Hello, everyone. Thank you for finding a little time in your busy schedules to browse our blog and read up on the latest industry tips and tricks. We have been working hard to plan the remainder of our year, as well as what we will accomplish in 2017. It’s crazy to think 2016 is nearly over, right? No matter what comes in the weeks ahead we will remember this year as one riddled with great music, including this new release we cannot shake:
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 news:
This fall is going to be a relatively chill time for our development team. While there is a lot of work still to be done on the forthcoming platform overhaul we have scheduled for release in mid-2017 we are doing our best to not rush our work. If we have learned anything from the events of the last two months it is that pushing development to grind out products before they have been properly refined is a move that begs for complications. There are no shortcuts in the world of business, and there are certainly no shortcuts when it comes to ensuring the security and ease of access our platform is able to provide. Instead of forcing strict deadlines we are currently allowing our devs to rest and reconfigure their plan of attack for the new site. Once we have a plan in place we will move forward, but right now we are happy just exploring the options for growth you have made possible through your continued support.
Blog news:
As many of you probably noticed, our podcast was absent this week. We actually had two different guests scheduled, but both interviews had to be delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. We expect Inside Music to return to its regular day (Wednesday) in the coming week, and we are currently planning to release two episodes back-to-back in the near future in order to get back on track for the release of episode #100 this November.
In other blog news, our team has been churning out a number of articles as of late. The growing need to incorporate video into music blogs, the challenges of getting on the radar of music influencers, and more important topics were covered in the last week alone. If you missed anything as of late, especially our podcasts, please head over to our archive and catch up ASAP.
That’s all we have for this week. Tune in next week for a new job board, a very long podcast, and much more.
We love music. This is probably a little obvious considering the fact we run a platform for sharing new and unreleased music with the entertainment industry at large, but it’s the truth. We consider ourselves very fortunate to wake up every day and have a wealth of new music waiting to be heard. Some we love, most we enjoy, and every so often something come along we simply do not ‘get.’ This post, which we hope to make a recurring feature on the site, highlights three albums hitting stores this week (which we all promoted through Haulix) that we feel you should make time to experience. Enjoy!
Microwave – Much Love (SideOneDummy Records)
Atlanta’s boys that could have become the man that have, and by that we mean they’ve risen to the challenge of topping a release as good as their debut, Stovall, by creating an album so emotionally-charged it might as well come with a warning label. Much Love is another ambitious collection of progressive alternative dripping with passion too rich to deny. When you hear Microwave tell their tales you can almost taste the sweat in the air of the tiny space where the songs where created, with amps turned up as loud as possible to help capture the perfect mood for whatever story they felt compelled to share in the moment. There is a mood to Much Love, or perhaps it is better to say a vibe, that grabs you early and never loosens its grip, but it’s all good because you’re still alive and there is another day to live with the knowledge you now have.
Yellowcard – Yellowcard (Hopeless Records)
Time is not linear, but life is a lot easier if you perceive it that way. Everything moves forwards, never backwards, and we carry the memory of what came before. This is the truth for everyone, and there is a beauty to the frustration that comes from such knowledge because it often produces the best art. Yellowcard have staked their career on this belief, weaving to tales of love and a huger for the great adventure that is life through Warped Tour ready pop-punk that was never afraid to sprinkle a few radio-ready pop rock sensibilities into the mix. No band in recent memory has found a way to top the alternative scene and Billboard charts, disappear almost completely, and once again rise to the forefront of a genre that is now littered with bands their initial hits helped inspire. We’ve seen other bands follow suit in their wake (looking at you, Good Charlotte and Sum 41), but there is only ever going to be one Yellowcard, and soon they will cease to exist.
The band’s tenth and final album, Yellowcard, handles the difficult task of saying farewell without forgetting to tie together whatever loose ends the themes and journeys their body of work needs to see concluded may have in a near-perfect bow. Ryan Key’s songwriting has always used hindsight as a leaping point for a motivation message or otherwise silver-lined message of surviving life’s reality, and that plays well into a record that is released with the public knowing it will be the band’s last. He touches on the themes of moving on, evolving, and learning to love the best and worst moments of his past as if writing an epilogue for his own life. In a way, he is.
It’s often easy to praise a band going out with a record the brings together the ideas that have worked in the past and channeling them through a perspective fully aware it is sharing a final message, but here the credit is praised is earned.
Famous Last Words – The Incubus (Revival Recordings)
If there is one band carrying the torch for the style of edgy, alternative hard rock that was first popular in the late 2000s their name is Famous Last Words. The group’s Sophomore release, arriving three years after their chart-topping debut, offers a collection of infectious anthems for the disenchanted that relies on good old fashioned hope to save the day. We sometimes fear bands like Famous Last Words will go the way of ska bands or the vast majority of jam bands in terms of popularity, but then we hear a release like Incubus and all bets are off. If the band’s previous record had not already performed incredibly well I would say this record could be a game-changer for them. Still, it could help elevate their circle of rock to the heights it once knew.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine and a 10-year music industry veteran. When not blogging for us or hosting the Inside Music Podcast you can find James discussing pop culture and his struggles in the entertainment business on Twitter. Follow him.
I know we all like to believe we may one day ascend through the ranks of music journalism to become some kind of modern Lester Bangs, but we no longer live in the same world Bangs once inhabited. The ways to consume media of all forms has splintered to such an extent that even counting the number of channels producing any type of music-related content is impossible. You are one among tens or hundreds of thousands making various types of media to support or promote the latest and greatest music has to offer, and you’re one of literally billions trying to be heard in the digital space. Your team, which is how I like to consider the contributors to a single site, is just one group among untold thousands as well.
To be blunt: The chances a few dozen well-written stories or editorials is going to grab the world by the collar and make them believe you’re the next great music commentator are about as likely as you being attacked by a shark on your way home from work or school this afternoon. The world is no longer being influenced by three television networks and whatever print publications are available at an individual’s local pharmacy. Today the world is informed by magazines, blogs, zines, video essays, vlogs, Instagram posts, Snapchat Stories, tweets, and a wide variety of additional social platforms. You don’t have to be everywhere at once (nor could you be), but you do need to keep an open mind about the changing trends in how people consume information.
Any Google search involving the words “video” and “millennials” is going to provide you with a number of studies pointing to a growing preference among the 18-24 set for more content delivered by video than text. In fact, millennials in one ComScore report chose YouTube as their preferred source of all media, including films and current seasons of new TV shows. Perhaps even more telling however, are some of the additional stats in that same report which claim millennials prefer video to text across most, if not all, major social platforms. This is to say that most people between the ages of 18-24, not to mention the majority of those younger than that, are far more likely to watch a video about a news story than to read a news post on the same topic.
Like many of you I wish this were not true. I personally love reading, and as someone who got their start in journalism through review writing I still believe the written word to be a very powerful tool for communicating thoughts and ideas. That said, I also love watching videos online, and with the target demo for most music outlets showing a growing preference to video the idea of taking time to learn how visual media could work for you is not at all crazy.
The music business is all about survival. You have to survive the time spent creating and/or working for free before you can do anything else, and even once you start getting paid you have to survive an endless cavalcade of changes to the market and industry that will impact how you do business in ways you cannot yet imagine. Journalists all over the world have known changes were coming to our industry since the dawn of the digital age, and in 2016 it has never been more clear that those who are going to survive this evolutionary period will be those able to adapt to changing trends in consumer behavior.
I’m not saying you should quit blogging, and I’m certainly not tasking you with launching a digital music news service with 24/7 broadcasts a la CNN (though that would be very cool to see and I am sure someone will attempt it very soon), but you do need to take a hard look at how video is beginning to enter the music news arena online and ask yourself how you might be able to apply your own skill set to making clips for your site. Maybe you start with teaser clips meant to promote new premieres, which is honestly a great idea because it will allow you to learn while creating very easily sharable pieces of media, or maybe you start recording video versions of breaking news stories where you inform viewers about the latest headlines without forcing them to read. Find something that you believe will convey the stories you want to tell in a way people will wan to consume and set to learning how to make that idea a reality.
You don’t have to take any course (though you certainly can), but you do need to commit to constant growth as a journalist. Our industry is changing faster now than at any other point in its existence, and as a result there are a lot of unexplored possibilities just waiting to be brought to the public. Video could be the key to your future in this business, and even if you don’t become a full-time journalist you will understand video in a way that can easily be applied to music marketing and publicity efforts, as well as other realms of business.
Video is here to stay whether you like it or not. You don’t have to adapt, but doing so certainly won’t hurt.
In March of 2017 I will celebrate a decade of music writing. I will also be just 8 months from my 30th birthday. In all that time I have written literally thousands of articles related to artists from all over the world and the art they have felt compelled to share. I’m sure when the time comes I will reflect on the highs and lows of it all, but right now all I can consider is just how many promising artists I have engaged with and where their careers ultimately went. Some became huge stars, but the vast majority ended up in obscurity. Still, I wouldn’t change a minute of time spent writing because every post was tied to a story and relationship that I have felt lucky to have in my life.
I say this because music promotion in the digital age is just as much about building relationships as it is knowing how to sell yourself. There are more artists and more music blogs than ever before, but there are still roughly the same amount of people walking the Earth who are passionate about discovering new music To get in front of them, especially in a meaningful way, you need to stand out from an untold number of competitors who are all vying for the same amount of digital space you are, and you have no way of knowing what they bring to the table.
There is nothing I can write that will give you a guaranteed path to recognition, but having worked in both journalism and publicity I have learned a few tricks that, over time, will allow you to get your music in front of the people who need to hear it. This is not an overnight recipe for success. In fact, it’s going to take some time to do what I have laid out below correctly. If you work hard at it though, the rewards will be huge.
READ THE WEBSITES YOU WANT TO BE FEATURED ON. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH WHAT THEY COVER
Few things frustrate music writers more than being bombarded by artists who clearly know nothing of their work of their site. While practically everyone claims to be open to any and all music as long as it’s good most websites have a very specific focus for their editorial coverage. You need to make sure you fit in with the site’s focus before you can even consider asking to be included in upcoming features. This may sound like common sense, but trust me – it’s not.
BECOME A PART OF THE CONVERSATION BEFORE YOU TRY TO MAKE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT YOURSELF
A lot of sites are doing away with their comment sections right now, but most sites still rely on social media to spread the word about their latest posts. After you find a site you believe would work well with your music you should set your sights on becoming a part of that site’s digital community. Retweet posts that interest you, ‘Like’ stories on Facebook, and whenever possible go out of your way to tell a specific writer or group of writers that you enjoy their work. You would be shocked to learn how few people ever receive compliments for their writing, especially in the world of music discovery. Your ticket to frequent coverage could be as simple as telling the person you want to write about you that you enjoy the writing they’ve done. Don’t be suck-up, though. Be honest. “Real recognize real,” as they say.
THE BEST TIME TO MAKE FIRST CONTACT REGARDING YOUR UPCOMING RELEASE IS AFTER THE WRITER KNOWS WHO YOU ARE
This may seem a little backwards to some of you. After all, how can someone know you if you haven’t reached out yet? That is exactly why the two previous tips exist. Between your engagement with the writer’s work, as well as your normal self-promotion online, it should not take too long for a writer to take notice of who you are. If you start swapping tweets one day, or perhaps they like something you tweet about their site, then consider yourself in. Success in this industry is built atop the relationships you make.
FOLLOW-UP, BUT DON’T OVERDO IT
With the amount of artists in competition for coverage right now it’s easy to understand why most bloggers are unable to reply to all their emails. For this reason, never take a lack of a immediate reply as a sign your art is somehow bad, unacceptable, or not that interesting. The truth of the matter is more likely a lack of time on the writer’s part than anything concerning you directly. After a few days have passed, email again. Don’t be forceful, but do revisit the points you made in your initial email. If a few more days pass and you still haven’t heard anything, send one final email. If you still hear nothing it’s probably time to try another site/writer. The writer may come around in time or they may not, but at least you put forth your best effort.
HARD SELLS NEVER WORK.
Good music sells itself. It seems oversimplified, but it’s true. Good music, like all good art, can speak for itself. All you need to be worried about is making sure people have the right information regarding your art, including where to buy it, where to stream it, and where to hear it live. If you feel like a salesperson when writing a journalist it is safe to assume your message will read like a sales pitch. Believe that you music is good enough to sell itself and the rest will fall into place (as long as you follow the other tips in this feature).
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.
If there was ever a perfect time for a band to make an impression on me it had to be the summer when Yellowcard’s now timeless pop-punk anthem “Ocean Avenue” was first released. I had heard rumblings about the band in the then loosely populated alternative music forums I frequented online, but as a citizen of a rural farming community in a time before social media there wasn’t much in terms of hype on the streets. Heck, there were barely even cars on the streets, let alone buzz about a new film or artist. That’s just not how life worked where I came from, but as soon as I heard those opening chords I knew something special had been created. What I didn’t know, and what I still struggle to define all these years later, is how obsessing over those chords and the people who created them would change my life.
When “Ocean Avenue” first made its way into the new music arena there was not a soul in my hometown who knew it existed. Everyone I knew only listened to what was big at radio, and until “Ocean Avenue” was playing on every Top 40 station within reach (3-4 total depending on the weather) the name Yellowcard meant nothing to anyone in a ten mile radius of my parents’ house except me. Even then, I didn’t really know what Yellowcard meant, or what they would go on to mean for me in the years to come. All I knew was that “Ocean Avenue” was (and is) incredibly catchy, and that was more than enough to convince me to convince my parents they should buy me a copy of the record.
“Ocean Avenue” wasn’t even the best song on the album of the same name from which it hails. In fact, I would argue it’s the third, fourth, or maybe even fifth best song on that record. Still, it’s the song that made people, including myself, give a damn about Yellowcard, and that is more than enough to earn the track a place in the pop-punk hall of fame. It could be argued the band never again had a song as successful as “Ocean Avenue,” but to say they never wrote another song as good as “Ocean Avenue” would be an outright lie. Every Yellowcard album has songs that are better than “Ocean Avenue,” and some of those songs were even released as singles with proper videos and promotional campaigns. Mainstream audiences may not have embraced those songs as much as the band’s first hit, but that is hardly an experience limited to the members of Yellowcard. The same thing could be said about Blink-182 after “What’s My Age Again” or Sum 41 after “Fat Lip.”
The truth of the matter is the nothing beats the feeling of young love, and that idea applies as much to the art we encounter as it does the people we meet. Your first kiss is more memorable than you hundredth kiss primarily because it was the first, just like your love for a band is typically strongest after you first fall for a particular song or album than it is when you’re still listening to the same group two or six albums later. The trick for artists is to remember that every song and/or album may be someone’s first encounter with their art, and because of this every new creation could be the thing that defines your artistic output for that person moving forward. You can play the hits that gave you a platform to reach people for as long as you’re able to perform, but in order to progress you have to continue creating new experiences for people to encounter whenever they discover your music.
And really, that is exactly what Yellowcard did. In the years and albums that followed “Ocean Avenue” the band progressed in ways both thrilling and unpredictable. They experimented harder and softer sounds, wrote songs about growing older as well as clinging to the whatever fleeting feeling of youth may be left, and they always made sure to leave their all on stage. Fans came and fans went, but the band made sure to stay true to themselves in every move they made. They never attempted to repeat what they did on their breakout, but they also were now shy about recognizing how that material had enabled them to be more active in the world of music. The band always knew they were lucky to have had a moment like the one “Ocean Avenue” provided, and unlike many before (and after) them they did not fall into the trap of believing such moments were going to happen again and again throughout their careers. They hoped they would, sure, but deep down they knew the likelihood of having a hit as big as “Ocean Avenue” was as rare as being eaten by a shark while simultaneously being struck by lightning.
When I learned of Yellowcard’s plans to breakup earlier this year there was a part of me that felt as if I understood the reasoning for the group’s exit even before reading their open letter to fans. After twenty years it’s easy to understand why anyone in any career would feel as if they had explored all the possibilities that interested them and said all they had to say. Retirement on one’s own terms is kind of a beautiful thing. It says to the fans that the artistic expression they once admired has been conveyed in full, and that the artist realizes any future contributions may not live up to the high standards they themselves set through previous works. It’s as admirable an exit as anyone in entertainment can make, and it’s one that probably should happen more often than it does.
Having now heard the band’s final album, which <em>I think</em> I am able to discuss now, I have to say that Yellowcard have once again left everything they have on the recording. Anyone saddened by the loss of the band will have this collection of material to comfort them, and those who may have been happy about the group’s exit may find themselves catching feelings of regret should they ever encounter the material that fills this recording. There is an element of honesty to everything Yellowcard does that speaks to the truth they have experienced in their long and undeniably unique adventure through the world of music, and anything listeners may have felt went unsaid in the past is laid bare on this album. This is the kind of final bow we all hope to make when our time in our current fields comes to a close, and I, for one, am happy Yellowcard put in the work needed to make sure it was just right.
This week, I want to urge you to spend time with Yellowcard’s discography. Whether you’re a diehard fan or someone who only knows the hits, dig into each record and lose yourself in the band’s own journey through life. Experience their highs and lows right alongside them and then, when Friday rolls around, set aside time to enjoy their final recordings in full. Pay attention to their attention to detail, and use the feelings of joy their music gives to begin plotting your next creative endeavor. As far as I am concerned, hearing what this incredible band has to say on an album they know is their last is the best motivation you’re going to find this week. If you can top it, please let me know.
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 (RIP). 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: We are looking for a results driven Sales Associate to be responsible for all sales activities and sales associate job duties, from lead generation through to close. The successful candidate will be able to elevate company standards, achieve sales goals and meet clients expectations.The position has a 100% commission-based pay structure with earning potential in the first year at around $50k-60k.
Job summary: This role will shape TIDAL’s marketing strategy and lead the development of marketing plans for artist releases, TIDAL X events, and other major company programs. The Director of Marketing Strategy will work with the executive team and other agency partners to shape the company’s unique position in the market. He/she will understand key company differentiators and the marketing landscape with a clear voice and ownable market position. This individual will create the marketing strategy, direct the brand, and oversee the budget. In addition, The Director will work closely and collaboratively with artists, artist managers, and labels to develop innovative marketing plans for exclusive artist releases, TIDAL X events, and other TIDAL programs. Programs will include innovative event, social marketing, brand partnerships, PR, and communications. He/she will be a creative and strategic thinker and good at building plans and programs that break through in the market.
Job summary: Reporting to the Senior Director of Retail Sales and Marketing, the Sales and Marketing Manager will be based out of our New York City office. We are looking for an intelligent, organized, and self-motivated music marketing and sales professional to oversee our North American physical retail marketing efforts. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of what drives successful new release and catalog physical marketing campaigns via previous label and/or distribution experience. They are creative and able to create and implement marketing initiatives for both developing artists and established acts with a focus on increasing revenue. Internally, the candidate will be a conduit for idea and information exchange between physical retail and our client, marketing, and advertising teams.
Job summary: We are looking for a detail-oriented, bright and highly organized music enthusiast to assist the General Manager of Kobalt’s North American Label Services division in our Los Angeles office. The successful candidate would ideally have administrative experience, preferably supporting and interacting with senior level executives. We are also looking for someone who quickly adapts to situations and has a creative way of thinking with a track record of suggesting and implementing improvements to processes. Working as an Administrative Assistant and Coordinator offers a great opportunity for someone who really wants to learn, grow and succeed in the music industry.
Job summary: Working within the Music Team and reporting to the Head of A&R, the A&R Manager USwill help drive the discovery of new US talent for our catalogue whilst also handling A&R submissions and all related administration. In addition, the role will also be responsible for further developing Audio Network’s commercial release strategy.
Job summary: Musicology Faculty. Full Time. This position has the expectation of ongoing renewal. Duties include teaching undergraduate and graduate surveys and seminars as well as graduate advising of Masters in Musicology and Doctor of Musical Arts students. The ideal candidate will be an effective and versatile teacher, an active scholar with a specialization in twentieth- or twenty-first-century music, and a dedicated colleague willing to contribute through departmental, conservatory, and university-wide service. For consideration, the Ph.D. in Musicology must be completed by May 2017. Start Date: August 1, 2017.
Job summary: Have you ever wanted to work in the music industry, work from home, make your own hours? Piedmont Talent is seeking booking agents (background in Sales, Marketing, promotion or publicity) Piedmont Talent was founded in 1989 and has grown steadily ever since, and is synonymous with quality entertainment. The agency was founded out of a love of blues and roots music and now is expanding to include all genres of music and now representing comedians. Agents will be assigned responsibility for certain acts and territories. This is a commission based position. Serious inquiries only.
Job summary: Warner Bros. Television seeks a Director, Music for the TV Music department. To service the clearance and creative needs of the WBTV and WHTV shows, including song placement, acquisition of rights, fee negotiation, and hiring musicians and singers for scoring/recording sessions. Negotiates music library blanket deals and provides back up on artist and writer waivers, Step-Out Agreements and Certificates of Authorship.
Job summary: TIDAL is looking for New York City’s best producers to manage key company initiatives which include exclusive artist releases, multi-dimensional marketing programs and TIDAL X events and livestreams. Programs are multi-faceted in nature and require cross functional coordination. Ideal candidates will present the ability to breakdown work packages, assess level of effort, and choreograph a subsequent plan of attack. Producers are required to make crucial decisions, often under pressure, and therefore must exemplify a solutions-first approach. They are passionate about process, advocate for great ideas, and seek flawless delivery from start-to-finish. Tidal is seeking people at a variety of experience levels and all are welcome to apply.
Job summary: We are looking for a smart, ambitious, and hardworking Sales Coordinator to join our team based in the Los Angeles office. In this role, you will provide administrative support but also work on a variety of sales and marketing programs across teams in the West region. You will work closely with the Global Revenue Organization and report directly to the Vice President of Sales for the West Region.
Job summary: The Associate Manager, Music will assist Vice President of Music & Production full capacity. The Associate Music Manager of On-Air Promotion is responsible for the procurement and selection of popular and needle drop music, creative direction of original songs, organization and communication with all music production libraries, facilitating music licenses and clearances, developing data for music budgets and reporting of all promo music used for royalty distribution.
Job summary: The Marketing and Communications Manager operates within LOUD’s Production and Installation Marketing team to manage the strategy and execution of all elements of customer-facing mass communication, including electronic and print media, social media and events (trade shows and demos). This position combines elements of creative (content generation), management (of the department) and strategic responsibilities that will drive the company’s appearance and message to the market.
Job summary: The Executive Assistant will assist the SVP, Global Digital Accounts and VP, Research & Analysis with day-to-day administration and supporting tasks related to the preparation and distribution of pertinent department tools & reports to the Sales & Marketing organization.
Job summary: In this dynamic position, the Marketing Coordinator will serve as key component of the marketing team, acting as the administrative support point person for Capitol Music Group’s marketing department. The ideal candidate will possess strong administrative, organizational, and creative skills. Prior marketing and administrative experience in the music/entertainment field is required.
Job summary: ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
Performing live broadcasts that are entertaining and informative.
Preparing and researching for broadcast.Protecting the station’s FCC license.
Monitoring the music and commercial logs for the airshift.
Ensuring that promotions and contests are executed properly.
Operating the control board and performing production work.
Making personal appearances at station events and remote broadcasts.
Create and maintain station(s) website content including email blasts, uploading and editing of audio and video for web use, blogging, loyalty programs, contests, etc.
Design new templates as needed using the content management systems utilized by CBS Radio.
Job summary: As an integral member of the Corporate Sponsorship team, the will play an important role in the maintenance and fulfillment of LA Phil’s corporate program at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Job summary: The International Marketing team provides international exploitation services for all US based frontline labels within Sony Music USA.This role is a Manager Level position with a potential for Director Level depending on experience. The candidate will be responsible for the development and execution of international marketing and promotion campaigns for Sony US repertoire.
Job summary: As a Digital Marketing Manager you will be part of the Growth and Retention marketing team at Pandora. You will work cross functionally internally and externally with our agency partners, media vendors, brand marketing and marketing analytics team as well as other internal stakeholders to bring our direct response programs to life. We are seeking an experienced candidate that knows performance marketing inside and out and can handle end to end program management including campaign strategy and ideation, tracking and deployment, and can provide campaign insights and results. This role will also include all ad ops responsibilities including trafficking and tracking of campaigns to ensure they meet internal KPI’s.
Job summary: Warner Bros. Television seeks a Director, Music for the TV Music department. To service the clearance and creative needs of the WBTV and WHTV shows, including song placement, acquisition of rights, fee negotiation, and hiring musicians and singers for scoring/recording sessions. Negotiates music library blanket deals and provides back up on artist and writer waivers, Step-Out Agreements and Certificates of Authorship.
Job summary: One of Live Nation joint ventures is seeking a Digital Marketing Coordinator who will support continued development and growth for a diverse roster of artists. Responsibilities will include supporting the digital marketing team, drafting social copy, executing promotional campaigns, designing and implementing creative marketing plans, securing digital retail merchandising, facilitating requests between partners, managers and artists and maintaining artist web and social platforms. This Coordinator will be responsible for shaping both digital strategy and the execution of plans, including social media publishing, on a daily basis.
Job summary: We are presently looking for a Music Editor with knowledge of popular music for a temporary, short term assignment. You must be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and comfortable with technology, and able to maintain focus on tasks and deliverables under tight deadlines.
Job summary: CAA is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve in a support role within our Music Touring department, consisting of Country, CCM, Contemporary, and EDM music. The ideal candidates should be motivated, quick-thinking and open to working in a fast-paced environment while performing administrative tasks. The individual should be flexible, highly organized and have the ability to multi-task. This is a great opportunity to learn the music touring business, as the position can lead to other opportunities within the Music Touring department.
Job summary: he A&R Department operates as the primary source of talent scouting and record making within Warner Music Group. It is A&R that allows us to locate and sign new talent and continue making records for currently signed artists.
Job summary: We are a Brooklyn based music startup, studio and production space. We’re building an app that will offer cultural institutions and artists a new set of tools for the distribution of good music. As one of those cultural institutions, we are also launching a label of our own.
We’re looking for someone to spearhead our marketing strategy. That someone is philosophical about messaging and analytical about results. Cares deeply about music and the people who make it. Is passionate about technology, can keep up with the speed of innovation. Wants to be a part of something positive, and can infect others with their excitement about it.
Hello, everyone. Thank you for finding a little time in your surely busy schedules to browse our company blog. Fall is officially underway here in the midwest, but the temperature doesn’t seem to have been impacted by the changing of the seasons. Thankfully, there is a lot of great new music keeping us cool at HQ. Like this:
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 news:
Honestly, we do not have a ton of news to share in regards to development plans at this time. With Falcon pushed until mid-2017 (at the earliest) we are currently focusing our effort on improving other aspects of our business and branding. We are still fixing any glitches as they arise, but lucky for us we have a reliable system that does not require constant care in order to properly operate.
All this said, if you have an idea for how we can make Haulix better we would love to here it. We cannot promise to make every change you request, but we will thoroughly consider every suggestion we receive.
Blog news:
We are incredibly proud of what has been happening around our blog as of late. The content being created is only about half as good as the conversations that content has sparked, but in the end it’s all good. We are very invested in helping build a better music business for future generations, and with your help and contributions we are slowly, but surely doing just that. If you missed anything as of late, especially our podcasts, please head over to our archive and catch up ASAP.
That’s all we have for this week. Tune in next week for a new job board, a very long podcast, and much more.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell chats with fast-rising industry professional Deanna Chapman about her experiences navigating the current music business landscape. Deanna is one of James’ favorite people to talk shop with, and together the two address everything the need to rethink allegation coverage, to the lack of females in music podcasting, and beyond. This is one episode you should not miss, especially if you have any interest in one doing working in music.
The music you hear in this episode is provided by the band Fossil Youth. Look for the group to appear on an upcoming episode where they discuss their debut full-length, which will hit stores in November.
You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
This morning I was walking to work when I noticed the leaves were starting to change. The summer temperatures seem to be lasting a little longer than usual, but soon fall will be in full swing and before we know it snow will be in the forecast. The sight of the trees lead me to thinking about the future, and then it hit me:
In fact, in exactly six months there will be tens of thousands who are just getting home from their time in Austin. They will be exhausted, possibly sunburned, and many will swear they are never going to drink again, but all will have a head filled with memories of connections made and one-of-a-kind moments experienced. They will have new friends, new musical addictions, and a craving for the dry heat of Texas that they will cherish so much they won’t even mind the credit card bills they racked up on Sixth Street because every cent will have been worth it.
We have been going to SXSW for years now, and each one is honestly better than the last. There is an energy to the city of Austin during those two weeks that is palpable in every nook and cranny of the world’s largest music gathering. More importantly, there are passionate industry professionals from all walks of life looking to change the business for the better through collaboration and new experiences. You can meet the person who changes your professional life forever at SXSW just as easily as you could meet your next best friend. Some people even meet their future spouse at SXSW!
We do not get paid to say SXSW is a place where the most passionate music fans from all over the world come to celebrate the art form and consider where it may go in the future, but that is the honest truth. There is plenty to be said about the rampant corporate branding and whether or not allowing companies like Doritos to promote themselves by having Billboard chart-topping talent perform on a multi-story vending machine stage just several hundred feet from a complete unknown talent hoping to get noticed is “cool” or “on brand,” but at the end of the day none of that really matters. What matters are the experiences to be had, and they are truly unlike anything you will find in any other festival or city on this Earth.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying you should be planning to attend SXSW 2017 and that the time to plan is right now. You should actually have plans underway already, but if not this post will hopefully get you to get into motion. SXSW is costly and hectic. You can wing it if you so desire, but in order to make the most of your time in Austin you need to be meticulous about your preparation. Figure out how you’re getting in, book a hotel or AirBNB, and start looking into flights or estimated the cost of gas. It would also be a good idea to make sure your knowledge of hydration is up to snuff, and that you’re working out regularly as there will be a lot of walking under an often hot sun while you’re in Texas. After you’ve got all that going, make a list of what you’ll need to bring and what you hope to accomplish. As the March nears, beginning making plans with others planning to go and lay the groundwork for meetings you goals ahead of your arrival in Austin.
SXSW will change your life, but the extent of that change depends on the work you put into your time in Austin. Start now.
For the better part of the last half decade I have been running a small record label out of my one bedroom apartment with the help of a few good friends. We haven’t made it big, and to be honest we never really thought we would, but we have had a few successful releases put out on cassette and vinyl. We recently got into CD production as well, but that’s a story for another time.
Whenever someone approaches us with questions regarding record labels and how to start them, we usually list off a series of lessons we learned during our initial releases. We talk about timelines, estimated costs, merchandise, contracts, and – perhaps most frequently – the need to properly understand how shipping works, including the cost of sending packages outside the United States. We like to think we have developed an easy and reliable workflow, but every so often we learn a new trick or path that causes us to regret all the hours wasted following the previous method. I don’t know that our specific setup will work for anyone reading this, but I do have a few basic tips to help improve your standard shipping operation. There are some costs associated, but as your label is a business you should know by now that improvements often require the investment of additional resources.
If you buy your shipping materials at Target, Staples, or even the post office you are spending way more than you should. Packs of six 4” x 6" bubble mailers can run $10 or more in stores, but if you buy in bulk from online retailers you can receive several hundred mailers for less than $100 total (shipping included). Everything you need to ship tapes, CDs, and vinyl can be purchased for a reasonable price in bulk from ULine. The company has a long history of customer satisfaction, and they have an incredibly quick turnaround. They also allow you to pay after receiving your order, so if you need mailers in order to generate the money needed to buy mailers they can help you with that as well.
Stocking up on mailers also prepares you for any situation. You may have slow sales from times to time, but you could also have a sudden boom in business when one of your artists hit it big. Buying in bulk allows you to cut down on order turnarounds while saving money. What’s not to love?
You can now buy stamps online
If there is one activity that makes me rethink launching a business it’s the many hours I have spent waiting in line at my local post office. I have to imagine other people feel the same, which is probably why the fantastic site ‘Stamps.com’ now exists. For the first time in the history of humans you no longer have to interact with another human when working to send out packages. You simply signup at home, input your shipping information, upload your credit card, and boom! You can now print postage labels from the comfort of your couch. You may use a lot more tape when handling shipping with this process, but I have solution for that as well…
Two words: DYMO Printer
All printers used to require ink, and anyone who has had to print a lot over their lifetime has learned by not that ink is not cheap. DYMO found a solution, and while I could get into the inner workings of their technology it’s suffice to say science can do really cool things. A DYMO printer does not use ink cartridges, but it does require a special kind of paper made specifically for postage labels. You buy a printer, which includes a free roll of labels, and then you only need to buy additional rolls of labels as need. Each roll can produce 200 shipping labels, and I believe you can order 3-packs of label rolls for under $40. Compare that to more than $60 for a single ink cartridge, not to mention the countless hours saved not having to visit the post office when shipping orders, and I think it’s clear why DYMO printers are worth the $200-ish investment they require.
Oh, did I mention DYMO labels are also self-adhesive? That alone will cut your tape-related shipping costs in half, if not more, moving forward.
Thank You notes are never overrated
There is something to be said for adding a personal touch to your shipments. While the consumer is excited to receive the package because it contains something they already paid for, you can further develop the connection they feel to your label with the inclusion of thank you notes and other extras. In the past we have added stickers, baseballs cards, candy, plastic spider rings, posters, and – most frequently – handwritten notes, to all our shipments. Sometimes we personalize the notes with each customer’s name, but other times we write thirty or forty notes in advance and stuff them in packages as needed. Whatever the case, the note is always written by a member of our staff and we always strive to make each note unique in some way. Maybe we add a phrase that is specific to that note, or maybe we draw the customer a picture. Anything that helps them better understand who we are and what we’re about works for us. The same will work for you, but you must figure out what items will best convey your personality to your consumers. Feel free to steal our ideas, of course, because they weren’t really ours in the first place. We were inspired by the labels we felt close to growing up, and it’s a tradition we hope to pass on to future generations.
Prep is everything
Whenever we know a large number of orders will need to be shipped in a small amount of time in we do our best to prepare by checking our mailer stock, writing thank you notes in advance, and generally doing anything in our power to streamline our workflow before the shipping process begins. That way, once we do need to act, everything is ready to go. Our goal is to make the window of time between when an order is placed and when it is shipped as small as possible. Some stuff is out of our control (record production, for example), but we do as much as we can with the power we do have and it makes a noticeable difference.
