This is a page where I transparently share a bunch of information about how I work on my little projects, the tools I use, and how things are going financially with them.
Last updated: 2025-04-15

Jump to: tools | finances

tools

writing, marketing & admin

This site is built with Blot and hosted in a private, secure iCloud Drive folder.

music production tools

I make music on a MacBook Pro w/ M2 Max, primarily using the stock capabilities of Logic Pro & Reason 12. I consider Logic Pro (purchased in 2013 for $200) the single best value purchase of everything noted on this page.

I record (& occasionally perform) with:

I mostly browse the internet on said MacBook Pro & an iPhone 16 Pro.


finances

I aim to my hobbies and creative endeavors to be self-funding. That is, my goal is for every dollar spent on the tools & services here to be paid for by the stuff I make with the tools & services.

income

Outside of my Buffer salary, I make money via my side projects in the following ways:

  • Bandcamp subscriptions (7 subscribers, $232 ARR)
  • Bandcamp sales
    • In 2024: $1,364.73 gross, $1,122.65 net
  • Occasional streaming payouts from LANDR
    • Last one: 12.20.2024, $8.00
  • Occasional small royalty checks from ASCAP
    • Last one: 11.18.2024, $1.10

expenses

Here is a table of everything I’ve spent money on since establishing this goal in mid-2023 (excluding taxes):

product/service category cost
blot website $55/year
carrd pro website $19/year
simple analytics analytics $0/year
backblaze storage $99/year1
iCloud drive storage ~$30/year 2
landr distribution $24/year
bandcamp distribution $0/year + 15% of sales
ampwall distribution $10/year + 5% of sales
buttondown marketing $90/year
buffer marketing $0/year3
zapier marketing $0/year
cal.com marketing $0/year
IA writer software $49.99
JBL reference monitors hardware $149.99
AirPods Pro 2 hardware $2494
Lauten Audio LA-220 mic hardware $359.995

  1. I share a Backblaze account with my wife, so I guess I’m technically on the hook for half this amount. That said, this service has proven to be far more useful than a giant cloud storage solution like Dropbox, which is constantly trying to upsell me.↩︎

  2. My family pays for Apple One bundle, and 2TB of iCloud Drive storage is included; this is pro-rated to roughly the portion of the plan cost that my use of our drive storage takes up.↩︎

  3. I am an employee of Buffer.↩︎

  4. This expense was reimbursed by Buffer Inc (my employer) as part of its remote working stipend benefit.↩︎

  5. This was partly paid for with holiday gift cards.↩︎


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© brandon lucas green