Just when you thought you could maybe sometimes consider relying on Facebook’s complicated feed algorithm to possibly show your posts to 5% of your total fan base (if that), the company built by Mark Zuckerberg has once again announced changes to its feed formula that appears to make it harder than ever for musicians and those who promote music to reach their audience.
Earlier this week, Facebook made changes to how it ranks the content that appears in users news feeds. The big upgrade is an improved focus on content from “the friends you care about,” such as photos, videos, status updates or links. These posts will now appear higher in your feed, which means other posts – mainly those from Pages you like, such as bands and brands – will be given even less attention/exposure than before.
Here’s how Facebook explained the change and its impact on the reach of various Pages:
“…we anticipate that this update may cause reach and referral traffic to declinefor some Pages. The specific impact on your Page’s distribution and other metrics may vary depending on the composition of your audience. For example, if a lot of your referral traffic is the result of people sharing your content and their friends liking and commenting on it, there will be less of an impact than if the majority of your traffic comes directly through Page posts. We encourage Pages to post things that their audience are likely to share with their friends. ”
Now what am I supposed to do?
The hard truth of the matter is that Facebook is a massive online community that all brands and bands need to be a part of despite how difficult the company makes it for your content to be found by those who have selected to receive your news and updates. The best thing you can do to help increase reach is to try and create quality content that fans will want to share. This means videos, important news (tour dates/album releases) shared with eye-catching imagery, etc. Post the highest quality content you are able to create and ask your fans to share it if it somehow makes their day a bit better.
In 2016, it can be very easy for artists to fall into a mindset where they believe the fastest way to gain attention is to shovel out as many songs as possible as often as their budget and schedule will allow. While this approach to releasing music certainly works for some, it’s far smarter from both a financial and promotional standpoint to only release your absolutely best material and milk it for all its worth. A song premiere and video release should be considered the bare minimum in terms of promotion, but most never know what else to do with their music. This post, written in collaboration with the band The New Electric, will hopefully help you and other creative minds rethink the way you promote your music career.
Our story is one of a group of hard working guys who managed to push two singles into billboard charting positions independently.
Now the first ingredient was the music! The product, the everything. How do we write, record/make great music? The answer is, we work with great songwriters and great producers. “Well, are we not great songwriters and producers ourselves?” We might be, but everyone needs a co-writer and a producer, even writers and producers themselves.
Once we had music that we thought was great we decided to hire a radio tracking team to push our single for us. It was a pretty penny but ended up being well worth it in the end. The trackers sent us on a radio tour where we traveled across all of Canada going to every station meeting every program director and music director and DJ and at 3 or 4 stations a day.
Knowing we were going on a radio tour, we devised a strategy to make a chart with every stations socials, info and notes about who we talked to and what we talked about. We also planned to look like stars walking in, full wardrobe and hair no matter how early or how tired or worn out we were. We also did vocal warm ups before every radio performance stop. We did our best to charm and make relationships with these radio people in the short time we had with them. As we did this across the country our radio team pushed. We were featured, then some ads but nothing huge.
We started reaching out to fans of other bands on Twitter and started talking and building relationships with them. We eventually had a solid group of fans that we talked to daily so we started holding Twitter requesting contests. The stations were getting bombarded with requests for our song and then with a little luck and a lot of push from our team we won two radio competitions in the same month, Next Big Thing and Future Star. These put our song on the map and it started charting in the top 50! It climbed all the way to #16 over a 6 month period. We made a music video for the single that got picked up by Much Music we also toured give the single as much “Life” as possible.
To sum it up, we did a lot of work! We engaged fully on social media and found unique ways to interact. We looked and sounded our best at all times and always greeted everyone with a smile and a warm heart. I would say that It’s all about relationships and being someone that people want to work with. I can’t say if this will work for anyone else or why it did for us! We’re just doing our thang. Thanks for reading!
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Bradley Walden of Emarosa to discuss his band’s new album, 131, which arrives in stores on July 8 through Hopeless Records. Bradley tells James about the inspiration behind the album, as well as the story the band is telling with their recent music videos. James also speaks with Annie Schindel, an up and coming singer-songwriter from California, about her budding career in music.
The first song you hear in this episode is “Don’t Really Know What We Want,” which can be streamed on Annie Schindel’s official Soundcloud page. The second song you hear is “Miracle,” which is taken from Emarosa’s upcoming album, 131.
You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
Anyone reading this who has finished high school presumably knows the phrase, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” but how many of us actually apply that concept to our daily lives? In my experience, the answer is not nearly enough, and I’m including myself in that summation. I, like many, imagine myself to be a fairly easygoing person, but if something I had my hopes set on falls apart before coming to fruition I can transform into a bit of an emotional mess that is best compared to a child throwing a tantrum. Life should go the way we want it to, right?
Your answer to that question doesn’t really matter, and neither does mine, because life could not care less about your dreams and expectations. Life is a constantly changing thing that gives absolutely no thought or attention to the desires of individuals or groups. Sometimes things work out, but other times they do not, and there is only so much any of us can do to sway the outcome one way or another. What we can do however, is decide how we will respond to things falling apart. Will you let an unexpected turn destroy you or empower you? Will you give up, or will you see things through despite unexpected hurdles that may appear along the way?
Consider for a moment the turbulent existence of Emarosa, an American hard rock band with no place to call home and a list of former members that now more than doubles the amount of people currently in the group. Emarosa formed in 2006, but thanks to a number of vocalist changes over the years the band has more or less had to reboot their sound three times over. The latest incarnation, which features Bradley Walden on vocals, may be the best yet. Walden entered the group as they were preparing to hit the studio for their third studio album (2014’s Versus), and he quickly acclimated to the band’s approach to creativity. Now two years later, the band is about to release what is arguably their best record to date (131 – Out July 8), and Walden is still steering the ship with a knack for brutally honest lyricism that has propelled the band into the hearts of thousands around the globe. This isn’t to say Emarosa were not successful prior to Walden joining the group, as they most certainly were, but when listening through the group’s discography there is a clear change of course that occurs right around Walden’s entrance that undeniably sealed their fate to become what they are today. This band Walden as much as Walden needed the members of the band, and because both sides were willing to persevere through their careers until they encountered one another music fans throughout the world – as well as the band members themselves – are now benefiting from their combined talents.
We could get into the lives Walden and the members of Emarosa lead before they came together, but for the sake of time we’re going to ask those interested in the details to do some Googling on their own time. All you need to know now is littered throughout 131, which tackles the idea of accepting responsibility for one’s own fate as no other alternative rock album has done in years. Every song plays like an excerpt from a story of triumph, failure, and growth that you never want to end. No matter what struggles you face in your own journey, I promise there is an anthem on this record to help keep you motivated when times get tough. Trust me. No, i take that back. Trust music, especially the music of Emarosa.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
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 2016. 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 week 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: Apple is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial leader with a passion for music and entertainment to coordinate communications between the company’s Cupertino and Los Angeles central teams and its international music teams. The International Music Communications Manager will work with closely with the business, artist & label relations, marketing, product marketing, business development, design, analytics, and other teams to foster better information exchange between more than a dozen teams worldwide.
Job summary: We’re looking for an experienced and versatile advertising salesperson, responsible for closing new business and growing existing business with advertisers and ad agencies alike. Each of our Account Executives manage a regional territory account list, and should have a minimum of 7 years experience working with advertisers and ad agencies in the Midwest. You’re not opposed to travel, and you have a profound understanding of the advertising marketplace. Bonus points if you have prior experience within music, mobile and/or emerging digital platforms.
Job summary: This piece-work position requires a high-energy, self-directed, deadline-oriented individual who has exceptional communication skills. The successful candidate will research and write articles in a conversational, engaging style. Each blog entry will reinforce Candid Brilliance Music’s main objectives: offer best practices information, create a sense of community, offer continuing education information, and create an opportunity for reader comments.
Job summary: The ideal candidate will have Music or Entertainment experience and have experience supporting at the EVP level or above, with a high level of discretion and confidentiality. Must be very efficient and highly attuned to the smallest of details. Multi-tasking and working on tight deadlines in a high pressure environment is crucial. Must be a master scheduler. No task is too small and no challenge too great. A “can-do” attitude is essential.
Job summary: Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. in Calabasas has an entry level opening in in our copyright and licensing department. We’re looking for a non-smoking backroom geek like us who has a passion to do right by our clients. This person can juggle a multitude of tasks, projects and demands, prioritize effectively, execute with a meticulous attention to detail, work well both independently and as part of a team, communicate clearly and do it all with a sense of humor. In addition, this person is a motivated, quick learner fueled by a strong work ethic who is proficient in Outlook, Excel and Word.
Job summary: 99.5 zpl, Indy’s Hit Music Station has an amazing opportunity for you! Our current Afternoon Drive talent has accepted a new position within the company and that means we’ve got a prime opening. We are now actively seeking a new Afternoon Drive, Asst. Program Director/Music Director. We’re looking for someone fun, energetic, intelligent, outgoing, out-spoken, street-credible, quick witted, enthusiastic, team oriented, determined, and has a strong work ethic. You will need to be social media fluent and PPM friendly. You should be brilliant at the basics and have some production and web skills. Some working knowledge of Music Master would be a plus too.
Job summary: As an Artist Evangelist, 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. In this role, you’ll be involved with product marketing strategy from beginning to end.
Job summary: Universal Music Group is looking for a Director/Manager Digital Marketing to serve as a member of the Verve Records team located in Santa Monica, CA. Oversee and direct aspects of day-to-day digital management. Responsible for creating and executing digital marketing and promotional plans across all areas of online including portals and distribution partners, artist websites, social media, new technology, CRM, SEM/SEO, third party lifestyle, and e-commerce. Responsible for nurturing and leveraging relationships with the artists and their management teams. Required to set goals and manage campaigns in an effort to optimize reach and revenue. Responsible for managing and interpreting departmental reports and partner data.
Job summary: Music Box Films seeks a motivated, resourceful individual with excellent written and verbal communications skills to oversee and maintain the quality of our marketing efforts in traditional areas while energizing and innovating our online and social media presence and providing creative approaches to publicity.Music Box Films is a Chicago-based independent film distribution company that specializes in foreign language, documentary and American independent releases. Our acquisitions are highly curated to appeal to the art house segment whose core demographic is an educated, affluent older audience.
Job summary: This person will be responsible for communicating event marketing plans, budgeting advertising spends, communicating branding decisions, organizing marketing meetings, cross-divisional marketing communications as well as doing power point decks and research on marketing initiatives.Ideal candidates will have extensive music knowledge; event planning, concert or sports marketing experience; familiarity with multiple music genres, a thick skin and the ability to work at a fast pace while juggling multiple tasks.
Job summary: Grammy nominated Tucson-based arts organization needs expertise in marketing and media relations. Works closely with founding music director to create messaging for 2016-17 season, marketing strategies for subscriptions and individual concerts, and to develop copy, photos and artwork for ads, newsletters, videos and website.
Job summary: The Coordinator or Manager, Community Management role sits within Capitol Music Group’s Digital Marketing team, and will be responsible for the digital strategy and development for some of Capitol Music Group’s most storied brands. The successful applicant will create content and develop plans to release that content across our labels’ social, web and email properties. As such, this role will require someone who is able to not only quickly learn and speak the language of our various imprints, but also who is a native user of all of the leading and emerging digital/social platforms.This is a junior role sitting within the Digital Marketing department’s Community Management team. The successful applicant will be expected to collaborate with other members of the Community Management team (as well as teams throughout the company) to develop campaigns to grow Capitol Music Group’s brands among consumers, in support of cross-department initiatives as well as throughout the industry.
Job summary: The School delivers a model of music education which best supports the vocational and professional needs of music students grounded in a vision of public service. At its heart, the school affirms an ideal of musical excellence that is ethnically informed, intellectually rigorous, outward looking, and receptive to new ideas. The Head, School of Music will be responsible for the strategic leadership and ongoing sustainability of the School while harnessing opportunities to develop and articulate a clear vision for the future. This is an opportunity to shape the role in response to significant change that the school is undergoing.
Job summary: We are currently seeking a Records Coordinator responsible for assisting our in-house staff in conducting research using our company archives. The ideal candidate should be detail oriented, able to work in a complex corporate environment, and skillful at assisting UMG personnel in a tactful manner. This position must work with the full range of our company business units, including finance, accounting, legal, human resources, publishing, royalties, record labels, and executives.
Job summary: The Label Relations team at Spotify works to transform the music industry value chain for artists & rights holders by driving innovative and fruitful partnerships – with labels, the greater music industry, third parties, and internally through Spotify driven initiatives.The Label Relations Operations Team provides the tools, frameworks and resources across the global Label Relations team to enable the team and associated rights holders/partners to move faster and more efficiently. Responsibilities encompass work across many of Spotify’s key cross-functional verticals including communications, business development, partnerships, marketing, advertising and licensing. In addition, the LR Ops team works closely with external partners.
Job summary: San Antonio Current is seeking an San Antonio-based journalist to fill the role of music editor. We’re looking for an experienced writer/editor who has a strong writing voice, broad musical interest and an interest not just in writing reviews but in telling stories about the local music scene. Responsibilities will include editing, creating content, analyzing data and responding appropriately, and partnering with internal and external contacts to publish material that is interesting, entertaining, and relevant to the publication’s audience. The music editor is expected to contribute and edit weekly feature stories, curate work from freelancers and write at least three daily blog posts. The music editor also assists the editorial team with proofing pages and other production-oriented duties. Attention to detail and accuracy is a must.
Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator supports the brand activities for Heid Music. Responsibilities include preparing printed, electronic, and social media collateral to support events and promotional activities. This position will also analyze digital and social media performance and make optimizations within to ensure best performance. The Marketing Coordinator is also involved in developing social media strategies, project plans, and campaigns that build audience engagement.
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the West Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is an excellent project manager first, an expert at converting creative ideas into realistic timelines with actionable tasks that deliver tangible results. Secondly, he/she is a creative manager with diverse music taste and a solid network of 1:1 music industry and artist relationships.
Job summary: Join the Sideways team as a publicity & marketing assistant. You should be online savvy and familiar with the online music and media space. This is a detail-oriented position where you will be responsible for the management and communication of information to not only the media, but to clients as well. Work from the heart of Silver Lake in an easy-going, fun workplace for a variety of national musicians, record labels, management companies and brands.
Job summary: The Coordinator Integrated Media is responsible, under the direction of the Director Integrated Media Strategy, for assisting in the creation and implementation of best-in-class integrated media plans across paid, earned, owned, and shared connection points. He/She will do this by understanding and utilizing marketing mix learning, consumer insights, communication strategy and thinking, data driven analysis, and industry and marketplace knowledge.This position will work across all MSG brands, including Radio City Christmas Spectacular and other holiday productions, Rockettes New York Spectacular, Bookings, New York Rangers, New York Knicks, New York Liberty, Westchester Knicks, and any other sports or entertainment marketing priority.
Job summary: Bedford Box Office is a premier live music production company based in New York City. We are currently seeking a Marketing Assistant to fulfill the below noted duties. This role reports directly to the Executive Assistan
Job summary: Responsible for maintaining awareness of The Smith Center brand and promoting performances and events through publicity and media relations efforts.
Job summary: Output is seeking a Digital Marketing Coordinator to join the Marketing team in our Los Angeles office. We are developers of creative music software for composers, producers, musicians and DJs. Our focus is to create new and ground-breaking products for the worlds leading music makers.
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as our Marketing & Brand Manager. Our company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and prospective candidates will preferably live in the general Northeastern Ohio area. Candidates should be highly organized and adaptable to our dynamic work environment. Qualified applicants will have had experience in similar marketing roles (preferably within the media and entertainment industry).
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as a full-time editor for the Altpress website at our headquarters in Cleveland, OH. The editor will be in charge of developing site growth strategies, identifying content opportunities to increase site traffic and managing freelance contributors and budgets. This position requires managing the brand’s day-to-day editorial operations across its digital platform at www.altpress.com .
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the East Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is a creative thought-leader with a deep knowledge of music; exposure to, and interest in, diverse genres and various groups within music; and, understands the importance of balancing “story”-based marketing initiatives with “reach”-based tactics.
Job summary: The Artist Relations Intern shall be responsible for directly assisting TuneFactory with the scheduling, coordination, and organization of communication between artists, as well as between TuneFactory and industry professionals. In addition, the Intern should be able to assist with the management of our artists’ social media accounts, promotions, show and tour schedules, and recording arrangements. The Artist Relations Intern should be knowledgeable and comfortable working in various genres, including gospel, pop, hip-hop, and more.
Job summary: Gibson Brands, Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer of musical instruments, professional audio equipment and consumer electronics, is seeking an experienced Entertainment Relations Professionalbased in Nashville, TN. Candidate should be a highly motivated, self starter that is able to work at a very fast pace, manage multiple projects, and have strong organizational skills. The ER Pro should be a team player who is able to produce innovative programs through a network of local, regional, and national contacts within the entertainment industry.
Job summary: The Content Curation team is responsible for maintaining the very best user experience possible around content. We are responsible for filtering out the content our users don’t want, organizing the content they do want so it’s easy to find, and fixing, or sending back to our partners to fix when appropriate, anything that doesn’t match our style guide, resulting in immaculate media and metadata. We’re data driven and automation minded.
Job summary: Spotify is looking to further build out its performance marketing team with a SEM manager who can own the overarching paid search strategy and business. The ideal person for this role has strong SEM background, can be the lead day-to-day subject matter expert, and knows how to stay ahead of industry trends.
Job summary: The global marketing technology coordinator’s primary responsibility will be to support the marketing team to develop innovative marketing initiatives and digital tools that can be scaled across Universal Music worldwide, as well as global digital marketing artists campaigns.
We’re only halfway through 2016, but already this year is proving to be one of the best for new music in a long time. From rock and pop, to hip-hop, country, and even spoken word, 2016 has been chock full incredible surprises and expected delights. Our jobs give us to hundreds of records every month, so trying to decide just 10 or 15 that won our hearts proved to be fairly difficult. Instead of betraying our loves (and potentially starting an interoffice war that would no doubt resemble something out of Braveheart in execution) we decided to select a few of our absolute favorites that we’ve listed below in hopes you will take it upon yourself to discover everything they have to offer. It’s not a complete list by any means, and it’s being shared with no attention paid to the order in which albums appear, but if you ever find yourselves in our offices in Minneapolis in the near future you can rest assured on of the records will be playing through our stereo.
Hotel Books – Run Wild, Stay Alive (InVogue Records)
Spoken word artists like Cam Smith never receive the credit they deserve, but one listen to the newest record from Smith’s band Hotel Books proves that poetry can be just as exciting as the best punk records. Run Wild, Stay Alive has been on shelves for less than a month when this post goes live, but already we’ve logged over a dozen plays. This is an album that will break your heart and piece it back together again.
The Summer Set – Stories For Monday (Fearless Records)
Trying to deny our love for The Summer Set is like trying to deny our constant craving for hot pizza and cold (unsweetened) ice tea. We had a feeling Stories For Monday would be a perfect soundtrack for adventures when we first heard “Figure Me Out” in February, but when the record finally arrived in April that belief was proved completely true. Every track on this record is constructed in such a way as to make any moment experienced while they play a bit more memorable. There is fun, heart, and soul to spare on this release, and the band deserves heaps of respect for finding a way to create such an immediately infectious record.
Slingshot Dakota – Break (Topshelf Records)
Sometimes a band with a rich history in the alternative scene delivers a new record that makes everything they’ve done in the past look like child’s play despite the fact those previous records are beloved by throngs of people worldwide. Such is the case with Slingshot Dakota, perhaps the most perfectly paired married couple in music, and their latest record released through Topshelf Records back in March. Break captures the sensations of growing up and making commitments to bettering yourself through catchy indie-rock tunes that make you want to dance almost as much as they make you want to share the record with anyone experiencing hard times around you. We’ve put Break on to lift our spirits, celebrate good times, and keep us company when times got hard. If the music of Slingshot Dakota were a religion we’d be the first in line at the chapel doors every Sunday, and after hearing Break we imagine you too will want to convert.
Empty Houses – Daydream (Sargent House)
There is no other band in alternative music today that has found a better way to combine the sensibilities of Motown songwriting with modern indie-pop aesthetics than Empty Houses. Their debut album, Daydream, is just what the title proclaims it to be, an escape from the world around you that is so pleasant to experience that you never want it to end. If you don’t already own this album, finish this article, share it with all your friends, and then rush out and buy a copy as soon as possible. We recommend the vinyl version, but even a download will suffice.
ROAM – Backbone (Hopeless Records)
Perhaps the first great album to be released in 2016, Backbone remains a staple of the Haulix staff playlist to this day. There is always room in our hearts for a young band who has found a way to convey boundless energy and positivity through original music, and that is exactly what you get when you listen to ROAM’s debut release on Hopeless Records. If you can make it through “Deadweight” (featured above) without feeling the urge to conquer whatever obstacles stand between you and your goals you may want to visit a doctor and double check that your heart is still beating. Yes, this band is so good that only the undead could possibly be hear their music and feel nothing. The best part of all? All signs point to ROAM only getting better with age, and that means they have several more anthemic records left to create.
I See Stars – Treehouse (Sumerian Records)
Michigan’s Electronic Hardcore ringleaders I See Stars have spent the better part of the last decade refining a sound entirely their own, and along the way they inadvertently spawned an entire underground movement. Treehouse seems to be the culmination of these efforts, as the record finds the band simultaneously delivering their most cohesive and most experimental record to date. There is a vicious heaviness to certain songs, but also a lighter side to proceedings that offer the pop-laden hooks that helped establish the band early on. There’s even some hip-hop influence, which is perhaps most evident on the show-stopping track “All In,” adding to the creative output of the group. To say this is one of the year’s best party records would be an understatement, and we expect many more genre-defying releases from the band in the future.
Whitechapel – Mark Of The Blade (Metal Blade Records)
Not many bands are able to say they’ve stayed together for a decade, and far less make it a point to celebrate this fact by releasing an album intended to reflect on all that has transpired while also looking towards the future. Whitechapel have never been your average band however, so the fact a record like Mark Of The Blade exists will likely come as no surprise to diehard fans of the long-running metal juggernauts. Everything about this record slays, and the creativity shown from the band tells us they have another decade of ideas and themes waiting to be explored.
Tiny Moving Parts – Celebrate (Triple Crown Records)
Minnesota natives Tiny Moving Parts have been carving their own path in the world of alternative music since formation, but the group seems poised for a crossover into the mainstream of music with the release of Celebrate. Both elaborately designed and undeniably infectious, the record speaks to pains of growing up and the double-edged sword that is chasing your dreams. Though still young in age, the members of TMP seems to recognize that every positive action often has a negative consequence and vice versa, which gives them a lyrical sense of wisdom well beyond their years. More importantly, they have found a way to convey a wealth of emotion through their music without jeopardizing the inherent sense of fun that has always existed within their songs. We don’t mean to cast judgment on anyone, but those who have yet to hear Celebrate in full should not be allowed to claim they lived their 2016 to the fullest because they’re missing out on a truly exciting, not to mention wholly original, release.
Avion Roe – In Separation (Epitaph Records)
It is very possible that Avion Roe will be the biggest rock band in alternative music by 2017, and if so In Separation will be seen as proof it is a title they fully deserve. This Texas rock band has been grinding away in the underground music scene for several years now, but their decision to join Epitaph Records last year thrust them into the spotlight like never before. Their label debut, which just hit stores on June 17, is chock full of anthems that feel made for arenas, and we have no doubt they will be able to play them in rooms that size in a few years time. The band is currently on Van’s Warped Tour, and those attending should consider this summer their last opportunity to hop on the group’s hype bandwagon before its overflowing with fans.
Modern Baseball – Holy Ghost (Run For Cover Records)
What could we possibly write about Modern Baseball that hasn’t already been said on blogs or in the pages of The New York Times (yes, the band was in the NYT earlier this year)? Holy Ghost is an album ripe with soul-searching sincerity that is as catchy as it is absolutely heartbreaking. We don’t recommend your first experience with this record to take place in a crowded room unless you’re absolutely okay with your friends seeing you cry because we wept as if our relatives had just passed during our initial spin(s). If you get the chance to see the band live, do it.
Everyone who finds even a tiny bit of success in any field has no doubt worked their butt off to reach that point. Music is no different, and some might say it’s harder than most fields in terms of finding success, but just because you quote/unquote ‘make it’ in some way does not mean your life will get any easier. As people, change is part of our DNA. The same inexplicable power that caused one cell to become two, then three, and so on until people were formed lies in you now, and it thrives on change. We must change in order to grow, and we must grow in order to truly live. This post, written by our good friend Ian Baldwin, discusses the point in life where one must realize change is necessary.
This past week I made the decision to sell my drum kit. In the past year I have made playing drums less of a priority. I’ve been focusing on buildingmy business, learning photography, and spending time with my wife as well as friends and family.
We only have the capacity to do so much; make what is important to you a priority and don’t spread yourself too thin.
I decided to cut out drums to focus what matters to me most; connecting people and communities through design. Drumming was a huge part of my life up until about a year ago so I felt like I had to write something to close this chapter of my life.
A Brief History of My Fairly Local Music Career
Half way through high school I decided I wanted to grow up to be a full-time musician and travel the world. The idea of getting played to play music and travel was exciting to me and became my dream job. A dream job for many that only the most persistent and patient musicians get to live out.
Believe me I was willing to put in the work. I have been drumming for a little over a decade, played in almost a dozen bands and also did some touring as a merch guy and photographer to see if that was a lifestyle that I would even enjoy. Right out of high school I put off going to college to move 3 ½ hours away to Canton, Ohio to join a band. Looking back I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t change a thing. I learned a lot about myself and who I wanted to become.
If I wasn’t playing drums in a band it was fun to just support hard working artists and help them stayed connected with their fans. I had my fun and fair share of gigs that I will never forget. Some of my favorite bands to be apart were Hemisphere and States Away. We played shows with bands that went on to do great things like twenty one pilots, Wolves at the Gate, the Orphan the Poet, Come Wind and many more.
It was great to become friends with the people I did while being in bands and going to shows. Many of those friends don’t live as close as they used to or we have just grown apart because life gets busy. I do know that we will always be friends and can normally pick up right where we left off.
So What’s Next?
I started a business at the beginning of the year called Hear&See. The focus of Hear&See is to provide design services and marketing materials for bands and brands that are within the music industry.
I won’t truly ever quit music. I promised myself that I would work in the music industry full-time one day and this is me deciding to work towards that. I may not be in a band but I can support my friends who do play as well as other musicians by designing graphic for them to connect on a deeper level with their fans and grow their audience.
I am currently overlapping my day job at ACCO Brands as I am building my business the rest of this year so I can create a solid foundation before making the jump as a full-time entrepreneur. I am building up my clientele and refining my process the remainder of the year.
Maybe someday I’ll buy another drum kit but for now I am content with having my sticks and practice pad to play on at home and air drumming in the car to my favorite songs.
If you enjoyed reading this and want to talk about music, building a business from the ground up or want to hire me to work on a project you can email, reach out to me on Twitter or Snapchat.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Phil Bozeman from Whitechapel to discuss his band’s new album, Mark Of The Blade (Out June 24 via MetalBlade). Phil and James discuss the themes of the album, as well as how the band is planning for the future now that they’ve survived a full decade in the music business.
The music you hear in this episode is the title track off Mark Of The Blade. If you dig it you will most likely enjoy the full album. Don’t hesitate. Buy it today!
You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
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 2016. 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 week 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: Music Box Films seeks a motivated, resourceful individual with excellent written and verbal communications skills to oversee and maintain the quality of our marketing efforts in traditional areas while energizing and innovating our online and social media presence and providing creative approaches to publicity.Music Box Films is a Chicago-based independent film distribution company that specializes in foreign language, documentary and American independent releases. Our acquisitions are highly curated to appeal to the art house segment whose core demographic is an educated, affluent older audience.
Job summary: This person will be responsible for communicating event marketing plans, budgeting advertising spends, communicating branding decisions, organizing marketing meetings, cross-divisional marketing communications as well as doing power point decks and research on marketing initiatives.Ideal candidates will have extensive music knowledge; event planning, concert or sports marketing experience; familiarity with multiple music genres, a thick skin and the ability to work at a fast pace while juggling multiple tasks.
Job summary: Grammy nominated Tucson-based arts organization needs expertise in marketing and media relations. Works closely with founding music director to create messaging for 2016-17 season, marketing strategies for subscriptions and individual concerts, and to develop copy, photos and artwork for ads, newsletters, videos and website.
Job summary: The Coordinator or Manager, Community Management role sits within Capitol Music Group’s Digital Marketing team, and will be responsible for the digital strategy and development for some of Capitol Music Group’s most storied brands. The successful applicant will create content and develop plans to release that content across our labels’ social, web and email properties. As such, this role will require someone who is able to not only quickly learn and speak the language of our various imprints, but also who is a native user of all of the leading and emerging digital/social platforms.This is a junior role sitting within the Digital Marketing department’s Community Management team. The successful applicant will be expected to collaborate with other members of the Community Management team (as well as teams throughout the company) to develop campaigns to grow Capitol Music Group’s brands among consumers, in support of cross-department initiatives as well as throughout the industry.
Job summary: The School delivers a model of music education which best supports the vocational and professional needs of music students grounded in a vision of public service. At its heart, the school affirms an ideal of musical excellence that is ethnically informed, intellectually rigorous, outward looking, and receptive to new ideas. The Head, School of Music will be responsible for the strategic leadership and ongoing sustainability of the School while harnessing opportunities to develop and articulate a clear vision for the future. This is an opportunity to shape the role in response to significant change that the school is undergoing.
Job summary: We are currently seeking a Records Coordinator responsible for assisting our in-house staff in conducting research using our company archives. The ideal candidate should be detail oriented, able to work in a complex corporate environment, and skillful at assisting UMG personnel in a tactful manner. This position must work with the full range of our company business units, including finance, accounting, legal, human resources, publishing, royalties, record labels, and executives.
Job summary: The Label Relations team at Spotify works to transform the music industry value chain for artists & rights holders by driving innovative and fruitful partnerships – with labels, the greater music industry, third parties, and internally through Spotify driven initiatives.The Label Relations Operations Team provides the tools, frameworks and resources across the global Label Relations team to enable the team and associated rights holders/partners to move faster and more efficiently. Responsibilities encompass work across many of Spotify’s key cross-functional verticals including communications, business development, partnerships, marketing, advertising and licensing. In addition, the LR Ops team works closely with external partners.
Job summary: San Antonio Current is seeking an San Antonio-based journalist to fill the role of music editor. We’re looking for an experienced writer/editor who has a strong writing voice, broad musical interest and an interest not just in writing reviews but in telling stories about the local music scene. Responsibilities will include editing, creating content, analyzing data and responding appropriately, and partnering with internal and external contacts to publish material that is interesting, entertaining, and relevant to the publication’s audience. The music editor is expected to contribute and edit weekly feature stories, curate work from freelancers and write at least three daily blog posts. The music editor also assists the editorial team with proofing pages and other production-oriented duties. Attention to detail and accuracy is a must.
Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator supports the brand activities for Heid Music. Responsibilities include preparing printed, electronic, and social media collateral to support events and promotional activities. This position will also analyze digital and social media performance and make optimizations within to ensure best performance. The Marketing Coordinator is also involved in developing social media strategies, project plans, and campaigns that build audience engagement.
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the West Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is an excellent project manager first, an expert at converting creative ideas into realistic timelines with actionable tasks that deliver tangible results. Secondly, he/she is a creative manager with diverse music taste and a solid network of 1:1 music industry and artist relationships.
Job summary: Join the Sideways team as a publicity & marketing assistant. You should be online savvy and familiar with the online music and media space. This is a detail-oriented position where you will be responsible for the management and communication of information to not only the media, but to clients as well. Work from the heart of Silver Lake in an easy-going, fun workplace for a variety of national musicians, record labels, management companies and brands.
Job summary: The Coordinator Integrated Media is responsible, under the direction of the Director Integrated Media Strategy, for assisting in the creation and implementation of best-in-class integrated media plans across paid, earned, owned, and shared connection points. He/She will do this by understanding and utilizing marketing mix learning, consumer insights, communication strategy and thinking, data driven analysis, and industry and marketplace knowledge.This position will work across all MSG brands, including Radio City Christmas Spectacular and other holiday productions, Rockettes New York Spectacular, Bookings, New York Rangers, New York Knicks, New York Liberty, Westchester Knicks, and any other sports or entertainment marketing priority.
Job summary: Bedford Box Office is a premier live music production company based in New York City. We are currently seeking a Marketing Assistant to fulfill the below noted duties. This role reports directly to the Executive Assistan
Job summary: Responsible for maintaining awareness of The Smith Center brand and promoting performances and events through publicity and media relations efforts.
Job summary: Output is seeking a Digital Marketing Coordinator to join the Marketing team in our Los Angeles office. We are developers of creative music software for composers, producers, musicians and DJs. Our focus is to create new and ground-breaking products for the worlds leading music makers.
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as our Marketing & Brand Manager. Our company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and prospective candidates will preferably live in the general Northeastern Ohio area. Candidates should be highly organized and adaptable to our dynamic work environment. Qualified applicants will have had experience in similar marketing roles (preferably within the media and entertainment industry).
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as a full-time editor for the Altpress website at our headquarters in Cleveland, OH. The editor will be in charge of developing site growth strategies, identifying content opportunities to increase site traffic and managing freelance contributors and budgets. This position requires managing the brand’s day-to-day editorial operations across its digital platform at www.altpress.com .
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the East Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is a creative thought-leader with a deep knowledge of music; exposure to, and interest in, diverse genres and various groups within music; and, understands the importance of balancing “story”-based marketing initiatives with “reach”-based tactics.
Job summary: The Artist Relations Intern shall be responsible for directly assisting TuneFactory with the scheduling, coordination, and organization of communication between artists, as well as between TuneFactory and industry professionals. In addition, the Intern should be able to assist with the management of our artists’ social media accounts, promotions, show and tour schedules, and recording arrangements. The Artist Relations Intern should be knowledgeable and comfortable working in various genres, including gospel, pop, hip-hop, and more.
Job summary: Gibson Brands, Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer of musical instruments, professional audio equipment and consumer electronics, is seeking an experienced Entertainment Relations Professionalbased in Nashville, TN. Candidate should be a highly motivated, self starter that is able to work at a very fast pace, manage multiple projects, and have strong organizational skills. The ER Pro should be a team player who is able to produce innovative programs through a network of local, regional, and national contacts within the entertainment industry.
Job summary: The Content Curation team is responsible for maintaining the very best user experience possible around content. We are responsible for filtering out the content our users don’t want, organizing the content they do want so it’s easy to find, and fixing, or sending back to our partners to fix when appropriate, anything that doesn’t match our style guide, resulting in immaculate media and metadata. We’re data driven and automation minded.
Job summary: Spotify is looking to further build out its performance marketing team with a SEM manager who can own the overarching paid search strategy and business. The ideal person for this role has strong SEM background, can be the lead day-to-day subject matter expert, and knows how to stay ahead of industry trends.
Job summary: The global marketing technology coordinator’s primary responsibility will be to support the marketing team to develop innovative marketing initiatives and digital tools that can be scaled across Universal Music worldwide, as well as global digital marketing artists campaigns.
Job summary: As the assistant to the head of the Music Brand Partnerships department, you will be handling day to day responsibilities for the department head; you will also be handling deal logistics, contracts, creative, and department scheduling. This is a sales role where you will also have the opportunity to learn how to pitch and create deals between our roster of music clients and brands.
Job summary: We are currently seeking an Administrative Assistant to support the EVP of A&R at Capitol Music Group. He/she will help maintain a very busy schedule, handle heavy phone traffic, and serve as a point person for the department. The ideal candidate will come from music or entertainment and have previous experience supporting an executive. Must be very efficient and highly detail oriented; multitasking and working on tight deadlines in a fast- paced environment is crucial.
Job summary: Begin your career in the new music industry! As the first online digital AND physical music distributor to open its doors to independent artists, CD Baby was a major force in the dismantling of the major-label system; we worked with Justin Vernon before he was Bon Iver, with Jack Johnson back when everyone thought we were talking about the boxer, with Ingrid Michaelson before her songs were on every TV show known to man. If you’re excited by the idea of helping great independent artists make a living doing what they love without giving control of their careers over to people or companies that only care about the bottom line, then CD Baby is the place for you.We are looking for an experienced leader for our Data and Analytics team. This is a role for a technical manager who enjoys being hands-on with technology and writing code in addition to leading.
Job summary: We’re looking for an experienced marketing producer to provide exceptional leadership across Apple Retail marketing-driven projects for Apple Music, iTunes Store, and App Store
Job summary: Digital DJ Pool is an exciting music company, located in Brooklyn, that helps artists and record labels promote new music by connecting them with DJs around the world.We need a support specialist ready to be on the front lines for our users. We’re looking for a problem solver who is motivated by success; someone who is ambitious and pays great attention to detail; someone who is enthusiastic and has excellent decision making skills; a self-directed excellent communicator who can grow with our company and who is excited to be part of a startup.
Job summary: LACO’s marketing team is responsible for positioning the Orchestra in the community to create a positive and attractive image that promotes organizational pride, good publicity, robust and effective fundraising and realized ticket income. The team’s primary goals are to develop excellent relationships with existing and new patrons, reach annual sales goals, achieve full houses to develop patrons who become lifelong music lovers, and ultimately donors to support the Orchestra.In support of the marketing and advancement departments, the box office and patron services assistant provides support for box office, ticketing and patron services, serving as a front-line contact for LACO patrons at all times. This position embraces LACO’s tagline of “making great music personal” in all interactions with the Orchestra’s patrons and the community at large.
Job summary: Social Media Specialistwww.maddecent.comMad Decent records, founded by grammy nominated artist Diplo, is currently seeking a Social Content Specialist to join our growing office in Los Angeles. We are looking for the right individual with a passion for forward thinking music and social media experience at a label, ad agency, lifestyle brand, or entertainment company. This role with be responsible for helping create content for our digital presence across social media, online marketing initiatives (organic, paid, etc), Mobile, and PR strategy. This individual with also be continuously looking for creative and new ways to connect with our large fan base and drive digital, social and mobile projects.
Job summary: Duties will include working with all departments of the company including Marketing, Promotion, Publicity, Sales and Creative as well as artists and their support teams. The ideal candidate should be detail-oriented with an ability to handle multiple projects at once and prioritize within a fast-paced work environment. Excellent communication skills are a necessity.
Hello, everyone! Welcome to another Haulix Weekly Update. Have you had a good week in the office? It has been unsurprisingly hot in Minneapolis, but our team has been making the best of it with long hours spend in cool offices plugging away at our next big release. We have a few important news items to share, but before we get there we wanted to show you this:
As I mentioned above, each and every weekend 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.
Development updates:
We know you are anxious to see the new version of Haulix, and we’re incredibly excited to share it with you, but unfortunately the wait has just been extended a bit longer. Developing a game-changing platform is no easy task, and unfortunately this week we realized we needed a few extra days to ensure everything is as good as it can possibly be. Our plan is to have the updated platform out by the end of June, so please stay tuned!
Blog updates:
With all the planning and work being put into the next phase of product development we have admittedly put our blog efforts on the back burner a bit. That said, we are still churning out 5-10 original columns every week, including our podcast (Inside Music). We may not be hitting the same quantity we did three months back, but we believe the quality of what we create is better now than ever before. Don’t believe us? Head over to the archives and see for yourself.
That is all the news we have to share this week. Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to check back tomorrow for a brand new Job Board.
