FAQ’s

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Here’s a few of the most commonly asked questions that we receive. If you still find there are things you would like answered, please don’t hesitate to make contact.

WHY DOES THE RISE WORKSHOP COST SO MUCH?

Because RISE workshops are fairly new and many people don’t realise just how much value they will receive – until they attend – it’s only natural to assume that the cost is expensive.

The current RISE workshop price is an introductory offer for 2011 and right now, believe it or not, the price IS a bargain.  But you won’t realise this until you participate in a RISE workshop, or talk to someone who has.  Johnnie and Mykee have spent years developing this system, and literally thousands of dollars learning what works and what doesn’t. What this means is, in the space of 1 day, you will receive a massive amount of tried and tested, industry specific info and resources that will help you to build a strong online presence, save money and help you to start selling your products very quickly – eg within a week or even sooner if you are willing to ‘go for it’!  Be it albums, EP’s, DVD’s, artwork, jewelry, books, sculptures, etc… you will learn how to set up your own online store and create an additional stream of income that can start working for you almost immediately.  We teach you how to automate it all, so once your online store is set up, all you have to do is check your bank account for the profits!

Once you know how to do this stuff, instead of waiting for gigs or exhibitions to create cashflow and interest in your work, your products will be available 24/7 in your online store .  Having everything automated means that you could soon be enjoying the feeling of waking up to emails that show new fans AND sales have come in – whilst you were asleep.

RISE workshops provides artists with training that isn’t offered anywhere else in Australia, which means you could waste a lot of time and energy trying to find something cheaper, only to find that it didn’t come close to the specific – attention generating, income producing strategies that you will learn at RISE.  Students of 3 year full time music courses come to RISE and tell us, what they learn at RISE isn’t covered at any stage during those long, expensive courses (see 3rd video testimonial on the right).

In a nutshell, the prices are structured to attract a focused group of people who want fast results and are willing to pay for education to make this happen.  RISE gives great value for money to those who are willing to invest in their career growth. In 3-5 years time, a majority of artists (rather than the minority as it stands now) will be using these 21st century systems, so right now, our pricing is keeping things affordable yet exclusive and making sure that the world wide web isn’t flooded too quickly with hundreds of artists all using the same strategies.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you only need to sell 10 pieces of your work (albums, etc) at $20 to cover the costs of this workshop – which can happen within a week once you know how.

Remember – this is a business expense, therefore a tax deduction.  Investment is required for success and profit!

Last but not least… the introductory offer for RISE workshops will expire on the 31 Dec 2011.  RISE workshops will go up in price in 2012 so get in early and gain the most before competition becomes rife!

WHO ARE THE FACILITATORS AND WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO THEM?

Mykee and Johnnie Mac have both been in the arts amd music industries one-way or another for over 20 years! Having a couple of workshop facilitators with such a diverse range of knowledge and experience is difficult to find. Even better is their sincere desire to help independent artists succeed – these two make it very obvious that the RISE workshops have been designed with the artist’s interest at heart.

Johnnie started his music career on the streets as a busker and his debut solo album recently reached #1 on Amazon – topping the best selling album of all time – Michael Jackson’s Thriller at #3.

Johnnie was also recently interviewed by the New York Times and has enjoyed the buzz of watching his songs race to the top position on Australia’s national radio station – Triple J’s Unearthed rock charts.  Johnnie has played in underground music scenes all over the world and has supported some of Australia’s most well-known musicians such as John Butler, Debra Conway, Neil Murray, Iota, Doug Anthony All-stars, etc. Johnnie Mac has achieved worldwide recognition as a musician without regular radio airplay, gigging or touring and his biggest successes have occurred after using the internet strategies that he shares with RISE participants.

Mykee was introduced to music management, promotion, sound production and touring by Jeff Buckley’s tour manager and his crew. These guys opened her ‘music industry eyes’ and all the while strongly encouraged spontaneity, creativity and maintaining independence. Following Jeff’s national tour, Mykee was referred from one international touring act to the next and quickly learned the ropes by highly experienced and talented people who had all reached international recognition and respect.  Completing her music industry apprenticeship with such an diverse group of experts is a rare occurrence. As a result, Mykee is still passionate about feeling the music and acknowledging it as ‘art’ rather than a moneymaking ‘product’.  When career options were being offered, it became painfully obvious very early in her music biz career, that the record company scene was not her ‘cup of tea’ and that working with independent musicians was where her passion remained alive and healthy.

Mykee went on to manage no-name bands and take them from (isolated) Perth garage obscurity to national recognition, performing at major rock festivals, on triple J’s Live at the Wireless, playing national tours, supporting major touring bands, international recognition, 4500+ mailing lists (without playing gigs) and chart topping success – all using the internet strategies that she has been developing since 1996 when she started the Australian Music Homepage.

These two unique individuals offer their audiences a rare combination of sound practical advice based on years of experience, tried and tested online strategies and passionate opinions that stem from their work, industry customs and connections.

WHAT WILL I LEARN AT THIS WORKSHOP?

Have a good read through ‘The Program’ page to get all the finer details, but in brief, you will learn how to use simple yet specific internet strategies to promote your artwork and your name to attract an international following.

You will learn cutting edge, up-to-date techniques that are automated so you can increase your fan base and sell more of your work… while you sleep!

The workshop has been designed for absolute beginners and seasoned professionals!

CAN I BRING MY BAND MATES?

Absolutely.  For a limited time only, the current ticket price includes up to 3 people from the same band or project.

This way, once you learn this stuff, everyone will be on the same page.  Another reason to have more than 1 person attend is… it’s highly likely that your mind will get distracted, thinking of all the creative things you can do using the internet, which means you could easily miss out on bits and pieces of info throughout the day. Having a second, or even a third set of ears to take it all in will help to make sure that no-one misses out on any of the important info.

If you split the ticket price 3 ways, you have a very affordable opportunity. From the response we receive at the end of the workshops, we can safely say that this will be one of the best investments you’ve ever made.  Once you know how to use the simple internet strategies, success suddenly becomes a foreseeable reality that can happen very quickly, rather than a wished for ‘lucky break’.

For the record…  every person who has attended a RISE workshop has been completely satisfied.  No one has asked for their money back… instead they send us gifts!

IS THIS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE BORING SEMINARS?

Remember, 99% of the people attending will all be coming from the same way of thinking… so that’s a definite “NO” It won’t be boring or uninteresting!

Unless of course… you get bored when successful people pull back the curtains and spill the beans about how YOU can also reach success by using some simple – little known – rarely used, internet strategies that will make life a hellova lot easier.  If that sounds boring to you, then you’re on the wrong website and you can go back to “struggleville” and wait for the fairy godmother to hand you a deal!

On the other hand… if you enjoy the thought of mixing it up with a group of passionate people who are all in the room to learn how to have a successful independent career… then this could be one of the most life changing gigs you’ll ever attend!

I KNOW BUGGAR ALL ABOUT COMPUTERS OR THE INTERNET, WILL THIS STILL WORK FOR ME?

Thankfully you’re not alone! Quite a few people come to RISE workshops with very little computer knowledge.  Even Mykee and Johnnie considered themselves technophobes when they first started and to a certain extent, Johnnie Mac still is!  So you don’t need to be one of those high-tech, geeky computer dudes to make this work for you.

Mykee has a great grasp of how the majority of artists work and has spent hours, upon hours developing this system so it will make life EASIER for creative people. She has removed all the hard stuff which means that anyone can follow this system – even if you’ve never used a computer before.

The hardest thing is not the technical side of things, but more the decision to let go of your old mindset (“I’ll just wait to get discovered… get a manager…etc, etc”) and just get on with it.  Even if you hate computers – surely you hate the highly competitive waiting game MUCH more! Mykee and Johnnie take the confusion out of everything, by giving you step-by-step guidance and easy to understand information.

Technology has changed the way art is made, seen, heard and sold. Yet most artists are still stuck in the old system of non-stop gigging, touring for little or no money in the hope that one day Mr Money Bags will appear with a great offer. Unfortunately this kind of scenario is a rare which means that doing it for yourself has become essential if you want a self sustaining, fruitful career. Knowing exactly HOW to use the internet for promo and marketing is the key and once you know how, you will have a great head start in a very competitive industry.

Doing this stuff yourself may seem weird at first, but wouldn’t you prefer to see results is less than 3 months instead of 9 or 10 years? And lets imagine you get ‘discovered’ sooner – say 3 or 4 years down the track – once you’ve built up a following and started to make some waves… isn’t that still way too long to wait when worldwide recognition can happen this year!

IF EVERY ARTIST AND HIS DOG JUMPS ON THIS, WON’T THESE STRATEGIES GET TOO OVERDONE?

Quite a few people ask this question and the answer is – it’s completely the opposite. Think about it… it’s more crowded and competitive slogging away the ‘old-way”. For example, lets just look at one lot of statistics…

There are 30,000+ bands listed on Triple J’s Unearthed website and this number is growing at 50 per week.  That’s 30,000+ unsigned, indie artists competing for attention and battling to be heard and from what we can see, it seems that 98% of these artists are still following the old system – otherwise the charts would look very different each week.

Understand this…. there are more NEW people using the internet to listen to music today than there are people going to live gigs! There are billions of people online and this number is growing daily, so it’s time to start using all the technology for your own success.

We all know that the internet is changing the way people listen to music – be it illegal downloading or online purchasing.  You can’t change the way things are moving, so why not start using the many online resources out there to get YOUR art amongst it!  You’ll either be a disappointed spectator or raving online star! The choice is yours.

MY ARTWORK ISN’T MAINSTREAM, WILL IT STILL WORK FOR ME?

This program works for anyone, in any genre…whether you are mainstream or not.  As long as you can plug in a laptop and get internet access and as long as you can give yourself approx 30 mins a day — then what we teach will work for you! If you can’t put 30 minutes a day into your own promo, that’s ok… it will just slow the process down that’s all.

We’ve taken all the hard work out so you can spend less time doing the hard slog and more time doing what you love! So it doesn’t matter what your style is, this is about learning how to do things on your terms, as your own boss. Once you know this stuff, you’ll be free from contracts and have 100% creative control, not to mention… 100% profits.

I DON’T HAVE LOTS OF SPARE TIME OR MONEY, CAN I STILL DO THIS?

The best thing about the strategies we teach, is you can grow your career very quickly – on a shoestring – time and cash – budget!

It doesn’t matter who you are or what situation you’re in, you can keep moving in a successful direction once you start putting these little things in place.  The harsh reality is… if you can’t find just a small amount of  time each day (say 30 mins : Mon-Fri) to invest in your own business and career, then you’re doomed from the start. Bottom line is this… if you’re looking for a new way to grow your fanbase, get free publicity, sell more products and get better paying live gigs, then yes you do have to put in a bit of time and effort but the rewards will come quickly and will soon become the best kind of encouragement to keep chipping away at it.

DO I NEED HEAPS OF CASH TO SET THIS UP?

You’ll be amazed at how little you need to make this work. We’ve taken all the risks, endured the trials and errors and spent a heap of money working out what works and what doesn’t, which means we can now pass on our experiences with you and guide you to the most cost effective ways to establish your online presence.

HOW DO I GET TO BE A PART OF THIS?

Simply click the button below and book your seat. It doesn’t get any easier than that! You will receive your booking confirmation within 5-10 minutes containing all the workshop details.

BOOK MY SEAT NOW

If you are located outside Australia and there are no upcoming RISE workshops near you, then you can purchase any of the RISE products (PAGE COMING SOON) which will get the ball rolling for you!

IS THE ONLINE REGISTRATION AND PAYMENTS SAFE?

Yes – absolutely! We use PayPal, owned by eBay, the world’s most trusted on-line payment system, with over 130 million members. PayPal processes your credit card information and Alchemy Music never sees your credit card details.

Hopefully all of your questions have been answered. If you have thought of something else that hasn’t been included here, don’t hesitate to send us an email. If you’re unsure about anything and leave it unanswered, you could be letting a great opportunity slip away from you.  Drop us a line and we’ll be happy to clear up any questions or confusion.