Further notes…
First, I am assuming you’d like to be Creative Director of Sussex Soundscape, or whatever title you wish. In that ongoing role, you’ll accrue the benefits that I want you to have.
Well, if there is a minimal budget then of course I would expect it to raise my profile in a meaningful way. As for benefits, what do you have in mind? Again, if I cant charge what I usually do as billable time, whats the reward later? I get offered percentages all the time and usually reject them because its pie in the sky conjecture.
Development budget
There is no development budget per se. The purpose of the pitch site is to establish the level of interest by prospective clients – orchestras, halls, etc. So its 100% risk. There’s a cost of course, but let’s try and contain it. Discussions to date suggest strong interest. Once we have a measure of the interest, we can plan the next steps (full site, etc) accordingly.
There’s a cost of course, but let’s try and contain it. This is what I’m working out. Meaning, I usually know what the marketing budget is so I can work out what I can realistically do. It’s like someone wanting a quote on a house. Um, a shed? From what materials? How big? As I already mentioned there are things that a professional site requires that naturally take up my time. Even GDPR has to be monitored and the database managed. And usually I create all the images and videos if required. All billable time.
Purpose of the pitch site
To sell the vision. What is the vision? The strong connection between many celebrated (and less-known) English composers and Sussex. The remarkable musical heritage of one of Britain’s most culturally distinct counties. The pitch will animate this sense of place and music. It will establish the value of the platform to orchestras, concert halls, and perhaps music labels (paying clients), and to strategic partners (tourism bodies, etc).
Yes, I do see it’s role. Again there’s a utilitarian pitch and there’s a pitch. Attenuated to what people actually want to see in 2020. It all must be seriously impressive. Want money? Look as thought you spent it. Everything I do looks as though it wasn’t done on the smell of an oil rag. Even if sometimes it was.
Functionality of the pitch site
To deliver the vision in whatever way you decide is most effective. To show prospective clients the benefits of using the platform, and essentially what they’ll get for their annual fee. A thin, maybe 2-level, pitch site should be sufficient to achieve this. I will suggest site structure, provide copy and suggest some pics. The rest is yours.
What annual fee? Maybe you explained that.
This make sense?
🙂
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
I’ve held back from posting these replies to give you space after your op on Friday.
Hope they clearly address the questions you raised… We both want to move things along.
Q: Well, if there is a minimal budget then of course I would expect it to raise my profile in a meaningful way. As for benefits, what do you have in mind? Again, if I can’t charge what I usually do as billable time, what’s the reward later? I get offered percentages all the time and usually reject them because it’s pie in the sky conjecture.
A: This wasn’t intended as a come-on. I wasn’t thinking percentages. Soundscape is unlikely to generate significant revenues, it’s not a digital start-up, so percentages are meaningless. All that I was suggesting is a title like Creative Director that connects Soundscape to you as one of the visionaries behind it, and not just as a contractor.
Q: There’s a cost of course, but let’s try and contain it. This is what I’m working out. Meaning, I usually know what the marketing budget is so I can work out what I can realistically do. It’s like someone wanting a quote on a house. Um, a shed? From what materials? How big? As I already mentioned there are things that a professional site requires that naturally take up my time. Even GDPR has to be monitored and the database managed. And usually I create all the images and videos if required. All billable time.
A: Let’s break it down into phase 1 and phase 2. Phase 1 is the pitch site, with the single purpose of delivering the vision in whatever way you decide is most effective – to show prospective clients the benefits of using the platform, and essentially what they’ll get for their annual fee. A thin, maybe 2-level, pitch site should be sufficient to achieve this. I will suggest key content elements of the site and provide copy. The rest is yours.
Like I said, there’s no maximum or minimum budget. I have no idea what the cost might be. Sorry to throw it back to you, but you are the best judge of what’s necessary to do the job, and hence the costs. Since it’s 100% risk, containing costs will be good and appreciated.
The budget for phase 2, the full site build, we can decide after we have a measure of the responses to the pitch.
Q: Yes, I do see it’s role. Again, there’s a utilitarian pitch and there’s a pitch. Attenuated to what people actually want to see in 2020. It all must be seriously impressive. Want money? Look as though you spent it. Everything I do looks as though it wasn’t done on the smell of an oil rag. Even if sometimes it was.
A: Agree!
Q: What annual fee? Maybe you explained that.
A: The principal revenue stream, certainly initially, will be fees charged annually to orchestras, halls and record labels to use the site as a marketing platform for their events and products. Orchestras/halls will list all their concerts. Those concerts featuring works by composers with a Sussex connection will be flagged on our front page. The fee will of course include coverage across online media (twitter, facebook, instagram) and an enewsletter.
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I want to articulate (briefly) the vision in the brief to the web developers for the pitch website. I’m working on the tech specs.
Four or five paras is enough, but I’m not satisfied with this draft:
Sussex is one of Britain’s most culturally distinct counties. The chalk hills, distinctive coastline, bustling towns and small villages, and the county’s ancient farmlands, have inspired composers and songwriters for centuries. It’s vibrant classical musical heritage is unmatched.
Sussex Soundscape is the start of a conversation about that heritage between musicians and music lovers. It will strengthen, and in some cases awaken, an awareness of the bonds between place and music. And for those who live in Sussex, reinforce that sense of belonging, of identity, and the connections with where they live.
Sussex Soundscape will share news of concerts, public and private recitals, special events – often in collaboration with other arts organisations, exclusive tours, study trips, and a range of tailored opportunities in London and across the South of England with the focus on the works of composers born in the county, or who found – and continue to find – inspiration in Sussex.
Those composers include Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Arnold Bax, John Ireland, Frank Bridge, Hubert Parry, John Marsh, Thomas Weelkes, John Tavener, Eric Coates, Ron Grainer and Ruth Gipps. Howard Moody and Martin Butler are two of many contemporary composers resident in Sussex. Major works and small masterpieces abound, much of it now part of the mainstream repertoire.
Music does not exist in a vacuum. The distinguished tenor Ian Bostridge writes of the continuing vitality of music written in the past residing in its connection with timeless human concerns. Those concerns remain the bedrock of today’s composers and Sussex Soundscape expects to commission one new local work each year, strengthening the connection between people and the places they share.
Sussex Soundscape. We both want this to happen. Let’s get it sorted.
I figure best if I summarise where I think we are – correct me where I have it wrong or differs from the route you want to take.
Seems practical to do it here, and am also posting it.
01: Worth restating: the purpose of the thin pitch site is to equip me to pitch to prospective clients (orchestras, etc) and strategic partners. There’s a very limited hosting requirement.
02: You’ll build the pitch site, but you’d like me to get a quote from Adam, so there’s a comparative value. Is that right?
03: We’ll sort the full site once we have a measure of the response to the pitch.
04: The purpose of the brief was always to enable Adam and his team to understand what Sussex Soundscape is about, and the extent of the pitch site. It never was to ‘romance’ him, as you put it – I know him.
05: I’ll purchase an Avada licence, for the pitch site build.
06: We’ll work out what I can give you that you don’t have.
07: I’ll give you my thoughts on the pitch site content structure – in some cases just a general line such as ‘vision statement’ for you to interpret as creatively as you wish.
What have I missed?
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