On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Infectious Magazine and Muddy Paw PR founder Angela Mastrogiacomo to discuss her career in the music business. Angela has been carving her own niche in this industry since her late teen years, and now in her mid-twenties she has found success she never previously imagined possible. Together with James, Angela recounts her journey thus far, and later turns her focus to the future and the opportunities it may hold. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to ‘make it’ as a music professionals, do not miss this episode!
The music you hear in this episode is “Dirty Water” by The Standells.
You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Bad news on the piracy front. According to a new report from MUSO, stream ripping from sites like YouTube and Soundcloud has lead to a surge in music piracy.
In the first nine months of this year – that’s January 1 to September 30 – there were 7.2bn visits to copyright-infringing stream-ripping sites around the globe. That is a 60% rise over the same period in 2015.
The websites responsible for allowing such rampant piracy to be carried out are numerous, but none are more well known than YouTube-mp3.org. The owner of that site was actually sued by all three major labels last month. This has not caused the site’s competitors to run and hide however, which is disappointing.
There is good news. Well, good news for those of you who use Haulix to promote your new and unreleased music.
Haulix uses a custom system for injecting watermarks that extends to streams hosted on our service. If someone rips the audio from a Haulix stream, or from a YouTube video using a watermarked track taken from Haulix, our system can pull the watermarks from those rips and identify the person responsible for the leak. Pirates can try to transcode and re-upload files they originally received from Haulix, but the watermarks will still remain.
We wish we could say we had a solution to ending rip services like YouTube-mp3, but until that time our watermarks can help identify music pirates and ensure they are never allowed access to music again.
Considering how fast streaming companies like Soundcloud and Spotify have become a focal point in the music industry it can easy to forget that this corner of the entertainment business is still very much in its infancy. We haven’t had major streaming services for even a decade yet, but already the market has changed several times over, and it will no doubt undergo several more evolutions during our lifetime. It’s like the old saying goes, “If you don’t like the way the entertainment business is working just wait five minutes and there will be a new system in place.”
Orfium, one of the newest competitors to enter the streaming market, understands that this industry niche is in a constant state of flux. They are currently trying to win over subscribers with a marketing budget far smaller than that of Spotify or Apple Music, and so far they are finding a lot of success. Instead of subscribing to the belief that streaming is already the savior of the music business the team at Orfium chooses to look for ways to make the streaming age as beneficial for artists as it is for fans. We’ve all read about the discrepancy between streaming royalties and plays, and while Orfium does not have a full-proof solution they are constantly searching for ways to improve their business model. This, coupled with their undeniable passion to see up and coming talent make it in this turbulent world, has created a recipe for longterm success that has only just begun.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Orfium’s Chris Mohoney and Drew Delis about their creation and the way it fits into the current streaming community. Their answers will not only enlighten you as to the realities of streaming today, but they may even convince you to join their platform. Enjoy.
We should probably start with the most obvious question: Why does the world need another streaming music platform?
The answer is the same reason why the world needed another telephone when the smartphone arrived; existing solutions had a limited scope of utility and flexibility. In the case of a smartphone, it made a lot of sense to integrate a phone, rolodex, caller ID, pager, email client, calendar, task list, and internet browser into a single integrated communication device with configurable personal settings. Likewise it makes sense for the next generation music platform to integrate streaming, social, downloads, events, distribution, rights management, and licensing functionalities into a single system with configurable personal settings controlled by artists. Of course all of this would have to be presented elegantly and intuitively in a simple consumer friendly interface, which is what Orfium strives to do.
Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music all serve different purposes which don’t make sense to be fragmented. SoundCloud, for example, allows artists to upload directly but only if they give their music away for free. Spotify and Apple Music require artists to go through distributors and they do not accept free releases. For a consumer, it creates a frustrating scenario when trying to listen to both types of music on a single playlist. SoundCloud also serves as a social network for artists to engage with each other and their fans whereas the others lack this functionality, however on the other hand, SoundCloud lacks as a consumer interface for pure listening. Orfium is the only solution that offers all of the functionality of the alternative platforms combined. We also built it on top of a rights management back-end system which gives us the flexibility to properly license remixes and DJ sets/live mixes so we won’t suffer the issues of SoundCloud. Also, unlike YouTube and SoundCloud, the sound recordings on Orfium are not duplicated since we use a tag-based system to credit each contributing party, which makes our library much better organized for both discovery purposes and rights management.
Where did the idea for Orfium originate?
The idea for Orfium actually arose from a synthesis of smaller ideas we had while working in the industry. Previous to starting Orfium, I was a YouTube Content ID music administrator and represented about six million sound recordings and compositions, as well as managed a sync licensing library with about 400,000 recordings. I am also a computer programmer and received my bachelors and masters in Accounting from the University of San Diego. My partner Drew and I met as undergrads at USD, and after we graduated he went on to law school in Los Angeles at Pepperdine Law and studied intellectual property, licensing, and music rights.
A major influence for starting Orfium came from experiencing YouTube’s more elegant solution to managing music copyrights while watching SoundCloud struggle in this regard. As this unfolded Drew and I had many conversations surrounding the issues with the flow of royalties, management of music rights, and the fragmentation of music services and their functions. As time went on I saw the problems only getting worse and all these new services popping up either ignored these problems completely or only addressed a small set of them while missing others that are essential to the big picture.
Finally Drew and I decided that we were going to create a complete, one-stop solution for artists to promote and monetize their music and a place for fans to discover, listen, and share great music. The general idea was to elegantly synthesize every essential feature that a music platform must have and build it on top of a back-end that had the power to manage the complexity of music rights and generate every type of digital royalty possible to artists. We scrounged together all of the resources we could come up with and turned our apartments into our offices and got to work. After two years of grinding it out going from prototype to beta to version 1.0, which just launched in July, we are still grinding from our apartment offices serving 42,000 artists with 140,000 songs on Orfium.
I’m always curious where streaming services like yours get there start. Who were the first artists to sign up? Did you have any prior relationship with them? If not, did you ask how they found you?
A friend of ours who initially was helping us early on formulate the concept, but ended up primarily focusing on his musical career, was the first to upload and test the site. He was part of a duo named Bad Vision and now has a solo project called AWAY. He referred a few of his artist friends to the platform to help with testing the beta, and from there we started seeing more artists flow in both via word of mouth and some of our own direct reach out efforts. Some of the first artists to join who we did not have any first or second degree relationship with were Niteppl, The J Conspiracy, and Emma Longard. Niteppl is a duo from San Francisco who has consistently been at the top of our charts to this day. The J Conspiracy and Emma Longard are both from Germany and The J Conspiracy actually runs a blog as well where they have documented their experience with Orfium.
Entering the digital marketplace can be incredibly difficult. What methods of promotion have worked best for you thus far?
It is certainly difficult and the hardest part is getting the initial start, which involved leveraging relationships we already had with friends in the industry and directly reaching out to independent artists and labels. However once we started to get going traffic began flowing from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where we also have social profiles. Now we are also seeing organic search traffic from Google becoming more and more significant and we are grateful to have online media sources like you picking up our story as well.
A lot of people seem to believe the streaming space is already a bit overcrowded. Are they mistaken?
Yes and No. In the sense that there are many streaming platforms that offer nothing new in comparison to others, yes that part of the space is overcrowded and becoming obsolete. However Orfium is completely different because it is not just a streaming service as a smartphone is not just a phone.
I had been watching new streaming services pop up for the past few years, each time wondering if they were going to address any new problems that needed solving, and in almost every case they were just another copy, often worse copies, of already existing systems. I think it is just a result of entrepreneurs entering the hyped up space blinded by pure profit motives as they seek a piece of the action, and with such a shallow purpose the best they can do is copy yesterday’s successes. Likewise I think musicians notice this in aspiring musicians who are in it for the fame and money and that limits them to copying yesterday’s productions that are popular today rather than contributing the new sounds that will be popular tomorrow. That said, I don’t think there is anything wrong with being inspired by someone else’s creation, but you have to build on it and contribute something new to add and I think that is something that people have a harder time doing when they don’t have the right purpose.
Do albums, playlists, or singles ultimately rule the streaming world?
Well in one sense single tracks are the primary content source since albums and playlists are collections at the very least. However I think a complete album that tells a story from beginning to end in well-thought sequence of tracks with fluid transitions is one of the greatest forms of musical art second only to a live performance of the same. It is however rare to find since it is not only a great challenge to produce such a work, but also more may be required to captivate an audience today who have grown short of attention in a fast-paced technological environment. It is far more common to find albums containing only a few hits with a less interesting remainder in an insignificant sequence. Playlists on the other hand play the role of a catalyst for music discovery as those with good tastes in music and a savvy ability to find it will attract a wide audience to their playlists. Others will use playlists to simply share music within their closer group of friends. Also podcasts and sets should not be neglected as these are also important catalysts for discovery like playlists, and like a great album a great set can also take the listener on a musical journey. We do have planned support coming soon for podcasts and DJ sets, and further in the future there will be music video support as well.
Therefore every content type plays a different role by providing a unique experience. Some musical works are common like quartz, others are rare and sought after like gold, and though bite-sized content might become more common due to impatient demand, the most powerful long-form musical works will remain at the pinnacle of the art.
How do you ensure artists are properly compensated for their work while keeping costs to consumers low enough that they will want to use your platform?
We pay out 80% to artists, and just to clarify this is based on the retail price. Some people get confused when they are told they are getting 90-100% of royalties from their distributor, which is actually just based on what the distributor collects from the retail site, not what the end consumer actually paid for their music. Usually retail platforms pay out around only 70% to the distributors / labels who then pay some of that downstream to the artists, and licensing platforms often pay far less often between 35-50%. I mention licensing because we offer many more monetization services to artists than just streaming and related retail services so the earnings potential is much higher with us.
For consumers the default the prices we offer are the same they find elsewhere however we do give artists the option to set their own prices as well.
For those readers who have yet to hop on the streaming bandwagon, why is Orfium a service they should use over your competition?
There is an enormous amount of technology behind the platform which we have been able to build with very limited resources where others have failed with tons of resources, and I think this should be a strong indicator to anyone about the trajectory we are on. Most of the other platforms have already been around for 5-10 years and they all took a lot of time to mature. We are just getting started, but the greatest challenges are behind us. The seed has sprouted and it is only a matter of time now for Orfium’s potential to be fully realized.
In a perfect world, where is Orfium one year from today?
I think it is reasonably possible that we could have around 1 million to 3 million songs by 500,000 to 1 million artists. I certainly expect that we will have a mobile app, though our web version is currently optimized for mobile browsers. Rights management and licensing royalties will be flowing and steadily increasing each month operating as a well-oiled machine, and we will probably be shifting our focus more heavily towards scaling up the consumer operations including retail, streaming, and radio.
How do you feel about the state of the music business today? You’re obviously passionate about this world, but there is a lot of media talk about the industry being worse off than ever before.
I think it is a lot like the rest of the world, tons of potential, but also a lot of limiting beliefs still holding us back. It is technologically and informationally greater than it has ever been, artistically and culturally more diverse, yet to a large degree the same fundamental human weakness of mind still exist that have always existed. What technology can do is eliminate barriers and provide everyone with many more choices, and anyone who has studied economics knows that is a good thing for all except monopolists, however it is still up the individuals to consciously strive to make the right choices and encourage and support others doing the same.
Where can people go to learn more about Orfium and how you’re changing the industry?
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Scottie Noonan of Fossil Youth to discuss his band’s upcoming debut album, ’A Glimpse of Self Joy’ (out November 4). Scottie tells James about rising through the ranks of the Oklahoma music scene and how the band relied on Joe from Take This To Heart Records to help them get their name known around the globe. James and Scottie also discuss the content of ’Self Joy,’ as well as the goals the group has for the future. We like to think of this episode as a sequel to last week’s chat with Lokella, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.
The song you hear in this episode is called “Late Night Swim,” and it comes from Fossil Youth’s debut LP.
You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
This is a ‘remastered’ version of a post we ran when our blog was still fairly young. The core content is the same, but several lines have been removed or updated to reflect current events. The information is as important as ever, so please commit each paragraph from Chorus.FM leader Jason Tate to memory.
Want to know what I think the worst part of my job is? The easy answer is a day when I get a bunch of personal and hateful things heaved at me anonymously. But that’s more of a byproduct of the job, not actually a part of it. The worst part of my job is when I am sitting online looking at any one of my aggregation feeds and I see something that I know is a “leak” of pertinent band information. Sometimes it’ll be Amazon or iTunes that has prematurely posted album information, sometimes it’ll be a tweet about a new song title from a small market DJ, or even, worst of all in my opinion, an actual song leak. I’ve talked about these tough circumstances before, most recently on episode 42 of the AP.net Podcast; however, I think that it’s worth expanding upon even more.
A large portion of this matter comes down to how I see my job. What is it that I do? Am I just a way to put out press releases when a band or label declares them ready for dissemination? Am I a “journalist”? Am I a blogger? By and large I view myself as a news aggregator and occasional columnist; someone offering an opinion on a variety of topics. I fear that if our website turns into just another place to post press releases we will have lost a part of what makes us special and loved. We will have lost what I believe is valuable to labels and bands in the first place: the very fact that people read our website. Some publications choose to value the bands’ or publicists’ wish and will at all costs. I understand that position and respect it — as I believe it is theirs individually to make. I, however, have to make the choice as a writer where I value our readers in this equation. I know that I don’t have full trust in certain publications because I can’t be sure that they’re writing for and respecting me, the reader, when they post. If I think a publication would pull an unflattering story or relevant information — I can’t trust them. And with that, I wouldn’t trust their opinion on music or their reporting on news stories. And, therefore, I use myself as a yardstick for the kind of reader I believe reads our site. What would I want to read, what would I expect, what standard do I hold the writers I follow to? These are the questions I ask myself every day.
I am well aware you may have different thoughts on how you would write online, I want to make it clear that I respect that as well — I’m not trying to say my way is the only way, or the right way, or even the best way. I’m simply trying to elucidate my reasoning and where I’ve landed at this stage in my career. I revisit my logic frequently, especially if I know it has bummed out a band I greatly respect.
Let’s look at it this way: If our core readers visit Twitter, or Facebook, or Tumblr, or another website similar to ours, and they have already seen some information by the time it’s “officially announced” — it has become “old news” to that audience. Giving people old news they’ve already read is antithetical to my mission statement. On the internet, yesterday’s news is virtually synonymous with nonexistence. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t put a pit in my stomach sometimes when we have to make a tough call. At the time when this information spreads to an official “source” like iTunes, I get stressed out. Did the band plan for it to just come out like this? Was there supposed to be an announcement? Why wasn’t this coordinated? What happened? And in a few minutes I have to start confirming information, preparing a post, and making the call for if it goes up or not. In this case, we posted it. Then I sit there and watch my email hoping that I don’t get one from the label asking us to pull the post down (or worse something directly from a band member). I hate those emails. I know it comes with the territory and I don’t hide from it. I really do believe the label is doing their job and I respect that. I always try and let everyone involved in one of those email chains know our policy, where the information is from, where it’s sourced from, that deleting it makes it worse, and that I will update the post with any information or statement from the band they’d like. Still, it’s a very stressful scenario (and as of this writing no such email has come in this particular case).
Let’s look at the other example of the day: I’ve known the guys in Yellowcard longer than many real life friends at this point. The people I went to my first Yellowcard show with I now know as those people I sometimes see on Facebook when they post pictures with their kids. Yet, even with this history, I believe in acting in accordance to our policy and not shifting it based upon the band in question. If we’ve been told not to post something under an embargo (more details about this special case below), I absolutely will not post it. Yet, if something is out on the internet and we are not the source for it — I do believe it is my job to post about it. If that causes harm in the relationship I have with a band, I totally understand that. It’s painful to me on a personal level but my other option is to bend my policy and give special favors for certain bands and therefore censor the news that I think that our audience would like to know (in turn they would be right to seek the information elsewhere and lose trust in me). Extrapolating that to its logical conclusion, we become a website that isn’t known for having the best information about all the bands readers want — and I feel as though I have failed at my job.
I’m not unlike most people: I don’t particularly enjoy bands, or labels, or publicists, or managers, or friends being mad at me. I don’t relish the idea of someone I respect being upset with me. It’s a dance between press and “journalist” (bleh) and one that I wish I had better solutions to after years of waltzing. My lighthouse is to continually come back to the question: Who am I writing for? I’m writing for the others like me that are looking for all the latest information on bands they love — and I feel duty bound to report on the information that’s available. All in all, this leaves me with a variety of options and a set of guidelines:
Option 1
I don’t post anything at all. The information is now elsewhere on the internet and I just wait until it is “supposed” to be released. It spreads around on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and other websites. The “place” to talk about these stories is no longer AP.net — we, in turn, become more of a press release echo-chamber. The pro is that bands and labels probably like us more and the con is that our readers like us a whole lot less.
Option 2
I go rogue and post everything and anything. I post anything I hear, even if it’s embargoed or off the record. I post links to full album leaks and thumb my nose at legal. I lose respect for myself, hate my job, and quickly burn every bridge I’ve spent years building.
I see nothing good that comes from this option. I do see some sites that try and run with the full rebel/pirate mode and they seem to have a boost in popularity in the short term but few last very long. I’ve been doing this over a decade and don’t plan to quit anytime soon.
Option 3
I post the news and then remove it when asked by the band or publicist. This plays out very similar to option 1, only it also adds the wrinkle that our readers now know we are censoring newsworthy stories to some degree and that we can’t be trusted to give them the latest information about the bands they follow.
Option 4
I try to follow a set of guidelines (outlined above and below) and keep the dialogue open with bands and publicists and readers and other staff-members to make sure we are communicating every step of the way. This adds a level of transparency and hopefully trust with the reader — it lets everyone know where we stand and why. And, it keeps the conversation open for options we haven’t thought of or technology that hasn’t been invented yet. To pretend I have all the answers right now and can just follow a formula forever seems misguided at best. Mostly, I just want those that read my words to know where I’m coming from. I want them to trust me when I write something and know that I’m speaking from a position that places honesty paramount.
Album Leak Guidelines
One of the things I touched on in that podcast episode is that I will not post links to album leaks on our homepage. If a singular song leaks, I will, however, link to where it can be found. I will also immediately update that post to point toward where the song can be legally streamed or purchased the moment it’s available. This, to me, is probably the toughest call of all. I’m not specifically fond of linking to where someone can hear music if the band doesn’t want that music heard yet. At the same time, as I mentioned above, I do believe in my duty to inform our readers that a song is available to hear. I know that the band or label can normally have the sound file removed from somewhere like YouTube or Tumblr, but I am also aware that it’s sort of passing the buck. When this happens with a band I have a really great relationship with I can feel my hands get clammy and my stomach tie up in knots. This is where I have to try and be objective and realize that if I would post about the YouTube song “leak” of a band I didn’t like or consider friends, I need to be consistent in how I handle the situation with those I do.
Information About An Album / Tour Guidelines
These situations feel easier for me because it’s information and not music that is leaking. I understand a band, label, or publicist’s desire to control the information that comes out around certain big press announcements. I can empathize with all parties when they talk about how they get bummed out when information comes out before they’re ready.1This goes double when the band has had something special planned for the announcement or if they wanted to maximize the hype around information to coincide with a pre-sale or similar endeavor. I still struggle because I understand that without the bands making music, or going on tour, or being interesting to fans, we obviously don’t have a website; they are the lifeblood to the content that we cover. However, I am also cognizant of my duty to our readers: to present them with accurate and up to the minute reporting on things they are interested in reading. This is where all I’ve talked about above comes into play: I have to trust myself and my decision to write as though I’m our website’s number one fan.
Embargoes
When it comes to information that’s been embargoed, that is, given to us to post at a specific time but not before — I honor these completely. For example, I had the Yellowcard track listing before it was leaked today. Now, when something is embargoed that means I absolutely won’t be the source of the information, and I personally will not confirm something even if I know it to be true. I will present the information as “alleged” or “reported by” — and make it clear that I’m not confirming or denying the embargoed news. I am very careful about my words when I make a post on the website. If the information surfaces via another blog, or Amazon, or something that is not from us, then I will post about what has happened. This can create a weird scenario because, obviously, I wouldn’t post flat out false information. For example, I obviously knew the track listing being posted today was correct. I had not, however, seen the album artwork for Lift a Sail and made sure to note where the information was coming from, where I saw it, and that nothing was confirmed. It’s important to read how I word things because I always try to be as honest and upfront as possible about where information is coming from and what we currently know. I pick my words carefully. These situations, where information has hit the internet and I know the (embargoed) truth, are always complicated.
Off the Record
If someone tells me something off the record: I’m the only person that will ever know it. I don’t tell other staff, friends, or family. I usually will ask if this is information that can’t be attributed to the source and can be used as “background” or if it’s flat out never to be reported information. If it’s just for “background” — I’ll wait until I have multiple sources to run anything but without source attribution. I won’t give up a source, so you can either believe me or not in those situations, but my track record is pretty damn good.
When I cracked open my writing app and a beer tonight, I didn’t expect to write as much as I just did. But it feels good to have put it all down. These are the things that sit in my head and I have very few people I can discuss them with in any detail, let alone actually talk the theory behind them with. Thanks for reading if you made it this far — I venture the next long post will be about actual music.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2016. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each week we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary: We are looking for a results driven Sales Associate to be responsible for all sales activities and sales associate job duties, from lead generation through to close. The successful candidate will be able to elevate company standards, achieve sales goals and meet clients expectations.The position has a 100% commission-based pay structure with earning potential in the first year at around $50k-60k.
Job summary: This role will shape TIDAL’s marketing strategy and lead the development of marketing plans for artist releases, TIDAL X events, and other major company programs. The Director of Marketing Strategy will work with the executive team and other agency partners to shape the company’s unique position in the market. He/she will understand key company differentiators and the marketing landscape with a clear voice and ownable market position. This individual will create the marketing strategy, direct the brand, and oversee the budget. In addition, The Director will work closely and collaboratively with artists, artist managers, and labels to develop innovative marketing plans for exclusive artist releases, TIDAL X events, and other TIDAL programs. Programs will include innovative event, social marketing, brand partnerships, PR, and communications. He/she will be a creative and strategic thinker and good at building plans and programs that break through in the market.
Job summary: Reporting to the Senior Director of Retail Sales and Marketing, the Sales and Marketing Manager will be based out of our New York City office. We are looking for an intelligent, organized, and self-motivated music marketing and sales professional to oversee our North American physical retail marketing efforts. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of what drives successful new release and catalog physical marketing campaigns via previous label and/or distribution experience. They are creative and able to create and implement marketing initiatives for both developing artists and established acts with a focus on increasing revenue. Internally, the candidate will be a conduit for idea and information exchange between physical retail and our client, marketing, and advertising teams.
Job summary: We are looking for a detail-oriented, bright and highly organized music enthusiast to assist the General Manager of Kobalt’s North American Label Services division in our Los Angeles office. The successful candidate would ideally have administrative experience, preferably supporting and interacting with senior level executives. We are also looking for someone who quickly adapts to situations and has a creative way of thinking with a track record of suggesting and implementing improvements to processes. Working as an Administrative Assistant and Coordinator offers a great opportunity for someone who really wants to learn, grow and succeed in the music industry.
Job summary: Working within the Music Team and reporting to the Head of A&R, the A&R Manager USwill help drive the discovery of new US talent for our catalogue whilst also handling A&R submissions and all related administration. In addition, the role will also be responsible for further developing Audio Network’s commercial release strategy.
Job summary: Musicology Faculty. Full Time. This position has the expectation of ongoing renewal. Duties include teaching undergraduate and graduate surveys and seminars as well as graduate advising of Masters in Musicology and Doctor of Musical Arts students. The ideal candidate will be an effective and versatile teacher, an active scholar with a specialization in twentieth- or twenty-first-century music, and a dedicated colleague willing to contribute through departmental, conservatory, and university-wide service. For consideration, the Ph.D. in Musicology must be completed by May 2017. Start Date: August 1, 2017.
Job summary: Have you ever wanted to work in the music industry, work from home, make your own hours? Piedmont Talent is seeking booking agents (background in Sales, Marketing, promotion or publicity) Piedmont Talent was founded in 1989 and has grown steadily ever since, and is synonymous with quality entertainment. The agency was founded out of a love of blues and roots music and now is expanding to include all genres of music and now representing comedians. Agents will be assigned responsibility for certain acts and territories. This is a commission based position. Serious inquiries only.
Job summary: Warner Bros. Television seeks a Director, Music for the TV Music department. To service the clearance and creative needs of the WBTV and WHTV shows, including song placement, acquisition of rights, fee negotiation, and hiring musicians and singers for scoring/recording sessions. Negotiates music library blanket deals and provides back up on artist and writer waivers, Step-Out Agreements and Certificates of Authorship.
Job summary: TIDAL is looking for New York City’s best producers to manage key company initiatives which include exclusive artist releases, multi-dimensional marketing programs and TIDAL X events and livestreams. Programs are multi-faceted in nature and require cross functional coordination. Ideal candidates will present the ability to breakdown work packages, assess level of effort, and choreograph a subsequent plan of attack. Producers are required to make crucial decisions, often under pressure, and therefore must exemplify a solutions-first approach. They are passionate about process, advocate for great ideas, and seek flawless delivery from start-to-finish. Tidal is seeking people at a variety of experience levels and all are welcome to apply.
Job summary: We are looking for a smart, ambitious, and hardworking Sales Coordinator to join our team based in the Los Angeles office. In this role, you will provide administrative support but also work on a variety of sales and marketing programs across teams in the West region. You will work closely with the Global Revenue Organization and report directly to the Vice President of Sales for the West Region.
Job summary: The Associate Manager, Music will assist Vice President of Music & Production full capacity. The Associate Music Manager of On-Air Promotion is responsible for the procurement and selection of popular and needle drop music, creative direction of original songs, organization and communication with all music production libraries, facilitating music licenses and clearances, developing data for music budgets and reporting of all promo music used for royalty distribution.
Job summary: The Marketing and Communications Manager operates within LOUD’s Production and Installation Marketing team to manage the strategy and execution of all elements of customer-facing mass communication, including electronic and print media, social media and events (trade shows and demos). This position combines elements of creative (content generation), management (of the department) and strategic responsibilities that will drive the company’s appearance and message to the market.
Job summary: The Executive Assistant will assist the SVP, Global Digital Accounts and VP, Research & Analysis with day-to-day administration and supporting tasks related to the preparation and distribution of pertinent department tools & reports to the Sales & Marketing organization.
Job summary: In this dynamic position, the Marketing Coordinator will serve as key component of the marketing team, acting as the administrative support point person for Capitol Music Group’s marketing department. The ideal candidate will possess strong administrative, organizational, and creative skills. Prior marketing and administrative experience in the music/entertainment field is required.
Job summary: ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
Performing live broadcasts that are entertaining and informative.
Preparing and researching for broadcast.Protecting the station’s FCC license.
Monitoring the music and commercial logs for the airshift.
Ensuring that promotions and contests are executed properly.
Operating the control board and performing production work.
Making personal appearances at station events and remote broadcasts.
Create and maintain station(s) website content including email blasts, uploading and editing of audio and video for web use, blogging, loyalty programs, contests, etc.
Design new templates as needed using the content management systems utilized by CBS Radio.
Job summary: As an integral member of the Corporate Sponsorship team, the will play an important role in the maintenance and fulfillment of LA Phil’s corporate program at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Job summary: The International Marketing team provides international exploitation services for all US based frontline labels within Sony Music USA.This role is a Manager Level position with a potential for Director Level depending on experience. The candidate will be responsible for the development and execution of international marketing and promotion campaigns for Sony US repertoire.
Job summary: As a Digital Marketing Manager you will be part of the Growth and Retention marketing team at Pandora. You will work cross functionally internally and externally with our agency partners, media vendors, brand marketing and marketing analytics team as well as other internal stakeholders to bring our direct response programs to life. We are seeking an experienced candidate that knows performance marketing inside and out and can handle end to end program management including campaign strategy and ideation, tracking and deployment, and can provide campaign insights and results. This role will also include all ad ops responsibilities including trafficking and tracking of campaigns to ensure they meet internal KPI’s.
Job summary: Warner Bros. Television seeks a Director, Music for the TV Music department. To service the clearance and creative needs of the WBTV and WHTV shows, including song placement, acquisition of rights, fee negotiation, and hiring musicians and singers for scoring/recording sessions. Negotiates music library blanket deals and provides back up on artist and writer waivers, Step-Out Agreements and Certificates of Authorship.
Job summary: One of Live Nation joint ventures is seeking a Digital Marketing Coordinator who will support continued development and growth for a diverse roster of artists. Responsibilities will include supporting the digital marketing team, drafting social copy, executing promotional campaigns, designing and implementing creative marketing plans, securing digital retail merchandising, facilitating requests between partners, managers and artists and maintaining artist web and social platforms. This Coordinator will be responsible for shaping both digital strategy and the execution of plans, including social media publishing, on a daily basis.
Job summary: We are presently looking for a Music Editor with knowledge of popular music for a temporary, short term assignment. You must be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and comfortable with technology, and able to maintain focus on tasks and deliverables under tight deadlines.
Job summary: CAA is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve in a support role within our Music Touring department, consisting of Country, CCM, Contemporary, and EDM music. The ideal candidates should be motivated, quick-thinking and open to working in a fast-paced environment while performing administrative tasks. The individual should be flexible, highly organized and have the ability to multi-task. This is a great opportunity to learn the music touring business, as the position can lead to other opportunities within the Music Touring department.
Job summary: he A&R Department operates as the primary source of talent scouting and record making within Warner Music Group. It is A&R that allows us to locate and sign new talent and continue making records for currently signed artists.
Job summary: We are a Brooklyn based music startup, studio and production space. We’re building an app that will offer cultural institutions and artists a new set of tools for the distribution of good music. As one of those cultural institutions, we are also launching a label of our own.
We’re looking for someone to spearhead our marketing strategy. That someone is philosophical about messaging and analytical about results. Cares deeply about music and the people who make it. Is passionate about technology, can keep up with the speed of innovation. Wants to be a part of something positive, and can infect others with their excitement about it.
Hello, everyone. Thank you for finding a little time in your surely busy schedules to browse our company blog. Fall is officially underway here in the midwest, but the temperature doesn’t seem to have been impacted by the changing of the seasons. Thankfully, there is a lot of great new music keeping us cool at HQ. Like this:
Each and every weekend we like to take a brief break from our regularly scheduled programming to update and reflect on everything happening at Haulix HQ. We are far more than a music blog, as many of you already know, and posts like this give us an opportunity to share more our efforts with all of you.
Development news:
Honestly, we do not have a ton of news to share in regards to development plans at this time. With Falcon pushed until mid-2017 (at the earliest) we are currently focusing our effort on improving other aspects of our business and branding. We are still fixing any glitches as they arise, but lucky for us we have a reliable system that does not require constant care in order to properly operate.
All this said, if you have an idea for how we can make Haulix better we would love to here it. We cannot promise to make every change you request, but we will thoroughly consider every suggestion we receive.
Blog news:
We are incredibly proud of what has been happening around our blog as of late. The content being created is only about half as good as the conversations that content has sparked, but in the end it’s all good. We are very invested in helping build a better music business for future generations, and with your help and contributions we are slowly, but surely doing just that. If you missed anything as of late, especially our podcasts, please head over to our archive and catch up ASAP.
That’s all we have for this week. Tune in next week for a new job board, a very long podcast, and much more.
It’s amazing the impact that Eleven (well, 011) from the Netflix show ’Stranger Things’ had made with so few lines. Played by Millie Bobby Brown, she said so much without using many words at all.
In a sea of online marketing tips and tactics, there is too much focus on frequent updates.
You should always be posting a photo, a link to a pre-order, and announcing upcoming shows. Post photos of new lyrics, and clips from the studio! Cross post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and your Tumblr. Don’t forget Snapchat and your thrown together email list!
But what if your silence spoke volumes? In our current world of supply vs. demand, there is no shortage of “content” from countless bands and labels. Is your message like that of a someone on a street corner, shouting into a megaphone at people who are doing their best to ignore the noise?
When Eleven saved Mike from falling into the quarry, she had ONE word to say; “Go.” Yes, she broke the bullies arm with her mind which speaks many volumes, but there was no need for extra words. No speech. No long-winded talk. Just, “go.“
Is your music powerful enough to "break arms” without the need to constantly let everyone know, “hey, I can break arms!“
What about when Lucas Sinclair wanted he wanted to tell Mike’s mom? Forcefully closing a door with her mind was impressive. And again, another simple line. “No” was enough to get the rest of Eleven’s point across.
How impactful can your tour date announcements be if they’re cluttered with hashtags? That Instagram update auto-posted to Twitter saves you time, sure, but you know it looks like crap, right?
Again – it’s all about impact. A Nike commercial can show runners in various states of their workout, with no words, no narration, and then a simple tag-line at the end. “Just Do It” is iconic, of course, but that didn’t happen overnight. Heck, it took a minute for word to get out that Dillinger Escape Plan had a great live show (and they never had to Tweet about their “sick live show”).
If your updates look like, smell like, and are written like every other musical act out there, don’t be shocked when no one pays attention.
Seth Werkheiser is the quiz master of metal trivia at Skulltoaster. He’s also the founder of some music sites you may have heard of, including Noise Creep (2009) + Buzzgrinder (2001). He’s anti-Facebook, anti-clickbait, and anti-growth hacking. You should most definitely follow him on Twitter. Yes, right now.
The Vergeconfirmed earlier this week that some big changes are coming to Twitter in the weeks ahead. The news and opinion publication published a report yesterday that claims the social media platform is preparing to cut down on exactly which types of content count toward the platform’s 140-character limit. Beginning September 19, Media attachments such as images, GIFs, videos, polls, and quoted tweets will no longer reduce the count. Links, on the other hand, will still count for 23-characters.
Another change will be the exclusion of usernames from character counts on replies. When tweeting at or in response to another users that person’s Twitter handle will no longer count against the total number of characters allowed in a tweet.
It is unclear whether or not all these changes will happen simultaneously or if they will be spread out over a series of updates, but Twitter will at least begin the transition process next Monday.
“This is the most notable change we’ve made in recent times around conversation in particular, and around giving people the full expressiveness of the 140 characters,” CEO Jack Dorsey told The Verge in May. “I’m excited to see even more dialog because of this.”
Twitter previously considered extended the length of tweets beyond 140-characters, but the company later decided against the move. This change should satisfy those needing a bit more space without changing the way most people use/experience Twitter. We’ll bring you more news on any additional changes that may be happening as soon as more information is made available.
As much as you may like to believe your career in music is infallible, or that you have a gift for songwriting no one will be able to deny, I can guarantee you there will always be days when your best efforts come up short. Failure is an unavoidable byproduct of any creative endeavor, and regardless of what level of fame you reach in this business there will always bad days. The point of continuing to create is not to work towards perfection, but to take into consideration everything that has happened, both good and bad, and apply it to whatever comes next. Art, like life, is a constant progression, and the best you can do is learn how to frame each failure as something other that is ultimately beneficial to your career.
The number of ways you can screw up in music are numerous, and they range from writing a bad single, to performing in a such way that disappoints your fans. We cannot begin to breakdown every single instance of failure and how it can be viewed as a positive, but we can offer tips to help you deal with any instance where things do not go as planned. The advice that follows may seem fairly basic to some, but if applied to your next misstep we guarantee growth will occur. It might not be easy, but it will be beneficial to your creativity in the long run, and at the end of the day that is what matters most.
Start with the truth. Accept the situation for what it is, and be prepared to face it head-on.
Everyone has heard that line about how the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and the reason we’ve all heard it is because it’s absolutely true. You might have written the best song you believe yourself possible of creating, but for one reason or another it might not connect with listeners. Likewise, you may give what you feel is the performance of a lifetime, only to look at Twitter after the gig and read tweet after tweet complaining about the sound. In times like this it’s incredibly easy to take a defensive stance, but to do so would be an error. Accept that not everyone will experience things the way you do and try to see things from the outsider’s perspective. Be humbled by the fact you received any response at all, as most never do, and ask yourself how you could improve or change what you’re doing in the future.
The key to this step is honesty. It’s okay to say you love something that your fans do no, but do not blame them for not feeling the same. Art is subjective, but if you listen to your audience you should be able to find a way to do what you want while still playing to their demands. You don’t have to, of course, but most great artists find a way to compromise that satisfies everyone.
Look for the positive, no matter how small it may be.
Let’s say your new album was expected to sell ten thousand copies its first week and only sold fifteen-hundred. That disappointment would be quite a sting, especially from a financial standpoint, but considering the fact less than 1% of all the albums released in any given year sell more than a thousand copies you’re still among the most popular musicians in the world. You may not have ten thousand people clamoring to purchase your new album, but fifteen-hundred consumers is certainly nothing to scoff at. There are towns and villages all over the world that have populations far below fifteen-hundred people, and even less people outside those communities know they exist. You may not be where you want to be, but you are farther along than most, and that is something you should never take for granted.
The point is, there is also an upside. Your new demo may have gone over worse than Jar Jar Binks, but at least by sharing it with fans you learned something new about what they expect from you and what they hope to hear from future material. This knowledge can and should inform future recordings which, in theory, will be received better than whatever came before.
Do not be afraid to take time away from the internet
We are convinced there are at least two negative comments for every positive one on pretty much every song, video, or think piece posted online. People are far quicker to complain than they are to compliment, especially in a public forum, which is why you should consider taking time away from the constant barrage of commentary social media provides when things take a turn for the worse. If you know the incoming messages are going to be riddled with negativity there is no reason to wallow in the hurt feelings such commentary can cause. Absorb enough to understand why people are upset, then step away and take time to reflect on how you can improve your efforts in the future. You do not need the internet to do this, and in our opinion you shouldn’t use it. Stay offline until you have something new to share, and if that doesn’t go over then feel free to take more time away. In fact, take as much time as you need. The internet will still be here when you return.
Whatever you do, keep creating
No matter how you initially react to failure you cannot let the ensuing negativity defeat you. Keep creating, always, and do not stop until you decide you are finished. There will always be someone in the world who thinks you are not good enough, but you cannot let the opinions of a select few stop you from expressing yourself through art. Creativity is a gift that is all too rare in this world, and it should be expressed at every opportunity. Don’t let the haters win.
