2018 was a great year for my music career. I had three big goals last year: build up Spotify, Coffee with the Celtfather, and More Collaborations.

First was to build up my understanding and integration with Spotify. I still haven't figured out how to make a huge splash there. But I learned a lot this year. I grew my followers by 30%. I built numerous playlists. And I feel close to a breakthrough with how to balance streaming music services with the merch sales that actually make me money.

What did I learn?

I now believe that music is virtually free. The challenge is to promote Spotify at shows more. I want to use the stage as a way to get new followers on my Podcasts and Spotify.

I setup Celtfather.net as an easy way access all of my main projects. At the top of the list is Spotify. Follow me.

The next step is education.

Most people know musicians don't make much money with Spotify. It's like a half a half a percent per stream. Even with 15,000 streams of my music over Christmas this year, I'll probably only make $75. That's pathetic.

Fans need to understand if you love the music, you should support it.

No. You don't have to buy a CD. But you can buy merch of other kinds.

If you don't want more *things*, you can support my music on Patreon and get a behind-the-scenes look at my music.

It's all about access.

The final step is to sell my CDs.

Not just sell. But make the product a better experience.

I have some ideas on that. I added a bunch of new merch items this year. My Celtic Heartstrings were hugely successful this year. Not because I sold a ton of them, because I didn't, but for two other important reasons.

First, I made something that people actually want to wear.

How cool is that?!

It's artwork that *I* made. I'm very proud of myself for that.

But even better, I created something that people want to talk about. I had several folks buy the jewelry and tell me afterward that people asked them about their Celtic Heartstring. That's amazingly cool!

I have a visual item that people want to talk about and share. That helps me get my music out there even more.

Second on my list of projects for 2018 was Coffee with The Celtfather.

I started Coffee with The Celtfather for many reasons. One was to basically offer you a weekly live streaming concert. Another was to improve my internet performing skills. A third reason was to find a regular way to make money as a musician.

Again, it was a hit.

My viewership grew slowly in 2018. I got better at giving concerts that you tried to attend every week. I sold more merch, got virtual tips, and even gained a few new patrons in the Gunn Runners Club, specifically because I was performing each and every week online.

Next year, I'm changing the location of my weekly shows. Watch me on YouTube. Attendance will take a hit, I'm sure. But I like YouTube as a video platform MUCH better than Facebook. People stick around and watch YouTube. Facebook is a drive by, watch and leave platform.

More importantly, YouTube allows me to simplify my marketing. I'll tell you more about that in a moment.

Starting in January, Coffee with The Celtfather returns…but on YouTube. I'm excited to see what happens next year through regular weekly performances.

The final thing I really wanted to accomplish in 2018 was more collaborations.

I didn't quite do collaborations like I intended to. But I did do them.

The Brobdingnagian Bards reunited as an online band through Patreon. I learned a LOT about how to improve my personal Patreon page thanks to collaborating with Andrew McKee on this page.

Kilted Kings reunited for the Mid-South Renaissance Faire. We added Matthew Trautwein on fiddle. Again, it wasn't much of a collaboration, but it inspired me to work more on that group. We are now booked for St Patrick's Day in Gulf Shores, Alabama at The Hangout. And I hope to do another collaboration with Matthew next year.

I create the Blue Sun Firefly Christmas Music Tour with Mikey Mason. We integrated it with a podcast together. We wrote and recorded new songs. And we are planning more shows together in future.

I was hoping to release Spotify singles with featured musicians. I released four singles. None were done as collaborations. But I did set the stage for collaborations in the future.

2019 Promotion Plan

All in all, I am over the moon with excitement with what I accomplished this year. It was an amazing year. And if it was just what I listed above, I'd be proud.

But it's not. There's more.

I will continue with my Spotify Experiment, live streaming internet concerts, and collaborations next year. But I also have three more things I plan to work on in 2019.

Blogging

I began blogging again back in October. It started on Instagram. Someone called it an Instablog. I can't tell you how amazing it felt to blog again.

Yeah, I cut back on Instablogs after some a-hole flamed me. But it hasn't stopped me from blogging. Instead, I just changed locations. I moved most of my blogs back to my website.

My hope is to keep writing. I'll publish most of them on my website. And I'll share some on Instagram and Facebook.

The thing I love about blogging is it allows me to organize my thoughts and become a better marketer. So I'm gonna keep writing and face the internet trolls head on.

The Winner Is… Pub Songs Podcast!

I had a small podcasting diversion that started in 2014. It was Celtfather Music & Travel. I have officially decided to podfade that show. I'm gonna return my bonus podcast focus to the Pub Songs Podcast.

I'm excited about adding this back into my promo schedule. This is my main place to share news with Gunn Runners every couple o'weeks, as well as all of the fun stories and ideas that I originally wanted to talk about in Celtfather Music & Travel.

And the Loser Is… Social Media!

The last thing that's becoming a part of my 2019 Promotion Plan is doing less on social media.

For a while, I tried to schedule regular content on social. It was too much. It overwhelmed me.

I cut back the past couple months. I scan my feed for about five minutes a day. I don't interact as much. I am SO much happier for it.

Social media is a game… someone else's game. I just don't have time for it. And I certainly don't have the passion for it.

It's still essential for earning new fans when I'm not touring. But I approach it differently.

If you want to interact, do it on Patreon or by email.

There you go. That's my 2019 Promo Plans. I can't wait to get it going. I look forward to doing it with you!

Slainte!