters – we shall have to wait and see!

What are your biggest challenges in reaching your vision?

Juggling my paying job with my dream job.

What advice would you have for other independent artists who are trying to make it in the industry?

Keep writing, keep learning and keep it fresh.

Photography by @callmeferdia

The first time youbloom had the privilege of hosting ELLYD was at the youbloomDublin 2017 Music Festival. That year, our festival bloomed a little bit brighter. You can find plenty more from ELLYD on YouTube and Spotify and at @ELLYDMUSIC on twitter.

Since 2013, youbloom has been striving to help talented, independent artists claim the spotlight they deserve. Starting this March, we’re thrilled to roll out our newest platform to further that goal. We call it youbloomConnect and it’s almost here (the app is nearly ready)! YoubloomConnect is a crowd-sourcing platform that revolutionizes the way artists, fans, hosts, an promoters interact. Check it out.

ELLYD Interview Part1

23-Feb-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo: Courtesy of ELLYD

ELLYD has played on some of Ireland’s best stages including Electric Picnic, The Secret Village Festival, Battle of the Lake Festival, The Button Factory, Whelans, and The Workmans Club. In January, the young folk-singer released her latest EP, Lighthouse, accompanied by an Irish tour which she is now in the midst of. In between gigs, ELLYD found some time to answer my questions about her career and where she sees her music taking her next.

You’re in the middle of an Irish tour right now. How is that? Where are you visiting?

Yeah it’s been great so far. I’ve been playing various venues with very different vibes so it’s been so much fun. I started off this tour with a private show at Davey Davey Salon in Dublin. Then I played at The Ruby Sessions, followed by my official launch for my EP ‘Lighthouse‘ at The Underground. I was in The Gallery Wine Bar in Westport at the start of the month and my next gig on this particular tour will be in The Spirit Store on March 15th. The wonderful Elga Fox will be joining me again so I’m very excited for that one.

How has this tour been different from your previous tour in Germany?

Germany was amazing and I really hope to go back soon. The venues I played over there were very intimate and the audiences were insanely attentive. The venues I’m playing in Ireland are mostly bigger and therefore not as intimate so it’s different in that sense. Also, over there I never knew what to expect, from the venue, sound, and the crowd. Whereas over here, I’ve a bit more of an idea. The beer is better in Germany though :)!

I’ve gotta ask, is that you in the jabawokee mask in the Lighthouse music video?

It is!

Could you tell us more about the ideas influencing the video and music for “Lighthouse?”

This song started out about a young man who didn’t feel he could go on in this world anymore. It’s obviously a sad, emotional song and I wanted to reflect that in the music. Originally the video was being made by an outside company but that fell through because of weather issues so I had to quickly come up with a different concept.

Because I was making this video myself, I needed it to be simple but effective. My friend Emma helped me out a lot and did some of the camera work for me. I wanted something that would stand out in a meaningful way so that’s where the mask came in. I suppose the idea behind the mask was that this song is not about just one person, it’s about many. The person behind the mask could be anyone.

There were times in the past when I was afraid to share songs because it made me feel very vulnerable and now that vulnerability is an ally in my creative world.

What kind of music/bands are you listening to right now?

Right now this minute, I’m listening to Dermot Kennedy. The past few days I’ve been listening a lot to VINCI’s new tune ‘We Are Ghosts‘ and James Brown has made his way back into my ears this past week too.

What’s the best show you’ve ever played? Why?

It’s hard to top Electric Picnic – just because it’s Electric Picnic.

Strangest show?

I remember I did a small Irish tour with my friend and singer/songwriter Thomas John. This one night we had a gig in Fanad – a beautiful part of Donegal. There was a small shop a few miles away that we walked to the next morning and TJ brought his guitar with us for some reason. We were just walking down this narrow country road with a guitar and singing songs.

Keep writing, keep learning and keep it fresh.

Anyway when we got to the shop (that was also a post office, chemist, butchers – you name it) the owner became a bit curious and asked us to play a few tunes. More customers came in and we kept playing. We were there for hours! It was such a mad little morning and nobody left until we did. Was definitely the strangest impromptu show I’ve ever been involved in!

You’ve come back to youbloom festivals. What benefit do you think networks like youbloom and youbloomConnect provide up and coming artists?

It’s of huge benefit. I’ve always said this music business is an endless learning environment and what better way to learn than from other people who are actually involved in this business, in whatever form. There’s such a great variety of music and people from various parts of the world that attend the youbloom Festivals.

What type of support do you think is most beneficial to independent artists trying to become successful/well-known.

Radio play, radio play, radio play.

Photography by @callmeferdia

With her EP “Lighthouse” now out and a tour underway, 2018 is bound to be a hectic and promising year for EllyD. Next week we will be releasing the rest of our interview with the artist and you can find plenty more of EllyD on YouTube and Spotify and at @ELLYDMUSIC on twitter. Youbloom is striving to help talented, independent artists gain the attention they deserve. If you like what we’re doing here, check out our newest development, youbloomConnect, where we help artists to find their fan base.