Back when Haulix Daily was simply known as the Haulix company blog we admittedly had very few content ideas. We knew we wanted to not only reach, but also celebrate the people who depended on our service seven days a week. This meant speaking with the label owners, publicists, bands, and journalists who use our platform on a daily basis, which we absolutely loved having the opportunity to do. As time went on however, we started finding new paths to content creation that seemed to work just as well, and slowly we began to move away from what had been an almost constant production of interview content. We can’t say we will ever produce conversations at the rate we were creating them at our peak during that era, but we do have a goal of bringing more interesting perspectives on life in music to you through this blog in the months ahead, starting with this very feature.
A couple weeks ago, we were plugging away at ideas for the new version of Haulix when our clients at The Catalyst Publicity Group linked us to a story about one of their bands on a site known as Legendary Kids Press. The name of the outlet was completely foreign to us at the time, but after catching a glimpse of their well-designed site and equally well-written content we knew we needed to learn more about their operation. An email was sent, followed by one or two more in the weeks that followed. We discovered they had already been reading this blog, which is always a pleasant surprise, and then we asked if they would like to appear on it sometime in the future. They entertained our curiosity, answered some questions, and gave us clearance to share their journey with all of you.
The entire purpose of highlighting sites like Legendary Kids Press is to help the contributors gain exposure for their hard, often unpaid, work. If you enjoy any of the content or quotes in this feature please make a point to visit and/or support Legendary Kids Press whenever time and finances allows. Please make sure to bookmark their site, follow them on Twitter, and Like their Facebook as well. Additional questions and comments may be left at the end of this post.
H: To help, us get started, please introduce yourself.
C: I’m Clare Fitzgerald, a 20-year-old history major and the founder of music news site, Legendary Kids Press.
H: Thank you for joining us, Clare. I have to admit that I wasn’t familiar with your site or writing until a few weeks ago when one of our clients, Catalyst Publicity, turned me onto your work. How long have you been writing about music?
C: I’ve been interested in writing ever since I was in elementary school, but I didn’t specifically start writing about music until last year. I’d been forced to take a year off school for medical reasons – and thus had a lot of free time on my hands – so I thought, “why not start now?” I joined a few sites and eventually plucked up the courage to start Legendary Kids Press last July.
H: Is Legendary Kids Press the first site you have been associated with?
C: I starting writing artist features and reviews on Buzznet, which helped me further develop and strengthen my writing skills, as well as find my creative voice. Not long after, I was approached by CultNoise Magazine, who I currently write and copy edit for.
I started putting together and designing LKP in June 2014 and, as I previously mentioned, launched it that July – so we’re still relatively new. Since the launch, I’ve gone on to also write, and become news editor for, YouTube magazine, TenEighty UK.
H: Considering the overwhelming number of music blogs in existence today, could you please talk about what lead you to launch a site of your own?
C: Journalism has always been an interest of mine, music journalism specifically ever since I discovered Alternative Press. Beforehand, I’d never even thought about being able to write about my love for music and the bands I listened to, and AP showed me that I could take that route if I wished. I’d had the urge to create my own site, but I didn’t know how to go about it and I was too insecure about my writing skills to reach out and try to strengthen them. But as I started to delve more into the “underground” and “alternative” music scenes, I started discovering sites like PropertyOfZack and Musicology Online, which I learnt were started by people my age who had just as strong a passion for music as I did.
That realization and the abundance of free time I had are the factors that pushed me to launch LKP. I never even considered the amount of blogs already around – I just wanted to get involved in the scene I loved so much.
H: Some sites have a mission statement, but I cannot find one for your blog. What would you say is the purpose/goal of Legendary Kids Press?
C: I would say the main purpose of Legendary Kids Press is to help fans discover new music and bands. We cover news from both established bands like Pierce The Veil and Bring Me The Horizon to up-and-comers, as well as numerous genres. So I hope that diversity introduces someone to their new favourite band or a genre they never even considered listening to.
On a more personal level, I hope the site helps get my name out there and shows that I do have the ability to pursue journalism as a full-time career.
H: How would you describe the average reader of your site?
C: Honestly, I’m not too sure. I would obviously expect them to be a music fan in some respect, but other than that, I don’t think I’d be able to say. From the statistics I’ve gathered, the majority of our readers are in their teens, but I also see the occasional hit or two from adults, so we have a broad spectrum. However, that being said, those hits are probably from my parents being curious about the “weird” music I listen to, haha.
H: How big is the LKP contributing team?
C: Currently, excluding myself, the LKP team consists of nine members: four writers and five photographers. Each one is very supportive of the site and I’m very thankful to have them aboard the team.
I manage the writing team, who normally deal with reviews, editorials, features and interviews, and my friend Alex Liscio manages the photographers. Honestly, she’s a godsend. I don’t know a thing about photography, so having her by my side is a real help!
H: Are you looking to add to your team? If so, how would you describe the ideal LKP contributor? I’m sure a few of our readers may want to apply.
C: Ideally, I’d like the team to be around 10-15 members, just so there’s regular output outside of news stories. So yes, we’re definitely looking to add a few new faces to the team – primarily writers.
The ideal LKP contributor would be someone willing to grow in their respective field and who has an interest in the music the site covers. It’d also be great if they had the availability to write one piece a week, but I understand that life is unpredictable, so that’s not a requirement.
H: I’ve noticed that you highlight a lot of smaller, lesser known artists on your blog. Is there anyone you would recommend our readers check out in the immediate future?
C: Locally, I’d say definitely check out The Ocean Cure and Crystalyne. I’ve been jamming both a lot lately. I’d also recommend The Truth Today, who unfortunately broke up earlier this year, but released some killer EPs in their time.
On a more broad scale, I’d say either Jule Vera if you’re a pop/alternative fan or The Relevant Elephants if you’re into indie rock with a splash of funk.
H: If any artists are reading this and thinking you might enjoy their work, where and how should they submit content to you?
C: All inquiries can be sent to legendarykidspress@gmail.com
I normally check out all inquiries, but the ones that grab my attention are those that give me everything I need: a brief history of the band, links to music and social media, and what the their interest in the site is. It’s also appreciated when bands get the site’s name write… I understand it’s not necessarily the shortest or most memorable, but it’s not that hard to do a quick check, you know?
H: What do you think of Haulix and the service we provide?
C: Honestly, I love what you guys do. I discovered your blog a few months ago and have been an avid reader ever since. You cover a lot of different topics relating to music and the insight offered has been really helpful. I definitely think you’re a go-to if someone is interested in learning more about the industry.
I’ve also had the opportunity to work with your promotional services through the labels and PR companies that have contacted LKP, and I find them to be some of the simplest and most-straightforward, which is much appreciated.
H: There has been a lot of talk about the need for blogs to find a way to monetize their efforts. What kind of strategies do you have to help generate income for your writing?
C: Currently, Legendary Kids Press doesn’t generate any income, but that’s not to say I haven’t considered it – it’s been on my mind a lot lately. I’m currently in the process of revamping the site and would like to integrate the likes of Google AdSense and even paid advertising into the new layout, whenever that comes around.
H: If we could fast-forward five years, where would we find Clare and LKP?
C: In five years time, I’ll hopefully be finished university (only two years left!) and will have a job in some aspect of the journalism or music industries. I’m hoping LKP takes off; the site’s already afforded me more opportunities than I thought possible, so I’m excited to see what the next five years bring in that respect.
The site itself? I hope it will become a go-to for those interested in the latest music news. I also hope for it to have expanded to support more editorial and featured writing, as that was one of my goals from the start. I was also thinking about launching a podcast, but seeing as everyone has been getting into that world lately, I’m currently rethinking that.
H: I think that’s everything I have to ask at the moment. Do you have any additional thoughts you would like to share?
C: I want to thank Haulix for taking the time to ask me about LKP. I’ve never done anything like this, so I was pretty excited about it – a highlight, for sure. It’s nice to see someone take an interest in something I’ve dedicated the majority of the last year to, so thank you.
Also, thank you to Catalyst Publicity for spreading the word about Legendary Kids Press!
If you or someone your know has a music blog or publication that we have yet to feature on our site, please read the interview above and shoot us an email (james@haulix.com) telling us about the outlet, its readership, and who amongst the staff we should aim to highlight. We do our best to feature every zine users request, but not everyone likes to have their entire life story posted online. That said, we’ll do our best to meet your demands. Enjoy.
