Hello, everyone! This is the final post of 2014 for us, and it also happens to be our first article to go live after passing the 500 post mark. To know you’re still here and engaged with what we have to say is the greatest gift we could hope to receive, and we hope the content we have planned for the year ahead gives you even more reason to stick around. Together we are working towards a more productive and communal music industry, which is something this crazy business desperately needs. That would not be possible without your readership and constant participation in our various discussions. For that, and everything else you do, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you.
2014 was a wild and crazy year for Haulix. Without listing everything we accomplished, we did launch our mobile platform, unveil new watermarking technology, release an automated takedown tool, and create a profile system for the thousands of press people who engage with our platform on a daily basis. On top of this, we released numerous minor updates to our service, including tweaks to promo creation and design, as well as our completely revamped company blog.
Speaking of this site, we ran over 250 article this year, including more than 100 interviews with various music industry professionals. We also launched our podcast, Inside Music, and we collaborated with a number of influential writing veterans. We hope to continue all of this throughout 2015, but we’re going to add a few new features along the way as well. Again, that wouldn’t be happening without your support. Heck, I (James Shotwell) don’t even know if I would still have this awesome job that allows me to write these posts and make a living doing so if it were not for the thousands of you who stop by every month. Your continued support literally puts food on our tables, and we take great pride in having such a close, transparent relationship with consumers.
You probably have a lot of things to do before the new year arrives, including partying like it’s 1999 even though that year came and went more than a decade ago, but it was very important to us that this letter be drafted and shared. As a business that doesn’t exactly face the general public, we thrive on word of mouth, and this year we received an outpouring of support that humbled us a great deal. Again, for that, as well as everything else you do to be a part of this movement we’ve started, thank you.
2015 is going to be insane. We’re going to give you our best and we hope you stick around to see what that entails. Have a wonderful new year celebration.
Greetings! With 2014 quickly coming to a close, we wanted to find a unique way to present the best moments in music from the previous year to our readers without falling into the stereotypical routine of posting list after list detailing events and releases we never covered in the first place. We don’t really weigh in on music in general, so why try and do so now?
After much thought and debate, we settled on a new concept that we think everyone enjoy. Together with a group of our favorite music photographers, we have compiled a collection of images that showcase some of the best and most intimate moments in music from 2014. The images shared in this series were chosen by the photographers who captured them, and the only guidelines they were given was to choose the one image that meant the most to them. Some included an explanation for their photos, while others did not, but everyone chose images that are sure to linger in your mind for days to come.
On August 1st 2014, I was able to capture a photo (as pictured) of Suicide Silence’s Drummer Alex Lopez at the 2014 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival at The Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ! A few things about this image that make me feel that this is one of the best photographs of 2014, One being the fact that I was not only able to capture a truly amazing moment during a live performance of a drummer, which is honestly very rare to be able to get great photos of drummers as they’re usually posted high up on a drum riser where you can’t really get a good view of them. What also makes this photo rare/cool is the fact that its a photo with a direct eye contact and Alex has a drumstick directly pointed into the lens of my Nikon camera. This photos shows the talent Alex puts into his drumming as he can play and pose mid-set for a photographer, which is amazing and made this capture a very unique photo.
Another part of this image that I appreciate and think makes it stand out is the great lighting situation (which was a cloudy but bright sky) that day with not so great weather conditions as Mayhem Festival is obviously a mostly outdoor festival, It was pouring rain during Suicide Silence’s set which made me hesitant to even shoot them during this time but I was determined to get out and capture photos of their set as I was on assignment from Music Mayhem Magazine and I did not want to have a band missing from the review gallery but this photo made shooting in the pouring rain so worth it in the end. The colors within this image also make it pop as the bright blues from the backdrop of Suicide Silence’s set made for a very eye catching color addition to my photo.
As a photographer these moments are the moments I look for when capturing images, unique things within the subject or matter that I am capturing as it makes for a fantastic and uniquely awesome photo! Thank you to Music Mayhem & Mayhem Festival PR for allowing me to cover Mayhem Festival, & a Huge Thank you to Alex Lopez of Suicide Silence for giving me this unique contact during their set to capture such an incredible image.
Andrew Wendowski is a freelance photographer who has probably contributed to one of the music sites you read on a regular basis. To learn more about his work and what he will be covering in the future, click here to follow Andrew on Twitter.
Hello, everyone! Thank you for joining us on the second to last day of 2014. We have been planning to release this interview for a few weeks, but due to a few technical setbacks it is just now seeing the light of day. The good news is, none of the material discussed is outdated. Hooray!
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 comes a point in the career of every great artist where they learn to love where they are at and stop waking every morning feeling like they must do everything in their power to gain a bit more popularity. It’s impossible to pinpoint when exactly this moment occurs, as I believe it is different for every individual, but in the case of The Banner I think that time might have come during the several years that passed between their two full length albums. Their latest, which just arrived a few weeks back, showcases a band completely comfortable with themselves and their audience. They still push things forward, and in doing so continually challenge their fan base, but you get the sense when you’re listening that the music being created was first made because it is what the members wanted to do. It’s not about breaking out or crossing over. It’s about making something you want to hear, and doing everything in your power to get it right.
Recently, Banner founder and frontman JSS hoped on a Skype call with editor James Shotwell to discuss the new album, as well as the many lessons he has learned working in music over the last decade. You can read highlights from their conversation below.
The Banner’s new album, Greying, is available now through Good Fight Music.
H: Hello Joey, how are you?
J: Just got home from work, actually. I’ve got a handsome young gentleman helping me with chores right now (laughs).
H: That’s great to hear man. It’s also great to know that The Banner have a new album out now.
J: Yea, that is great to hear. Kind of hard to believe it myself.
H: I’ve been listening to the record for the last few weeks, and I’ve been thinking about the fact I was still in college the last time a full length came out. That’s kind of crazy, but it’s so good.
J: It has definitely been a minute.
H: I want to start with the record, especially since that is why we are chatting right now. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a concept album, but the way the album fades in and out with static leads me to believe some might see it as a single piece of music instead of a collection of songs. Was that your intention, or am I simply reading way too into things?
J: If you play the album on vinyl, the beginning of the first song and the end of the last song play perfectly into one another. It creates a loop, which is both kind of cool and really gimmicky, but it serves a purpose for us.
H: Right before the album begins, in the midst of the first song, there are some audio clips that sound like narration from a movie. Can you shed some light on that?
J: I don’t know specifically what you’re hearing right there, but we did mix in sound clips from a documentary about the Betty Ford Clinic, as well as another mental health hospital, and a few segments from the final interview Johnny Cash gave before he died. We had that song, “The Dying Of the Light,” and I found this interview between Kurt Loder and Cash, which was filmed a few weeks before he died. Everything he said, especially when you consider the fact he died so soon after, fit perfectly with the message I was trying to get across. The hospital bits, and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the second institution, came from documentaries I would watch for lyrical inspiration. I watched these documentaries over and over again, but nothing was flowing, but after seeing that Cash clip things began to click. I decided to throw as many clips, sounds, and general noise as possible into the track. I’ve always been into making complex and challenging music, which is both a good and bad thing I guess, but I like to put as much material into each track as possible. I like my music ugly. As ugly as possible, in fact. I love flat notes. I love long keys. I love weird chords. Things that make it sound like you might have messed up, I love. That’s where the sound clips and random chaotic shit comes into play.
H: I like that. It does make things together, but it also weaves the album together through the constant sense of chaos. It’s really unique in that way.
J: Thank you.
H: The first track on the album is big and long, so you never really know what to expect. The next few tracks are short and angry, but then you get to “Hold Me Down” and things slow to the point it almost feels like a chant. Is there anything special about that track for you?
J: A song like that is a good example of the kind of music I listen to on my own. When I am home I listen to groups like Have a Nice Life. I love drone music. I love Godflesh, and really any band with long and sad stuff.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a hardcore kid for life. That is what I came up listening to, and to this day I can give almost any hardcore band a bit of my time, but if I am home and can choose what to play there is a lot of other stuff in the mix. I like ignorantly violent and heavy hardcore stuff, as well as industrial stuff. I don’t mean dance music industry, but crazy shit, like someone dragging a chainsaw against a sheet of metal industrial. Dark shit.
So I have all this stuff on rotation and I start to wonder how I can make music like that. How I can make some ‘Joey’ music, if you will. That is what you hear on tracks like that. I’m making what I want, and I give no fucks about what other people may want to hear. I’m going to make sad drone and industrial stuff. That’s what I want to do.
H: We touched on this earlier, but it has been a number of years since the last full length album. Are you someone who writes all the time, or do you wait until you have a record to create?
J: I can’t stop writing. I love writing music. Every time I have to do it, I follow through, and once it’s complete I want to do more. It’s like a sickness. I wake up late at night with lyrics in my head, usually plugging them into my phone or writing them down in a notebook. I hope no one ever finds my notebooks or they will think I am some kind of insane person. I make lots of notes, including the kind of instrumentals that would accompany the lyrics. It’s a little crazy.
H: The new album came out on Good Fight Music, which is a label I don’t know a lot about. What is your relationship with the like? I know the old records came out on Ferret, which is no longer a label.
J: Oh, Ferret and Good Fight Music are the same people. Ferret exploded because the guys behind it got kind of screwed. That’s their story to tell. The guys behind Good Fight Music believe in us. We could have put out music elsewhere, but they trust us and we trust them. Also, they get me. When we talk we understand one another. What am I going to do? Put out a record with someone who is 20? I’m an older guy now, and I want to put out music with other grumpy old men.
H: That’s an interesting comment about not wanting to work with someone who is in their early 20s. Do you create music for anyone in particular, or are you creating to keep yourself sane?
J: I think it’s a bit of both. I know the kids who like The Banner, and in most cases they are a little older because they have grown up listening to us. They know what I like because I am always on social networks talking about the things I enjoy. And just to be clear, we don’t have a horde of fans. There is a tight group of people who enjoy The Banner, and many of them have supported us for a while. We’ve gotten to know each other as a result, and when I write I do think about how they will feel about whatever new thing I am working on something new. So I guess I would say I write music for people who already like The Banner. I’m not concerned with creating a breakout track or crossing over to another genre. I want to entertain our fans, our weirdos. Every year we gain a few more, and that’s good enough for me.
H: I like that outlook. A lot of labels and press people will try and make each record out to be the next great album, which leads a lot of artists to think about reaching new heights of popularity, but you’re happy with the people you already have following you. It’s not about constantly growing your fan base, but rather creating stuff your current fan base wants to hear, and I really respect that.
J: To be honest, everything else is relatively easy. The majority of hardcore is three or four huge bands, followed by twenty mid-level bands who are doing the same thing. There is nothing wrong with that, it all sounds the same because that sound is really fucking good. I could do that too, but for better or worse I am a quote/unquote ‘artist’ who wants to make something interesting. I know what they have heard before, so now I will try something new just to be a dick, and I think people who like our band get that I am being a dick just because I can. They know I like to challenge them, and they welcome the challenge. I would rather have these weirdos with Banner tattoos than be popular. Don’t get me wrong, if I wake up tomorrow famous I won’t complain, but I am happy where I am at.
H: I don’t have many more questions, but I am curious about your tour plans in 2015. I saw a date in February, but what else do you have in the books?
J: We’re playing a show with Beatdown Concrete, which might be the last show we play because I fully intend to murder someone at that show. They’re one of my favorite bands of all time and I am not afraid to say it. We’re also playing a show with Suburban Scum, which again will be nuts. Anytime we play in Jersey with Suburban Scum it’s violent madness. Just chaos. Thank god there are places like Starland Ballroom who welcome ridiculous shows like that.
Don’t get me wrong, we have other tour plans as well. We have a few dates with All Out War, which again feels like we’re looking for trouble. We are also going down south and to the west coast. We can’t really do long tours anymore, and we don’t necessarily want to. We don’t like to push our luck.
H: You’re not a baby band anymore. You don’t need to play 300 shows a year.
J: Yea, I’m not going no month-long tour. Fuck that. I’m over six feet tall. Sleeping in a van is hell for me. I know people want to see us, but they have the internet. They can enjoy our music online. We book enough shows that people willing to travel to a nearby city can see us. If not, oh well. That may make me sound like an old asshole or something, but it’s the truth. I don’t want to play shows in front of a bunch of kids who have never heard of us. What am I supposed to do? Push myself even further to try and win over some young punks I don’t care about? Nah, I’m okay.
H: That’s all I have for you. Do you have any final comments or thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?
J: Thanks for buying our music and supporting us. Not for nothing, this is a little weird because we talk to our fans all the time. We are constantly engaged. They don’t have to wait for random opportunities like this, but I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. Thank you.
Hello, everyone! We are switching things up this week in order to provide you with a new episode of Inside Music more than a full day in early. The reason for this move will hopefully become clear as you stream the episode, as the majority of the conversation revolves around something major that will take place in less than a week’s time. It’s because of this fast-approaching event that we moved the release of this episode up a day, but if the response is bad we promise to never break schedule again.
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.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, PropertyOfZack founder Zack Zarrillo stops by to discuss the latest developments in his professional life. Zack has appeared on the show before, but since that time he has made the incredible (and possibly insane) decision to reboot his beloved music blog, which gave us the perfect excuse to chat once more. He also shares insight on the money side of blogging, as well as his plans for Bad Timing Records in 2015. All in all, it’s a big chat, but also one of our favorites to date.
The music you hear in the intro to ‘Inside Music’ is provided by San Diego, California folk punk group Sledding with Tigers. You can learn more about their work on their official website.
You may already know this, but ‘Inside Music’ is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
Greetings! With 2014 quickly coming to a close, we wanted to find a unique way to present the best moments in music from the previous year to our readers without falling into the stereotypical routine of posting list after list detailing events and releases we never covered in the first place. We don’t really weigh in on music in general, so why try and do so now?
After much thought and debate, we settled on a new concept that we think everyone enjoy. Together with a group of our favorite music photographers, we have compiled a collection of images that showcase some of the best and most intimate moments in music from 2014. The images shared in this series were chosen by the photographers who captured them, and the only guidelines they were given was to choose the one image that meant the most to them. Some included an explanation for their photos, while others did not, but everyone chose images that are sure to linger in your mind for days to come.
First up, professional music photographer Thomas Falcone.
This image means the world to me. This is an image of Derek of Mayday Parade (alternative rock band-frontman) sleeping in his bunk on our tour bus on the last day of our tour in Orlando in 2014. Throughout the last couple years of touring and traveling with this band, I’ve seen it all. They’ve taken me across the world to places I never even heard of to watch and document them playing music. We’ve hiked mountains, played with koalas, taken photos all over historic places in England, have stayed up till 5am drinking wine on a hill in front of the Coliseum, one of the members getting married, and even lived in a house with them as they wrote and recorded multiple records. The growth and creativeness of Mayday Parade have led me to who I am today with my art and personality. They’ve showed me what I love, and who I truly am.
I took this photo of Derek sleeping because it was the end of my second full record cycle with the band. They are about to write album #5 and taking some time off on the road after the recording process. I am not fully sure if I will return so I wanted this last photo ever taken of them to mean something special. I’ve documented them everywhere, except where they rest. It may mean that I am putting this long term project to sleep, or it may mean some time apart from the band. Who knows. But it will forever be one of my favorites taken until I head back out with them again.
Thomas Falcone is a professional music photographer whose work has appeared in a number of influential publications. He shares work regularly on Twitter and Facebook, so if you like what you see above we highly encourage you to follow him on other networks. We hope to share more of Thomas’ work in the months to come.
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: The Head of Programming adapts departmental plans and priorities and manages his/her team to create and continuously improve the monthly TV schedules in order to get the highest possible number of viewers on the channel and monthly viewing goals are met. S/he takes a broad strategic view of the programming plans as well as specific market developments, and helps his/her team to make analyses of quantitative data in order to optimize the day-to-day and long-term TV schedules and overall channel performances.
Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties.
Job summary: The Global Social Media Manager will lead the development of the corporation’s social media strategy, and will oversee the execution of plans and tactics around the globe.
Job summary: Harmonix, the studio that created the blockbuster franchises Rock Band and Dance Central, is looking for a Director of Marketing. This individual will play a key leadership role on Harmonix’s publishing team, overseeing our marketing, web, community, social, and playtest efforts. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in marketing strategy, and team leadership, as well as experience launching and sustaining console, digital, and/or mobile games. For many years, Harmonix has worked diligently to build a strong, genuine relationship with our fans. The Director of Marketing will need to continue to foster those long term relationships while using industry-leading marketing strategies to reach new fans and create excitement for our games.
Job summary: The Sr. Director of Strategic Marketing will be responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships for Warner Music Nashville’s artist roster and label assets by a) creating impactful campaigns and promotions to extend the brand, raise the profile of artists and label brands; b) generating new revenue lines to fund creative marketing campaigns; and c) offset marketing costs.
Job summary: Reporting to the Partner Marketing Manager, the Digital Marketing Associate will help Ticketfly clients maximize their marketing potential and promote their events across marketing channels. 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 Digital Marketing Associate will dive deep into client marketing activities to develop marketing plans and campaigns, guide implementation, and measure results.
Job summary: The sales analyst will be responsible for reporting and analyzing sales data for the STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE Sales & Marketing Department. Person will maintain an accurate sales reporting system for various events at STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE as well as provide management with a monthly commission report for 25+ sales representatives. The sales analyst will also be knowledgeable in CRM, assisting in analyzing customer accounts and identifying efficiency tactics amongst the department.
Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties.
Job summary: At Shazam our users are at the heart of everything we do. We need to make sure that all of our users (old and new) know everything they need to know about our great product as it continues to evolve. We are looking for a brilliant Copywriter to join our Marketing team and work across our business to make sure that happens.
Job summary: Conceive, write and create new non-traditional revenue business opportunities including events, sponsorships and other sales promotion opportunities. Participate in annual budget planning and individual event budget planning. Ensure that the department hits their revenue goal Attend and participate in sales meetings. Assist in the training of account executives on how to sell events and on Knowledge-Based or solutions-based selling. Provide ongoing sales training to the staff. Assist in the brainstorming of categories to call on for events. Assist General Sales Managers in managing the New Business Development account lists. Create a list of targeted accounts for the following business development opportunities: manufacturer-driven, dealer group and retail-driven programs; corporate sponsorship and event marketing; and from the following industries; automotive and automotive aftermarket, consumer packaged goods, distilled spirits, financial services, health care, home builders and home improvement, health care, pharmaceuticals and wireless.
Job summary: The Social Media Coordinator will assist the Senior Social Media Manager with social media campaign management, including both branding and campaign-specific. The ideal candidate must be very well-versed in the digital world – including familiarity with popular websites, blogs, social media environments, mobile/apps; as well as a strong knowledge of and interest in newly-emerging platforms and industry trends.
Job summary: Townsquare Media (LOCATION) is expanding and is seeking an additional sales account executive. We offer solutions to our clients through live and local radio, cutting edge digital products and live events. Are you honest? Are you motivated to be successful? Do you like to help people? That’s what we do at Townsquare Media… we help businesses be more successful. You could create Marketing Strategies and Successful Radio Campaigns, plus Digital and Social Media Solutions… including our own Website Development Department.
Job summary: Client Development is the initial point of contact for touring partners and works directly under the CEO to cultivate and maintain exceptional relationships with new and existing tour partners. Ideal candidates for this position have an extensive knowledge of the touring industry with more than 5 years of professional experience and an established network of music industry contacts. This position is full time with the possibility of travel and after-hours availability needed.
Job summary: The Percussion Social Media Specialist position is a full time opening in our Product Management Department. The Percussion Business Unit at DAddario consists of some of the strongest, most active and well-respected consumer brands in the global percussion industry: Evans drumheads, Promark drumsticks, and Puresound percussion accessories ” each with a unique and engaged community. The Social Media Specialist will manage our social networks and online community design and implement artist and product launch campaigns utilizing assets created by our in-house photography, video, and design team.
Job summary: The Velocity Integrated Marketing (IM) Music and Entertainment team is looking for a long term freelance Director of Social Media reporting to the VP of IM Social to support the linear and digital IM team. This position will cover the ideation, innovation, and implementation of client specific programs that involve social media. The ideal candidate will have proven success in developing and measuring social media promotions based on specific client objectives, as well as assisting in the valuation behind them.
Job summary: Under the broad supervision of the Manager of Faculty Technology Services, the CTMI Lab Monitor is responsible for the daily operations of the CTMI (Center for Technology in Music Instruction) Lab Facility including: first-level support for all faculty support requests from email, phone, walk-in and TR database submissions, managing all Faculty Technology Services trouble tickets in the TR ticket database, execution of lab maintenance programs for lab equipment and workstations, scheduling of lab resources, monitoring CTMI student employees to ensure they are supporting CTMI operational goals.
In addition to monitoring the CTMI, this individual acts as second level support for Faculty Technology Services personnel to accomplish the broader goals of Faculty Technology Service and Academic Technology. A specialized knowledge is required in a wide range of software and hardware solutions, audio equipment and electronic musical instruments in order to provide assistance for faculty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Good afternoon, everyone! We hope the holidays have treated you well so far, and that wherever you find yourself now is somewhere both fun and relaxing. The music business never stops, but this time of year it does tend to slow just long enough for everyone to catch their breath. We do not advise taking this time for granted, and have prepared the following soundtrack to help you enjoy your remaining free time:
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.
This week has been a relatively quiet one as far as developments are concerned, but we did roll out the following updates at the tail end of last week:
Clients have always been able to send multiple promos in a single email. If it’s a one-promo email and the contact clicks the link, it goes directly to the promo screen — no passcode required. From there, if they click on Promos, it prompts for the passcode. If it’s a multi-promo email and they click the main link on the bottom of the email, it USED TO prompt for the passcode. We updated the system so that it passes them through — no passcode. They go to a screen that has all of the promos from the email. They can then click the one they are interested in, thus streamlining the process for everyone involved.
While our development side laid low this week, our blogging efforts continued as if it were any other work week. We released a new podcast, a great interview with one of our favorite clients, and an in-depth editorial on overcoming traffic slowdowns associated with the holidays that we take a lot of pride in. If you missed any of this, or the other content we recently ran, use this list of links below to catch up:
That’s all we have for this week. We have interviews with Tantric and The Banner going live early next week, as well as a great photo feature that will help us say farewell to 2014 in style. Have a safe and adventurous weekend.
Today is the one day of the year when our team unplugs (for the most part) and spends the vast majority of their time with family. It has been a crazy year for us at Haulix, and we wanted to take a few quick moments to thank you for making it all possible.
You might not know this, but the Haulix team consists of only a few individuals, all of whom take on a great deal of responsibility from day-to-day. I’m not saying this to brag or boast, but simply so that you have an idea what it’s like when we try to brainstorm new ways to change the industry. Every move we make requires the entire team, which admittedly stresses us out a bit, but in 2014 we made more advancements than ever before. We launched our mobile platform, as well as profile pages for each of the thousands of writers who are in our database. We also released our automated takedown tool, assignment options for clients, transparent promos, updated customization options, and a whole lot more. We did this all in hopes of not only providing our clients with better service, but also to help the industry at large as well. None of that would have been possibly without you, and for that we are eternally grateful.
We will no doubt talk about this more in the next week, but all signs point to 2015 being an even crazier year than 2014, and we hope you will stick around to see what we have planned. We love what we do, and we are only able to do what we love because you support our efforts. If there was a way we could place a small gift under all of your Christmas trees we would, but until that technology exists a post like this will have to suffice.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Have a wonderful day, and make sure you tell the people you love how much they mean to you. We’ll be back tomorrow with another update, then again over the weekend with a brand new job board.
Hello, everyone! With Christmas morning less than a day away we’re working hard to get a few final emails sent, calls made, and posts written. We know a lot of you won’t catch up on this content until after the holidays, but for those that read as soon as they go live we want to extend an extra special thanks. Your support means the world to us, and we hope to continue sharing informative articles with you for a long time to come.
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.
Curran Reynolds is the kind of music industry professionals those just starting out aspire to one day become. He’s a hard working, driven, and incredibly successful man with a long history in numerous facets of the entertainment business. He’s perhaps best known around Haulix for his publicity efforts, and earlier this month Curran was nice enough to sit down with us for a conversation about his career up to this point.
A lot of the people we interviews are individuals that various Haulix team members have already gotten to know through their years of experience. Curran is no exception to this rule, but he is someone whose life outside of work was a bit of a mystery to us until this interview was conducted. His story is one I think many will relate to, and some may even find it inspiring. Either way, it’s definitely worth a read.
If you would like to learn more about Curran and his ongoing efforts in the music business, please take a moment and follow him on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Hello, Curran. Thank you for joining us today. How is the weather wherever you happen to be?
C: James, hi, I’m at my apartment in New York City. It’s late December and it’s raining.
H: You’ve been a customer with Haulix for a while at this point. When did you first learn of our service, and what lead you to sign up?
C: I love Haulix. It was one of those things – I started seeing some other publicists using it and the momentum built. The final straw came when I was at lunch with the editor of SPIN and he told me he personally loved Haulix.
H: I want to dig into your life and work, but while we’re on the top of Haulix we should also talk about the releases you’re currently working to promote. Care to fill our readers in on some of your current clients?
C: My most recent release is The Banner’s new album, Greying, out this month on Good Fight Music. A few years back, Good Fight was distributing Guy Kozowyk’s label, Black Market Activities, and I was doing all the press for Black Market. Now I’m working direct with Good Fight to handle press for a bunch of their new releases. Some other ongoing label clients of mine include Vitriol, Melotov, and Twelve Gauge. I’m also excited to report that I’m starting work in 2015 with Three One G Records and Aqualamb Records. Three One G is Justin Pearson’s label – The Locust, Retox, Some Girls, Swing Kids, the list goes on. I’ve been a fan for a long time and I befriended Justin in 2011 when our bands toured the UK together. Aqualamb is a totally unique label out of Brooklyn – they design and print books for each release, in lieu of traditional packaging.
H: People have probably gathered by this point that you work in publicity, but that’s not all you do. You’ve also created quite a career for yourself as a musician. It seems safe to say you’re the definition of an industry ‘lifer,’ and I’d like to learn a bit about your origins. Was music always a big part of your life?
C: Yes, I fell deep under the rock n’ roll spell at age 10. It was building for a few years before that but 10 is when I started educating myself, buying my own music, and playing drums. It was a whole new world and I dove into it. I lived with my mom and my sister at the time and they were both very supportive.
H: Do you remember your first concert? How about the first album you purchased with your own money?
C: My first concert was Tina Turner at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine, in the summer of 1987. My mom and her boyfriend took my sister and me. I think the first album I purchased was Europe’s The Final Countdown, on tape, also in 1987. My sister and I split the cost of it and shared the tape.
H: A lot of people grow up thinking about life in the entertainment industry, but far less actually try to make those visions a reality. You not only tried, but succeeded at that effort, and I’m curious when it all began. Can you pinpoint a specific experience or time in your life that sold you on working in music?
C: I was obsessed with rock music from a young age, as I said. It started building and continued to build. On a visceral level and an intellectual level, it was a realm within which I found excitement and fulfillment. But at no point did I have a long term plan. It was always more about following my heart at any given moment.
H: My research shows that you attended Sarah Lawrence College. What did you study? Is it safe to assume that you were active in music in one way or another during this time?
C: I was at Sarah Lawrence from 1994-1999. It’s a school that gives its students freedom to study a wide variety of things. There are almost no requirements. I studied writing, literature, art, film, history, and economics. I continued my musical education on my own time. I played drums and went to a lot of shows. The school is a few miles north of New York City and I got to see some amazing shows during that time. Off the top of my head, some of the bands I saw during my college years include Fugazi, Quicksand, Today Is The Day, Unsane, Modest Mouse, The Make-Up, Sleater-Kinney, Kiss It Goodbye, Shai Hulud, Indecision, Candiria, Will Haven, and Soilent Green. Junior year of college, I got an internship in the publicity department at Matador Records – I think that experience helped steer me toward music as an actual career.
H: Looking back now, was college worth the cost? The one question we are asked most frequently by readers is whether or not they should pursue higher education when hoping to one day work in music. Do you have any thoughts to share on that?
Sarah Lawrence is currently ranked as the most expensive school in the country. I can’t believe I went there. Some of my classmates were the kids of rock stars and big Hollywood producers. I had won a $20,000 scholarship which helped a little bit. That, financial aid, and my parents’ extreme sacrifice and generosity. I was very young when making the decision to go there. I had skipped a grade so I was 16 right up until my high school graduation. Sarah Lawrence appealed to me because of its academic freedom, its emphasis on the arts, and its proximity to New York City. As to whether it was worth the cost, it’s tough to quantify experiences like that. I did not go to college with the intention of training for a specific career. It was more a time of growth and exploration for me. But in hindsight, I can say that my college years paved the way for everything that came after. A few specifics:
1) Sarah Lawrence strengthened my writing, a core part of everything I do now. 2) It placed me in the New York City area, giving me access to so much great music and opportunities like the internship at Matador. 3) It’s a school full of independent, creative people doing cool things (both students and faculty) so there was a lot to be inspired by. Coming out of a setting like that, you’re instilled with a certain amount of bravery to go out and do your own independent, creative thing, at whatever cost.
H: You graduated in 1999, and not long after took a job with the legendary Earache Records. Were you a big fan of the label prior to joining the company? Any insight you can provide into the application and interview process would be greatly appreciated.
C: I’d been aware of Earache Records since freshman year of high school when my friend turned me on to Napalm Death. The way I got the job there is like out of an old movie. It was about a year after graduating from college, I was in my kitchen in Brooklyn, looking through the Village Voice, and I just happened to see a want-ad that read: “independent metal label seeks publicist.” It seemed too good to be true – a perfect fit. I applied, had one interview, and got the job. I mean, what are the chances? From the moment I stumbled on that ad, it felt like it was meant to be. When I got the phone call saying I was hired, I knew it was a turning point in my life. If the Matador internship was the thing that steered me in the direction of a music career, the Earache job is the thing that sealed the deal. I stayed at Earache five years, 2000-2005.
H: I’ve found that a lot of people who make publicity a career have one or two mentors in life that show them the ropes of the business. Was that the case for you? If so, please tell us about the people who helped you learn the music industry.
C: Al Dawson was my boss at Earache. Al was a punk rocker in Australia in the ’70s. He was pen pals with Digby Pearson, the founder of Earache, going back to the very beginning of the label, then he moved to England to work there. He came over to New York to run the US office just a few months before he hired me. He is one of the sharpest guys I know. He really has a mind for PR and for business in general. Nowadays, as a freelancer, I get to work with many labels and pick up different things along the way. It’s symbiotic, I learn from them, they learn from me.
H: While you’re at Earache you’re performing in various bands. Were you touring during this time? How did you balance the requirements of the label with your desire to perform?
C: I started a band called Wetnurse about a year after starting work at Earache. That band got more and more serious over the next few years. We started leaving town for weekends and short tours. Al Dawson was supportive of it but eventually I wanted more freedom. I left Earache in 2005, partly because I wanted to be free to tour more. Wetnurse’s first major tour, a six-week US tour I booked myself, happened a week or two after I left the label.
H: While we’re talking about your other projects we might as well mention writing. When did you first begin writing about music outside of PR, and who were the first publications to run your work?
C: In my first year or two at Earache, I got to know a lot of magazine editors and I began getting offers to write. My first gig was for Rockpile, a Philly magazine that’s defunct now. I took whatever assignments the editors gave me, which wound up being interviews with The Icarus Line, The Faint, and Nic Endo from Atari Teenage Riot, and reviews of albums like Zeni Geva’s 10,000 Light Years and American Nightmare’s Background Music. I quickly learned something about myself from that experience: I have no interest in giving anyone a negative review. I am not a critic. I am a maker of things and a champion of things I like. Writing, like PR, is an opportunity to champion things I like. So I stopped writing for Rockpile and started writing for VICE. VICE gave me the freedom to review whatever music I wanted. Given that freedom, I chose all my personal favorite new releases and gave them all 10/10 ratings, no exceptions – this was 2002 so it was stuff like Premonitions of War’s self-titled demo, Lansing-Dreiden’s The Incomplete Triangle, and Khanate’s self-titled debut. Also, instead of standard reviews, I wrote poems. This lasted for a few issues until a new editor took over and tried to rein me in. I respectfully refused to change my ways and that’s where it ended. After that I didn’t pursue writing again, feeling I had pretty much hit the peak of music journalism – I mean, what could top handing out 10/10 reviews to my favorite bands while simultaneously seeing my poetry get published in a magazine that was, at that time, thought to be the pinnacle of cool?! The next great opportunity came up in 2006. My friend Alanna Gabin was working with the skateboarder Mark Gonzalez and she’d gotten Mark a gig as guest editor for an issue of The Journal, this art magazine based here in New York. Alanna and Mark gave me 16 pages in the issue to do with whatever I wanted so I gave them my tour diary and photos from Wetnurse’s first big tour – the tour I left Earache for. I’m still proud of that piece. I did not pursue writing again until just this year. Thanks to my friend Polly Watson, I wrote a feature for High Times about the rapper Lil Debbie. I followed that up with a feature for Mass Appeal about Justin Pearson of Three One G Records, The Locust, Retox, and countless other bands. Lil Debbie and Justin Pearson are two people I am in awe of in different ways and it was a pleasure to interview them and share it with the world.
H: You’ve continued to balance publicity and performances, as well as freelance music writing, for over a decade at this point. Do you have any advice to offer on the topic of time management?
C: There are two forces driving me. One is the financial necessity of food and shelter. I am self-employed, out on a limb with no security, and if I screw up, I’m done. The other force is the need to create, to leave a mark, to do something cool with my time on earth. These two forces keep me on track. All I do every day and night is work, whether it’s my business or my own creative stuff or some overlap of the two. I love what I do so it mostly doesn’t feel like work. I am always wishing for more hours so I could get more done, as opposed to that other scenario of the guy at work, watching the clock and counting down until the day is over. That scenario looks suicidal to me. You are literally wishing your life away. In terms of how I specifically organize my time, it’s pretty natural, according to what’s going on that particular day. You prioritize and act as needed.
H: Who was your first client as a solo publicist, and how did you initially contact them?
C: My first client as a solo publicist was Black Box Recordings, the label owned by Mike Hill who now fronts the band Tombs. Mike was already a friend of mine. Wetnurse had done shows with his band, Anodyne, and he had recorded one of our demos. I really respected his DIY approach and liked him as a person. Specifically, the first release I worked for him was an EP by the band The Heuristic, members of which are now in Mutilation Rites.
H: How did the decision to step out on your own impact your ability to tour and perform? Was it easier because you were essentially your own boss, or did the additional work required to be your own boss make it harder to stay active?
C: It was easier in the sense that I could do what I want, when I wanted. After becoming my own boss, I did many tours with Wetnurse, then later joined one of my favorite bands, Today Is The Day. I did four US tours and one European tour with Today Is The Day. I probably wouldn’t have felt capable of joining that band had I been tied down with a normal job.
H: I know it’s not something you do now, but not long after stepping out on your own you also founded a live music series in NYC called Precious Metal. We receive a lot of inquiries about how people can launch similar events in their areas, and I’d love to know about your motivations behind that project.
C: I founded Precious Metal in 2006 and continued it until 2013. It was a weekly series of shows, every Monday night at Lit, a bar in the East Village in Manhattan. By the end of the series I had booked and promoted over 300 shows. I was inspired by the DIY efforts of other people I’d seen. I think the do-it-yourself approach has always appealed to me, since I was a kid, and it was especially exciting to me to try and help build a community for cool music in New York City. I’d actually been booking shows around the city since 2001. The first show I ever put together in New York consisted of the hip hop group Cannibal Ox and the Hydrahead Records band Cattlepress, featuring Harley Flanagan from the Cro-Mags on drums! I was really psyched in 2006 when Lit offered me a weekly series because it meant I’d have a home base from which to do stuff on a regular basis. The scene in the city changed a lot during Precious Metal’s reign. When I started there didn’t seem to be a cohesive scene at all and by the end it was booming. I think Precious Metal was one of many factors that helped this change happen. Social media was another. Nowadays you have venues like Saint Vitus and The Acheron that have taken the Precious Metal vibe to a higher level, seven nights a week. Those venues are doing great work and I attend both of them often, as a fan.
H: Without going too in-depth, please walk us a through a typical work day:
C: Currently my time goes toward my PR work, my new musical project Body Stuff, and some freelance writing. Each day consists of a combination of those things, with the PR work taking up the majority. My drug of choice is coffee with coconut oil.
H: What would you say is the most difficult aspect of being a music publicist today?
C: The number of bands and publicists, and the volume of overall chatter, is greater than ever. There’s a lot of noise out there, the pace is faster than ever, and as a publicist you have to penetrate that. Editors and writers are defensive, they filter out a lot, because they have to. In the early ’00s I had many more in-depth conversations, where now no one has time. So it’s a game of how to continue to reach these people and be heard, without harassing them and adding to the noise they are trying to navigate through. In my case, I think it has been to my benefit that I am more than a publicist, I am someone who has worked within the industry on more than one front, and my relationships are often more dynamic than a simple publicist-press relationship. I think this has helped me become someone whose voice gets listened to.
H: If you could offer one piece of advice to people reading this who may be considering their own pursuit of a career in music, what would you tell them?
C: The only way I know how to live is to follow my heart and worry about the rest afterward. I don’t know if this is the most responsible advice so hey, kids, take it or leave it. But we only live once, we might as well make it as cool as possible.
H: Looking ahead, what goals do you have for the immediate future?
C: On the PR front, I have a ton of cool work lined up for the first part of 2015 – the labels I mentioned earlier, like Three One G, Aqualamb, Good Fight, Vitriol, Melotov, and Twelve Gauge. I’m excited to kick ass for all my clients and continue building what I do. On the music-making front, it’s all about Body Stuff right now. Body Stuff is my solo project where I’m writing songs and singing. I put out my first EP in 2013 and I am now halfway done tracking the second EP. I aim to finish the second EP this winter and I also put together a live band which consists of my some of my closest friends. There will be shows soon. On the journalism front, I have more stuff in the works with Mass Appeal – incidentally, the editor over there, Noah Rubin, was once my intern and has become a good friend. Not only is Noah killing it as editor of Mass Appeal but he’s running Mass Appeal Records where his first signing was Run The Jewels.
H: Let’s step a bit farther out. Where is Curran Reynolds in five years?
C: Great question. I have no idea. I feel like something big is coming up. I want to continue doing bigger and cooler things. Continuing to team up with people I respect is part of it. No idea yet what form it will take.
H: That’s all I have today, Curran. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Do you have any closing thoughts or comments you would like to share?
C: Thank you so much, James! It’s been fun sharing some stories with you. I’ll close by saying, be kind to each other out there.
Hello, everyone! We told you earlier this week that we were not slowing our efforts for one second, and today we’re thrilled to share the second to last episode of INSIDE MUSIC that will debut in 2014. This conversation was one we had long hoped to have, but we had no idea it would develop as quickly as it did.
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.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell chats with Thomas Nasiff, co-founder of Bad Timing Records. Thomas and James have known one another through their work as music bloggers, but this is the first time the two of them have shared a real conversation. They discuss Thomas’ early life in Florida, his decision to launch Bad Timing, the bromance he shares with Zack Zarrillo, and a whole lot more. This is a must-hear podcast for anyone interested in working in music, and especially those who hope to one day launch a record label.
The music you hear in the intro to ‘Inside Music’ is provided by San Diego, California folk punk group Sledding with Tigers. You can learn more about their work on their official website.
We mentioned this at the beginning, but ‘Inside Music’ is now on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
