The latest edition of our Blogger Spotlight is not exactly a fitting title. You see, even in 2013 not every journalist working in music writes solely online. A very select few have been able to find lasting work in print (ie those newspaper-like things you see in bookstores that are now on ipads, only in paper-form), and today’s featured interview is with one of our personal favorites.
In an age where it seems everyone is rushing to digital, Substream Music Press is one of the few remaining print publications in the alternative scene. It’s not that they don’t appreciate digital, and they certainly recognize the changing times, but they also know how actually holding a magazine can add weight to words. Managing Editor James Ketchum is today’s featured writer, and his insight offers a unique look into a part of the music journalism world that may not be around much longer.
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H: For those unaware, please state your name, the publication you work for, and your role at said site:
Substream: Jameson Ketchum and I’m the Managing Editor at Substream Music Press Magazine.
H: Everyone’s backstory is different, and from following your adventures on Instagram it’s clear you have had many titles during your time in the music industry. What inspired you to seek a career in music, and how did you get from that initial inspiration to writing?
Substream: I remember being 15 years old, sitting in my English class, writing Dashboard Confessional (“This Ruined Puzzle”) lyrics in my notebook. Yeah, I was that kid. It was this feeling where I couldn’t write anything of my own just yet but I had to write. More honestly, I wasn’t confident enough yet to put my own thoughts or poetry down on paper, but I just had this itch where I had to write, even if it wasn’t my own words. There was some kind of magical therapy in the act itself. I always knew that, even if I didn’t become a “real writer”, that writing was my jag that I loved more than anything else in school. It took me a very long time to figure out where I was best suited as far as actually striving to make a career in music. I don’t know if I’d say I set out initially to create a career out of what I was doing. I did freelance work for a few years while I ran an online publication with a friend and business partner. Looking back now, I owe a lot to that first publication as it allowed me to make more contacts in the industry as well as learn how each different job worked. The sentiment with that first publication was “Well, I don’t have the experience yet to start applying to be a paid or full time writer, so I guess I’ll just do it myself until someone notices”. That is a philosophy I highly recommend!
H: You are the first of our featured writers who currently works for a publication that still thrives in the physical form. How does Substream make physical work in a digital era, and do you have any plans to move completely online in the future?
Substream: That’s the continual thought rolling around in our minds. Obviously, other publications have seen success having moved completely to digital, which was a move made out of financial necessity, even if they claim otherwise. It’s been interesting to see the competition make cutbacks to their product while doing their best to showcase these downgrades under the guise of “improvements for the readers”. Meanwhile, Substream has added more pages, improved the design work, became a bound publication and snagged bigger and bigger acts. Being a physical magazine is nowhere near as easy as it used to be. I get so excited if I see a kid reading a ANY magazine at the store because that’s such an antiquated notion these days. We do have a digital side of Substream. We use our website to not only post up-to-the-minute news but to give readers a further insight into their favorite article or interview. We post “Continuations” on the site so that whatever we had to cut from the physical mag, will still have a home somewhere. The key is quality and consistent content.
H: What would you say separates the content offered by Substream from other publications covering similar areas of music, beyond having a physical product?
Substream: We’ve always been known as the magazine that really spotlights the up and comers. We pride ourselves on showing you a band before anyone else does. We gave now vastly successful acts such as Paramore, Owl City and Travie McCoy their first covers. We genuinely love working with the bands personally rather than going through a hundred handlers to get an interview completed. We care about the music AND the people and I think that shows in our pages.
H: When it comes to planning content for a publication that runs online and in the physical form, how do you decide which artists make it to the actual magazine?
Substream: We have a few guidelines that we’ve honed over the years. Say we give a lesser known act a smaller feature online. If we see the band really backing us, promoting the piece, keeping up with us, seeing what other opportunities we have for them, then of course that makes us happy and more likely to feature them in the future. But let me speak to bands for a moment, you HAVE to have something going on. If you’re still playing in your garage, your promos were taken by a girl in your yearbook class, have no releases and no future plans, then we’d really be doing you a disservice by featuring you. It won’t get you anywhere and it only makes the both of us look bad. I mean that with the utmost respect because we truly do want to see these smaller acts grow.
H: You also happen to work in public relations with a number of rising artists. Which came first: The journalism or the publicity?
Substream: The journalism definitely came first, but it was because of the journalism that I was able to dip my toes in the waters of another endeavor. By being a writer, I was dealing with publicists all day long, making sure I met their needs when it came to chasing down an interview or review. I really listened to what they wanted and what they expected. Since at the time I was working for such a small publication, we made it a point to really learn as much as we could from each contact. Eventually, I began to think that I had learned their side of the transaction so well that maybe I could try my hand at it. Not only had I been working as a journalist, but I was also touring at the time so I was learning first hand what the band themselves expected from those working for them. The more experience you can gain firsthand, by touring and working very closely with the bands themselves, the more you’re going to put your heart into what you do in this industry. I didn’t start in publicity in a very conventional way. I work with some of the most talented publicists in the business and I still learn from them everyday. It’s a good balance of book smarts and experience.
H: As someone who not only covers new music, but actively works to get it exposed in multiple ways, how do you go about seeking new talent?
Substream: It’s an ever-changing mission. When I started out, it was all about referrals from friends or bands you had worked with early on. You have to always be asking around, going to festivals and scouting nonstop. It’s nice to have publications and websites that largely feature unsigned acts. If it’s a reputable site or publication, you can bet that they did their research which will lead you to a potentially great find.
H: Let’s say the artists want to come to you. What advice would you offer a band hoping to stand out from the countless others vying for coverage?
Substream: As a publication, you’re so inundated with bands requesting coverage through social media (not the most professional of ways) or cold emails, so it’s become tougher and tougher to sift through the acts that aren’t quite up to snuff. Bands really have to create a personal and professional email pitch when approaching a publication in that medium. Do not blast out an impersonal email to 100 outlets, do not send unsolicited attachments or download links as these will often go to spam or will simply not be read because of all the red flags. I cannot stress this enough; do your research on the outlet you’re pitching to. Nothing is worse than getting a pitch from a band that is nowhere near what your publication usually covers. Be creative but again, be professional. Do not pitch to a major publication if you do not have quality promo photos and recordings. I have to state this again; it will do you no good to be featured in a publication if you don’t have any skin in the game.
H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?
Substream: I swear I’m not just saying this, but Haulix really is the best. I’ve never had any hangups with it unlike many of the other services. I always get a little extra excited when I see I have new music through Haulix because I know I can jam it in mere seconds with no hassles.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Substream: I recently, independently from Substream, wrote an article for Heartsupport.com on the lack of leadership in this particular music scene. The egos on some of these bands that have been publicized and seemingly encouraged lately has been pretty upsetting to witness.
Secondly, while the internet and social networking has no doubt been an amazing tool for the music industry but it has also somewhat devalued the job of the journalist. Just as digital cameras made everyone a photographer, blogs have made everyone a writer. I don’t believe I’d change it though as competition just creates a better product.
H: You write a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what Substream has planned for the remainder of 2013?
Substream: We plan on rounding out the year with some big names on the cover including at least one that you will not see coming! We’ll be amping up some of our less music-oriented sections in the hopes of expanding our reach and fan interest. It’s a really exciting time at Substream. We can’t wait to show you what’s next!
