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 readers in regard to how writers can make the most of festival coverage when seemingly everyone who calls themselves press is granted access. 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.
Ahhh. The ever-so formidable task of mastering festival coverage. It’s not easy, running around like a chicken with your head cut off for 12-18 hours on end — making sure every must-see band has been seen, every must-shake hand has been touched and every must-interview act has been chatted with. Not only must you balance every minute of your time and energy, but you must focus that energy to make sure you are creating better content than every other writer on the scene. What does it take for you to stand out during this festival season? Here are five questions I ask myself when going into all types of festivals:
1. What story hasn’t been told before?
Every blog, ‘zine and YouTube account is going to give you the typical, “Must See” lists for festivals, and this is okay. It’s cool to give your thoughts on what the standout acts are. But why not push this idea further? Instead of the “Five Must-See Acts at the Vans Warped Tour,” why not the “Five Songs to Crowd Surf to at the Vans Warped Tour?” Centralize your ideas — make your thoughts unique and insightful. This doesn’t need to pertain to solely preview content — think about different angles for every aspect of the festival.
2. What questions haven’t been asked yet?
If you’re interviewing a band on a festival bill, odds are the act is going through an extreme press run. Don’t waste the band’s time with monotonous questions the likes of “where did you get your band name?” or “how did you all meet?” Goodness, what a waste of time. You [probably] have a smartphone…Google different interviews, visit Wikipedia, or at least read the band’s bio before stepping into the box. Dig into insightful conversation with the musician and you all might actually learn something from one another. And better yet — the artist might actually want to work with you again in the future. A good musician always knows when you’re skidding through an interview and it is a bad reflection on everyone involved. Always do your homework. Don’t be afraid to step away from even insightful and traditional interviews to have a little fun with the artists. Does the band want to talk about the best food to eat on the road? Great! Grab that opportunity and create the best damn “must eat places according to this band” piece possible.
3. What can I do to stay ahead?
Okay: you’ve done amazing preview pieces, you’ve locked in the best interviews, you’ve relentlessly prepared for those interviews and you’ve just landed at the festival. What now? Staying ahead and in your element is tough. Typically, festivals offer the best distractions possible. Food, booze, after parties and sideshows are all fantastic for fans, but you’re at this festival for generate content. Stay in communication with your publicists or tour manager. Embrace the notion of being a public figure. Live tweet sets and daily agendas, reach out to other professionals you know will be in attendance and do you best to not make an ass of yourself (it happens to everyone at least once). Do daily write-ups and reviews of what you’re experiencing at the festival to give the outside world an idea of what’s taking place. Make the most of every second. Stay focused and make great impressions but don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the fantastic music you’re getting to cover.
4. How do I sum it all up?
Congratulations, you killed your interviews and you made it home safely. Now, time for post-festival coverage. Again – tailor to your audience and strive to be unique in your post-festival coverage. Everyone will have a photo gallery and everyone will have the “best of” lists going live. Try to step back and think about the bigger picture. What really was the best part of the festival? Embrace the entire community you were apart of, not just the music. At this point of your coverage, more than ever, it’s time to be a journalist and tell a story.
5. What about next time?
Be sure to send the required follow up message upon returning home and be timely in turning your interviews around. Never take on too many interviews or you’ll dilute your product and slow down the process. Five well-thought out interviews stand out against fifteen half-hearted interviews any day. Make sure all of the appropriate parties know you are turning your content around in a timely fashion and thank them for the opportunity. Always be humble.
Want to chat more about killer festival coverage? Tweet me @callinghomematt!
Hello and welcome to the final Advice column of the week. The following article is something akin to a sequel, pairing Haulix with a few old friends for a second adventure with a similar theme: Tour problems. I’m not sure this pair of columns will become a trilogy, but I suppose anything is possible in a world where Think Like A Man Too exists. 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. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Back in December, we partnered with our dear friends in The Venetia Fair to teach bands and solo artists touring the icy roads a few things that may help them survive their winter tour efforts. The column was a surprising hit, and so it is with great pleasure that we welcome them back to our site a second time to share their summer tour survival tips. Take it away, guys…
“Here Comes the Sun and I Say It’s Alright” – The Beatles. Errrheard?
Good day everyone, Mike Abiuso of The Venetia Fair, SwitchBitch (Records/Studio/Magazine) and Behind The Curtains Media. I feel like I practically live here at Haulix, which is a good thing, so thanks for having me back team!
I don’t know if you’ve read my last “Winter Tour Survival”, but if you haven’t, let me just reiterate the essentials that go for both seasons: (If you have, you’re going to be very bored, so just follow these ZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s)
Vehicle and Paperwork must be up to date:
-Driver’s licenses are legit
-Vehicle registered
-Vehicle insured
-Vehicle inspected
-Oil change (up to date and kept up to date on the road)
-Someone should have AAA for roadside assistance
If you have a van and trailer:
-Be sure the separate breaking system is functioning
-Under stand the low and high gears for up and downgrades
-Get a ball lock for your hitch incase you need to drop the trailer to park in heavily populated cities
Touring in general:
-Try to keep the tank above ¼ tank or have and to be safe have an extra reserve gas tank
-Get reflective cones and/or flares to put out incase you breakdown
(ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz hey wake up, you still there?)
Ok, moving on to “Part ll – Summer Tour Survival”…Now that we don’t have to worry about actually freezing to death, we mainly need to focus on keeping a good amount of food and water for survival and the rest is mostly comfort or “luxury”. Water is a given…get it in bulk and go, but food is way different this season. Can’t buy frozen food and keep it in the trailer any more unless you like eating a “mushy mold, fly graveyard sandwich” which I’ve heard has recently been labeled “exclusively for vegans” as of today. It’s all about those sealed cracker snacks and canned goods, which unfortunately, the ones that taste decent are awful for you. Click here to take a look at a year round specialty of mine that I like to call “tour-derves” (judge me? – dead to me)
So what we have here is a base coat of seared (aka canned) tuna, topped with peanut butter and/or cheese filled crackers with a light glaze of Sriracha to take away from the food portion of the meal. All served on the finest store brand paper plates. You get the idea, moving on.
When speaking in terms of water, this is where luxury comes in. Now I hate drinking water, but knowing it’s an essential I found a luxurious way to get around slamming that bull-shit of a drink. Umm SodaStream! Wootwoot, sound the alarm and flash the lights cause that jam keeps me alive. We (The Venetia Fair) usually get a case of water for the van, a back up case in the trailer and I also get a gallon jug of water to pour into a sodastream container, pull the sodastream from my drawer and just BLAST it w/ CO2. (Don’t know what a sodastream is? Know what google is?). Yeah, so seltzer for days.
Continuing on the topic of drinks. Alcohol always seems to find it’s way into a musicians life. It might have to do with having 6 hours to kill at a bar after load-in, but what do I know? Well, I do know that in the summer, if you’re 15 drinks in and feel amazing passing out in the van, that in a mere few hours that same van will transform into a human incinerator, so particularly after consuming alcohol, a few things you may want to keep near your van bed (or the place you sleep when touring) is A) water (seltzer) B) a battery operated fan and C) a $.99 spray bottle of water. These things I haven’t had lately on tour, but when The Venetia Fair did Warped Tour, I definitely had that jones going on.
While on the topic of sleeping situations, it’s a great idea to keep the van doors and windows open at night to keep air flowing. While that’s a great idea it also provides a free buffet for bugs and mosquitos, so you’re going to want to grab a few cheap bud nets to throw over all openings.
Being that this is beginning to get quite lengthily and I don’t want to bore the readers that made it thus far, I’m going to close out with showering. Every musician smells like the thickest festering shit syrup all the time. To reduce this in attempts to be a part or real civilization I would suggest three things. 1) pick up a sunshower which is a bag you can fill with a spigot, set on the roof of your trailer to warm up and shower with the power of gravity. 2) pick up a camping shower which is a bit more expensive, but basically it’s a pump version of the sunshower similar to the way your grandmother fertilizes her tomatoes, but with water instead. 3) Get a planet fitness membership and shower there.
Ok folks, as always, don’t do anything anyone in The Venetia Fair would do, and hope to see you this summer!
Hello and welcome to the tenth 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 9 – A Conversation With Hopesfall’s Adam Morgan (Part 2)
This week on the HTKYB, I will be sharing the second half of my interview with Hopesfall founding drummer Adam Morgan. Part 1 can be found here. Hopesfall was founded in 1998 and quickly developed from a regional favorite to a national force that blurred the lines between metal and hardcore with unconventional song structures and spacey melodic soundscapes. The group dealt with the entire spectrum of band troubles ranging from a multitude of member changes to publicized confrontations with their label all while their music continued to grow and become a pillar of the hardcore scene. Adam was kind enough to take part a series of back and forth emails over the past weeks where we discussed his experiences in the band and shed light on the lessons he had learned during his time in the industry.
E: So I was very curious and went back and listened to track 6 of The Satellite Years “A Man Exits” to see if I could spot any differences in the mix compared to the rest of the album. All I could pull out was a little bit of tone variation in the guitars compared to the other tracks but obviously nothing I would of picked up without a hint.
A: Yeah…I guess it’s not too big of a deal. Something about the guitar mix, right at the 0:47 mark, just irks me.
E: The grass is always greener. I think your experience resonates with many other touring musicians when it comes to deciding how to move forward in life. Like you mentioned earlier, there’s that initial period of being proud of the work and adventure you get to experience everyday on the road, especially when you know people who are trudging to the same boring cubicle day after day. But the other side of it is that when you come home you realize that these people have the financial security, relationships, and other comforts you miss out on while traveling.
It’s interesting to see the advice you’d give your younger self to enjoy the moment and to keep working on what you’ve put so much effort into building. When you’re in a position where comfort and security take a backseat to everything else, the propensity to feel that your time is running out only gets stronger. It’s what bands succumb to most often. Do you think it’s possible to find a balance between being a touring artist and living a “normal” life or is it mutually exclusive in your eyes?
A: Thats a great point and question. I actually do think it’s possible to be a touring musician while still retaining all those securities you mentioned. I’d say it’s extremely rare, but I’ve seen and met members in bands who have great, secure jobs, and understanding, encouraging spouses that help allow them to enjoy both aspects of normal life and road life.
However…I think in most cases, there will always come a time when you just have to weigh out what matters most to you. Looking down the road, into your financial and post-band future, can be extremely hard, especially while you are in the middle of living your dream, but it’s definitely something you have to consider because let’s face it, the chances of your band becoming your full-time job, for the rest of your life, is slim to nil.
E: You said you left the band prior to tracking A Types for several reasons including not being entirely happy with the writing process. That record ended up being Hopesfall’s most commercially successful release, but also pivoted the sound in a way that separated it from what the band had been known for. You mentioned that you had agreed to push in a more traditional song based direction with a bigger emphasis on choruses and hooks. Now that a decade has passed, how do you view that record and the shift in sound? At the time, the band had already released two albums and an EP in that “original” style. Was going in such a drastic new direction viewed as a necessity for sustaining creativity among the group?
A: I think A Types is good for what it is; that being: a transitional album. We were trying something brand new to us, and just like anybody trying something new for the first time, it’s usually not going to be perfect. I wouldn’t consider it a “necessity” for sustaining creativity. I think if we wanted to put out another hardcore record at that point, we still could have produced something creative and interesting. It just felt like a good time to move forward, especially since Jay was our singer now, and had proven he could take on more of a melodic singing role.
After all, our music was always heavily influenced by bands like Hum and Smashing Pumpkins. That’s the sound we were always striving for. I believe the departure from screaming and breakdowns was actually more of a step toward remaining true to ourselves and playing the kind of music we wanted to hear.
E: In late 2005 you rejoined the band after Adam Baker left. Why did you decide to come back? You ultimately left again in 2006. Did you view it as a temporary situation from the onset?
Hopesfall toured Brazil in October of 2005. You guys had toured internationally before but Brazil is more of a rare musical opportunity. Describe what it was like to tour in that country? Was that part of the reason for rejoining for a bit?
A: The decision to come back after Baker had left the band was just a temporary thing. At that time, Josh had come to me and asked if I’d be willing to help them out with a few tours that they had already committed to; one of those tours being a Brazil tour. It was really a perfect situation for me because I was really starting to miss touring and performing, but at the same time, I still didn’t want to be in a full-time touring band. Oh…and it was a chance to go to BRAZIL!
That Brazil tour was incredible. Up until then, the only other foreign countries I had played were Canada and the UK. It was the first time I was in a country whose native language wasn’t English (well, besides Montreal, Quebec, and a couple parts of Central Avenue, here in Charlotte). Even though a lot of the fans over there didn’t know English, or I, Portuguese, it didn’t stop them from trying to communicate to us just how much it meant to them that we were there, playing for them. They were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and they went off at every show. It was definitely an experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
E: Wow, that show in São Paulo looks insane. It’s hard to argue with taking an opportunity to play packed out shows while traveling Brazil.
Since you went into the rejoining as a temporary position, were you part of the process in preparing what would be Hopesfall’s final album, 2007’s Magnetic North, or was another album never in your personal plans? That record is clearly an evolution of the sound found on A Types but also reintroduces some of the aggressive dynamics found on earlier works. Do you feel the record was an appropriate way to bookend the band that you had such a significant presence in?
A: I didn’t have any hands in the preparation, or recording of Magnetic North. After we finished up those tours, the band recruited an incredible drummer by the name of Jason Trabue. He came in and wrote/recorded Magnetic North with the guys. I think it’s a great album to bookend the Hopesfall discography. I can’t say enough good things about that album. I think it is a fantastic rock record.
E: In 2011, Hopesfall reunited the No Wings to Speak Of era lineup for two one-off reunion shows in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, NC. Can you talk about how the idea of the reunion came about and why this specific version of the band was chosen? I was lucky enough to attend the Charlotte date and was impressed with how the band was able to re-learn the entire Frailty of Words album after so many years and member changes between. What was it like personally for you to go back and learn those first songs and to perform them live for the first time in over a decade?
A: The reunion shows came about because we were approached by our good buddies, and old touring mates, Codeseven. They told us that they were playing a reunion show in Winston-Salem (their hometown) as part of a grand reopening of an old rock venue (ZIGGY’s) we all use to play at. They asked Josh to check with the rest of us about playing with them. It worked out with everyone’s schedule and it felt like a good idea.
I don’t really know why we decided on the No Wings To Speak Of line-up. I guess it just felt natural because we were playing in Winston, with Codeseven. It was almost like hopping in a time machine and going back to relive those early Hopesfall days for just one last time.
Relearning the songs from Frailty was a little strange for me, personally. Those songs are a reflection of where I was at as a young 16 year old drummer. I like to think that I’ve come a long way in the last 17 years. So, to get in a room and practice playing those songs that were written during the early years felt like such a digression. It was like I was practicing sucking. But overall, it brought back some great memories, and most importantly, it was a such a great opportunity to hang out and play music with some of my best friends. During the course of the band, and line-up changes, some of the guys never had the opportunity of knowing that they were playing their last show with the band. I think the chance to play those 2 reunion shows was a perfect way to bring closure to that era of the band.
E: Quickly, I have to ask. In percentage form, what are the chances of another reunion show in the next couple years? I mean you already did the hard work of learning those songs…
A: Haha! Well…since I can only speak for myself; I’d be willing to do it again if the conditions were right. So I guess since there are 5 of us, that would make it a 20% chance of another reunion show. Haha!
E: Being a dad must be a fairly full time deal, but are you working on anything music related in your free time? When the reunion shows were announced you mentioned a new project with Josh Brigham, is that a project that is still in development?
A: Yep.
E: Finally, I don’t think I could complete this interview without mentioning your ridiculous vinyl collection. Have you always been a vinyl aficionado? You frequently showcase albums on your purgeb4ubinge Instagram account, what about vinyl encouraged you to take such an active role in collecting and discussing the median?
A: It’s definitely something I’ve really gotten into in the last few years. There are a lot of aspects to vinyl records that make collecting them very rewarding. It brings back a lot of that excitement that use to go along with buying music before MP3s became popular. Just think about all those experiences that are lost now when you click a “download” button on your computer. For me, the artwork for an album is just as important as the music itself. It’s always gone hand-in-hand. Having that first visual impression of the album in the record store, tearing the shrink wrap off the album, being able to hold a large format album cover, feeling the paper, the ink, pulling the insert out, looking over it, handling the record, putting it down on your turntable, and dropping the needle onto the record. To me there is something special about that ritual. Something that is totally lost now. On top of all that, I believe vinyl produces a warmer and overall more organic sound. The only thing vinyl lacks is convenience, which is why I still love my iPod and can acknowledge the importance of mp3 and other digital files.
E: It’s been great talking to you about your experiences as a founding member of Hopesfall. You’ve brought up and discussed many of the hard choices that today’s touring musicians are currently going though. Do you have any last words of advice for aspiring artist who are trying to make sense of the modern musical landscape?
A: I’m not sure I’m in any position to be giving advice, but since you asked: Write the songs and play the music that you want to hear. Use all the tools you have (social media, music streaming sites) to get your music out to the public. Play out as often as you can. Interact with your fan base in a positive way. Be creative. Work harder on your songs than you do your image. Have a music lawyer thoroughly explain any label contract. Never sign away your publishing. Never buy into your hype. Most importantly, have fun and cherish the time you have creating music with your friends.
Haulix will be launching a new column later this month offering free legal advice from an attorney specializing in the music business. This feature will run one or two times a month, based on demand, but we need a little help from you to get started.
As you no doubt know by now, this blog exists to help people better understand the music industry. We could throw up random bits of legal advice without issue, but what we really want to do is help you solve real world problems. If you have a question regarding music law, or if you want to know what the average cost of retaining legal council is, just ask! Need to know whether or not you can sue for copyright infringement? We might be able to help there as well.
Send your legal questions to james@haulix.com and we will do our best to get them answered in a timely and informative fashion.
Hello, everyone! After a brief absence from the blog it gives me great pleasure to resurrect our Industry Spotlight feature with a little help from our friend Will at Tiny Engines. The work he is doing in music right now is impacting countless lives, and I am thrilled to be able to share his insight on the future of the music business. 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.
We talk a lot about how much of music is a tight knit community of professionals, but in the grand scheme of things the business as a whole is a large, towering infrastructure made up of countless tiny moving parts (no pun intended) that music work together in order to keep the industry alive. Every person who contributes is, in their own way, a tiny engine working to fuel the continued existence of the music business.
For the better part of the last decade, Will Miller has been contributing to the music industry as a blog owner, label founder, and alternative music publicist. He currently spends his time as the co-owner of Tiny Engine Records and one of the great minds behind Beartrap PR, both of which keep him incredibly busy. I knew from day one that I wanted to work with Will on content for this blog, but given the typical workload he encounters each morning I held off on making any requests of his time until the very end of May. He agree, and now a couple weeks since our initial conversation I am pleased to present what I believe to be one of the best Industry Spotlights we have run in recent memory.
Will and I have worked together since we were both beginning to find out footing in music, but I don’t think either of us realized how inexperienced the other was at the time. From what I can recall Will was extremely professional from day one, and in the years since we have been fortunate enough to work together a number of times on exciting projects. Earlier this year he introduced me to The Hotelier, and not long after a close friend encounter a bout with illness that caused a lot of pain and stress in my life. That record, which I would honestly have never given the time of day without Will’s seal of approval, has since become a beacon of hope and source of comfort. It may even be my favorite album of 2014, and there will no doubt be several other releases on my ‘best of’ list that I know solely because Will and the people he has surrounded himself with made it a point to help those artists get the recognition they deserve. If that’s not the sign of a true industry professional doing their job to the best of their abilities, I don’t know what is.
If you would like to learn more about Will and his efforts in music, please make it a point to follow Tiny Engines on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Before we dive in, please take a moment and introduce yourself:
W: My name is Will Miller, I do press for Beartrap PR and co-own the Tiny Engines record label.
H: Thanks for joining us, Will. We have been looking forward to this feature for several weeks. When you think about your earliest memories with music, what comes to mind?
W: Hmm, listening to a lot of oldies, motown and beach music growing up with my Mom probably. I still love that stuff too, oldies but goodies.
H: Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money?
W: Oh god, I have no idea. I’m sure it was something incredibly embarrassing. Something pop or hair metal I would guess. I was an 80’s kid, for better or worse.
H: How about your first concert experience? Bonus points if you share some memories of the event.
W: I think it was probably the Guns N’ Roses / Metallica / Faith No More stadium tour which I really remember very little about other than Axl Rose changing his outfit twenty times. I do remember buying a tour tee shirt and then discovering it had cigarette burn holes in it when I got home. Maybe that’s how they sold it to me? I have no idea.
H: You’re known these days for being a part of the punk and indie rock community, but was that always the area of music that captivated you the most?
W: I would say I was always drawn to music but it was taken to a whole new level once I started to dig below the mainstream. My story is probably similar to a lot of people my age who got into punk/indie rock. Nirvana was the gateway for me and from there I just went further underground into alternative and punk and indie rock and I’ve lived happily in that realm since.
H: A lot of the people we have spoken can pinpoint a ‘lightbulb moment’ in their lives when they realized that the music business was something that appealed to them. Can you recall when you this realization happened for you?
W: Well, I’m not sure the business side of it has ever really appealed to me, it still doesn’t really. The A&R side of it is what has always captivated me, I’ve just always felt like I had a good ear for things. I’ve always had a thirst for finding new music/bands and wanting to expose that to other people. So, the label thing was always in mind. The publicity side of it was never part of the plan but they are both fairly similar. I also ran a music blog for five years. So, really, it all just goes back to wanting to share my love of music with other like-minded people.
H: Did you attend college? If so, did you study anything related to the music industry?
W: I did, but didn’t study anything music industry specifically, just business in general.
H: Having become a successful member of the music professional community, would you recommend others considering pursuing a career in entertainment make it a point to attend college?
W: I’m not sure I would ever recommend this to anybody as a truly viable career. Or maybe it just takes a different mind-frame than what I bring to the table. But, if you choose it just be passionate about your work. I think at the end of the day, Beartrap and Tiny Engines have made it this far cause we only work with bands and other labels we love and respect. And I think that shines through. But, I probably didn’t realize just how difficult the industry is, in terms of making enough to survive and continue. It’s definitely something you have to be committed to and have passion for in regards to the bands and music.
H: Tiny Engines was founded in 2008. What inspired you to launch your own label, and who was the first artist you decided to work with?
W: Yeah, like I said before, wanting to do a label has always been in my mind. I always thought I could do it and I felt it would be a fulfilling way to spend my days vs. some boring 9-5 job. Tiny Engines was founded in 2008 by myself and Chuck Daley along with our buddy Jeff Meyers. Chuck and I met and worked together at Deep Elm Records and we stayed in contact once I left there. I think TE was just an opportunity for both of us to get further involved in music. But, I don’t think either of us saw it as something that would be going strong six years later and getting close to 40 releases now.
The first artist we worked with was Look Mexico, we put out their Gasp Asp EP on 7" back in late 2008. Chuck had worked press for the band via Beartrap and had become good friends with them. And then I met the band and we all just hit it off and felt like they were the perfect band to start the label off with.
H: While we’re on the topic of the company’s early days, what can you tell us about the story behind the name Tiny Engines?
W: I can never really remember the whole story but Chuck came up with the name. I think it fits. We’re just a tiny cog in the machine. I think the name has always kind of aligned with how we run the label. We’re small and band friendly but we also try to run the label in a professional kind of way without ever being too business-ey about it.
H: What were your goals for Tiny Engines when the label initially launched, and how have they changed in recent years?
W: Definitely changed from the beginning. Originally we were just going to be a 7" label doing one-off releases with bands we loved. But, then the Everyone Everywhere full-length came along and that record was just too good to not put out, so after only two 7" releases (Look Mexico and Tigers Jaw) we changed our plans and did our first LP as release #3.
I’m not sure we have any grand goals for the label. Obviously things have grown for us and the bands. At the end of the day we still just want to put out great records and work with bands we respect. But, we also want to sell enough records to keep doing this and growing and provide our bands with more resources. And it would be nice to be able to take a little for ourselves here and there considering how much blood, sweat and tears we’ve put into the label. I’m not sure people realize the amount of work and hours running a label takes. It’s draining but also incredibly rewarding as well.
H: You are also a part of the Beartrap PR team. When did you join the team?
W: Chuck founded Beartrap in 2006 I believe and then I joined in 2007.
H: What came first – your interest in running a label or your interest in doing PR?
W: Definitely running a label. Doing PR was never in my mind. I’m quiet and reserved for the most part so press was never something I pictured myself doing. But, like I said before, it’s fairly similar to the label in that I’m only working with stuff I genuinely enjoy.
H: Both Beartrap and Tiny Engines have been growing at an alarming rate. Do you ever struggle to balance the demands of both jobs?
W: Yes, most definitely. Especially these days. I would say my workload for Beartrap and Tiny Engines are both at an all-time high right now. Currently I do all the press for Tiny Engines as well as the press for 4-5 other labels so yeah, it’s a ton of work but I enjoy staying busy. I"m a bit of an organization nut as well so that helps. It also helps to be a single dude with no kids and a crazy passion for music.
H: Without going too in-depth, please walk us a through a typical work day:
W: Oh, nothing crazy really. I just moved up to Charlotte late last year so Chuck and I could be in the same city and I’m temporarily living in the TE office (Chuck’s basement…see how much money we make from this?) right now. So, that’s changed the routine a little bit I guess. Beartrap is much easier to set a schedule for, with Tiny Engines you never really know what the workload will be like from week to week, just depends on our current release schedule. I typically get started on replying to email first and foremost, Beartrap and Tiny Engines related. After that it’s typically on to Beartrap work, whatever press releases and/or digital promos need to go out that day. I know what I have for that day / week and I’m one who likes to knock my work out early and try to get ahead for upcoming days /weeks. It’s definitely a lot to keep up with so it helps to be organized for sure. And it’s a ton of email throughout the day, responding and pitching and coordinating. That can certainly be maddening at times but that’s just the job. And I usually end the day with packing up Tiny Engines mailorder. Save the worst for last I guess.
H: Tiny Engines has been using Haulix for a while now, and from what I have been told you are incredibly happy with the service. What is it about our platform that keeps you around?
W: We actually just started using Haulix this year. We have a Beartrap account that hosts Tiny Engines albums as well as all the other records we’re working press for. It really is an amazing service and one we probably should’ve been using a lot sooner. Just having the ability to create a nice digital promo in a matter of minutes is a beautiful thing for someone who makes a living doing press. And then obviously having the ability to send out and track what press contacts are listening to and downloading is so incredibly helpful in regards to follow ups and targeting contacts for premieres, etc. And then of course having the peace of mind to send out a record months in advance and be protected from an early leak, that’s been nice for Tiny Engines as the anticipation has grown for some of our releases this year. It’s certainly been a great tool for the growth of Beartrap and Tiny Engines this year.
H: Looking ahead to the future, what are the biggest challenges facing Beartrap and Tiny Engines?
W: Just trying to continue to survive. It’s always about survival in this business I think. You have to be willing to adapt and look for new ways to spread the word about your bands. I think for TE it’s going to be a challenge to balance our growth while still being able to operate as a small label on our own terms.
H: What advice would you offer aspiring industry professionals hoping to one day find themselves in a position similar to yours?
W: Work hard. Be passionate and selective about the music/labels/bands you work with. And stick with it, put in the time. Too many people give up too easily these days. And that goes for just about everything in life.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
W: I don’t know. It’s a tough industry for sure. For bands and labels. I love it when bigger bands, labels, publications support & spread the word about smaller bands & labels they believe in. That’s something to me that there’s not enough of these days, just mutual support/appreciation for when people are doing cool stuff, big or small.
H: Vinyl has become a big part of Tiny Engines’ business. What is your top-selling release to date, and what color variant are you most proud of having pressed?
W: Tigers Jaw’s Spirit Desire 7" as of right now although The Hotelier LP is going to gain traction on that one sooner rather than later I think.
In regards to color variants, god, we’ve done so many. I would say the starburst variant we did for the new Direct Effect LP might be one of the best for sure.
H: What goals do you have you set for yourself and your career in the year ahead?
W: I don’t have any supreme goals, I just want to be able to live a simple, comfortable life and continue working with bands/labels/music that inspire me. That’s it, I’m happy if I can do that.
H: I think that just about wraps it up. Before I let you go, are there any final thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
W: If you love a band support them. Buy a record or a tee shirt or go to a show. If there’s a label putting out music you love support them. Like I said, this is a tough industry for bands and labels to make ends meet and continue doing what we do. So, I think it’s important to remind people to support what they love in some capacity or it could very well be gone one day.
Hello and welcome to another week of music industry insight and advice here on the official blog of Haulix. It’s the first week of June and we are kicking off our content with a look at a problem impacting almost every artist working today. 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.
In the interest of full disclosure, not to mention the need to properly setup this column, I feel I must tell you that we are currently in the preliminary stages of designing the future home of the Haulix blog. We are growing, and over the past few months it has become increasingly clear that we will soon need to make changes if we want to properly deliver content in a simple and easy-to-read fashion. We don’t know when this project will be finished or when we will even begin testing the new site design, but one thing I can say is that during this process of planning our future we have not once discussed the possibility of adding additional social networks to our marketing efforts. I’m not sure it has been a conscious decision on everyone’s part, but the more I thought about our future this weekend the more it made sense, and I am willing wager the same can said for your future marketing efforts in music.
There are many times in your music career when it is considered a good thing to be ‘everywhere.’ Music distribution, for example, is best when those who want to buy your music can do so with the least amount of effort. When it comes to social networking, however, the focus of your efforts should be on quality over quantity, and by that I mean both in the number of posts created and the number of networks managed.
Commit this to memory: It is incredibly easy to become join a dozen social networks. It is far harder backing out.
Social networking requires one factor for success that things like music distribution do not: Personality. You can find tools to automate distribution and several aspects of generic promotion, but no auto-posting service can help you engage with fans in a direct and authentic manner. Further, trying to balance touring, recording, practice, real world commitments, and handling a half dozen or more social networks will only result in high stress levels, with a likelihood of low quality networking. You don’t need the added stress and you don’t want mediocre content being shared on your networks, so why stretch yourself thin when no one is telling you it’s necessary?
In order to maximize the return you see on social networks while minimizing the time and stress that goes into social networking you need to settle on 2-3 platforms where you feel your audience resides and focus on making those profiles thrive. For most artists, these platforms would be Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With the ongoing changes to Facebook pages, however, many are beginning to abandon the service that Zuckerberg built for G+, or even MySpace (seriously). Any of these are fine choices, and there are several more out there are would work just as well. The important part is figuring out where your fans are and then finding the most effective ways of engaging them through that platform.
There may very well come a day when you feel there is a ‘need’ for you to be everywhere in the world of social networking, but unless you’re bringing in thousands of dollars every week and can hire people to handle such efforts for you I would advise those ideas be shelved until further notice. All the digital hype in the world does not matter in the slightest if you cannot sell concert tickets or records, and the only way that happens is through connecting with fans in an authentic manner. Be yourself to the best of your abilities and never get too stressed if the number of followers doesn’t move as fast as your would like. It’s only the internet, after all.
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: KHTK Sports 1140 AM is seeking a responsible, hard working, and dedicated full time Assistant Promotion Director to join our team. Responsibilities include but are not limited to writing proposals; maintaining content of KHTK.com and station’s social media platforms; writing copy; interacting with listeners, clients, and the sales and programming departments; securing and maintaining prizing; managing inventory and tracking for auditing; participating in select station events; sourcing, interviewing, hiring and training of interns; miscellaneous clerical duties; and support to the Promotion Director. On-site responsibilities include but are not limited to overseeing KHTK station events, operation of broadcast equipment, and driving the station vehicle.
Job summary: 24/7 News Source has an immediate opening for a full time morning drive News Anchor and Writer. Our ideal candidate has strong news broadcasting experience and is a seasoned veteran on-air who is able to multi-task and takes direction well. You will work in a fast-paced, challenging and friendly environment with career advancement opportunity. Local candidates only, pleas
Job summary: A cheerful, loud, funny personality is needed to call radio stations to promote our clients. Fast typing needed too. If you are the life of the party, this might be for you. Commercial radio just reached an all-time high in number of listeners, so now is a great time. Most of the job will be calling commercial radio stations to set up telephone interviews for our client authors, or, calling commercial music stations to push for airplay for our client artists. But there might also be some calling of venues such as cafes, malls, schools, clubs and churches to promote our client artists to perform there. We will teach what is needed; you just supply a people-oriented personality. We work all commercial talk and music radio formats, in the U.S. and Canada, and specialize in promoting independent and unknown clients so they can get their first commercial media exposure; however our bigger campaigns which include field staff are currently working all major label artists.
Job summary: KJZZ 14 has an immediate opening for an Account Executive. This position is ideal for an experienced business to business sales person who is looking to break into television sales. This position is specifically designed to build and develop new business accounts with companies who are not currently advertising with KJZZ TV. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated; goal oriented and has a strong ability towards initiating action and building trust with potential clients
Job summary: 120VC is looking for a strong Sr. Consultant with local broadcast media experience. Previous experience in any or all of the following areas is required: Managing operations/work flow, mergers & acquisitions, business development OR organizational design. The initial opportunity requires leadership and facilitation skills with a deep understanding of local broadcast media back office processes. The Sr. Consultant will manage a complex business process analysis and integration initiative. Prior experience with acquiring or divesting a radio station is preferred. This position is based in West LA with one of our Fortune 500 clients. Long term, this role is envisioned to become the next 120VC Account Manager.
Job summary: Maker Studios is seeking a strong leader to establish and maintain the content programming strategy for our music vertical, which includes the Maker Music channel and our global network of Music talent. Working with the General Manager, this lead will establish and develop the vertical’s slate of content while tracking content performance. This person will keep abreast of the competitive trends within the industry. Working across matrix teams including Production, Development, Marketing, and Sales, this leader will represent Maker Music in all areas of content programming and content development.
Job summary: Red Bull Records is a full-service independent record label dedicated to long-term artist development, with a diverse roster across a variety of musical genres. We are seeking a candidate to oversee our global merchandise and web store operations, for both the recording artists and label. The position will be responsible for managing multiple campaigns and requires a motivated self-starter.
Job summary: We’re a full service music management firm looking for a passionate, industrious, music-loving and meticulous Office Manager/Bookkeeper. As our Office Manager you will act as the organizational backbone of the company and often it’s face and voice for partners and outside parties. As bookkeeper, you will be the liaison between the company and our Senior Business Management team. Unique opportunity to combine both your enthusiasm for the music industry alongside your accounting and operations skills.
Job summary: 24/7 News Source has an immediate opening for a full-time News Anchor/Reporter in our Washington, D.C. bureau which will sit in Silver Spring, MD. Our ideal candidate has strong news broadcasting experience and is a seasoned veteran on-air who is able to multi-task and takes direction well. You will work in a fast-paced, challenging and friendly environment with great career advancement opportunity.
job summary: Want to sell an aggressive and fun format while working with a great team? Like generous commissions? Prefer to be part of a small sales team where every prospect / geography isn’t already claimed? Want to work somewhere where your potential isn’t constantly blocked? Self-motivated and driven? Energized by closing a sale? We’re committed to your success and will help you get there!
Job summary: Directly responsible for the issuing, tracking, reviewing, and amending of all contracts for the entire rosters of assigned music agents in the NY office. Must be comfortable chasing down contracts and deposits from buyers, as well as maintaining database of 400+ pending client engagements with daily-changing information.
Job summary: Imagem Music Group, one of the world’s largest independent music publishers, is looking to add an Sr. Manager, 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: You will be required to possess a number of skills and abilities, including being interested in and knowledgeable in Urban Music/R&B, having excellent phone etiquette, and being experienced in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Job summary: In addition to responsibilities below, the Sales Administration Coordinator will support the department with duties as needed. It will also involve training in various areas for additional responsibilities.
Job summary: Cumulus’ All The Hits 107.3 Washington, DC, has an immediate opening for a high powered morning show. Major Market morning show experience is REQUIRED! The DMV is one of the most competitive morning radio environments in the country! Thus, no beginners need apply, just winners with a proven track record. Experience in Top 40 is preferred, but lifestyle accessibility is more important than format familiarity. We’re looking for a show that can engage, interact, entertain and stand out in a city that creates headlines for the world. If you’re ready to captivate the Nation’s Capital, both on-air and on the streets, are willing to become an icon among the greatest movers and shakers in the world and have the fortitude to be more than just a one term morning show, then we want to have chat. Please submit resumes, references and mp3s with the subject ‘107.3 Wake Up DC’. Compensation is commensurate with experience and ratings history.
Job summary: The HR Coordinator is part of the HR Generalist team assigned to the Rhino Entertainment and Warner Bros. Records population, and reports to a Vice President, Human Resources. The HR Coordinator provides administrative support for: day-to-day HR activities; recurring HR processes such as biweekly payroll and annual performance reviews; and the execution of HR initiatives such as employee training. There is a possibility the position will be temp-to-perm.
Job summary: The Income Tracking Analyst position will have a number of responsibilities, including analyzing multiple Income Tracking reports for the discovery of unpaid or underpaid royalties in the US and Canada, assist in ensuring royalty accountings are reported accurately in compliance with agreements and on a timely basis, recover unpaid or underpaid royalties in the US and Canada.
Job summary: OPB is looking for an individual passionate about supporting Portland’s local music scene and knowledgeable and experienced in station programming to be opbmusic’s Music Director. The Music Director is a new position in a growing multi-platform music service, directing music content on our 24/7 audio channel, and helping develop content in video and other platforms.
Job summary: This job is based around project management skills, including the ability to schedule many projects simultaneously. It is essential to be able to work to multiple production deadlines. Should have skills in office administration, oral and written communication, industry networking, budgeting and financial management are required. Because label managers deal with artists, they need tact and diplomacy. The label manager must have a thorough appreciation of and commitment to the multiple genres of music that the label deals with. It’s useful (but not necessary) to also have some technical knowledge about recording and production in order to understand the needs of the artists when setting up recording sessions. Technical knowledge of digital marketing strategy will help.
Job summary: Emmy Award winning production company looking for a temporary (possibly leading to permanent) Music Coordinator to join the team in our LA (Culver City Adjacent) offices. Under the direction of the Executive in Charge of Music, this position will be responsible for acting as the department’s music coordinator across multiple projects.
Job summary: Universal Music Group is currently seeking a Team Coordinator position in our Hollywood, CA office location. The purpose of this position is to provide strong administrative and organizational support to the VP of Adult Programming.
Job summary: A leading, cutting edge, Culver City Entertainment company is looking for a talented and enthusiastic Music Supervisor position to join the team. The candidate will be expected to manage the demands of entertainment marketing, working under high stress, with urgent deadlines in a fast pace environment. The candidate must possess a vast knowledge of all types and genres of music and have preexisting established contacts at labels, publishers, and music marketing agencies and have a complete understanding of the music clearance process.
Job summary: Looking for a music clearance coordinator to assistant of various projects. Minimum 1 year previous experience in film & tv music clearance and/or licensing. Must know how to perform song searches on the various PRO’s. Must have exceptional attention to detail. Duties will include song research, sending out quote requests, tracking approvals, processing licenses and payments and other admin duties. Must be able to work in a faced paced environment.
Job summary: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Los Angeles is seeking a detail-oriented, highly motivated, and career-minded Creative Assistant to support two A&R/ Creative Executives. The candidate must be able to work well in a fast paced environment, have the ability to multi-task and be knowledgeable of music as a whole. Major duties of the job will include answering heavy phone volume, booking travel, and maintaining various creative documents for the A&R staff.
Job summary: To be one of the leaders of the core agency team responsible for developing and executing effective advertising campaigns for Axcess TV & Radio. The Media manager is responsible for setting the bar for strategic and creative thinking in all media services.
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 readers in regard to how writers can better themselves professionally. 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.
Last week, we spent the entirety of our Journalism Tips column discussing three major ways music writers annoy publicists. The reaction to that post was so strong that we decided to run another, and if your response remains strong a third is not out of the question. The purpose of these lists is not to make journalists feel bad, but rather to highlight aspects of the way we all do business that could stand to be improved. Whether or not someone takes it upon ourselves to make changes is entirely up to the individual reading this article, but at least we can rest knowing you are more aware of the common mistakes so many of us make.
Without further ado, here are 3 MORE ways music writers drive publicists crazy:
1. Requesting event coverage within 72 hours of the event.
Music writers, especially those new to the industry, tend to get so caught up in the day-to-day events of the music business that they often forget to plan future coverage far enough in advance to guarantee they actually receive the accreditation they seek. Instead, they wait for an email or Twitter reminder to inform them of events happening in the immediate future and turn to publicists for last minute access, which in turn forces the publicist(s) to drop whatever they are working on to try and get an answer to a question they most likely should not even ask this late in the game.
No one believes bloggers and other music writers are lying when they claim to have very little free time for future planning, but it’s incredibly rude for writers to assume everyone else exists to help them whenever they find the time to put in a request. I am willing to go out on a limb and say every single person working full time in publicity today is far more busy than any single writer or blogger could ever pretend to be, and the fact anyone who isn’t Rolling Stone or Pitchfork is ever granted passes for a show, let alone access to artists, is a testament to just how hard PR people work on a daily basis. In order for them to perform to the best of their ability, however, they need writers they can depend on, specifically those who recognize their struggle and make an effort to place coverage requests in a more timely manner. If you can be that person for the publicists in your life, they will do what they can to make things better/easier for you. Remember: Everyone advances faster when we work together, and in order to do that we must respect one another’s role in this industry.
2. Delaying exclusive content to the point it must be given to another outlet, then turning around and complaining about losing the exclusive.
This one is a little more specific than some of the other grievances we have shared, but it’s something I see happen on a near-weekly basis, typically in cases involving smaller/unsigned/indie bands. Sites looking to boost the number of features they’re able to run agree to do an exclusive with a relatively unknown band who somehow managed to land decent representation, and in the time between that agreement and the negotiated launch date a plethora of additional, likely bigger opportunities arrive that cause the exclusive to be shelved or postponed. This may seem like no big deal to the writer, as they believe good content will perform well no matter what day it runs, but for publicists who have planned a specific promotional push for content expected to launch on a specific date it can be one of the most aggravating experiences they have face in their career. They have clients they want to make happy, and more importantly those clients have fans they want to make happy, but that cannot happen unless you hold up your end of the agreement as a writer and run the content on time. If you fail to do this and notice you exclusive appearing on another site, the only person you have to blame is yourself. Never blame publicists for your own lack of professionalism.
3. Sharing pre-release music/media with people other than the intended recipient
You had to know this point was going to be made eventually, right? Haulix specializes in digital distribution and fighting music piracy, which is a long way of saying we work with a number of record labels and publicists around the globe every day. When these professionals want to share unreleased/advance music with members of the press they upload and watermark the music using our system, then distribute those material to select members of the global writing community. By ‘select members,’ I mean to say they go through their entire contact list and select the individual people they want to stream, download, and otherwise engage with their content prior to it being made available for public consumption. What they do not intend to do in these instances, however, is share watermarked advanced music with someone who then turns around and shares that same music with the ten-thirty people they have writing for their music blog. This is not only breaking one of the very few stipulations agreed to by the writer when accepting the media files, but also dramatically increases the likelihood of music leaking.
Listen, we get it. We understand it’s incredibly simple to receive an email inviting you to something and then forward it to others you believe you can trust so that they too may enjoy whatever advance you have just received, but it’s also incredibly stupid. For starters, just because someone contributes to your blog does not necessarily mean they can be trusted with unreleased music. If they receive music from you and it leaks, they will not be held responsible. You, however, will be held fully accountable for the leak and may even face criminal prosecution as a result.
You know what is just as easy as forwarding advanced music to people who are not supposed to have it? Emailing a publicist or record label and requesting that a second copy of the record be sent to whoever on your site is covering the album/artist in the near future. This not only protects you, but it also allows the publicist to better track who has access to music and what type of coverage they are planning to create. It’s a win-win for everyone.
“A wild and crazy weekend involves sitting on the front porch, smoking a cigar, reading a book.” – Robert M. Gates
You may not agree with Mr. Gates’ decision to smoke, but there is something beautiful about the quote above. The best moments in life are those where you can find yourself at peace through simple joys like porch swings and literature. Bars and wild nights spent roaming the city will always have a place in weekend fun, but the finest moments are those spent with the people who matter most, regardless of the activity.
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.
The big item of the week is, as you can probably guess, the recent launch of our state-of-the-art Piracy Takedown system. For the first time ever, Haulix clients are now able to actively fight the distribution of their copyrighted materials online before and after its scheduled release date without having to make more than a few simple clicks. Once live, our system will crawl the internet in search of your illegally shared content and automatically issue DMCA Takedown Notices to the appropriate service providers. It will also track all recovered links and inform you when those links have been removed.
To access this service, login to your account and click the ‘Tools’ icon at the top of the page. From there, select the ‘Piracy Takedown’ option and input all relevant information. Once submitted, we will crawl the internet looking in all of the popular illegal networks and Google searching for your album and tracks. When the system encounters an illegal link or file, it automatically submits atakedown request to the internet service provider of the suspect site.
Piracy Takedowns is an optional service available to all Haulix clients. As a special introductory offer, you may upload your first release for free. All subsequent releases added to the PiracyTakedown system will incur a one-time nonrefundable charge of $9 per track for the first twelve tracks (additional songs are free). Haulix will continue to perform automatic link and file takedowndowns for each release for as long as you remain a Haulix customer. Click here for more information.
On the blog end of things, the past few days have been incredibly busy. We have rolled out a series of in-depth columns this week, and on top of this we have begun working on the launch of our first-ever podcast. Details on that project are being kept under wraps for now, but by the time July arrives we should be ready to share the first episode with you.
In case you missed anything this week, here is a rundown of every article we have shared over the last seven days:
Next week we will be unveiling plans for our first ‘Ask A Lawyer’ event, which we plan to host in the near future.
That’s all the thoughts and ideas we have to share this afternoon. Please have a great weekend and make it a point to stop back by tomorrow for another great column on life in the modern music industry.
Hello, everyone! I know we said yesterday was going to be the last advice column the week, but this could probably qualify as one as well. When you know you have to write about something, however, you just have to sit down and write. That is what happened with this post over the last twenty-four hours, and I think it’s safe to say there will be more discussion on this topic in the days and weeks to come. 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.
Sometimes you know exactly what you want to say and when you want to say it. Other times, life comes along out of nowhere and slaps you in the face with an idea or thought you then immediately feel compared to share with others. It’s a momentary eruption of thought that can be influenced by anything, and that is especially true in the digital age. For me, such a moment struck last night as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, and I will admit up front I was initially looking at my phone in hopes someone would be sharing something I had written earlier in the day. The answer to my inquiry was a definite no, but before I put my phone down to throw a personal pity party for myself a tweet from Michigan punk favorites The Swellers caught my eye and I knew right away there was a topic we needed to discuss on the blog today.
“We’ve been a band for almost twelve years, played on five continents and never had to sell tickets to play a show,” The Swellers wrote. "You don’t either.”
For as long as I have been a part of the this industry, which at this point is well over a decade, pay-to-play performances have been a topic of debate in the music community. Some will have you believe they are a necessary evil that exists to protect promoters from booking bands who do nothing to promote their own shows, while others – including myself – will tell you they are little more than a bullying tactic used by essentially needless middle men and women to make money off live music without needing to promote or perform themselves.
So, what is ‘pay-to-play’?
There are a number of ways to describe pay-to-play situations, but essentially it is any situation where promotion companies require musicians to pay a “fee” to get on a bill for a show (aside from application fees to appear at musical festivals and conventions). You may be paying with your own money out of pocket, or with funds gathered through advanced ticket sales, but as long as you are paying the venue/promoter/etc. before you step foot on their stage then you have found yourself in a pay-to-play situation. Independent promoters developed this method of booking to take advantage of naive talent, and over the years a countless number of excuses have been developed to cover up this fact, including the need for artists to help cover venue costs. That is not your job, and you should never feel obliged to pay a promoter, including in circumstances where they incur expenses at the end of the night. That is a risk that accepted when they took on the role of promoter, and anyone who is an actual professional will never ask that you help chip in to cover their loss. There is of course an exception to this rule if you are somehow directly involved in the planning of the show, say as a ‘co-promoter,’ but 99% of the time that should not be the case.
Are there good pay-to-play situations?
In short, no. Artists are asked to enter into pay-to-play situations because the promoter either has very little faith in the success of the event or because they know it will be a success and want to cash in as soon as possible with the free promotion presented by local talent. If the show you are paying to play on involves a national headliner, there is a good chance the tickets you are selling will go towards paying that touring act’s booking fee. You know who didn’t have to sell tickets in advance? The touring act who gets the money from your sales.
As I mentioned a few paragraphs above, the risk of loss/expenses in on assumed by the promoter when they decided to book the show. You are not responsible for making sure they break even at the end of the night, and you are definitely not responsible for guaranteeing a profit. You are responsible for showing up on time, performing your set to the best of your abilities, and doing your best to not be a dick to anyone in charge. You’re the talent, not the lead salesman for a promoter who offers you little-to-nothing in exchange.
These companies are asking artists to promote. What’s wrong with that?
When you require someone to do something you are not asking them anything. You are demanding it. Artists should promote shows because that is part of their job as musicians, yes, but nothing in the job description of a musician states that they will market until a specific amount of people agree to purchase a certain product. In pay-to-play situations artists are being forced to hard sell fans, which has been proven to be a terrible marketing approach in music, and furthermore they are made to assume the promoter’s risk, as well as the stress associated with handling the cost of putting on a live performance.
From personal experiences, I have known many small bands to make last minute calls to family and friends hoping people will buy tickets to a show – even if there is no way that person can attend – just so the artist can perform for fifteen minutes an hour and a half before some mid-level national headliner comes out and half heartedly thanks the ‘local talent’ that opened the show. In situations such as this, which happen daily in cities and towns across the country, who benefits except the absent, uninvolved promoter? No one.
It can also be argued that pay-to-play actually hinders marketing efforts, as it forces artists to focus on those they believe they can immediately sell on attending a performance and makes no mention of the need for general, routine marketing. They may send out a few digital posts asking those in need of tickets to contact them, but at the end of the day they are going to focus on hitting whatever threshold they need to meet, be it a number or tickets or an amount of money, and then the initial pressure is off. Once an artist meets the goal set by the promoter they can play the show, and even if the only people who show up are the twenty people who were able to come out of the twenty-five that artist convinced to buy tickets there would be nothing the promoter could say to put the blame on the artist because the artist had, at least on paper, met their obligations as talent.
This is all great information, but if we’re being entirely honest Haulix is a company dedicated to fighting piracy. What do you know about booking?
GREAT QUESTION. We may have built our company online, but as individuals our team has years of experience working with live music, both as promoters and musicians. That said, we understand that when dealing with matters related to tour life it can be more reassuring to hear things from people who are currently involved in your area of the music business. With that in mind we reached out to a number of influential people, including Nate Dorough of Fusion Shows and DC Area show promoter Tyler Osborne, to learn their thoughts on pay-to-play:
"I think it’s bullshit. If you’re required to pay to play an event, that’s not at all cool. Bands should never have to fork over money or do any sort of crazy thing just to get on a gig. However, I am a big believer that for local acts, their draw is best when they help sell tickets to their fanbase.
One of the biggest pushes we make in the concert industry is to get people to buy tickets in advance. That way, it’s sealed that they’ll attend. You can budget based on advance sales, whether you need to spend more marketing dollars or not, how much money you can spend on hospitality for the bands, staffing, etc. If someone does not hold an advance ticket, they may decide the day of the show that the couch looks nice, that they’d rather stay home and watch TV, etc. All of our marketing efforts are pushing to get people to come to the show, however they choose to do so, but it’s easier on everyone if they buy tickets in advance.
So when a local act is added to a show, they have the unique ability to physically deliver tickets to friends and family who would attend. So at Fusion, we give artists the OPTION of selling tickets, and usually pay better the bands who sell more tickets. We also pay bands who don’t sell tickets, if the show itself does well. But no one with our group is ever forced to sell. If they’re just not into it, that’s OK by us.
Unfortunately, some of the folks who want to make a huge fuss about pay-to-play will lump the way we do it into some sort of "scheme”, and we couldn’t be more against pay-to-play situations.“ – Nate Dorough, Fusion Shows (Founder)
"Does it make sense for a promoter to have opening bands sell tickets to play their shows? Sure. That doesn’t mean as a band you have to. We played houses or rented out VFW halls and chose the places where we could build our own fan base. It worked. I still feel guilty when we play a show and the local band had to sell tickets. Sure it helped us get our guarantee, but they did the legwork. The goal is to become an entity to where you get asked to play by a promoter because everyone knows you draw people. Or be good/cool enough to where the headlining band asks you directly. Selling tickets is the insurance policy, but in the grand scheme of things it isn’t guaranteeing those people staying to watch the other bands. Make a good reputation for yourself by promoting the hell out of your shows, building your own scene and following through with a killer show. That’s how you can sell tickets.” – Jonathan Diener, The Swellers
“It would be easy for me to just give a one liner and say "pay to play” is completely bullshit, and yes that is the case, but there’s more to this. In my time involved in music I’ve seen this play out in many different ways. Most of the time I see promoters give a band X amount of tickets and have them sell as many as possible and then have them pound the pavement hocking tickets to whomever will fork over the money; most often parents and close friends come in to save the day and the show for the promoter to cover the cost of the headliner. Now, this is BS on so many levels. First off the promoter has put all the pressure on the bands to make the show a success and absolved themselves from any risk. Also in doing this, the promoter diminishes the value and morale of the bands that they want to sell their (the promoter’s) tickets. Shows need to be a two-way street with promoters and bands working together and being paid fairly to have a truly successful show. A lot of times bands feel trapped, having to play this game in fear of not being booked again at that venue and that fear is abused by SOME – not all – promoters to keep bands in their pocket. This also bleeds the scene dry and makes concert-goers not give a shit anymore because they’re tired of being hassled by bands to buy tickets. Another somewhat common practice is for a promoter to say you need to sell X amount of tickets or you can’t play. This is the worst of them all. Bands bust their asses to sell tickets, over-post on social media, and still need to come out of pocket to play the show. This makes for a shit show on so many levels…..the bands are pissed out of the gate that they did not meet the promoters goal, that their fan base is not what they thought it was and so on and so on. Then the promoter is pissed because now they fear having to come out of pocket to make ends meet. All that being said it often turns into a crap show with fans/friends/family showing up and watching their kids/friends band and then leaving, leaving it a half empty or less show for the headliner. So I’ve said what is wrong but the real question is how to fix the problem. That’s a way harder question that I think about a lot. So I would love to hear from the fans and bands on what they think would be fair.“ – Danny Fonorow, Jonas Sees in Color
"I know some bands get some good use out of it, but as a concept pay to play shows generally suck. Some scenes are so deeply entrenched in this model that it’s almost necessary, but within the punk scene, if you make good music, people will notice and your band will play shows. I never have and never will run or have my band do play to play shows, there’s just no need at the DIY level.” – Tyler Osborne, DC Area Concert Promoter
