Celebrating 50k subscribers: How did we get here and what does it mean going forward?
This post loosely accompanies Gab & Jam, 306. Celebrating 50k subscribers:
How did we get here and what does it mean going forward? \
(video: https://bit.ly/30650ksubsvid and podcast:https://bit.ly/30650ksubspod )
We’ve never confessed this way before….
You MIGHT know that we just hit 50k subscribers on YouTube and we’re thrilled! But we feel like it’s confessional time, because we know that we’ve never FULLY expressed our back story, how much this means to us, and how we process this for our future plans.
Check out the episode for the full discussion.
So what's different?
We have NEVER really told our story, so this post hopes to fill in how we got here and what this milestone following means for us going forward.
Here's our newest "Clouds" Obtanium Flow t-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
Transparency…
Part of why we HAVEN’T told our story is that we have been TOO busy trying to find our way forward to worry about thinking about what happened that kinda PUSHED us out of the nest. BUT it is just this story that we KNOW will empower the next group of D.I.Y. Rock Stars, which is why we are taking a break in the action to clear the air, so that we can move forward in transparency.
How did we get here?
Here’s our Backstory:
Mom died, suddenly, in 2016 at the same time that we left a church that we’d given a decade of dedicated service to and that we were founding members of. Needless to say, these were REALLY big deals for us.
–As far as leaving our church, we felt like it was time to figure out how to share our talents and gifts on our own. –We thought that we would have a secure position in sharing our original songwriting prowess at the church—because at the beginning, we were called upon to do so regularly. However, we found out that, as soon as there was an opportunity to replace us with a “more traditional” option, we were passed over and pushed to the back. –We had assumed that who we are naturally is what was WANTED from the ministry, but we began to find out that we were “tolerated,” but not celebrated, which was devasting—and UNACCEPTABLE—to us.
While we KNEW we NEEDED to leave, once it was clear, it was like an earthquake for us, because it meant that the ONLY way to move forward was to leave. –We hadn’t known anything else for a decade, so it was devastating. But, like Kenny Rogers, you have to know “When to hold them and when to fold them,” so we KNEW it was time to try something else. –Not only was our original music NOT appreciated, but neither was our original styling, so we were at odds with their goals and vision for ourselves and our music. –Wrestling with those types of concerns is where were we were. However, if you feel like you are not doing what is innately YOU, then you know it is time to branch out on your own. We realized that we had to build a place where we could be who we are and be appreciated for it.
There’s no animosity toward them and we wish them all well. However, we decided that we wanted to figure out how to share our music and other gifts and talents more, which is where sharing on the YouTube channel came in.
As far as YouTube goes, we started out 7 years ago with some live performance videos and our very first music video. Eventually, we wanted to share the conversations that we had amongst ourselves, so a year later, in 2017, we recorded our first episode of Gab & Jam . (Here’s our very first episode.)
At roughly the same time, we started doing music gear unboxings and travel vlog videos, all on the same channel—even though we KNOW that this was AGAINST “expert”—and peer—advice. We liked the mix of topics that we shared and, as time has progressed, we could see how this was yet ANOTHER way that we were being uniquely ourselves by embracing the mix. A few years later, we coined the term “D.I.Y. Rock Star” and realized that everything that we included on the channel supported the journey of music artists’ lifestyle. So, whether it’s buying and unboxing music gear, traveling, or talking about music, as well as creating and sharing our own music and music videos; all of it helps nurture the spirit of a musical artist.
Why creating a vision board matters: https://bit.ly/rockstarvision
Subscriber count:
We started off at 137 subscribers in 2015 and it was our goal to get to 1k subscribers within 6 months. We held contests, traded subscribes with other channels, and just kept posting videos. It took about 3 years to get to 1k subscribers, so that we could get monetized.
Recently, the subscriber count has risen pretty astronomically, but we have no magic formula for how and why, except to say that we have posted weekly for these past seven years and added the artist mentoring funnel traffic (here’s the POST) to that for the past two years. Also, recently, with the release of singles for our latest album, “Obtanium Flow,” we have promoted through Groover (in order to get on playlists) and this has sparked international plays of our music videos, which we think has helped to pour gas on the fire and bring in a shitload of subscribers from all over the world.
No magic formula…
Other than that, we don’t really have a handle on understanding which video will be successful and which ones will flop; we are at the mercy of the algorithm.
What were our goals, originally?
Originally, we just wanted to share more of what we create and the race to get to 1k subscribers came later.
I guess, in the back of our mind, we had our sights set on reaching the 10k subscribers that a dear friend of ours had on his channel. We were thinking that he didn’t seem to fuss with his videos much and seemed to be having success, so we just wanted to find that kind of audience that vibed with us genuinely like he had.
What does it mean going forward?
We can tell you that we are making more money off of it than we were in the beginning, but as far as folks saying that you can quit your job and raise your family off of this money, we don’t see it. Well, not YET! We assume that the people who make that kind of money take on sponsored content and/or have books or courses or Patreon as additional revenue streams.
We have no plans to chase the money or more subscribers, though we want to put more revenue-earning opportunities in place–the book that we’re releasing is going to be one of them (Here’s how to get your copy).
Our plan is to continue to follow our creativity and share what we are passionate about creating, whatever that ends up being.
Thank YOU for helping us get here!
What about you?
What drew you to our own little corner of the universe?
We’d love to know.
Leave them in the comments below.
Want to know how to take better band photos? https://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
Which is better; releasing singles or an album? https://bit.ly/294waterfallblog
Self-Care for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/7self-care
MPC One+ Unboxing: https://bit.ly/mpconeplusunboxingpost
File Management for the D.I.Y. Rock Star: https://bit.ly/229filemgmtblog
So, will we do it again? HELL, YEAH! 🙌🏾 In fact, our NEXT livestream is scheduled for Friday, September 1, where we will debut for Bourgeoisie Paper Jam’s next single “So Restless” We will also premiere the music video live and on-air—unless you are a member of our Patreon community. (If you’re in our Patreon, you will see the video one week earlier. Join here.)
Limited edition “Obtanium Flow” designs:
· “Clouds” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/obtflwtshirt623
· “Retro Flow” T-shirt design: https://bit.ly/flowretroshirtaug23
81+ types of social media posts: https://bit.ly/277socialmediapostsblog
If you need to do social media, here are 10+ social media tips: https://bit.ly/socmediablog
Need Contest Ideas for D.I.Y. Rock Stars? https://bit.ly/contestideasblog
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book?
Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
Here’s what we’re into now:
· We’re featured in Variety Magazine! https://bit.ly/featuresxsw2023
· The video for “Every Heartbeat” is doing well in Indonesia! https://bit.ly/everyheartbeatvid
· The Tony Webb "Funkalicious" video is going crazy in Honduras, y'all! https://bit.ly/twebbfunkaliciousvid
· One of our videos for our song, “Tell Me What You Want,” is going gangbusters in Vietnam! https://bit.ly/tellmewhatyouwantvid
If you like this, you might enjoy:
· Basic Recording Studio Setup: https://bit.ly/246basicstudiopost
· What to do when real life interrupts your artistic process? https://bit.ly/241reallifeblog
· 7 Strategies for rebounding from creative burnout: https://bit.ly/239digoutofburnoutblog
· How to give better interviews (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/236betterinterviewsblog
· How to give better live performances: https://bit.ly/219betterliveblog
· How to collaborate better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/Ep163collaborateblog
· How to write quicker, but better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/228writebetterblogpost
· Should you ever play for free? https://bit.ly/214playfreeblog
· 17 Tips for taking better band photos—ESPECIALLY if you taking them yourself: http://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
NOW:
New single, "Lovely Mystic (Obtanium Flow),” by Bourgeoisie Paper Jam http://bit.ly/BandCampPMG and
follow on Spotify at https://bit.ly/bpjspotfollow
More Ways to experience B L O O M I N G P R E J I P P I E :
· All things “Obtanium Flow”: https://bit.ly/bpjobtflwlinks
· Blog: http://bit.ly/bpblogsubscribe
· Shop: https://bit.ly/prejippieshop
· Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· YouTube: http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
· Gab & Jam podcast: https://bit.ly/gabandjamhq
· Soundcloud (music): https://soundcloud.com/prejippie
· Join the Bourgeoisie Paper Jam Street Team! https://bit.ly/BPJstreetteam
· Prejippie Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· Be the NEXT D.I.Y. Rock Star Handbook Pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
· Funky Happy People (Who Listen to a Variety of Genres of Music) Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/funkyhappyjoin
· Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
Please subscribe. Thanks. http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
Until next Monday, here’s wishing love, peace, and chicken grease!
