HOW TO PARTICIPATE

This spooky competition is all about Halloween Vamps! The competition will run from Friday 28th – Monday 31st of October.

ICYMI a Vamp is a short video that you can post to your profile and it will populate in our watch feed. 

To participate all you need to do is create a Vamp with some sort of Halloween/spooky vibes.

What are you waiting for? It’s time for some spooky creations… 👻

HOW TO WIN

Best Vamp

Our favorite Vamp will win a $100 cash prize and we will repost it across all our social channels. Psst…we have a lot of followers! 🤫

Best Comment

Not only can you win by creating, but you can also win by engaging! The prize for the best comment is 1 month free of Vampr Academy + Pro! 🎓🏆

We will also be looking for the best comment on Vamps during the competition. That means something that makes us stop and notice.

Whether it’s the best Halloween pun we have ever seen or some really high-quality feedback on the Vamp – we are all for it! 

Post your Halloween Vamps anytime from now onwards and then keep an eye out for the watch feed to get all spooky from the 28th-31st. 🎃

Post your Vamp now >> SUBMIT NOW

You may have noticed that Vampr has had a few changes lately. We are excited about these new changes as they are aimed at improving user experience and helping the Vampr community connect and create together!

In case you are confused about any of the changes, we have everything you need to know in this article!

New and Improved Vamps

We have redesigned Vamps! What are Vamps you say? Great question.

Vamps are short audio and video posts that used to sit at the top of your feed in the app. We have given Vamps a makeover and they now look better, perform smoother and they stick around for good! No more disappearing after a couple of days. 

Vamps are free to make and you can create as many as you like. These will live on your profile and in the Watch feed so your followers and others can see them at any time.  

Takeaways:

New Vampr Watch Feed

We mentioned that Vamps will now be housed in your profile and your Watch feed. Want to know what your Watch feed is? Great, we will tell you.

Watch Feed is another of our new features! A new section dedicated solely to watching Vamps from both people you follow and people you don’t.

You can choose what’s more relevant for you, by toggling between both. 

Takeaways:

New Vampr Academy Courses Available

Vampr Academy has released a heap of new Deep Dive courses. Exclusive to Vampr Academy members. 

We now have:

Content Creation For Musicians
Learn how to create engaging content with your phone. Make everything from music videos, Tik Toks, and EPK’s using your phone to grow your audience.

Management Contracts
This course covers all the key terms of management agreements and is essential for artists contemplating working with a manager.

Indie Record Label Contracts
Pros and cons of a label licensing deal, how they impact artists’ rights ownership, and what revenue streams artists can expect from these contracts.

Building Your Team
Learn the keys to building a successful team to develop your music career. From finding creative team members and a manager to getting an agent and marketing support, this course will provide you with some tips for building the right team at each stage of your career. 

Music Business Essentials
Music Business Essentials is designed to provide artists with a comprehensive understanding of the modern music industry. It covers a wide variety of different topics in the music industry such as contracts and copyright, types of businesses operating in the contemporary music business and their business models, marketing strategies, and more. After completing this course, you will have the tools to qualify for employment in the music industry and be empowered to build a successful career as an artist.

+ some new Armchair Expert Interviews!

Also coming soon:

We are offering a free 7-day trial for Academy. >> Start your free trial NOW. 🎓 

Topic: Pivoting from Passion to Business.

Couldn’t make it to Vampr’s Accelerator Session with Grit Sounds back on October 3rd? No problem, we have some key takeaways and the chat transcribed for you so you can re-live the conversation and get all the sage that he dished out! 🍽

Key Takeaways:

The Conversation.

Vampr: Daniel, you ready?

Daniel Franzén: Shoot!

Vampr: Thanks so much for joining us, I know it’s the evening where you are, first let’s build a little backstory for the community. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you’re from and how you got started in music? Who inspired you, your favorite genre, band(s,) performers, etc?

Daniel Franzén: Well, I started out actually at the age of 9 playing the flute (traverse or silver flute) and did that for a couple years until I discovered drums. Been in a lot of bands throughout the years spanning from jazz to death metal. Did some orchestral stuff as well. 

My biggest influences growing up was my teacher, Glenn, at the youth center Lars Ulrich, Mike Portnoy and bands like Sepultura, Queensrÿche, Cradle of Filth but also listened to Britney Spears, The Cranberries and a lot of classical masters. So quite wide ranges genre wise you could say. 

Since then I’ve continued being in both live bands and recording bands working with kids, both as a schoolteacher and private. Worked in a couple studios before starting my own business in 2017.

Vampr: That’s an incredible journey, what initially drew you to the industry and made you want to have a career in it?

Daniel Franzén: I started out with mixing and producing stuff for my own enjoyment and that led to friends hearing it and asking me to help them out. Word gets around I guess and I just went with the flow. Once I started on the production and mixing side I realized that’s what I want to do music wise.

Vampr:What kind of music did you start out working? I read in your bio you were a drummer in a band at one point?

Daniel Franzén:Yeah, I did start out as a drummer, still beating them from time to time but am more focused on the prod side now. I’m a metal head at heart and also a big movie geek so I started writing score-sih music with rock influences. I think my background as a metal drummer shines through in many productions.

Vampr:Now that you say that, I can definitely hear it in your music.

Daniel Franzén:I like the dark and dramatic I guess 🙂

Vampr: (we live for the dramatic! Music is about feeling at the end of day anyway.)

As far as figuring out you wanted to work on the production side you figured that out when you went to University or just kind of felt it was the right path for you after a while?

Daniel Franzén: Well educationally I went a long way. First I got a teaching Bachelor at University of Stockholm and then I studied photography, followed by a music production education at another one of the Swedish Universities (Linneus University.)

No Matter what I’ve done in life I’ve always felt the pull toward music and being creative.

Vampr:Whoa!! So you’re just an all around artist, that’s next level because that means all aspects of your life can sort of just bleed into one another to make better art.

Daniel Franzén: Yes, inspiration can be found in all aspects of life, right. You have to experience stuff, go through hardships and happiness. It’s all a well for creativity.

Vampr: So now let’s jump into how you pivoted from musician to business? You have your own studio where you’re the lead engineer, correct?

Daniel Franzén: I have my own studio named Grit Sounds where I’m the only engineer. I sometimes work in other peoples places, I may spot in for the artist. For it’s been a long time project to go from hobbyist to professional. It does take time to build a network and discography, but you just have to be resilient. 

Vampr: As far as being a business owner. It can be tricky right? Because you’re helping people see their vision in the music right? How do you manage artists in that sense?

Daniel Franzén: It’s tricky sometimes. I’m providing a service so artists need to feel I have their best interest at heart and that we share the vision for the project. 

It’s all about the artist and their music. My job is to make their vision come alive and in that there’s no room for ego. I strive to be a person who’s easy to work with and a good company to be around. Communication is key and even though it’s the most not humble ting to say I think I’m pretty humble 😉

To answer the question though, not really. It’s about dealing with a potential problem or issue before it comes one and for that you need to be observant and open-minded, and humble 😉

Vampr: So being a good people reader is also a good trait to have in your aspect of the industry. Got it! Nah, that’s really interesting tho, being able to see the potential problems and outcomes before they come such. Very visionary of you.

Daniel Franzén: I don’t know what that 🙃 But it’s important to make sure people that you’re collaborating with trust you and feel comfortable around you.

Vampr:Now when it comes to gaining clients do you do much marketing or are most of your clients repeat or word of mouth?

Daniel Franzén: Haven’t really done that much marketing. Maybe I should. Did some Facebook ads and stuff but it really didn’t do that much. I get 90% of my work from word of mouth. Also I do find artists on here, Vampr is a really good place to start…and stay.

Vampr: Interesting, that’s another reason to just be humble and in a case like yours it seems your work does just speak for itself. That’s been a running theme in the last few of these is the artists we’ve spoken with just are naturally humble, giving, people who aren’t trying to step on others to make it to the top.

Daniel Franzén: Ya, it’s really important. It’s a small world as well so you want to be known to be a sympathetic person for sure.

Vampr: I wanted to ask a little more about your business. Can you tell us some of the hurdles you faced along the way, like when you were building your client base how hard was it?

Daniel Franzén: For me the biggest hurdle was the networking side of it, which is a big part. Being somewhat shy and an introvert I needed to work out strategies for this. The format of these kinds of apps that we’re on right now, is great for people like me 😊 I think too try and see opportunities in every situation and act on it. It’s a big strength and also how you are around people, it’s all about relationships.

The competition for sure [was a hurdle] Nowadays, making music and having a complete studio in your bedroom is made possible for just about anyone, which is great and awesome. It does, however, make the competition harder, I believe. At least in some ways. 

Oh, I sounded old there but I believe this is how it is and there are a lot of good things coming with it too.

Vampr:OH, FOR SURE! The level of music being made from people’s closets these days is next level – it definitely feels like we’re living in an entrepreneurial time.

Daniel Franzén: Absolutely and there’s so much to choose from which makes what we talked about earlier so much more important. The music you create or are a part of creating must come from a genuine place of emotion and be inspired not to drown in the noise of everything else.

Vampr: All that being said – if you have any other pearls of wisdom you’d like to share we’d love to hear them, but I’m about out of questions and we’re almost hitting that hour mark we can open the floor back up if anyone else has questions. 

Also please plug your website and any new music you’re on or have recently released 👏

Daniel Franzén: My website is gritsounds.se and on the there I have links to my playlist at Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. And a list on Soundcloud for some metal stuff.

I’ve been working for quite some time with an artist named STRNGS that is awesome. Another one named Jimmy Hazelwood. Check both out! 

Vampr: Do you want to tell the people some of the services you offer as well? Just so they can reference it here?

Daniel Franzén: Yeah! Well I do mixing which is my main thing. I can also help with production. I’m not a songwriter though. Or I can’t find the time for it really. 

Vampr: Good mixers are hard to find!! So EVERYONE should hit you up for it, it’s a highly taken for granted skill. I think that’s a great spot to leave it! You’re a legend Daniel! Thank you so much for taking the time today ✨✨✨

Daniel Franzén: @Vampr Thank you and to all of you guys who joined us ✨✨ big ups.

Want to hear more from the Vampr community?
Join the Vampr community and download Vampr today! >> https://www.vampr.me/

Killer tracks released by emerging musicians.

We want to pay homage to our incredible community. We have so many artists releasing insane music and living their best musical lives – we want to spotlight as many as possible!

If you’re in the mood for some ear food, go listen, follow, and like your fellow Vampr community members. 🙌

1. Amber Jay – Vampr Pro User

Amber Jay’s delicate emotive vocals and innovative production toys between alternative and bedroom pop, weaving amongst dark unearthly concepts and heartfelt lyrics. Her debut EP Never Too Far from a Dark Thought blends genres from the likes of electronica to alt-pop sounds to create her own atmospheric cinematic musical universe.

Her first single from the EP Pencilled Brims gained support from Huw Stephens at ​BBC introducing Radio 1,​ numerous plays on ​BBC Introducing ​Merseyside, and Spotify, who added it to their Fresh Finds Pop editorial playlist. Tastemakers such as Earmilk named her debut EP ‘golden’ ​and music that will ​‘bounce around in your brain for days.’

Listen to The House below:

2. Navarre – Vampr Pro User

Navarre is an independent rapper, songwriter, saxophonist, and recording artist from Longview, TX. His latest album The Lavender Theory was released in April 2022.
 Navarre is determined to claim his stake in the music industry and has begun building up his fan base with over 1,000 followers on Spotify.

He has already set plans in motion for his fifth project which will feature styles from different eras of music.
 Navarre was born on April 18, 1992, in Dallas and knew about his passion for music since attending his first Southern Baptist Church sermon.

The songs from the choir and the instrumentation from the musicians were enough to kindle the flame for what is Navarre. He traveled the world with the touring group Tops in Blue in 2012 as the lead alto saxophone player and has played in the Howard Theater in Washington, DC. It’s time he took to the booth and let his feelings out through lyrics.

Listen to Wrong Bricks below:

3. Justin Santos – Vampr Pro User

Born in Long Island, New York, and moved to Tampa Florida at the age of 10. Music has always been an influence in his life no matter where it came from. Genres such as Dancehall, Hip Hop, and RnB have influenced him heavily because of the artists those genres have produced.

Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes, Jon Bellion, Common, Raphael Saadiq, Mali Music, Jah Cure, and many more artists have influenced his music. He is a producer, artist, musician, writer, and composer. “Art inspires an artist to inspire others”. He uses the tools given to him to help paint the picture for his audience to enjoy and go with him on the journey.

“I just want art to be art again…remember when art was something that you would go out of your way to enjoy (museums, galleries, concerts, and plays) well I want that same effect in my music”.

Listen to Push a Little Harder below:

4. Andre Calloway

Eazy was born André Calloway in Chicago, Illinois. At the young age of 11, he began writing rap lyrics and recording songs with his uncle and mentor, Stanley (Smoove G) Shannon. By high school, at the age of 14, Eazy formed the rap group, Deep Souljas, with friends and fellow classmates. Throughout his teenage years, he learned the craft of music production and recorded his first indie album under the moniker Shorty Cee.

Upon graduating from high school, Eazy received a KORG Triton keyboard from his father as a graduation present and began to hone his skills as a music producer. He majored in Sound Engineering while attending Columbia College and later switched his focus to Audio Production when transferring to the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago where he became more knowledgeable in digital music production with programs such as FL Studio, Adobe Audition, Logic, and Pro Tools.

As Eazy progressed into his 20s he began to teach himself more engineering and mixing techniques. Today he is regarded by many as a highly talented songwriter/producer with his biggest accomplishment being a production placement on Kash Doll’s 2019 debut studio album Stacked producing the record “Cheap Shit.”

Listen to Daydreams below:

5. Giorgio De Palo

Giorgio is a multi-instrumentalist and self-producing musician and songwriter on a quest for diverse sounds and musical inspirations.

Born in Rome, he released his debut EP First Waves in Berlin in 2019. Living now in Lisbon alongside the nurturing sea, his music took on new tones, and his new EP A Spirit Will Rise⁠ is ready to step into the light.

Listen to Rails below:

Did you love what you heard? We did! Go and connect and say hi to these artists, they are all on Vampr and smashing it!

If you have music that’s ready for distribution or publishing, you can also submit it via Vampr! You never know, your next sync might be waiting for you around the corner. 👀

Submit your track to Vampr Publishing today >> Click here
Submit your track for Vampr Distribution today >> Click here

Topic: Finding Your Own Sound.

Couldn’t make it to Vampr’s Accelerator Session with KingDow back on September 1st? No problem, we have some key takeaways and the chat transcribed for you so you can re-live the conversation and get all the sage that he dished out! 🍽

Key Takeaways:

The Conversation.

Vampr: We’re gunna jump right in and talk about being discovered on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist!

KingDow: Sounds good!

Vampr: So let’s talk about which songs go to the playlist and how you got there.

KingDow: The song that got on the playlist was “Fake AF” produced by Sarey Savy with verses from Sarey, Emanuel Brown, and myself off of our KSE project. The song was released as a single in January and two weeks later I got the notification it was selected. I think it was a combination of Spotify pitch and ad marketing

Vampr: THAT’S SO DOPE! And just to let the people know what would you say your area of expertise is in music?

KingDow: I am an artist that makes genre-transcending music. I sing, rap, and co-produce my music using my bass lines. I’m also a bass player musician. I am also a dancer as well and showcase this in my music videos. And performing is another one of my strong suits, my shows have been described as holistic and mesmerizing. My shows have a lot of energy and I perform with a live band.

Vampr: In your Spotify bio it said that you started out in the Jazz scene. Can you tell us a bit about your evolution?

KingDow: Definitely, I grew up playing music with my dad. I played in many reggae bands and when I got to high school I joined the jazz band sophomore year while I was doing gospel gigs at church. In college I got a scholarship to play jazz during my four years. College was when I took my jazz studies seriously.

After and during that time I made my own bands and played around town regularly. I have a funk trip Dysfunkshun I formed in high school that plays regularly. I’m also in a community jazz band that plays monthly outside of my solo work.

Vampr: Wow! What a colorful upbringing and no wonder your music is genre-transcending!  And you’re still part of your High School band?! That’s dedication and loyalty, really. 

KingDow: Yea, we just had rehearsal today actually, haha. Yes I’m grateful to them, have had a lot of fun.

Vampr: So when you’re creating music these days you’re really not trying to fit anywhere specific more everywhere, would say that is a good representation of your acts? Like you’re trying to create music that anyone and everyone can enjoy?

KingDow: I would say I’m making music that touches the soul and allows people to transcend their bodies. Hence why I call it transcending. When people hear my music I want them to feel liberated. I am forming a new sound and inspiring others to find themselves through it if that makes sense. So yea, no I am not trying to fit anywhere simply form a new lane. 

Vampr: Bro, chills. That’s some new-age therapy-type vibes and I love it. So you said you started playing music with your dad – I assume he has helped to inspire you along the way? 

KingDow: Yes, he has, he was a big inspiration because he turned me onto so many types of music. And always told me to create with no ego and from the heart. He has been a coach in that way. 

Vampr: That’s incredible, it’s such a beautiful thing to have people on your side that believe in you and lift you up. 

KingDow: Definitely he and my mom have been very pivotal. 

Vampr: As far as your sound is concerned we can only assume it will continue to evolve, do you see yourself including any new genres? Or a better question, which genres are you most inspired by at the moment?

KingDow: Good question, yes, honestly the genres that have been inspiring me right now are reggae, alternative R&B, and African music. In my new album KingDow KingDom, a lot of this can be heard. 

Vampr: Really excited about that! When finding new music to be inspired by, for example, African, how do you go about finding that?

KingDow: Honestly whatever I’m feeling in terms of listening to. For instance, my personal trainer has an African playlist we will work out to and if I’m at an event and they are playing cool music I’ll shazam it and add it to my pool of music. An African wedding I attended in July was like this. So I don’t really look per se, it’s more of when I’m living life and if the Spotify algorithm shows me a new song similar to what I listen to. 

Vampr: Right, right, right. So just being open to being inspired really?

KingDow: Exactly. I’ve never been a crate digger. It’s more of being open to the events happening around me. Literally how most of my music comes about. 

Vampr: I’d love to know a bit more about your upcoming project, what the intended release and who are you working on that with?

KingDow: So the release date is October 4th and it’s an album I co-produced with my producer Krazymak. Krazymak and I have been best friends since elementary school and in the last couple years, he has been my closest collaborator. The project is about the evolution of my sound and who I am now as an artist. I wanted to showcase my growth. It is also dedicated to my grandfather who passed away on my birthday this year.

I also have new features with artists I have gotten to know. Which includes Lake Stovall, Moia Bri, Anthony Arlene and Jeffe. Lake helped me produce one track.

Vampr: Oh man, I’m so sorry to hear about your grandfather but I bet he’s proud of you! Is this album going to be somewhat of an anthology for you and have you struggled lyrically at all? In addition, if you are blocked, what are tips and tricks to get out of that block?

KingDow: Thank you! Yes, I know he is sleeping well. It’s more of a showcase of my new sound direction. I’m going in terms of combining all aspects of my musicality and artistry into one since those used to be separate. 

One song took longer to write than the others for the project. When that happens I just take a break from the song idea and work on other things. I don’t force it. If inspiration comes I follow it otherwise I let it be. Nowadays I do all my writing in the studio after the beat is made. So I usually finish my songs during the session. Also, if you find yourself forcing a song I take that as a sign it isn’t meant to be because music is effortless you never have to think it’s all feeling, like water. Water just flows, it never has to think.

Vampr: Smart, no point in forcing something because then it’s not genuine. What is your advice for anyone who is struggling to find their sound in this landscape of music where music tools and samples are more accessible than ever?

KingDow: I would say go into it trying stuff and seeing what comes out. Just have fun and create what’s in your head and see what happens. The worst that could happen is you don’t like it. Then you move on to the next idea. 

Vampr: Would you say failure is part of success in music? Like you have to try and fail to find the sound that you’re passionate about?

KingDow: Yes, the whole business is about failure. Making as many mistakes as you can to continue to get better The most seasoned artists in this business have failed the most. They never gave up. So many hits were made off of mistakes anyway.

Vampr: I feel like this is a beautiful place to leave it. The final words being, don’t forget to fail a lot so you can succeed even more and that’s really the process of finding your sound and your passion in whatever you do. 

KingDow: Couldn’t have said it better myself, that’s exactly it. Mistakes are just lessons and bigger blessings are around the corner.

Want to hear more from the Vampr community?
Join the Vampr community and download Vampr today! >> https://www.vampr.me/

We’re super excited to reveal that Fender has signed on as our latest advertising partner, for their exciting new campaign which aims to use nostalgia and experiential marketing to get the attention of its current consumer base as well as new musicians.

In a great article on Digiday which dives deep into Fender’s latest marketing initiative we were humbled to be mentioned alongside digital and social giants Google Display, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter, as the platforms that Fender is trusting to reach their target market.

Vampr is in great company 🙏🚀

https://digiday.com/marketing/fender-wants-to-tap-into-nostalgia-experiential-as-people-are-drawn-to-the-vintage-look/