Group Project for Artist Trapbone Portfolio Piece

1. PORTFOLIO
PIECE
By: Marcus Davis, Natassia Franklin, Destiny Reynolds, Anthony
Weathersby, Javon Williams
For
Trapbone
Bandit
MBBS-Online, Full Sail University
Artist Management
MUB481-O
Samuel Archer
C202307
July 23rd, 2023

2. FOUNDATION
1. List the names of your group members below and include their top individual top 3 strengths.
GROUP MEMBER NAMES AND ASSESSMENT RESULTS
Nena Franklin:
- Musical Intelligence
- Interpersonal Intelligence
-Existential Intelligence
Marcus Davis Jr:
-Intrapersonal Intelligence
-Musical Intelligence
-Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence
Destiny Reynolds:
- Musical Intelligence
- Interpersonal Intelligence
- Intrapersonal Intelligence
Anthony Weathersby:
-Musical Intelligence
-Interpersonal Intelligence
-Naturalistic Intelligence
Javon Williams:
-Interpersonal Intelligence
-Intrapersonal Intelligence
-Musical Intelligence
2. Provide the artist’s name and at least one website where I can check out their music and/or
look and aesthetic.
Apple Music: @ Trapbone - https://music.apple.com/bz/artist/trapbone/1497589216
Instagram: @TrapBoneBandit - https://www.instagram.com/trapbonebandit/
YouTube: @Trapbone - https://www.youtube.com/@trapbone
3. Identify one well-known artist that is like your artist and that would share a target audience.
Trombone Shorty is a remarkably similar artist to Trapbone Bandit; they both have a way of
performing and using the mic in the same live show. We say they share the same target audience
because they play the same instrument. Trapbone can perform in the same rooms because he can

3. play the trombone the same way Trombone Shorty can. Not only that but he has been honored to
be in a room with high-profile individuals like Jay-Z when he was called on stage at his Atlanta
show. Trombone Shorty has mentioned wanting to work with Jay-Z in an interview with
Complex.com. So, this lets us know that they would have a similar fan base for
an artist to want to collaborate with the same artist who gave Trapbone his flowers.
4. Target Audience - Demographics:
When considering the target audience demographics for Trapbone, I worked to understand his
messages and creative style. He has a background in high school and college marching bands,
which makes him familiar with playing for live audiences. One market segment consists of fans
that enjoy big band-style performances. This group regularly attends battles of the bands and
other dueling musician contests. Many in this group will be current or past musicians themselves.
The selected age range is 19–29. The geographical location is primarily in the Southern
American states (Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana).
Another big segment for Trapbone is hip-hop and trap music lovers. Many of his songs are
inspired by the sounds of his current home base, Atlanta since he does not play in the traditional
jazz style. He plays many staccato notes, which sound like the immensely popular triplet rap
flow. This style focuses on rhythm-based melodies. In 2017 Rap/R&B “surpassed Rock as the
biggest genre in the U.S. based on album sales and streams” (L.A. Buckner, 2023). With Trap
being Hip-Hop's most popular subgenre, our artist gives the fans what they want. The messages
in his music revolve around social justice, monetary aspirations, and general male bravado. Fans
of this type tend to be younger men and women facing similar life struggles as 20-year-olds and
need escapism. Many will be college students and other low-income earners.
5. Target Audience- Psychographics:
 Equal Rights
 Rebel Mentality
 Urban Empowerment
6. Hobbies/Lifestyle Choices:
 Current/former musicians
 Social justice movements
 Big bang performances
7. Clothing/Accessory Brands:
 Supreme
 H&M
 Foot Locker
8. Major Social Media Accounts They Follow:
 XXL
 The Breakfast Club
 BET

4. 9. Relevant Personalities/Influencers They Follow:
 Mel D. Cole
 Killer Mike
 Charlamagne Tha God
10. Other Similar Artists:
 Childish Gambino
 Chance The Rapper
 Masego
11. Movies and TV Shows:
1. Power
2. Snowfall
3. Empire
12. Quick Pitch
Trapbone Bandit is an up-and-coming trombone and rap artist used to electrify audiences with his
high-energy performances and thought-provoking lyricism. His style is a combination of live
musician showdowns with trap flows. Music is in his blood and this passion drove him to play in the
streets to find the largest crowds. With professional recordings, music videos, and dozens of local
performances to his credit, he is ready to make his career global. He has fans in Europe, Africa, and
Italy.
Primary Platforms
1- Bigo
2- United Masters
3- Soundcloud
Bigo: It is fantastic for Trapbone’s career because you can meet people from all over the world
and do whatever you want. Gifts and beans can be redeemed for money, so this could be another
source of income. Musicians do well on Bigo and can build organic fan bases. He has a lot to
share with his fans. This gives him the perfect opportunity to build a personable connection with
them without having an established fanbase of 1,000 followers to go live. This is unlike TikTok.
United Masters: As a music artist, Trapbone would benefit from this app since masters are difficult to
acquire. This app gives them instant contractual rights to all music downloaded to it. It is also a major
distributor of music, meaning all kinds of people can access your music. Major record labels get on this
app to see whose music is doing well on this platform. In most cases, artists get discovered on this app.
Soundcloud: Has become one of the most popular sites for connecting with fans of both major
and independent artists. Users can upload music and other audio content to this site to stream,
including podcasts. Artists looking to establish an online fan base and stream their music are

5. among the top 5 users of the site.
13. Two Target Audience Customer Personas
Photo by Dushawn Jovic on Unsplash
Photo by Raul De Los Santos on Unsplash
GETTING TO KNOW THE ARTIST:
Talents
When it comes to live performances, this is where Trapbone shines. He has been playing for
audiences as they enter and exit major live events for over 15 years. His experience in marching
Alexis Adams, 26 years old
Fulltime college junior
Occupation: Part-time job as barista
Listens to: R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggaeton, Trap
Income: $30k
Demographics: Inner city Atlanta, GA
Usage: Heavy user of subscription-based
streaming services
Psychographics: Rebel mentality, supports
Black creators, feminist, social justice
movements
Jonathan Johnson, 30 years old
Recent Bachelor graduate
Occupation: Entry-level law firm position
Listens to: Trap, R&B, Soul, Funk
Income: $45k
Demographics: Suburban Macon, GA
Usage: Heavy user of subscription-based
streaming services
Psychographics: Change the system from
inside mentality, supports Black creators,
social justice movements, fraternity member

6. bands is even longer than that, so he knows how to rock the crowd. He is also known to perform
at open mic shows twice monthly. To complement his playing, he also raps original lyrics. Titles
like “Bach Wit Da Glock” “On the Run” and “Cops Be Da Opps” give insight into his topics of
choice.
He makes references to his legal struggles with law enforcement throughout most of his songs.
The lyrics always supplement his instrumentation without detracting from the overall sound.
Instead of calling him a rapper, he is a trombonist with something to say. His look and aesthetic
also reveal his temperament. He fits the image for young, energetic artists. His clothing style is
that of the rebel rather than the conformist. He often designs clothes with his own logos and
branding on them.
He does not just play trombone and rap, he performs. He books shows, travels, creates, and
distributes online content, and even makes his own merchandise. This artist has used discipline
and grit to turn passion and talent into a career.
Elements of Experience
Not having professional representation has not deterred Trapbone from booking shows. He has
been performing locally in Atlanta at small performances for almost 10 years. Whether it is open
mics, battle of the bands, or big band shows, he has done. Touring for him mostly consists of
traveling the country and performing at local live events. This has meant years of
accommodation scheduling on his own. He also does his own publicity. His social media
accounts are completely self-run.
He also posts all his feature content without the help of any professionals. His self-reliance has
demanded discipline which is shown in his relentless work ethic. To record his music Trapbone
has worked with professional studios in Atlanta. He is used to knowing what he wants the sound
to be, how to deliver his lines, and other professional studio etiquette norms. As a musician he
understands production, which brings another level of skill to his studio sessions. While
recording his international album he got a chance to develop other artists, giving him more
production experience.
ARTIST SWOT ANALYSIS:
14. Strengths: Trapbone is an artist that can take performing to the next level. Being that he can
play the trombone and rap his audience can vary and so can his job opportunities. He is an
amazing live entertainer with plenty of experience under his belt performing solo and with a
group. His artistry is so unique that this gives him strength in his market, there are no other
trap-rapping trombone players right now. We plan to highlight his strengths by placing him
on every stage in and around Ohio, that we can to help build a variety of fans from different
audiences.
15. Weaknesses: Media presence would have to be one of the major weaknesses for Trapbone.
A website is considered a digital resume for musicians and not having all your artistry in
one space can look unprofessional. Trapbone also needs advertising presence is the sense of
cards, flyers, official website, and shirts with socials when out in the community. Having
advertisements on or around him when performing helps build his fan base on the spot. To
fix this issue Trapbone will wear his merch while posting content on social media

7. showcasing his talent. As well as when he’s performing on the street to help fans locate him
after the performance.
16. Opportunities: The biggest opportunity for Trapbone is performing at music festivals. At
these events he will get major exposure that will grow his fan base. Music festivals usually
play for thousands of people over multiple days, and this would be a fantastic way to gain
new fans. Another route would be to become an opening act for a bigger artist. By going on
tour with popular acts he can increase his discovery.
17. Threats: The biggest threat for this artist is his legal battles. He has a long history of being
harassed by local law enforcement for street performing. He has even filed at least one
lawsuit against a municipality for harassment. Some labels may be wary of this legal history
and avoid working with them. While others will use this information to build a detailed
story of who he is at heart.
ACTION ITEMS:
STRENGTH 1 – Instrumentalist
18. Sponsors
33. Merchandise
34. Private Events
STRENGTH 2 – High-Energy Crowd Motivation
35. Parades
36. Circuses
37. Street Performances
WEAKNESS 1 – Online Presence
19. Create a professional website.
20. Grow social media following.
WEAKNESS 2 – Publicity
21. Get flyers, cards, and other branded signs for shows and other events.
22. Create branded merchandise to wear when performing, specifically with a logo and QR code for
music downloads, social media, and more.
SMART GOALS:
3-Month Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION: The main 3-month goal is to earn $1000-$3000 from local
shows and street performances. This revenue can also come from merchandise sales and
private events.

8. 2. CONTENT CREATION: The main goal in this 3-month period is to have Trapbone
posting different videos on social media. Fans will get behind-the-scenes and exclusive
content on a daily/weekly basis. They’ll get bi-weekly live streams where he interacts and
answers questions. Recording and releasing new tracks on a quarterly basis as well. This
helps to stay consistent with his online image and fan base.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH: Our goal for the next three months is to gain 300-500 new fans
across platforms. We plan to expand the artist's reach in Ohio by advertising the track on
local radio stations such as WAKT 106.1 FM and Blaze1Radio, as well as distributing it
on popular streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora, and
TikTok. By monitoring streaming numbers, follower count and engagement, email
subscriptions, and content views we can determine if the goal is met.
6-Month Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION: Within the next six months, Trapbone aims to achieve and
exceed his revenue generation goals. This includes booking 5-7 paying shows, increasing
merchandise sales to a minimum of $3,000-$5,000, and establishing multiple income
streams. With the necessary skills, connections, and motivation of our talented team, he is
confident in his ability to attain financial stability, contributing to his long-term career
objectives.
2. CONTENT CREATION: Within the next six months, Trapbone aims to focus on
accomplishing his content creation goals. This includes releasing two additional singles
with visually stunning music videos, creating visually appealing promotional visuals and
album artwork, and collaborating with visual artists to establish a unique visual brand.
With the necessary resources and team support, he is confident in his ability to achieve
these goals, contributing to his artistic growth, fan engagement, and long-term career
objectives.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH: Within the next six months, Trapbone aims to earn more than
1000 new followers across platforms. This will include booking more paying shows,
increasing merchandise sales and streams on digital music platforms. Additionally, he
plans to grow his social media by collaborating with two artists and hosting a fan event to
enhance audience engagement and connections.
1-Year Goals
1. REVENUE GENERATION: The goal is to make $6000 or more from paid shows and
performances. This is only $500 per month. The income should come from shows where
he’s listed as a performer on promotional content. It can also come from street shows as
well. The venues can be music festivals, open mics, street shows, small clubs, or guest
performances in local bands. All shows must be in Atlanta, GA.

9. 2. CONTENT CREATION: The goal is to boost Trapbone's popularity by releasing four singles,
collaborating with two featured artists, and creating visually stunning content that highlights his
creativity and authenticity. We will track progress by album completion and promotional
milestones such an EPK sent to at least 20 outlets. Collaboration with 5 featured artists,
connections with visual creators for 5 projects will determine success.
3. AUDIENCE GROWTH: Our goal for is to reach 5000 new followers by mid next year. He will
finish his album and brand promotion in time for his planned album release party. Performing at a
music festival with QR codes for contact information is another goal towards audience growth.
Success will be determined by overall fan base growth.
References:
Buckner, L. A. (2021). How trap music took over: Sound field. PBS LearningMedia.
https://houstonpbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/how-trap-music-took-over-video/sound-field/
Elliott, D. (2023). Musicians in New Orleans and Cuba explore their shared heritage and similar
sounds. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1158432273/musicians-in-new-orleans-and-
cuba-explore-their-shared-heritage-and-similar-soun