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An Apology & A Discussion of Integrity (Patreon)

Published:
2017-07-17 17:30:10
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Hey Patrons!

First off, I'm sorry for not being able to upload anything this past Saturday. Sab is here with me throughout the week, and I decided to take a week off to enjoy my limited time with her here! We've been playing a lot of Breath of the Wild (since she got a Nintendo Switch for the both of us!) and we've been having a wonderful time doing so. I'm hoping to have a livestream ready for next week so there will be at least something on the channel for you guys to enjoy.

I've been thinking a lot and struggling with the issue of integrity when it comes to my channel. I want to make songs that I enjoy making, which has become more difficult for me in the recent days. Whenever I write an arrangement for the purpose of "getting views", I always feel dissatisfied with it after about a week or so of having it uploaded. This is a hard thing for me to admit, since I try to brand myself as a musician first and foremost, and this is definitely an example of me "succumbing to the system of YouTube". I know you guys might still like the song, but I end up feeling dissatisfied and not happy with it. One of my goals for this channel is to be around for a long time, and if I continue feeling dissatisfied with songs that I make, the chance of burnout increases, and I never want things to come to that.

Here are some changes I am thinking of making for the channel:

- Only cover songs I want to cover. This is more of a personal decision, but I'm so done with covering songs because I think they'll be popular - I want to make songs that I am happy with, and songs that you guys are happy with!

- Reduce upload schedule in college. Doing weekly videos throughout my first two semesters of college was incredibly taxing, and I think it certainly limited what I was able to do musically. I realize this isn't the best thing for growing a YouTube channel, but I think it's better for my life and the longevity of this channel. Something like once every other week.

A quote by my friend ToxicXEternity resonates with me - "it's a marathon, not a sprint". I think I'd rather consistently make great content and grow slowly rather than make content that is geared to appease an audience and grow quickly.

I think it's right that you Patrons know about this struggle that I'm going through with the mission of my channel. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to share.

Comments

Anonymous

Hey dude it's totally understandable! You're an amazing arranger that totally should make the music you love instead of the popular choice.

Gylphie

Definitely support your decision on this since I think education almost always comes first. As far as making music you like and not what's popular, that's 100% understandable and I think it'll lead to your best. I think covering songs you like rather than what's popular leads to a more passionate and personal result. Will the biweekly upload continue during summer months or will it be year round?

Anonymous

Both of these decisions make perfect sense to me. As a recent college graduate, I can tell you that the workload is only going to increase from here. There's no need to put yourself in a burnout situation. I'll always be looking forward to your next cover, so please, take as much time as you need!

insaneintherainmusic
>>6204563

Thanks Sean! I think the upload rate will slow to once every other week once I hit college (which I will inform you guys about via social media & Patreon), but I'd like to keep weekly uploads constant during the summer! I don't feel too rushed during the summer to make videos, but I think having more time during the school year will benefit me (and you guys) enormously!

insaneintherainmusic
>>6204844

Thanks a ton, man. I know the workload will increase as I get further into college (but honestly I've never had a problem managing my time in college when it comes to getting work done); thanks so much for your support.

Anonymous

Hopefully the purpose of Patreon is to free you from succumbing to the YouTube algorithm to profit from your work. We're here because we want to support you as an artist, and a busy artist who's still learning at that! I hope you'll continue to make content that works for your schedule and helps you grow as an artist, because I think that's where your best work comes from.

insaneintherainmusic
>>6206074

Thanks so much Ross. I wholeheartedly agree. The point of me having a Patreon should be to not have to succumb to the YouTube algorithm, since I have you guys as a decently reliable source of income - I really really appreciate this. Here's to great music :)

Anonymous

Hi, my opinion is: quality for quantity! When it comes down to a decision whether you should favor weekly videos for the masses, or better upload less but play songs that are really iconic for your style and that you really like, I strongly favor the latter case.

Anonymous

I'd like to say what you're doing is totally understandable. I want to ask you what are the songs you aren't happy with, and what are the songs you're most proud of? Because I look up to you and see your content as the standard when I try and do jazz covers, so it hasn't occurred to me too much about how you may not be enjoying making these arrangements and that you're not completely satisfied with them, even though that's something everyone experiences.

Anonymous

100% supportive of this thinking and these upcoming changes!! I hope they help you balance your passion for arranging songs you love while having opportunities to connect with your college community, because at the end of the day living your life and growing is more important than sticking to a rigorous update schedule for the views. I'll be happy to enjoy your arrangements whenever we get em.

Anonymous

I agree with your decision all the way! I absolutely love your content, and want you to be just as happy with your music. I'm not very good at writing to people, but I just want you to know that I support you, and I don't mind waiting a year just for one cover if it means you're making good music that you're happy with. Thank you for making some of the best jazz covers I have ever listened to!!! -Ben D.

Anonymous

Hey Carlos, I completely agree with your philosophy of wanting to do what you want to do. Although there may be a song I'd specifically like to see, I will enjoy anything you put out no matter what it is: that is the nature of your content. It is something I enjoy because I have an appreciation for music, as well as the labor that you must go through to make that happen. Even if it means that you cannot create a cover every week, I will still enjoy what you do. In all honesty, prioritize your social life and schoolwork first. If you do that, not only will you grow as a better person, it will influence the quality of your work on this channel. Good luck in the future, and I will be on your side no matter what. ~Peter H

Levi Bechtold

You aren't alone in that. I've felt the same with my content recently. Good on you telling the fans your thoughts!

Anonymous

The trouble with making things with the goal of making them popular is, how do you know what will be popular? I don't think anyone has cracked that nut, and it's not for lack of trying. Just doing what you love has about as much chance of success as trying to sell out. I support you in that course!

Anonymous

Yes to all, agree to all, and I will be matching your approach to balance worklife. At a certain point I think your artistry shines, not the context where your songs came from :)

Anonymous

Good points overall, I'm glad you're making the better decision for yourself and not your channel. There's no mind in pushing yourself too hard to play covers you might not like to do personally! Take your time with them, make them just how you want them to be, and enjoy what you're doing to the fullest.

Anonymous

The marathon/sprint analogy is pretty apt. Taking more time to cultivate your passion and musicianship between covers is very important, and I'm sure you'll achieve a steady balance moving forward. :) Much love and respect for what you do, buddy! It's clear your patrons feel the same way.

insaneintherainmusic
>>6206325

I think having both quality & quantity is important (which is why I'm going to keep doing weekly videos in the summer), but I don't want making videos to compromise my schooling experience / personal life! I agree with your thoughts, though :)

insaneintherainmusic
>>6206547

Last Surprise, Life Will Change, the BOTW Theme, & the Shovel Knight Medley are the ones that stand out to me as not great. I don't think that you guys perceive those arrangements as particularly "not good", as the issue here is definitely more of a "me" thing than an "audience" thing, if you get what I'm saying!

insaneintherainmusic
>>6208838

Honestly, I think I've picked up a pretty good idea of what'll make a song get popular (really comes down to song choice and timing), but if I resort to that, I usually end up getting a not-so-great final product. Here's to not selling out!!!

insaneintherainmusic
>>6210210

Thanks man! Us people who love what we do have to work at balancing our personal lives and our creative careers, and I think I'm still figuring out mine :)

Thorben Dahl

I feel that this is the strength of a subscription service like Patreon, in that you are not 100% dependent on advertising/sales revenue based on the popularity of each individual cover. Yes, Patreons can revoke a pledge for a jazz cover they're not happy with, but I don't think that happens too often? Either way I'm happy it enables you to do more of what you _want_ to do; so happy, in fact, that I'll throw more money your way! Oh, and btw, enjoy BOTW while you can, you might get hooked by Splatoon 2… ;)

insaneintherainmusic
>>6252904

You're so correct, and I'm just now viewing Patreon from that standpoint. I'm not concerned about a few Patrons revoking their pledges (not that that's really happened, ever).

Holly Hoppet

Finally got around to reading this (life got busy)! I just wanted to say I think it's really important that you take care of yourself and produce music that you're satisfied with and that doesn't burn you out. There's a reason some artists only release an album once a decade. Honestly when you enjoy the art you produce it's easier to put heart into it, which shows in the final product. Some of my favorite arrangements of yours are the ones where you also mention "I'm really happy about this one" or something to that degree. You could argue that sometimes as an artist you have to balance appealing to your audience and personal satisfaction, but I dunno this is a youtube channel you do in your free time. As a supporter I'd rather support you doing the stuff you're really into. Most importantly, college is tough!! It's important to be careful not to overwork yourself cause speaking from personal experience, it can really backfire. Anyway I'm still be listening to your great body of work and your new tracks as they come out. Keep the good tunes coming, at a pace that works for you :D.

insaneintherainmusic
>>6433063

Hey Holly, thank you so much! I totally agree about your point regarding balancing appealing to an audience and my personal satisfaction, that's how I want to approach things! After all, if I 100% didn't care about views, then I wouldn't be posting videos to YouTube. And yes, college is tough! I'm learning that, haha. Thank you for the encouragement and I'm looking forward to having you stick around here on Patreon :D