Show notes
Welcome to part two, of this two part episode with Brandon Rowan, aka Birocratic.In case you missed part one of this conversation, Birocratic is a Brooklyn-based producer, making sample-based beats in the vein of ‘70s funk and old-school New York hip hop, augmented by live-recorded bass guitar and synthesizer. Birocratic's Beets albums have topped the Bandcamp hip-hop charts.And Birocratic has toured the US multiple times, including stops at venues like Red Rocks in Colorado. Finally, Birocratic has co-written songs with Grammy-award winning artists. Birocratic currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.If you have not already, I can't recommend enough that you check out part one of this convo we where discussed:- Approaching your creative process through a place of excitement and fun versus hard work.- Lessons learned from giving lessons to other producers.- Motivation.- Making money and its place in artistic development- AND, of course, our mini-listening session, where we played a couple tracks and talked about what we heard.Now, in part two of this conversation, we discuss:- The importance of establishing your own purpose- Appreciating the amount of work behind the scenes of others who appear to be “ahead” of you.- Building Relationships through collaboration.- The state of streaming as it relates to beats.- Building an audience of true fans of what you do.- How Birocratic went from making beats in his dorm room to catching a buzz and developing his career.As you'll hear throughout this conversation, Birocratic has a deep passion for making music. Birocratic continues to explore and expand his horizons while spreading motivation and encouragement to others around him. This conversation is full of ideas to keep you moving forward.Top 3 Gems From This Convo:1. DECIDE ON YOUR WHY. If you develop your own sense of purpose and direction as to why you are pursuing what is you pursue, you are less likely to be distracted or thrown off of balance by the whims and opinions of others.2. LEAN BACK LISTENERS ARE STEP 1. Do Not Forget: A large quantity of passive consumers is not necessarily a signal that you have a real fan/customer base. If building an audience is something you have decided is a priority (see Gem 1), explore ways in which you can develop direct relationships with people who are interested in what you do.3. DON'T OVEREMPHASIZE VANITY MECTRICSThe gamification of much of what we do and share online can lead us to focus on areas that don't serve our growth and development. It is important to monitor goals and purpose (again, See Gem 1), while ensuring that your efforts are directed to help you reach them.Listen on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.Tap in with toru:Substack: Instagram: @torubeattiktok: @torubeatTap in with Birocratic:email: [email protected]: @birocraticTo jump to a specific moment in the conversation:00:00 Introduction 02:20 In It For The Money 02:30 The Value and Importance of Purpose 05:02 Lack of Visibility into The Careers Of Others 05:20 Birocratic's Trajectory and Origin 09:50 Outreach and Hustle (finding places for your music) 11:00 Appreciating the Work of Others You Can't See 11:56 Taking action based on context 12:15 Building Relationships and Offering music in the world and era of tiktok and digital creators 13:08 Honesty about where you are in your career 15:12 Valuing Your Own Music 15:40 Chillhop Music History and Birocratic's Role in its development 19:50 Starting From a Place of Creating Quality/Adopting a Long-Term View 20:30 The rise of other labels following the model demonstrated by Chillhop 20:50 The State of Lofi and Streaming 23:30 Ideas for approaching relationship building 25:40 How Music Works and the Quality of a Music Scene 26:20 Meet Your Internet Friends IRL 27:30 Lean Back Listeners and How to Build an Audience 28:00 Monthly Listeners Talk 28:30 Monthly Listeners v. A Real Following 29:20 toru as a case study as a fan of Yussef Dayes 31:00 The Key To a Music Marketing Plan 32:30 What is it to be a fan? 33:00 Opportunities for Fans to Develop A Deeper Relationship 33:30 The 1,000 Fan Theory 35:25 What Is Your Purpose? Do you know? 36:20 Be Conscious Assumptions and Expectations 36:45 Birocratic's sharing advice and perspective 38:40 Birocratic's Stream With Chillhop, Upcoming Projects, and Private Lessons 42:00 Rapid Round of Questioning 42:20 Go to plug-ins 42:42 Birocratic's listening suggestions (artists) 43:20 Birocratic's listening suggestions (albums) 44:30 Birocratic as a character 45:25 Thank you's and Summary 45:45 OutroReferenced:Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 Fan TheoryHow Music Works by David ByrneShow Your Work by Austin KleonThanks for reading toru’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to ProducerHead at producerhead.substack.com/subscribe
