# Advice wanted for starting a YouTube channel



## Mike Greene (Dec 9, 2021)

A friend of mine, who has a sample library company, is thinking it might be fun to share some stories about his experiences as a developer, as well as his composer experiences, and maybe even some explanations about how royalties work, etc. Anyone who's met him knows how devilishly handsome he is, so video is the obvious choice for this, with the added benefit that this would attract a lot more women to the field.

The first question is whether I, errr I mean _he_, should use his company's existing YouTube channel. This new series of videos wouldn't be nearly as busy as Christian Henson's channel (maybe 10 or 20 videos?), so I'm not sure a separate channel is justified. Plus, there's something to be said for the ease of just using the company channel. And maybe there's even some cross-promotional benefit to that, although I don't know that when people finish watching a video of some guy whining about how expensive it is to record strings, are they really going to then click on a banjo walkthrough? Probably not, so maybe a new channel would be best? But then he'd have to think of a name for it, and that's hard!

The other question is that "my friend" only recently learned about things like ring lights (or whatever they're called) so that his face won't be full of scary shadows. (And recently learned about beauty filters! Don't worry, though. But ... wow!) Are ring lights the way to go for something like this?

I assume an iPhone 10 is fine? The advantage to that is there's no learning curve of getting a real camera, because trust me, this guy is a slow learner when it comes to new technologies. I'm thinking OBS as a recorder (combining live and screencast) and Davinci for editing.

Any general advice would be great. Thanks!


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## Markrs (Dec 9, 2021)

Personally I would use the company YouTube. One reason is that if you are going to post regularly this will grow your subscription numbers which helps when you release a new library. Two it is often show to build up the initial followers, though plenty on here will help with that. Three little like a relationship with the companies they but from so the more you engage the more people get to know you the more they want to support you.

I know that you are not doing this for sales, but the cross pollination benefits are pretty good.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Dec 9, 2021)

Haha go for it Mike! Trust me, you'll be way ahead of me already (I only use my iphone to record my face and screen capture). I'd just use the company channel as well; it's much easier than starting from scratch imo.


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## d.healey (Dec 9, 2021)

If you'll be recording with your phone get a ring light that has a phone holder within it, then you don't need a separate tripod.

This kind of thing - https://www.banggood.com/Bakeey-LED-Selfie-Fill-Ring-Light-Lamp-Live-COOK-26CM-Photography-Lighting-Phone-Ringlight-Tripod-Stand-for-Video-Youtube-Photography-p-1835374.html?cur_warehouse=CN&ID=6287830&rmmds=search


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## thesteelydane (Dec 9, 2021)

Mike Greene said:


> A friend of mine, who has a sample library company, is thinking it might be fun to share some stories about his experiences as a developer, as well as his composer experiences, and maybe even some explanations about how royalties work, etc. Anyone who's met him knows how devilishly handsome he is, so video is the obvious choice for this, with the added benefit that this would attract a lot more women to the field.
> 
> The first question is whether I, errr I mean _he_, should use his company's existing YouTube channel. This new series of videos wouldn't be nearly as busy as Christian Henson's channel (maybe 10 or 20 videos?), so I'm not sure a separate channel is justified. Plus, there's something to be said for the ease of just using the company channel. And maybe there's even some cross-promotional benefit to that, although I don't know that when people finish watching a video of some guy whining about how expensive it is to record strings, are they really going to then click on a banjo walkthrough? Probably not, so maybe a new channel would be best? But then he'd have to think of a name for it, and that's hard!
> 
> ...


I have "a friend" who is thinking of doing exactly the same thing, and wondering the exact same questions, so I'll be following this...

One immediate question out of the gate, since "my friend" wears glasses is how do you stop the ring light from showing in the reflection of the glasses?


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## doctoremmet (Dec 9, 2021)

I would also love for these two friends to maybe do a talk together on each other’s channels once, by the way.


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## MarcusD (Dec 9, 2021)

Hi Mike,

Equipment wise your friend will need to look at:

SOFTWARE

Video Editing - Davinci Resolve ( Its free & an industry standard ! - only caveat is if you need to render 4K or higher, then the full version is needed )
Screen Capture - OBS Studio ( also free and fairly easy to setup ) 
Voice Editing software - Izotope RX, some DAW etc... Also, VST2 plugins work inside of OBS. 

HARDWARE

Soft Box Light - Soft box lights are less harsh and more natural than ring lights, also don't hurt the eyes as much and don't give that 'I'm wearing vampire contact lenses' look.

iPhone Camera - is perfectly fine, there's also a piece of software by Elgato called EpocCam Pro, it'll link the iPhone over WIFI or USB to OBS (that's if they want to record screen captures + their face too)

Phone Holder / Camera Tripod - Gorilla pods are really versatile and come in all shapes and sizes, perfect for mounting a phone or DSLR in dodgy places as the legs are flexible. Might need to purchase separate attachments though. Alternatively, just a regular camera tripod that's tall enough to cover your needs.

Camera DSLR - If they want a more professional look, they'll need to look into a DSLR camera that A. wont over heat. B. doesn't have an auto off timer or recording limit. Sony A7 cameras are pretty popular along with the Panasonic GH5. A permanent source of power will also be needed, some companies make dummy batteries that power over mains. 

If your friend does decide to get a DSLR, they'll also need a capture card (if live video streaming + screen capture is needed) otherwise if it's simply pre-recorded footage, that's edited after, then they *cough* wont need one. 

Microphone - obviously


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## Nimrod7 (Dec 9, 2021)

The Filmic Pro app is a must if an iPhone is in the game:




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FiLMiC Pro Mobile Video | Mobile 4K Video Camera







www.filmicpro.com





It's allowing to use Slog2, Slog3 profiles which are flat to capture the full dynamic range and then grade them. It's much safer to use than the default camera app.


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## Simeon (Dec 9, 2021)

thesteelydane said:


> One immediate question out of the gate, since "my friend" wears glasses is how do you stop the ring light from showing in the reflection of the glasses?


Ring lights are hard to navigate when you are wearing eyeglasses. I have tried and it is crazy. Even a non-eyeglass wearer will have that small "ring aura" in their eyes. Even with traditional lighting with anti-reflective lenses you still need to be mindful of where you place the lights. A nice Softbox light would probably work well. I use two small LED panels that have been doing a good job but there is always room for experimentation and improvement.

It sounds exciting to see more from your "friends" ;^)
I think it really helps to connect more with not only the developer but their instruments as in reality you are the heart of each title you release and we want to get to know that better.


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## Daren Audio (Dec 9, 2021)

*Lighting is everything.* Ring light or soft box is pertinent to diffusing harsh lighting and adds to high production value of the YouTube channel. I cringe when I see overexposed lighting or "racoon eyes" -- this is when the lighting source is from above shining down on the face of the speaker casting dark shadows below the eyes. Light diffusers are the standard. They are quite inexpensive on Amazon. 

*Video Editing: * DaVinci is great and FREE. I use Logic and Cubase but also DaVinci as a DAW.
It's a Video Editor, DAW and a Motion Graphics editor (similar to After Effects) all-in-one! However, DaVinci can be a CPU/RAM hog if your system isn't up to spec but you can download older versions as well to match your computer specs. 

Many YouTubers are using Luma Fusion iPad app which is 'considered' a light version of Final Cut Pro and renders video faster than the Intel desktop Macs. Ideal for mobile, on-the-go or users without a high end desktop. 

*Cameras:* iPhones will do the trick. If you have older iPhones and iPads lying around you can setup multiple angles using OBS.

I highly recommend checking out DSLR Video Shooter's video as I've used this as a reference for my own setup:


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## Nimrod7 (Dec 9, 2021)

Simeon said:


> Ring lights are hard to navigate when you are wearing eyeglasses.


I would also advice against a ring light.

My recommendation if the budget allows is an https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1609913-REG/aputure_amaran_200d_200d_led_light.html (Aputure Amaran 200d) with the biggest soft box you can fit in the room. Their https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1426991-REG/aputure_lightdome_ii_light_dome_ii_34_8.html (Light Domes) soft boxes are expensive, but there are alternatives (any with Bowens mount will do).


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## creativeforge (Dec 9, 2021)

Great idea. 

Just a few thoughts from a "viewer" perspective...

Stand at a normal distance, don't frame the face on the entire screen, that is too close for comfort, I can't believe some people do this.

If you are going to have bg music, make it discreet. 

Finally, avoid the "trend" of editing to remove all natural breathing gaps (they end one sentence and start another without pause - that's not natural).


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## MarcusD (Dec 9, 2021)

Some things for reference when shopping around... Just to get ideas mainly.

*Camera / Phone / Light Mounts*

- *Elgato Desk Mount* - good for cameras or softbox lights with threaded bottom.
- *Elgato Wall Mount* - like above, holds camera etc... but wall mounted.
- *ULANZI Desk Mount* - not certain about quality, but has two arms. One for camera, other for light. Something like this is usefull, might not be as flexible depending on how much equipment you have on your desk.
- *Manfrotto Mini Pod + Phone Clamp* - Compact, good quality just plonk it on the desk somewhere. Also good for mounting small light boxes or LEDs lights.
- *Manfrotto Action Pod* - Honestly, it's the simple things in life. 
- *DJI Ronin 2 *- You won't need this, but ... If you want to make extremely cinematic videos of grass, while running across a field looking kind-of constipated...
- *GorrilaPod* - Adventurous? Want to mount a camera to almost anything, like a tree, a dog, maybe a deadly snake? This things great, especially on uneven surfaces.
- *LED light / Softbox* - Something like this would work well. Alternatively you could get a small LED camera light and buy a softbox cover that fits the dimensions.
- *Elgato Key Light* - Bit pricey, comes with fancy features. Don't have to worry about batteries etc..


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## Mike Greene (Dec 9, 2021)

This is great info, and a lot to chew on. Thank you!

The "vampire eyes" effect of ring lights was something I hadn't thought of, but now that you guys mention it, I've seen it. A ring light is easy, but yeah, I don't want that.

I checked out a few Rick Beato videos just now (Rick doesn't have my supermodel looks, but he's still a good role model for this), and I can see reflections in his eyes of two lights (I assume softboxes?), left and right, so I think I'll do that. So I think I'll go for two softboxes or LED rectangle thingies. (Oh, who am I kidding, we're similar ages, hair and complexions, and his videos look great, so if I can replicate that, I'll be happy.)

I realize that I also need to figure out where I'll actually be positioned, since that affects distance and size of the lights. DJ's videos look great, but I don't anticipate doing much on the computer (these are chats, rather than how-to's), so rather than plopping myself in front of my computer screen, I should probably try to find a good spot where the background looks cool, but maybe where I can also turn to the computer if necessary.

On a side note, as I check out some of these links, I can't help but wonder if the entire world is already doing this! Talk about being late to the party ...


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## d.healey (Dec 9, 2021)

thesteelydane said:


> how do you stop the ring light from showing in the reflection of the glasses?


Take the glasses off when looking at the camera, they need to see you, you don't need to see them. Or wear contacts, or use a polarized filter on your camera.

The ring light will still show a reflection in your eye, even if you don't wear glasses. I see this all the time on YouTube, makes eyes look freaky.

Here's one I just saw:


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## rgames (Dec 9, 2021)

On the second question - there are lots of good references on basic lighting but it all basically comes down to separating yourself from the background. The two most common ways are depth of field (i.e. out-of-focus background) and differences in lighting and/or color contrast. The best-looking shots use both. One simple approach is to make yourself as bright as possible and the background as dark as possible. Then use a fairly open aperture (f/3.5 or so - f/2.8 can get too soft) to blur the background and you'll almost always have good separation.

You do *not* need to spend much money for a talking head setup. The Yongnuo YN300 is a great light for talking head shots and it's about $50 on Amazon. Window light coming from the side is almost always as good as anything else. And yeah, shooting on an iPhone is fine but can be tough indoors because of low light levels and noise. That's where that $50 light comes in handy.

On the first question - I'm guessing you know branding very well. My experience is that a YT channel isn't any different: it's all about branding. So the question is whether the new content fits in with the brand of the other content. My gut says maybe not - I think the people interested in your music biz videos (who would definitely include me!) are not the same audience that is interested in Realitone products.

I think the audience for the second channel is much broader than the first. If people show up expecting a Beato-type channel and they see a lot of videos for sample libraries my guess is they're less likely to subscribe because they're not quite sure what the channel is about. In the former, the channel *is* the product but in the latter the channel is basically an ad for a product that exists elsewhere.

But hey - I'm just speaking my intuition. I don't actually know 

rgames


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## Double Helix (Dec 9, 2021)

This would be perfect for when you're going for that _Village of the Damned_ look
(But a person would have to be pretty old to get that reference--just sayin')


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## John Judd (Dec 10, 2021)

Mike Greene, this is a valuable thread. Lots of good info in here. Just following.

That said, I’m hoping your first video is a gladiator battle between two penniless composers.

Sorry, didn’t mean to be redundant with ‘penniless’.


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## Mike Greene (Dec 10, 2021)

rgames said:


> If people show up expecting a Beato-type channel and they see a lot of videos for sample libraries my guess is they're less likely to subscribe because they're not quite sure what the channel is about. In the former, the channel *is* the product but in the latter the channel is basically an ad for a product that exists elsewhere.


That's a good point. Realitone fans might be interested in these side videos, but not the other way around, so there's good reason to keep the two channels separate.

On the other hand, I can't imagine doing more than a dozen or so videos, so asking viewers to _"Click that Subscribe button!"_ is unlikely, because there wouldn't be much point. I'd love to have Rick Beato's quality level, but there's no possibility of anything remotely close to his view/subscriber numbers. I just want to make some videos that would be of interest to people here, to our customers, and to my Facebook friends.

So I could see going either way - new channel or Realitone channel. At this point, I'm leaning Realitone channel, but only because I can't think of a name for a "Mike talks about random stuff" channel.

On a semi-related note, my Realitone Channel has around 6,000 subscribers. That seems like a lot (to me, at least), but when I post a new walkthrough video (or whatever), it will only get around 20 views in the first 24 hours, so either subscribers aren't being alerted or else they don't care. Views don't get big until I link it from somewhere else. So it makes me wonder if subscriber numbers don't kick the YouTube algorithm into gear unless they're substantially larger than mine. Which makes me even less inclined to be one of the _"Click that Subscribe button!"_ guys.


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## chillbot (Dec 10, 2021)

How much are you going to be charging for your onlyfans.com ?


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## wst3 (Dec 10, 2021)

two more cents...

Use the Realitone Youtube channel, link from the Realitone website, call it a blog. Customers will almost certainly be interested in how you became the king of sampling - more seriously, if you talk about some of your recording/composing adventure I think it can drive some sales.

And, composers or library developers who want to learn from the best my end up visiting the web store and purchasing things.

There are a lot of good reasons to separate the two, but I think keeping everything in a single channel makes sense for you and Realitone. If you were trying to be the next Christian or Rick Beato it would be different.

While the camera in an iPhone is nothing to sneeze at, spend a couple bucks and get a decent DSLR. They are not that difficult to operate, and they can do things the iPhone can't (and vica-versa I suppose).

Lighting is important. You need soft, edgeless, even light. You can shoot a regular light into an umbrella, or get a couple box lights, or both.

Get a green screen or make a little corner in the studio that is just interesting enough to be seen, without distracting.

Other than that, tell your friend to be himself. That will work!


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## Reid Rosefelt (Dec 10, 2021)

I'm not a successful YouTuber, but I've been working on the technical aspects for over a year and I would say that lighting is the hardest thing to do well, unless you are somebody who looks good in any light. Somebody can say "get a soft light," but then it is on you to decide where to put the lights, what level of brightness, etc. 

There is the issue of cost versus the amount of time you spend getting it the way you want it to look.
If you're going to be shooting most of the videos at your desk, then I recommend getting two Elgato Key Lights. Once you set these up you can adjust the light level and color temperature with your phone, computer or stream deck. But if you are moving your setup somewhere else, you will need to learn about lighting.

Elgato also makes a really nice greens screen that folds down into a little box. You bring it up in ten seconds only when you need it. Elgato is a company that makes making videos easy. 

I agree that starting with an iPhone is fine, but if you get into this you may want to consider a DSLR at some point. It's nice to have your videos look like Rick Beato's videos if you can. Photography is all about the quality of the lens and an iPhone camera is a tiny little hole. It gives you an image, but there's no way it can compete with a real camera. 

In terms of editing software, this is the same as a DAW. You're going to spend time with it. There's no one choice--it's what works best for you. If you don't enjoy using an editor, get a recommendation for another before you spend too much time trying make it work. You can get free trials to help you decide. 

You'll do better with the YouTube algorithm once you start releasing videos at a steady pace. The number of subscribers do matter. But also they may not matter in some instances. You could have a thousand people who signed up long ago and don't go on YouTube much anymore. You need people who like your content and regularly go on YouTube. Once you start pumping it out, it will work.

Some of your videos will be really popular and some won't. Spend a little time with the analytics. Stuff works in the long term based on the search engine. YouTube is evergreen content. If somebody who is five years old today becomes interested in Sunset Strings someday, they'll search on Google or YouTube and any video you've done on the topic will come out.


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## wunderflo (Dec 10, 2021)

my advice would be to just start and try to deliver one video per week for at least 3 months, BEFORE you buy any equipment, worry about lighting, video and sound quality, etc. If you have something interesting to say (I'm sure you have), those videos will be valuable. Put your phone somewhere, so it's not shaking, try to find a quiet place, and don't film yourself standing with the back to the sunlight, and your videos will be totally fine quality-wise. Without frequent, continuous output on a very constant, regular basis your channel will probably have a hard time to grow (except your videos are exceptionally outstanding productions, in which case an irregular release schedule might work). And if that doesn't sound like a fun challenge to you after you've done it for a while, you might try to find alternatives that suit you better (such as a podcast or whatever).


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## jononotbono (Dec 10, 2021)

Definitely looking forward to what videos you make.

Buy a couple of Elgato Keylights. They clamp to the desk, and can be controlled via iPhone/iPad to turn on and control temperature. They are amazing. Great lighting means you can literally use a cheap camera. A great camera with bad lighting is pointless.

Also, a Green screen and fire breathing Dragons can work. Sometimes.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Dec 12, 2021)

My two cents:

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. 

I have found great joy and satisfaction in learning about things like camera and lighting and editing and special FX and OBS. Learning about anything has its joys. I don't care that the end result has not been success as a YouTuber. The learning has been its own reward. 

Millions of people make videos on YouTube using the mic on their webcams or iPhones. I believe that most people who do music performing or training videos use the best mics they can get their hands on.

Why no respect from a lot of people here for the image? It is called a video, right? 

Mike, having watched your videos for years, I know you will be successful on YouTube, no matter what camera you use. You know a ton, and have a wonderful gift for sharing the things you know with charm and humor. But your videos will stay up on YouTube as long as there is a YouTube. The ones I put up at the beginning make me cringe. I'm still not good, but I'm better. Still learning. 

Are you aching to have a throng of admirers on YouTube? Or do you want to create a record of the things that you've learned in your life in music? That will always be up there? 

What is your goal? Are you doing this to please the YouTube algorithm? Or yourself? Because any time you spend doing this will be time you won't be spending doing something else.


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## Collywobbles (Dec 12, 2021)

thesteelydane said:


> I have "a friend" who is thinking of doing exactly the same thing, and wondering the exact same questions, so I'll be following this...
> 
> One immediate question out of the gate, since "my friend" wears glasses is how do you stop the ring light from showing in the reflection of the glasses?


Contact Lenses? Or make sure there’s no compromising info on your computer screen and just yolo it.


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## Mike Greene (Dec 15, 2021)

wst3 said:


> Use the Realitone Youtube channel, link from the Realitone website, call it a blog. ...
> 
> There are a lot of good reasons to separate the two, but I think keeping everything in a single channel makes sense for you and Realitone. If you were trying to be the next Christian or Rick Beato it would be different.


I think you may be right. Henson/Beato is definitely not the goal, so I don't want to overcomplicate this. So in the interest of moving forward, and thanks to the great advice I've gotten, I've ordered a couple Elgato key lights and I'll get that EpoCam Pro app, so I can use the iPhone. (An SLR would be better, but I don't want to look _too_ amazing.)



wst3 said:


> Other than that, tell your friend to be himself. That will work!


Sadly, it won't. That's why I use this fake _"Mike Greene is a nice guy"_ persona. It works much better than presenting the real me. Trust me, you don't want to meet the real Mike Greene!



wunderflo said:


> my advice would be to just start and try to deliver one video per week for at least 3 months, BEFORE you buy any equipment, worry about lighting, video and sound quality, etc.


But that would already be the end of the videos I want to do. 



Reid Rosefelt said:


> Are you aching to have a throng of admirers on YouTube? Or do you want to create a record of the things that you've learned in your life in music? That will always be up there?
> 
> What is your goal? Are you doing this to please the YouTube algorithm? Or yourself?


The main reason for doing this is I want to tell the story behind Sunset Strings. It's an amusing story (it's not at all what you might think it is) that I think warrants more than a VI-C post. I've been itching to tell this story since we released it.

I would have already hit record on the iPhone and done it, but the lighting here is all overhead, and seeing myself in Zoom meetings has taught me that overhead lighting is not a flattering look. (At all! Yikes!)

I made a _"5 Reasons You Need Sunset Stings"_ video a few months ago, and in order to get people on Facebook to watch it, I figured I should have me at the top saying something, so it would appear that there's action, as opposed to just another boring screencast of features. But vanity and all that, I had to relight myself so I wouldn't have all those downward shadows on my face. All I had handy was a string of Christmas lights, so I turned off the overhead lights and used the Xmas lights like a ring light. (You can see the reflections of them in the studio glass behind me in the video here.) It wasn't a lot of light, so the video was grainy, but good enough for an intro.

So now I'm looking to do better. But with a minimum of effort. 

No goals for YouTube dominance. Just the Sunset story, a few "How I Got the Gig" stories, and maybe a few other odds and ends. I can't imagine more than 10 or 20 videos tops. There may be _some_ marketing benefit with some of them, but that's not the goal.



Reid Rosefelt said:


> Because any time you spend doing this will be time you won't be spending doing something else.


That's something I'm becoming all too aware of. Guess how many hours I've spent working on Realitone instruments in the last 30 days. Zero. Not a one. Of my available "work" hours, Realitone marketing, bookkeeping/administration, and running the forum have taken all my time this last month.

It gets to a point where I question whether my hours are going to the right places. For instance, would a few hours spent making a Holiday Sale video be better spent finishing up a new release? Extra money from sales is cool, but money from a new release is better. And longer term.

Hours spent making vanity videos would be a definite no, in terms of profitable ways to spend my time. Fun, though, so I'm going to do it, but you're absolutely right about being mindful of the time I spend doing them.


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