Hello again. We know it’s Saturday, so before diving in we just wanted to thank you for taking a little time out from your weekend to read up on the latest industry advice and insight. We are thrilled to be sharing the fourth chapter of our ongoing ‘Journalism Tips’ series this afternoon, and at the same time a bit sad as it is the final contribution (for now) from writer Adrian Garza. We have enjoyed have his work on the site in recent weeks and encourage all of you to follow his industry efforts moving forward.
We are always looking for new ways to expand and further refine our efforts here at Haulix. If you have an idea for this blog, or if you would like to learn more about the digital distribution services we offer, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. If you prefer social media, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter.
I hate admitting this, but the truth is, as one who dedicates so much time towards an involvement with music, I mistakenly became pretty arrogant and jaded about my taste. But thankfully, I eventually caught and corrected myself before I stepped on one too many toes.
It’s scary how fast these sorts of things could happen to you if you don’t keep yourself in check. Even worse, it’s really easy to grow to get tired of some specific aspects of music, which can become a shame, because we all know that’s one of the reasons why we came into working with music: We love it.
This isn’t what I would claim as the answer to the problem. This is just my answer to the problem. Go and make your own choices.
Realize Your Opinion Isn’t the Only One That Matters
Fresh faces to music journalism are the ones who are most likely to come to fault here. Just because you’re in a position where complete strangers look to you for your opinions and insight on something doesn’t mean that you’re correct with what you say all of the time. More than anything, you’re just somebody who’s developed an ear for what sounds good, a talent for writing appealing articles, and a passion that drives you to put the two together. So consider yourself just another voice that can easily be ignored.
Create Something
As one who puts my own personal musical endeavors on the backburner, I occasionally pick up my guitar from time to time. Every time that I do so, I usually walk away from it feeling more inspired than ever before. It’s tricky to attempt to label down specific reasons for why this just works for me in the way that it does, but I will say that by playing along to my favorite records, it’s easy to gain a whole new level of understanding why some musicians just love to smother records with catchy and simple parts: They’re usually really, really fun to play.
Even if you have no artistic skill whatsoever, you could still get a lot out of simply sitting in on a friend’s band’s writing session or practice. Call it weird, but I find it fulfilling to see the look in a musician’s eyes when they discover a way to hike up the quality of a song just by changing up a couple parts.
Surround Yourself with People Who Are New to Music
In a very similar vein, take a look at people who are new to going to shows. It might be a little hard to believe, but that was you not too long ago. They’re having a freaking blast just by standing in the third row, and it makes their freaking day when they get the chance to meet the artist that they’ve waited “x” amount of hours to see perform for 30 minutes.
I’m not suggesting that people should return back to that state of mind, because I don’t ever see myself going back to waiting in lines just to get in early to shows, or riding city busses for 2+ hours just to pick up a physical copy of an album on its release date. That’s just way too inconvenient for me nowadays. Instead, realize that you can still re-live that and enjoy the gratification by sharing your favorite groups with friends. If they fan-boy/girl a bit, it’s only natural.
Move on
Have you ever tried to step out past your conventional listening boundaries? There’s no way you’re literally that full of yourself that you couldn’t possibly check out a foreign genre, or even newer artists. There’s likely some redeeming quality that attracts fans to this. Branch out and try something new, because it will give you that much more of an understanding for why people enjoy their music. Don’t even think about doing this for the sake of looking “versatile” to others, do it so you’re not so close-minded and judgmental. You never know when you’ll come across your new favorite artist that inspires you to do great things, and for all you know, that could very well be a jazz fusion band.
When he’s not getting the feels from listening to some ‘Through Being Cool,’ Adrian Garza writes at Under the Gun Review and works as the Editor-In-Chief at The Southeastern Times, Southeastern University’s student newspaper. Follow him on Twitter.
Hello, everyone. Thank you for taking a little time out from your weekend to read up on the latest industry advice and insight. We are thrilled to be sharing the third chapter of our ongoing ‘Journalism Tips’ series, and to be honest we think it might the best one to date.
We are always looking for new ways to expand and further refine our efforts here at Haulix. If you have an idea for this blog, or if you would like to learn more about the digital distribution services we offer, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. If you prefer social media, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s heard “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Don’t take this as the beginning of some blogged bash towards education, because believe me; if you’d like to get anywhere, you need to be able to walk the walk, if you already plan on talking the talk.
Which brings me into what this is all about: Networking.
It’s all up to you to decide how far you take your efforts, but networking is one of the most important things you could do for your career. I’ll speak from my own experience in saying that if it wasn’t for networking, I wouldn’t have made my first footsteps towards a career in the industry.
In today’s day and age, the first sort of networking that probably comes to mind would be social networking. But who’s to blame? Society thrives off the internet, and this is the easiest method of communication, because you can do this from just about anywhere, including your bed early in the morning, a bus bench, a crowded elevator, your work desk, and your sofa after a long day.
If you don’t have any friends who work in the industry, whether in journalism or the music business itself, make some. It could start with something as simple and easy as a twitter follow, and from there, things can only grow. Make sure to genuinely interact with them via retweets and @ replies, and over time, they may or may not follow you back. Further down the road, you can be a bit more social by asking questions for advice or you could even take it a step further and offer your help by writing at their site. You’d be surprised at who would actually take the time to help you out.
At this point, I would consider it to be more acceptable to send Facebook friend requests. Speaking from my own experience, I know I’m more likely to accept requests from people I’ve at least had some conversation with over Twitter or some other form of social media. But that’s just me. Ultimately, be sure to see and treat Facebook for what it is: a personal method of staying connected with others.
To those of you who are more seasoned when it comes to journalism, my only advice to give is to make sure that your network extends past your bubble of a community. For example, if you write for a punk/scene oriented publication, I suggest networking with people at other publications, say, NPR and Pitchfork, because it’s always nice to have connections across the board.
Now let’s talk physical networking. We all know SXSW (and any other major music conference, for the matter) is the place to be for meeting others from similar walks of life, but have you thought about such as record stores and venues? Photo pits are only so big, and backstage areas really aren’t as exciting you think they can be (at times), so why not take the opportunity to make conversation to help make the time pass by a little quicker? During events as big as Warped Tour, the line for press credentials can take a while to sit through, and you’re literally surrounded by other press members. The ideas you can get from others could help you exponentially, and even more if lasting connections are made.
This is by no means a call to be inauthentic with others. Instead, this is a reminder that you’re surrounded by people who could one day help you down the road when you need it. I’ve had many great friendships stem from what I originally considered to be simple acquaintances gained through networking, and that serves as another reason for me to encourage stepping out.
If you have a scene, you should live in it, and by that I mean that you should meet people, build friendships, and help each other.
When he’s not listening songs from the upcoming Comeback Kid album, Adrian Garza writes at Under the Gun Review and works at the Editor-In-Chief at The Southeastern Times, Southeastern University’s student newspaper. Follow him on Twitter.
Hello, everyone! Our weekend coverage begins its second week of existence this afternoon with the continuation of our recently debuted ‘Journalism Tips’ series. We built this column with input from our friends in writing, and in the months to come you will see many previously highlighted talents lending their know-how to our blog. Today’s piece was written by Adrian Garza, who currently resides in Florida and contributes to a number of up and coming publications. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Everybody who works in a creative field would be the first to admit that inspiration isn’t just some endless and overflowing river that drives people to create. This is something that needs to be found from somewhere, and if someone doesn’t know where to look, the search can take too long.
It’s really all about working out a system of ideas that work for you, but if you don’t know where to start, that could take a very long time. So for a place to start, give my list that I’ve developed over the years a quick look.
Read!
Ok, I know I sound like some high school English teacher, but if you really think about it, this couldn’t ring any more true and you would be hard pressed to find anybody who would disagree. Some of the best artists are those who’ve followed the examples of others, and writing isn’t exempt from this either.
The truth is, we all need inspiration from somewhere. If you’re running on empty, you need to refill your tank in whatever way possible. But don’t limit this advice to other music sites either, although a lot of the writing at sites like Noisey and Mind Equals Blown is top notch, there are so many other places to turn to for ideas. It could be something as plain and simple as reading a book a month, dig into creative writing, and even just skim over newspapers (preferably weekly local publications, if you’re lucky enough to live within distribution of a good one).
Watch a Movie
Personally, one of the things that draw me into the world of film is the idea that movies are based on a story that was created from nothing, just like written work. It’s that “no-boundaries” approach that motivates me to try new things in my own writing.
Along with providing viewers with a glimpse of entirely new and foreign worlds, movies have always motivated me to do go out and do something. Even if that “something” was as simple as throwing together a quick news post about a song that I really enjoy, or putting serious work into a feature story, it’s the thought of expression and leaving something behind that makes it feel worth it.
Take a Walk
Now, I know “taking a walk” could translate over to anything. It could literally be getting up and physically moving around or even just switching your browser over to YouTube to watch some thirty minute long vine compilation video. I’m not much of the outdoors-y type, so instead of literally taking a walk, I’ll at least make a point to cook a good meal. This gives me the chance to escape, even if for just an hour or two. I’ll usually even go as far as avoiding playing music to help detach myself even further.
This is really all about giving yourself the chance to clear your head of everything going on. Don’t think about what you need to do, instead think about what you’d rather be doing… then realize that you won’t be able to get to it until you finish up whatever you’re supposed to be working on.
Write Something Else
Sure this is something that I’ve already covered before in my “blogger spotlight” interview that I did months ago, but this is something that I completely stand behind. Everybody needs to switch things up in their lives eventually. If you’re capable of cranking out work for multiple outlets, you should be more than willing to dedicate the time to do so, because this method is the most worth it. Eventually, you’ll naturally start combining different approaches to writing and with that will come a much more enjoyable and productive experience.
But don’t contain this to different kinds of journalism/blogging. Some of the best writers that I know are those who dabble in writing advertisements, press releases, and even screenplays. At the end of the day, it’s all about mixing things up in order to create something better.
When he’s not blasting Crime in Stereo, Adrian Garza writes at Under the Gun Review and works at the Editor-In-Chief at The Southeastern Times, Southeastern University’s student newspaper. Follow him on Twitter.
Hello and welcome to another week of music industry insight and advice here on the official blog of Haulix. We have a lot of great content on the way, and to kick things off we’re sharing the story of a young industry professional whose already miles ahead of his competition. If you have a site or journalist you would like to recommend for this feature, please email james@haulix.com and share your ideas. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Earlier this month we brought you the story of Tyler Hanan, a college student who has already become a well-engrained member of the music industry thanks to his drive, determination, and relentless work ethic. Today we’re returning to the collegiate world to discuss a similarly minded individual, only this time our featured talent hails from Florida and prefers to be called Adrian.
Growing up in a Mexican-American household, Adrian Garza was exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age. His love of music continued to develop as he grew older, but it wasn’t until Tooth & Nail Records randomly selected him to be a street team member during a stop on Warped Tour 2010 that he ever considered a life in the industry. Now he holds down the Editor-In-Chief position at his University paper while writing for multiple music publications (and working another part-time job) and finds that recent dream has already started to become a reality. Today he shares the story of how he got his start, and what he has to say may very well help other aspiring industry professionals find their footing in this crazy business of music.
Adrian no doubt has a bright future ahead of him, but the place he finds himself now isn’t so bad either. If you would like to stay on top of everything he’s working on, please take a moment to follow him on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Please state your name, job title(s), and the publications you work with:
AG: My name is Adrian Garza. I spend a lot of my time as the Editor-In-Chief of The Southeastern Times, the student newspaper of Southeastern University. I also used to write as a staff writer for Christian Music Zine, and still work independently as a band manager and publicist.
H: When you think of your earliest memories with music, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
AG: Coming from a Mexican-American household, I remember listening to a lot of my dad’s mariachi music in the car, especially on longer road trips. There were several artists that he listened to, but one that comes to mind among those would be Vincente Fernandez. Even though I won’t listen to any mariachi nowadays, I know all of that time spent with the genre made me into who I am today between an appreciation for folk and country, as well as how I learned to play an acoustic nylon stringed guitar before any other instrument.
H: What was the first album you purchased with your own money? Do you still own it today?
AG: I still specifically remember the day that I walked through my local K-Mart and bought a copy of Switchfoot’s Nothing Is Sound on the day it released with my allowance when I was only 12 years old. It features one of my most favorite album covers, and it’s still one of my most favorite records. Sadly enough, it got lost somewhere over the years.
H: Having an interest in music is relatively normal, but deciding to pursue a career in music is a bit more rare. When did you realize the entertainment industry was the business for you?
AG: It was only about 3 ½ years ago that I realized I had a potential future in the music industry. Specifically, it was at the Warped Tour of 2010 where I was picked up by Tooth & Nail Records to be their street teamer for the West Palm Beach date of the tour. In the moment, I didn’t think much of it; I just thought it was great to help promote what was my favorite record label at the time. Throughout the day, I just had question after question come to mind while I worked alongside Micah Dean, their tour rep who also worked as an A&R representative when he wasn’t on the road. Somewhere along the lines, I mentioned how I really enjoyed reading HM Magazine, and he surprisingly offered to personally recommend me to Doug Van Pelt, the Editor-In-Chief of the publication. In the moment, I didn’t think much of it, because I really had no interest in writing for a living, but over the course of the next couple of weeks, I really grew to like the idea because I had always had a passion for sharing things with others. But I didn’t see myself wanting to solely working in writing about the bands who are already known, I wanted to be one of the people who gave bands that initial push.
With all of that said, a career in the music industry is just what makes the most sense to me.
H: You dabble in a few areas of music, but a lot of this interview will focus on your writing efforts. When did you first take an interest in journalism?
AG: I do remember enjoying this mass communication class that I had back in my freshman year of high school. But that’s really all I thought of journalism back then; one of many units in a mandatory class that I took in my freshman year. Until that offer came along back in 2010, I knew I liked telling stories, sharing the ideas that I believed in, and getting others to listen to the bands I loved, but I didn’t see any future in it.
So, continuing off of where I left off on the last question, I was basically given this opportunity when I was coming towards the end of my summer before my freshman year of college. At the time, I didn’t have much of an existing direction of where I wanted to go with my life; I planned on pursuing a degree in business management, but I really wasn’t all too thrilled about it.
I was in the music business program at my school for about a month, and while I liked the idea of getting a degree that allowed me to take so many classes that related to business and music, it was the requirement of performance related ensembles and mandatory lessons, along with the lack of classes that focused specifically on the different facets of the industry (booking, A&R, management), that led to me wanting to change majors.
When it hit me that there my college offered a major in journalism, I decided that switching over may have been worth my time. So I decided to take a shot at writing an article for the student newspaper to see how I felt about journalism before I made the switch official, and it was after submitting that first article that I realized how much I enjoyed it.
H: The obvious follow-up, when did you first combine your love of music and journalism?
AG: It was actually, my second article I ever wrote for the Southeastern Times, which was a feature story on Terra Terra Terra, one of Lakeland’s most widely known acts. It might’ve not been the best thing that I’ve written, and I may have needed a lot of help, but that was all I really needed to know this was the right path for me.
H: You’re Editor-In-Chief at your college paper, as well as a staff writer for online music outlets. Why take on multiple roles?
AG: I really like how I’m able to write and express myself in different ways through all of these outlets. I can add personality and emotion to my writing for UTG, but at The Times, I’m supposed to be more objective and not subjective. I will admit that I don’t like working on more than one album review at a time, and in that same way, I don’t like only covering events. Another interesting thing to take into consideration is the audience and the people I get to work with: On campus for The Times, I’m interviewing different faculty members and administrative figures, where my articles are being published and shared out to a campus population of 2000+ people. At UTG, I’m interviewing musicians, working with publicists, labels, and managers that operate on so many different levels, and sharing that out to a limitless audience over the internet.
H: Do you find working on music has influenced or aided your efforts in regular journalism (or vice versa)? If so, how?
AG: In my opinion, the two are more closely related than many would think. Both fields rely heavily on creativity, and both are done in independent settings. I feel that my work with journalism has given me the excuse to take the time to keep up with what people are into, and that allows me to put that into action with my work with music.
H: Like many, you make little-to-no money for your efforts in writing. Why do it?
AG: Like I said before, I started doing this just to see if I liked it. After that, I wanted to keep writing for smaller outlets (like the school newspaper and Christian Music Zine) specifically for the sake of building up writing skills. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy that time in my career, it’s just that back then, it was more about learning slowly than it was about diving into big and unique articles like I’ve done recently. Now I do it because I care that much about giving recognition to the bands who deserve it.
H: In addition to writing, you also run a management company. When did you launch this effort, and what can you tell us about your progress so far?
AG: I launched Torches Management & PR back in December 2011 when I was asked by two different musician friends of mine to help with their projects. The crazy part is that one of those bands, Eyes, was located all of the way out in Colorado Springs. On the polar opposite in distance, I also worked with another band that was located on my college campus, A Sound Asleep. Most of my work was dedicated towards the release of each band’s EPs, though I did start booking a summer tour for ASA that had eventually been cancelled early on. Some of the things that I’m pretty proud of is getting The Lakeland Ledger to cover ASA and getting some notable small-time blogs to review the Eyes EP.
Nowadays, I haven’t been as active with Torches as I wish I was, but who knows, maybe I’ll come across the next big band that I’ll just have to work with. But for now, I know that I got a lot out of those experiences and that I made a difference through them.
H: As someone working in many areas of the industry, what advice would you offer someone hoping to get their start towards a career in music?
AG: My best advice would be to not wait a second and start now. I know this sounds kind of weak, but we live in an age where there is so much free information readily available. Go online and look up articles, browse forums, check out books at your local library (I’m serious, you’ll be surprised at what you might find), then take in as much of that as you can. When you’re done with that, learn some practical skills, whether it’s coding, graphic design, excel, and anything else that could be relevant. Then go out and do something with it, even if it’s starting small.
H: The last decade has been littered with claims from those who believe the music industry is dying and/or otherwise crumbling as a result of piracy. Considering you’re about to leave school in pursuit of a life in music, what do you have to say to those who see it as a weak industry?
AG: This question’s always given me trouble in real life, because I will be one of the first to admit that in a way, it is. Yes, album sales have declined over the years, and yes, it feels like much of the bands that are playing so many of today’s biggest festivals are the same bands who’ve played them for the last several years, but there’s still a lot to stay excited about. The big four major labels have lost much of their coveted market shares to so many indie labels which have had the most humble of beginnings. It’s no secret that vinyl has been given a lot of attention lately, and that’s great, because it has opened up a lot of room for labels to go all out on the packaging, making for an experience that’s all the more unique.
H: What is your ultimate career goal?
AG: I wish I had one big and massive goal with my career, but I don’t. If I can continue to keep doing what I’m doing, but on big enough of a scale where I can be given more access to working on bigger stories and bigger bands, while getting some sort of sustainable income out of it, then I’ll be happy enough!
H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?
AG: Haulix truly blows the rest out of the water in both function and convenience! I’ve never experienced any technical difficulties with that streaming service, and the fact that you guys offer downloads to those who are constantly on the go is a major plus.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
AG: If I could change one thing about the industry, it would be less about the business itself, but the fans who keep it alive. I feel that in general, we as Americans are a little too spoiled between what we have available to ourselves and how much we decide music is worth. I would wish that when people make a claim about how one of their favorite artists releases one of the best albums of the year, they would all back that by actually buying said album. I wish that buying a t shirt wasn’t seen as a justification for stealing an album, because come on, sure you’re helping a band put gas in their tank, but don’t be in it for the fashion.
H: You talk a lot about the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what you have planned in the months ahead?
AG: Shoot, there are too many things that come to mind! I’d really like to go out to SXSW to take in the full experience before I graduate and look into finding a full time job that would prevent me from doing otherwise. Seeing as how I’m only halfway through my tenure as the Editor-In-Chief of The Times, I still have more than a few ideas left in store. One thing that I’ve been on the fence about would be writing a script to a three minute short film for my college’s 180 film festival. Outside of all of that, you can still expect me be working on the best reviews, interviews, and news pieces that I could possibly put out for Under The Gun Review.
