Month: November 2018

Categories
News

How Artists are Creating Albums with Haulix

Haulix Logo 2019

The internet has given us many gifts. Among them, the ability to connect with like-minded people from all over the world ranks as one of the best. Anyone with access to the internet can find people with similar interests and work together to build something great.

Brockhampton, the Billboard-topping rap group/boy band, is a good example. The members found one another through an online music forum and began working on music together before they had met in person. That initial connect has since spawned multiple albums, numerous sold-out performances, and press from seemingly every important entertainment publication in existence.

The problem for many trying to develop a band or group through the internet is sharing ideas without allowing incomplete tracks to reach the public. Soundcloud has no security measures beyond easily shareable links. YouTube has the same problem. WeTransfer and Dropbox are good, but they still require a lot of effort to access material, hear it, download it, update it, upload the changes, and share it once more.

Haulix is a superior solution. Though known as a hub for new and pre-release music promotion, Haulix is also used by many music professionals to aid in the development of songs by allowing artists and their team to share material still being refined without fear of piracy.

Let’s use an example to further illustrate this approach:

Red Springs is a metal band featuring members located all over the world. The vocalist lives in Chicago, but the bassist and drummer live in London. The lead guitarist is from Spain, and the rhythm guitarist makes their home in Southern California. Getting together for practice is no easy feat, but getting together to write and work on new material is financially impossible.

To make their metal dreams come true without risking member changes or extreme debt, Red Springs use Haulix to share new and incomplete ideas. The drummer and bassist record scratch tracks and upload those files to Haulix as a new promo. Once complete, they invite the other members of the band to stream, download, and review the material. The other members then use their unique access links to engage with the ideas.

From there, each member of the band can add their own part to the material or choose to create and upload an idea of their own. Those members then share their latest work with the group, allowing everyone to access the content and work on new ideas or suggestions on their own time.

Once their latest material is complete, the band can schedule studio time or work on properly recording their material themselves. They can continue using Haulix to save songs as they are complete, and in doing so push their band forward without worrying about conflicting schedules or time zones.

Every new Haulix account receives one-month of service for free. You can visit the company website to review their plans and find the one that best suits your needs. Cancel anytime during that first month, and you will not be charged.

Have questions? Email james@haulix.com for more information.

Categories
News Podcasts

Inside Music Podcast #136: Allison Lanza Tells All!

Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.

On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, James sits down in a crowded coffee shop with Allison Lanza to discuss her career in music. Like many aspiring professionals, Allison started her relationship with music as a fan. She tells James about waiting in the snow for concerts, and how her dedication to music lead to a career that has taken her around the country several times over. Allison is currently on tour with The Wrecks, but has also worked with Vans Warped Tour and Nothing But Thieves, among others.

In other news, Inside Music is now available on YouTube! Click here to stream the latest episode on our official channel. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes, as well as any other podcast streaming service.

https://soundcloud.com/inside-music-podcast/lanza-112818-922-am

Prefer video? We’ve got you covered:

Categories
News

New Data Reveals Nearly 25% of People Skip Songs In 5 Seconds or Less

The internet has ruined our already short attention spans.

In the early days of entertainment, consumers were likely to try anything at least once. New artist? Let’s hear their single. New sound? Let’s see how this compares to what worked in the past.

Today’s consumer is far more fickle, but that didn’t happen overnight. As media has grown, so has the number of options consumers have at any given moment. In 2018, anyone can watch or listen to virtually anything with just a few clicks. From free content to streaming services and (unfortunately) pirate sites, nearly all entertainment ever produced is available at all times all over the world.

With that in mind, who has time for the unfamiliar?

Music blogger Paul Lamere analyzed billions of plays from millions of Spotify listeners all over the world to discover their skip rates. Here’s what he found:

  • 24.14 percent likelihood of skipping to the next song in the first 5 seconds.
  • 28.97 percent in the first 10 seconds
  • 35.05 percent in the first 30 seconds
  • 48.6 percent skip before the song finishes

Digging further, Lamere found that the average listener skips 14.65 times per hour, or about once every four minutes. Females skip slightly more than males at 45.23% to 44.75%.

The mobile skip rate is 51.1% while on a desktop it’s 40.1%. That data suggests that desktop listening is a background activity, something used to fill the void of silence, which makes sense. Most of us listen to music while working, and most of us have a very particular preference when it comes to what sounds help us work best.

Lamere also discovered some interesting correlations between age and skip rates. Teenagers, who are notorious for their short attention spans, skip more than 50% of the tracks they hear. Adults, on the other hand, skip about 35% of the material.

Weekend skip rates are higher than those during the week, which is due at least in part to fewer people listening via desktop. People know what they want to hear on the weekend because they’re often trying to create a mood to accompany a specific activity. Once an attitude or style is identified, skipping anything that doesn’t fit that desired consistency is second nature.

The big takeaway here (and most obvious), is that grabbing the attention of listeners is harder than ever. Artists need to catch us right away if they have any chance of gaining fans, especially if they’re hoping to target a younger demographic.

Categories
Job Board News

Music Industry Job Board (November 26, 2018)

The music industry is growing, and it needs people to helpm build the future of entertainment. If that describes you, our job board is waiting.

New openings:

Assistant, Music Brand Partnerships (CAA – Los Angeles, CA)

CAA is seeking an Assistant to support an Agent in our Music Brand Partnerships department based in Los Angeles. CAA Music Brand Partnerships is a dedicated team of music branding and marketing experts that works across all genres. The department works to service the agency’s music clients by developing strategic campaigns and successful partnerships with brands from across the globe.

Senior Manager, Digital Marketing & Strategy (WMG – NYC)

The Senior Manager, Digital Marketing & Strategy will be responsible for developing comprehensive digital strategies for marketing artist releases from Label Services artists and label clients.  To efficiently and effectively manage all aspects of online marketing for an assigned roster of projects, as supervised by Senior Director, Digital Marketing & Strategy. Liase with the marketing, press, and digital sales departments in the company (and any hired, third party companies) in conjunction with Label Services artists and label clients to maximize the potential for each project’s success.  To find innovative and cost-effective ways to brand Label Services artists and label clients with associated online partners, including content development and management, grassroots community building and marketing, and lifestyle outlets. Required to set goals and manage campaigns in an effort to optimize reach and revenue. Responsible for managing and interpreting departmental reports and partner data.

Words & Music Program Manager (Country Music Foundation – Nashville, TN)

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum seeks an experienced educator with a background in songwriting, teaching, and music education to oversee all aspects of the Words & Music program. This highly creative, charismatic, and passionate individual will manage Words & Music programs that serve K-12 students at the museum, in area schools, and via videoconference. Key responsibilities include serving as lead facilitator for Words & Music sessions; designing, facilitating, and administering curriculum-aligned lessons; leading and instructing Words & Music professional development workshops for teachers; recruiting, training, and supervising contract songwriters; and serving, and engaging school partners. The Words & Music Manager will combine best practices in museum and music education, as well as participate in the continued success and growth of the Words & Music program.

Manager, Music Licensing (Sony Pictures – Culver City, CA)

As part of the Music Licensing team within Music Affairs, the Manager of Music Licensing works collaboratively with and supports Sony Pictures Television’s music and audio needs across all of their various television productions.

Reviewing and charting cue sheets, identifying songs and audio that require clearance, research master and publishing rights holders with major and independent record labels and music publishers, seek obtain and negotiate the necessary approvals. Work closely with Music BA on production inquiries to music rights and original music created for our television productions. With an understanding of Performing Rights Organizations, Music Publishers, definition of Public Domain, split territories coupled with knowledge of people and contacts in the industry to swiftly pursue and secure all rights necessary for the use of 3rd party music and audio. Be able and enthusiastic to offer solutions when confronted with the unavailability of a recording for creative or financial reasons. Assignment of various projects on a project-by-project basis to find opportunities of efficiency, financial savings and contribute to the teams’ goal of possible revenue generation with SPE’s owned and controlled music and audio in visual media. Just a few of Sony’s television productions include The Goldbergs, Atypical, Better Call Saul, Cobra Kai, and The Blacklist.

Festival and Special Events Operations Coordinator (Paxahau, Inc. – Detroit, MI)

The Festival and Special Events Operations Coordinator position will report directly to the Director of Operations and assist in the day to day obligations and tasks needed to move any projects being worked on forward in an efficient and productive manner.

Junior Talent Buyer (Doozy – Chicago, IL)

Doozy is seeking passionate and motivated people to join our team. Driven with the spirit to be a true entrepreneur. Doozy seeks somebody who can be resourceful, innovative, committed and always thinking ahead. Our partners for success embrace these qualities, so if this sounds like you, we would love to speak more about our opportunities!

Senior Tour Accountant (Tri Star Sports and Entertainment – Nashville, TN)

Tri Star Sports & Entertainment is looking for high-performing Senior Accountant to join our Touring department in Nashville. The Senior Accountant, Touring would need a strong understanding of accounting policies and procedures, specifically in touring, and would be reporting up to the Tour Accounting Manager.

Manager, Velocity Entertainment Group (Viacom – NYC)

The Velocity Pitch team is a market facing team focused on advertiser partner needs and lead ideation based on client brief, data and insights, and VMN talent/ assets. The Manager position reports into the Director, working across music and entertainment networks. In this role, you will partner with Ad Sales and support the Pitch Management team to help ideate and develop convergent campaigns across various Viacom Properties. Collaboration is at the core of this role as you will be working closely with execution and creative counterparts to manage client requests.

In addition, you should be a team player, a fan of our content, talent and franchises, and have a passion for developing innovative and creative sponsorship solutions for clients that are engaging, drive revenue and provide meaningful solutions.

Assistant or Associate Curator, Music (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy, NY)

The incumbent develops curatorial concepts, implements, manages and produces programs in the field of music and time-based arts; produces and manages performances and projects; develops concepts for funding strategies, public relations activities and contractual and financial aspects of specific projects.

Senior Director of Artist Relations (Feed The Children – Franklin, TN)

We are currently in search of a Sr. Director of Artist Relations to join our team! The Sr. Director of Artist Relations will be responsible for expanding Feed the Children’s fundraising income through Artist Program events and similar entertainment industry events and relationships (inclusive of conferences, tours, speakers and other audience generating activities) to support the growth of Feed the Children’s global programs. Within that responsibility, the primary goal is to acquire child sponsorships. This individual must function in a highly collegial, collaborative, mission-driven environment, with strong relationship and financial skills and accountability. This individual will be the lead on developing strategies for acquiring child sponsors involving artists, speakers, and other personalities, managing an operations team, and cultivating and maintaining relationships with artists and other influencers within the music industry. The Sr. Director of Artist Relations will report directly to the Chief Development & Marketing Officer.

Project Manager (Sofar Sounds – Chicago, IL)

We are looking to to add a Project Manager to join our team on a freelance basis to our team. A commitment of 1-2 days per week with an average project length of 12 weeks. They must share our passion for brands, new music, work well in a startup environment, and want to be part of a worldwide community that is already making music history.

The successful candidate will work within the Global Partnerships team, working exceptionally on brand lead event activations.

Category Manager, Branded Apparel & General Merchandise (Zildjian – Norwell, MA)

The Category Manager – Branded Gear & Apparel is responsible for developing and executing the global product vision for the Zildjian family of brands’ apparel and general merchandise portfolio. H/She will lead the development process from concept to commercialization inclusive of delivering against category financial targets, managing vendor and licensing relationships in partnership with Purchasing, and resolving vendor production and quality issues.

Coordinator, A&R Administration (Sony – NYC)

The Coordinator of A&R Administration will act as a liaison between A&R, Business & Legal Affairs, Finance and the rest of the label’s departments to execute the recording process and ensure the successful delivery of recordings intended for commercial release. The position will be located in the New York Office and report to the Senior Director, A&R Administration.

Assistant Media Planner (Horizon Media – Los Angeles, CA)

The Assistant Digital Media Planner is a crucial position which requires an individual to work well within a team and be prepared for a fast-paced and detail-oriented environment. This individual is expected to show resourcefulness, exhibit accountability, and understand their role well enough to work independently and demonstrate initiative. The Assistant Media Planner, Digital is expected to be an active participant in meetings and day-to-day interactions with an increasing level of contribution as the experience builds.

This individual is expected to contribute in the planning, implementing and maintaining of digital media campaigns. As an entry-level position, the Assistant Media Planner, Digital position represents the start of a media career and is highly supported by the team.

Industry Lead, Retail (Spotify – Chicago, IL)

We seek an outstanding Industry Lead, Retail to join the new Global Vertical Team within our Global Agency and Top Accounts organization. The team plays a critical role in developing senior business relationships and partnerships with the world’s biggest agencies and brands. Reporting directly into the Global Head of Verticals, this role will require the right candidate to develop and eventually manage Spotify’s 1st Retail Vertical Team.

Our Vertical Heads (across CPG, Auto, Entertainment, Tech & Retail) act as the knowledge centers for the direct sales teams providing category level expertise, insight and solutions to vertical based challenges. Whilst also managing and supporting global account leads in delivering best in-class partnerships and solutions to Spotify’s largest advertisers business needs.

At the heart of this team is a philosophy of consultative sales that anticipates the business needs of Spotify’s largest advertisers and delivers measurable solutions. You will help cultivate this philosophy.

Above all, your work will impact the way the world experiences music.

General Manager (AEG Worldwide – Cleveland, OH)

The General Manager is responsible for the overall management, promotion and operation of the facility including booking, private event sales, P&L/finance management, marketing, staffing, production maintenance and all related operations. Duties include providing leadership and direction to subordinate operating departments, management of both sales and operational staff, acting as liaison with venue ownership group, industry associates, governing agencies, communication media and the general public.

Talent Manager (Loeks Theatres – Grand Rapids, MI)

Studio C has created an exciting new position and is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Talent Manager. In this role you will lead the charge in sourcing and attracting talent for the Fall 2019 opening of Studio Park (includes a 9 screen cinema 200 seat music venue and a restaurant/bar concept) in downtown Grand Rapids as well as provide continuous support of our goal to distinguish ourselves as an Employer of Choice in Grand Rapids.Studio C exists to create space where story happens. If you are passionate about people excited about this opportunity and love dining music and movies come start your next story with us.

Senior HR Manager, Music and Media (Apple – Culver City, CA)

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there’s no telling what you could accomplish. The people here at Apple don’t just craft products – they build the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. This is a fantastic opportunity to partner with and support the Apple Music & Media teams based in Culver City, LA. In this role, you will deliver a full spectrum of both strategic and tactical People support and programs on a global basis to employees and help drive culture and expansion in the Culver City office. From educating clients on compensation practices and the performance review process to advising on organizational design, Culture development and various management issues. You will assist with employee communication initiatives within client groups and partner with specialist groups to ensure coordination of People strategies and processes across the organization. Providing relevant data and recommendations to guide decision-making related to compensation, organizational structures, retention, promotions and other actives, are key aspects of this role.

Partner Research & Insights Lead (Spotify – NYC)

We’re looking for a rockstar to join the band! More specifically, a research lead to enhance the vision, strategy, and execution of Spotify’s Ad business through groundbreaking global research and insights. This role will be an integral part of the Advertiser Research & Measurement team and overall Marketing Sciences organization – blending primary research and 1st party platform data to demonstrate our value proposition to agencies and brands, inform our teams how they can better reach marketers, and elevate industry intelligence to drive smarter business decisions. This role will report directly to the Global Head, Advertiser Research & Measurement.

Corporate Communications Executive, Music and Comedy Touring (CAA – Los Angeles, CA)

The Corporate Communications Executive will play a key role in creating and implementing external and internal communications strategies for the Company’s Music and Comedy Touring division.

Music Curator (Songtradr – Santa Monica, CA)

As a Music Curator, you will focus on supporting our licensing team’s sales activities by providing curated selections of music from our vast catalog. The successful candidate will be exceptionally supportive and willing to learn, highly adaptable to the team’s needs, able to shift gears quickly and be passionate about ensuring licensing customers receive the best possible music for their productions.

Procurement Director (Gibson – Nashville, TN)

The Procurement Director will be an exceptionally capable leader dedicated to delivering optimal raw materials and supplies availability while delivering significant cost optimization as well as establishing performance metrics for the procurement function consistent with the strategic and operational vision of the company. The successful candidate will be a natural front-line leader with the executive presence to establish immediate credibility with manufacturing leaders as well as other senior executives.

Reporting to the Chief Production Officer, the Procurement Director will oversee a procurement team who are category leaders. The primary responsibilities of the Procurement Director include developing and driving a comprehensive category procurement program, establishing performance objectives for each team member, and determining, documenting and implementing procurement core policies, tools and processes to ensure sustainable performance and delivery of savings.

The Procurement Director must be able to see the opportunity within the existing purchasing function while taking a fresh approach toward leveraging scale and optimization as the company moves toward a more integrated structure.

Assistant to a Music Artist Manager (Elliptic Artist Mgmt – Santa Monica, CA)

Must have experience in digital marketing: (i.e. social media management, paid online advertising, analytics).

Must be detail oriented, organized, eager to learn and a bit of a self-starter.

Photoshop skills would be a serious plus.

MS Office and Google Drive are essential.

Preference would be to have a basic understanding of music publishing, record companies, touring, public relations, merch management, etc.

Will be responsible for some travel booking and should be comfortable with that.

Must have good people skills and able to communicate with artists.

Should be comfortable working with one person, but others in remote locations.

Should be able to handle confidential information with artists.

Must have own laptop.

Freelance Sound Designer and/or Composer (Bayonet – Indianapolis, IN)

Bayonet is always looking for people who take audio as seriously as we take visuals. Do you friends thing you are crazy because you’d rather record the sounds of nature than take pictures? Good, that’s the kind of crazy we are looking for. The same goes for music. Nothing draws out the emotion and subtext in a video like a great track. We want your help with custom music.

Categories
News

18 Problems Facing Music Blogs Today (And How To Solve Them)

Music blogs were once widely considered an integral part of any music promotion effort. Before the age of streaming services, dedicated genre flans turned to blogs for new song premieres, new artists, and tour information.

Opinions have changed in recent years. While some blogs are still considered gatekeepers to specific areas of music, many more have been written off as unnecessary or uninteresting (often both). Those criticisms, along with others, have birthed think-pieces, podcasts, and YouTube videos that question the relevancy of the blog market as a whole.

But such criticisms are short-sighted. Much like cassettes and vinyl before them, blogs may not be as vital as they once were, but that does not mean they are dead and gone. There are countless blogs operating today, with more launching every month. People still dream of becoming music journalists, and some even get paid to write about music regularly.

With that in mind, let’s explore the problems music blogs face today, many of which have only arisen in recent years.

1. Interviews are mostly irrelevant in the social media age. Why read an interview with someone who already shares every detail of their life on multiple social media platforms 24/7? What can blogs deliver that they can’t?

2. There will always be a need for a “water cooler” where the conversation on a band/genre takes place, but now there are more avenues for discourse than ever before. Blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Instagram live, etc.

3. Many sites have thrived by regurgitating press releases as fast as possible, but no one is faster than the artists who have likely scheduled the same announcement across all channels in advance of release.

4. Sameness is a disease that has plagued many sites for years. What does any blog offer that no one else can, and how are blogs utilizing that uniqueness to engage music fans?

5. When everyone can share their opinion all the time, why should anyone listen to a blog? Just because someone writes 1000 words on a new album doesn’t mean their perspective is better than what someone else can fit into a tweet. Creativity always wins.

6. Simply sharing content is not enough to build an audience. Where is a blog’s branding? Where is their investment? How are they making their content their own and not just another use of the same promo image every other site uses for the exact same coverage?

7. Single platform sites are dinosaurs. Does the blog have a podcast? How about a YouTube channel? Are they creating unique content for their Instagram and Twitter, or is everything the same everywhere?

8. Have sites made any effort to promote their content beyond having their contributors share links tagging talent? Artists are more inclined to engage fans than they are to try pleasing a blog that relies on them to bring clicks. Where is the authority?

9. Speaking of original content, does the blog edit their posts? Are they developing a voice? Do they curate image galleries rather than posting 50+ photos from a show they covered in 250 words, most of which can be summarized with “it was cool”?

10. What about your community? Has the site identified the type of person who reads their content? If so, have they asked readers why they choose that publication over the competition? Have they asked their audience who they want to know more about?

11. What is a site’s focus? Everyone listens to a little bit of everything, but no site is proficient or knowledgeable about every genre. Sites hoping to succeed need to identify what coverage performs the best and minimize the rest. Blogs shouldn’t trend hop just because Lil Whatstheirname is suddenly buzz-worthy.

12. Does everyone really need a site of their own, or would they be better suited for partnering with another site to create one powerhouse force? Is it ego or necessity that dictates that decision?

13. As far as advertising and promotion, what is a site’s target market? How did they identify them? What can they offer that group that other sites can’t or won’t?

14. Too many sites lack clear goals. Many are trying to be Rolling Stone, but that is a terrible decision because the business model of Rolling Stone is no longer working for that publication in today’s world. Sites need to set attainable goals and manage their expectations along the way.

15. If they do start a YouTube Channel or podcast, why? How are they working to differentiate that content from what already exists? The more specific sites can be the better. No one needs more “people who like everything talking about everything they like.”

16. Networking matters. What kind of relationships are new sites developing with PR/Labels/Artists? Are they saying yes to everything? If so, stop that. Are they only saying yes if they promise to promote? If so, top that. Are they working together to create the best possible content that can help everyone? If so, do more of that.

17. Too many sites dream big but act small. If blogs try something new, they MUST put their all into it. Why should anyone else give a damn about what a website is doing if the site owners don’t give a damn? Quality breeds community.

18. Blogs need to listen to the music community more. Find a need and fill it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a complete list of tours currently happening in any specific genre? How about a playlist with all the new material from any one genre each week? These ideas and many more are waiting to be utilized.

These problems don’t even begin to address the problem of monetization, or they need to pay contributors, but both these issues can be solved AFTER an audience has been developed.

Blogs will never die, but it’s likely many sites that exist right now won’t be around in five years’ time. If you want to survive then you must adapt. Constant evolution based on analysis of trends and tastes will inevitably give way to longevity. Complacency only leads to death.

Categories
News

In Mexico, 97% of the population admits to pirating music

A local anti-piracy outfit in Mexico has released new data that claims 97% of the population openly admits to consuming music illegally, with 50% doing so via stream-ripping. 

Less than a week after learning of BitTorrent’s continued dominance in global internet traffic, a new report has given us another perspective on piracy in 2018. The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) released data recently that shows virtually everyone (97%) in Mexico has pirated music. Another point claim indicates that eight out of ten Mexicans who consume pirate content believe that it’s not a serious offense.

Globally, Mexico is in the top five piracy-consuming nations, says Alfredo Tourné, general director of the Association for the Protection of Phonographic Rights (APDIF).

Ironically, Spotify has recently hailed Mexico for the city’s embrace of its premium streaming service. According to the company, Mexico City is the “streaming music capital” of the world, with 22 million citizens using the platform on a regular basis to consume music. That figure is larger than New York, London, and any other service.

In fact, Spotify says that the Latin American country now has “the biggest listener base in the world.”

How to feel about these figures is not so clear. On the one hand, more and more people appear to be embracing legal means of online music consumption. At the same time, however, piracy is rampant throughout the country. All we know for certain is that more work is needed.

Categories
News

How To Survive the Holiday Slowdown

The holiday season is upon us, and in no time at all businesses across the industry will go dark so employees can celebrate this time of year with their loved ones. It’s a beautiful thing, especially in an industry notorious for long hours, but for a few professionals, it’s also maddening. Allow me to explain…

While many music professionals are able to set up out of office replies for the holidays, there are still bloggers, podcasters, and a wide variety of media people in between with audiences who demand a constant feed of fresh content. When the industry goes dark for a holiday, these poor souls (including yours truly) find themselves clicking through every pitch they receive in hopes of discovering something worth writing about. More often than not they settle on additional editorial content, generally in the form of telling you the best stuff you might have missed, and they pray it’s enough to keep clicks rolling in while the snow falls.

There is a saying in journalism that you should seek to tell stories you would want to read. If you should find yourself writing something you have no interest in reading it is highly likely those who see that article will feel the same. As much as fresh stories in a feed can be useful for business is it really worth whatever investment of time they require if next to no one cares to read them?

People care less about entertainment news around the holidays than they do practically any other time of year. Don’t take this personally though, as it is true for virtually every publication. Entertainment and entertainment news is the distraction we fill our days with when doing things we would otherwise avoid if we could, like work. Holidays are communal escapes, offerings friends and family the chance to do things they want to do, therefore lowering the need for distractions.

To put it another way, the demand does not exist because the need for something that brings joy is met through other (arguably far more important) means.

This year, I want to challenge all music writers out there to try something different. Rather than beat your head against your keyboard in between clicking refresh on your RSS feeds, take a little time to experience what the rest of the world does this time of year. Schedule tweets and make whatever necessary posts you feel you must make to maintain appearances, but as soon as that is done shut down your computer and experience this thing call life. Talk to the people who support you and tell them of your vision for the new year. Ask people what they have been up to with their time, and make it a point to really listen to their words. Be present, and remember you will never have two holiday seasons that work the same way. The people around you now may not be there next year, so don’t take a minute for granted.

This won’t be easy, but I have good news: The music industry will still be here when you get back. I know you will feel like you are slipping behind, but there is rarely a single headline in the last ten to fourteen days of the new year that drastically impacts the music landscape. You know this as well as I do, so quit lying to yourself and accept that it is okay to spend a little time offline. Who knows? It might even do you good to unplug.

Categories
News

BitTorrent remains one of the most trafficked website in the world

Remember the promises made by executives promoting the debut of streaming services? Ten years ago can feel like a lifetime in the age of the internet, but if you try hard, you may recall people in power hailing the rise of streaming as the death of piracy. After all, why would someone steal an album or a movie when they can rent or buy one from the comfort of their own home? Why risk penalty when you can avoid illegal behavior for just a few dollars a month?

If we’ve learned anything in the last decade it’s that piracy won’t be eradicated anytime soon. In fact, since 2008, the amount of media pirated annually has more than doubled. Over hundreds of millions of people use services such as Spotify and Netflix around the world, yet piracy persists. Maybe it always will (we sure hope not).

Anyone claiming piracy is not an issue can now be shown further evidence that it is thanks to a new report from Canadian broadband management company Sandvine. The business, which tracks and studies internet usage, is known for releasing region-specific information regarding internet traffic. Their latest release focuses on the global internet community, and the results are quite surprising.

When all traffic from sources worldwide is combined, Netflix comes out as the clear winner with 13.75% of the total traffic share. The streaming giant is followed by HTTPS Media data (12.25%) and YouTube (10.51%) respectively.

BitTorrent comes in fifth place with 4.10% of all Internet traffic globally, which is mostly driven by the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) regions. BitTorrent is also responsible for roughly 22% of all upstream traffic. That’s nearly ¼ of the total information sent from computers to their network.

By comparison, Netflix accounts for just 15% of all downstream traffic (data received by computers).

“As expected, the top four applications are all video, and also not surprisingly, BitTorrent is fifth overall – strongly boosted by the utter dominance on the upstream in EMEA and APAC,” Sandvine’s Cam Cullen notes.

“This is a pretty significant number since downstream traffic is an order of magnitude larger than the upstream traffic totals worldwide.”

BitTorrent is not as popular in the United States as it once was, but global traffic for the service has been on the rise throughout 2018. There are ongoing arguments at the highest levels of entertainment over how to address the persistence of the service, as well as all other piracy outlets, but no meaningful solution has been found.

For musicians, the best way to prevent piracy is to protect their music with services such as Haulix, which provides secure and customizable digital promotion for talent at all levels of the business. For more information, as well as access to a one-month trial, visit haulix.com today.

Categories
Job Board News

Music Industry Job Board (November 19, 2018)

The music industry is growing, and it needs people to helpm build the future of entertainment. If that describes you, our job board is waiting.

New openings:

Recruitment Coordinator, Music (Amazon – Seattle, WA)

The Digital Music team in Seattle is looking for an enthusiastic Recruiting Coordinator who will work closely with a team of recruiters supporting the businesses hiring needs. Our Recruitment Coordinator will serve as an integral member of the team, responsible for scheduling interviews, managing the recruiting process, and building candidate relationships. The Recruiting Coordinator serves as the primary candidate advocate, ensuring an outstanding candidate experience and a seamless interview process.

The successful candidate will be an organizational guru, motivated by creating streamlined recruiting processes to continually improve efficiency. You will be expected to leverage strong communication and interpersonal skills to partner effectively with internal clients and candidates. Finally, the successful candidate must have the ability to shift gears at a moment’s notice, exercising sound judgment and communicating an air of calm even when dealing with ambiguous situations.

Booking Coordinator, Urban Music (Paradigm Talent Agency – NYC)

The Booking Coordinator in the Hip Hop & Urban department is responsible for performing a variety of tour-related tasks while providing a high-level of organizational and administrative support to the Agent(s) in all client and internal matters. The possibility of promotion to Agent exists for top performers.

Sr. Coordinator, Copyright, Film & TV (WMG – Los Angeles, CA)

You will be working at a major music publishing company, interacting with numerous departments (Legal, Licensing, Royalties, and Finance). Here, you’ll help to administer a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide; serving as a key contact for our Film & TV copyrights. You will be part of a team which is responsible for the set-up, circulation, and registration of US copyrights and commercials.

Music Director/Programming Assistant/On-Air Talent (Radio One – Indianapolis, IN)

To competently* and professionally* optimize all music elements; assist with administrative duties in the Programming Department. To competently* and professionally* provide continuity and surveillance information in a professional, knowledgeable and entertaining way and will be active in pre-show strategy and execution while staying within the negotiated job responsibilities at all times.

Christian Music Marketing Manager (Marketing With Wisdom – Lenexa, KS)

Looking for a Christian music marketing expert to join our growing marketing agency. Must be action-oriented, forward-thinking, dependable, trustworthy, and a people-person. Must have proven track record.

Must have at least 2 years of experience marketing Christian music, artists, and/or organizations.

Administrative Assistant, Promotion (Sony – NYC)

This position will provide administrative support to the Executive Vice President, Promotion and other members of the Radio Promotion team. This includes (but not exclusive to) answering phones, arranging travel, maintaining expenses, processing invoices, pulling data and reports like industry charts, station playlists, sales data, and streaming reports. The Assistant will help to ensure the efficient day-to-day operation of the Radio Promotion department.

Manager, Creative Music & Licensing Strategy (Viacom – NYC)

The Manager of Creative Music and Licensing Strategy will work with SVP and VP to manage the use of music within Viacom content from a creative and licensing Point of View, working closely with Production, Development, Brand Creative, Digital, Social, MML and Business Affairs.
The ideal candidate will have strong creative music supervision skills and a comprehensive knowledge of music, its history, genres, and styles, and must be up to date with current music. This position reports to the VP Music and Media Licensing.

Manager Artist Relations (Madison Square Garden Company – NYC)

The Manager, Artist Relations will act as the main liaison to promoters, artist management, record labels, and agencies for all performances at all MSG NYC and Chicago venues (Arena, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Hulu Theater at MSG and The Chicago Theatre). S/he will be responsible for identifying new marketing opportunities to drive MSG Live forward, as well as gifts, hospitality and promotional initiatives that will help nurture the business relationship between the company, the artist and the fan.

Social Media & YouTube Marketing Coordinator (LiveTheBiz – NYC)

We’re currently looking for someone to help lead the online marketing & promotion of our LiveThe.Biz brand. This person should have experience in creating strategies to organically grow social media followers for Instagram & Facebook, increase

YouTube subscribers & online engagement on all of the aforementioned platforms. This is a volunteer based position which can grow into a paid position.

Loyalty Marketing Manager (Zumiez – Lynwood, WA)

The talented hard-charging marketing team at Zumiez is looking for an experienced and creative Marketing Manager to lead the Zumiez Stash to new heights. The Zumiez Stash is a unique reward and recognition program that engages and gives back to Zumiez best customers. This position will be the lead in developing fun and engaging ways to give back to Zumiez Stash members across all of Zumiez channels.

As the leader of an interdepartmental team this position will build and lead omni-channel marketing strategies, partnerships with our brand partners, manage vendors and drive innovative promotions across all channels.

As part of a dynamic, multi-hat wearing team, qualified individuals will be: able to work well in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment; excel at building relationships and connecting teams; Have excellent oral and written communication skills; strong analytical mindset; represent and speak on behalf of the customers perspective; be self-motivated; flexible; extremely organized; very detail-oriented; tenacious yet tactful; confident and diplomatic in dealing with competing departmental objectives and varied personalities; a strong problem solver; able to work well under pressure in order to meet project deadlines; and will have a positive attitude.

Artist Day-to-Day Manager (Indie-Pop Music – Los Angeles, CA)

Indie-Pop is a boutique music management firm based in Los Angeles. The company is seeking a day-to-day manager to join our team of highly motivated, positive, and pro-active music managers.

Associate, Creative Licensing TV (Sony – Manhattan, NY)

The focus of this position is frontline contact with major TV broadcasters and content producers. The primary function of this role is servicing the diverse needs of network and post-production clients. Looking for the perfect addition to our hard-working, and fun-loving team in NYC!

Associate, Marketing, Pitchfork Live Events (Conde Nast – Chicago, IL)

Pitchfork is looking for an Operations Manager to reinforce and develop processes and systems in its events department. The right candidate will play an integral role in the future expansion of Pitchfork’s events business. This role stands at the center of the events department, supporting and communicating everybody’s needs, and stands as the first point of contact for many matters. This position is based in Chicago and reports to the Director of Operations.

Producer, Music Content (SiriusXM – NYC)

The Music Content Producer creates digital content to help promote SiriusXM’s music programming. The content producer works as the liaison with SiriusXM’s music programming department to produce, shoot, write, and edit music content to be distributed across the company’s weekly newsletter to 18 million subscribers, website, social media platforms, and YouTube channel.

Apple Media Producer (Apple – Santa Clara Valley, CA)

The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced producer with top-notch project management, communication and collaboration skills, to lead profile promotions across the movie, TV and book store.

Assistant Coordinator for Creative Agency (Ephany Creative – Richmond, CA)

Ephany Creative is a small, multimedia company that produces commercials, music, TV shows, and films. We are actively seeking an Assistant Coordinator to assist with the coordination of our projects.

We are looking for a like-minded creative that is excited and passionate about the entertainment and creative industries and is eager to grow with our company.

Music Producer/Beat Maker (The Superlative Club – Durham, NC)

After-school program seeking an energetic music producer/ beat making instructor who loves teaching children the fundamentals of music and beat making.

Sound Designer, League of Legends (Riot Games – Los Angeles, CA)

As a Sound Designer, your technical and creative audio skills will combine to bring life to the broad range of characters and experiences in our games. Joining efforts with a multi-disciplinary team, you’ll help drive projects from their inception. Using your passion, creativity, and critical thinking, you will help guide team decisions and provide valuable feedback to your peers. As a member of the audio discipline, you’ll strive to find ways to teach and level up those around you while continuing to challenge and grow yourself.

As a Sound Designer within our Personalization initiative on League of Legends, you’ll tap into your creativity to design sound across a wide variety of thematics. You’ll work closely with designers, artists and engineers, breathing life into alternate fantasies for our Champions with your deep understanding of audio.

Please note, this position does not involve the creation or production of music.

Sound Designer/Operator (Ephrata Performing Art Center – Ephrata, PA)

The Sound Designer/Operator is responsible for creating all sound effects and a mic plot, as well as operating the sound board for each performance.

Events Manager (Future US – NYC)

This candidate will be responsible for running a portfolio of 10-12 events per year in education technology as well as pro audio visual/information technology sectors. If you are interested in education and technology, this is the gig for you! You will be surrounded by the movers and shakers in this space as nearly half of the events will be hosted buyer, meaning only the cream of the crop gets invited to attend for free.

Sound Engineer (The Ritz Raleigh – Raleigh, NC)

Responsible for ensuring the success of show and event productions by performing the technical aspects related to the show(s) production. Assist in all aspects of stage operations, assist in all on-site A/V operations. While providing excellent professional service

Afternoon Drive/Music Director (KKWF – Seattle, WA)

Seattle’s Wolf is looking for the next star to host afternoon drive in one of America’s most dynamic markets. Ideal candidate must be great on air, thrive on hosting live events, share their life freely, exhibit a clear love for country music and have an unwavering desire to connect with an extremely passionate listener base. Format experience not required.

Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Cataloger (Heritage Auction – Dallas, TX)

Are you an experienced writer with an interest in Entertainment & Music-related memorabilia? Then apply for this position and immerse yourself in our unique and innovative auction environment! Heritage Auctions (HA.com) is the third largest and one of the fastest growing auction houses in the world with sales in fine jewelry, luxury accessories, watches, wine, coins, books and manuscripts, fine and decorative arts, entertainment, music, and more!

Music Academy Assistant (Axis Music Academy – West Bloomfield, MI)

Axis Music Academy, Michigan’s premier source for music education is seeking experienced Customer Service professionals to help run both of our Metro Area music lesson studios. (West Bloomfield and Birmingham) Our Academy Assistants report directly to an Academy Director and help to operate our daily lesson enrollment through customer service, client interaction, lesson plan renewals and customer account maintenance.

Axis Music currently operates 2 locations and central offices. Ideal candidates will have had previous customer service and retail sales experience. Strong knowledge of multiple music styles, instruments and genres a plus.Growth potential is to become an Academy Director and managing your own team of assistants and instructors.

Director of Entertainment (Erie Seawolves – Erie, PA)

The Director of Entertainment will have primary responsibility for delivering a quality family entertainment experience.

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How to keep shirt costs low without risking the quality of your merch

There are many ways to get attention for your band, but regardless of what tips and tricks you may have picked up throughout your experience in music, there is nothing that can impact your careers like a great hook or brilliant melody. This is not a theory or a thought, but instead proven fact that has worked for artists trying to make it in every corner of the music business. Everything else that follows, from touring to merchandise, must take a back seat to songwriting.

All that aside, artists still need to make money. Music sales have dipped across the board over the last decade, and with streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music on the rise, it seems like the amount of money most artists see from their new releases will continue to dwindle for the foreseeable future. Great music still sells, yes, but only a fool would rely solely on the strength of their music sales to support themselves in the entertainment business. Merchandising beyond albums and singles is an absolute must in today’s music business, and the one item every artist can use to generate income while trying to craft that perfect song is a t-shirt. There are a billion ways to customize shirts, some far more expensive than others, but by considering the following tips, you can keep costs low while furthering your marketing:

BASIC TIPS

  • Two-sided designs cost more than those with a design appearing on either the back or front.
  • Shirts requiring the use of many inks (colors) will cost more than those created using a single ink.
  • Dark fabric often costs more than light fabric because more layers of ink must be applied for the design to stick

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Large designs can make a significant impact.


Why incur the cost of creating a two-sided shirt design when you can make a more meaningful, more cost-effective impression with a large, single side design. The vast majority of printers charge the same rate for a design measuring 3”x5” as they do for those measuring 12”x12”. That said, not everyone is a fan of big designs so it would be wise to check with your fan base before moving forward with any plan.

Stop printing on both sides.

The occasional two-sided shirt design can be cool, but trying to cover both sides of every shirt you create will only raise the overall cost of merchandise. Using the knowledge you gained from the tip above regarding design sizes, artists should think twice before incurring a potentially unnecessary extra expense.

Use fewer ink colors.

Fans of alternative and punk music have been one of the leading forces behind a recent trend toward more color-heavy shirts. Bands like A Day To Remember and Asking Alexandria have found great success with shirts featuring cartoonish designs and many bright colors. Similar branding efforts may work for smaller artists as well, but those musicians should first consider the additional costs incurred from use of multiple inks. The number rises with each color, and unless artists plan on ordering a large number of shirts up front (500+) the upfront cost may be more than some are willing to pay for a few extra colors. Our advice is this: Keep it simple. Try and use one color whenever possible unless you know the idea you have is going to be a hit with listeners.

Order more shirts.

We touched on this a bit in the tip above, but one way musicians can lower the cost of their merchandise is to increase the number of shirts they order at one time. The price due up front will rise, but the cost per unit will drop, which in turn raises the revenue potential for your order. 100 shirts are better than 50, but 500 shirts at a time would be an ideal place to start. Of course, if you don’t have an engaged audience large enough to support such an order, then you should keep things small.

Consider offering shirts for a limited time only.

One way to cut out virtually all costs from merchandise orders is to create the exact number of items needed. Most print shops will tell you the per unit cost on whatever design you wish to print, as well as the number of units you must purchase to lower that cost. With this information in hand, artists can launch shirt designs that are available for a limited time as pre-sale only items. Once the purchasing period ends, artists can order the exact amount of shirts needed without having to make any investments out of pocket.

Think twice about upgrading your shirt choice to a fashion brand.

One determining factor in how well your merchandise will sell is how comfortable that item is perceived to be. There was a time not that long ago when artists with shirts printed on any type of fabric would sell, but in an age where brands like American Apparel exist this is no longer the case. There is a demand for high-quality material, and if you meet that demand you will give listeners another reason to consider purchasing your

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