[MUSIC]
Hello and welcome.
I'm so excited that you've decided to take this course.
And I think we're going to have a lot of fun over the next four weeks.
My name is Leah Waldo.
I am the curriculum manager for Berklee Online, and I also am a country artist.
I go by Eliza Smith, and my band is called the Tiny Little Lies.
So I'd like to share a little bit about my background and
things that I'm going to be talking about throughout the course.
I'm a Berkelee alumni, and I graduated from the music business program.
I'm a songwriter, I play guitar, and I sing, and
as I mentioned I'm a country musician.
If you are a beginner, if you are just starting out, booking gigs.
If you maybe have a website, but you're looking for a little bit more feedback and
ideas on how to get your career to the next level.
This is definitely the course for you.
I'll be using my experience as a band leader and
a musician to help you throughout this course.
I would like to share things that I've kind of experienced and
learned along the way with you.
So in the first lesson we're going to be taking some time
to reflect on who you are as an artist and a creator.
And also who you are as a leader.
We're going to take time to think about your identity, your brand, and your image.
In the second lesson, we're going to be talking about how to build your fan base.
How to get gigs, how to leverage your social media followers.
And we're also going to be doing some thinking around partnering
with other established brands, to further your brand as a band.
In the third lesson, we're going to be talking about preparing for a record.
So we're going to talk about the budget, we're going to talk about producers.
And we're also going to talk about what songs to put on your record.
And the fourth and final lesson, we're going to talk about making a record.
That lesson is going to be mostly about crowdfunding, but
we're also going to talk about how to manage your money efficiently and wisely.
Over the next four weeks we're going to have a rotating cast of characters.
We're going to be talking with producers, with industry executives,
campaign managers, all sorts of different people.
And they're all going to share with you some insights about how to take your
career to the next level.
So let's get to work.