Hello and welcome to the final Advice column of the week. Earlier this week I was having a conversation with a fellow music writer when a story was shared with me that I knew would eventually make its way onto this blog. For the sake of privacy and the hope of not destroying anyone’s reputation, we have chosen to keep the names of people and groups involved in this story secret. 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.
A couple years ago, a writer for a popular alternative music blog stumbled across a promising pop punk band online that had yet to be covered on any major music blogs. After listening to a demo from the group’s then upcoming EP, the writer reached out and expressed a desire to work together. The two hit it off right away, and even though the group did not have anything new on the immediate horizon the writer began trying to find ways to feature them on their site so that they could still be promoted to new listeners. The traffic clicking on those posts were low, yes, but they were still doing for for the band than anything other sites were doing to aide the group on their rise to the top.
Several weeks after the band and the writer initially made contact the group announced plans to release what would eventually become their ‘breakout’ EP. Upon learning the news the writer immediately reached out to see if there was any way their site could host the exclusive premiere of the EP, which was an offer the band accepted within an hour. The music was sent, a feature was written, and at some point in the winter of that year the group’s EP made its debut on the writer’s site.
Fast forward half a dozen months and that little pop punk act no one knew is suddenly the hottest up and comer in alternative music, with more than one respected label knocking on their door. The group lands a support slot on a major tour and finally their first date near the town where the writer resides. When the show comes the writer makes an appearance, and after the group’s set the writer makes their way over to the merch area in order to finally introduce themselves in person. Hands are shaken, names are exchanged, and then the frontman for the band asks one question: “Who are you?”
To be fair, this is a common mistake that happens between newly acquainted people all over the world. As much as we would all love to remember every person we meet it has proven an incredibly difficult task to accomplish, which is something our writer was fully aware of when asked to essentially reintroduce themselves. The writer again states their name, this time including the site they write for, and the same member responds, “Oh yea, I think I have heard of that. Do you guys write about our band? You should.” The writer smiles, shares in some small talk, and walks away feeling both disappointed and slightly disrespected.
It’s very possible and arguably quite likely that this encounter occurred at a moment when the artist speaking was simply not thinking through the words coming out of their mouth, but even if that were true the impression that conversation made on the music writer would still be the same. Writers hope that musicians have respect for them and their craft, especially in an age where every blog essentially doubles as a free promotional platform for whatever musicians the contributors to that particular blog care about, but that is not always the case. Some see writers as being something akin to paparazzi, as if they are nothing more than a group of bottom feeders snooping for a click-worthy headline to give meaning to their otherwise empty lives. While those people most certainly do exist in the world, just like there are artists who only make music to make money or attract the opposite sex, it is far from the norm.
As an artist on the rise it is incredibly important that you make it a point to try and remember the people who help you out along the way. Whether they’re writers, venue owners, booking agents, or the mother of some young fans who thought to bring you cookies as a way of saying thanks for making their children happy, taking time to recognize and appreciate the dedication others have to helping you succeed will only help to further the positive word of mouth about your efforts spreading across the industry. People will not only want to share the good news about your latest creation, they will want to share you with the people in their lives. They know you not only know, but that you appreciate the fact they are doing whatever they can to help, and that makes them want to help you even more. This is the complete opposite effect the story at the beginning of this post had, which was inspiring the music writer to tell others about the promising band who completely forgot about the site that helped them first reach a national audience. That one bad interaction may lead to dozens, if not hundreds of conversations, which will in turn be shared with other people who were not present for the event, and at that point it becomes impossible to control how much truth is involved in each retelling.
We say this a lot, but it bares repeating that the music industry is an incredibly small place where almost everyone knows everyone, and the people you don’t know can usually be accessed through mutual friendships. This means that everybody talks to everybody, and people take a lot of stock in the opinions of other industry professionals, especially when it comes to gauging new talent. People want to know not only if others believe an artist will sell, but whether or not they will be a good person/group to work with for the next several years. No one wants to pour money into an artist who turns out to be an egotistical asshole, even if the material that artist creates is some of the best on the market. In order to develop a new talent in the modern industry you need to align yourself with people who are as driven and grounded as they are talented. This may be the place where rock stars are made, but there is no room for a rock star mentality when it comes to the business end of entertainment.
All of this may lead some to believe that they are not allowed to make errors, but that is not the point we are trying to make. In fact, mistakes are expected. We are all human, after all, and part of filling that roles means making mistakes because it’s only through our errors that we can discover the right path for our individual journey. The key is being able to admit when you are wrong, or even being open to the idea your memory may not be as great as others. Embrace it, and don’t be afraid to tell people you meet that while you appreciate their efforts you often struggle with names. People will understand that excuse and react to it far better than presenting yourself as someone who has never interacted with that individual in the past.
Kim Grim probably said it best when she advised all future professionals, artist or otherwise, to avoid becoming a dick in this business. Be the type of person you would want to work with, and align yourself with people who have similar goals and/or aspirations.
