For sure, that and anything positive/optimist/appreciative/inspiring. :) Higher spirit inducing material!

Update: PayPal Tip Jar + Better Than The Book's "Brighton" featured again on The Ska Show with Beefy (alongside Less Than Jake too)!!

Hi everyone and hope you're having a great start to April so far (despite all that's going on in the world). Just a couple of quick updates to share with you today:

First of all, after much consideration and suggestions from various social media platforms due to the corona virus disruptions over the last month or so, I've decided to set up a PayPal tip jar for anyone who wants to throw some spare PayPal pennies my way, especially during this crazy time.

I realise that while Patreon is a great platform for people who want to support my music on a regular basis, many people aren't in that position to do so, and since I try to keep as much of my music as possible free to listen to for everyone on platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, and of course Newgrounds, there's not much incentive these days for people to actually buy digital downloads anymore (a huge thank you to everyone who does though)! With this being the case, I thought setting up a separate PayPal tip jar would be a good alternative for those who want to support my music with one-off tips or the occasional support without the commitment of Patreon, or simply buying the same digital album over and over again. If Newgrounds (etc...) is my busking street, think of this tip jar as my open guitar case for your spare change. Every little bit makes a difference!

With the UK on lock down at the moment, all I can really do is make more music, so you can bet that I'll be working on a whole plethora of new tunes for the foreseeable future (and more intensely than usual)! If you're enjoying the music and have some pennies you won't miss (whether a Patreon supporter already or not), feel free to send them my way via the new PayPal Tip Jar below:

https://www.paypal.me/NickStanding

Next and lastly for this post, some super cool news to share as Better Than The Book's "Brighton" was back on The Ska Show with Beefy this week playing alongside Less Than Jake's "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" (a track I requested for the show and one of my all time favourites)! Thanks for sharing the tunes and the lovely shout out, Beefy!

Check out the replay of the show below: Less Than Jake is on at -37:03 followed by a lovely shout out, then "Brighton", then more tunes and another shout out!

https://www.facebook.com/TheSkaShowwithBeefy/posts/2923405277747858​

And check out the full playlist for the show below! Lots of great stuff this week! 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-ska-show-with-beefy-on-southern-fm/playlist-31st-march-2020/2914311901990529/

Remember you can grab "Brighton" and the rest of the Hopes and Dreams album in all the usual digital places including the Better Than The Book Bandcamp page:

https://betterthanthebook.bandcamp.com/album/hopes-and-dreams

Or grab the full BTTB discography, bonus tracks and all when you become a supporter on Patreon if that’s your jam. Next set of rewards will be on April 24th (my 30th birthday) including 2 new Patreon exclusive bonus tracks! Hope to see you then!

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

And that about wraps up this post. Thanks as always for supporting Better Than The Book and my various music projects in all the ways you can, many thanks for listening, and I can't wait to take Better Than The Book live once this corona virus thing is all over! Stay safe and sensible!

Wonder if PayPal takes any part of the transaction fee with that tip jar? As far as I know the one place that doesn't is: https://ko-fi.com/

...might be a good alternative to have too. Very simple to use; maybe a bit more fun with how people can leave messages along with those tips. They use the PayPal API as well, just without fees. Right now. At least.

Hope you manage to get through these gigless times alright...

From the tips I received so far it doesn't seem to take a cut though I imagine the exchange rates aren't the best. I've heard of ko-fi but didn't know much about it. Sounds interesting! I've seen people leave messages in PayPal before but not sure about with the tip jar... the reason I went with this one is that SoundCloud made an update to help support artists during this time and PayPal was one of the options you could use (via setting up one of these). Ko-fi unfortunately wasn't on the list, but perhaps it'll be added later?

Cheers CD, indeed things are a bit strange at the moment. While I usually work from home anyway, it feels very different HAVING to work from home. Hope it all blows over soon though seems it might be a while. Just about getting by at least for the moment (just about XD) At least I don't have to pay for travel as much as usual (since it's banned)! Train tickets rack up cost FAST

Ah alright, that's good to know. When you pay by card you can usually choose to go by the card provider's exchange rate instead of PayPal (they always add in a little extra), but it's a bit annoying how there's no option to choose that by default, or to have that with all types of transfers. Of course they want to earn a little extra, but I think I lost quite a bit just in those exchange rates before I figured it out...

Ah alright, well that makes sense. If the tip car works the same then there's not much reason to have ko-fi as well then, unless there's a base of users out there who'd prefer to pay via that, but they both use PayPal in the end so... still that exchange rate thing either way.

For sure, and yet people are out and about in the neighborhood like nothing's going on after all. Surreal differences in certain areas of social life/media/just what you see when you step outside. It all seems so normal otherwise...

Oh all trips are banned over there right now? Or not trains...?

Ah I didn't know about that card vs PayPal exchange rates thing (makes sense though). Yeah... I'm sure I've lost a few £s through that in certain past transactions too... Makes sense if ko-fi still uses the same engine. I'll play it by ear and see how it goes I guess :)

Yeah. It's certainly quiet out here these days (in a nice way). Indeed we're pretty much stuck in our little towns at the moment. Road checks are in place to prevent long distance travel and the train stations are guarded by police apparently so you can only take the train if absolutely necessary (like if you're an NHS worker going to work). We're only allowed out for local necessary shopping (food), getting medical aid/supplies or for local exercise. Fines in place if you're going out without a good reason. Essensial things like the post office and banks and some hardware stores (to fix your house if it's broken) are still open, but everything else is shut.

It's an easily avoidable toggle just before you finish the payment, where you can sometimes select payment method. :) Little blue link that says something along the lines of 'exchange rate alternatives'.

Sounds good.

Damn. :/ I wonder how that compares to the situation in the US... we're still far from shut down, it's just a lot emptier. Do people keep their distance when out and about otherwise? In shops and such? Have they put in stuff like transparent plastic sheets in front of counters/cashiers?

So you can't go out just to take a walk though? Gyms closed down? All exercise to be done in home confinement? I think I'd start climbing up the walls if I couldn't get outside at all, pretty major routine changes if so...

Ah, I see! I'll have to keep an eye out for that in the future :D

A lot of people keep their distance... a fair few don't at the shops... I have seen transparent sheets up at some of the counters though and they have tape marked out on the floor to encourage people to keep their distance especially when queuing. Some shops also limits the amount of people they'll allow in at any one time too.

You can still go and take a walk at the moment, but you can't for instance drive out to the countryside to a nice stroll through fields or on the hills; it has to be in your local area only. Not sure about gyms... Apparently lots of people were out this past weekend just chilling in parks and sunbathing etc... though so there's talks of the government taking away our outside privileges .____. I don't blame them tbh

Yupp, might make a real difference in the long. :) As long as your card provider has a more reasonable rate/no extras.

Mmm, we have the sheets here but don't think I've seen any tape yet. Plenty of signs too of course. Interesting.

It's a shame there's always at least that one person that might just make everyone else's efforts moot though. Was shopping the other day and this older lady was just coughing all over the place, walking through the fruit and vegetable aisle, you wonder if they just don't care or just can't help it; if they feel sick and just want to drag everyone else with them... so unnecessary though...

Ah alright, that seems a bit more reasonable. The near area bit. The total stop on all outdoor activities though.... .____. indeed! I guess if numbers don't change it might seem necessary but still, pretty drastic.

Indeed x3. Yeah... can't help but think some people WANT to cause a nusance. There's been a few people here who've been sent to prison for intentionally coughing at police officers... it's a shame there are the few people who are ruining things for everyone.

Ooh, haven't heard of any cases like that here. Too true though. It almost seems like especially with older people there's that one particular clique who maybe don't lead that happy lives; want to take it out on people who do...

Yeah... not so great...

Better Than The Book just reached 1000 followers on Twitter + some upcoming project updates!

Hello everyone and hope you're having a good time despite the isolation and lock-down and all that jazz that's going on at the moment. Just checking in today to report that Better Than The Book just passed 1000 followers on Twitter! Thanks so much for all the support and if you're not yet following you can find BTTB on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/BTTB_UK

In other news, with not much else to do while on lock-down, I've been busy composing demos and recording for new projects and my oh my has it been a productive time! With almost 2 and a half HOURS of Jabun demos completed since November last year as of this week, I'm taking a break from composition now to focus on what I've currently got and polish them up for some new releases! As it currently stands here's what's lined up for the near(ish) future (in approximate order though with no timescales just yet):

1) A mystery metal cover song (Just waiting on a final green light, then artwork and admin stuff to do)

2) A 33 minute Jabun "LIVE" album (all recorded, needs final mixing and mastering, then artwork and admin)

3) A 37 minute Jabun studio album (fully composed and demoed, needs final recording, and all the rest)

4) A ~70 minute Jabun studio (double) album (Roughly demoed, with possible additions to come) 

5) A bonus album with alternative versions, (eg: instrumentals) from the album above

(+2 more miscellaneous leftover demos I'll likely release as Patreon exclusive bonuses)

And on top of that there will definitely be a Better Than The Book bonus album coming in July! Aiming to have projects 1, 2 & 3 out before the end of the year (maybe beginning of 2021 for #3), and more details to come as and when I can share them! In any case it's looking to be an exciting time for music for the foreseeable future (and I've still got the rest of the Jabun back catalog to upload too)! Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!

That's it for this post and more Patreon rewards (2 exclusive bonus tracks) will be coming on my 30th birthday this Friday! Become a $5+ patron now for early access to those, and get all past rewards for your tier when you sign up including the full BTTB discography and more!

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

Until then, thanks as always for supporting Jabun, Better Than The Book and all my projects and I hope you have a great week! Stay safe, wash your hands, and I can't wait to share all this new music with you soon(ish)!

Some crazy productive times lately!

Also a looot of follows allofa sudden! Haven't really kept an eye on the Twitter before, but did the latest release really give it a boost? Or have those numbers been rising steadily all this time?

Congrats on that. Looking forward to hearing more of all these projects. Good to hear these corona times might not be bogging things down after all but generating all the more new opportunities.

Indeed they have been (not really much else to do) XD Not really all of a sudden with regards the follows, pretty steady rise over the promotional period, up to and past the Hopes and Dreams album release last year, and the radio plays and blog features since have been helpful for sure (the album's still getting a bit of radio play which is nice :3). I think before the album promo started around this time last year Twitter followers were just kind of stuck at ~300, but I've been working hard with the promotion ever since (few breaks here and there) and seems to be working at least on Twitter where I mainly am :) (social-media-wise). Few more Facebook followers too (similar percentage increase over the same time period) but that's more difficult compared to Twitter with its hashtags and knowing who's following who etc... much easier to find people who will potentially be interested in the music. On the other hand Facebook has groups which is useful. It's kindof all about working hard at it and playing the "game" of each platform, half the time. And the other half is being lucky if someone big enough wants to share the music and or talk about it on the platform :) I can't say I particularly enjoy social media, but it's a necessary part of the work and spreading the word, and it's nice to meet some people there (some nice comments occasionally).

And cheers! Might be a while until they're out but I'm certainly excited to share them out when the projects are ready! Shouldn't be too long for some of them at least :)

Well that's always the worry DX Just about getting by at the moment though :) Hope things are well on your end!

Well you could always be slumped down and totally glum; unable to do anything at all. :P Good thing that's not the case though!

Nice. :) Seems like a solid increase within such a short span of time! Indeed, it seems to be all about the grind initially, but also that the more followers you have the more followers you get. People are more prone to follow those who are already popular, and the more potential retweets and likes and what-not the more potential to keep growing without the same amount of grind.

I've been wondering a bit if there's a certain level when things start taking care of themselves, but I suppose it's just a part of the equation. Grind still required. Just that the fruits of said grind just get higher and higher the higher the amounts.

Time's really flying lately so any time's a good one, looking forward. :)

Ah, as long as it's still on the plus side. Hope for the best. As for me it's pretty good, being in the e-commerce business is a good place to be now when people are distancing themselves more and more, though in the long run I suppose financial decline will probably affect everyone. Interesting to see how this all goes. Currently feeling pretty fortunate just to have a job though.

That's true :)

Also true. With regards the current grind, I think there's always going to be some effort to get more people listening, but before the album was released, I got to a point where no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't seem to get more people on board. I imagine there'll be another ceiling at some point which I've yet to reach, though I seem to have broken through the initial one at least :) Keep on grinding for sure!

Woot woot!

Yup still just about there,and cheers XD Sounds like a good sector to be in at the moment on your end. I do wonder whether the UK govenerment will be giving out grants at some point depending on how long this goes on for. I have a fair few friend super effected by the lock-down as they're gigging musicians as their primary job. They seem to still be getting by at least with teaching and stuff though :)

Nice. :) Heading to the top of that skyscraper one ceiling at a time!

Aw yeah! :D

No grants at all thus far? How about loans? The government seems to be focusing on helping people that way over here, with a heavily reduced interest rate to make it seem reasonable. Still though, loans are loans, not ideal for any business without a steady income already to pay them back...

Good to hear they're doing alright. Does seem like the music and movie industry in particular will pe pretty heavily affected by this... well transport industries too, and restaurants, anything that requires real interaction...

Read an article about Londoners in particular looking forward to getting back to the cinema btw, one of ten would be getting a ticket first thing when this all blows over. :)

Hopefully similar interest with concerts/other live events...

That's the plan XD

Apart from the usual benefits schemes, not that I know of... There was talk of self-employed people being given 80% of their average monthly earnings over last 3 tax years (so long as they've filled in their returns) as a taxable grant (not sure how many month's worth) but nothing'll be happening with that until July at least apparently (if at all)... Too true with regards loans too, and we've no idea when this'll be over. Seems like a bigger risk than not taking one for me at least, just racking up more unpayable debt. Too true about all those industries too.

Depending on what's on at the cinema when this blow over, but I'd love to go again for sure, AND finally get BTTB on the stage if we're allowed XD First things first for me though is going for a nice meal out at a restaurant! Man I miss that :D

That aw yeah placement at the end of it did work pretty well eh. XD

Ah do hope they pull through with that first plan, seems like a generous compromise. Feeling a lot of people are probably going to end up in debt before this all is over... best avoid if possible...

Feels like the repertoire might be pretty rich when time comes, a lot of blockbuster titles just waiting to start sellin'. :) Hell yeah all these things! Do miss restaurants too but most of all: traveling. :) Just being able to go somewhere, if naught else to get back and appreciate home more. Feels like routines take hold too easily like this. Seemed like it hasn't been that long yet but apparently I've been working from home for a month today. O_o

Time flows strangely these days...

Hehe! Glad you liked it XD

Yeah... (in all aspects). I guess time will tell!

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. A couple of titles I'm itching to see which were supposed to come out already but were delayed. I certainly look forward to seeing my friends and family in person again too... haven't seem most since Christmas and was supposed to be going to visit most of them in April a few weeks back... feelin' extra far away at the moment with the not being able to just get on a train to see them...

It really does... days blurred... WEEKS blurred... I really hope it doesn't get to month's too!

Indeed it will! Time the keeper of all truths and mysteries yet to be revealed!

Yeah, I had a trip to my big brother and family booked around the same time, didn't feel like the right time to travel in the first place but the departure was actually cancelled. Didn't realize national travel was being restricted that much as well. At least oil prices seem to be going down, so not impossible to go places, just not as easy.

Did any of you have a driver's license btw? Not sure we ever spoke about that...

Yeah. Feels like you almost need to do something drastic to break routines to slow it down a bit, or more so to break the experience into more manageably memorable chunks. Accomplishments wane in the haze of continuity.

Makes sense. Indeed both Eva and I (and my family) can drive though the roads are policed too (some blocked) to prevent long distance road travel at the moment... not just public transport they're restricting, and the fines are hefty .___.

Agreed on those sentiments! I'm in need of some punctuation in my routine XD

Another 2 bonus mashup tracks to celebrate my 30th birthday (Listen on YouTube; download on Patreon)!

Hello everyone and hope you're having a splendid April so far! Today happens to be my 30th birthday so as an extra special treat and thanks for all the support over the years, not only am I releasing 2 new Patreon exclusive bonus mashup tracks, but also patrons will be getting them right now on my birthday instead of having to wait for the first Wednesday of the month like usual! Woot woot! For those of you not on Patreon you can listen to them on YouTube! Check them out below:

The first bonus track is another Better Than The Book mashup and although I didn't think it would work initially, I'm actually super pleased with the way it turned out! Check out "The Bigger Call, Maybe..." via the video link below and hope you get a kick out of it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ5Fi1kI2gw

Songs used:

Better Than The Book - The Bigger Picture [Instrumental]

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe [Acapella]

The second mashup doesn't feature any of my own music (apart from putting it together) but was equally super fun to make. A little back-story: on my first date with my S.O. Eva, I bought the "Significant Other" album by Limp Bizkit on vinyl, and a few years later, I started her vinyl collection with Ed Sheeran's "Divide" album. Seemed like a fun challenge to mash them up, and if you just imagine Ed Sheeran's having a really bad day, I think it works really nicely! Have a listen via the YouTube link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXUFKfFN2rU

Songs used:

Ed Sheeran - Eraser [Instrumental]

Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff [Acapella]

These bonus mashup tracks are Patreon exclusive downloads so if you want to pick up a copy, come join the lovely community on Patreon! Remember that you'll be getting not just these mashups but all historic rewards for your chosen tier when you sign up too including the full Better Than The Book discography and much more! With the REWARD ARCHIVE tag it's never been easier to catch up with all those posts and music downloads you've missed too! I hope you enjoy them!

https://www.patreon.com/NickStanding

And again for the $10 patrons, you've also got another exclusive demo from Jabun's upcoming 2nd album to look forward to as well as an article on the composition/production process for it (and I really think this articles one of the most interesting production pieces yet!)! Become a $10 patron to access that article, music, and much more now!  

That's it for this post, and as these rewards are really an early May reward for the $1 patrons, I'll be seeing you next time at the start of June to continue with the Jabun back catalogue of tracks unless something else comes up beforehand (last week of May for the $5+ patrons)! Until then, I hope you have a great rest of April and May, enjoy all the silly mashups which have been released this month, and thank you so much as always for supporting Better Than The Book, Jabun, and my various other projects! Take care, and I look forward to seeing what this next decade of my life brings and sharing it with you!

Hmm, potential to stick to country roads and take long detours? ;) Well I probably shouldn't advocate anything here...

Great to at least be able to get places should you ever really have to though. Around here it seems a lot of people who grow up in the city never bother learning to drive, it's just both easier and more environmentally attentive to commute for everything. Times like this I imagine they might feel a bit trapped.

Endless conversations mirrored in the lieu of current corona-riddled life. :) That's for sure!

Today's not the day you should be giving out gifts but much appreciated! Great memories with Limp Bizkit in particular so that one was really fun to hear. Really synced well too, both the style and rhythm. Not sure I've listened to the original Eraser version yet...

Happy Birthday Nick! Hope you manage to celebrate with a bit more than honeymelon and peppers!

Potentially, but indeed the rules are in place for a reason and I don't want to be a risk to my family XD Makes sense with not learning to drive in the city. In the country it's a bit more of a necessity, especially as a musician lugging gear around :) Having said that, I usually take the train when I can.

True dat! Happy you enjoyed "Erase Stuff"! Gotta love some Limp Bizkit :D Eraser's a pretty good track I think, though "Castle on the Hill" from that album is GOLD if you want to check out some Ed Sheeran :)

And thanks for the birthday wishes! Hehe, no melons or peppers at all yesterday, just leftovers and lots of video calls :) Today's gonna be a post-birthday lazy day I think. Take-out, video games etc... Looking forward to it!

Thinking more so if you'd ever need to be of help to your family. ;) Yes indeed, best not go around interacting with people without good reason... ah that's true, I didn't take Brighton as that far out in the country you'd need a car, but gigs indeed! Planning ahead you are.

Listening in now and... it's not bad. Ed Sheeran is one of those rare exceptions when it comes to enjoyable mainstream music IMO. Not sure we've talked of him before, but I heard him first on the Slumdon Bridge collab he did with Yelawolf some decade back now, before he really blew up. His voice done improved a bit but he still seems the same as he did back then! Musical. Authentic. Deserving that spotlight. Feeling like both melody and song structure sounds really familiar on Castle on the Hill though, some classic pop song influence I can't really place...

Listened to Eraser too btw and I must say I really enjoyed that one. :) Maybe it's the rap influence, maybe the ferocity... just really was as refreshing in whole as the instrumental itself.

Aw just leftovers! XD Sounds like a great post-birthday day though. But you oughta get some real cake. Something to break routine and really cement those celebrations in memory hall.

Hehe, they're all concentrated in the Burgess Hill / Sussex area averaging a 20 minute walk away if that so they're all taking care of eachother over there. If anything I'd be worried about Eva and I being stuck up in Leeds with no close support DX Brighton's on the coast so all the gig venues are a reasonable walk from the train station(s). Not so convient in other towns though. E.g.: The gig we were supposed to be playing a few weeks back is probably an hour+ walk away from the station which isn't idea even when traveling light XD Practice venues are often out of the way in the outskirts of town too.

Agreed on the sentiments. Castle on the Hill to me feels like it could be an Angels & Airwaves song or similar. It definitely has a different to Ed's usual stuff but familiar vibe to it. Very much considering doing a cover at some point, but we'll see :)

Glad you enjoyed that one! Great start to the album for sure :)

But good leftovers XD It was a nice post-birthday indeed. Nice walk outside, pizza, watching "Inferno" (Dan Brown film which in hindsight was probably not the best choice given the current situation, but was great nonetheless), then playing some Zelda :) We were going to bake a cake but NOWHERE seems to have any flour so we'll be making a bread & butter pudding today instead (too full after all the pizza last night). Looking forward to that :D

Ah that's good. Wasn't your brother in Japan though? Moved back?

That makes sense yeah. Apart from all next-level inner city establishments I suppose a lot of venues get located on cheaper land? Thinking of the legendary Woodstock arena, really middle of nowhere...

Mash-up's to covers, the logical next step of musical evolution! :D That'd definitely be interesting too.

Not sure I've listened to Angels & Airwaves before though, I'm sure there's some nineties thing this is, maybe subconsciously, heavily inspired by...

Indeed!

Ah the The Da Vinci Code trilogy, interesting choice for sure, though come to think of it now would really be the best time to watch dystopian horror movies if you're into those. I imagine they'd all feel way authentic and emotionally influential.

Sounds like a great day though! Yet those food shortages still persist huh.

Ah, he was but not for a long time now... not so great story, but not mine to tell so indeed he's back now. Not so sure about the cheaper land -> venues connection, but I imagine that'd be the case for BIG concerts? I've only had the privilege of playing in pubs/bars, small dedicated music venues, hotels and town/village halls, and one town park (not including as part of an orchestra. We played a load of definitely not cheap land venues there, churches, etc... XD)

They're both fun in different ways for sure :) Hmmm not sure about the 90s thing... I'd be interested if you figured out what it was.

Definitley feels a bit TOO authentic at the moment for sure. Up until then the past few weeks we'd been watching Studio Ghibli stuff which was a lot more disconnected from reality and often lighthearted (probably what I need at the moment at least) XD The bread pudding turned out well again btw. Yup... maybe we'll finally find some flour when we're shopping today but I'm not holding my breath for it...