For Fear Itself
Portfolio Assignment
Melissa Miller, Conner Denkmann, and Brittany Bowens

ARTIST MANAGEMENT - Assignment 1
Artist Selection, Target Audience Profile, and Artist Analysis
FOUNDATION
1. GROUP MEMBER NAMES AND ASSESSMENT RESULTS:
 Melissa Miller: Intrapersonal, Musical, and Naturalist
 Conner Denkmann: Musical, Kinesthetic, and Intrapersonal
 Brittany Bowens: Musical, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal
2. Artist: For Fear Itself
 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqS-4dRw2jTiP8FrRGzUcLA
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forfearitself/
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forfearitself
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/forfearitself
 Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forfearitself
 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/42zcCdP77BhkhNJNCY3Cm3?si=RvnS-
sfQSli23DcHIl7dCA
3. Identify one well-known artist that is similar to your artist and that would likely share
a target audience.
 Bad Omens:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Ri4H12KFyu98LMjSoij5V?si=G3eOWj5_S-
SaQzKT7AVZWA
TARGET AUDIENCE
4. Target Audience - Demographics:
With For Fear Itself having a similar sound similar to that of Bad Omens, looking
into Bad Omen’s target audience can help with establishing a target audience for For
Fear Itself. This target audience would be made up of both males and females, with
males making up approximately 53% and females 47% of the target market. The
metalcore genre of music typically appeals to millennials with most of these individuals
being between the ages of 25-35 years old. According to Songstats, Bad Omens’ top
listeners are in North America (primarily on the East Coast) and Europe (Songstats,
2022). Because For Fear Itself’s songs are considered metalcore, this would make the
target audience a part of the Metal Community. In 2018 there was an estimated 32
million people who attended music festivals in the United States (Deployed Resources,
2018). With some of the most popular music festivals in the United States being geared
toward rock and metal performers, the target market for For Fear Itself could be music
festivalgoers as well.

5. Target Audience- Psychographics:
1. Hobbies/Lifestyle Choices: Music Festivalgoers, Musicians, Bloggers/Vloggers,
Gamers
2. Clothing/Accessory Brands: Hot Topic, Metal Shop, Rebels Market
3. Major Social Media Accounts They Follow: SiriusXM Octane, Metal Injection, We
are the Pit
4. Relevant Personalities/Influencers They Follow: Caity Babs, Shannon Gunz, Jose
Mangin
5. Other Similar Artists: Bad Omens, Lorna Shore, Motionless in White
6. Movies and TV Shows: Lords of Chaos, American Satan, Paradise City
6. Quick Pitch:
Known for their “in-your-face” performances, For Fear Itself is an up-and-
coming Nu-Metal band from Baltimore. With over 40 thousand streams on
YouTube from the past year, this shows how dedicated their fans are to their
music. For Fear Itself caught the eye of Alpha Wolf’s lead vocalist, Lochie Keogh,
in late 2021, and became a featured artist on their 2022 single, “Continuum”.
With For Fear Itself’s range in vocals and heavy breakdowns make them the ideal
candidate for the metalcore community.
7. Primary Platforms
1. Tik Tok: For Fear Itself currently uses their Tik Tok account to post content related to
the band. By using Tik Tok they can reach a target audience due to the way that the
Tik Tok algorithm is established. Individuals on Tik Tok who react to content that is
similar to that of For Fear Itself will potentially come across For Fear Itself’s content
on their “For You” page.
2. Instagram: Using hashtags on Instagram is a great way for For Fear Itself to receive
views. By hashtagging similar artists on their posts, they can reach fans of other
bands and have them introduced to their music. Some bands that For Fear Itself
could include as hashtags in their post are Bad Omens, Asking Alexandria, A Day to
Remember, and Lorna Shore.
3. YouTube: For Fear Itself currently has 10 videos uploaded on their YouTube
platform. These videos consist of albums and singles that they have released over
the past ten years. For Fear Itself can use this plat form to upload more videos of
their work as well as clips from live performances to help create a fan base and
target audience. In the past few years, YouTube has created a section on its platform
titled “Shorts” where creators make mini 30 second video clips. For Feat Itself could

also us this to create small content videos of possible “behind the scenes” footage to
help create a deeper connection with their audience.
8. Provide at least two pictures of ideal members of the artist’s target audience.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ARTIST:
Discuss the questions sections below thoroughly with your group in regards to your artist, then
answer them in writing.
Talents
Please elaborate and provide specific details, considering things like particular lyrics that
grabbed you or got them attention, influences, other artists they get compared to, etc.
1. Singing and/or Rapping: For Fear Itself’s lead vocalist, Tim Selden, has a vocal range to
that of Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens. Selden’s vocal range allows him to do long
growling screams, as well as sing powerful melodies in slower songs. Having such a wide
vocal range allows for more opportunities in the songs that they record.
2. Live Performance: For Fear Itself has been performing live for almost ten years. They
have performed to audiences as small as 15 people, to ones with audience members in
the hundreds. Without having a stage crew, they have learned how to set up and break
down their equipment in a timely manner to allow other artists on the roster the chance
to perform during their designated set times.
3. Look and/or Aesthetic: For Fear Itself is like their influencers such as A Day to
Remember, Asking Alexandria, Bad Omens, and more. The band’s specific clothing style
and sound are very similar to A Day to Remember and Asking Alexandria. Some
similarities include a dark filming scene with flashing lights. For Fear Itself style provides
metal/rock features such as ripped jeans, dark t-shirts, long hair, and gauging piercings.
Elements of Experience
1. Touring/Booking Themselves: For Fear Itself is currently an unsigned band. However, in
2012 they were signed briefly with Swimming with Sharks Records. The band was signed
in June 2012 and released one single, Deecohder in July 2012, before being dropped
from the label. Swimming with Sharks Records is based in Dallas, Texas founded in 2011
by drummer Noah “Shark” Robertson from the band The Browning/Motograter. For
Fear Itself members typically handle all the booking and touring themselves but use
pointers they received from Swimming with Sharks Records to help guide them in the
booking process. They recently completed a mini tour consisting of four shows
constructed by Forthright Booking. The four stops for this tour consisted of Allentown,
PA, Elmwood Park, NJ, Baltimore, MD, and Brooklyn, NY. Along with For Fear Itself,
three other bands were on the roster for this mini-tour. These bands consisted of
Renovare, Parallels, and PRDX.

2. Cowriting and Collaborating: For Fear Itself’s recently released album Continuum. The
tracks Satiate and Continuum featured John Matalone and Lochie Keogh. John Matalone
performs vocals for a well-known metal band named VCTMS. The vocalist currently has
over 2,000 followers on Instagram and the band VCTMS Instagram has a high following
fanbase just over 20,000 followers. VCTMS has a tour upcoming with 48 tour dates
beginning this upcoming April, there is a possibility For Fear Itself could be added to this
tour in the future creating opportunities for the band.
Lochie Keogh is featured in the song Continuum and is a vocalist in the band Alpha Wolf.
The vocalist has over 10,000 followers on his Instagram account. The band Alpha Wolf
currently carries a fanbase on Instagram of 63,400 followers. For Fear Itself,
incorporating a worldwide band such as Alpha Wolf in their newest album can open
many doors for them, such as introducing another fanbase and possibilities for growth.
3. Social Media Growth: For Fear Itself has slowly begun their Social Media Growth in
February of 2021 on Instagram. Today the band currently has 1,800 Instagram followers.
The Instagram account started receiving on average 50 likes per post and is now
receiving 80 likes per post. You can find the promotion on Instagram itself either
provided through their Instagram post promoting their songs or through the links in
their BIO promoting the band’s merchandise, upcoming tour dates, and music provided
through Spotify. You can also find the band on other social media platforms such as
Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok however, the band has the largest following on their
Facebook platform totaling 8,400 followers to date.
ARTIST SWOT ANALYSIS:
To evaluate your chosen artist, write 4 sentences describing each element of a SWOT
analysis. (Total of 16 sentences) Please provide a minimum of 2 specific examples of each
category and give specific details.
1. Strengths: The band For Fear Itself's strength is their songwriting and live performance/
touring experiences. They have been doing live performances for almost ten years, and
recently completed a small four-stop tour with a few other up-and-coming bands. For
Fear Itself’s social media grows and it gives them more exposure to their events and
new music they have released and will release in the future. One of For Fear Itself’s Tik
Toks went viral which led to the band receiving thousands of new followers.
2. Weaknesses: Two weaknesses that For Fear Itself seems to be facing are both related to
money issues. One weakness regarding money is the lack of funds to record new music
more frequently. Renting out a recording studio can cost anywhere from $50 - $500 an
hour and can take up to six hours to record and mix one track. Another weakness
related to money issues would be the lack of promotion. Most of all the promotion that

For Fear Itself has come from the band members on social media accounts. If money
was not an issue, the band could hire individuals to do the promotion for them.
3. Opportunities: There are many opportunities that For Fear Itself could take part in to
help grow their fanbase and target audience. One way would be to play at music
festivals on the “up and coming” stages. Festivals, such as the Blue Ridge Rock Festival,
hold competitions that allow unsigned artists the chance to play on the main stages
during the duration of the festival. This could be a major breaking point for For Fear
Itself if given the opportunity to do so. Another opportunity for For Fear Itself would be
to attend as many live performances of similar bands as much as possible and try to
promote their music while at these events.
4. Threats: With the style of music that For Fear Itself creates becoming popular and
“trendy” on some social media platforms, more bands with the same style of music are
also attempting to make a name for themselves. With more potential competitors trying
to make a start in the music industry, this will force For Fear Itself to create a more
unique image and sound so that they can stand out more against the other artists. What
is considered “trendy” on social media and the music industry is constantly changing.
Just because the metalcore genre of music is trending on social media platforms today,
does not mean that it will be in the next few years.
ACTION ITEMS:
STRENGTH 1 – Potential Revenue Sources
1. Selling Vinyl
2. Live Performances
3. Selling band merchandise
STRENGTH 2 – Potential Revenue Sources
1. Selling digital merchandise
2. Streaming services and digital downloads
3. Offer fanbase and target audience other subscriptions
For each of the 2 weaknesses identified in the SWOT analysis, brainstorm a list of 2 potential
ways to improve or fix the issue/circumstance. (Total of 4)
WEAKNESS 1 – Potential Solutions
1. One potential solution to For Fear Itself’s money-related weaknesses would be to create
a makeshift studio at a band member’s house to record new singles and albums.
According to Rory PQ, content creator for Icon Collective, there are at least four cheap
ways that artists can create their own recording studio using a spare room in their

home. These recording studios consist of creating a closet vocal booth, mattress vocal
booth, blanket vocal booth, and portable vocal booth. Given that For Fear Itself already
has some equipment and recording knowledge, an album could be recorded using one
of these techniques for as little as $300 (PQ, 2020).
2. There are many online and in-person mixing/mastering classes that are available for
individuals to take. These course range in different prices and time required to complete
the courses. On the lower end and more affordable scale for For Fear Itself, Udemy
offers an online mixing and mastering course for $13.99. This course will take
approximately 6.5 hours to complete, and the objective for students taking this course is
to “mix a song in any genre, export a production session for mixdown, and prepare a
mix session with naming, organization, and color coding” (Udemy, 2022).
WEAKNESS 2 – Potential Solutions
1. Most all social media platforms offer some kind of promotional campaign or add
management service for their content creators. With For Fear Itself’s major social media
following coming from their Tik Tok account, they could utilize this platform to help
promote their talent. Recent popular artists such as Lil Nas X, Ava Max, and Doja Cat’s
career all took off thanks to Tik Tok and using music marketing strategies to their
advantage on this well-known social media platform. Some of the strategies that For
Fear Itself can use while promoting their music on Tik Tok include using a mix of related
hashtags on their videos featuring their tracks, creating challenges & contests, being
active and following back profiles that follow them, and being interactive on the
platform in general (Ditto Music, 2021).
2. Another inexpensive way that For Fear Itself can help promote their music for little to
no cost is to ask for help from family members with promotion. Creating and sharing a
simple post on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can take as little as 30 seconds to do
so. Based upon how large of a following they have, this post that took 30 seconds to
create can reach an audience of thousands of people in a matter of minutes. With social
media being able to reach a target market that is global, there are also some tasks that
family members and friends of For Fear Itself can do on a local level as well. Because For
Fear Itself is still a fairly new band with a smaller following, their live performances
typically take place in small local bars and venues. Using promotion strategies such as
posting flyers around town and handing them out in person is a very inexpensive way
for them to promote their music while also interacting one-on-one with potential fans.

3- MONTH REVENUE GENERATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Play more shows at paid clubs/venues.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
 We want the group to get paid to perform.
 Playing live would give us a chance to develop a closer relationship/ connection with the
fans and as well as to invite people who will help with networking and promotions (press,
promoters, other artists, etc.) to see them play live.
 We want the artist to perform at Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn because this is where their
target audience go to shows frequently.
 This is a goal because it is important that we must develop the group’s in-person
networking/connections, which will help them grow their online presence.
Gatekeeper:
Maryann Dathe – Manager at Lucky 13 Saloon
Contract – LinkedIn Maryann Dathe
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
We plan to check the process on these goals we want to accomplish every two weeks until the
show is on the records/reports, and at which point we will follow up monthly.
 Did For Fear Itself play any paid club/venue shows?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
 The group has a live set ready for at least 30 minutes of material.
 The group knows Maryann Dathe, the Lucky 13 Saloon manager from working at the
venue last year. We think she will respond well to us contacting her.
Our motivation for this goal is to get some revenue coming in, get established locally and will be
able to open doors for future performances. This is worth the effort for the group and us.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
 This goal will take some time to prepare for but the payoff will be worth it and it will help
our group get ready to tackle the performance goals for them once they reach the 6
months and 1-year marks.
 Playing live shows will have them prepared for tour performances and live show
openings for other artists.

 We have set a 1-year goal of becoming opening acts for major headlining bands such as
Bad Omens, MIW, and Atilla. Reach 75k monthly listeners on Spotify, release a new music
video and reach 100k views, and release their first music video on Apple Music.
Long term our group wants to have a killer live show that would allow them to have a new lyric
video our for their song “Satiate”., 10 day tour, drop merch for fans.
T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
The goal for this deadline will be around March of 2023. This will allow For Fear Itself 3 months to
obtain a reputation that will allow them to become paid artists at small venues and clubs. Some
obstacles that could potentially keep them from obtaining this goal is not having a large enough
following to bring in a large crowd to these venues where the companies will not go in the hole
hosting For Fear Itself as a head act. One solution for this is to promote these shows well in
advance to obtain a large crowd at these shows.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
The 3-month revenue goal for For Fear Itself is to beginning playing more shows in paid locations
where they can have another revenue stream.

3- MONTH CONTENT CREATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Make sure that all of For Fear Itself’s tracks are on the Spotify streaming platform.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
 We want to gather data and determine which track is the top track released.
 Having the group’s tracks on Spotify will give the group a lot of exposure.
 Promote Spotify songs on all social media platforms (pay for advertisements.)
Some gatekeepers include:
 Missions Agency: Promotion company in Baltimore, Maryland.
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
One way we can measure the progress is to write down all of the tracks that For Fear Itself has ever
recorded. Compare that list to the list of tracks that are currently uploaded to Spotify. Add all
songs on Spotify that are not currently on the platform that are included on the list.
 Did all of For Fear Itself’s tracks get uploaded on to Spotify in a timely manner?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
 The group has prepared a new song to present to Spotify.
 The managers will book video time for them to record a pitch video to present to Spotify
and show that our group will give them huge numbers in their song and then later the
group will add all of their songs on Spotify.
Our motivation for this goal is to get content out for the fans to listen to and watch on Spotify and
any other platform and this will open door to more exposure for the groups.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
 This goal will give the group more exposure to be seen and heard by other labels in the
industry.
 Spotify will help the group in many ways and knowing they have a big sound and are
worth listening to.
We have set a 1-year goal to reach 75k monthly listeners on Spotify. Establishing that fans are
loving the music and want to hear more from the group.

T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
 The deadline is 3 months January 1st through March 31st.
 We feel good about this goal because it gives us a chance to represent our group in
pitches to show other labels and platforms how great they are.
 One potential problem is that Spotify will not let the group put their songs on the
platform.
If For Fear Itself cannot upload all of their tracks on to Spotify, we will then turn to other streaming
services and promote their tracks on these other platforms.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
The 3-month content creation goal for For Fear Itself is to make sure that their track list is
up to date on their Spotify profile. Making sure that all produced tracks are uploaded
with the correct information.

3- MONTH AUDIENCE GROWTH
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Gain a following of 100K on ALL social media platforms.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
The 3-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself is to grow a larger follower on all of their
social media accounts. The goal is by the end of March 2023 to have obtained a combination of
100 thousand followers on all social media platforms where the band is currently active.
Some gatekeepers involved include:
 Tim Selden: Lead Vocalist/Social Media Manager
This goal will allow For Fear Itself be able to broaden their target market and increase their fanbase
by growing their following on social media platforms.
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
This goal can be measurable by keeping track of the daily number of new followers on each
platform.
 Did For Fear Itself reach a following of 100 thousand combined followers on all social
media platforms?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Some skills required to achieve this goal is understanding how to utilize all social media platforms
to receive the best results possible when it comes to gaining new followers. Most social media
platforms are easy to use and have several tutorials on how to get the most out of using these
platforms as well. Because Tim does most of the band's interactions on social media accounts, he
will be the main person responsible for staying active on these platforms. The motivation behind
this goal, is the more active For Fear Itself is on social media, the likely they are to gain more
followers.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
Gaining more followers allows the band to reach a larger group of people who could be potential
fans of the band. With more followers comes more exposers which could lead the band to do
bigger and better things than what they currently are doing in the music industry. Every band
typically starts off small, but with the potential that For Fear Itself has, it will not be long till they
reach peak status in the meatal core community.

T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
A realistic deadline for For Fear Itself to reak 100 thousand followers on all platforms would be by
March 31, 2023. For Fear Itself are gaining followers quickly on Tik Tok after one of their Tik Toks
went viral in the metal core community. They almost doubled their following in a matter of two
weeks. If more of their Tik Toks went viral, this would allow them to eaily boost their number of
followers.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
The 3-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself is to reach a minimum of 100 thousand
followers on all social media platforms by March 31, 2023.

6- MONTH REVENUE GENERATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA Acquire opening spots on a full United States tour with a similar-sounding established band.
(Examples: Alpha Wolf)
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
The 6-month revenue goal for For Fear Itself is to become one of the opening acts on a small
United States tour with Alpha Wolf. This tour will allow the band to receive revenue from ticket
sales for the concerts and any merchandise sales that take place. Alpha Wolf has played all across
the United States and Australia. With their devoted fan base, being an opening act to Alpha Wolf
will allow For Fear Itself to play to an audience that is their potential target market, allowing them
to also boost revenue sales in the future.
Some of the Gate Keepers involved include:
 Lochie Keogh: Lead Vocalist for Alpha Wolf
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
We will be able to measure this goal by taking a look at all the revenue generated from ticket sales
and merchandise sales. We can then compare them to previous sale numbers and see how much
the difference is.
 Did For Fear Itself sell more tickets while opening for Alpha Wolf, than they did previously
at small solo shows?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Some of the connections required are forming a professional relationship with the Alpha Wolf
band and all of their management team. With Lochie Keogh previously working on a track with
For Fear Itselt, they have already met each other and have worked together professionally. There is
a lot of motivation that will need to be put in to meet this goal. Because For Fear Itself is fairly new,
they do not have that big of a following. By connecting with Alpha Wolf they will more than likely
create a larger following, which in return will create a larger revenue stream for the band.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
Setting this goal as a “six-month goal” will allow For Fear Itself to see what kind of revenue stream
tactics work best for them. They will be able to see what parts of the live performances they will
need to work on in order to potentially become an opening act for a much larger group.
(Examples: Bad Omens, Attila, Motionless in White) When For Fear Itself is able to open for a larger

band in a few years, this will allow their revenue streams to increase as the amount of tickets sold
for these shows will be more with the higher venue capacities.
T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
Although we would like for this to happen within a 6-month period, there is potentially no
deadline. The goal is to be an opening act for Alpha Wolf which if it takes longer than 6 months to
obtain this goal, it could still work out in For Fear Itself’s favor. A potential obstacle that could keep
For Fear Itself from reaching these goals would be not a large enough following to become an
opening act. We can create a solution for this obstacle by increasing the amount of networking the
band dose on social media to get their name out to potential target markets
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL The 6-month revenue generation goal for For Fear Itself is to become an opening act for a well-
established band, Alpha Wolf. In order to complete this goal, the band will have to meet with the
members for Alpha Wolf and figure out what they will have to work on as a team to create a big
enough following that will allow them to be beneficial to add to the touring roster. Once a contract
is complete allowing For Fear Itself to become one of the opening acts, the band will begin
obtaining a revenue stream from the profit of the number of tickets sold at each show, as well as
selling merchandise and other tangible items.

6- MONTH CONTENT CREATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Placed on at least 1 Spotify Editorial Playlist.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
The 6-month content creation goal for For Fear itself is to be featured on at a minimum of one
Spotify Editorial Playlist. In order to do so they must use some data that was gathered during their
3-month research to determine which tracks they would like to pitch to Spotify. To be eligible for
an editorial playlist, a band must have already established a following, and have tracks already
available to stream on Spotify. Because these two steps are already completed, the only remaining
step is For Fear Itself to create a unique pitch that will stand out to the employees at Spotify.
Some of the gatekeeps involved in this goal include:
 Spotify Playlist Creators/Editors
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
One way For Fear Itself can measure their progress and success is to keep track of the number of
streams each of their tracks receive over a certain period of time and decided which track should
be pitched to Spotify. Once a track is pitched, they will be able to tell if their goal is met by
whether they are included on a Spotify Editorial Playlist or not.
 Was For Fear Itself featured on a Spotify Editorial Playlist?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Some skills that are required to achieve this goal include:
 Knowing how to professionally record, edit, and mix a track making it have professional
sounding quality.
 Create a pitch to send to Spotify with the tracks or hire a professional to create the pitch.
Creating a pitch should be a simple process that will be able to be completed by the members of
the band. The hardest part will be establishing which track should be the one that is pitched to
Spotify. The motivation for this goal is For Fear Itself to have the possibility to be featured on
Spotify playlists that have well-known established artists already featured. Being included on one
of these playlists will allow For Fear Itself to reach a broader following with the potential to gain
thousands (if not millions) of followers and streams on the Spotify platform.

R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
The “long-term” goal that can come from this 6-moth goal would be remaining on Spotify
playlists in the future and creating a name for themselves on the platform. Being an artist featured
on an editorial playlist on Spotify can bring a lot of potential to the band. With millions of listeners
on the platform every day, it would be easy for For Fear Itself to expand the reach of their target
market, and possibly reach national popularity in the United States.
T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
Although this goal can be obtainable during anytime of the year. The realistic deadline for this
goal would be to be on a playlist by the summer of 2023. This would allow Spotify listeners have
the opportunity to hear tracks from For Fear Itself before they go on their small ten-day tour. One
obstacle for this goal would be the possibility of not being featured on a playlist at all. If this
happens, one solution for For Fear Itself would be to promote their tracks on all social media
platforms where they actively have accounts. Platforms where they are currently not active on, they
can create accounts on them. The more exposer on social media, the more successful the band
should be.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
The 6-month content creation goal for For Fear Itself is to be featured on a Spotify Editorial Playlist
by the beginning of Summer 2023.

6- MONTH AUDIENCE GROWTH
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA Have a newly released music video (within the last 6 months) reach a total of 50K views on
YouTube.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
The 6-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself would be to have one of their newly
released music videos reach a total of 50 thousand views on YouTube.
Some of the gatekeepers for this goal include:
 Loud Communication: Leading video production company in Baltimore, Maryland
 Noah Williamson: Professional track producer
 Laika Graphics: Professional visual creator for “visualizer” music videos
By creating this goal, For Fear Itself will be able to determine where they stand in the metal music
world. Having a team of professionals to help them create top-of-the-line content for their music
videos will boost their reputation with the possibility of gaining many views on all of their YouTube
content.
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
One way to measure progress for this goal is to retrieve data and keep track of the new daily
views that are a specific YouTube video. Once the video has met the 50 thousand views quota, the
goal has successfully been completed.
 Did one of For Fear Itself’s music videos reach a minimum of 50 thousand views on
YouTube?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Some skills and connections required for this goal are working with top-of-the-line graphic
designers and music video producers. If For Fear Itself can obtain a top-of-the-line crew to help
them with creating music videos, it will allow their music videos that chance to receive more views
by being Aesthetically pleasing. For Fear Itself has worked with amazing crews in the past to help
produce previous music videos. If they were to work with these same individuals again, this will
allow them to achieve very creative music videos that their following will enjoy watching.

R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
By working with smaller producers and creators they have in the past, it will show the potential
that For Fear Itself has with working with larger production companies when it comes to music
videos. If the band was to reach their goal of 50 thousand views on one music video, this will allow
them to reach a larger audience with the potential to be shared to millions on different social
media platforms. The more views that are achieved on their YouTube account, the more they are
likely to make it big in the metal core scene in the music industry.
T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
The deadline for reaching 50 thousand views on one of For Fear Itself’s more recent music videos
will be March 31, 2023. This will allow the band a little over three months to work closely on their
social media accounts and promote their YouTube account which will in turn increase the number
of views that they receive on their music videos. One potential obstacle that could get in the way
of For Fear Itself reaching this goal would be not reaching many videos on new music videos that
are being released on YouTube. One solution would be to make sure the music video is being
promoted on all social media accounts even before it is released on YouTube.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
The 6-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself is to obtain a minimum of 50 thousand
views on one of their newer music videos by March 31, 2023.

1- YEAR REVENUE GENERATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Acquire an opening act for the band VCTMS U.S. tour 2024
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
The 1-year goal for For Fear Itself is to acquire the first opening act VCTMS on their upcoming
tour in 2024. The tour will allow the band to receive revenue from ticketing, merchandise, along
with meet and greets. VCTMS has toured throughout the U.S in prior tours along with a strong
fanbase over 20k followers.
Gatekeeper: Daniel Defonce – Booking Agent
Contact: DanielFonce@Tkoco.com
Gatekeeper: Meredith Henderson - Manager
Contact: VICTIMSBAND@GMAIL.COM
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
We can measure the progress by looking at generated revenue prior to opening for VCTMS.
Was more revenue for ticketing and merch produced after opening for VCTMS or did this remain
the same?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Some of the connections required to achieve this goal would be forming a relationship with
VCTMS management and booking team. This would include following up via email, a friendly
phone call, or virtual meeting. We can also share VCTMS music via social media to display our
willingness to work with them also displaying appreciation to the band and music. In hopes they
will return the favor by working with the band or sharing For Fear Itself music.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
This 1-year goal will provide adequate time to reach out to management, display appreciation of
VCTMS and schedule follow up meetings for the possibilities of For Fear Itself staring as an
opening act.
We are setting this goal to set up as much large audience stage presence with larger bands to help
achieve awareness. This will contribute to For Fear Itself fame in the long run with establishing a
fan base and networks.

T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
A potential obstacle would be VCTMS timeline disrupting For Fear Itself timeline by either not
aligning with ours although we would do our best to be flexible or the decline from VCTMS
management to star as the opening act. We do not have a deadline for this goal however, we
would like to perform this act within the year late 2023 or early 2024. A potential solution would be
marketing For Fear Itself on all social media platforms along with bringing awareness to VCTMS
musical talents.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL
Our 1-year revenue generation goal to become an opening act for VCTMS at their upcoming tour
in 2024. We will seek approval through VCTMS management and booking team Meredith
Henderson and Daniel Fonce, in hopes to increase our ticket, merchandising sales. We also have
high hopes to increase our future opportunities with opening for other acts in the future.

1- YEAR CONTENT CREATION
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA
Develop a music video with VCTMS.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
Creating a YouTube music video with VCTMS to establish continued revenue growth through
streaming platforms. A music video with the well-known band VCTMS will allow
Gatekeeper: Meredith Henderson - Manager
Contact: VICTIMSBAND@GMAIL.COM
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
We can measure progress by viewing how many streams, likes and dislikes For Fear Itself obtained
through a solo music video on YouTube’s platform vs the number of streams with VCTMS
performance in a music video with For Fear Itself.
Did For Fear Itself bring in a sufficient fanbase after the release date?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
Skills required to achieve this goal:
-Make sure we have the recording equipment and venue space to provide a well-developed music
video.
- Provide a hair, makeup, and wardrobe team.
- Set up a meeting with VCTMS management team for brainstorming ideas and song material.
- Set a release date and schedule for recording.
R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
We are setting this goal now to:
Create additional opportunities for the band for attention to venue bookings.
Along with displaying the band can collaborate well with other artists.
This will also provide increase fanbase and revenue for both artists.

T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
One potential obstacle for our goal would be lack of interest on VCTMS part. One potential
solution for lack of interest would be creating a pitch for the music video and providing a graph
chart of the potential revenue to be created from both fanbases. The deadline for the music video
would be before mid 2024 to release before Blue Ridge Rock festival. The deadline to release
before the festival would be in hopes of creating additional fanbase before attending.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL Our 1-year content creation goal is to produce a music video with VCTMS through mid 2024. We
plan to accomplish the video by first reaching out to VCTMS manager Meredith Henderson, in
hopes to create a unique piece from scratch with the band VCTMS. This will help strengthen our
and VCTMS content creations through the YouTube platform.

1- YEAR AUDIENCE GROWTH
INITIAL
Brainstorm the goal that you have in mind. What is the general thing you hope to accomplish?
Think of this as a scratch pad where it’s okay to be broad, as you will be dialing it in with more
specifics later.
GOAL
IDEA We want the artist to begin performing at well known music festivals. Interacting with a wide
variety of talent at these festivals, expanding their outreach with brands and artists.
S
(4 sentences and at least 1 gatekeeper required)
What do you want to accomplish? What gatekeepers are involved and what are their titles/roles?
Who needs to be included? Why is this a goal?
SPECIFIC
- We want to accomplish booking a performance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest as an unsigned
artist in 2023 located in VA.
- Performing at this festival would expand the audience growth and provide opportunities for
collaborating with other artists.
- We want the artists to perform at festivals in the upcoming year as this provides larger and
more diverse crowds vs performing at a local show with a fan base already created.
- The Blue Ridge Rock Festival attracts 40,000 guests.
- This is a goal because it is important, to consistently broaden the fan base to ensure the
artists is well known vs being drowned out by older/newer artists.
Gatekeeper:
Jonathan Slye – Artist Submission/Partnership Inquires
Contact: 800-514-3849 | info@blueridgerockfest.com
M
How can you measure progress and know if you’ve successfully met your goal? Can you phrase
this in a way in which success can be verified with a “yes” or “no”. For example, “Did we book a
paying show at The Social in Orlando within 3 months?”
MEASURABLE
- We plan to measure our progress by checking the status of the response via email/phone.
Once the submission is accepted/denied the company will reach out regarding a set date and
time. We can also appropriately follow up before an acceptance/denial by sending an email
showing our appreciation for the hopeful opportunity.
Did For Fear Itself create a sufficient fan base at prior shows to perform at the festival?
A
(4 sentences required)
What are the skills and/or connections required to achieve the goal? Do you, your team, or your
artist have these? If not, can you obtain them? What is the motivation for this goal? Is the amount
of effort required on par with what the goal will achieve?
ACHIEVABLE
- Developing venue relationships that can hold a large audience in a well-known area vs small
part of town.
- Using negotiation skills for playing the venue.
- Reach out via social media for promoting upcoming events.
Motivation for this goal is to establish a sellout of tickets for venues assisting with a larger fanbase
and expanding the chance to perform at large venues/festivals.

R
(4 sentences required)
Why am I setting this goal now? Which aspect of your artist’s long-term career objectives does this
goal fit in with, and how does it contribute to achieving that?
RELEVANT
- For Fear Itself has a relatively small audience and working towards achieving a spot in Blue
Ridge Rock festival will open doors with sponsors, labels, opportunities to work with other
artists which will all expand the fan base.
- By working with sponsors this will reach an audience we are unable to.
- By collaborating with other artists in the same or different genres, this will attract attention
from the collaborating artists viewers.
Long-term trying to reach 25-50k followers on media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.
T
(4 sentences required, including at least 1 potential obstacle and 1 potential solution)
What’s the deadline and is it realistic? Why do you feel it’s realistic, attainable, and/or relevant?
What are the potential obstacles that could keep your artist and/or team from hitting this target?
What is a potential solution for one of these obstacles?
TIME-BOUND
- The deadline to apply for the festival is May 2024.
- This is realistic as this gives us 1 year to record and finalize our submission.
- The potential obstacles we could face are difficulties setting a date for recorded submission
around the bands schedule or acquiring proper venue to record.
- A solution to not run into these issues would be to not schedule any local shows and setting a
scheduled week only focused on recording.
This submission is important to expand our audience growth in the upcoming year.
SMART
Review what you have written, and craft a new, formal goal statement based on what the answers
to the questions above have revealed.
GOAL Our 1-year audience growth goal is to book a show at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival held in VA
during 2023. Provided through the submissions team held by Jonathan Slye, in hopes to broaden
our fanbase by reaching viewers through a live music festival platform, building interpersonal
connections through live performance, and assisted meet and greets.

ARTIST NAME: For Fear Itself
TEAM MEMBER NAMES: Melissa Miller, Conner Denkmann, and Brittany Bowens
Review your first assignment and the instructor’s feedback.
Considering what you have determined about the artist’s target audience, as well as the artist’s
skills, talents, personality, and needs, discuss short-term and long-term career goals with your
teammates. You may also consult your artist (if available, but this is not required if you are not
in contact with the artist directly).
After this discussion, proceed to the SMART Goals Worksheet. Upon completing the SMART
Goals Worksheet, copy and paste your final SMART Goal verbiage into the corresponding spots
below.
3-Month SMART Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION:
The 3-month revenue goal for For Fear Itself is to begin playing more shows in
paid locations where they can acquire revenue streams.
2. CONTENT CREATION:
The 3-month content creation goal for For Fear Itself is to make sure that their
track list is up to date on their Spotify profile. Making sure that all produced
tracks are uploaded with the correct information.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH:
The 3-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself is to reach a minimum of
100 thousand followers on all social media platforms by March 31, 2023.
6-Month SMART Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION:
The 6-month revenue generation goal for For Fear Itself is to become an
opening act for a well-established band, Alpha Wolf. In order to complete this
goal, the band will have to meet with the members for Alpha Wolf and figure out
what they will have to work on as a team to create a big enough following that
will allow them to be beneficial to add to the touring roster. Once a contract is
complete allowing For Fear Itself to become one of the opening acts, the band
will begin obtaining a revenue stream from the profit of the number of tickets
sold at each show, as well as selling merchandise and other tangible items.

2. CONTENT CREATION:
The 6-month content creation goal for For Fear Itself is to be featured on a
Spotify Editorial Playlist by the beginning of Summer 2023.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH:
The 6-month audience growth goal for For Fear Itself is to obtain a minimum of
50 thousand views on one of their newer music videos by March 31, 2023.
1-Year SMART Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION:
Our 1-year revenue generation goal is to become an opening act for VCTMS at
their upcoming tour in 2024. We will seek approval through VCTMS management
and booking team Meredith Henderson and Daniel Fonce, in hopes to increase
our ticket and merchandising sales. We also have high hopes to increase our
future opportunities by opening for other acts in the future.
2. CONTENT CREATION:
Our 1-year content creation goal is to produce a music video with VCTMS
through mid 2024. We plan to accomplish the video by first reaching out to
VCTMS manager Meredith Henderson, in hopes to create a unique piece from
scratch with the band VCTMS. This will help strengthen our and VCTMS content
creations through the YouTube platform.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH:
Our 1-year audience growth goal is to book a show at the Blue Ridge Rock
Festival held in VA during 2024. Provided through the submissions team held by
Jonathan Slye, in hopes to broaden our fanbase by reaching viewers through a
live music festival platform, building interpersonal connections through live
performances, and assisted meet and greets.