Hello and welcome to another exciting week of music industry insight here on the official blog of Haulix. We have been teasing a rise in metal coverage this month, and today’s we diving head first into one of the biggest online heavy music communities in existence. If you have a site or writer you think would be a great fit for a future installment of this column, please email james@haulix.com and share your story.
In the early days of zines, long before anyone had even heard of the internet, people who wanted to get into music writing had to know far less about the industry than people today. If you wanted to write about your favorite heavy bands, you could do just that and likely find an audience of similarly obsessed metal heads who shared your infatuation enough to read your thoughts without concerning yourself all that much with the rest of the music community. While it’s still possible to have those humble beginnings in 2013, those hoping to make a career out of music need to know going in that being able to appreciate a variety of music is key to finding success in this industry. Today’s highlighted talent is proof of that notion, and we are delighted to share his journey with all of you.
Zach Shaw is the type of person most teens dream of becoming as far as a career in the music industry is concerned. He has a great job at one of the coolest companies around (The Syndicate), exists primarily in NYC, and spends a good portion of each day knee deep in the world of music through his efforts as Assistant Editor for the almighty music outlet, Metal Insider. We spoke with Zach about his time with online metal community, the goals of the site, and what advice he would offer those just getting their start in music. You can find his responses below.
If you would like to stay up-to-date with all Zach’s activities, please be sure to bookmark and frequent Metal Insider. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the company you work for, and your role at said business:
ZS: My name is Zach Shaw. I am the Assistant Editor and main news contributor for Metal Insider.
H: Everyone has to start somewhere. What was the first album you loved?
ZS: Red Hot Chili Peppers ’Californication.’ I always knew about the band from VH1 and MTV, but you know when you hear a song on the radio and you instantly have memories attached to that song? For me, I just remember having this cassette that just had “The Other Side” on it. This is when I was a kid and I was starting a new school in a new town. I would listen to that cassette every day in the car with my mom over and over again on the way to school. That transitioned into me getting the album and I ended up loving every track on it.
H: That’s not what I expected to hear to be honest. I figured you would have a metal genre staple at the top of your list.
ZS: As much as it may damage my reputation, I’ll always admit to being a sucker for a catchy pop song, like Lady Gaga or Rihanna, just as much as I love brutal metal as well. The truth is that you really need the ability to appreciate a variety of music if you want to work in music. At least in my opinion, anyways.
H: What inspired you to get into music journalism?
ZS: I think what really got me into this was watching Behind The Music on VH1, if we’re being completely honest. I mean, just watching Motley Crue struggling with drugs and fighting through. Just watching how these bands became big made me think, “I want to be a part of that.”
H: So you have this interest in music that you recognize. What happened next?
ZS: Being in the right place at the right time and mingling with other people in the industry. The way I actually got into it is that Metal Insider actually kicked off with an industry summit, or panel, at the New England Metal And Hardcore festival. I thought it would be a great opportunity to ask questions of people in the industry, and what I discovered while I was there is that it’s the perfect place to get your start. Go to events, go to shows, and meet people. Whether they’re writers covering the show or people sitting at the merch table, just getting your name out there matters a lot.
H: I had never heard about this summit until I began researching for this feature. It’s a great idea.
ZS: Yea, I think the way they did it was more to introduce Metal Insider. Whenever I interview a band and tell them about what Metal Insider does I tell them we cover Pantera as much as we cover Spotify, or Warner Bros. We want to be an industry insider site as well. I wish we could continue doing that (summits), but it just takes so much advance time and energy that we do not have.
H: There are a growing number of sites that feature content similar to yours. What sets Metal Insider apart?
ZS: We try to not only deliver the news, but to deliver as much insight into the news as well. There is always a borderline between opinion and facts, and you don’t want to overload the reader, but we try give as much insight to the reader as we are able. We try to say ‘so this happened, and here’s why this is interesting.“ That’s really our goal – to inform the reader as much as possible.
H: That actually leads into our next question as well. A lot of sites are shortening their post length, but Metal Insider is known for more long form, editorialized writing. What do you think makes a great news post?
ZS: I think it’s the story. As much traffic as Mike Portnoy or Pantera brings, if it’s just announcing a signing or in-store there will not be a lot of interest. It really depends on the action and what’s happening. Tour news is good because it involves a lot of bands. Unfortunately, break ups also bring a lot of traffic. But I think it all depends on the actually story and who is involved. It’s about finding stuff that will make people say, "that happened? Tell me more.”
H: When it comes to recruiting, what do you look for in a new contributor?
ZS: I would say we’ve been more lucky as of late in regards to new writers. We’ve been trying to do more outreach and we’re still trying to figure out the right formula. it’s kind of difficult because not only is it about whether or not they can write, but if they have the language. You can easily copy/paste a press release with all the main facts, but then trying to add a bit more flavor to it so that it’s actually fun to read is key as well.
H: You feature a lot of young talent on Metal Insider. When a band submits their press materials to you, what are you looking for as a writer?
ZS: Me personally, I always think it’s good to have notoriety. Whether that means a member in the band used to work with someone more recognizable, or if that means the band has toured with known acts. It sounds awful, but that’s usually a good way for a band to market themselves.
Also, if the music is good. There are certainly bands we cover because our readers like them and we don’t care for them as much, but we strive to highlight bands we really like. It’s hard to be too specific because we have such vast taste, but any kind of notoriety does help.
H: What advice would you offer a band hoping to gain exposure on a site like Metal Insider?
ZS: First of all, know your blog. I get so many emails saying ‘hello, we are this band. we would love to see you review our album.“ If people looked at our site they would know we don’t do review unless it’s a very rare occasion. So bands should do their research on sites and decide what type of content they want from that site. If you’re specific in your messaging there is a better chance you’ll receive a response.
H: Building off that, I’ve noticed that you do not do a lot of reviews on Metal Insider. What is the story behind that?
ZS: We always try to be positive in our material. We don’t like to shit on bands just to shit on bands. There are some bands we feel we have to comment on how stupid their activities are, but most of the time we try to be positive.
Any even though we don’t do review we offer other options. We do interviews, news, exclusive band lists, etc. So I think we make up for the fact that we don’t have reviews by offering other opportunities for bands to receive exposure on our weskit.
H: When it comes to receiving music from industry contacts, what methods do you prefer?
ZS: Haulix is definitely a great way to receive music. Even coming from a publicist standpoint, it’s really easy to send and control who you send music. Haulix gives you more than just music, it allows for photos and press releases as well. But outside of Haulix, Bandcamp is fine. As long as you have a place for me to listen to music I’m okay with it. I know some people prefer downloads or physical copies, but as long as you can provide a way for me to listen to your music and learn about your music that’s good. Having everything in one place really helps.
H: What is the ultimate goal of Metal Insider?
ZS: I think the goal is to inform as many people as possible about what is going on in the metal community, and also making sure Metal Insider is part of that message. Not only raising aware for the metal community, but for Metal Insider as well – as a community.
