Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tommy Trautwein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tommy, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
When I started recording and producing music in Athens, GA, I immediately realized how special this town was. The amount of talented and kind musicians in Athens was always so exciting, and I was and still am grateful to be helping them create their music. I started We Bought a Zoo Records as a way to have a ‘collective’ of sorts for my friends in town that we’re recording with me or in my home studio. The goal was always to help each other grow and take each other up if one or all of the music grows popular. This has shown to happen over the few short years since 2019, and I hope that my friends and I are able to keep creating art in Athens and beyond and growing in success for years to come.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I got into recording right before the pandemic. I had some cheap recording gear to make my own demos, but never thought I’d do anything with those recordings. But in 2019 when I started my project Well Kept, I had spent enough time hanging around other producers and engineers, and interning at Chase Park Transduction to cut my teeth enough to confidently produce and record my own music. Once I did that, I began reaching out to friends whose music I believed in and asked them to come record at my home studio space. With each project, I learned so much and began to gain more traction as an producer. I was fortunate enough to start and finish so many projects during the pandemic with all of my friends in the neighborhood. Working hard all of mid-late 2020, allowed me to transition into recording music full time in 2021, and continue to learn and create each day.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Social media! Sharing work that I’ve produced or been a part of on instagram or being tagged in artists posts is how I’ve gotten most of my work. That and being an active member of the music scene and going to shows and talking to artists!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
one of my favorite things about making music in this town is that once the songs are finished, the artist is able to go out and perform them for all to see. Keeping in touch with them is always easy because there are always countless shows to go see and perform in! Also staying in touch through talk of future projects, booking shows, and of course just hanging out in town!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @wbazrecords
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/wellkeptmusic/
- Twitter: @wellkeptmusic
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPqFk96188EcuhBueRNSwdw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/pterodactyl.tom
Image Credits
Stephen Payne Garret Cardoso Ethan Fernandez Tommy Trautwein