Month: November 2014

Categories
Job Board News

Music Industry Job Board (11/30/14)

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 openings:

Production Manager – Aspen Opera Theater Center (Aspen Music Festival)

Job summary: The Production Manager of the Aspen Opera Theater Center (AOTC) supervises the general operations and production staff of the AOTC, and serves as the liaison between the AOTC and the operations department of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Responsibilities include creating and maintaining the production schedule (in consultation with the operations department, program administrator, and directors) in the ArtsVision database, acting as production quality director of rehearsals, approving the use of the Wheeler Opera House for non-production and non-AOTC related requests, managing load-in, load-out, and contents of the AOTC storage units. The Production Manager also schedules, sets the agenda for, and runs weekly production meetings, recording and distributing notes to AOTC and other key AMFS staff.

Producer, Talk Programming (Sirius XM)

Job summary: Produce and develop an entertaining daily show hosted by Jenny Hutt that incorporates celebrity interviews, listener interactive segments, information, entertainment commentary, and remote broadcasts.

Product Manager – Headphones (Monster Cable Products)

Job summary: Each Product Area Manager is responsible for developing and articulating the strategic direction for a full product line, and is compensated based upon the P&L of their category. They will provide direction and guidance to a cross-functional team of engineers, industrial designers, strategic buyers, creative artists, copywriters, analysts, and sales people responsible for the design, build, marketing, and selling of their particular product category. In addition, they will partner with other product managers, Market Area Managers and sales people to support and maintain Monster’s product development process.

Coordinator, Rhino/Catalog Group, Artist Royalties & Administration Department, Recorded Music Rights Administration (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: This candidate hired to fill this position will assist the Head of the Rhino/Catalog Group and other employees in that group with various administrative tasks and special projects.

Social Media Coordinator (The Recording Academy)

Job summary: The Recording Academy is looking for a Social Media Coordinator to join the Marketing Communications team. Whether it is Social TV or year round engagement strategies, The Recording Academy continues to be at the forefront of innovation with social media. This person needs to be savvy across all social media platforms and lend their dynamic voice to the GRAMMYs accounts. He/she will also need to have a deep understanding of the current musical landscape and musical history

Programmatic Planner (SpinMedia)

Job summary: SMG is a digital media company connecting entertainment and music fans to the content, communities and brands they love. We’re the passionate minds behind some of the web’s most influential properties and we harness our collective voice to create online content, social and mobile platforms, events and integrated marketing programs. Through our iconic properties such as SPIN, VIBE, Celebuzz, Death and Taxes, Buzznet, The Frisky, Idolator, Stereogum, SMG provides advertisers with authentic, unparalleled access to the most loyal and engaged audiences around the world.

Manager, Listener Care Certification & Audit (Sirius XM)

Job summary: The Manager, Listener Care Certification & Audit will manage the performance of trainers at SiriusXM call centers by collaborating with and overseeing day to day operations of our external service providers (vendors). You will ensure that training is being delivered as designed, that learners are engaged and that desired outcomes are met.

VP & Managing Editor, BET (Viacom)

Job summary: The Vice President and Managing Editor of BET Digital will oversee the development and execution of all content for BET Digital. S/he will be responsible for defining and driving the editorial voice for BET Digital, generating the content people want to see across BETN’s online, mobile and social media platforms. The Vice President and Managing Editor of BET Digital will work closely with sales, programming, technology, marketing, research and other departments to translate the BETN brand across BET’s digital suite.

Associate Dean of Admissions Marketing & Recruiting (Berklee)

Job summary: Under the broad direction of the Dean of Admissions, the Associate Dean of Admissions Marketing and Recruiting develops strategies to support the Dean’s enrollment vision. Oversees ROI on all recruitment marketing campaigns. Responsible for the Admissions digital marketing strategy through leverage of technologies including (but not limited to) Marketo and Salesforce. Oversees direct mail list segmentation to generate highly effective response rate for our various summer, undergraduate, and graduate programs. Ability to think strategically and monitor/adjust tactical implementation. An entrepreneurial, results-oriented outlook.

Interactive Marketing Manager (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: The Interactive Marketing Manager will be the main digital strategist for their own roster of artists and/or projects. They will craft and execute the digital campaign for those artists spanning promotion, social strategy, community engagement, e-commerce, and partnership opportunities with inter-departmental (marketing, radio, press, product development, etc..) input and coordination. They will continually look for new opportunities, services and platforms with which to partner and/or utilize. In addition to their work directly with artists, they will have a loud voice in forming overall departmental strategy and direction as operational digital specialists. Every campaign will come with mutually agreed upon goals and targets that the marketer will striving to achieve.

VP, Digital Marketing & Strategy (Isolation Network)

Job summary: The goal is to position INgrooves Music Group as the most effective monetization and distribution partner for independent content owners as the digital music market evolves from a transaction based economy to one based on access. This transition is being driven by the oncoming format change from download and physical sales of music to streaming subscription models and digital radio outlets. In order for the Company to achieve its goals, we need expertise in developing best practices and products around music discovery, digital promotion and viral marketing with the purpose of increasing overall consumption and revenue for our clients. You will lead a team of professionals who work with all INgrooves’ labels and artists across the globe. You and your team are responsible for helping us figure out how to make the most of, and stay in front of, this rapidly evolving marketplace. This position can be based in San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Senior Interaction Designer (Live Nation Entertainment)

Job Summary: Ticketmaster is looking for a Senior Interaction Designer to join our growing User Experience team. Reporting to the VP of User Experience, the designer will be responsible for creating best-in-class designs for the next generation of ticketing tools and live event applications. From complexity to clarity, we are seeking candidates who can translate business requirements into clean, intuitive experiences. The selected candidate will have a proven track record of understanding user needs and motivations, identifying underlying problems, and designing effective, highly functional solutions.

Sr. Analyst, Financial Planning & Analysis (Spotify)

Job summary: This individual will be responsible for providing timely and accurate financial reporting and analysis to the Finance and Marketing Organizations. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: forecasting and budgeting, supporting the CMO and business areas VPs on their strategic plans, variance analysis, capital allocation and KPI monitoring.

Marketing Coordinator (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator works closely with the Senior Manager, Sales & Marketing to implement direct marketing plans for all concerts presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Social Media Manager (Total Assault)

Job summary: As a Social Media Coordinator, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the social media profiles for a handful of music and/or entertainment clients. You will be charged with creating a social editorial calendar, bringing unique / creative ideas to the table, and executing a defined strategy. The position focuses on ensuring our social media campaigns are fully optimized, forward-thinking and possess consistent movement towards client goals (engagement, growth, awareness, etc.). The social media coordinator will also seamlessly integrate social campaigns with our internal marketing team. This position is a support position, but candidates should be comfortable expressing thoughts, marketing strategies, analytics and general campaign status to clients be it via phone, e-mail or in person.

Partner Marketing Manager (Ticketfly)

Job summary: Reporting to the Senior Manager of Marketing Services, the Partner Marketing Manager is responsible for helping Ticketfly clients maximize their marketing potential. This role will serve as a strategic marketing consultant to Ticketfly’s top venue, promoter, and festival partners to help drive important goals like building brand awareness, acquiring new customers, and selling more tickets. The Partner Marketing Manager will act as Ticketfly’s in-house subject matter expert on digital marketing best practices, diving deep into client marketing activities to develop marketing plans, guide implementation, and measure results.

Digital Marketing/Events Coordinator (C3 Consulting)

Job summary: This individual will be responsible for a broad range of digital marketing and event coordination activities. They will develop social media campaigns to managing customer leads through Hub Spot. The individual will couple the social media campaigns with industry/customer events designed to drive interest in electric vehicles. You will be part of a small team that manages all marketing, branding, public relations, digital activities and events. This position is responsible for all digital activities.

Communications Coordinator, School Of Music (University Of Tennessee)

Job summary: UT School of Music seeks a Communications Coordinator to publicize all music concerts and events, and who is also talented in graphic design and copy editing. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: brochure design, sending e-newsletters, working closely with the School of Music Recruitment Committee and Advisory Board, other on-campus communication’s offices,off-campus news agencies, purchasing advertising, and overseeing all related public relations for the School of Music. Some attendance at evening and weekend events may be required.

Marketing Manager (Peavey Electronics)

Job summary: Responsible for all marketing, advertising, promotional activities, and participation in product development. The Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining market strategies to meet organizational objectives and reports to the Chief Operations Officer.

Senior Category Marketing Manager, BizPro (EventBrite)

Job summary: In this role, you’ll be part of a team responsible for growing a vast world of events—from large conferences to weekly meet-ups, from tech to healthcare to nonprofit to education sectors. You will develop strategies and execute key activities designed to grow our market share in target segments and convert more organizers into Eventbrite advocates. You’ll work cross-functionally across our Marketing, Sales, Product and Design teams to drive initiatives forward, and ultimately help accelerate Eventbrite’s growth across these core markets.

Digital Marketing Manager (Pandora)

Job summary: Pandora is looking for a Digital Marketing Manager to join the growing Marketing team in Oakland, CA. The Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for creating, managing and analyzing direct response mobile and web marketing campaigns as well as continuously identifying new opportunities for Pandora to acquire and reengage users.

Content Marketing (ReverbNation)

Job summary: ReverbNation is currently hiring for an articulate, motivated, and skilled marketing professional to become our Content Marketing and Community Manager. This hands-on position will report to the Director of Corporate Marketing and manage the company’s core content marketing efforts, social media and Artist-facing communications.

Lead Product Marketing Manager, YouTube Music (Youtube)

Job summary: As a Marketing manager, you are a fully dedicated business leader, shaping the future of one of our many Google products. Whether you’re on a consumer product (like Gmail, Search, Maps, Chrome, Android) or a business product (AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, Analytics), you take part in a complete marketing experience as you lead every facet of the product’s journey. From determining positioning, naming, competitive analysis, feature prioritization and external communications, you help shape the voice of the product and help it grow a loyal consumer base. This means you work with a cross-functional team across sales, corporate communications, legal, webmasters, product development, engineering and more. The role enables you to shape the product development process, organize product launches from beginning to end and form future marketing strategy.

Marketing Content Coordinator (Sony)

Job summary: As part of the US Latin Marketing team, the Marketing Content Coordinator is responsible for creating and keeping current a “holistic view” database / portfolio of artist-specific marketing assets that will support multichannel marketing programs, business development / licensing presentations, digital sales initiatives, physical sales initiatives and other programs as might be required.

Marketing Operations Coordinator- Arts & Theatre (LiveNation)

Job summary: The Marketing Operations Coordinator will lead the daily implementation and coordination of marketing activities, requests and communication across internal and external project teams. The individual will respond to requests from internal (principally Marketing Services Specialists) and external clients by using system tools to implement marketing tasks. He or she will assist in managing and scheduling regular updates for clients and assist the MSS team as required in day-to-day delivery of tactical marketing activities.

Sr. Product Marketing Manager (Bose)

Job summary: Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose. Today, the company is one of the largest and best-known audio technology developers and product manufacturers in the United States and throughout the world. Bose is known for home entertainment systems and speakers, the Wave® products, premium automotive music systems, noise reducing headsets for consumers and pilots and sound for public spaces and musicians. We are seeking a new Sr. Product Marketing Manager to further these efforts.

Director, Sales & Marketing (The Orchard)

Job summary: This position is LA-based. Reporting to the VP of Sales & Marketing, the Director of Digital Sales & Marketing will be responsible for developing and fostering key relationships with the sales & marketing teams of worldwide digital and cable retailers. He/she will champion the Orchard’s growing slate of theatrical and digital releases, driving incremental revenue, merchandising and marketing opportunities and overall category management of the portfolio.

Digital Marketing Manager (Pandora)

Job summary: Pandora is looking for a Digital Marketing Manager to join the growing Marketing team in Oakland, CA. The Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for creating, managing and analyzing direct response mobile and web marketing campaigns as well as continuously identifying new opportunities for Pandora to acquire and reengage users.

Director of Sales, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship (LiveNation Philadelphia)

Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Create, package and sell solution-based music marketing programs for Live Nation amphitheater, club, promotional and digital properties and assets, as well as meeting or exceeding revenue and key account goals.

Director, Online Marketing (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: This position is responsible for marketing the Warner Music Group catalog across the online spectrum. The individual in this role will work with the Sales and Marketing Department, collaborating to bring creativity, strategic direction, and best practices in all online marketing efforts across company websites, social media properties and streaming partners. This role is also responsible for outreach to potential online partners to further expose the Warner Music Group catalog to new fans. This position is also responsible for staying in tune with the latest online marketing trends, constantly searching for new partnerships and opportunities to expose the WMG catalog across all online platforms and digital distribution channels, including internal and external partner websites, social media, streaming partners, and apps.

Sales Representative (BMI)

Job summary: The Sales Representative secures high-quality licenses in accordance with the licensing sales process by performing the following duties: Manages all assigned opportunities. Assist in the marketing function, and develops territory plans for approval by team management. Performs traditional sales calls as dictated by the sales process. Makes collections calls as specifically assigned.

Segment Retention Manager, New Customers (Sirius XM)

Job summary: The role of the Segment Retention Manager – New Customers is to drive customer and competitive insights into the strategic market planning for new customers. The Segment Retention manager will initiate the segment analysis and on boarding journey to lead the transition to segment market plan and metrics. The manager works in tandem with the segment team to weave Planning and Insights seamlessly into customer marketing efforts to drive discovery and engagement. Create customer touch points in support of renewal & retention strategies and leverage digital media and other mediums to achieve strategic goals.

BET Engineer, Post Facility (Viacom)

Job summary: The Engineer selected should possess the technical expertise to support all facets of a medium sized Cable Network Post department. The selected candidate should be capable of the following duties:
o Perform diagnostics, troubleshooting, routine and preventive maintenance of all equipment in post-production department including tape decks, routers, servers, encoders, graphic and editing system including Avid Interplay/Isis, etc.

Sales Manager (Hard Rock)

Job summary: This individual will direct Cafe sales and marketing efforts ensuring that the business is financially successful and that it represents our brand identity in its entirety, therefore positively impacting our global operation.

Director, Digital Marketing (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: Responsible for daily management of the digital marketing team and genre-specific oversight of digital marketing strategy. Director also manages a roster of high-profile artists online, including content development and management, grassroots community building and marketing, the Atlantic “artist.com network,” tastemaker sites, and genre-related digital marketing lifestyle outlets. The Director of Digital Marketing is focused on the creation and building of Atlantic’s artist communities as they serve as the core of the direct-to-consumer initiatives and future product development, and guiding their direct reports in executing the digital strategy for the label.

Manager, Web and New Media Services (Juilliard)

Job summary: The mission of The Juilliard School is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens.

Pop/Rock Promotions (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: Responsible for providing premier administrative, project, and research support for VP of Alternative/Rock Formats, Director AAA/Adult Promotion, VP of Rhythm/Pop and VP of Adult/Pop Promotion. This should be done in addition to working independently and following through on all assignments.

Communications Managers, School Of Music (University Of Tennessee)

Job summary: Pay Grade 38/Full-time/Non-Exempt Position. UT School of Music seeks a Communications Coordinator to publicize all music concerts and events, and who is also talented in graphic design and copy editing. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: brochure design, sending e-newsletters, working closely with the School of Music Recruitment Committee and Advisory Board, other on-campus communication’s offices,off-campus news agencies, purchasing advertising, and overseeing all related public relations for the School of Music. Some attendance at evening and weekend events may be required.

Categories
Job Board News

Haulix Weekly Update #65 – Listen To More Front Porch Step

Good afternoon, everyone! Many of you have the day off thanks to America’s love of turkey, but the growing number of press releases in my inbox tells me there are several industry vets hard at work. This post can help fill your free time and distract you from another day at work. A little something for everyone, if you will. For example, we bet everyone can find a reason to love this:

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 holiday kept us from completing any new platform releases this week, but we did inch closer to another round of development updates. I’m not allowed to tell you exactly what we have in the works, of course, but it will simplify the lives of clients and press alike. While we wait, why not make use of these recent updates:

Bandwidth Usage Alerts

The system will now send you an email alert when you hit 80% bandwidth usage for the month.

Bandwidth Usage Graphs

The bottom of your dashboard has a new function, “Show Promo Bandwidth”. Click the link and yellow bars will appear showing how much bandwidth has been used per the lifetime of each promo measured in gigabytes.

Plan Change Alerts

Anytime you upgrade, downgrade, hibernate or cancel your account, you will now receive a confirmation email.

On the blog end of things, the past seven days saw a nice bump in content creation. We have been trying to better our output without jeopardizing the overall quality of our content, and I believe we have found a way to do just that. A lot of it is owed to our friends Andrew Jones and Lueda Alia, two influential industry stars on the rise who have dedicated time to contributing content to this site. We love them, and it’s clear from your response to their work you feel the same. I (James, the guy who writes 99% of what you see here) have a few additional industry friends I hope to bring into the fold in the months ahead. If you’d like to join that group, please contact me through social media.

In case you missed anything important this week, here’s a rundown of our most recent posts:

Six Tips For Improving Your Black Friday Sales

An Introduction To Evaluating Music Publications

One Great Way Artists Can Avoid Annoying People On Facebook

Why Modern Journalism Sucks

Six Tips For Lowering The Cost Of T-Shirts

Music Industry Job Board (11/23/14)

We have a TON of killer content planned for December, and we hope you’ll stick around to see what we have in store. For now, stay warm and enjoy any time with family you’re able to find. We’ll return on Sunday with an all-new job board.

Best, 

Haulix

Categories
News

ADVICE: Six Tips For Improving Your Black Friday Sales

Hello, everyone! Thank you for finding time in your schedule to spend a few minutes with us. This week has focused heavily on ways artists can keep merchandise costs low while furthering their overall reach, and this post is a continuation of that effort. If you’re feeling burnt out on this topic, don’t fret. We’ll be back to our regular series of interviews and editorials next week.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Today is the day before Thanksgiving, which means we are less than two full days from the official start of the year’s busiest shopping season. Christmas is right the corner, and if you’re smart you’ve already begun putting thought into the various sales and discounts you are able to offer fans during this time. If not, there’s still time to get prepared, and we’re here to offer a little help.

We cannot guarantee a boom in sales this holiday season. In fact, we cannot guarantee a rise in the number of sales you see at all. What we can do, however, is help ensure your marketing and sales efforts are top notch. To do that, follow these tips:

Check your inventory. Twice.

Your goal with holiday sales should be to liquidate as much of the merchandise you have in stock as possible while still making a healthy profit on each product sold. Before you can do this to the best of your abilities you need to know what you have available, and how much of it is in stock. Running out of something during your holiday sale will cause headaches for everyone, and that goes double if you run out of something because you forgot to check your inventory prior to launching your sale. The back and forth required to straighten out orders that cannot be fulfilled may cause you to lose future sales, as well as those you are forced to cancel. Prevent this mess from ever happening and do inventory first. Do it twice, in fact, and ask someone else to check your work.

Promote your entire sale, as well as individual items.

You want people to use your discounts to buy more than they usually would, but often those attempting to promote a store-wide sale forget the impact that promoting key items one at a time can have on consumers. You should still mention store-wide discounts, of course, but you should also make room to highlight individual items. If you’re offering 25% off everything online, you should promote the sale as how it impacts items like shirts or vinyl. Create images for Instagram and other networks that highlight how the discount impacts the cost of single items, that way people can more easily understand what a great deal you are giving them. Likewise, you can use Twitter to promote various items and their price after discounts throughout the holiday weekend.

Speaking of promotion, think about paying for it.

I’m about to say something most artists hate to hear: Paying for promoted posts on Facebook and Twitter can have a positive impact on your reach, as well as your overall sales. It would be wonderful if this were not the case, and that those who could not afford paid promotion on social networks saw their sales work just as well, but years of research has made it clear that is not the case. Thankfully, the cost of entry into paid promotions is low. For as little as five dollars you can have a guaranteed reach to hundreds, if not thousands of people who have previously enjoyed your music enough to give you a Like/Follow online. Whether or not they take advantage of the message being conveyed will depend on how you choose to present yourself, but at least you know your efforts are reaching those who are most likely to jump on them.

Create specific Twitter search streams for particular items you sell.

This one is a bit more time-consuming than other tips, but it can help you bring in a lot of new consumers who may have otherwise not checked your store. There are numerous tools that allow you to create and save Twitter search streams. Find one you like and use it to track people tweeting about shopping/looking for things like ‘new vinyl’ or ‘cool band t-shirts.’ It’s likely these people already have an artist or genre in mind when they send these messages, but you can still reply with links to your store and music. If they don’t respond, oh well. If they do, you’ve got a potential new consumer/fan.

Make the most of SEO

We’ve talked about this before, but keywords are becoming increasingly important when it comes to how people find your content online. Use a tool such as the Google Keyword tool to better understand how your customers are searching, then modify your own store to reflect what you have learned. It is important to know which keywords are mostly used during the holidays, such as ‘sales,’ ‘top gifts,’ ‘cyber Monday,’ and ‘black Friday.’

Make sure everything is working before promoting your sale.

This one may seem obvious, but every year there are a handful of musicians who see their site, or at least parts of their site, crash amidst the sudden upswing in view brought on by the holiday shopping season. Before you push your sale live, make sure every item on your store is properly listed and that every sale is working correctly. If there is a code word needed, make sure you test it out prior to sharing it online.

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We have plans to share additional merchandising tips for bands in the weeks ahead. If you have an idea for a column, or if you have a question about merchandising and branding that you want us to answer, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.

Categories
News

Sometimes we create cool stuff, but other times we simply find it online. Brett Edgerly, editor at Your EDM, created this easy-to-follow guide to website evaluation earlier this week and we could not resist sharing it with all of you. Whether you’re a publicist hoping to better understand the industry, or you’re an artist trying to figure out what sites would be best suited to promote your content, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Categories
News

One Great Way Artists Can Avoid Annoying Friends And Facebook Followers!

Hello. Thank you for finding time in your schedule to browse our site. You can go just about anywhere on the web without fear of government issued vehicles raiding your house, so we’re thankful you have chosen to spend your precious time here. The post you’re about to read is aimed at improving the social networking efforts of musicians on the rise, but in reality the tips provided can be applied to almost any individual or small business hoping to further their digital impact.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

If you work in the live music industry, you spend a lot of time inviting people to concerts. Hopefully you are inviting them with a variety of methods, Facebook events being one. Which is great as long as you do it properly.

I get invited to a TON of shows, that the glorious nature of being friends with so many bands and promoters, there is always something going on, there is always too much going on really. The byproduct is that you receive a lot of Facebook event invites, which is great, great FB events get you all the details and can be a perfect way to get show info HOWEVER there is one kind of invite that becomes REALLY tiresome:

Invites to shows that are nowhere near me.

Now, every once and a while someone may be genuinely confused, maybe they met me in Calgary and keep inviting me to Calgary shows, no biggie, I may reach out to let you know but we all get confused sometimes. The thing that will get under your fans skin is the generic shotgun blast invite everyone to everything. I am obviously not got to come to your shows in Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Boston, Portland, Vancouver and Calgary, so don’t invite me, this isn’t confusion it’s laziness.

It only makes your invites less effective.

When you keep seeing the same basic information over and over that doesn’t apply to you, pretty soon you brain stops really taking in that information. Our brains know that they can’t handle every little detail they see in a day, so it categorizes things in order of importance, when your event is continually irrelevant to your listeners, pretty soon…it goes into the wrong bin, it’s irrelevant.

But it’s hard work to invite everyone! It’s slow! I can’t possibly know where all 2700 of these people are from!

Yes, it is harder, but if it’s more effective. It is a bit slow, BUT Facebook has given you the tools to make it not so very painful AND to make sure you can find the right people AND it’s free! If you don’t know about Graph search yet, you are missing out. Here is how it works:

In the search bar you type: My friends who live in __________A better way to make sure you invite the right friends to your Facebook event

Facebook will then display a list of all your friends who live in that city. Killer.

Now, open up a separate window.

You could use a tab, but having two windows side-by-side will make this go much faster. As you go down the list simply type the name of the person and invite. I takes time but it’s really not bad at all.  And that’s just the beginning of how musicians can take advantage of graph search…but that’s for another post!

This post was written by Andrew Jones, editor of Checkered Owl. It originally ran on his blog, but we loved it so much we felt it deserved to shared once more on ours. If you like his work and want to read more of his writing, or if you want to be super cool and offer him full time industry employment, reach out and connect with him on Twitter.

Categories
News

Penises, Butts, and Gossip: Why Modern Journalism Sucks

Greetings, everyone! It gives us quite a thrill to learn that you were able to find time amidst your hectic schedule to spend a few minutes with us talking about the state of music journalism. The post you are about to enjoy was created by our longtime contributor Lueda Alia, a brilliant young woman with years of experience in digital media under her belt. She’s written here before, and I can promise you right now she will delivered additional content in the future.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

My social media feeds are full of rants (and often snarky comments) from frustrated people in the entertainment industry. What worked so well for many years suddenly doesn’t seem to work anymore. Distribution of music has never been easier (Soundcloud, BandCamp, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, etc.) and there are more publications, magazines, and blogs than ever before. Why, then, is it so difficult to secure artists and brands the exposure they deserve?

Well. The past two weeks, publications have been busy publishing articles on Kim Kardashian’s butt and Lorde’s “feud” with Diplo regarding his “tiny penis”:

The Guardian
Taylor swift ‘booty’ diss by Diplo inspires Lorde’s wrath

Spin
Diplo Disses Taylor Swift’s Butt, Lorde Follows Up With the Perfect Comeback

The Huffington Post Entertainment
Lorde Totally Owns Diplo After He Disses Taylor Swift on Twitter

Rolling Stone
The Everything Index: Kim Kardashian’s Pavlovian Posterior Experiment

Fact Magazine
Diplo Prompts Gross Taylor Swift Kickstarter; Gets Shamed By Lorde For His ‘Tiny Penis’

CNN Entertainment
Make fun of Taylor Swift? Not on Lorde’s watch

Billboard 
Lorde Perfectly Disses Diplo After He Insults Taylor Swift

NME
Lord explains her Diplo ‘tiny penis’ comment

NY Daily News
Lorde defends Taylor Swift, disses Diplo’s “tiny penis” on Twitter

Fox News Entertainment
Katy Perry’s boyfriend Diplo disses Taylor Swift’s butt; Lorde disses Diplo’s manhood


Grantland
Asses of Fire: Why Kim Kardashian’s Magazine Shoot Failed to ‘Break the Internet’

Stereogum
Lorde Clarifies Comment About Kim Kardashian’s Butt

NME
Lorde says Kim Kardashian cover of Paper magazine is ‘pure heaven’

VICE
Getting to the Bottom of Kim Kardashian’s Alien Appeal

Time Magazine
Kim Kardashian’s Butt Is an Empty Promise

I could go on for hours with similar examples, but you get the point. Instead of using these platforms, which reach millions of people, to promote and reward deserving individuals for their skills and talents, the relentless pursuit of advertising revenue has pushed us to cover gossip about butts and penises.

We get it. Kim Kardashian has a huge ass, and Lorde made fun of Diplo in a hilarious way! And that’s a great way to get people to click on your website! Great, now writers and journalists are using wasting their skills writing about ludicrous and irrelevant stories, and all is well!

It’s easy to poke fun at these publications for struggling to adapt to technology and the internet. In order to remain relevant and make money, they have opted to become TMZ-esque because it’s easy and it works. But I can’t see this being a long-term solution, because all of these publications are becoming mirror images of each other and nothing more.

One of these days, we will start to care about journalistic integrity once more. We will begin to write stories that deserve to be shared with the rest of the world, and we’ll reward people who have earned the exposure through hard work and creativity and not through their fame. But that day is not today. And thus, everyone (artists and publicists included) needs to adapt the way they work in order to succeed. Stay tuned for my next article, which offers suggestions and advice for navigating the current landscape.

Lueda Alia is a music industry professional and freelance entertainment writer with years of experience working directly with artists on the rise. She maintains a great personal blog, as well as Made Of Chalk (which we featured on this blog earlier this year).

Categories
News

MERCH ADVICE: Six Tips For Lowering The Cost Of T-Shirts

Hello, everyone! Thank you for finding some time in the midst of your assuredly hectic schedule to spend a few minutes on this site. The post you are about to enjoy was written with independent artists in mind, but the information being shared may be of use to record labels and signed musicians as well. Merchandising is a very important facet of life as an artist today, and we’re here to help ensure you keep your costs low.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

There are many ways to get attention for your band, but regardless of what tips and tricks you may have picked up throughout your experience in music there is nothing that can impact your career like a great hook or brilliant melody. This is not a theory or a thought, but rather proven fact that has worked for artists trying to make it in every corner of the music business. Everything else that follows, from touring to merchandise, must take a back seat to songwriting. 

All that aside, artists still need to make money. Music sales have dipped across the board over the last decade, and with streaming services like Spotify and Rdio on the rise it seems like the amount of money most artists see from their new releases will continue to dwindle for the foreseeable future. Great music still sells, yes, but only a fool would rely solely on the strength of their music sales to support themselves in the entertainment business. Merchandising beyond albums and singles is an absolute must in today’s music business, and the one item every artist can use to generate income while trying to craft that perfect song is a t-shirt. There are a billion ways to customize shirts, some far more expensive than others, but by considering the following tips you can keep costs low while furthering your marketing efforts:

——————  SUPER BASIC TIPS —————— 

  • Two-sided designs costs more than those with a design appearing on either the back or front.
  • Shirts requiring the use of many inks (colors) will cost more than those created using a single ink. 
  • Dark fabric often costs more than light fabric because more layers of ink must be applied in order for the design to stick

—————— THINGS TO CONSIDER —————— 

Large designs can make a big impact 

Why incur the cost of creating a two-sided shirt design when you can make a bigger, more cost effective impact with a large, single side design. The vast majority of printers charge the same rate for a design measuring 3”x5” as they do for those measuring 12”x12”. That said, not everyone is a fan of big designs, so it would be wise to check with your fan base prior to moving forward with any design.

Stop printing on both sides 

The occasional two-sided shirt design can be cool, but trying to cover both sides of every shirt you create will only raise the overall cost of merchandising. Using the knowledge you gained from the tip above regarding design sizes, artists should think twice before incurring a potentially unnecessary extra expense.

Use fewer ink colors

Fans of alternative and punk music have been one of the leading forces behind a recent trend toward more color-heavy shirts. Bands like A Day To Remember and Asking Alexandria have found great success with shirts featuring cartoonish designs and many bright colors. Similar branding efforts may work for smaller artists as well, but those musicians should first consider the additional costs incurred from use of multiple inks. The number rises with each color, and unless artists plan on ordering a large quantity of shirts up front (500+) the up front cost may be more than some are willing to pay for a few extra color. Our advice is this: Keep it simple. Try and use one color whenever possible unless you know the idea you have is going to be a hit with listeners.

Order larger quantities of shirts

We touched on this a bit in the tip above, but one way musicians can lower the cost of their merchandise is to increase the number of shirts they order at one time. The price due up front will increase, but the cost per unit will drop, which in turn raises the revenue potential for your order. 100 shirts are better than 50, but 500 shirts at a time would be an ideal place to start. Of course, if you don’t have an engaged audience large enough to support such an order then you should keep things small.

Consider offering shirts for a limited time only 

One way to cut out essentially all costs from merchandise orders is to create the exact number of items needed. Most print shops will tell you the per unit cost on whatever design you wish to print, as well as the number of units you must purchase in order to lower that cost. With this information in hand, artists can launch shirt designs that are available for a limited time as pre-sale only items. Once the purchasing period ends, artists can order the exact amount of shirts needed without having to make any investments out of pocket.

Think twice about upgrading your shirt choose to a fashion brand

One determining factor in how well your merchandise will sell is how comfortable that item is perceived to be. There was a time not that long ago when artists with shirts printed on any type of fabric would sell, but in an age where brands like American Apparel exist this is no longer the case. There is demand for high quality fabric, and if you meet that demand you will give listeners another reason to consider purchasing your 

—————— —————— —————— 

We have plans to share additional merchandising tips for bands in the weeks ahead. If you have an idea for a column, or if you have a question about merchandising and branding that you want us to answer, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.

Categories
Job Board News

Music Industry Job Board (11/23/14)

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 openings:

Coordinator, Rhino/Catalog Group, Artist Royalties & Administration Department, Recorded Music Rights Administration (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: This candidate hired to fill this position will assist the Head of the Rhino/Catalog Group and other employees in that group with various administrative tasks and special projects.

Social Media Coordinator (The Recording Academy)

Job summary: The Recording Academy is looking for a Social Media Coordinator to join the Marketing Communications team. Whether it is Social TV or year round engagement strategies, The Recording Academy continues to be at the forefront of innovation with social media. This person needs to be savvy across all social media platforms and lend their dynamic voice to the GRAMMYs accounts. He/she will also need to have a deep understanding of the current musical landscape and musical history

Programmatic Planner (SpinMedia)

Job summary: SMG is a digital media company connecting entertainment and music fans to the content, communities and brands they love. We’re the passionate minds behind some of the web’s most influential properties and we harness our collective voice to create online content, social and mobile platforms, events and integrated marketing programs. Through our iconic properties such as SPIN, VIBE, Celebuzz, Death and Taxes, Buzznet, The Frisky, Idolator, Stereogum, SMG provides advertisers with authentic, unparalleled access to the most loyal and engaged audiences around the world.

Manager, Listener Care Certification & Audit (Sirius XM)

Job summary: The Manager, Listener Care Certification & Audit will manage the performance of trainers at SiriusXM call centers by collaborating with and overseeing day to day operations of our external service providers (vendors). You will ensure that training is being delivered as designed, that learners are engaged and that desired outcomes are met.

VP & Managing Editor, BET (Viacom)

Job summary: The Vice President and Managing Editor of BET Digital will oversee the development and execution of all content for BET Digital. S/he will be responsible for defining and driving the editorial voice for BET Digital, generating the content people want to see across BETN’s online, mobile and social media platforms. The Vice President and Managing Editor of BET Digital will work closely with sales, programming, technology, marketing, research and other departments to translate the BETN brand across BET’s digital suite.

Associate Dean of Admissions Marketing & Recruiting (Berklee)

Job summary: Under the broad direction of the Dean of Admissions, the Associate Dean of Admissions Marketing and Recruiting develops strategies to support the Dean’s enrollment vision. Oversees ROI on all recruitment marketing campaigns. Responsible for the Admissions digital marketing strategy through leverage of technologies including (but not limited to) Marketo and Salesforce. Oversees direct mail list segmentation to generate highly effective response rate for our various summer, undergraduate, and graduate programs. Ability to think strategically and monitor/adjust tactical implementation. An entrepreneurial, results-oriented outlook.

Interactive Marketing Manager (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: The Interactive Marketing Manager will be the main digital strategist for their own roster of artists and/or projects. They will craft and execute the digital campaign for those artists spanning promotion, social strategy, community engagement, e-commerce, and partnership opportunities with inter-departmental (marketing, radio, press, product development, etc..) input and coordination. They will continually look for new opportunities, services and platforms with which to partner and/or utilize. In addition to their work directly with artists, they will have a loud voice in forming overall departmental strategy and direction as operational digital specialists. Every campaign will come with mutually agreed upon goals and targets that the marketer will striving to achieve.

VP, Digital Marketing & Strategy (Isolation Network)

Job summary: The goal is to position INgrooves Music Group as the most effective monetization and distribution partner for independent content owners as the digital music market evolves from a transaction based economy to one based on access. This transition is being driven by the oncoming format change from download and physical sales of music to streaming subscription models and digital radio outlets. In order for the Company to achieve its goals, we need expertise in developing best practices and products around music discovery, digital promotion and viral marketing with the purpose of increasing overall consumption and revenue for our clients. You will lead a team of professionals who work with all INgrooves’ labels and artists across the globe. You and your team are responsible for helping us figure out how to make the most of, and stay in front of, this rapidly evolving marketplace. This position can be based in San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Senior Interaction Designer (Live Nation Entertainment)

Job Summary: Ticketmaster is looking for a Senior Interaction Designer to join our growing User Experience team. Reporting to the VP of User Experience, the designer will be responsible for creating best-in-class designs for the next generation of ticketing tools and live event applications. From complexity to clarity, we are seeking candidates who can translate business requirements into clean, intuitive experiences. The selected candidate will have a proven track record of understanding user needs and motivations, identifying underlying problems, and designing effective, highly functional solutions.

Sr. Analyst, Financial Planning & Analysis (Spotify)

Job summary: This individual will be responsible for providing timely and accurate financial reporting and analysis to the Finance and Marketing Organizations. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: forecasting and budgeting, supporting the CMO and business areas VPs on their strategic plans, variance analysis, capital allocation and KPI monitoring.

Marketing Coordinator (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator works closely with the Senior Manager, Sales & Marketing to implement direct marketing plans for all concerts presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Social Media Manager (Total Assault)

Job summary: As a Social Media Coordinator, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the social media profiles for a handful of music and/or entertainment clients. You will be charged with creating a social editorial calendar, bringing unique / creative ideas to the table, and executing a defined strategy. The position focuses on ensuring our social media campaigns are fully optimized, forward-thinking and possess consistent movement towards client goals (engagement, growth, awareness, etc.). The social media coordinator will also seamlessly integrate social campaigns with our internal marketing team. This position is a support position, but candidates should be comfortable expressing thoughts, marketing strategies, analytics and general campaign status to clients be it via phone, e-mail or in person.

Partner Marketing Manager (Ticketfly)

Job summary: Reporting to the Senior Manager of Marketing Services, the Partner Marketing Manager is responsible for helping Ticketfly clients maximize their marketing potential. This role will serve as a strategic marketing consultant to Ticketfly’s top venue, promoter, and festival partners to help drive important goals like building brand awareness, acquiring new customers, and selling more tickets. The Partner Marketing Manager will act as Ticketfly’s in-house subject matter expert on digital marketing best practices, diving deep into client marketing activities to develop marketing plans, guide implementation, and measure results.

Digital Marketing/Events Coordinator (C3 Consulting)

Job summary: This individual will be responsible for a broad range of digital marketing and event coordination activities. They will develop social media campaigns to managing customer leads through Hub Spot. The individual will couple the social media campaigns with industry/customer events designed to drive interest in electric vehicles. You will be part of a small team that manages all marketing, branding, public relations, digital activities and events. This position is responsible for all digital activities.

Communications Coordinator, School Of Music (University Of Tennessee)

Job summary: UT School of Music seeks a Communications Coordinator to publicize all music concerts and events, and who is also talented in graphic design and copy editing. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: brochure design, sending e-newsletters, working closely with the School of Music Recruitment Committee and Advisory Board, other on-campus communication’s offices,off-campus news agencies, purchasing advertising, and overseeing all related public relations for the School of Music. Some attendance at evening and weekend events may be required.

Marketing Manager (Peavey Electronics)

Job summary: Responsible for all marketing, advertising, promotional activities, and participation in product development. The Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining market strategies to meet organizational objectives and reports to the Chief Operations Officer.

Senior Category Marketing Manager, BizPro (EventBrite)

Job summary: In this role, you’ll be part of a team responsible for growing a vast world of events—from large conferences to weekly meet-ups, from tech to healthcare to nonprofit to education sectors. You will develop strategies and execute key activities designed to grow our market share in target segments and convert more organizers into Eventbrite advocates. You’ll work cross-functionally across our Marketing, Sales, Product and Design teams to drive initiatives forward, and ultimately help accelerate Eventbrite’s growth across these core markets.

Digital Marketing Manager (Pandora)

Job summary: Pandora is looking for a Digital Marketing Manager to join the growing Marketing team in Oakland, CA. The Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for creating, managing and analyzing direct response mobile and web marketing campaigns as well as continuously identifying new opportunities for Pandora to acquire and reengage users.

Content Marketing (ReverbNation)

Job summary: ReverbNation is currently hiring for an articulate, motivated, and skilled marketing professional to become our Content Marketing and Community Manager. This hands-on position will report to the Director of Corporate Marketing and manage the company’s core content marketing efforts, social media and Artist-facing communications.

Lead Product Marketing Manager, YouTube Music (Youtube)

Job summary: As a Marketing manager, you are a fully dedicated business leader, shaping the future of one of our many Google products. Whether you’re on a consumer product (like Gmail, Search, Maps, Chrome, Android) or a business product (AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, Analytics), you take part in a complete marketing experience as you lead every facet of the product’s journey. From determining positioning, naming, competitive analysis, feature prioritization and external communications, you help shape the voice of the product and help it grow a loyal consumer base. This means you work with a cross-functional team across sales, corporate communications, legal, webmasters, product development, engineering and more. The role enables you to shape the product development process, organize product launches from beginning to end and form future marketing strategy.

Marketing Content Coordinator (Sony)

Job summary: As part of the US Latin Marketing team, the Marketing Content Coordinator is responsible for creating and keeping current a “holistic view” database / portfolio of artist-specific marketing assets that will support multichannel marketing programs, business development / licensing presentations, digital sales initiatives, physical sales initiatives and other programs as might be required.

Marketing Operations Coordinator- Arts & Theatre (LiveNation)

Job summary: The Marketing Operations Coordinator will lead the daily implementation and coordination of marketing activities, requests and communication across internal and external project teams. The individual will respond to requests from internal (principally Marketing Services Specialists) and external clients by using system tools to implement marketing tasks. He or she will assist in managing and scheduling regular updates for clients and assist the MSS team as required in day-to-day delivery of tactical marketing activities.

Sr. Product Marketing Manager (Bose)

Job summary: Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose. Today, the company is one of the largest and best-known audio technology developers and product manufacturers in the United States and throughout the world. Bose is known for home entertainment systems and speakers, the Wave® products, premium automotive music systems, noise reducing headsets for consumers and pilots and sound for public spaces and musicians. We are seeking a new Sr. Product Marketing Manager to further these efforts.

Director, Sales & Marketing (The Orchard)

Job summary: This position is LA-based. Reporting to the VP of Sales & Marketing, the Director of Digital Sales & Marketing will be responsible for developing and fostering key relationships with the sales & marketing teams of worldwide digital and cable retailers. He/she will champion the Orchard’s growing slate of theatrical and digital releases, driving incremental revenue, merchandising and marketing opportunities and overall category management of the portfolio.

Digital Marketing Manager (Pandora)

Job summary: Pandora is looking for a Digital Marketing Manager to join the growing Marketing team in Oakland, CA. The Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for creating, managing and analyzing direct response mobile and web marketing campaigns as well as continuously identifying new opportunities for Pandora to acquire and reengage users.

Director of Sales, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship (LiveNation Philadelphia)

Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Create, package and sell solution-based music marketing programs for Live Nation amphitheater, club, promotional and digital properties and assets, as well as meeting or exceeding revenue and key account goals.

Director, Online Marketing (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: This position is responsible for marketing the Warner Music Group catalog across the online spectrum. The individual in this role will work with the Sales and Marketing Department, collaborating to bring creativity, strategic direction, and best practices in all online marketing efforts across company websites, social media properties and streaming partners. This role is also responsible for outreach to potential online partners to further expose the Warner Music Group catalog to new fans. This position is also responsible for staying in tune with the latest online marketing trends, constantly searching for new partnerships and opportunities to expose the WMG catalog across all online platforms and digital distribution channels, including internal and external partner websites, social media, streaming partners, and apps.

Sales Representative (BMI)

Job summary: The Sales Representative secures high-quality licenses in accordance with the licensing sales process by performing the following duties: Manages all assigned opportunities. Assist in the marketing function, and develops territory plans for approval by team management. Performs traditional sales calls as dictated by the sales process. Makes collections calls as specifically assigned.

Segment Retention Manager, New Customers (Sirius XM)

Job summary: The role of the Segment Retention Manager – New Customers is to drive customer and competitive insights into the strategic market planning for new customers. The Segment Retention manager will initiate the segment analysis and on boarding journey to lead the transition to segment market plan and metrics. The manager works in tandem with the segment team to weave Planning and Insights seamlessly into customer marketing efforts to drive discovery and engagement. Create customer touch points in support of renewal & retention strategies and leverage digital media and other mediums to achieve strategic goals.

BET Engineer, Post Facility (Viacom)

Job summary: The Engineer selected should possess the technical expertise to support all facets of a medium sized Cable Network Post department. The selected candidate should be capable of the following duties:
o Perform diagnostics, troubleshooting, routine and preventive maintenance of all equipment in post-production department including tape decks, routers, servers, encoders, graphic and editing system including Avid Interplay/Isis, etc.

Sales Manager (Hard Rock)

Job summary: This individual will direct Cafe sales and marketing efforts ensuring that the business is financially successful and that it represents our brand identity in its entirety, therefore positively impacting our global operation.

Director, Digital Marketing (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: Responsible for daily management of the digital marketing team and genre-specific oversight of digital marketing strategy. Director also manages a roster of high-profile artists online, including content development and management, grassroots community building and marketing, the Atlantic “artist.com network,” tastemaker sites, and genre-related digital marketing lifestyle outlets. The Director of Digital Marketing is focused on the creation and building of Atlantic’s artist communities as they serve as the core of the direct-to-consumer initiatives and future product development, and guiding their direct reports in executing the digital strategy for the label.

Manager, Web and New Media Services (Juilliard)

Job summary: The mission of The Juilliard School is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens.

Pop/Rock Promotions (Warner Music Group)

Job summary: Responsible for providing premier administrative, project, and research support for VP of Alternative/Rock Formats, Director AAA/Adult Promotion, VP of Rhythm/Pop and VP of Adult/Pop Promotion. This should be done in addition to working independently and following through on all assignments.

Communications Managers, School Of Music (University Of Tennessee)

Job summary: Pay Grade 38/Full-time/Non-Exempt Position. UT School of Music seeks a Communications Coordinator to publicize all music concerts and events, and who is also talented in graphic design and copy editing. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: brochure design, sending e-newsletters, working closely with the School of Music Recruitment Committee and Advisory Board, other on-campus communication’s offices,off-campus news agencies, purchasing advertising, and overseeing all related public relations for the School of Music. Some attendance at evening and weekend events may be required.

Categories
Job Board News

Haulix Weekly Update #64 – Getting Back On Track

Hello, everyone! We are thrilled to learn that you were able to find time amidst your busy schedule to spend a few minutes with us. It’s Friday, which means it’s time to review everything we have accomplished in recent days. Before we get to that however, I wanted to take a few moments to introduce you to a fast-rising rock band we cannot get enough of around HQ. Ladies and gents, please take a listen to New Years Day:

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.

We’ve been promising new product releases for the last two weeks, and it make us immensely happy to report we released not one, but two new updates to share. Neither one is necessary a reinvention of our system, but we do believe these changes will simplify our clients’ experience. Here’s a quick rundown:

Bandwidth Usage Alerts

The system will now send you an email alert when you hit 80% bandwidth usage for the month.

Bandwidth Usage Graphs

The bottom of your dashboard has a new function, “Show Promo Bandwidth”. Click the link and yellow bars will appear showing how much bandwidth has been used per the lifetime of each promo measured in gigabytes.

Plan Change Alerts

Anytime you upgrade, downgrade, hibernate or cancel your account, you will now receive a confirmation email.

We are tentatively planning a few additional updates before the end of 2014, but at this point we’re keeping all details associated with those efforts at a bare minimum.

On the blog end of things, you may have noticed a slight upswing in the amount of content created compared to a week ago. Our hearts are still very heavy from the loss of our close friend Justin, but life goes on and we are doing our best to push forward. The content created this week was largely dependent on help from a number of influential music writers, but we contributed quite a bit as well. 

In case you missed anything in recent days, here’s a rundown of our newest content:

Industry Spotlight: Chad Verwey

A Few Thoughts On The Post-College Job Hunt

Three Reasons Artist Should Consider Creating A BitTorrent Bundle

Let Writers Know When You Appreciate Their Work

Journalism Tips: 3 Tips To Prepare For The Big Interview

Music Industry Job Board (11/16)

That’s all we have this week. Again, thank you so much for finding time to spend a little time with us. We love how this site has evolved up to this point, and to be perfectly honest we very anxious to see what happens next. For now, be sure to have a safe and fun weekend. We’ll be back on Sunday with a new Job Board.

Best,

Haulix

Categories
News

Industry Spotlight: Chad Verwey (The Intersection)

Hello, everyone! Thank you for finding time in your hectic schedule to spend a few minutes with us. The blog you’re about to read is something of a first for our little blog. We’ve interviewed hundreds of industry professionals up this point, but never before today have we spoken with a talent buyer, let alone someone working at one of the best venues in the US.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Whenever people talk about the Michigan music scene the tend to focus on bands, venues, and events residing in and around the greater Detroit metropolitan area. The truth, however, is that the mitten state has a lot more to offer than a city more known in 2014 for financial troubles than its numerous contributions to US culture. Grand Rapids, otherwise known as the best city on the West side of the state (perhaps second to Traverse City), has played host to numerous influential elements of music history. Al Green called the city home for many years, and many of our younger readers will no doubt associate the city with indie alternative rock favorites La Dispute. What many people fail to recognize however, is that Grand Rapids also serves as the home of one of the greatest venues in the world: The Intersection.

I’m not just making things up, The Intersection has legitimately been labeled one of the greatest venues in North America more than a few times over the last decade. This is due in part to their diverse selection of live entertainment, increasingly strong annual ticket sales, and a flourishing relationship with the local community. I’ve traveled the country more than once in my life, often with no purpose other than supporting live music, and I’ve never been to another venue that receives as much love from fans and artists alike as The Intersection. Today, for the first time ever, assistant talent buyer Chad Verwey tells us about life behind the scenes at one of the country’s greatest live music establishments.

If you would like to learn more about Chad and his efforts with The Intersection, be sure to follow both him and the venue on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.

H: Hey there, thank you for joining us. Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself to our readers:

CV: Hi my name is Chad Verwey and I am a Assistant Talent Buyer and Marketing Director for The Intersection in Grand Rapids, MI

H: It’s great to have you with us, Chad. I’ve been looking forward to this for a bit. We’ve known one another for a while, but we never discuss work all that much. How’s life in the midwest today?

CV: It is very very cold and snowy. Very different from last week when I was on a boat in the Bahamas on the Mad Decent Boat Party.

H: Let’s begin with a little background information on you and your life. What are the earliest memories you have of music? Was it something you always had a strong interest in?

CV: My earliest memory has to be when I was 5 or 6. My Dad was a wedding singer in a band, and I remember watching them practice at the drummers house. I immediately became of a fan of live music, and everything that came along with performing live.

H: Knowing what you do today, I have to imagine live music made a big impact on you at a young age. When did you attend your first concert, and who did you see? Bonus points for sharing an early fanboy story.

CV: I was 14 when I saw Joe Diffie at the Isabella County Fair in Mount Pleasant, MI. My first concert I got to leave Mount Pleasant was Earth Crisis, Snapcase, Damnation AD and Crown of Thornz at Saint Andrews Hall in 96.

H: I’ve found that a lot of people who work at labels and PR firms rarely pay to see live music because they feel as if their position in the industry entitles them to free entry. As someone who works in the live music world, do you buy a lot of music? To take that one step further, do you buy a lot of concert tickets?

CV: Yes, I still enjoy buying CD’s and I download music off of Itunes often. I pay for Spotify and stream new music most of the time while working. Concert tickets are a huge perk for working in the industry. I am fortunate to be guest listed for many shows in my home state, but I also purchase tickets for almost all arena shows.

H: When did you first take in an interest in music beyond purely being a fan who enjoyed concerts? What was the catalyst for this change of thinking?

CV: When I was in high school I was a roadie for my friends local band. I would help set up, run lights, and sell merch. I knew then I really had a passion for live music.

H: This is only slightly related, but did you pursue any education beyond high school? If so, was it at all related to music or music business?

CV: Nope, I am one of the lucky ones. I didn’t attend any college after high school.

H: You’ve made quite a name for yourself over the last few years. Given your own experiences with education, do you think it’s necessary/smart for people interested in pursuing music to first attend college?

CV: Being that I didn’t attend any college, but had a very strong passion for this industry, I feel that others can do it. I also think going to college is an added bonus in this industry.

H: An aging profile on LinkedIn tells me you worked at Hot Topic prior to joining The Intersection team. Was this your last ‘real world’ job?

CV: Yes it sure was. I was an assistant manager at Hot Topic at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall.

H: Okay, let’s talk about your role at The Intersection. When did you first learn they had an opening, and what can you tell us about the application/interview/hiring process?

CV: I was running the street team at Live Nation Detroit and got an email from Scott Hammontree at The Intersection. He asked me if I knew anyone who would be interested in this position, and I replied I think in caps lock ME. haha. I was then called in for an interview a week later, was told what I would be responsible for and if I was interested. I remember getting a call back a week or two later and was offered the job.

H: What was the first show you worked on? Anything special about that experience stand out in your memory?

CV: Paper Diamond Oct. 6th 2011 was my first show. I remember not knowing who he was, but becoming a huge fan. Seeing the crowd dance and enjoy themselves made my night.

H: Without going too in-depth, can you walk us through your responsibilities and what a typical day at work looks like for you?

CV: I am responsible for The Intersection and The Stache’s Fb, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, & Vine pages. As well as operating sectionlive.com and doing photoshop for all shows. I also send out press releases, research new artists, and assist in offers on possible upcoming shows. This isnt a 9-5 job at all. Most of the time I work at the office from 10-7, then come home and work 9-12:30am.

H: The Intersection has received international praise for being one of the best venues. What do you think it is about the efforts of you and your team that elevates the Intersection to such heights?

CV: I think each person that works at this venue cares about the artists and the fans. We get so many compliments from touring artists and crew saying our staff was by far the best they have worked with. From the beggining to the end of the show process we make sure that each artist will remember The Intersection.

H: It’s worth mentioning that The Intersection is technically two rooms, and if I’m not mistake you also help book shows in other parts of Grand Rapids from time to time. What’s the biggest room you book/promote for?

CV: The owners of The Intersection also own the DeltaPlex Arena and we help book shows there. We sold out Bassnectar at 6500 and that has been my largest room to book/promote for.

H: If someone is reading this now and thinking that they would love to lead your life, what advice would you offer them on the topic of getting started in live music?

CV: Join a street team! I went to 7-8 shows a week when I worked for Live Nation Detroit. This helps a ton with getting your foot in the door at the venues, or even working for the artists. I was a runner from time to time and built great relationships with artists and crew.

H: You’ve recently become a father. Congrats! Has raising a child changed the way you approach your work? If so, how?

CV: Thank you James! Its such an amazing feeling, and it has changed my approach a little. I try to schedule a ton of stuff in advance on social networks so I dont have to be bogged down with that when I am home. I don’t stay until the end of all of my shows now. I usually stay for the 1st 30-40 mins then split so I can spend some time with the family before everyone goes to bed.

H: You have held your role at The Intersection for several years at this point. Would you consider yourself a music business lifer?

CV:Yes, definitely. I have done the retail thing and hope to never ever return to that.

H: What is the hottest genre of music in your area right now? What types of shows pack the house?

CV:For us its Country Music. It doesn’t matter what artist it is, they will come here and sell about a 1000+ every time. We just put Sam Hunt on sale last week and it sold out in 90 mins! Also our EDM and Hippie/Jam shows always draw that great Electric Forest type crowd.

H: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How about The Intersection?

CV: I hope to be a possible part owner someday. I love this venue, I love this city. In my dream world I would love to see some improvements to our venue such as adding another level so we can fit bigger production on stage. I would like to see our Pollstar number to be consistently in the teens as well.

H: I think that is all I have for now, Chad. Before you go, are there any final thoughts or observations that you would like to share with our readers?

CV: When you go to a show, take a picture or video in the 1st 15 seconds of a show, then put it away and enjoy yourself.

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