Hello and welcome to the seventh installment of Eric Morgan’s How To Kill Your Band. This column offers advice to up and coming artists from the perspective of a professional musician who has thrived with and without label support over the last decade. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
An Introduction:
I’ve been in the music industry as an artist for nearly 10 years now. In that decade I’ve achieved nearly all of my childhood music dreams, but I’ve also made just as many mistakes that run over my mind before I fall asleep each night. A wonderment of how a few different decisions, rerunning in hindsight, would work out in some alternate universe. This ever creeping determinism is a fallacy I’m quite aware of but one that I will never completely shake, though it’s these experiences I’ve learned the most valuable lessons. These are the things I’d like to share in a series of mini-blogs I call How To Kill Your Band.
Part 7 – Down With The Sickness
On the road you’re going to roll the dice quite frequently. Sleeping in sketchy parking lots, never washing your hands, loading gear while simultaneously resisting knife wielding St. Louisans trying to rob the 50” plasma TV you just won the night before in a raffle while watching the Super Bowl in a Tulsa, OK Hooters because the show snowed out. It’s tour and it’s a kind of a weird thing to want to do and taking risks is sort of a necessity. Our modus operandi was always to find ways to limit the downsides i.e. putting new locks on our trailer, depositing cash every couple days, leaving way too early for the next venue etc. But sometimes probability catches up with you and things get shitty. Sometimes you decide to eat at a DQ Grill.
On a beautiful spring day in 2010 we were heading eastbound on I-90 from Buffalo on our way to Holyoke, MA and I suddenly felt a slight urge to use the bathroom. Per usual, I made a request to our rod hog Patrick Jeffers to stop at the next exit. Driving along in our dependable Chevy things started to feel unevenly heavy. Then just completely wrong. I’m now in a deep sweat yelling at Jeffers that we need to find an exit or pull off into the woods. Fortunately we opted for the 6.0L V8 that helps him channel his inner Dale and we top 90 mph before spotting the dirty gas station oasis in the distance – I’ve never been more relieved in my life.
That ordeal concluded, it was smooth sailing to Massachusetts. Except 15 minutes later I get a very familiar feeling in my stomach. How could this be?! Immediately we rush to a rest area and this time I’m not just feeling heavy down low, I’m now upchucking at the same time. For the next 100 miles I repeat a pattern of vomit and diarrhea at the same time every 15 minutes like clockwork.
By the time we get to the venue in Holyoake, I’m very worried about my health. I’ve spent hours expelling liquids from every orifice to the point that I’m just a dripping bag of bile. Jeffers made the decision to drop the trailer and have our vocalist, Justin Brown, rush me to the closest hospital while they loaded in the equipment. We roll into the emergency room and explain the situation to the receptionist before sitting down in the seats closest to the restroom. It doesn’t seem too busy, only a few other people waiting, so I’m fairly confident I’ll get in and out with some type of medicine before we are scheduled to go on that night. A couple hours go by and my condition is getting worse. I’m still puking and pooping every couple minutes and I’m getting very weak and dehydrated while slightly starting to worry for my life. It’s getting closer to the show start and I’m realizing there’s no way I could possibly play a show in this condition. I’ve never missed or canceled a show due to sickness but it’s just not possible. I’d literally be pooping my pants on stage.
A half hour before our set time I still haven’t been able to see a doctor so Justin decides they’re going to try and play as a four piece so we’ll at least earn our guarantee. I was super bummed that I had to miss a show due to illness but I’ve never been more proud of the other guys for stepping up and going through with the show as a four piece. Just for perspective, we had always been and recorded as a three guitarist band. Literally two weeks before we had to let one of our guitarist go in the middle of the previous tour. Jeffers and I had just crammed three intense guitar tracks down to two and now it was just going to be one. But he got up on stage, without a chance to even think the parts over, and straight killed it.
After twelve hours of wilting away in the waiting room I finally get called back to see a doctor. After 20 minutes I was told I had viral gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and both upper and lower intestines. That’s pretty much all he did because he didn’t prescribe medication or put me on an IV to deal with the severe dehydration. I stumble out of the ER with a new word for the describing the worst I’ve ever felt and a $700 bill. The band decides to meet up with Attila at a nearby motel and get a room with the night’s guarantee so I can have a bed to sleep in.
What I didn’t know was that during the set Justin announced deadpan to the crowd that I had died. So after another night of horrific amounts of expulsion we meet up with the other bands in the morning who are all shocked to see that I am infact alive. We also learn from a local that there’s another ER nearby that has a policy of no wait times over two hours. Great. With the help of a little dopamine I was able to hold down enough fluids to play the next nights show and started recovering after a couple days. It was without a doubt the worst I’ve ever felt in my life.
Hello, everyone. We know the demands of the day are many, and we thank you for carving out even a few brief minutes of your time to spend clicking around on this blog. We use this site as a way to spread our message about the importance of building a better music industry, as well as means to showcase the talented people who work behind-the-scenes of the music business to ensure you know everything everyone could ever hope to know about your favorite musician. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Every week we engage with a number of different personalities from around the music blogging scene, and every week we seem to come away from those interactions with a new perspective on the business as a whole. Most of these conversations are captured in the interview you see appear on this blog every couple of days, but every now and then a story is shared that is too good to be delivered in any way other than how it is told by the person who experienced it first hand. Such is the case with the post you’re about to enjoy.
Bradley Dillon, otherwise known as Brad or B-Rad (I may have made that one up), has been blogging about music for a handful of years at this point, and he recently shared with me a desire to help the next generation of online music writers prepare to enter the scene. I told him about our ‘Journalism Tips’ series, but as we continued our discussion I realized Bradley would need to share his own journey in order to properly set up the lesson he wanted to share. With that in mind, we decided together to create the following feature which recounts Bradley’s time in music, as well as the advice he has to offer others hoping to become more involved in online music coverage. You can find his journey and thoughts below.
If you would like to learn more about Bradley and his efforts in music writing, please take a few moments to follow The New Fury on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
Hi, I’m Bradley. I run TheNewFury.com and I’m in love with writing, sports, and music. I’m known as “that guy who does interviews” in my local scene, but not many people know how I got my start in music journalism. This is my story.
It was the end of 2011. I had just moved in with my grandparents in St Pete, and I had been to some awesome shows that year – saw Underoath, As I Lay Dying, and many more bands. I also helped my friend Lisa film a few interviews with The Chariot and Upon a Burning Body. It was pretty sweet to be able to talk to those bands for a while about…everything.
Fast forward to the end of December. I was awake late one night and got to thinking – why am I not in the music scene? I’m no musician – but I do love many different bands, bands I know people need to hear.
I started going to a few local shows and interviewing them. Bands like Coralise, Blunt Trauma, and some band called Dark Sermon – maybe you’ve heard of them. The local scene back then was awesome – and it’s still solid today.
It was a week or so later I got a message from one Tim Morris of IMSZine, one that would change my life very much. He immediately saw my potential (and lack of direction) and taught me almost everything I know – how to email people, post on WordPress, and much more.
It was then I started going to more shows in 3 months than I had ever been in my life. Local bands, huge tours, you name it – I was likely there. I even hit up bands I wasn’t interviewing in person on the day of shows for interviews – Man Overboard, Seahaven, and a lot more. What’s more interesting is I never really got turned down. But it takes a lot of balls to do something like that.
Going to Warped Tour, Summer Slaughter, and Uproar Fest all in one year was a highlight, too. I never thought I’d get to interview Periphery, Memphis May Fire, or New Found Glory – some of my favorite bands at the time.
Fast forward a year later, and unfortunately Tim and I went our separate ways (he runs Rise Above The Anchor now, you should check it out) and I was left with a choice – join another blog and not have creative control, or venture on my own, do everything myself, and really learn how to use WordPress?
I chose the latter.
Sure, I had to get some help from my friends (my friend Matt hosts my server and manages it for me, my ex-Facebook wife Taylor did the backgrounds for me) but I learned a lot on my own, and I’m very glad it all happened like this.
Where I’m at now, you ask? I’m still attending every show I can get my legs to, I finally am getting a good staff together, and I’d like to think TNF is helping people discover new bands before anyone else.
That’s my story.
You may be asking yourself, “how do I get into the industry?”. It’s honestly not too hard (if you have a passion for writing and music) but here’s some things you can do to get a leg up.
First, decide if you’re wanting to join another website, or start an entity of your own. I started an entity of my own – but it took me a while to hone my craft. My vision (an amalgamation of love for 80’s-90’s alternative rock, sludge metal, post-metal, and other somewhat niche genres combined with my love for nu-metal and today’s cutting edge prog rock bands) is certainly not going to be yours.
It’s hard to keep motivation high when you’re not making much money (I’m still not) but there’s plenty of perks – free music, meeting your favorite bands, and being guest listed for many shows. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
If you’re wanting to contribute to someone else’s vision, it may be your best bet. You likely won’t see money (unless you’re really, REALLY good) but you’ll likely see more people reading your material, which can be awesome. The choice is yours, and yours alone.
I was lucky enough to find someone who saw my potential, but the same thing may not happen to you. My advice? Find your niche. Write what you love. If you’re interviewing a well-known band, don’t write generic questions that everyone has already asked. Make the interview a conversation.
I may have a love for writing, but keep something in mind – I’m very socially awkward. I rarely know how to act in front of people and I’m often in my own little world.
If I can do this, you can do it too. Have a vision. Whether or not I do this for the next 5-10 years, I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything – whether it’s hanging out with my friends in Silver Snakes at a restaurant in Ybor City, or doing an impromptu interview on Wolves At The Gate’s tour bus, everything I do for TNF isn’t work – it’s a blast.
Hello and welcome to the official blog of Haulix. We are thrilled to have you join us, and whether this is your first time or ninety-second we certainly hope you find something in this post to love. We built this site to inspire and inform the future of the music business, which is a goal we shared with everyone who participates in our features. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Today we are excited to unveil the first in a two-part interview feature with Rey Roldan, founder of Another Reybee Production. We originally started working on this feature way back in August of 2013, but due to email troubles and scheduling troubles we had to start, stop, start, stop, and start all over again. It’s okay though, because we have finally had a chance to learn the story behind this powerful force in Music PR and are now prepared to present his journey to you.
It would be pretty difficult for you to find anyone working in music today who has not crossed paths with Rey Roldan at one point or another. From working with top 40 acts like Britney Spears and Duran Duran, to helping develop more buzzworthy alternative acts than I could possibly attempt to name here, Rey has spent the better part of the last two decades helping the world’s greatest talent find attention in the public eye. He started in the label world, but it’s when he decided to step out on his own that his career really began to take off.
I have known Rey for over half a decade at this point and can say beyond the shadow of a doubt he is one of the nicest, most professional, and often funniest people you will ever meet in the music industry. Everybody has a Rey Roldan story, and every single one makes him out to be someone you want as your new best friend. The insight he has to share is priceless, and we thank him for taking the time to share it with us.
As we mentioned above, due to the length of this feature we have decided to cut the final interview into two chunks, starting below with Rey’s life before launching his own PR firm. We will bring you the second half, which focuses on Another Reybee Production and the possibilities that lie on the horizon, later this week. If you would like to learn more about Rey and his efforts in music PR, please take a moment to follow him on Twitter. 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 that business:
R: I’m Rey Roldan of Another Reybee Productions, Inc… or Reybee Prods, for short… or Reybee, even shorter. I’m the Prez guy at the company. I founded in back in the Fall of 2004… and ten years later, we’re still going strong!
H: Let’s start at the beginning. When you think of your earliest interactions with music, what comes to mind?
R: I think of sitting on the stairs of the home I grew up in with my sister Joy. I’m gonna date myself here, but we were listening to a radio broadcast on an old radio/cassette player… and I remember hearing the radio DJ say that Elvis Presley has died. I know I was aware of music before then, but when I think of my most vivid memory concerning music, that comes to mind. I was still a wee lad, but for some reason, that sticks out.
H: What was your first concert experience like, and who took you to the show?
R: You know, it’s funny… I kinda don’t exactly remember my first concert. I remember going to tons of concerts before the age of ten, but was my “first concert” when I went to Disney World and saw a live cover band do disco classics? Was it when I went to see U2 in a tiny little club before they even had a full-length album out? Was it seeing Bruce Springsteen with my brothers and sister when we tailgated in the parking lot? I can’t remember. I was going to live shows even before my age hit the second digits.
H: How about the first album you purchased with your own money? (Bonus points if you remember the format)
R: The very first album I purchased… well, there were two. Sex Pistols “Never Mind the Bollocks” and Meat Loaf “Bat Out of Hell”. I bought them on vinyl for $2.77 at a local grocery store where I grew up in Parsippany, NJ (interesting trivia: Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” was also one half of my very first two CDs I ever purchased. The other was Psychedelic Furs “Mirror Moves”). I’d spend hours in that store, flipping through the six racks of vinyl. At that age (8? 9?), I didn’t know what I was looking for… I just picked up records because I liked the band names or titles. My dad gave me a great allowance the time ($20 a week!) and I spent most of it on vinyl and at the arcade. I remember seeing Sex Pistols and it screamed “buy me”. I didn’t know anything about them. But I liked the cover and it just reeked of debauchery. It had “sex” in the name, and that just made it “feel” naughty. Meat Loaf’s album… well, my older sibs liked it and I wanted a copy of my own.
H: Thinking back on your life now, are you able to pinpoint any pivotal moments or experiences that steered you toward the career you have today?
R: I used to read music magazines ALL the time… I remember reading this magazine “Song Hits” and watching videos of New Wave bands like Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Romeovoid, Devo, etc. on a local channel called U-68 (pre-MTV) and thinking that I wanted to be surrounded by music all the time. But what made me want to be on the “other” side (instead of being just a listener) was when my brother Rex brought be backstage to a Paul Young concert when he played at Boston College’s student center. I remember walking back there and meeting Paul, and seeing how much fun it was backstage, and thinking that I wanted to be backstage all the time. I had been backstage lots of time before then, but this time, I felt like I wasn’t just a fan taking up space but part of an elite group since my brother helped put on the show.
H: I know you studied creative writing in college. Are there any long lost Rey Roldan manuscripts sitting in your closet/attic that may one day see the light of day?
R: There are TONS… I have two novels written, one screenplay done, a whole slew of short stories, and my memoirs that are still being written. They’re all on 3 ¼” floppy disc though… Hmmm.
H: Was publicity the first thing you wanted to do in the music industry? If not, can you tell us what initially sparked your interest in the world of PR?
R: God no… I wanted to be a journalist. And for a while, I was. I was a staff writer for my college newspaper (as well as the weekly cartoonist about a drunken, lazy rabbit named “Chester”… Yeah, he was modeled after myself). I was writing record reviews, interviewing artists, going to concerts, hanging out backstage, etc. When I graduated from Boston College, I joined a group of five people who were starting up a brand new entertainment biweekly newspaper in Boston called The Improper Bostonian (it still exists). I zoomed up the ranks from Staff Writer to Music Editor in a few months. But I was far too impatient to write for just one media outlet, so I started writing for magazines across the US like Meanstreet (in Los Angeles), QRM (in New Orleans), Cake Magazine (Minneapolis), ROCKRGRL (Seattle), among many others. I started a bunch of magazines in Boston too, but I wasn’t making enough money to make a living, so I decided it was time for me to grow up and get a real job. Since I dealt with publicists all the time and learned the tools and tricks of the trade from my friends in the industry (I’ve always been REALLY observant and inquisitive), I set my sights on a job in the industry… I moved out of Boston and back home to Jersey, and started my trajectory as a publicist.
H: Your first role in PR came from I.R.S. Records. What do you recall about the application process, as well as the world of music PR in general at the time?
R: Getting that job at I.R.S. was the easiest thing ever. I didn’t even have to apply. The head of publicity at the time, Steve Karas, was one of my mentors. He told me about a potential job opening up there… and so I set up a visit to the office. What he didn’t tell me was that he was quitting I.R.S. and moving to A&M, and there would be a new head of publicity that I’d be meeting instead. I walked in and the new head of publicity basically asked me, “What can you start?” The new guy didn’t really know what he was doing (I think it was one of his first jobs running a press department)… so I basically taught myself how to do everything. I basically had to train myself how to set up press days, how to organize press campaigns, how to pitch. Luckily, I.R.S. had a great roster and a great history, so nearly every call I made (again, this was pre-internet, so emails didn’t exist yet) was returned. Among the first projects I spearheaded was The Go-Go’s greatest hits double disc set and a new album by late 80s legend Kirsty MacColl. It was amazing… but again, since it was pre-internet, there was a LOT of phone calls to make… I even remember having to pitch via fax machine. Each pitch had to be personal because of that… Unlike today where there are tools that can send emails in bulk, I had to make each phone call individually… It was a very hands-on experience back then… and there was a LOT of real, human interaction.
H: From this point you begin a decade-long run of publicity gigs, switching labels/companies every few years. You are now your own boss, so I do not want to dwell on the past too much, but what can you tell us about those experiences and how you eventually settled on stepping out with a company of your own?
R: I don’t mean this is any negative way, but when I worked for people, I was more interested in learning what NOT to do… My previous bosses were all good at their jobs, and while I paid attention to how they landed press, I was more interested in what made them fail. I worked for mean bosses (who would yell and scream all day), “too nice” bosses (who would let their artists and press walk all over them), pretentious bosses (who were too concerned with their own careers and not their artists’ lives), and bosses who were too scattered (and never could run a solid campaign). So, when I felt confident enough in my own abilities and learned how NOT to do publicity, I set out on my own… It was scary but it all worked out perfectly. I won’t say that I didn’t have any rough patches, but truthfully, I’ve been very lucky.
H: Before we get any further, what was the first Reybee Production (as this is ‘Another’)? As a follow-up, where does the name ‘Reybee’ come from?
R: Haha… You’re the first person to ever ask that. When I was a kid, my nickname was “Reybee”. I’ve always had an active imagination… One of my lifelong hobbies is painting… I paint “portraits” of cheeses and bees. For the longest time, I would sign my paintings “A Reybee Production”… I’m also a writer/author/journalist and some of my short stories were published as “A Reybee Production”. So when it came time for me to come up with the name of my PR firm, I decided to refer back to that and coin it “Another Reybee Production”. Since I’m so creatively restless, I didn’t want to limit my company to be JUST about Public Relations, so when I’m ready to branch off into another direction, the name “Another Reybee Production” can encompass that too. It’s very open-ended.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2014. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each Sunday we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary: Find potential fans, intrigue them, and build a lasting relationship with them. Marketing at Smithsonian Folkways begins with music in its context, seeks curious listeners, then aims to create a long-term interaction with them. We love to acquaint interested listeners with musics that rarely find their way into the charts or onto radio; then reveal the stories behind those musics and the musicians who created them, connecting people with their own cultural traditions and those of others. We use all (legal and ethical) modern means to achieve this end.
Job summary: Imagem Music Group, one of the world’s largest independent music publishers, is looking to add an Associate Director, Creative Services to its Los Angeles team. This position will work to proactively seek and procure synchronization licensing placements for Imagem’s extensive music publishing catalog. While there will be a focus on film, television and trailer/promos the position will work across all media types to service Imagem’s west coast music users.
Job summary: Lisa Davis Music Management is currently seeking a Manager, Publicity in our Atlanta, GA office location who will be responsible for entire press campaigns for all high profile artists, songwriters, and producers while creating and implementing full national campaigns for select artist, songwriters, and producers in the online space at our Atlanta location.
Job summary: Research song release information and contact record labels, Review licensing agreements, Prepare and disseminate deal memorandums and general correspondence, Organize and maintain progress of licensing, Collaborate with executives on copyright infringement issues, etc.
Job summary: Record label and music publisher with over 50 billboard charting singles. Need someone with music biz knowledge, writing and computer skills Assist in film and tv placements and general pr assistance.
Job summary: Independent record label in Los Angeles is currently accepting demos from individuals capable of creating instrumental lullaby recordings, specifically lullaby renditions of classic and modern rock songs. If you are interested, please submit demos with “LULLABY” in the subject line. DO NOT SUBMIT ORCHESTRAL or SYNTH-HEAVY tracks (AVOID string and synth beds). We are looking for inventive productions featuring child-like instruments of both wood varieties (xylophone, woodblock, marimba) and bell-like varieties (celesta, glockenspiel, vibraphone) as well as thoughtful, cute sound effects.
Job summary: Manager of A&R is expected to bring in hits for our artists on an exceptionally consistent basis. Primary responsibility is delivering singles for any artist in need of hit. Expected to develop strong relationships and constantly interface with producers and writers to regularly bring in valuable new talent relationships and hit records to the company. Must be able to schedule and move artists around efficiently as well as create and oversee creative and productive collaborative environments. The search for young, upcoming, and talented producers and songwriters is also a central focus of the A&R Manager’s daily responsibilities. Must have the ability to handle multiple activities simultaneously.
Job summary: Universal Music is currently seeking a Coordinator Marketing for the New York, NY location. Marketing – Coordinate department press releases, trade shows and marketing efforts; maintain marketing budget; process invoices for marketing expenses New Business Solicitation- Coordinate mailings to generate new business Internal Reports (i.e. Rough Sales, T&E, Quarterly Report) – Maintain internal department reports including expenses, new business, quarterly summaries Interns – Work directly with colleges to place interns in our department; train interns in all databases and systems; handle all school paperwork. Assist department – provide daily assistance to Special Markets department including database entry, general research, mailings, scheduling meetings, transmitting documents between departments.
Job summary: Leads the development and implementation of talent management strategies and initiatives that drive engagement, development and retention through the following: staffing; on-boarding and off-boarding; encouraging, supporting and tracking team member engagement; performance management; coordinating development opportunities and activities with and through the training and development team.
Job summary: As the Director of Social Media you will lead the social media strategy for Pandora. You will drive the development, execution and measurement of social programs, and evangelize those programs throughout the organization. You will partner with brand marketing and artist relations to develop compelling content that will be relevant and engaging for Pandora listeners.
Job summary: Our New York and Los Angeles offices are looking for an experienced Account Director to supervise promotional tours, events, field marketing programs and lead account teams. The perfect candidate is a resourceful, strategic thinker with a high level of attention to detail who can multi-task and possesses strong written & verbal communication skills. He or she must have experience activating many different types of events including retail and spirits promotions, mobile tours, brand launches, promotional events and parties. In addition, knowledge of social/digital media and PR is a definite plus.
Job summary: The Director, Listener Care Performance & Planning will be responsible for leading people and critical processes to ensure that SiriusXM Listener Care is expertly servicing customers and meeting financial objectives.
Job summary: The Syndicate is growing its company with the addition of a full-time Director of Publicity. The position will represent our agency’s clients in the entertainment and lifestyle brand spaces as well as directly manage the expanding PR department. The ideal candidate should have experience managing a team in addition to an excellent working knowledge of pop culture and the ability to effectively discuss current music, comedy and lifestyle trends. The candidate should be a strong communicator with superb writing skills. The position requires one to be meticulously confident while pitching to a variety of media outlets including web, print, television and social networks.
Job summary: Votiv is looking to fill a Director of Digital Marketing position in our Music division, based in the Seattle office. This position will have a wide variety of responsibilities ranging from crafting digital marketing campaigns to working with the content team and junior marketing staff to drive digital campaigns forward. This person will work directly with Votiv artists and managers as well as key digital partners and the rest of the Votiv team to support the marketing efforts for each project. Some HTML and CSS knowledge as well as design skills using programs like Photoshop and Illustrator are a huge plus.
Job summary: As a Coordinator in the Content Management Team, you are vital in cultivating & scaling our fast growing Video Services business; executing on a value proposition that drives client satisfaction, engagement and revenue! You’ll work closely with YouTube Content leadership to ensure that our clients’ content is viewed by as many people as possible, and earning revenue from viewed ads
Job summary: The ideal candidate will have Music or Entertainment experience and have experience supporting an EVP, President or other high-level executive with discretion and confidentiality. Must be very efficient and highly attuned to the smallest of details. Multi-tasking and working on tight deadlines in a high pressure environment is crucial. No task is too small and no challenge too great. A ‘can-do’ attitude is essential.
Job summary: Universal Music Group is currently seeking a Manager, Publicity in our Santa Monica, CA office location who will be responsible for entire press campaigns for all high profile artists while creating and implementing full national campaigns for select artist in the online space at our Santa Monica location.
Job summary: Interested in the music industry? Want to learn more about Universal Music Group? Our paid Educational Temp Program is a great way to gain real hands on experience and professional exposure. The Educational Temp Program is designed to provide motivated and interested students with knowledge of the music entertainment industry. Today’s students will become tomorrow’s leaders, and our goal is to provide these individuals with a meaningful, educational and fun work experience! UMG is looking for Educational Temps for the upcoming Spring semester to join our various labels in Nashville in a variety of departments including (but not limited to): Marketing, Publicity, Radio Promotion, Artist and Repertoire (A&R), Creative, Publishing, Distribution, Accounting, etc. About Universal Music Group: UMG is the global music leader with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries.
Job summary: Muskego-Norway Schools is seeking a full-time (100%) manager for the Muskego High School Performing Arts Center. The Performing Arts Center (PAC) is attached to Muskego High School and seats 772 people, with a full fly, orchestra pit, and separate control booths for sound and lights. This is a twelve month position and the selected candidate must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.
Job summary: Provide start-to-finish audio engineering services in order to create and deliver audio deliverables for Broadcast, Multimedia and DVD clients
Job summary: Reporting to the Tour Director, the Technical Director is responsible for insuring the integrity, quality and proper operation of the show, its installations and personnel. The Technical Director shall be called upon to direct all technical disciplines related to the operation of the show. The Technical Director shall work in close liaison with all other Directors on tour to guarantee both a sound operation of the performance but also to assure the moves from one venue to the other.
Job summary: AEG Global Partnerships is seeking an Account Executive who is a self-starter with digital sales experience to work with our growing team. This individual should possess a strong sales acumen and deep knowledge of the digital marketplace. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative team responsible for sales growth both nationally and internationally for one of AEG’s largest brands, axs.com and AXS Ticketing.
Job summary: This position will be based in Pandora’s Oakland, CA, office and report to the company’s VP of Communications. Pandora has more than 250 million registered users and 75 million active listeners every month. This position will drive our overall consumer media strategy as we communicate with these millions of listeners. You must be comfortable with and have experience working directly with journalists; managing integrated marketing campaigns and agencies; and developing and executing strategic communications plans and materials.
Job summary: Live Nation Entertainment’s sponsorship division is hiring a Director of Sales, Club & Theater. This sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our club and theater properties.
Job summary: Responsible for the collection and analysis of business requirements, producing technical specifications, developing solutions, testing, rollout and support. The individual will be working across business areas and systems.
Job summary: Your role will be to support the Sonicbids and Backstage Editorial and Marketing teams in maintaining and monitoring all things social for both brands. Creative support may include acting as the voice of either brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networking sites; connecting with Fans, Followers or Influencers; monitoring and providing detailed feedback/reports to help inform the team’s social media strategy; managing paid discovery and seeding campaigns on sites like StumbleUpon and BuzzFeed. This position will be very hands-on: both on the creative side as well as the analytics and reporting side. We’re looking for someone creative, tech-savvy and proactive who loves creating contagious digital content and is unabashedly addicted to upping views, Followers, RTs and Likes (without being reckless). This position is not only for someone who knows their way around social media communities and tools, we’re also looking for someone who can craft an original voice while remaining on-brand. Someone who responds well to direction but can also work independently as needed. The ideal candidate will be someone who has experience building and managing social media communities and who exercises good judgement.
Thank you for joining us for another installment in our our ongoing Journalism Tips series. We started this column as a way to help aspiring writers get their start in music, but over the couple months we have been evolving into a place writers come to have their questions about life in the business answered. Today we are continuing that effort with a response to a question posed by multiple reader in regards to how they go about accessing the music distributed by Haulix. If you have any questions about developing as a writer/blogger in music, please do not hesitate email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Haulix exists to provide artists and record labels a secure platform for distributing promotional material. Keeping those materials safe is our top priority, and we are constantly developing new ways to further prevent piracy. We believe that by continuing to fight piracy we are helping develop the future of the industry, which is something every current and aspiring professional should feel some sense of responsibility to help create. That’s part of the reason this blog exists – to showcase the wide variety of talents and personalities that have come together to fight for the future of this business.
One thing people often do not understand about our efforts is that we do not grant access to the materials distributed through our platform. We exist to serve our clients, and those wanting to access our clients’ media will need to go through them to be invited to experience the Haulix platform. It’s not our media to share, after all, and as much as we love publicity it’s our forte.
Gaining access to unreleased music for promotional purposes and feature consideration is a relatively simple process, but without a little professionalism and tact your request will likely get lost in someone’s inbox. We cannot prepare you for every situation that you will encounter when seeking new music, but we can give you the basics of working with the type of people that use Haulix.
The first thing you need to know about requesting music from labels, PR, or the like is that no two scenarios will be exactly the same. Everyone has their own method for distributing promotional materials, as well as their own requirements for the individuals they grant early access. The best you can do is be yourself and be honest with your position in the industry. You may not have the biggest site on the net, but that usually does not matter. Labels and PR are looking to work with writers and sites that are passionate about music. More specifically, writers and sites passionate about the type of music they are trying to sell/promote. If that applies to you, then there is a good chance a wonderful working relationship can be developed in no time at all.
Before you send any messages I would take a day or two and scour the internet for the companies and groups you want to work with, as well as their point of contact and how/when they prefer to be reached. It will be tempting to send a blanket ‘please send materials’ message to everyone on your list, but the best relationships are built on taking a personal interest in the other person. If you have 55 people/places to contact then you should plan on creating 55 individual messages. The core of each letter will remain the same, but taking the time to personalize each note will go a long way towards leaving a positive first impression on the individual you are trying to reach.
The letter you draft when requesting promotional materials should be short and to the point. Introduce yourself, your site, your reason for writing, and (if possible) let them know how you plan to feature their artist on your site. There may be more details needed down the line, but this should give the person you are contacting enough information to decide whether or not they want to work with you. You can find a sample letter below:
Dear [insert name whenever possible]
Hello. My name is [INSERT YOUR NAME] and I am writing on behalf of [INSERT YOUR SITE WITH A LINK TO THE FRONTPAGE]. I noticed that you are listed as the press contact for [Artist/Group/Label] and I am contacting you in hopes of working together moving forward.
[YOUR SITE] is a music site dedicated to covering [INSERT COVERAGE]. We have been following [THE ARTIST/LABEL] for a while now and would love to work together on [PROJECT – REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS/FEATURES/ETC] in the near future. We welcome [TRAFFIC, IF POSSIBLE] a month and are growing by the week.
I understand that you are busy, but if you could review my request and respond at your earliest convenience it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Best,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR SITE]
As much as it may be a downer to highlight, the hard truth is that not everyone you contact is going to want to work with you. Heck, some probably will not even send you a reply. In those cases, it’s perfectly acceptable to send a follow-up email to ensure the receipt of your original message, but after a certain amount of time you may need to let that request go until you/your site can improve.
Whatever you do, please try your absolute hardest to refrain from attacking, bashing, or otherwise being a dick to label/PR people who are not quick to respond to you. The music industry is a wild place, and anyone working in promotion or publicity spend about twenty-three hours a day working on various projects. They want to work with you too, but their ability to reply right away may be stunted due to what they currently have going on. BE PATIENT. I know you want to hear the new album from that band you think is going to be huge, and trust me – they want you to hear it to. Being pushy and/or coming across as frustrated with the people on the other end will go you nowhere in this business.
Hello again! If you’re reading this on the day it goes live then you already know we are just a few short hours from the start of the last weekend in April. We have been trying our best to work hard throughout the afternoon, but every time we look out the window and see Spring finally starting to show itself we have to fight the urge to break a window and run to the nearest park. You’ve been there, right?
Each and every Friday we like to take a brief break from our regularly scheduled programming to update and reflect on everything happening at Haulix HQ. We are far more than a music blog, as many of you already know, and posts like this give us an opportunity to share more our efforts with all of you. If you have any questions about the content of this post, or if you are interested in learning more about the secure music distribution services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
This week at Haulix HQ we spent a lot of our time focusing on the upcoming launch of our automated DMCA Takedown Notification system. It’s likely that we are still a couple weeks away from launch, but we are moving closer to going live with each passing day. We do not have specifics on pricing information just yet, but once live this tool will scan the net for clients’ files and automatically issue perfectly-worded DMCA Takedown Notices without you (the client) having to do anything at all.
Outside of DMCA Takedowns and our efforts to put piracy to an end, we also took a good chunk of the week to examine our current email efforts. Brainstorming has begun on how we can better serve our clients in this way, but plans for the future are nowhere near ready for public consumption. When the time comes we’ll let you know.
As far as the blog is concerned, the past seven days have without a doubt been our most active to date. We had a big discussion on photo pit etiquette, walked through the DMCA Takedown process, and waved goodbye to our ‘My Life As A Music Pirate’ series with a one of the world’s only interviews with a confirmed pirate. In case you missed anything, here is a full list of this week’s content:
In addition to creating these columns we also spent a lot of this week planning what we’re tentatively calling ‘Year 2.’ This blog turns one in June and we plan to roll out a variety of new content to help kick things off right.
Well, that is all we have to share for now. Make this weekend the best of 2014 so far, but please don’t do anything that puts you or the people around you in danger. It’s all fun and jokes until someone sets the house on fire, as they say.
Have a great day, everyone. We’ll be back tomorrow with an all-new ‘Journalism Tips.’
Hello, everyone! It is a beautiful Thursday here at Haulix HQ, and we could not be more thrilled to share with you a very special advice column. This feature was created with the help of Zach Stepek, a professional music photographer and freelance writer who has spent traversed many American miles while seated on a tour bus. We reached out in hopes of sharing his insight from his time on the road, and his response can be found in the paragraphs below.
You spend nearly every waking moment of your life away from your family in order to pursue your passions, risking everything on the possibility that you’ll achieve success doing something you love. You work more than you do anything else, and everyone you know thinks that you’re crazy for giving up the stability of a “normal” job. But you can’t help it. You either jump, or you wallow in the misery of mediocrity and conformity that’s been causing you to lose your mind in your dead-end job.
If this describes you, then you are an entrepreneur. Whatever your passion is, you’ve chosen to pursue it as your career, building something from the ground up with your skill, knowledge and tenacity. It’s hard to take that initial jump off the metaphoric bridge; I’ve done it many times, and it’s always equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. The rewards far outweigh the risk if the various pieces come together correctly. Sometimes, you just have to leap and hope the parachute appears.
From my experience, nobody leaps with more abandon than musicians. Most entrepreneurs go “all in” by spending a ton of time at the office. Musicians go all in by leaving their friends and family behind for months at a time to live on a tour bus or in a van with their business partners, sleeping in a different city nearly every night.
I personally feel that I’ve learned more about business from observing musicians than I have from reading countless books. I’d like to share a few of those observations with you:
Have A Plan
Like any entrepreneur, musicians spend their days selling their existing products, doing research and development for their next product launch, handling the press and interacting with their customer base. Most don’t just jump in and hope for the best every day, though. They have a day sheet that contains their plan for the day, and normally it’s divided into a couple of main sections; interactions with the press and production for that night’s show. Before they get on stage, they have a set list in place that details the game plan for the show. They follow these plans closely to make sure that everything runs without a hitch.
Build A Dream Team
Like a company, bands are only as successful as the teams they build. Every band starts with a core, founding team, and normally it’s comprised of the people performing the band’s primary function, playing music. As a band grows, though, they add people to the core team to supplement their own abilities. Touring requires juggling a lot of moving pieces, and the larger the tour, the more pieces there are.
Most entrepreneurs only have to see their employees for, at most, eight hours each business day. Musicians, on the other hand, spend a ton of time with their team, especially their tour support staff. Band managers, tour managers, stage managers, audio engineers, lighting technicians, drivers, instrument techs, booking agents, public relations coordinators, record label executives, marketing and creative services, social media managers, commercial licensing specialists, producers, recording engineers, photographers… the stronger the team, the stronger the brand.
Partnership is Stronger than Competition
The other people in your industry aren’t just your competition, they’re your peers, your brothers and sisters. Don’t tear them down. Strive to lift them up and help them achieve their goals and dreams. This is especially true when bands tour together. The level of camaraderie that I’ve observed between touring bands is amazing. It provides a sharp contrast to the backstabbing, kill or be killed mentality we seem to have adopted in the corporate world, both internally between co-workers and externally among competitors. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen in the music industry, it just seems to be less common.
Research and Adapt
Musicians perform constant market research, testing not only their existing products, but also their prototypes, with focus groups, the fans and potential fans who attend their concerts. Many constantly change their pitch, or set list, to see if they get a better response from their fans. A vast majority have a very vocal feedback loop in place, because they’re experts at converting customers into raving fans. Music awakens passion in much the same way that our favorite products or brands do, and musicians know how to cater to their target demographic.
Success Takes Practice
When musicians aren’t on the road, they still spend time together regularly to practice. This is where they hone their craft for the road, preparing for the next time they’re on stage pitching their product. Practices don’t always go smoothly, but they’ll power through the same song, verse, measure or note until it’s right.
The only way to get better at being an entrepreneur is to put yourself out there and do it, day in and day out. Sure, you’re going to break a string in the middle of your solo, or somebody is going to decide that your pedalboard is a great place to put the contents of their drink, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t good at what you do. Learn from your mistakes and continually improve yourself and your business.
Zach Stepek is the founder and editor of Rock Insider Magazine, which plans to launch a fully redesigned website in early May. He loves photography, touring, and talking about ways to better optimize your readers’ experience. Follow him on Twitter because that’s how people show support in 2014. You should also follow Haulix.
Hello again. We have spent a lot of time in the last month talking about piracy and the many things you can do as an artist to prepare for and, if necessary, handle leaks. Today we are going to revisit that topic once more to talk about the steps that need to be taken once your material has already leaked online. You may think all hope is lost, but with a little hard work you can curve the unwanted availability of your material in a big way and we are here to help. If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
If you have been following our company updates over the last few weeks may already know this, but recently Haulix began working on a new update to our distribution service that will allow clients to automatically issue DMCA takedown notices for their copyrighted material. We are admittedly still a few weeks from launch on that project, but we wanted to begin our promotional efforts this afternoon by shedding some additional light on the purpose of these notices and the creation/submission process currently in place.
DMCA stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which is a group of laws that protect copyrighted content and its creators on digital mediums. The DMCA was signed into law in 1998 and has since been the source of the vast majority of infringement issues arising from the continuing spread of digital media. There are many aspects to the law that are worth taking the time to research and understand, but for the purposes of this post we are going to look at the part most are familiar with (at least by name): The DMCA Takedown Notice.
A DMCA Takedown Notice allows copyright holders to request an Internet Service Provider (ISP), search engine, host or other type of site-owner/manager to remove material that is infringing their copyright, regardless of whether or not said copyright has been properly registered. In other words – it provides a means for artists and the people who back them (labels/agencies) to ask that their content not be shared without authorization.
In order to file a DMCA Takedown Notice, you must first establish three things:
You either own the copyright or have the right to claim infringement because of a copyright you license. If you do not have either of these, you are already wasting your time.
The alleged infringement is not covered by an exception, like Fair Use or free speech laws. Stanford Law’s website describes Fair Use as ‘any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner. In other words, fair use is a defense against a claim of copyright infringement. If your use qualifies as a fair use, then it would not be considered an illegal infringement.’ You do not need to understand all the ins and outs of this law to file a DMCA, but you do need a “good faith” belief that the alleged infringing use is not covered by any law which would permit its use.
The content is capable of being infringed online, which essentially means that the work in question is available in digital form. Some examples include text files (txt, rtf, doc, docx, etc), Images (smb, jpg, png, gif, etc), video (mpg, avi, mov, etc.), Music/Audio (aif, mp3, mp4, wav, etc), and images found on social networks (Facebook, Tumblr, etc.).
Once you have determined all three of these things to be true, it is time to move forward with filing a DMCA Takedown notice. It is important to understand that there are very specific provisions of the law you must comply with or the receiving agent may ignore your request:
1. Make sure you have found the proper source of the infringement – When you find your content on another website it may or may not be common knowledge who their hosting company is, but thankfully the internet provides a number of tools to aide in the discover process (I recommend domain tools.
When contacting ISPs with Takedown Notices that are often specific email addresses provided on the host company’s website. You may need to hunt for it, as no two sites are ever the same, but searching DMCA may quicken your hunt for results. If you try and discover there are no specified contacts listed for DMCA Notices, search the US Copyright Office List Of DMCA agents. It should be current.
2. If an online form specifically for DMCA Takedown requests is provided by the contact you are trying to reach it is wise to use that form as your initial point of contact as it is – unsurprisingly – your best bet for yielding a timely response. This may not happen with larger companies (like Google or Bing) generally use forms to direct specific issues to their different departments. There may be separate departments for music and images, for example, or perhaps a bunch of smaller teams dedicated to all digital piracy. You experience will vary by contact.
3. If you discover there are not forms provided and you still feel driven to fight for your rights as copyright holder you will need to take it upon yourself to send your notice to the designated DMCA agent (refer to #1 for help with locating this individual). Email will likely be acceptable for complaint submissions, but you will need to check with your specific agent to learn how they prefer to handle requests. It may be 2014, but some people still think fax machines are the best way to send business materials. Don’t waste time thinking about how much simpler or quick things could be and comply. This is another war for another day.
4. If you find yourself in a position where you need to create the Takedown Notice, there is a very specific set of information you will need to provide (and it is the same as what any form would ask you to fill out). According to lawyer Sarah Hawkins, your DMCA Notice must:
• Be in writing (this includes both hardcopy or digital)
• Be signed (whether in writing of via electronic signature) by the copyright owner or agent
• Identify the original copyrighted work (or works if there are multiple) you claim has been infringed
• Identify the material that is infringing your copyrighted work
• Include contact information so the designated agent can reach you, if necessary
• Include a statement your complaint is in “good faith"
• Include a statement the information in the notification is accurate
• Include a statement that under penalty of perjury you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
I know that list can be a little overwhelming upon first glance, but in the age of the internet there is virtually no form letter in existence that does not come with hundreds, if not thousands of examples available online, for free, that you can copy/paste and adjust to fit your needs. You should always triple check your letters to make sure everything comes across in your own voice and that the above list is followed to a ’t,’ but it’s completely understandable if you choose to use a template letter in order to begin filing your first DMCA Takedown Notices. In fact, I have included a letter below you can feel free to duplicate, manipulate, and use however it is needed. If you have any further questions about these notifications, just comment below and let us know!
I am the copyright owner of the works listed below and the following is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.
The original work, which I claim copyright for, appears online with my permission at the following locations:
[Insert URLs where your original work is located]
Copies of this original work have been attached to this email for your evaluation and determination.
The allegedly infringing [work – image/sound/video] appears on the following sites:
[Insert URLs where your work is being used without your permission]
My contact information is [address/phone]
The information of the alleged copyright infringer based on what I have been able to find is [insert all the information you have about the site/person behind the infringement]
I have a good faith belief that the copyrighted works referenced above that appear on the website for which you are the registered DMCA agent is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or by law.
I declare, under penalty of perjury, that the following information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and that I am the copyright owner [or have the license to the copyright] entitled to exclusive right which I believe are being infringed.
signed [insert name] on [date – day/month/year] in [city/state]
[signature]
**TERMS & CONDITIONS OF USE: While forms are commonly used and available elsewhere around the Internet it is important to understand the limitations provided by forms. A form, by its very nature, is previously written, usually to address a typical situation. Unfortunately, in law there are few typical situations. While this form will be useful for some, the use of a form should not be viewed as a replacement for competent legal advise adapted to your particular situation. Haulix accepts no liability if you do use this or a modified version of this Agreement.**
Hello, everyone. Today is an exciting, albeit somewhat sad day. We are quite thrilled to be sharing the fourth and final installment in our ‘My Life A Music Pirate’ series, but are sad to see such a beloved column put to rest so soon. If you have any questions about the content of this post, or if you are interested in learning more about the secure music distribution services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Today we put to rest one of the most interesting features we have ever run on this blog. Over the last month we have featured a series of posts on piracy written by a current music professional who has previously leaked countless albums online (part 1, part 2, part 3). Their story is one that I am sure many reading this can relate to, but somewhere along the line this individual got caught up in file-sharing and spent several years breaking the law as a result. They claim to have cleaned up their act, and for what it’s worth I tend to believe them, but as the initial columns began running on this site we could not help noticing an influx of inquiries from readers with questions for our pirate and their supposed retirement. It took a little convincing, but after two weeks of waiting our pirate has emerge from the depths of the internet once more to answer your questions on their life, the repercussions of their decisions, and how they see the industry changing to further combat piracy in the future. You can read their thoughts below.
We have said this from the beginning, but it’s worth repeating that we have absolutely no intentions of revealing the identity of the person behind these posts. The pirate in question has been disconnected from the file-sharing world for over a year at this point, and we truly hope they manage to steer clear of trouble in the future.
[all questions based on reader’s emails]
H: Do you remember the first album you downloaded illegally? How about the first one you uploaded to share with the world?
As I said before, when I first started downloading I was downloading single songs. I wasn’t into full albums. By the time I was, I was gettings discs from the library to rip. I think my first full album download may have been The Prizefighter Inferno’s debut album. I couldn’t find that at the library, so I went online for it.
H: What is the furthest in advance of an album’s release that you would leak it? Did that time remaining before release play a factor at all?
Of course it did. The sooner, the better. When you’re leaking music, you’ve got to be first to be remembered.
H: What was the application process like for the leak site? If I ran something like that I would suspect everyone of being out to get me.
It wasn’t so formal. We got something we ran it.
H: Did you have any close calls with the law/RIAA?
We’d get notices, but no more than the average music blog with a stream. Most of our links would get taken down, but copyright holders would provide the DMCA notices to hosts like Mediafire and Rapidshare. On occasion, we’d get angry emails from band members that felt helpless and couldn’t actually do anything. I remember once a label offered us advances in exchange for not posting their roster’s material. We took the deal and subsequently posted links to the albums they gave us.
H: Did you ever have a moment when you were overcome with the thought you may be doing something wrong? Do you even see piracy as being wrong?
I don’t think there was one moment. I think it was a more gradual decision. Of course I see it as wrong? Didn’t you read my letters? Readthemhere.
H: What benefits do you believe there were, if any, to the artists and labels whose work you shared without permission?
Even bad press is good press, they say. Seriously. Kids listened to the records I posted and went to shows. Some bought merch, some didn’t, they all tweeted and shared with friends. There are ways to make the most of a leak and a lot of artists figured out how to do that.
(Editor’s note: Haulix has a post that can help with that.)
H: Have you met any other music industry professionals actively involved in music piracy?
Actively? No. All of my old mates are out of the game.
H: Do you ever worry that your pirate past will catch up to you?
You’d be surprised how many of my colleagues are aware of my pirating past. I’m not that concerned about it.
H: What lessons, if any, did you learn from your time as a pirate?
That kids like free shit, that I liked introducing people to bands, that bands are made up of people making creative shit, and that underselling the value of that creative shit was a shitty thing to do.
H: What, if anything, can be done to stop piracy? More importantly, do you feel it should be stopped?
Piracy won’t die. People will always want something of value for nothing. That’s human nature. Still, things like Rdio and Spotify help cut out the need to download something to have it for free right away. Dying leak hosts help too. There are a lot less leaks going around now that It-Leaked is gone.
H: Where do you go from here?
I keep doing what I do. I write, I help musicians out where I can, and I drink more than I should sometimes. I live life and listen to music while I do it. That’s all I can do.
Hello and welcome to the beginning another week of music industry insight and discussion here on the official blog of Haulix. We were so overwhelmed by the response to our initial column on concert photography that we decided to bump up the release of part two to this afternoon. We hope to continue this series every week or two for the foreseeable future, but we need your help to make it happen. If you have a question about music photography, or perhaps want to learn more about the industry in general, please email james@haulix.com and we will use your letters to craft the future of this site. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Hey readers, Nick Karp here! Welcome back to my segment about Concert Photography here on the Haulix blog. I’m glad to see that the last article was received well by you, the readers, as well as the concert photography community at large. I feel as if last article were only the tip of the photography iceberg, however, and have spent the past two weeks outlining a series of posts geared towards providing you with everything you need to begin a career in music photography. This week’s topic: Photo pit etiquette.
So you’ve been approved to photograph a concert. Congrats! It’s the night of the show, you’ve picked up your credentials from the box office and you have been given the privilege to enter the photo pit. I want to emphasize the word privilege. Photographing a band from the photo pit is a privilege. You do not have a right to be in that pit, but rather the permission of someone directly connected to those on stage. Permission can and will be revoked as a result of misuse.
Normal people with stereotypical office jobs have a cubicle or an actual office as their workplace. Concert photographers are not normal. A concert photographer’s office is a photo pit, and we have to share it with everyone else approved to shoot. Sometimes the number of photographers in the pit can be as low as one or two, and sometimes, like at a major festival, the number of photographers can number around 70. I’ve shot with both and the latter is not fun.
There is a standard for concert photography that also serves as the one and only written rule in most pits: “three songs, no flash.” This phrase describes the time allotted to photographers (first three songs of the set) and restrictions place on the gear they are allowed to use (no flash photography). I’m going to say 97% of the time I shoot shows I do not use flash. There are instances when I have and will, but we’ll discuss that during another article.
Even though there are no set rules when shooting in the photo pit, besides the above stated, there are many unwritten rules that photographers need to obey to ensure professionalism and proper etiquette:
Back packs: Put your back pack down under the barricade. I understand you need to keep an eye on your gear, and that’s great, but do so without it on your back. The photo pit is a very small place and I’m no longer afraid to mention this. We need to make as much room as possible, and having your bulky bag near the barricade and not in the way helps tremendously.
iPhones: An iPhone is not professional equipment and you look like an idiot shooting a band with one. Get your Instagram photo after the first three songs.
iPads: Read iPhones and multiply the rage you will cause to stir in fellow photographers by 100.
Point and Shoot: As mentioned before the photo pit is a professional environment. Please do not shoot with nonprofessional equipment; otherwise known as, a point and shoot camera. I’ll take any DSLR camera over a point and shoot. If you don’t have proper equipment, don’t shoot from the pit.
Reaching: This is the most abused unwritten rule here. I understand going for the hail mary and reaching every once in a while, but don’t do it the entire set and don’t do it from in front of the pit. 95% of your reaching shots are unusable, and your camera is getting in the way of other photographers. If you’re going to reach, reach when you’re in the back of the photo pit, that way you’re not in any of the photographer’s way. You’re also disturbing the band and the crowd. Who really wants to see a band with a camera in their face for three songs of the set? It’s disrespectful.
Camping: Much like Call of Duty, staying in one spot in the photo pit is annoying. When you grab the shot you want from that angle, move around, there are plenty of more angles to get. Don’t stay there for the entire set. Let another photographer grab that angle, and you should grab more angles.
Auto Focus Assist Light: Turn it off. You’re ruining everyone’s shots around you by having a beam of light from your camera hit the artist, and it’s a distraction to the performer. The light has its uses, but the photo pit is not one of them. Please be considerate.
Flash: You’re not allowed to shoot with flash. Plain and simple. Your mounted flash is getting in everyone’s way. I’ve noticed that most people that have a mounted flash also reach, so that’s just an extension of the camera to furthermore get in other people’s shots and distract the audience and performer. Put the flash in your bag, and if you must, attach it after your tenure in the photo pit.
Ego: Keep your ego in check. I don’t care how long you’ve known “so-and-so”, and I don’t care how you should have had an “All Access” pass to the show. Seriously, dude, I don’t care and neither does anyone else in the photo pit.
Nick Karp is a professional photographer and freelance music writer. He recently relocated to NYC and dyed his hair bright pink because that is the kind of thing people do in the music business. He was assisted in the creation of this article by Elise Shively.
