Watch My New Videos! We'll Have a Pint

Greetings Gunn Runner

I am constantly looking for new ways to get my music heard and promoted more effectively and more efficiently. However if you know me at all, you know that neither "effective" or "efficient" are not things I excel at. My success is mostly based on hours upon hours upon hours of dilligent effort. But I try. :-/

I' had a breakthrough these past couple weeks, mostly thanks to what I learned promoting the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It helped me create a marketing plan to get my music heard. It also greatly involves Facebook, which I've had a tough time figuring out how to use. I think I finally have it!

My goal for the next few months is to use Facebook to promote my songs, one at a time, using video, photos, podcasts, my blog, and of course, lots of music. To that end, I'm trying out something new. It's called The Celtfather Weekly. This is a video show where I let you know what's new with my music.

It's basically the same thing I started doing at the beginning of the year in this newsletter. But I'm gonna try weekly, because I have lots of new content being created each week and so lots of news to share. We will see how well the weekly show works. In the meantime, you can watch the first one here.

If you are on Facebook, make sure you subscribe to my Facebook Live events.

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits is just 4 reviews away from my big goal. Will having over 50+ reviews mean that Amazon will feature the album which might mean more CD sales in the future?

I don't know, but I hope it will. And if so, this is going to have a big impact on my promotion of indie Celtic bands for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast as well. So if you haven't done so, please post a short review on Amazon. Again, it doesn't have to be a good one or 5-stars. I just want you to post a review.

The Podcast Awards are now officially open. I've been podcasting since 2005. I would love to win an award. But to win, I need your help. Will you nominate the following podcasts in the appropriate categories. You only need to make your nomination once. And it must be done before April 30th!

Vote here: podcastawards.com.

Best Music
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
http://celticmusicpodcast.com

Best Entertainment
Renaissance Festival Podcast
http://renaissancefestivalmusic.com

Best Society - Culture
The Celtfather
http://celtfather.com

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote. And thank you also for all of your support of my music.

Slainte!
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

WHAT'S NEW?

1. AUDIO BLOG. "We'll Have a Pint of Stout" is one of the few actual 'drinking songs' from Don't Go Drinking With Hobbit. My original recording had a few horrific errors in it. I reveal those, the lyrics and lots more on my blog.

2. VIDEOS. You can also watch a video of me singing "We'll Have a Pint of Stout" on YouTube.

3. PODCASTS. A couple weeks ago, I did a big review of the beginning of the year. What worked? What didn't? I learned some important things. Namely that I've done a poor job promoting my actual music. So I've made a new plan on how to promote my music. I share that in my "1st Quarter Music Review and Improvements" episode.

Meanwhile, I'm still re-sharing some of my best episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast. In show #45, you get to hear about my first ever Celtic Invasion Vacation and my first solo tour. Show #56, I share my technique for rating music in iTunes. It's also useful when posting reviews on Amazon for Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits. Show #43 you can hear a live house concert I did in Destin, Florida back in 2009. It's really neat, because you can hear the evolution of some of the songs that were later released on Kilted For Her Pleasure and other albums.

Did you catch the two-hour special Celtic Canadian music feature on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast? It's a good one!

4. MUSIC. Dragons vs Pirates has a new title--Pirates vs. Dragons. It seems only fair since it's the pirates who are the aggressors against these poor helpless dragons. I hope to send the album to the printers before the week is over. It's all mixed. I'm nearly done mastering it. So stay tuned. I have almost even picked a date for the CD release. I'm currently looking at late-July.

5. UPCOMING SHOWS.
Sat, April 30: Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham, AL
Thu, May 12: Concert Window, Theme TBA

Thank you as always for your generous support. If you want another way to support me...

MARC GUNN ON PATREON

Much like most modern artists, I make living through the generosity of others. Online sales continue to drop. That's why I need your support on Patreon. You can make a pledge to support my music, podcasts, videos, blogs, and art, all for as little as $1 per month. It's a great way to become an official Gunn Runner. I want to thank the 51 people who love what I do so much that they donate $398 per month. Special thanks to my newest patron: CCRacer!

If you enjoy all the free content I share, then please Become a Patron of The Celtfather!

April 18, 2016

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MARC GUNN'S NEWSLETTER

Marc Gunn is a rhythm and folk musician inspired by Celtic culture, science fiction, fantasy, and cats. He breathes new life into the autoharp, which continues to surprise musical veterans and fans a like for it’s unique sound and spirited energy. It’s Celtic music, the traditional and the twisted.

Find me at www.marcgunn.com. Read my blog and find my gigs.

Chat with me at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

#marcsmusings #celtfather

Please add "slainte@marcgunn.com" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!

Do You Love Facebook Live Too?

Greetings Gunn Runner

I just got back from the park with Inara. Hills. She likes hills. A lot.

She kept walking away from the playground, down the hill, towards the street. I think it was the pond on the other side that she really wanted to visit. Last week, she got exceptionally muddy there. But she never tried to cross the street. She just walked that way. We had fun in the sun.

I confess. I love Facebook video! One of the reasons is because it feels...so...disposable. It's something you can watch once and will probably never watch again. And that's okay.

YouTube videos, on the other hand, are ones that you will watch today and a week from now and five years for now. With Facebook, I don't feel that pressure. So I can just have fun with them. And, boy am I having fun!

You can see what I mean in this week's Celtfather Weekly. I scripted the news I wanted to share so that I didn't ramble on and on. I had fun with iMovie effects. I feel like it makes for a good news show for you. Short, sweet, to the point at about 3 minutes, with lots of fun thrown in. Ahhhhh. That's awesome!

I love podcasting. But for me that's long-term content. In fact, I am continuing to listen to past episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast to find the ones that are evergreen and mostly still relevant today. There are a lot. Especially starting in 2010 when I moved to the iPod shuffle format. That helped me a LOT of improve the shows which were hit and miss at best.

As a great example, listen to shows #47 and #51. The first is interesting because it captures a moment in my past when I was about to fly to Dingle, Ireland for my second Celtic Invasion Vacation. There's some good songs on there too, but in show 51, my chattiness is mediocre, but the music makes it a fun show nonetheless.

Last week, I asked you to review Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits. I am happy to say we hit 55 reviews on Amazon. It'll take a couple months before I find out if that will affect the visibility and sales of the album. In the meantime, I'm doing the same promotional technique with two other albums.

This first is Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I give this album away to everyone who subscribes to the Celtic Music Magazine. It's a fun compilation of Celtic music.

The other is the Brobdingnagian Bards essential album, A Faire to Remember. I figure I'll get better results if I have more than one album with 50+ reviews. And both of these are closest.

So if you have a minute and own either or both of these albums, please click those links and post an honest review of the albums. That doesn't have to be 5-stars. Give your honest opinion. It can be a short, "Love this album" review if you like. Just rate it! Thank you!

ORDER KILTED FOR HER PLEASURE AND SAVE
It's time to reorder the Kilted For Her Pleasure shirts. It helps me cut the overhead expense if many people order these shirts when I reorder them. So I'm offering a 15% discount when you use the coupon code: KILTSRULE. Just follow this link to my Celtic T-Shirts.

If you want a better view of the shirt, check out the video on Facebook.

Saturday is your last chance to nominate the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, Renaissance Festival Podcast, and The Celtfather Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Nominations end on April 30th. You can find categories to nominate my shows on my website.

Finally, the theme for the next Concert Window was vote by you to be Irish Drinking Songs. You can watch me perform them on Thursday, May 12 at 8pm CST. If you have any song requests for the show, post them on the Facebook event page.

And if you're in Birmingham, Alabama this Saturday, come visit me at the Pepper Place Farmer's Market from 8am to noon.

Thank you again for all your awesome support of my music and art.

Slainte!
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather
April 27, 2016

PS. Would you like another way to support my music?

I love creating and sharing music. However, it's getting more difficult than ever for indie musicians to make a living. Physical CD sales are way down. Digital sales are down thanks to streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. It's a tough business.

That's why I am grateful to have 52 people pledging as little as $1 per month to support my music and art. These Gunn Runners are part of the official fan club :-) and support all of the content I share online from music to blogs, podcasts to videos. These are the people you should thank for making it happen.

Thanks to my newest returning Patron, Metricula. And a special thanks to my Platinum Patrons.

As a patron, I send you a monthly bonus podcast of what's happening. Plus, I occasionally send new content. For example, I just shared the first single from Pirates vs. Dragons called "Come and Be a Pirate". I also sent the eBook of the story when it was released last week.

Gold Patrons get even more stuff like a Live Video from Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub from 2015. They also get a free digital album each and every month. April was Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits. Next month, I'm sending out Firefly Drinking Songs, complete with permission to share the digital album.

If you love my music, then please Become a Patron Today!

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MARC GUNN'S NEWSLETTER

Find me at www.marcgunn.com. Read my blog and find my gigs.

Chat with me at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

#marcsmusings #celtfather

Please add "slainte@marcgunn.com" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!

Guess Who Has a Birthday Today?

Greetings Gunn Runner

Happy birthday, dear hobbit and friend.
Happy birthday, may the fun never end.
Happy birthday, Inara!
Happy birthday, dear hobbit and friend!

Today is Inara's birthday. We kicked off the day with a small birthday celebration. She didn't much care for the birthday cake we got her. So Gwen got smart. She made up some guacamole. That's our girl! She devoured it.

There's another cause for celebration. Last Thursday, Pirates vs. Dragons arrived from the printer. I got to open it up at the end of my Concert Window show. There's nothing like getting a new album. Now I just need to pack 'em up and start mailing the CDs to everyone who helped Kickstarted the album.

And if you're curious I'm planning an official release of Pirates vs. Dragons in July.

Thursday, June 2 is the date for my next Concert Window show. I'm gonna make the set list myself and then take requests at the end of the show as usual. The shows are usually about 40 minutes, plus some 15-20 minutes of request. This show will be 100% free and open to the public. So there really is no reason you shouldn't at least try to watch.

If you can't make that live show, you can catch my requests show on Facebook Live. I was on today in fact, playing a bunch of fun songs. These shows will last between 10-15 minutes typically, with some chatter at the end of you want to stick around. And yes, feel free to make song requests if you're are watching live. Keep an eye on Facebook for details.

If you want to find out about the other bands and side projects I've done, I have a blog on that very topic. I also updated my homepage with some links. One of which was to a sci fi convention music episode of the Pub Songs Podcast from 2010. It's a fun blast from the past.

There's a new Celtfather News episode on Facebook as well. Here's the link.

This month, when you become a Gold or Platinum Gunn Runner on Patreon, you'll get a free download of Firefly Drinking Songs that you can download OR if you already own it, I give you permission to share it with a friend.

As long as I'm featuring it, I thought this might also be a good time to ask you to post a review of the album on Amazon. It'll only take a few minutes of your time, because I'm not looking for a high school book review. Nope. I just want your open, honest opinion of the album and how it makes you feel, or where you might've enjoyed it. Then rate it 1-5 stars. That's it!

Your review and rating, no matter how low or high, will help the album rank better on Amazon. So to quote Nike, just do it! :)

Thank you as always for your generous support. You are awesome! :)

Slainte!
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather
May 18, 2016

PS. Would you like another way to support my music?

That's why I am grateful to have 50 people pledging as little as $1 per month to support my music and art. These Gunn Runners are part of the official fan club :-) and support all of the content I share online from music to blogs, podcasts to videos. These are the people you should thank for making it happen.

Thanks to my newest returning Patron, Metricula. And a special thanks to my Platinum Patrons.

Gold Patrons get even more stuff like a Live Video from Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub from 2015. They also get a free digital album each and every month. This month only, you will get a download o Firefly Drinking Songs, complete with permission to share the digital album.

If you love my music, then please Become a Patron Today!

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MARC GUNN'S NEWSLETTER

Find me at www.marcgunn.com. Read my blog and find my gigs.

Chat with me at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

#marcsmusings #celtfather

Please add "slainte@marcgunn.com" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!

Marc Gunn Free Internet Concert Tomorrow

Greetings Gunn Runner

Tomorrow night is my next internet concert on Concert Window. The show is at 8pm CST. It is 100% Free! You don't have to pay penny to watch the show.

Concert Window is a live streaming video website. It allows musicians like me to perform for fans around the globe. Normally, I ask you to "pay-what-you-want" to watch. But this month, I want to draw in new viewers. So I'm making it as easy as possible to watch.

All you have to do is go here tomorrow night at 8pm central:
https://www.concertwindow.com/9064-marc-gunn

You can even watch it on your smartphone. That's it. And I'm gonna share with you some of my most-popular live songs. These are gonna get you excited to sing-along with me. And this time, if you can't sing, no one but your cat will hear you! ;)

At the beginning of the show, I ask for a role call, who you are and where you're watching. So make sure you post that in the comments

~ I did it! I mailed out all of the rewards for Pirates vs. Dragons. With that completed, I'm pleased to announce that Wednesday, July 20 is the official release date of the album! I'm gonna try and do some promotion before the release, but the next two months are rather busy. So I'll just have to keep the promo ideas flowing in the subsequent months.

~ If you're in or around Marietta, Georgia, I'm performing another live concert at Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub this Saturday night starting at 9pm. I'd love to sing for you.

~ I'm updating the Marc Gunn Celtic Music android app. If you there's anything that you'd love to see on the new version, let me know. We're another month or so from the new update, but stay tuned.

I am looking for ideas on simple, cool things to add. I talk about it in my latest Facebook Live show.

~ There's another episode of the Pirates vs. Dragons podcast called "The Lady Jean". More to come.

This month, when you become a Gold or Platinum Gunn Runner on Patreon, you'll get a free download of Kilted For Her Pleasure that you can download OR if you already own it, I give you permission to share it with a friend.

Your review and rating, no matter how low or high, will help the album rank better on Amazon. So to quote Nike, just do it! :)

Thank you as always for your generous support. You are awesome! :)

Slainte!
Marc Gunn, The Celtfather
May 18, 2016

PS. Would you like another way to support my music?

I heard a rumor the other day that iTunes might stop selling digital music and move entirely towards streaming. That is devastating news for indie musicians like me.

iTunes digital sales is currently the #1 place I earn money online. Physical CD sales are miniscule. That means I'm left earning money from streaming services...

I want to thank my 48 patrons for pledging as little as $1 per month to support my music. Thanks to my newest Patron Ccracer. And a super special thanks to my Platinum Patrons.

As a patron, I send you a monthly bonus podcast of what's new. Last month, I sent a live MP3 concert and shared the original artwork for Pirates vs. Dragons.

Gold+ Patrons even got to see a replay of my Irish Drinking Songs show last month on Concert Window, and they get a digital download of Kilted For Her Pleasure.

If you love my music, then please Become a Patron Today!

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MARC GUNN'S NEWSLETTER

Find me at www.marcgunn.com. Read my blog and find my gigs.

Chat with me at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

#marcsmusings #celtfather

Please add "slainte@marcgunn.com" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!

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