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So our debut EP, "Alter Ego" hit the market August 5. Man, what a hell of a ride. Not only did it release on all downloadable platforms such as Itunes, Amazon music and google play, but it began streaming on Spotify as well. With COVID-19 ongoing and the overall insanity that has been 2020, it has certainly been a whirlwind release.
Let me start by saying how thankful we are for our fan base. Most bands and musicians are struggling right now since all live venues are closed. We are proud to say that we are doing just fine. We began live streaming before COVID hit, so we were a step ahead of the game, even if by pure luck on that front. The merchandise sales have been amazing. Through merchandise sales and direct donations, our fans have been so supportive. It's so humbling to have such a wonderful group of people backing us and cheering us on.
So normally we would be playing all around the area to promote the album release, but times have changed. Most musicians make their primary revenue from streaming and not as much from direct album sales. Due to this, most of our marketing was based on Spotify and getting new people to check us out and stream the new album. Considering we had no Spotify presence prior to Alter Ego releasing, the opening day was a huge success.
The best part, however, was seeing Instagram come alive with friends, fans and supporters telling the world to check us out. One after the other, fans were posting pics of them posing with our band merch and shouting our name. I hate using the world "humbling" so often, but it keeps coming to mind.
So what now?
Well, now the album is out we focus our efforts on marketing and obviously, further growth. We have secured airtime on a few internet radio stations and continue negotiating with more. Additionally, we are working with music related podcasts and blogs. You should see a lot more of Khallus.
The merchandising will move forward as well. In addition to adding a few more ladies style options, I can finally get back to making the custom artwork that I rather enjoyed. Dubbed, the Dot Series, Khallus will take different pieces and hand paint them for store sale. We have done Dot Series band T-shirts in the past with resounding success. We hope to branch into custom painted furniture and other miscellaneous oddities. A quick look at our website (Khallus.com/shop) will show you some of the one-off pieces that have been sold already. More will come. In both standard merchandise and custom painted merch, more will certainly come.
Live gigs are beginning to sprout back up, so we have a few scheduled in August and September in Clarksville, TN. From there, Khallus is ready to seek management and set our sights on touring next spring.
So much is happening, so quickly. It's been amazing but daunting as well.
It is different taking another shot at the industry now that it's so different than it was back in the day...not to mention the COVID variable that challenges us daily.
May we look back on 2020 and laugh.
Cheers,
VM