Here is a little update to what’s coming around the corner for me this year…
I’m really excited to be teaming up with a wonderful group of artists this year. Together we want to create events that transport you from your daily routine into the Fabulous World of the Arts. Not just another art exhibit but an experience connecting you to the art, the music and the artist!
I’ll be sending you all more info soon but until then let me introduce you to everyone…
Just click on the artists name to visit their websites. We’ll have a collective website soon.
I currently working on the music for my new cd to be released early this spring!
During the past few years there has been a lot of old classics that I love performing during my live shows. This spring I am super excited to be releasing a new album with some of those wonderful tunes!
News for all the guitarist…
This year I’ll be performing with the new Boss RC300 loop station and working with Roland Canada performing clinics to show everyone how to perform and rehearse with loops!
The first clinic will be at the new Long & McQuade store on Terminal in Vancouver slated for Thursday, March 15th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
The flamenco guitar I currently perform with uses a LR Baggs Element pickup system. I really like the pickup however, it’s a single under-saddle style and it does not allow you to hear any of the percussion from the top of the guitar.
Last Christmas I was given a wonderful gift from a couple of my students. A Cordoba GK Studio guitar! The guitar is absolutely amazing however, I’m not to crazy about the on-board Fishman Presys pickup system.
So this year LR Baggs has released the new Anthem SL Classical mic and pick up system. This new pickup system blends the element under-saddle pickup with a boundary mic. I’ll be installing the new system soon so I’ll give you all the details and review it as soon as it arrives.
It’s a way for me to now pay you for telling all you friends about me and my music. I guess it’s one way to say a big Thank You for all your support.
Here’s how it works…
1. Visitor clicks on an affiliate link on your site or in an email.
2. The visitors IP is logged and a cookie is placed in their browser for tracking purposes.
3. The visitor browses our site, and may decide to order.
4. If the visitor orders (the order does not need to be placed during the same browser session – cookies and IPs are stored up to 30 days), the order will be registered as a sale for you and you will receive a 10% commission for this sale.
2. Create your account and place your linking code into your website, blog or an email and watch your account balance grow as your friends discover my music.
3. You can go back to the Affiliate page to view your stats.
4. The stats will show you how many people have clicked through your banner or link and how much money you’ve earned.
Currently the affiliate program is for all music products sold at www.JohnGilliat.com and soon you can also become an affiliate for www.YourGuitarSchool.com!
So today I finally closed my TopSpin account and have began using eStore!
I have to say that I’ll miss Ian, Bob and all the wonderful people at TopSpin. These guys have been great and are really working hard to make a great product.
For all those wondering why I switched, here it is…
As a little indie guy and a big DIY (do it yourself) artist I found TopSpin to be too expensive, a big set up learning curve, an email management system that was lacking (back in March there was a lot of talk that it would be improved and I still haven’t seen any improvements), also to make a purchase from my site you had to submit your email address agreeing to TopSpin’s Terms and Conditions Agreement.
My online sales between April to September were very dismal. I thought it was mainly due to the economy however, now with eStore my sales have tripled. I believe it’s because of eStore’s very easy and direct shopping cart and maybe because PayPal has become very well known as a secure and trusted site for online purchasing.
As for the cost… TopSpin vs eStore
TopSpin was only $9.99 per month however when a fan purchased an item there were too many extra fees attached. For Example…
I would sell a digital download package for $29.99. TopSpin took 15% off the top “$4.50″. Then a (2.2% + $0.30 per transaction) credit card processing fee “$0.96″. Then a bandwidth fee of ($0.15/GB) “$0.02″
So after the dust settles I was left with roughly $24.51
Now with eStore… Initially I have to pay $49.95 for a single user license. That’s like having a free TopSpin account after 5 months!
Then my only fee is from paypal is a 2.9% transaction fee on the total sale amount plus a $0.30.
So on my $29.99 sale, my total fee to PayPal is only $1.17. I’m now left with $28.82! That’s $4.31 more money in my pocket than what I was given by Topspin for the same sale.
Also, with Paypal I’m paid immediately!
As for the Topspin widgets….
They’re awesome! I’ll miss those however, I’m now back to using Reverbnations widgets and they do the job just fine. Also, Reverbnation widgets are all FREE!
The other thing I don’t like about Topspin was that fan’s had to originally agree to their lengthy terms and conditions (T&C) agreement to make a purchase from me. I wrote about this in a previous post and Topspin did hear my concerns and did change this… well sort of… Ok… not really!
Now instead of a check box that a fan has to agree with the Topspin T&C, Topspin now makes the fan enter their email address before they can continue with the purchase. It’s kind of disguised as a Receipt Destination box as you can see below.
Receipt Destination
You can see by the above, in order to make a purchase my fan still has to agree!
With eStore I have the option to have my own simple T&C or no T&C at all. I am resposible for my products and guarantee shipping, quality, etc… and do not need a fan to agree to a T&C.
So… How are things with my new eStore?
Amazing!
I’m selling cd’s, downloads & subscriptions, hundreds of dollars worth every month! (there was virtually nothing with Topspin)
Don’t show anyone but here’s my actual sales report…
Topspin: April 2011 to November 2011 Gross $351.01 = $285.45 (net to me after topspin commissions)
eStore: September 2011 alone was $255.85 net to me, October 2011 was $411.13 net to me & November is looking even better!
That’s $666.98 with my new eStore that I sold within 2 months compaired to $285.45 that I sold with the Topspin store over a 6 month period.
To sum it all up…
I loved the Topspins apps and store. I also love the people behind the product! In my mind, if you’re a small DIY (Do It Yourself) guy like me, fans may not purchase anything if they have to take any extra steps with a purchase such as being forced to read and acknowledge a lengthy terms and conditions agreement. If you’re Elton John or Paul McCartney then it doesn’t matter. There fans will most likely jump though a bunch of hoops to make the purchase.
I honestly can’t say that’s what prevented fans from purchasing products from me during my stay at topspin. All I know is that I love the look of my new eStore and shopping cart. I’m also very excited to be creating a new Affiliate program soon that easily integrates into my new eStore.
eStore was extremely easy for me to set up and use. It may not be so easy for you as I know how to work in WordPress, I know photoshop really well for creating all my graphics, I know how to use PayPal effectively, I know html, I can create my own zip bundles, etc… as a hard core DIY guy there’s so much to know. But when you’re and indie artist living on an indie artist budget it’s the way to go! And that’s where I’m at these days!
Here’s my little emotional foot note for all the artists out there….
Today is such an amazing time!
Knowledge is power and very freeing!
We can learn to do anything together! Globally connected online with tools like youtube & google we can find each other, learn from each other, build anything, be anything! It doesn’t take bundles of money. Just your own dreams and driving force to make it happen!
Then keep testing, trying new things, (lightly) continue to bang your head against the wall as it all falls apart, pick yourself up again and keep moving forward!
Do what it takes to live your dreams. As hard as it may be at times, there’s no other way I’d want to live!
This year I’ll be performing with the new Boss RC300 loop station and working with Roland Canada performing clinics to show everyone how to perform and rehearse with loops!
Last Christmas I was given a wonderful gift from a couple of my students. A Cordoba GK Studio guitar! The guitar is absolutely amazing however, I’m not to crazy about the on-board Fishman Presys pickup system.
