Month: March 2017

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News

3 Month Check-In

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We have reached the end of March, which means 2017 is already one-fourth complete. Time moves fast.

2017 is the year of accountability and progress, so we are here to keep our end of the agreement we made way back in January.

The last three months have been a learning experience for the Haulix team. As we prepare for our next round of development we have been thinking a lot about the future of the music business and our evolving role within it. We have asked clients and users alike what they want from us, and so far a few themes have emerged:

Mobile. A lot of people access Haulix on the go, and we expect more will do the same in the years ahead. Perfecting mobile has been a priority for some time now, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve further.

Speed. Everyone wants everything as fast as possible, and we are no exception. We recently made improvements to download speeds for all promos, and our site has never been faster.

Security. We pride ourselves in having the most secure platform in the world of digital music promotion. Our team has had a number of discussions with Fraunhoffer, the team behind both the MP3 and watermark technology, about ways to advance our efforts in preventing leaks. Some positive outcomes have already surface, and we export more will come to pass in time.

Another big goal for our team in 2017 has been updating our messaging and marketing. So far we’ve completely altered our approach to advertising online and launched our company newsletter. Response to both changes have been positive.

This may make it sound like we’re finding a lot of success in 2017. While that is true, none of it would be possible without trial and error. We internal test countless variations of things we plan to do before making any decisions. Every ad we create comes at the cost of several dozen ideas we left on the cutting floor. Every platform development was chosen as a priority over other, similarly beneficial changes.

Categories
Job Board News

Music writing advice from music writers

Becoming a full-time music writer in 2017 may seem like a pipe dream, but there are hundreds of people around the world making it happen. Thousands more are writing part-time, be it as a hobby or a way to bring in extra cash month to month.

But how do you, someone just starting out, navigate the often tricky waters of music journalism in the digital age?

There is no one way to become a successful writer, but as with any field there is much that can be learned from those who came before. We recently asked the writers of today what they wish someone told them early on, and we have collected the best responses into this post.

Please take the advice below to heart, but remember: You are your own person. No one can tell you what your voice is or how it should be conveyed other than yourself. Find a path you enjoy and follow it as far as you can.

“The thing I tell everyone who wants to work on the professional side of music is to pick one career path and practice being great at it every single day. If you want to be a writer you need to wake up every morning and write. Set a word count goal and hit it, no matter what. If the resulting article or piece is trash, don’t share it. All that matters early on is that you get into the routine of writing every day and slowly, over time, you will see the quality of your work improve.” – James Shotwell, Marketing Coordinator for Haulix / Managing Editor at Substream Magazine

“I think the most important tip that I’ve ever received is “act like you belong and no one will question it (most of the time).” – Ali Nugent, Music Director at WMCX 88.9 FM

“Always remember you’re there to do a job and gather information, not become creepy and try to be best friends with the artist.” – Rey Roldan, founder of Another Reybee Production

“Plan, but also allow yourself to be in the moment. Whether it’s for an interview, review, or entertainment, music is an experience. Let it guide you.” – Scott Fugger, writer at 36 Vultures

“Your writing, like your passion for music, is a journey… do not look to the end for that passion, but find the love in every opportunity along the way.” – Michael Pementel, writer at Metal Injection and New Noise Magazine

“Don’t lose focus of why you started writing in the first place. It’s tempting to get caught up in the numbers game, but nothing will kill your passion faster.” – Angela Mastrogiacamo, Founder of Muddy Paw PR and Infectious Magazine

“Be polite to everyone–tour managers, road crew, merch, stage crew, EVERYONE. This industry is small. Good manners go a long way; shitty manners get you no where.” – Jackie Cular, freelance writer

“Do your best to be unbiased, write news as it is, write reviews fair and balanced- the good along with the bad. Also appreciate everyone who helps you along the way. From the bands to the PR teams and their interns to your contributors and your readers.”  – Daniel M Dread, Founder of Dread Music Review

“Do not corner an artist at a show, requesting an interview. Not only is that unprofessional, it is also poor form and puts the artist in defensive mode. If you want to ask them a question, find the tour manager and ask permission from them. They will know the artist’s schedule and if he/she minds doing post/pre show interviews.” – Rey Roldan

“Don’t share your Haulix promos with pirate sites. You will get busted and your site’s reputation will be ruined” – Craig Nicholas Roxburgh, Founder of Emo Night South Africa

“Leaking privileged information may lead to a spike in short-term traffic, but this industry is small and publicists don’t forget.” – Joshua Wielding, Founder of Digital Tour Bus

“Be prepared to challenge yourself. Take on a band or genre you don’t know much about as you can’t always cover music that you like. Also be respectful to everyone you work with.” – Sean Reid, Founder of Already Heard

“Write about bands and music that you’re passionate AND knowledgeable about, it shows in what you write, and it benefits those artists A LOT more. But also keep an open mind about what excites you. Personally, I’ll listen to ANYTHING, and enjoy it, except super hate/racist/mysoginist lyric filled music. But there are certain genres–and you can tell which ones–that excite and inspire me to write more insightfully. However, that being said, go outside your comfort zone periodically; like your taste buds, your music interests change based on your life experiences and age.” – Tracy George, Founder of TAG Publicity

“It’s never personal, unless directly stated otherwise.” – Jake Denning, Social Media Manager at Mediaskare Records

“Don’t be afraid to learn everything. In this day and age where the competition is so fierce, it is vital to be a jack of all trades. Learn how to write. Learn how to edit other people’s writing. Learn how to work a DSLR. Become familiar with social media outlets. Also, before every assignment, do your research. Know that this job can be stressful and usually doesn’t pay well, but in the end, it’s worth it because it’s a hell of a lot of fun.” – Brittany Woosely, freelance writer

“Even if you think you know everything, you don’t. In fact if you think you do, you almost definitely don’t.” – Molly Louise Hudelson, Founder of Circles & Soundwaves

Categories
News

The best way to showcase your music online

In the age of the internet, earning the attention and respect of anyone in a position to help your career is increasingly difficult. You can send email after email to bloggers, managers, labels, and potential booking agents alike with links to everything they need to know about your work, but until you get them to click and experience your art you are no better off than you were before you wrote those messages.

This is why artists of all sizes need Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Not only is Haulix the preferred promotional platform by journalists, radio, digital influencers, and the music business at large, but it also provides the most secure and easy to customize promos available anywhere online.

But what about Soundcloud and YouTube?

These services, while good at getting your music in front of the general public, have one major drawback when it comes to industry-focused promotion: You cannot control the atmosphere. Just look at these two screenshots:

You can easily enjoy the music from the artist responsible for the song, but while doing so there is a variety of ads, brands, and related content competing for your attention. Aside from the media player itself almost every other image on either page is intended to promote something other than the artist responsible for the song being enjoyed. This is distracting, and from a branding standpoint does very little to inform those unfamiliar with an artist’s talent about their career.

Now let’s take a look at a Haulix promo:

As you can see, Haulix empowers artists to create beautiful branded promos that conveys everything listeners need to know on a single page. There are no third party advertisements or promotions for other musicians. Your promos are designed for you and you alone, and they can be made in a matter of minutes.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Haulix today!

Categories
News

Twenty One Pilots and Ticketmaster have a plan to stop ticket scalpers

It is hard to overstate the success Ohio-bred rock duo Twenty One Pilots have achieved over the last few years. From humble beginnings are alternative favorites, the pairing of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have become internationally-acclaimed musicians whose audience is always ready to support whatever the group chooses to release.

If you somehow made it to this point in your life without hearing the music of Twenty One Pilots, which is hard to believe given the immense success of their single “Heathens,” allow us to give you a quick introduction:

Recently, Twenty One Pilots decided to say thanks to longtime supporters by announcing a string of intimate performances in the hometown venues they played back when the band was just starting out. The three shows, dubbed ‘Tour de Columbus,’ finds the band playing venues with capacities as low as 300 people, which is a stark change from their recent stadium tour.

Twenty One Pilots understand that demand will be high for these performances. With ticket scalpers working harder than ever to beat fans to access for the best shows, the band has partnered with Ticketmaster for a new program designed to ensure only true supporters are granted access to their gigs. Here’s how it works:

If you don’t have time for the video above, here’s a quick breakdown:

Fans hoping to gain access to tickets must first register an account with Ticketmaster, as well as a more specific ‘verified fan’ account for those who support Twenty One Pilots. Here’s what Ticketmaster has to say about the ‘verified fan’ program:

We’re committed to getting more tickets into the hands of fans. Through partnerships between artists and Ticketmaster, we’re here to help ensure that real fans get to see the artists they love – and that scalpers and bots are kept away – giving you priority access to great tickets.

This registration does not guarantee tickets. Instead it places fans wishing to attend the show in a lottery for the opportunity to buy tickets to the group’s Tour de Columbus shows. The selected winners will receive a text message with an access code that allows them to buy a limited quantity of tickets to the performance(s). Once purchased, the selected fans will also have to present proper identification at the venue the night of the show in order to gain access to the concert.

The real question here, is whether or not fans will be comfortable giving Ticketmaster a bit more personal information in order to ensure they have more access to tickets. If so, and this program catches on, we could be looking at the beginning of the end for mass ticket scalping.

For more details on Twenty One Pilots’ upcoming shows, as well as access to their ‘verified fan’ registry, click here. 

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Managing Editor for Substream Magazine and the host of our Inside Music podcast. For more info on James and his latest projects, follow him on Twitter.

Categories
Job Board News

New openings (3/27/17)

Label Music Business Development Lead (Facebook – Menlo Park, CA)

Facebook is seeking a Lead for Label Music Business Development who is passionate about the changing music ecosystem, technology and supporting our goal of connecting people through social media, the mobile eco-system and business strategy. This role will lead Facebook’s strategy and negotiations with music labels, as well as collaborate with our product and media partnerships teams to ensure a coordinated and best-in-class licensing structure. The position is full-time and based in our main office in Menlo Park.

Account Director, Minneapolis (Spotify – Minneapolis, MN) 

We are looking for an outstanding Ad Sales Account Director to join our team in Minneapolis. We’re looking for someone with a proven record of revenue generation and a deep interest and passion for online media and innovation. We want someone who loves our product and knows how to sell creative solutions for clients and partners. You should be confident without ever being arrogant and you work hard, but know how to have fun.  Above all, your work will impact the way the world experiences music.

Account Manager (Music Dot Com – Charlottesville, VA) 

Our home based company is growing fast. In the past year, our instructor network grew from 4,000 to 14,000 nationwide. This has led us to sign partnership deals with multiple international instrument manufacturers and distributors. In addition, we have also recently been featured on ABC’s very popular “Shark Tank” show! We are expanding at a breakneck pace but make no mistake, this is a PASSION PLAY if there ever was one. While training, initial pay is $2K/month. This increases upon completion of training and continually thereafter. Regular raises and bonuses can be expected for those that are interested in taking on leadership roles and upon meeting sales and performance goals. For those that are interested in (and who can afford to be involved with) a project being built from the ground up and one in which you can take on an ownership role, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Artist Relations Representative (iZotope – Boston, MA) 

We are seeking a passionate, creative, self-motivated individual to join our team in the role of Artist Relations. In the iZotope world, an “artist” is not just limited to performing artists. Our artists include audio engineers, sound designers, post engineers, broadcast engineers, educators and more—anyone using iZotope products in an extraordinary or notable way. As the face of Artist Relations at iZotope, you will be essential for nurturing our existing artist relationships, actively seeking and vetting new artist opportunities, and helping to transform these connections into valuable material for the entire iZotope community to enjoy. 

Music Marketing Assistant (MGP Live – NYC) 

Music Marketing Assistant with a strong knowledge of video game culture & music who can assist in event marketing, event planning, sponsorship acquisition, and social media strategy. Applicants preferred with some experience in social media advertising, contract negotiating, brand marketing & sales. Applicants should also have premier organizational & communication skills, strong writing ability, and the capability to maintain e-mail correspondence.

Coordinator – Marketing (Wallingford, CT) 

As a member of the Live Nation Connecticut marketing team, your job is to provide multiple levels of marketing support to the local marketing team, including the marketing of live events within the region. This is an ideal role for someone who wants to learn all aspects of the live music marketing world.

Music Scoring and Production Business Development (DF Music Group – Los Angeles) 

An Emmy Nominated and Multi-award winning composer and production company for Film, TV, Games and Commercials is looking to grow our custom music scoring and sound design company.

We are seeking experienced and driven business development – sales staff to partner and help explode our sales. The ideal candidate would leverage our decades-long track record, recognition, connections, credits and offerings into acquiring major custom scoring and sound design projects for Film/TV/Trailers/Games/Commercials etc. We are looking for highly motivated and professional experienced business development – sales professionals.

Music Therapist (Physician Management Consultant Group – San Antonio, TX) 

San Antonio Inspire Hospice is hiring for a Music Therapist. Music Therapist will provide, contract, part-time or potentially full time services for individuals who may have challenges related to cognitive, social, physical or mental functioning. Services provided in the San Antonio communities.Opportunity to offer individualized therapeutic interventions.Opportunity to work with a diverse clientele.Opportunity for professional development.

Music Services Associate (WNET – NYC) 

Reporting to the Director of Music Services, the Music Services Associate is responsible for supporting and collaborating with Producers in the selection of Music and Sound effects for  WNET (and its affiliates) programming. This position is directly responsible for the development of Music “cue” sheets in support of production activities.  At times, the incumbent will ensure that music and rights and clearances have been fully researched and vetted.

Music Analyst, Hip Hop (Pandora – Oakland, CA) 

Pandora is looking for a Bay Area Music Analyst to work out of our Oakland office.  The candidate should be a musician (or be able to demonstrate knowledge equivalent to ) with a four-year music degree.  The primary focus for this role is on analyzing Rap and Hip Hop tracks.

Requirements

  • Four year music degree or demonstrable equivalent knowledge, including no less than 4 semesters of music theory
  • Must be able to identify time signatures, chord qualities, melodic intervals, formal structure, etc. by ear only
  • Possess deep knowledge and passion for hip hop and be able to discuss musical, historical, and cultural elements of Hip Hop in depth

Manager of Music, Influencer Content (TuneIn – Los Angeles) 

As a key member of the music content team, you will work directly under the Head of Music to explore all opportunities for music artists, music influencers, and social influencers to for potential hosting, branding, and partnership opportunities. You will oversee each opportunity from initial concept to execution. You will work closely with both marketing and sales to best understand any needs of TuneIn while also communicating any needs of artist and influencer. 

Administrative Coordinator & Theatre Hospitality Liaison (Mann Center for the Performing Arts – Philadelphia, PA) 

The Administrative Coordinator & Theatre Hospitality Liaison reports to the Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer and Strategic Advisor for Theatre Operations. This position is central in providing support for the Mann’s administrative office, COO/CFO and Strategic Advisor for Theatre Operations.

Specialist, Stage Production (Rotary International – Evanston, IL) 

Collaborates with the Stage Production Manager on the general session program development and the production/rehearsal schedules for the International Assembly and International Convention. 

Older Posts (7+ Days)

Public Relations Assistant (Carnegie Hall – NYC)

Assistant to provide administrative support to our Public Relations office. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Serve as frontline liaison with public and media, providing departmental phone coverage, fielding questions, and responding to requests as needed. Serve as Cision system administrator, coordinating and building media contact lists, collecting coverage, preparing daily press clip reports, and maintaining electronic clip files. Coordinate frequent electronic press release mailings, including HTML coding of materials. Manage day-to-day operations of media web site. Coordinate Public Relations office systems, including processing of departmental invoices and budget tracking. Assist department directors, managers, and associates as needed. Assist with press ticketing for concerts and events. Proofread materials as assigned, and participate in preparations for major announcements and special events. Some press duty, including escorting photographers and staffing special events as needed.

Creative Director (Red Bull Sound Select – Santa Monica, CA)

Red Bull Sound Select is an accelerator for music artists. We support them by collaborating on ambitious projects and ideas; using the strength of our global network together with a collective of artists, creatives and events to accelerate their growth. The network consists of 18 city residencies, 200+ events each year, 250+ artists, 50 partners and a growing list of our own festivals like 30 Days and 3 Days in Miami. Our mission is to accelerate artist growth on a global scale, helping to support music communities. As Creative Director, Red Bull Sound Select will play a key role in the program’s success. They will lead and manage the program’s look and feel online, offline and across owned channels. This role is a great opportunity for someone who is passionate about music, has a strong background in design and creative production, enjoys managing people and brands, and has a track record of delivering cutting-edge creative on a global scale.

Fan Engagement Manager (WMG – Burbank, CA)

The newly-formed Warner Bros. Records Fan Engagement & Channel Management department is responsible for shaping and executing all aspects of the label’s social media and direct to consumer channel management strategies and online presence.  Key social media and direct to consumer platforms include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Spotify artist/label channels, and artist/label web and email platforms.

Digital Marketing Coordinator (Ticketfly – San Francisco, CA)

Ticketfly is seeking a highly organized, analytical and technically savvy Digital Marketing Coordinator to support the tracking, execution and analysis of event marketing campaigns on Ticketfly and Pandora. This position will play a critical role in helping venues and promoters like The Independent, Brooklyn Bowl and Pitchfork Music Festival reach a massive and engaged music audience on both platforms.

Strong candidates for this role will have a passion for managing multiple projects simultaneously and coordinating impactful marketing solutions for our key clients. From strategy conception to tactic execution and measurement, this role will ensure we’re surfacing the best events to fans and empowering our clients to drive more ticket sales via their marketing efforts.

Director of Marketing (McNally Smith College of Music – St. Paul, MN)

McNally Smith College of Music is seeking an experienced marketing leader to manage and execute ongoing marketing strategies to drive student recruitment and expand our brand presence. Understanding of the competitive marketplace, public relations, crisis communications, social media, digital and print marketing and communications is essential to succeed in this role. The Marketing Director must have experience writing, editing and proofreading, and the ability to create compelling copy that drives action and conversion throughout the recruitment funnel. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can think and plan strategically as well as take a hands-on role in execution and work collaboratively within a diverse organization with many stakeholders.

Marketing Prod Producer, Apple Music (Apple – Santa Clara Valley, CA)

We’re looking for an experienced marketing producer to provide exceptional leadership across marketing-driven projects for Apple Music, iTunes Store, and Apple News.

Personal Assistant to Confidential Entertainment Client (Sinolife, LLC – Atlanta, GA)

Confidential Client in the Entertainment Business seeks Personal Assistant on a Part Time Basis (20-30 hrs per week) with potential to grow into a full time opportunity (50 + hrs per week)

Duties include:

-All scheduling and calendar coordination on behalf of the client

-Administrative function, to include phone calls, facilitate meetings, travel coordination, calendar coordination, planning

-General Errands on behalf of the client from picks up, and drop offs, meetings

-Responsible for ensuring ALL facets of the day to day operation of the client

-Responsible for helping client to execute client brand goals, quotas, scheduled event/product production deadlines

-Acting as liaison between client and other staff and team members and client vendors

-Social Media and Website Management

-Project Management

Sponsorship Coordinator (Live Nation – Washington D.C.)

This position will provide support and sales assistance to Local Sponsorship Sales, overseeing the fulfillment of local, regional, and national accounts by ensuring the delivery of contractual elements and providing excellent customer service.  Coordinators will also be responsible for managing all sponsorship inventories.

Account Coordinator (Vevo – NYC)

As one of Vevo’s Account Coordinators, you’ll be instrumental in the daily success of Vevo’s Sales organization. As a member of the Account Management team, you’ll be an active contributor during the complete sales cycle, from pre-sale to post-sale. Partnering with Account Managers, and collaborating with our Account Executive, Brand Solutions, Research & Operations teams, you’ll work cohesively and proactively with each of these teams to complete client proposal materials, compile and analyze research data, manage campaign performance and delivery plus other various team projects. Within your first quarter, you’ll meet with all Vevo’s amazing Sales Support teams, become fully up-to-speed on your accounts and their priorities, work with either your Director or Account Manager regarding the ins and outs of your role, and begin to take on full ownership of your accounts. By the end of your first sixth months, you will be fully up to speed on all your accounts’ needs and will become a trusting resource for both your accounts and all internal departments.

International Marketing Coordinator (UMG – NYC)

Universal Music Group is currently seeking an International Marketing Coordinator. This position is ideal for an up and coming Assistant/Coordinator with an interest/experience in the international arena.   Candidates must be comfortable and capable of working with senior management, both inside and outside of Universal Music Group, as well as artists.

The ideal candidate will possess strong administrative, organizational and creative skills. Prior marketing and administrative experience in the music/entertainment field preferred. Candidate must have an innate passion for the music/entertainment industries and a strong interest in International Marketing. The International Marketing Coordinator reports directly to the International Marketing SVP and interacts on a daily basis with the Marketing Team.

Categories
Job Board News

The To-Do List Paradox

There was a time in music when being really good at one thing was enough to secure some form of employment. If you could talk to people in radio about new music and sound convincing, you could get a job. If you could hustle merchandise at shows and keep good records, you could get a job. If you understood how to find and contact music writers about new artists, you could get a job. As long as there was one thing you could show others you understood how to do better than they themselves could do it, you could find a job somewhere in music.

For better and worse, those days are now long gone.

In today’s music business, having a plethora of skills is key to securing employment more often than not. The budget for staffing is tight across the board in music, so employers are actively seeking individuals they believe can fulfill the needs usually met by a team of people. As a result, simply knowing how to do one or two things really well is no longer enough to justify the need for someone to give you a job. Aspiring professionals today need one or two strong skills, as well as several other skills or talents that can be applied to whatever role they seek. If you’re looking to do publicity for example, writing and sending clever emails is no longer enough. Those competing for publicity roles today are good at emails, cold calling, social media outreach, and they have a good ear for finding new talent because, more often than not, they started their own PR firm and have already worked with several small time artists they know through school or friends. These people are essentially unpaid professionals, and they have already worked on everything that a paying role would ask of them and then some. That is what you have to assume anyone competition with you for a job has already accomplished, and you need to make sure you do some of those things yourself if you want to even be considered for a role in this industry.

It wouldn’t be possible for me to outline everything you need to do in order to make yourself appear as a strong candidate for any job in the industry as the needs for each individual role will vary greatly from job to job. I can, however, help you make one change to your current behavior that will enable you to expand your skill set while still refining the skills you’ve already developed. To do this, you need to recognize that your current to-do list is a mess, and you should also understand most other people have horrible to-do lists as well because they, like you, expect to much. They seek to ensure they do everything they can to position themselves for employment, and through doing so create a list of tasks so daunting that completing the tasks can feel next to impossible. The reminder of how much remains undone eats away at you in time and, slowly but surely, you begin to doubt your ability to reach the next level of this business.

To fix this, not to mention simplify your life as a whole, throw out whatever to-do list you currently maintain and start creating today lists instead. By this, I mean creating a new list of goals each and every morning that outlines everything you need to do that particular day in order to be ready for the next morning. The amount of things you need to do in a week or month will not change, but the feeling you have toward what is left unaccomplished will because you won’t be looking at several days or weeks worth of work at once. Instead, your brain will see 5-10 things that, with hard work, can most likely be accomplished between sunrise and sunset on a single day. With each completed task, that already small list shrinks, and as you near the end of your daily to-dos your confidence in your ability to maintain this level of output over the long haul will grow.

But how does this help me find employment in the music industry?

Good question. Employers at every level are going to expect you to tackle multiple projects at once, and each of those projects will have their target completion date. If you tell yourself you can do it all at once you’re only going to end up frustrated and exhausted, but if you break down your longterm goals into manageable daily chores your ability to progress on each item from day-to-day will flourish. Your brain will stop worrying about the overall deadline and start concerning itself more with tasks at hand, which in turn will relax your mind enough so that you are able to think clearly and creatively amidst the chaos of this business.

I’m not going to lie to you: Finding steady employment of any kind in music today is next to impossible, especially if you’re just starting out. The competition for any job, big or small, is fiercer now than at any other point in the history of the entertainment business. This frustrates job seekers and complicates the selection process for most business owner, but at the end of the day it’s actually a blessing because it means only the truly talented and hardworking individuals end up working full-time. The people who find themselves in a position to influence real change not only know how to make change happen, but they possess the organizational skills needed to make the most of the opportunity they have been given.

Categories
News

What To Do If Your Album Leaks

Believe it or not, piracy is still a (very) big deal. Reports estimate that the total amount of media pirated in 2016 was double what was pirated in 2008, and that number is expected to double once more by 2020.

Streaming services, like Spotify and Apple Music, have soothed some of the financial wounds caused by the continued proliferation of music piracy. Artists and label may not love their streaming royalties, but more and more musicians are relying on those checks to keep their dreams alive.

If you are planning to release new music soon, the hard truth is that your latest creation will almost certainly be pirated online. If not prior to release, then immediately following it, and either way the impact on your bottom line can be crush.

At Haulix, we specialize in keeping music safe. Piracy is our top priority, and we are constantly looking for ways to better protect our clients’ music. We even offer free, one-month trial to all new users.

We have made huge strides in fighting piracy, but the fact remains that the vast majority of music still finds its way online through illegal channels. When that happens to you, here’s what needs to happen:

Remain calm

Theft can be a hard thing to wrap your mind around. Album leaks are usually cause for disappointment, but there is a strange sense of comfort to be found in the fact people around the globe want to hear your music so badly that they are willing to risk being in trouble with the law in order to enjoy it before the scheduled release date. That comfort does not take away from the fact those same individuals have completely screwed the carefully crafted marketing plan you had in place, or course, but focusing on the negatives is not going to do anyone any good.

Publicly recognize the fact your album has leaked and ask for support from those who chose to steal it.

Will everyone who downloads your album eventually purchase a copy if they enjoy it? No. What may happen, however, is that a number of people who otherwise may have never encountered your art might come to appreciate your work as a result of the leak, and in time those newly converted followers will begin to show their support by attending a concert, buying merch, or possibly even picking up a record or two. Remember: Your album is as much a product as it is a marketing tool for your brand, and like it or not your band is a brand at the end of the day. If you cannot sell your album to consumers, you might as well try and sell those who take it for free on seeing you live. 

Change your marketing plan

A lot of artists believe that if they choose to ignore the leak of their album and forge ahead with their originally scheduled promotional efforts that their sales will not be hurt. That may apply if you’re someone currently topping the charts, but for those of you on the come up each and every promotional effort made can mean the difference between advancement and career stagnancy. 

Depending on when your album leaks, there may be no changes to make. Albums that leak in the final days before release have typically already exhausted most of their promotional plan. That said, if you’re one of the unfortunate souls to have their album leak weeks or even months in advance you will need to adjust your plan to better engage with the new reality of your situation. Song premieres won’t have the same impact they may have otherwise had, but videos and performances can still engage audiences in a big way.

Make a stream of your album available and direct all traffic to that stream

The best thing you can possibly do in the wake of an unexpected leak is to make your album available for purchase and consumption through channels you control. This means your official website, YouTube channel, Bandcamp, etc. Once your fans learn the album is available they will want to look for it, and it is best if they find it through you on a page that you control. Put the record up, make it easy to purchase, and take back control of the conversation.

As an example of someone taking back control of their release, please take a quick look at this message released by our friends at Topshelf Records following the leak of You Blew It’s new album near the beginning of 2014:

Wow. The response to yesterday’s premiere has been overwhelmingly awesome — thank you!

I noticed a ton of “leaked” copies of the record being shared everywhere within an hour of that premiere going up, though, and just wanted to post about that. We don’t mind that, at all. We get it, and that doesn’t bother us — we’re excited people want to share this. However, when “this” is a 92kbps 2003-Myspace-dot-com-era-quality-sounding rip of a stream, we get kinda bummed how that’s what people might be hearing and sharing. So, we’ve now sent out the high quality downloads to everyone who pre-ordered the record. We’re not gonna be download cops about it — share it, enjoy it, tell your friends about it — sing it when you see them on tour this month.

As always, we’re for damn sure gonna make the record available for download at the more than reasonable price of $5 on bandcamp and as affordable as we can on physical formats (with an immediate download on FLAC, ALAC, MP3 320, MP3 VBR or AAC 256). Also, if you’ve got an iTunes gift card for the holidays and don’t know what the hell to buy with it, well, the record’s for sale there too.

If you haven’t listened to the album yet, you can stream the premiere on Pitchfork now.

Thanks, you guys.

Be proactive in fighting music pirates. Submit take down requests and whatever else needs to be done in order to keep your music away from leak sites.

Haulix simplifies the takedown process and makes it simple to learn who leaked your music. For a free trial, click here.

Fighting an album leak is forever an uphill battle. It only takes one person to leak an album on one site or social media service before files begin spreading like the common cold across the web. You may not be able to completely erase every trace of your early album leak from the net, but with time, dedication, and a little help from Google you can make it a lot more difficult for pirates to locate your stolen material.

First, set up notifications through you favorite digital alert service to notify you anytime someone mentions your album online. You will (hopefully) be inundate with news and reviews most the time, but this service will also peak up leak blogs/sites running your album. You may also want to search for your band name and album title, both together and separately, with the phrases ‘zip’ and ‘rar.’ As soon as you find a link you need removed, contact the blog owner, as well as the site hosting the file download (Mediafire, Sharebeast, Zippyshare, etc.) and politely request that your content be removed with the help of a DCMA take down letter. Then use this form and ask Google to remove links from search. It may take a few days, but most people and sites will comply with your requests. As soon as one goes down, however, another one or three will likely appear. Keep pushing. Keep fighting.

Live to create another day

When all the take downs have been issued and you have told the story of how the leak impacted your plans for the future to the last blogger and fan willing to listen the time will come when you simply need to move on with your career and begin working towards the future. There are more songs to be written, more albums to be recorded, and more many more shows to be performed. People all over the world now have access to your music and no matter what happens from this point forward that will never change. The discovery of your art is going to continue, every day, week, and month for as long as there are people online with a passion for music. There is something beautiful about that, even if it is also financially frustrating, and it offers a rare opportunity to connect with others that many never receive. Make the most of it and forge ahead. Live to create another day.

Categories
News Podcasts

Inside Music Podcast #106 – “What’s with the Hula Hoops?”

On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell sets out to answer a question anyone who has ever attended a summer festival has inevitably asked themselves: What’s with the hula hoops? James sits down with Layla, an up and coming Flow artist who tells him about flow culture, including details regarding how people make a living doing object manipulation at events around the world. It’s a fascinating chat that is more about a subculture than a single person, and we hope it opens your eyes to a world of possibilities you may not have considered otherwise.

The song used in this episode is “Are You Having Any Fun?” from Hoodie Allen. You can find this song, as well as nearly a dozen more, on Allen’s most recent release. Click here for details.

Inside Music is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and a number of additional podcast applications. Please subscribe and review the show.

Categories
Job Board News

New openings (3/20/17)

Public Relations Assistant (Carnegie Hall – NYC)

Assistant to provide administrative support to our Public Relations office. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Serve as frontline liaison with public and media, providing departmental phone coverage, fielding questions, and responding to requests as needed. Serve as Cision system administrator, coordinating and building media contact lists, collecting coverage, preparing daily press clip reports, and maintaining electronic clip files. Coordinate frequent electronic press release mailings, including HTML coding of materials. Manage day-to-day operations of media web site. Coordinate Public Relations office systems, including processing of departmental invoices and budget tracking. Assist department directors, managers, and associates as needed. Assist with press ticketing for concerts and events. Proofread materials as assigned, and participate in preparations for major announcements and special events. Some press duty, including escorting photographers and staffing special events as needed.

Creative Director (Red Bull Sound Select – Santa Monica, CA) 

Red Bull Sound Select is an accelerator for music artists. We support them by collaborating on ambitious projects and ideas; using the strength of our global network together with a collective of artists, creatives and events to accelerate their growth. The network consists of 18 city residencies, 200+ events each year, 250+ artists, 50 partners and a growing list of our own festivals like 30 Days and 3 Days in Miami. Our mission is to accelerate artist growth on a global scale, helping to support music communities. As Creative Director, Red Bull Sound Select will play a key role in the program’s success. They will lead and manage the program’s look and feel online, offline and across owned channels. This role is a great opportunity for someone who is passionate about music, has a strong background in design and creative production, enjoys managing people and brands, and has a track record of delivering cutting-edge creative on a global scale.

Fan Engagement Manager (WMG – Burbank, CA) 

The newly-formed Warner Bros. Records Fan Engagement & Channel Management department is responsible for shaping and executing all aspects of the label’s social media and direct to consumer channel management strategies and online presence.  Key social media and direct to consumer platforms include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Spotify artist/label channels, and artist/label web and email platforms.

Digital Marketing Coordinator (Ticketfly – San Francisco, CA) 

Ticketfly is seeking a highly organized, analytical and technically savvy Digital Marketing Coordinator to support the tracking, execution and analysis of event marketing campaigns on Ticketfly and Pandora. This position will play a critical role in helping venues and promoters like The Independent, Brooklyn Bowl and Pitchfork Music Festival reach a massive and engaged music audience on both platforms.

Strong candidates for this role will have a passion for managing multiple projects simultaneously and coordinating impactful marketing solutions for our key clients. From strategy conception to tactic execution and measurement, this role will ensure we’re surfacing the best events to fans and empowering our clients to drive more ticket sales via their marketing efforts. 

Director of Marketing (McNally Smith College of Music – St. Paul, MN) 

McNally Smith College of Music is seeking an experienced marketing leader to manage and execute ongoing marketing strategies to drive student recruitment and expand our brand presence. Understanding of the competitive marketplace, public relations, crisis communications, social media, digital and print marketing and communications is essential to succeed in this role. The Marketing Director must have experience writing, editing and proofreading, and the ability to create compelling copy that drives action and conversion throughout the recruitment funnel. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can think and plan strategically as well as take a hands-on role in execution and work collaboratively within a diverse organization with many stakeholders.

Marketing Prod Producer, Apple Music (Apple – Santa Clara Valley, CA) 

We’re looking for an experienced marketing producer to provide exceptional leadership across marketing-driven projects for Apple Music, iTunes Store, and Apple News.

Personal Assistant to Confidential Entertainment Client (Sinolife, LLC – Atlanta, GA) 

Confidential Client in the Entertainment Business seeks Personal Assistant on a Part Time Basis (20-30 hrs per week) with potential to grow into a full time opportunity (50 + hrs per week)

Duties include:

-All scheduling and calendar coordination on behalf of the client

-Administrative function, to include phone calls, facilitate meetings, travel coordination, calendar coordination, planning

-General Errands on behalf of the client from picks up, and drop offs, meetings

-Responsible for ensuring ALL facets of the day to day operation of the client

-Responsible for helping client to execute client brand goals, quotas, scheduled event/product production deadlines

-Acting as liaison between client and other staff and team members and client vendors

-Social Media and Website Management

-Project Management

Sponsorship Coordinator (Live Nation – Washington D.C.) 

This position will provide support and sales assistance to Local Sponsorship Sales, overseeing the fulfillment of local, regional, and national accounts by ensuring the delivery of contractual elements and providing excellent customer service.  Coordinators will also be responsible for managing all sponsorship inventories.

Account Coordinator (Vevo – NYC) 

As one of Vevo’s Account Coordinators, you’ll be instrumental in the daily success of Vevo’s Sales organization. As a member of the Account Management team, you’ll be an active contributor during the complete sales cycle, from pre-sale to post-sale. Partnering with Account Managers, and collaborating with our Account Executive, Brand Solutions, Research & Operations teams, you’ll work cohesively and proactively with each of these teams to complete client proposal materials, compile and analyze research data, manage campaign performance and delivery plus other various team projects. Within your first quarter, you’ll meet with all Vevo’s amazing Sales Support teams, become fully up-to-speed on your accounts and their priorities, work with either your Director or Account Manager regarding the ins and outs of your role, and begin to take on full ownership of your accounts. By the end of your first sixth months, you will be fully up to speed on all your accounts’ needs and will become a trusting resource for both your accounts and all internal departments.

International Marketing Coordinator (UMG – NYC) 

Universal Music Group is currently seeking an International Marketing Coordinator. This position is ideal for an up and coming Assistant/Coordinator with an interest/experience in the international arena.   Candidates must be comfortable and capable of working with senior management, both inside and outside of Universal Music Group, as well as artists.

The ideal candidate will possess strong administrative, organizational and creative skills. Prior marketing and administrative experience in the music/entertainment field preferred. Candidate must have an innate passion for the music/entertainment industries and a strong interest in International Marketing. The International Marketing Coordinator reports directly to the International Marketing SVP and interacts on a daily basis with the Marketing Team.

Older posts (3/12/17)

Tour Department Administrative Support (Live Nation – San Francisco, CA)

We are seeking an administrative assistant to work in our San Francisco office. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to maintaining  Itinerary database for East and West Coast touring offices. Previous experience in this field preferred, but not required.

Coordinator, A&R (Sony – Culver City, CA)

The A&R Coordinator will provide support to the General Manager for Syco Music and help to ensure the efficient day-to-day operation by successfully accomplishing a wide range of responsibilities.

Music Artist Assistant (NYFA – NYC)

Upcoming film scoring composer, songwriter and singer is seeking a dynamic, motivated, persistent, passionate and engaging assistant with a natural salesmanship talent. While knowledge of music is not required, the Candidate must have a real interest and certain understanding of the contemporary music business and trends or be a fast learner.

A&R Coordinator, Sire Records (WMG – NYC)

The Sire Records Label Coordinator supports the President and Director of Sire Records in fulfilling any and all his A&R and administrative duties. Specific responsibilities of this position include office duties, helping to scout new bands, artists, and music, as well as attending shows and acting as a liaison between the A&R rep and the parent entity, Warner Music Group. This position must often maintain and develop relationships directly with artists, scout and research new artists, songwriters, and producers, review demo submissions, cover shows, coordinate detailed bi-weekly A&R research reports and carry out other marketing and label duties as needed. The label coordinator is also responsible for helping to come up with new marketing concepts, working with the creative department on images and advertisements, developing marketing strategies and plans, and present findings to company executives.

Coordinator, Content Management (The Orchard – NYC)

As a Content Management Coordinator, you’re impeccably accurate and detail-oriented while still able to manage multiple deadlines and prioritize appropriately. You’re able to proactively pinpoint and report on issues that arise pertaining to your daily tasks, and would love to become familiar with YouTube’s CMS and other streaming platforms. You’re numbers-focused, with a keen eye for data and an appreciation for the spreadsheet. You’re driven and enthusiastic about joining a team where collaboration is key, and want to be part of a company at the forefront of the music and digital space.

Client Relations Coordinator (Ticketmaster – Hollywood, CA)

The Client Relations Coordinator position will play a crucial role for Ticketmaster’s OnTour team, in the company’s continued evolution in the live entertainment industry. Ticketmaster’s OnTour team is the company’s artist facing department, tasked with building Ticketmaster’s relationships with the artist community, along with informing artists’ teams and acting as a resource to those teams to help them maximize ticket sales, marketing and drive incremental revenue throughout their tour cycle. The Client Relations coordinator will play a critical role in maintaining a solid foundation for the expanding OnTour team, and identifying potential areas of growth with both new and existing clients. The qualified candidate will have demonstrated an understanding of the live music industry.

Talent Agent/Manager (My Basic LLC – Atlanta)

MY Basic LLC is looking to build a team who has the smarts and creative drive to play an important role in helping an artist/producer with booking, marketing, and setting up events.

Tasks will include but not be limited to:

  • Music placement
  • Finding paying gigs
  • Assisting with press releases
  • Coordinating photoshoots
  • Making sure tools are in place to assist with selling of music

We’ll talk further on this part if you’re an ideal fit. You must be savvy, a go getter, and hard working.

Arts Education Program Manager (U of M – Ann Arbor, MI)

UMS is seeking a dynamic and outgoing arts professional to develop and implement its community-based education and engagement activities.  Duties include: building community relationships and programs through the arts (focusing on specific cultural communities as identified in the ECE strategic plan); developing arts education programs for adult learners and general audiences (artist Q&As, pre-show talks, interactive lobby experiences, etc.); supporting UMS’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals across the entire ECE program (including K-12 and University programs); designing and implementing artist residencies with a range of UMS’s visiting artists; and serving as lead producer for approximately 1-2 of UMS’s main stage live performances annually. The ideal candidate will have a passion for community building through the arts; be an expert at sensitively and respectfully developing relationships across diverse communities; possess superb administrative and project management skills; and be an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts.

Music Development Manager (Augsburg – Minneapolis, MN)

Within the Publishing House of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1517 Media), Augsburg Fortress (AF) creates substantive and innovative materials to support the ministries of faith communities in communicating the good news of God’s liberating grace, with a particular focus on Lutheran congregations. Augsburg Fortress publishes approximately 60 titles a year in the Augsburg Music portfolio, with a focus on traditional and liturgical choral and keyboard music as well as congregational song. The purpose of the Music Development Manager position is to carry out program development, editorial, and project management roles in order to ensure that the Augsburg Music publication program meets customer needs for usefulness, accessibility, appropriateness, and high quality of both content and presentation.

Music Instructor (Fontbonne – St. Louis, MO)

Fontbonne University is seeking a dynamic and experienced teacher and music director to lead university choral groups (sacred and secular), collaborate on musicals (with students and Mustard Seed Theatre, a professional theatre in residence at Fontbonne), teach music appreciation classes and offer voice/piano individual lessons. As part of the Performing Arts program, the instructor will participate in recruiting and educational outreach events and will develop curriculum to benefit Fontbonne’s teacher education and fine arts students.

Youth Orchestra Music Director (Symphony of the Mountains – Kingsport, TN)

Symphony of the Mountains’ Youth Orchestra is an auditioned, regional orchestra affiliated with the Symphony of the Mountains based in Kingsport, TN. The mission of the SOTM is to provide the highest quality of music to audiences of all ages throughout our region. The Symphony of the Mountains is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Youth Orchestra Music Director.

Creative Assistant (The Dreamatorium – Boulder, CO)

We are a company that’s on the forefront of a new industry and we are expanding. There are long term possibilities for the right fit, its fun and a different adventure all the time. We are constantly working on different projects and need someone quick on their feet with attention to detail and common sense. I am all about highest quality & productivity while having fun.

Responsibilities include:

  • Assume administrative tasks as needed, including typing, quickbooks
  • Accurate and efficient with research web or otherwise
  • Creative help based on capabilities in multiple areas like textiles, soap-making, candle-making, sewing, dying, tie-dying, jewelry making, photography, event production, music production screen printing, letter press, digital illustration.
  • Production Assistance

Sound Designer (iZotope – Cambridge, MA)

iZotope is looking for a talented, inspired Sound Designer to help us create innovative and compelling product content that inspires and enables our customers to be creative.  Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer, the Sound Designer will work closely with the product development team to craft the vision and sound design goals for all of our products, including planning, budgeting, management and execution of all sound work.

Assistant Librarian (STL Symphony – St. Louis, MO)

Under general direction, perform duties to assist Librarian and Associate Librarian in providing each orchestra musician with correct parts for each orchestra service. Responsible for accurately marking parts with bowings for strings, editing parts as requested by conductor, and preventing any foreseeable problems as they relate to music to maximize musician use of resources and rehearsal time. Assist in maintaining administrative requirements of the library including cataloging, shipment of materials, and OPAS database management. Position requires irregular work hours, including some evenings and weekends. This position is currently a staff position.

Categories
News

Taylor Swift’s next move could change the music business

This October will mark three years since Taylor Swift last released an album. 1989 was a massive hit that furthered Swift’s already massive popularity, and it produced enough singles that most people don’t realize the album came out nearly three years ago.

In the time since 1989’s release, Swift has toured the world repeatedly, recorded a song for a Fifty Shades movie, and very publicly battled with Spotify and the world of streaming services over the poor revenue-sharing deals they force upon artists.

This week, TMZ reported that Swift filed documents to trademark a ‘Swifties’, what they described as a streaming service “featuring non-downloadable multi-media content in the nature of audio recordings”. Her camp later denied the story, telling Billboard the star “would not be launching a streaming service,” but instead was planning a project that would  be more “like a personalized fan club app complete with exclusive merchandise, audio/video/live performances and the possibility of a mobile game of some sort.”

The reason Taylor’s new project is not a competitor for Spotify or Apple Music is because she’s not concerning herself with anyone’s career other than her own. ‘Swifties’ makes perfect sense. Why should Taylor Swift help another company make money with her brand when she can go directly to her fans and ask them to subscribe to her a site/service that offers exclusive access to all things Taylor for a price well below anything a streaming platform could offer? Her fans already pay for Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Red, among others, so why not Taylor Swift?

In the United States alone, 1989 sold 1.27 million copies during its first week of release. If even half of those people signed up for ‘Swifties’ at a cost of $5 each Swift could generate $2.5 million per month. Add to this her countless fans around the world, most of whom would jump at the promise of exclusive access to music, merch, and/or tour pre-sale codes, and Swift could very easily generate millions a month without anyone’s help. She could keep her catalog on streaming services for the sake of the royalties they would generate, but that money would likely be pennies in comparison.

The idea of ‘Swifties’ is the modern day equivalent to Radiohead choosing to sell Hail To The Thief exclusive through their website. The idea seemed crazy at the time, but it became the new normal overnight. For artists as big as Taylor, who have millions of fans, why not create what is essentially a fan club for the digital era? If it works for Taylor it could easily work for Drake, Adele, Beyonce, Pitbull, and a slew of other entertainers.

Mid-level talents and those still on the come up, however, should not be quick to follow T. Swift’s lead. As we learned from the failed self-released record’s the followed Radiohead there is still something to be said for making artists making their music as easy to find as possible while they are still raising awareness for their brand.

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