Want the benefits of a music business education without the debt of student loans? YouTube is the answer.
YouTube channels are the new blogs. Actually, YouTube channels are better than most blogs. The content creators working on the video platform today can convey complex information in entertaining ways that create a more enjoyable learning experience for everyone. Whether you’re hoping to be the next music superstar or hope to work in the industry, YouTube is filled with experts offering the benefits of their experience and education without any of the cost or hard times.
For virtually nothing, anyone on the planet can access more hours of music business guides and criticism than any person could hope to devour in one lifetime. We haven’t tested that theory, but we’re pretty sure it’s accurate.
There are more than enough content creators releasing quality videos regularly on YouTube for everyone to find the channel(s) that suit their learning style the best. We could not hope to bring together all the channels worth checking out, but we have gathered a handful of picks that we believe to be worthy of your time. They offer everything from music criticism to history lessons, industry stories, and essential step-by-step guides to navigating the music business as a whole. Enjoy!
Finn McKenty is more punk rock than you. Lucky for us, he’s sharing his knowledge of punk and all things alternative with anyone willing to give him attention. Punk Rock MBA offers an in-depth look at the history of punk, rock, metal, and numerous niche areas of alternative/underground music, as well as lessons learned from important moments in music history. Most videos McKenty releases play like short documentaries, each with his unique perspective on a moment in music that more mainstream publications often overlook. He also recruits seasoned professionals to weigh in on the latest music from aspiring musicians, as well as commentary on the recent industry trends that may be shaping the future of the business.
McKenty is the perfect entry point for anyone new to YouTube, and also those hoping to improve their careers as musicians. As he explains on his channel’s about page, his goal is to offer “information, inspiration, and hopefully entertainment for people who want to live life on their own terms.”
Some of you may be questioning how a music critic ended up on a list intended for industry professionals. The answer is simple: Anthony Fantano (aka The Needle Drop) understands the digital generation. Unlike many of his industry careers, Fantano has found a way to connect with audiences in an increasingly saturated marketplace by sharing his informed opinions on a wide variety of music. His influence is so great, in fact, that numerous musicians have referenced his work in their own creative endeavors. For example, you may have seen Fantano’s animated cameo in the “Old Town Road” remix video from Lil Nas X featuring Young Thug and Mason Ramsey.
There are ten-thousand articles claiming that professional criticism is dead in the age of social media, but The Needle Drop is proof those hot takes are wrong. Fantano’s reviews often garner thousands of reviews within minutes of going live, and he’s using that platform to expose people to music they may otherwise have never given a chance. Anyone hoping to influence others through their work in music would be wise to follow The Needle Drop because no one else in this business has done nearly as good of a job building a community around their voice as Anthony Fantano has accomplished with his channel.
James Shotwell wants to do everything before his time in music is done. After opening a venue in his hometown with a grant from the city council at fourteen, Shotwell tried his hand at everything from touring to promotion before he even graduated college. Since then, he’s written for some of the biggest publications in music (including Alternative Press and Rolling Stone), ran a record label, traveled with Warped Tour, spoken at major industry events (SXSW, LAUNCH Music Conference, Music Biz), and spread the word about the power of promotional distribution.
On Music Biz, which is powered by Haulix, Shotwell shares his knowledge on how professionals and musicians alike can build a successful career in the entertainment business. He also explains the stories behind the biggest headlines in the music industry, as well as in-depth conversations with a wide array of industry professionals.
Sean Taylor is a music branding and marketing expert who, according to his website, is‘working to build a platform that closes the knowledge gap for aspiring artists’ On his Youtube-channel, Sean shares information about branding, growing your career and building a fan base. His focus usually revolves around the hip-hop and rap genres, but the lessons shared can easily be applied to any area of music.
What we love about Taylor’s content is his energy and the way he often utilizes the knowledge of other industry professionals to make the most of the topics he discusses. Whether that means pulling content from his own podcast or referencing quotes made by musicians in other interviews, Taylor grounds his lessons in examples pulled from the real world. That approach makes it clear that anyone can succeed in this business as long as they are willing to put in the work required to get ahead.
Talk about a music business education without the burden of student debt. Berklee Online is the official YouTube channel of Boston’s iconic Berklee College of Music. With world-renowned faculty and unparalleled networking opportunities, Berklee Online brings the best of Berklee to students around the globe, for free.
More than any other channel on this list, Berklee Online offers an education portal for those unable or unwilling to pay for school. They do post about courses available through them, but the majority of the videos offer industry advice and analysis from experts that other content creators could never reach. The content shared by Berklee Online is polished, informative, and above all entertaining. You don’t want to miss out.
Smart speakers have lead to a surge in music consumption. What does this mean for the industry, and where do we go from here?
Not so long ago, radio was the primary form of home entertainment. Families would gather around their stereos, which were as large as many televisions are today, and they would listen intently to songs and stories being shared over the airwaves. You probably don’t remember this time, but if you’re lucky enough to have grandparents they probably have a story or two to share. It looked something like this:
Those of us born in the last fifty years have most likely never spent an evening gathered around our stereos with those we love the most. At best, we have shared some memory making experiences with those closest to us while singing along to car stereos on road trips or late night drives under moonlit skies, but even those moments are becoming something of an ‘old time’ hobby. Radio is dying, and car stereos are mostly used as a mean to connect our smartphones with our stereo systems to play our favorite songs or playlists.
Home listening, however, has long been in a state of flux. While TV and later streaming gained popularity, the use of radio or stereos of any kind in the home began to wane. That is until the recent rise of smart speakers began to take the nation by storm.
A recent survey looking to understand the listening habits of people over the age of 16 by AudienceNet, a company out of the UK, found the increasing popularity of smart speakers by companies like Sonos and Google correlates to a rise in overall music consumption. Despite only 14% of the U.S. population owning smart speakers, those that do listen to 50% more music and 49% longer than before. They also check out more playlists as well.
With the holiday season right around the corner, the number of American homes with smart speakers in them is likely to grow in leaps and bounds. Early Black Friday ads from Best Buy and other retailers place emphasis on the devices, and a number of marketing efforts with buzzworthy groups such as Greta Van Fleet have no doubt made more curious about the technology than at the same point a year ago.
Further encouraging adoption is Spotify, who recently launched a promotion that offers a FREE Google Home speaker to anyone with a Family subscription plan on the streaming service. The offer applies to new and existing subscription holders and runs through the end of December, meaning its likely to help thousands, even millions, with their gift-giving efforts.
Families may no longer gather around the stereo at the end of the day, but with smart speakers becoming commonplace they are engaging with music (and other services provided by the devices) like never before. We expect a wave of tips and tricks to encourage specific artist engagement to hit the music blogosphere, including this site, in the near future as a result. Staytuned.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell shares two recent conversations over the course of 75 minutes. The first is with Finn McKenty of CreativeLive, a fast-rising education platform focused on careers in media and entertainment. The second is with Aaron Lunsford, longtime drummer for the band As Cities Burn, who is currently preparing to embark on a tour celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his band’s debut album.
The music you hear in the intro to Inside Music this week is “Blitz” from Audio Adrenaline. You can learn more about that song, as well as the album it hails from, on the band’s official website.
You may already know this, but ‘Inside Music’ is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
Inside Music is also on Twitter. Follow us for show updates and clues to who will be our next guest!
Sunday night saw the world watch as musicians from every corner of entertainment came together for the Billboard Music Awards. It was an event that had been promoted for weeks, and it was filled with as many headline-worthy moments as promised, including the world premiere of Taylor Swift’s long-awaited “Bad Blood” music video. Whether or not you were satisfied with the final result is a conversation for another time, but in this piece we will look at the video’s promotional campaign, debut, and the way it was received by fans to determine what, if anything, smaller performers can learn from Ms. Swift’s efforts.
BACKGROUND:
“Bad Blood” is the fourth single off Swift’s critically-acclaimed fifth studio album, 1989, following the successful promotional runs for “Style,” “Blank Space,” and “Shake It Off.” The single version, which features two verses from rapper Kendrick Lamar, was not shared with the public prior to the video’s release. In fact, the song that premiered on May 19 sounds like quite a departure from the source material fans likely expected to hear in the video. Here’s the original version (as performed live, since there is no public stream available of the studio cut):
We’ll get to the new version in a bit, but keep in mind that this is what fans were expecting. Not meeting those expectations is only a bad thing if what you deliver instead is viewed as somehow being subpar in regards to quality. I’m not saying that is the case with the new cut of “Bad Blood,” but promoting the release of a song that fans know to sound one way and then sharing something unquestionable different is a risky move. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, the trust your fans place in your marketing may be soiled.
To date, Taylor’s 1989 album has sold 4.5 million copies, which is better than even her own previous two records. You may not like her music, but you cannot deny that she has more international appeal than essentially everyone else in music today. She sets the bar for pop musicians today just like she used to set the bar for country artists, and with the release of the hip-hop meets power-pop sound of “Bad Blood” it seems she is trying to change the game once more.
PROMOTION:
Taylor Swift does not really need to promote her music endeavors as everyone in the world is already watching to see what she does next, but she does so anyways, and the campaign leading up to the release of “Bad Blood” was her largest yet. Since early April Swift has been uploading and sharing promotional images for the video that featured the numerous guests, as well as their role(s) in the video, designed in a style similar to theatrical posters for films like Kill Bill or Sin City. Everyone from Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams, to Law And Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay made the cut, including famous faces like Pitch Perfect 2 breakout Hailee Seinfeld, modeling icon Cindy Crawford, and Girls creator/star Lena Dunham. Each reveal coincided with a surge in press attention, which would last just long enough for Swift to prepare and release yet another promotional image. There were 16 images/guests in total.
No video clips were teased ahead of the official music video release. No plot was revealed either, but fans were able to speculate based on the various names given to the characters. Jessica Alba, for example, was known as Domino. Hayley Williams, who appeared with red hair, was called The Crimson Curse.
DEBUT:
As promised, Taylor’s video for “Bad Blood” premiered at the top of the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. Those who tuned in to watch the live broadcast were the first in the world to view the clip, but CBS wisely made a high quality video stream available immediately following the premiere. Sites embedded that clip instantaneously, and soon word of the video’s arrival online began to circulate on social networking sites. You can view the final video, in full, below:
Now remember: The premiere of this video marked the first time anyone had heard the Kendrick Lamar assisted remix of “Bad Blood.” In fact, it was the first time anyone knew such a track even existed. Like the contents of the video itself, no one knew what to expect from the song almost as soon as it began. To say it was a lot for people to take in would be an understatement.
REACTIONS:
As you can probably guess, the media was quick to try and cash in on the ridiculous nature of the video, as well as its many guest stars and special effects:
Many fans were also quick to jump on the love train, praising everything from the new remix to the ‘feminist heroes’ that appeared in the video:
Of course, there were haters as well. Some people didn’t see the point of the video, while others thought the updated track lacked soul:
I don’t know if there is anything to learn from this aside from the fact that everyone has an opinion, but it does feel safe to say not everyone is in love with the latest move from Taylor Swift. That isn’t a bad thing necessarily, as there is no way Ms. Swift can be expected to please everyone, but it does lead us to ask what did and did not work about her “Bad Blood” campaign.
HERE’S WHAT WORKED:
“Bad Blood” was considered a massive success before the video or remix even debuted thanks entirely to its promotional campaign. Without showing a single frame of the finished product Taylor Swift was able to make her global fan base excited about the promotion of a song most already owned and had long committed to memory. The promotional posters played a large role in this effort, and they also proved that it is possible to gain multiple headlines every single week for promoting something as long as the promotion itself is unique and engaging. Most publications don’t cover video teasers, especially when said teasers number in the teens, but Swift and her team were able to create a sense of mystery around “Bad Blood” that took the media by storm. The guest stars helped, no doubt, but from the reveal of Swift’s only promotional poster it was clear “Bad Blood” would mark a turning point in the vocalist’s career. Fans knew almost immediately that the video would stray far from the romantic narratives that have driven many of Swift’s best videos, and that alone was enough to cause near constant conversation around the video’s release for more than a month before the clip even premiered.
Also, the decision to premiere “Bad Blood” during the Billboard Music Awards was smart as it exposed Taylor’s latest evolution to the largest crowd possible during one of music’s biggest nights. The Swift brand is a global sensation, but its unquestionable dominance here in the states. By premiering atop the awards show Swift reaffirmed her role as pop’s current queen, and she more or less cemented her place among radio royalty for the rest of time. Everyone with even a passing interested in pop music tuned in last night, and everyone who didn’t almost assuredly saw the video mentioned online. To permeate the global pop culture conversation any further seems impossible.
HERE’S WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
Like a summer blockbuster that begins advertising more than six months before its release, the hype established for the premiere of “Bad Blood” set expectations for the clip through the roof. The large number of cameos lead many to believe Taylor would unveil something akin to a short film, but in reality the clip played more like a sizzle reel from an unreleased action film that lacked both plot and cohesive thought. Very few scenes in the video have much, if anything, to do with every other scene. It’s as if the video was chopped together with the sole intention of featuring as many notable female celebrities as possible. So much so that any notion of narrative direction was completely tossed out the window. What is this agency where Swift works? Who is the bad guy? Why are they bad and Swift’s team good? Who keeps a rocket launcher in a locker room? Why is the world on fire? Why does Mariska Hargitay walk down a tunnel with Taylor, seemingly headed to battle, only to be absent from the actual war sequences? It’s all flashy and insanely well edited, but when you step back and think about what is actually unfolding on screen it’s a lot of interesting ideas that never really amount to anything at all.
Furthermore, the remix of “Bad Blood” feels and sounds more like a Kendrick Lamar single featuring Taylor Swift than a Swift original, which is quite a strange turn of events. Lamar has not one, but two verses, and Swift barely appears outside of the hook and bridge. It’s a decision that seems to have been made with the goal of making “Bad Blood” something that could dominate radio during the height of a summer heatwave, but in doing so the song seems to have lost much of what made it so special in the first place. Storytelling has long been the heart and soul of Taylor Swift’s career, but neither this remixed track nor its accompanying video has anything unique to say. It’s pretty, and it’s no doubt worthy of headlines, but in terms of substance and depth you’re basically dealing with a puddle on a hot July day.
WHAT UP AND COMING ARTISTS SHOULD LEARN FROM ALL THIS:
The chances of your next video premiere capturing the attention of media around the globe are far lower than those of Taylor Swift, but that doesn’t negate the fact that there is a lot you can learn from her recent promotional efforts. The success of the “Bad Blood” campaign was not built on the strength of the song itself, but rather the way it would be complimented by the official video. The posters Taylor released, while no doubt created in part to leverage the popularity of the clip’s guest stars, served to engage Swift’s fans on a regular basis with fresh, easy to duplicate content that never felt too overwhelming. You can do the same thing with your next campaign, be it a tour or a video or even a new song. You can share scenes from your experience (studio life, road life, show life, behind-the-scenes at a video shoot, etc.) along with release information. Make it unique by any means necessary, but make sure whatever you do not only represents the item being promoted, but you as an artist as well. Fans know when you’re not presenting yourself honestly, and in the digital age no one is afraid to call you out on such misguided decisions.
If you can find a way to present yourself in a new and unique way each time you present something new then you can win over people from all walks of life with each reveal. The possibilities for achieving this are limitless, but they must be done to the best of your abilities to be successful. Like lying about your true self, fans can see through cheap promotions, and again they will not hesitate to call you out. If you want to be successful in art you must commit yourself fully to whatever it is you want to do, and that extends to promotion of said endeavor. Taylor Swift has done just that with “Bad Blood,” and regardless of how you feel about the final product you cannot deny that people around the world are actively engaged with her brand. You can do the same. I believe in you.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
The 2015 Launch Music Conference begins this Thursday, April 23, and as you probably already know the Haulix team will be participating in this year’s event. In fact, James got a haircut earlier today in preparation for his appearance on one of the many panels happening in Lancaster in the coming days. He wasn’t too thrilled about having to do so, but at least he no longer looks like a rejected wannabe actor who blew his audition for some off Broadway version of Scooby-Doo: The Musical.
What we’re trying to say is that we could not be more excited to be participating in Launch this year, and we want to make sure everyone in attendance makes the most out of their time in Pennsylvania. There are a lot of great panels happening, as well as dozens of potentially amazing live performances, but we have chosen five events we feel those headed to Launch absolutely must attend. Each pick represents a unique opportunity to either learn or better integrate yourself into the music industry at large, both of which will help you further your career.
To be fair, we have chosen to not highlight the panel we will be participating in as part of this list. You can find information on that event, which is called ‘Protecting What’s Yours,’ in the panel guide on the official website of Launch.
Serving as the first event on Friday morning and featuring a panel of six industry professionals, each with a unique background in music business, this discussion will focus on the value of a formal education in music. As people who deal with music education day in and day out, we can say first hand this is a question posed by students, aspiring professionals, and their parents on a regular basis. It’s a no brainer that everyone hoping to work in music should have some understanding of how the business functions, but where and how to receive that education is a debate that has continued for decades. These panelists might not settle everything in one hour, but those in attendance will no doubt learn from what they have to say.
There is an entire industry dedicated to helping bands and solo artists learn to not only navigate the music industry, but conquer it through the use of so-called groundbreaking marketing tactics. Whether or not those books offer any real advice that cannot be found online is a top for another time, but what we can tell you without a doubt in our mind is that there is no better place to learn about what does and does not work in marketing today then from the mouths and minds of the people marketing music for a living in 2015. This five-member panel, which represents talent from a variety of genres, will share first hand knowledge of marketing in music today, as well as where they see things going in the future. If you truly want to be on top of your promotional game, this may be THE must-see panel of the day.
Saturday at Launch 2015 is largely dedicated to what is essentially a ‘pop-up’ school of music hosted by Van’s Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman. For this specific event, Kevin will be conducting a one-on-one interview with Mike Mowery, Co-Founder and CEO of OuterLoop Management, about his work and the role of artist managers in music today. We’ve heard from many up and coming artists who wonder if they should have a manager at this point in their career, as well as what responsibilities they should assign to said manager if they do choose to hire one. This conversation will hopefully answer those questions, as well as provide insight for current artist managers about how they can potentially improve their efforts moving forward.
This is probably the greatest event in the history of music conference events, and that is only a slight exaggeration. Following days of education and advice, ‘Can You Handle The Truth’ offers musicians at every level of their career to showcase their music for a massive panel of industry leaders, including Kevin Lyman and MetalBlade PR head Vince Edwards, and receive on the spot reviews in front of a crowded room. It could be the best or worst day of your life, but you will never have an opportunity quite like this at any other music industry event you attend this year. Take a chance.
This is the last time the majority of the Launch Music Conference attendees will be in the same room together, and it’s your best chance to making a good impression on fellow industry professionals before returning to whatever place you call home. Make the most of this opportunity and greet as many people as possible. Ask what they do and, when asked, tell people what you are working on. Exchange business cards. Exchange Twitter handles. Do whatever you have to do to walk away from the weekend feeling like you not only learned something, but that you also met people who may one day be able to help you advance your career, or at the very least someone who you can turn to for additional advice in the future.
Just to be clear: Every event at Launch Music Conference is worthy of attendance in our minds. That is a fact we cannot stress this enough, but we do feel the items highlighted above offer something special that is only made possible at this gathering. Don’t miss out.
This is some news we have been anxiously waiting to share for some time now. We told you 2015 would be our biggest year to date, and part of making that goal a reality includes bringing the educational efforts found on the blog into conferences, panels, and related industry discussions across the nation. Haulix Live, which is essentially just a catchy way of saying we’re hosting a panel about piracy and the ways it can be combatted in the year ahead, will premiere at the LAUNCH music conference in Lancaster, PA this April. The first wave of performers and panelists were just announced, so we thought we’d share the entire release in case any of you care to join us.
Lancaster, PA | January 12, 2015 – Over the past seven years, Launch Music Conference has welcomed some of today’s top musicians and music executives to speak and perform to a crowd of artists and industry go-getters. Launch Music Conference is thrilled to be back with a new weekend event filled with enticing panels and showcases on April 23rd – 26th at the Lancaster County Convention Center and surrounding venues. Founder, Jeremy Weiss had this to say about the forthcoming event:
“By combining both a music conference and festival, LAUNCH brings together two aspects of the music industry for one exciting weekend in beautiful historic Downtown Lancaster, PA! With the variety of performers and events, there’s something for everyone going on during LAUNCH – for the most casual music fan to the most die-hard!”
Today, Launch Music Conference is thrilled to announce their first wave of panelists, artists and seminars including: Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), Mike Mowry (Outerloop Management), David Silbaugh (Milwaukee Summerfest), Tim Borror (The Agency Group), Lou Plaia (Reverbnation), Randy Nichols (Force MGMT), James Shotwell (Haulix), Jen Kellogg (T.E.I), Joyce Dollinger (Ent. Attorney) with performances by Badfish, Atreyu, and Mo Lowda and The Humble and breakout session with Vocal Coach Deborah “Zuke” Smith (Frank Iero, The Voice).
Launch Music Conference is sponsored by Heineken, Fireball, Dr. McGillicuddy’s, Disc Makers, Millersville University, Strongbow, Lancaster County Convention Center, Substream Music Press, Atomic, Herr’s, The City of Lancaster, The Catalyst Publicity Group, CI, dropcards, Gerhart Coffee, and more to be announced.
Hello, everyone! I know we don’t usually post interview on Friday, but we figured we’d try something different just to see how things go. We never really discuss the education side of the music business, but today that begins to change. If you’re an educator who is interested in talking about your adventures in music, please contact us using the information below.
This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
We spend a lot of time talking about record labels, publicity, and the struggles of being an artist, but there is a lot more to the music business than those three things. Teaching, especially private lessons, is one of the most popular ways for people to get professionally involved with music. Not everyone can make this effort a full time job, but those who have developed proficiency in one or more instruments, including the ability to sing, can supplement a nice portion of their income by instructing others. The only problem is, many people who attempt to become teachers struggle with handling the administrative side of owning a business, which is where the person at the center of today’s feature found his niche.
Adam Zeuske is a web developer and lifelong music fan who has built a reputation for crafting high quality, state-of-the-art tools for various companies around the world. His latest project, Semplice Lessons, was inspired by his wife. She makes a living as a private music teacher, but as her business was beginning to develop she was having troubles staying on top of the various administrative duties that come with being your own boss, including booking, billing, and client communication. Adam realized that a lot these issues could be solved by streamlining the administrative side of his wife’s work, and that initial thought is what lead to Semplice Lessons being born. Now, with only a few clicks, music instructors around the world can access an administrative platform built specifically with their needs in mind. It’s efficient, time-saving, and impeccably well designed.
When we learned of Adam’s efforts, we knew we wanted to feature him on this blog. His work is not the kind of thing that often gets highlighted, but we feel it’s important to make people aware this technology exists. Also, it’s important for aspiring professionals to know roles like the one Adam has taken exist within the music business. Just because you love music doesn’t mean you have to be either a musician, label staffer, publicist, booking agent, talent manager, or journalist. There are hundreds, if not thousands of roles you can choose from, and those who think outside the box like Adam has with Semplice are generally the ones who become most successful later in life. He is just as inspiring as his work, and we’re thrilled to share his story with all of you today.
H: Hello, Adam. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. How is December treating you so far? I hear it can be harsh in Minnesota this time of year.
A: Thanks, James! It’s great to be able to talk with you today. Winter has been great this year. Minnesota can be harsh, but the crisp air, snow and the beautiful lakes more than make up for the chilly weather. If nothing else, it sure makes one appreciate the hot summer!
H: Your interview is kind of unique. We typically speak with people who are either writing about or working directly with musicians on a daily basis, if not musicians themselves. You, however, work with the people who make musicians, and by that I mean music instructors. Can you tell us a bit about your latest venture, Semplice Lessons?
A: I’d love to! Inspired by my wife and other music lesson instructors I know, I wanted to make a web site that would make the administration of a private lesson studio super easy. I saw how much time was spent on the administration of a studio, from managing a schedule, to communication, to the financial aspect of payment collection. Semplice Lessons was born from an idea that a simple, well organized website could free up a great deal of time for lesson instructors.
H: Music education is something we are very passionate about at Haulix. What initially attracted you to the world of education, and I guess perhaps more importantly – the world of online education?
A: Firsthand observation of people who actually run a private lesson studio, both music and other academic subjects (which is my background…math!) made me think I could apply my programming knowledge in a way that could directly impact the lives of people who make such a big difference in our students’ lives.
For example, I saw tons of time spent accounting for payment checks and cash, running to the bank to deposit payments, and authoring studio wide emails. I thought I could help out with the time consuming work that goes into running a private lesson studio. I had no idea how much time was spent just making sure checks were made out to the right name, or that checks were made out on time. And believe it or not, this doesn’t just solve instructors’ challenges. In talking with students’ parents, they were really pleased their child had a way of looking at their lesson schedule and those of their peers. Furthermore, lesson payments no longer required parents to write a check, or pull cash from an ATM before the lesson. They just signed up online with their credit card, a process they are already familiar with, and life becomes easier for them too. It sure is fun to watch the parents benefit from the website as well!
H: What does your platform offer educators that cannot be found through the tools already made available from your competitors? What does it offer students?
A: I think the main difference is the simplicity of its layout and ease-of-use, especially in the payment management segment. If the student’s parents or guardians have a credit card, and the instructor has a checking/savings account, Semplice allows the instructor to charge their students’ credit cards directly for payments. Those lesson fees then land in the instructor’s bank account! No third party payment vehicles…just credit cards and bank accounts, a process everyone is already familiar with, thanks to the proliferation of online shopping, banking, electronic music distribution, etc.
When an instructor creates a studio on Semplice, a public website is created for them. This allows students to sign in to the studio’s site, enter their credit card for payment information, request a lesson swap with another student, signify if they are going to potentially miss a lesson, view their schedule, or check out other neat studio communications and information!
H: How long ago did you launch this company?
A: Semplice Lessons was launched at the end of August, 2014. It has enjoyed an exciting beta period, and I am striving to make sure it suits the needs of all the students and lesson instructors.
H: I know it may be a bit early to talk longterm plans, but looking ahead to the new year can you tell us a few things we can expect from Semplice Lessons?
A: That’s a fun question! I can tell you about some of my plans, but the feedback from my customers will play a big part of what gets put on the plan for this year. The best part of having a company like this is learning how the website is _actually_ used compared to what my vision was or is. The creativity of this customer base never ceases to amaze me.
Mainly, I want to improve on the notification part of Semplice. Interesting things happen in a bunch of areas of site, both automatically and at the instructor’s request. I would like to increase the transparency of such events while keeping the site easy to use and informational at-a-glance.
H: As the creator of this company, I’m sure you have some goals Semplice over the next year as well. Care to share some of those?
A: Definitely! First, as I mentioned before, I would like to improve on the notifications so that an instructor or student can see the status of events that happen within Semplice, like email, payments, or scheduling changes.
Second, I am always looking to improve the layout of the existing site to better align it with the actual tasks an instructor or student performs on the site.
Finally, I want to make sure the site tells _me_ what is going on! Making a real difference in the lives of these instructors provides an enormous amount of satisfaction. When a support email comes across, I like to know that the technical infrastructure is in place to make a quick, accurate diagnosis and resolve any potential issues.
H: If someone reading this right now is interested in learning more about Semplice, or perhaps even desiring to sign up for your service, what should they do next?
If it looks like Semplice would solve tons (or even just some) of their lesson studio’s issues, or make things easier for them by freeing up time or automating some of those more difficult manual processes, they should start the process of creating an online studio by signing up! The first 30 days are free!
H: Thank you for taking time to speak with us today, Adam. I wish you the best of luck in the future. Do you have any final thoughts or comments that you would like to share with our readers?
A: Thank you so much, James, for the opportunity to share this new venture! I wish Haulix the best as well, as it succeeds in providing best-in-class security and promotional material and contact management!
My final thought is that I would encourage anyone who thinks this site would be beneficial to their studio, music or otherwise, to give it a shot or reach out to us at Semplice and ask questions! The more successful our instructors are, the better off they and our children will be, and that’s just a good thing!
Hello and welcome to the final Industry Spotlight of the week. We have featured a number of big time industry players this year so far, but I strongly believe this particular interview to be amongst the best we have ever done. The person at the center, which I will introduce in a moment, has been working in this industry longer than 95% of our audience has been alive. He’s also willing to share his knowledge, which is what makes him an ideal candidate for this column.
This blog exists to promote the future of the music industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your music-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
There are times when I sit down to write these introductions and I wonder whether or not I will be able to fill the space needed to properly setup the feature that will follow. It’s not that any guest is bad or lacks an interesting background, but as we tend to deal with younger professionals there is often very little to tell about a person’s life that is not also covered in the accompanying interview. Today, however, I face the opposite problem.
Steve ‘Renman’ Rennie has lead a career that even he describes as being akin to a fairy tale. With over 35 years of experience, he’s worked at one of the world’s biggest labels and learned from the best minds the business as ever known. He’s booked shows, signed artists, promoted releases, and even spent the better part of two decades managing Incubus. He’s the kind of guy that has a billion stories to tell, and in recent months he’s begun doing just that through his own web series.
Renman Music & Business is a site started by Steve Rennie with the hopes of sharing his knowledge and experiences from the world of music with aspiring professionals. Through video, audio, and text based posts Steve informs his audience about the real music industry. There is no sugar-coating or hand holding to be found. He tells it like it is, and does not hold back in the slightest, which in our opinion is the only true way to learn about this business.
Recently, Steve and I had the opportunity to speak over the phone about his career in music, as well as the events that lead to him launch Renman Music & Business. We spoke for nearly and hour and I walked away feeling like I had been through music industry boot camp. You can read what he had to say, below.
SR: Where are you based out of?
H: I’m based out of Boston, but the home of Haulix is located in the midwest.
SR: I’ve looked at your product, and I was hoping you can tell me a little bit more about it. At first sight, it looks like more of label thing. Do you have a lot of independent artists using your product?
H: At first, we were focused on labels. Over the last few years we have made a big effort to focus on indie artists, and there are a surprising amount of performers who have taken it upon themselves to discover our offerings. They tend to not stick around as long our label clients, but I think the customization we provide, as well as our watermarking technology, really appeals to those wanting to stand out.
SR: Okay, great.
H: It’s a great honor to have you with us, Steve. You are someone a lot of people have requested that we feature. It seems you’re quite a popular person in the music industry.
SR: Well, I’m happy to be popular if that is in fact true. (laughs) I’ll take it.
H: We use these spotlights to show people that no matter where someone is today in their professional life, most people started off just like anyone else, scraping together pennies to chase a dream, and from what I understand that applies to you as well. I read that you got your start booking shows while attending USC, is that true?
SR: I did book at USC, but a step before that I was booking shows at a local community college in Santa Monica. That’s where I first got involved with booking, and I ended up transferring to USC on a debate scholarship. I continued to book shows at USC from there, which allowed me to feel like I had four years of experience before I got out of college. That may have been a bit of an inflated view on my end, but I was working with artists and managers as a talent buyer, albeit an amateur one.
H: Did you finish college? I read somewhere that you..
SR: No, I dropped out. I went 8-12 years and I got close. I won’t bore you, but there was a little bit of a back story involving my scholarship funds running out before I was able to finish. The truth is though, I was in a rush and hellbent to enter the music industry. I’ve regretted it a little bit, and I have a son in college now that I’ve asked to try and finish. That would be nice. (laughs)
H: We go back and forth on this a lot, because it seems like today there are a large number of music industry programs and no one really knows which one is best. People ask us if they should go and study these programs, and if so whether they should go after a two or four year program. I usually tell people that if they really want to work in music and go to college they should find a major that is a little more general, like business or marketing. How do you feel? Do you feel these degrees give you a leg up at all?
SR: No. Actually, let me step back from that a bit. If you talk to the vast majority of people in the music industry people today, and certainly the people running the music industry today, you’ll find very few of them that have a degree in music business. Part of that is because they didn’t teach music business courses when people like me were in college, but what we did have back then were things like a concert committee, and college radio stations. That’s where you will find a lot of people, especially those around my age, got their start. This phenomenon of music business being taught at universities is kind of new, and what I’ve found as I have entered this mentoring space is that so many times, and I don’t mean this to be a knock, but many of the people who teach music business are music fans who were never really music professionals. I make that distinction because when you talk to people who are actually working in the business and ask them how they learned it they will tell you they learned it by doing. It was not from a book, even though they may have read a few. You learn by doing, and when I was coming up that meant finding a mentor who could show you the ropes. As I have gotten further into this mentor thing myself, which is something I’ve been doing naturally the last 35 years, I think I’m becoming far more aware of what universities are teaching. I applaud what they’re doing and their enthusiasm, but I think most schools have a far more vested interest in selling the notion that a piece of paper will get you somewhere in the music business when in fact it won’t. What people in music business are looking for are people who are enthusiastic about music, who are willing to learn, and those who possess a killer instinct. By that, I mean a willingness to work until a problem is solved.
I think the music business programs that they’re teaching at universities today, and this is going to sound horribly self-serving, they should be doing it the way I’m doing it. By that I mean introducing one big player after another and having them sharing their story. Then, after that, opening the floor up to students for questions and conversation. That’s how you learn the music business. Not through a book.
H: I couldn’t agree more. I feel like the best way to learn, especially if you want to learn about life today, is to talk to people living it.
SR: It’s simple. It’s about asking questions about the things you don’t know. With the greatest respect to my friends in their young 20s, in terms of the music business you don’t know shit. You really don’t. And if you think you do then you’re failing the first test of consciousness.. When you’re 30 you’ll know a little bit more, but until then you need to ask questions. You need to hang out and network with smart people. You need to make a commitment to learning, and part of that is understanding that you do not know shit right now. You need to find someone who knows more than you, ask as many questions as you can, and soak it up like a sponge.
H: You mentioned you had mentors growing up. Can you tell us about them?
SR: There were a number of people over the years. There were two gentlemen I have talked about at length over the years, but I will mention them again. One of the men was Brian Murphy who works over at AEG. He was a partner, as well as the booking guy at Avalon Attractions. The other guy was Bob Geddes, a very hard-nosed business guy with strong instincts. I’ve always characterized those guys by telling people Bob was Clint Eastwood and Brian was more Ozzy Nelson. Brian was the good dad who always had time to be nurturing, while Bob was far more firm. I think that those two points of view ultimately shaped my mentality because over the years I have not been afraid to tell people what I think, but in that same person is the guy who managed bands and worked to figure out what they needed in order to do the things I needed.
Later on, there was a guy by the name of Richard Griffiths, who is the person that hired me at Epic Records. Him and a gentleman by the name of Dave Glew, who was the chairman of the company, also helped me. Richard taught me the record business, but he has a very decisive ‘make something happen’ point of view. Dave was a ‘nuts and bolts’ Cleveland guy. I had one person showing me the big picture while another one showed me the little stuff. So twice in my career I had two mentors that both showed me different tricks.
H: Something curious about your history in the industry that I wanted to touch on is your participation in launching ArtistDirect. If possible could you tell us a little about the internet at that time and the motivations behind launching that site?
SR: Sadly, I recently read they were selling off the assets of the company (Artist Direct).
ArtistDirect, when you cut through all the bullshit and rewrites in history, it was the idea of Mark Geiger. He was a big music fan and a big fan of technology, which we shared, but Mark was way more into the tech side than I. In the early days of the internet, you would visit these bulletin boards on the web and find interesting things to download. We often talked about how everything was going to be digital and how that would be a game-changer. That conversation evolved over the years, and by 1998 I had left Epic Records to join the guys at ArtistDirect. I was the last guy to come in, and it was an incredible ride. We thought it would be a hub for artists to have their own corner of the web, and over the years since a lot of those ideas have become a reality online.
Timing and lighting is something I talk about a lot in life. Being in the right place at the right time plays a big part in the success of a project. I think Artist Direct had the right idea and all the right intentions, but I think it got to the game a little too early. The ugly analogy I always use involved D-Day. The guys who arrived at 4 o’clock in the afternoon were able to land on shore. The guys who arrived at 6 o’clock in the morning were floating in the water. The idea was much better for the second wave than the first wave. Geiger has been on the streaming train for fifteen years, and it’s just now coming to the forefront.
So the timing wasn’t great, but it was an unbelievable experience. Both good and bad from a business point of view. We ultimately took the company public, raising over a $110 million dollars, and we pissed away every dime of it. (laughs)
H: That tends to be how things go.
SR: I was telling someone the other day who raised a lot of money that raising funds and getting VCs on board is no closer to being done than signing a record deal. It’s the start of the game. Don’t get distracted before you reach the finish line.
H: Exactly. So, how long were you at Artist Direct?
SR: Two and a half years. After that, I left to manage Incubus because, if I’m being honest, working at Artist Direct was the single most draining thing I ever did in my life. I was the first of the partners to leave, and that wasn’t very popular in the moment, but one by one we realized that we had a better idea than we had a business.
H: That’s a hard realization to make.
SR: Yeah, and I think I got there first. We went public the day after the Nasdaq crossed 5000 for the first time, and it has never reached that point again since. It’s a time in my life I look back at fondly, but it was pretty intense.
H: I would like to talk about what you’re doing now because it falls perfectly in line with what we hope to accomplish at Haulix. Have you always wanted to step into the role of an educator? What made you decide now was the time to bring about your current project.
SR: First off, and I don’t know why, but every time someone calls me an educator a little part of me cringes. I don’t know why, maybe I don’t think it sounds hip enough or something.
Two things…One, I’ve benefitted mightily from having mentors around. I always had a subconscious awareness of how lucky I was to have that kind of guidance. I’ve also, truth be told, I’ve always been the guy that loves to sit up and talk shop. It’s how I got into USC, I was on the debate team because I had no problem climbing on a soapbox and pitching an idea. I don’t know if it was a gift or whatever, but I was comfortable with it. Over the years, people would ask to pick my brain or run ideas by me. I’m brutally honest with people, and sometimes in the music industry that causes discomfort, but I’ve found over my 35 years that it’s better for someone to be slightly uncomfortable with you in the beginning for being brutally honest than waiting to deal with something ugly in the end. The sooner the better.
Anyways, over the years people have always asked me questions about the industry. When I first got involved with Incubus nineteen years ago the internet was just beginning to boom. All the sudden there was this growing ability to have conversations with people around the world that centered around the same thing – ‘hey, can I pick your brain on something?’ I think it has always been part of my mentality and I enjoy it. I went back to USC a number of time over the years to speak about the music industry and really enjoyed it. What I’m doing now is really an extension of that more than an attempt at being an educator. I’m on a mission to teach people about the music industry, but if you’ve seen our presentation then I think you would agree it’s decidedly non-academic. This is my version of the music industry. Not the fairy tale world they tell you about at college, this is the real music business, where it’s fucked up and people are insecure wrecks. I think it resonates with people because they think – love it or hate it – I am being honest. I’m not sugar coasting things. I’ve been doing this for a long time at a fairly high level, so unlike so many internet music business experts with no real world experience my resume speaks for itself.
H: Definitely. Here’s something someone asked me today. Do you worry that when Incubus becomes more active it will be difficult to do the show regularly?
SR: No, because I parted company with Incubus in January.
H: I did not know that.
SR: Yeah. In a strange way, that kind of says something about where Incubus is at, and I don’t mean that to be a negative. I was with those guys for over seventeen years and we had an unbelievable ride, but as Incubus fans know over the last seven or eight years there has been less and less activity from Incubus. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that when a band starts spending the majority of their time working on other stuff that’s kind of a review of the state of affairs.
So I parted company with them and I no longer worry about it. I will be honest though, my current project is a direct result of the band’s growing gaps between making music and promoting it. I made the decision to manage only one band after leaving Epic, and I stayed remarkably true to that, but there were times over the last seven or eight years when I had to ask myself the question, “If you’re managing a band that’s not creating to promoting, are you a manager?” So this web mentoring is a direct outgrowth of my own frustration with all of that and at the end of the day I did something similar to the band, which is to not not worry about working on Incubus until they do, and there is only so much you can do to encourage that stuff. They’re all grown men, and if I’ve learned one thing over the years it’s that you cannot make people more ambitious than they want to be. God knows I’ve tried.
H: Do you see yourself managing more bands in the future, or would you say that part of your life is behind you?
SR: No. [laughs] I’ll give you a full answer on that. Let me explain my perspective. When I sit and think, the calculating business guy in me who is now 59 and believes he had his own fairy tale ride in this business asks himself what the chances are that he finds another band that has as much talent and work ethic as is needed to reach the top of the mountain. When I sit and think about all the great bands I have managed that could not make it to that level, or at least not stay there, I have no desire to spend another 10 years trying to get another group to that place. Incubus were the twelfth band I managed. Every group had talent, but they [Incubus] had the right head for it, and that’s what matters.
Longer answer still, when I look at where I am in my life right now I much more fancy myself the rock and roll version of John Madden. He’s a gregarious character who loves football and lived his rock and roll dream in sports by playing in the Super Bowl. After that, he walked away to become a mentor and enjoy the game from that role. That’s kind of my head space today. I don’t need to get my resume in line and send it out. I’ve been really lucky and I don’t have to worry about that anymore. I still love music and I love working in the music business, but when I get an email from some kid who says my work inspired him that’s all I need. I also know if I had to manage that kid he may hate me, haha, but that’s the nature of the beast.
H: I know we only have a little bit of time left, but I wanted to ask you about your goals. Does this program you’ve launched have a specific goal?
SR: Our goals have actually changed quite a bit. I started this show as a hobby because I thought it was fun to do. I started with 24 videos, and then we moved on to the web show, which inspired me to contact friend after friend to guest with me. If you go back through the hundred-plus shows that have aired, you will notice that a few episodes that show a clear evolution from everything that came before. Things have changed, and I think part of that is because I started to look at the show as a business. The business guy inside me refuses to let me have a hobby, I guess. So I’m much more conscious about the educational aspect of what we do, and based on the advice of a young person we have here in the studio we have begun putting together a curriculum for teaching people about the music industry. We’re putting it into an online course that we plan to sell. People have asked me about being a consultant before, and I never really thought about it, but as I’ve found a need to pay for these web efforts – which do cost money when done right – this seems like a good solution.
We’re also going to work with some of my friends who have shown interest in mentoring and I think see a business opportunity in it. I know band members would cringe at the thought of charging, but if you think about it – USC doesn’t mind charging $60,000 for music business education and Berkelee doesn’t mind charging even more. If all those people gave me their students for a day none of them would want to go back because what I offer is real. Also, we’re all buddies.
So I’m trying to find a way to make this self-sustaining and I think I’ve finally started to figure it out.
H: You have accomplished a lot in life and you have more accomplishments to come I’m sure, but do you have any loftier goals for this or your life in general that you can share?
SR: I don’t really know how to articulate this, but it’s crazy how it all goes. Bobby Geddes gave me a great piece of advice once. I had some wacky idea that I wanted to share with him, which I did all the time, and he said “Let me tell you something, Stever. In life, there are a million things that are going to whisper at you. I only listen to the screams. I don’t have time for the whispers and that sounds like a whisper. Go find something that screams.” When you ask me what I want, I’m not really sure, but what started as a whisper has grown to a scream over time. I’ve learned over the years that opportunity sometimes comes at the strangest times, in the strangest boxes, in the strangest ways. You might not recognize it at first, but over time you realize it could change everything. I don’t know where it is headed just yet, to be honest with you. Maybe more speaking engagements. There’ also been talk of a TV show. I don’t know where it will all go, but it’s definitely louder than a whisper now. I’m like a dog in a field, I know there is a bird out here and I am going to find it.
H: I think we have time for one more question. Before I let you go, do you have any additional pieces of advice for our readers?
SR: If somebody out there is dreaming about doing something big in the music industry, I’ll tell you a couple of things…1. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into. Talent is not enough. You need talent, calculation, and a strong business sense coming together at the same time. If you want to do something big you need to understand it’s about more than music, and you will need people around you to help. 2. Nothing happens in a day in this business. It typically takes 5 or 10 years from the day you plan to do something to the point it actually happens, and that applies to both artists and industry professionals. If you want that, start early. Start as soon as you possibly can and give it your best shot. Never lose your passion.
Thank you for joining us for another installment in our our ongoing Journalism Tips series. We started this column as a way to help aspiring writers get their start in music, but over the couple months we have been evolving into a place writers come to have their questions about life in the business answered. Today we are continuing that effort with a response to a question posed by multiple reader in regards to how aspiring writers can make the most of their summer vacation. If you have any questions about developing as a writer/blogger in music, please do not hesitate email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Many of our readers are wrapping up another year of school this month or next, and if they’re fortunate enough to not absolutely have to find work right away their are several weeks of childlike freedom ahead. It’s an exciting time to be young, and for the young it’s an important time to be thinking about the future. Advertisers will tell you to embrace the now or otherwise live in the present, but if you want to make a career for yourself in the music business you should see the arrival of summer vacation as a door to opportunity that only needs your drive and passion to be kicked wide open. I cannot tell you exactly what you need to do in order to make yourself noticed by the industry at large, but by following the follows tips you will position yourself for success down the line. Making the most of that positioning and networking with the people you meet through those efforts is entirely up to you.
Make a list of achievable goals and set dates for each task to be accomplished.
There is no real limit to what you can accomplish this summer, but if you do not have an idea of what you are trying to achieve from the start you are bound to spend days, if not weeks spinning your wheels with indecision. If you want to be a writer, this means setting goals for the amount of content created, as well as the dates that you plan to have certain festival/tour coverage complete. For example, those who plan to attend Vans Warped Tour on July 1 could set a goal to have all interviews and related live coverage published within 10 days of the event.
Find an internship.
The is no overstating the profound impact a great internship can have on your career trajectory. These internships does not have to be directly related to journalism, but it should be in an area of the music industry that interests you. After all, there is always a chance you will not ultimately become a music writer. Internships offer you an opportunity to explore other areas of music, such as publicity and digital marketing, where many of the skills used for writing can be leveraged. This not only gives you more options for your post education career, but it also provides you with a more well rounded understanding of how the industry functions.
Use Festival Coverage To Refine Your Voice
Summer music writing is synonymous with festival coverage, and in 2014 it’s hard to go more than 3 or 4 days without a major music event kicking off somewhere across the continental United States. Many of these festivals feature similar lineups, which will no doubt result in redundant coverage from blogs and magazines who were granted press badges just so they could spend their mornings summarizing the same set lists and performances delivered by at every festival that came before through a handful of hit-or-miss pictures and interviews. We will probably never reach a point where this type of coverage is not commonplace, but that does not mean that it’s the type of content you have to create in order to make an impact at these events. In fact, the content that typically gets the most attention are the articles that find a way to be unique in a sea of commonality. Summarize set lists and complete interviews if you must, but take the time to soak in the festival environment and convey it to your readers through editorial efforts. Write about what you saw, felt, smelled, tasted, touched, thought, and experienced. Tell them what it was like for you specifically, and don’t be afraid to tell the truth. If the festival was crowded or the sound was terrible go ahead and let the world know. Likewise, if something surprises you in a good way, even small things, highlight them as well. Every event has pros and cons. Don’t gloss over the experience.
Challenge yourself to write about something different
Writers, like musicians, have a bad habit of getting overly comfortable with material that works and hesitating whenever the idea of trying something new is presented. While there may always be a place in this world for someone who is the most well versed individual on one particular topic, the growing trend in entertainment writing is sites and magazines recruiting people who are well versed on a variety of topics. If you’re into music, that means being able to write about an up and coming country act with the same sincerity and intelligent voice as you would the next big pop punk outfit. It could also mean doing video interviews and writing album reviews, or otherwise switching the type of media you are creating while still speaking in an intelligent and welcoming voice. This summer, challenge yourself to step outside your professional comfort zone and surround yourself with material that will make you actually work. Find events and/or albums that require research, thought, and time to properly analyze, then go out and create that content. Buy a camera and take photos at every event you write a live review for instead of bringing along a photographer. Start a podcast. Interview a rapper. Whatever it is you have always thought you would never do, now is the time to toss care to the wind and give the unknown an honest attempt. You never know what you might learn about yourself.
Network. Network. Network.
No matter where you go or what you choose to write about this summer, you need to make it a point to introduce yourself to everyone you can and be as nice as humanly possible. You should also work on printing business cards as soon as possible, even if you have no real business to promote. You’re promoting yourself at these events, even if you feel like you’re only there to see a show. You’re not. In reality, especially at festivals, you’re representing your personal brand to every concert attendee, artist, manager, and industry professional who happens to be on site. Holding doors and buying drinks for the right people may open more doors than any well written article, and all it takes is putting others before yourself. Ask people who they are and what they do, but also do not be afraid to share your current activities and goals. Tell them what you are working towards and who knows? They may be able to help.
Build an online portfolio and remember to keep it updated
The internet has made it incredibly simple for people with an interest in writing to begin sharing their content with the world without spending anything at all beyond the basic cost of internet (which might not be a factor in places with free public wifi). Writers love free platforms and free promotion, but if you want to properly represent yourself online it’s worth finding $100 to spend on a custom domain and site hosting fees. Companies like Squarespace and Wix make it incredibly easy to build high quality websites in no time at all, and if you know the right phrases to Google you can often find offer codes to make those reasonably priced services even more affordable. There is a myth amongst writers in the digital age that if they take time off from creating content they will slip into the realm of forgotten people simply because the demand for new material is so high, but it is incredibly important that writers set aside time to carve out their own, professionally-focused corner of the internet. You need a place where people who are interested in working with you can find links to your work, as well as a resume, bio, contact information, and whatever else you feel obliged to share about yourself with the world. If you want an example, click here to see the portfolio of yours truly (Haulix James).
Whatever this summer, remember this: No one notices the aspiring professional who keeps to themselves and does the same thing every day. The people who makes big moves in this industry find the strength and courage within to make a change long before anyone else ever takes notice. Make this summer the time when you take life by the reigns and begin to truly leave your mark on this industry. The world is yours.
