Although it seems like an eternity since I started to get involved with Social Media, in reality, it is only 10 months. The jury is still out on many aspects of SM, but undoubtedly, there have been some success stories. Today, I would like to share one of those success stories with you.
Very soon after I began to use Twitter, and other forms of Social Media, I hooked up with writer and musician, Derek Flynn. A couple of weeks ago, he released his debut album, 'Do You Dream At All?', and here is his story:-
Musician and writer Derek Flynn
A year ago, Derek Flynn, writer and musician, was sitting in
his study working on his second novel. Having played with original bands for
years – and coming close but never quite getting the elusive record deal – he
had put his music away in his bottom drawer to concentrate on his writing.
Someone advised him that if he was serious about being a
writer, he needed to get on Facebook and Twitter, and start a blog, and he did.
At first, it was intended to be a blog about writing but he soon realised there
were any number of other blogs out there about writing. Wondering how he could
put his own slant on it, he decided to start posting some of his original
songs. He called the blog “Rant, with Occasional Music” and started posting a
song every Monday on what he called “New Music Monday”.
In November 2011, Derek got involved in the
#TwitterXmasSingle organised by Brenda Drumm. This was the first Christmas
Charity Single organised and marketed solely through Twitter and other social
media. Derek was one of the soloists on the song “Winter Song”. Organised,
recorded and released in the space of two weeks, “Winter Song” reached No.1 in
the iTunes chart on the day of release and No. 8 in the Irish charts overall.
It was because of this – and the feedback and encouragement he received from
people who listened to his music online – that Derek started to think about
recording his own album and marketing it solely through Twitter and other
social media.
Fast forward nine months and Derek now has over 4,000
followers on Twitter and his blog has had over 20,000 hits.
Derek set up a studio in his house and recorded all of the
songs on the album there. “Do You Dream At All?” is entirely self-produced and
self-released. The marketing budget is a laptop, a twitter account and a Facebook
page. In tandem with these recessionary times, this is DIY music-making.
Derek’s music ranges from a hard-edged guitar
sound to acoustic songs that are often intense but always melodic, and are
matched by lyrics which marry intensity with honest emotion. A Waterford
native, Derek is a musician and a veteran of not only the Irish music scene,
but also the US, having spent five years living and performing in New York. His
influences run the gamut from The Pixies and Nirvana to Jeff Buckley and Bruce
Springsteen, and this eclecticism can be heard in the wide range of songs on
his debut CD.
Derek released the album in his hometown of Waterford as
part of the Waterford Writer’s Weekend and was featured on RTE Radio One’s
“Arena” programme performing the title track.
“Do You Dream At All?” was released on April 2nd
and is available as a physical CD and download on CD Baby, and as a download on
iTunes and Amazon.
You can Listen to samples and Buy the CD HERE:
And for a final treat!!!!
UTube link to the live video of the song '
All That's Left' is now available:-
