The Sweet Spot, April- Catapulting The Driftin’ Suns

Tim Wenger | April 1, 2014 | 0 Comments

by Glenn Sawyer

After devoting way too much of my young life to watching VH1’s Behind The Music, there was a period of time that it seemed like being a musician was all about partying and having fun. After trying this technique out myself for several years it soon became clear that being successful at music requires more advanced skills than beer bonging. Since then, I’ve come to the realization that this was probably the case when they were shooting footage for Behind The Music, but the partying definitely made for better TV.

Although the music industry has changed dramatically since most of the footage featured on Behind The Music, one constant that still remains is the fact that good music isn’t worth a dime without good business sense as well. Unfortunately, most modern musicians don’t know enough about the business side of things and are suffering because of it.

Upon realizing that there aren’t a lot of resources available to artists to help them learn about the business side of the industry, we partnered up with BLDG BLKS Music Co. to create a recording package that gives artists the basic tools they need to get their career going. We call this package the Career Catapult.

The purpose of the Career Catapult is three fold. First, we work with the artist to record a quality product that they can use to further their career. In this case, we are recording a single that will be featured in The Driftin’ Suns’ Kickstarter campaign. Following that we plan and successfully execute the Kickstarter campaign while teaching the artist how to crowd fund and market him or herself. Finally, we use the funds raised in the Kickstarter campaign to finish a larger recording project and create and execute a marketing campaign for the release of the product.

We have been fortunate enough to be able to put the Career Catapult to the test with local Denver band, The Driftin’ Suns. The Driftin’ Suns are a very driven and very talented up-and-coming band with big ideas. When we first met The Suns they were looking for a place to record an ambitious collection of tunes with plans to release them on four EPs named after the four seasons. Recording and releasing four EPs in succession is a daunting goal and the biggest hurdle for the band was finding the finances to get the recordings done. This made them the perfect fit for the Career Catapult.

As I write this article we are in the pre-production stage of the Career Catapult. The Driftin’ Suns spent a weekend with us earlier this month, and we recorded their single “Her Touch.” The track showcases the vocal talents of Kristian Kerr, as well as the Suns unique ability to combine styles and genres into something new and refreshing. It was a pleasure to work with the guys and I think you’ll enjoy their track.

The Suns have also been working with Joel Rekiel from BLDG BLKS Music Co. to prepare the Kickstarter campaign and to spread the word about it. By the time that you’re reading this the band will be launching the campaign on April 9^th, and if all goes well they will hopefully meet and exceed their goals shortly thereafter.

After that the real fun begins, as The Driftin’ Suns will return to The Spot to record the rest of the first EP, Spring. They will also be working with Joel to create and execute a marketing campaign for the EP release. Once The Driftin Suns have completed the Career[NM1] Catapult they will have successfully released Spring and will be gearing up to start working on Summer. Now that’s what I call the Sweet Spot.

If you would like to support The Driftin’ Suns Kickstarter campaign you can find links on their website, www.thedfriftinsuns.com [NM2] or at www.facebook.com/DriftinSuns. For more information about the Career Catapult visit our website at www.thespotstudios.com or give us a call at 303-988-2170. For more information about BLDG BLKS Music Co visit www.bldgblksmusic.com.

**VH1 was not injured in the writing of this article.