It’s Tuesday once again, which means it’s time to continue our ongoing series highlighting the best and brightest behind today’s online music scene.
Hailing from the border of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Angela Mastrogiacomo has spent the last few years carving a niche in the music industry by developing the news and opinion outlet Infectious Magazine. Covering everything from rock to pop with a variety of columns and video features, Angela has single-handedly built a blossoming entertainment empire with Infectious that continues to grow with each passing week. Her love for music and passion for writing is only matched by her creativity, and as we learn in our exclusive interview, she has her eyes set on big things in the months ahead.
Read on to discover Angela’s history music, the uniqueness of Infectious, and how this twenty-something plans to turn her hobby into a career by unveiling a new component to her master plan. If you want to see some of Angela’s work, be sure to visit Infectious Magazine and follow the site on Twitter.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:
My name is Angela. I am the founder/editor of InfectiousMagazine.com. I run and oversee daily operations at InfectiousMagazine.com
H: You are the first female we have featured in our Blogger profiles. What inspired you to begin writing in the first place?
That’s awesome! I first began writing when I was about 6, with a collection of short stories aimed at children. Eventually, that grew into creative fiction, and then once I began the magazine, feature writing (though I still dabble in creative). It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly inspired me—I hate to use the cliché that it helps you work out your emotions, but it’s an incredibly useful outlet, and whenever I’m writing, there’s a sense of calm and accomplishment.
H: Once you realized you wanted to write, how did you know music was the type of content you wanted to cover?
To be honest, this was completely serendipitous. I’ve always wanted to make writing an integral part of my life, but it had a tendency to be more fiction based. After happening across a local band (The Coming Weak) opening for a national act, I was instantly awe-struck. I believe there are instances in life where we will, for whatever reason be drawn to and inspired by certain people and instances, which will end up shaping our life. For me, this was it. I felt so compelled to interview them, review their album, and just do anything I could to get their name out there. This was the birth of Infectious and there was no looking back.
H: Infectious is one of many sites that covers the alternative, or as some say “Warped Tour” music scene. What do you think sets your site and its content apart from others covering the same talent?
I think every site has a selling point in a sense, and I think ours is the interviews we do. Anyone can bring news, but it’s those features (columns, contests, etc) that make a site stand apart. I like to think that in addition to being reliable, and quick to bring our readers the news, we offer a unique perspective in our interviews, with unique, interesting questions. I also like to think that the passion oozing from each and every one of our staff members comes through. We live and breathe Infectious, and it is always on our minds. I believe it makes a difference.
H: Speaking of the world’s largest and wildest traveling festival, do you have plans to cover Warped Tour 2013? If so, who do you look forward to covering?
We do! We’ve covered Warped’s Boston date for the last three years and each year is just such an honor. The entire week or two surrounding the festival date are the most chaotic and fun of the entire year. We have been able to cover some really amazing people in the last few years, and I know this year will be no different. From a personal perspective, I’m really looking forward to Middle Finger Salute, The Exposed, The Swellers, The Tower & The Fool and Action Item.
H: I noticed you have a large amount of video content on Infectious. How do you find readers respond to interview videos as opposed to those posted in text form?
Absolutely. I think in one sense, being on YouTube brings with it a lot of competition, but in another, we’ve found the response to be really positive. The thing with video interviews is that they bring a lot of life and perspective into things. Text is easily misinterpreted, but when you can see your favorite band, watch their emotions and perspectives play out in real time, it’s a truly interesting experience (I think!).
H: When it comes to writing and featuring new bands, what do you look for talent wise?
The thing is, talent and taste is so subjective, and I think it’s important to be aware of that. What I look for most, is passion and drive.
H: Let’s say a band wants to contact you about featuring their music on your site. What advice would you offer bands to help themselves stand out for from the others vying for your attention?
This is an excellent question. If you personalize your email, I am MUCH more likely to take notice and want to work with you. This sort of circles back to the last question, but I’d much rather work with a band that is just starting out and full of passion, drive, and ambition, than a band who may have a larger following but is just totally complacent and only interested in putting in minimal effort.
H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?
Haulix is by far one of the best services for review and feature consideration. It’s incredibly simple, customizable and best of all, it really does help protect against leaks, which I think we can all agree is an industry sigh of relief.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Ah, this is a tough one! There’s so much I’d want to do, but it all comes back to passion. It’s so cutthroat, and I think that passion and talent gets buried under money and greed much of the time.
H: You tweet a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what Infectious Magazine has planned for the remainder of 2013?
Definitely, thanks for asking! In addition to continuing to bring you loads of content and contests, and expand the magazine side of things, we’re just launching a public relations side as well, and currently taking on new clients. You can find out more about that here:
http://www.infectiousmagazine.com/public-relations-services/
And of course, we’d love for you to follow us on our networks and come say hi. Thanks so much, Haulix!
