William Ryan Key Shares Update for Rest of 2021

William Ryan Key

William Ryan Key has shared an update on his plans for the rest of 2021. You can read the full thing below, or via Patreon.

Hey friends! If you didn't get a chance to tune into the Q+A on Friday, I wanted to make a newsletter post for everyone so you're all in the loop. It's a lot of info so please take the time to read if you can.

As of June 1 you will no longer be charged for Patreon membership. All of the content that you currently have access to will remain on the site, so you will always be able to view or listen to it. I will however no longer be creating new content, or doing livestreams through Patreon going forward. The reason why is very exciting, and I hope to bring you all along for this next move.

I am doing a partnership deal with Twitch that begins next Monday, May 24. For those of you that don't know what Twitch is, I will try my best to explain it here. Twitch is a streaming site where you can watch people doing just about anything. It started out mostly with gamers streaming their gameplay, but has expanded into a vast network of original live content. One thing they are trying to build up is the music side of the platform. They are bringing on artists like myself to stream music content, and I am super honored to have been asked to be a Twitch partner. 

It's free to make an account. One thing that is very different between this platform and Twitch is that Twitch is free to use. You can always watch me streaming whether you have an account or not. The benefits of having an account are huge though. I have already started to learn how community based Twitch is. It is very much a living breathing thing that connects artists and fans. By following the channel you will never miss a notification when I am going live, and you will be able to join the live chat for every stream I do. If you feel like supporting the channel financially as you have here on Patreon, it's only $5 per month to help me keep making great content for you all, but again, it's not necessary for you to be able to enjoy the channel. 

That brings me to what will be happening on the channel. For the last couple months I have just been gaming with friends on the channel and it has been super fun. However I am not a pro gamer, and I know that isn't the content you guys are looking for from me. So I am super excited to start streaming music content live from my studio full time. I will be keeping a very regular weekly schedule on the channel, and it will look something like this.

Monday- On May 31st Ryan Mendez and I will finally be revealing our top secret project that we have been working on for 3 years now live on the channel. Every Monday we will be streaming the making of our album live from the studio. You'll get to hear all of the new music we have made over the last couple of years, and come along with us as we finish a full length album together. 

Tuesday- On Tuesday's and Thursday's I am going to keep the dream alive of being a gamer someday haha. I will be streaming different gaming content on these days every week.

Wednesday- I announced in the Q+A last week that the album of reimagined Yellowcard songs I've been mentioning has evolved into something really cool. An artist I absolutely love called Hammock is going to be partnering up with me on the whole album. They have already done their rework of Empty Street and it's unreal. My side of this project involves taking the Yellowcard songs and working them into ambient piano pieces that I then send to the guys in Hammock for them to do their magic. So every Wednesday I will be breaking down a Yellowcard song and tracking new piano and vocal versions, and you will get to hang with me while I explore.

Thursday- Again, I will be streaming gaming content because it's fun.

Friday- I mentioned to you all that someday the original songs from Patreon may get released to the world in some form. Later this year I am hoping to do a wide release of a 3rd WRK EP using those songs, as well as a 5th new track that I will be writing and recording on Friday's live on Twitch.

For now that is the idea anyways. I am sure over time the channel will grow and change, and I can't wait to see where it goes. I feel like I have been searching for the "thing" that could pan out for me in life after Yellowcard, and this really feels like it is the one. 
With that said, I want you all to know that I wouldn't be able to do any of this had you not supported this Patreon page through the pandemic. It is the sole reason that I am still able to do what I love after fearing for the future last year. I am forever grateful for these last 11 months of creating and hanging with you. I truly hope to see you all over on the Twitch channel regularly. We will always be able to chat and interact there in a way like never before.

The link for my channel is attached to this post but just in case it is twitch.tv/williamryankey. Make sure you've signed up and followed before next Monday so you can get alerted when Mendez and I go live. You can also already hang with me most days now to watch my very mediocre gamer skills haha. If it is a new platform for you don't be intimidated. I promise it is such a fun, positive space, and the streams are going to be killer. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and as always, for your incredible support. Onward!
WRK

PS if you paid for a full year you will get a pro rated refund. Also physical merch is still going out to Old Friends tier patrons next month.