Northwest Independent Christian Artists, let's UNITE!

2008 was a year of personal growth and realization. As a Christian, I realized that selling records was not my goal. As an artist, I realized to make money from your music you cannot leave out the option of merchandise. It seems as though people love seeing you perform for free and love you even more if you hand out free cds.

In 2006 and 2007 I handed out 1000 CDs in mixtapes and singles. So I figured I should have a manufactured CD - packaged and ready to sell in any store. Even with a Free Poster, these CDs didn't leave my possession as quick as I expected.

We all need to understand, welcome, and embrace the new world and digital age. Having your music online is essential these days. Everyone has an album for sell on iTunes for $9.99. Now, the "new" thing is EPs and Singles. Why release a 12-15 song album when you can sell your songs at $.99 each.

I have released digital albums with bonus songs and extended versions to help the album get exposure. The best way to further your album is to follow the footsteps of Braille. He released his The IV Edition as an Instrumental album, AND an A Capella album. An artist can potentially triple the sells and open up the opportunity for other artists to use your beats or vocals for their remixes, mixtapes, and so on. Its a blessing all around.

Another great way to promote the music is a Podcast. I have been wanting to be a part of a Podcast in any way. Fresh Mann shared the idea of Video Blogging and offering fans the opportunity to send in questions to be answered. This is a great idea and should be taken further and include music by indie artists. I would like to increase the possibility of exposure of artists without labels by sharing their music, news, updates and interviews. I hope they can use this media to share their mission, ideas, & dreams for their music.

As this continues to weigh on my heart, I have been encouraged and inspired by Podcasts such as the Wade-O Radio Show. My goal is not only to help promote my own music, but others in the same position as me.

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With all this being said, I will share with you my game plan for 2009.

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Goals to accomplish;

A. MUSIC ENDEAVOR for 2009

1st - Record the 30 songs I wrote last year.
.: 2 Albums; [Memory Box] &

2nd - Release EPs / Singles digitally to help promote the albums.
.: EPs can be found on Treborn.com/Merch for $3.99 each

3rd - Print up the Album in whole and include bonus tracks on the CD.

4th - Release the Album in Instrumental and Acappella formats.
.: [Memory Box] ~Instrumentals~ on sale for $9.99 @ Treborn.com/Merch

B. MORE MERCHANDISE

I will increase the merchandise table for the fans. This will include stickers, buttons, posters, shirts, hats, and more. Currently, we have two sites hosting our merchandise; ZAZZLE.com & CafePress.com - both can be found on Treborn.com/Merch

C. PROMOTION / PODCASTS

Our mission is to further + increase the Body of Christ through media, encourage & inspire listeners, as well as promote opportunities to connect the fans and the music/artists.
Now, when I say WE, I mean G-Rated ENT. along with our contributors.

1st - Podcasts (Hosted by Chris Treborn | G-Rated Entertainment)

~ Our Podcast will feature and promote Independent Christian Artists in the Northwest Region.
~ Our Podcast will include songs, news blasts, updates, tour schedules, and interviews from NW artists. We will also inform artists of venue and event opportunities when and where possible.

2nd - Free Music / Giveaways
We want to reward our loyal fans with more than what we normally offer.

~ We will offer FREE Mixtapes, Full-Length CDs, MP3s, Merchandise, Gift Cards, and more.
All FREE!
These giveaways will be offered during our Podcasts. We will announce the winners during the following Podcast.

3rd - Contests
The Contests will coincide with the Giveaways.

~Contests will include Remix Competitions, Fan Reviews, Design / Fan Art, and more.

More details to come as this process proceeds and gets carried out.

We plan on enforcing these ideas (detailed in the above) within the next few months with the help of those willing to share our idea and goal. We are all playing the same game under the same rules for the same team. The only difference is we are wearing different numbers. Okay, enough with the sports analogies. When all is said and done we all want the same thing and we must work together to succeed and achieve our goals.

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Are you a Northwest Independent Christian Artist? We want to help you out! Contact us if you would like to be featured. We will conduct an interview, and we will play your music. Our goal is to help promote your music and your ministry.

If you wish to help us out with donations, ideas, resources, etc., please e-mail Christian@Treborn.com to become a contributor.

Thank you all for reading this and may God bless you and your endeavors.

Chris Treborn [2 Corinthians 5:17]
G-Rated ENT. | www.TREBORN.com