Guest Blog Archives - Page 5 of 5

Hello and welcome to the second ‘Advice’ column of the week. This one is a bit different than others that have come before, as it is a guest post covering a wide array of industry topics. We never know what our guest contributors will deliver, but we are always impressed by the results, and this entry is no exception. 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.

A couple weeks back, I was watching our news ticker here at Haulix HQ when I say an exclusive on Billboard from an up and coming pop rock band I did not know existed. The photo accompanying the article showed three young and, admittedly, my mind instantly jumped to comparisons with the recent resurgence of boy bands. Then I heard their music and realized that was not the case in the slightest. No, these young men were (and are) onto something real. Something people can dance to, yes, but also connect with again and again.

The name of the group from that article is King The Kid, and they are currently watching their career ascend like a rocket through the various levels of underground stardom. They are indeed young, but that in no way means that have not learned the proper way to navigate the often tumultuous terrain of the music industry, and in the paragraphs below they share their recipe for success. From getting started, to touring, infrastructure, and goals, this may be the most wide-reaching guest article we have ever hosted and the information contained is absolutely indispensable.

If you would like to stay up to date with everything King The Kid have going on, make sure you follow the band on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.

Introduction

On the surface, King The Kid, our band, is a group of three best friends that not only write and record music but also travel the country playing for our rapidly growing fanbase. But behind the scenes, King The Kid, LLC. is a well-oiled machine/ independent band that tries to effectively leverage our skills to maximize growth and potential opportunities. At all times, we are focused on both the Art and the Business of what we are trying to accomplish.

The Band Infrastructure

Our team is small. The three of us do everything. We delegate when we need to or where we don’t have the expertise. When we met in Los Angeles, the musical chemistry was remarkable, and we quickly learned that our success depended on the passion behind our music. We decided to leave our friends and connections in LA and move to Oregon, where we could develop our synergy and our music without distraction. We set up the band as a Limited Liability Corporation, entered into a partnership agreement with each other, and hired a lawyer and an accountant. With that out of the way, once in Oregon, we deliberately and strategically prepared the band for its introduction to the world. We wrote and recorded our first album, Start Something, as well as produced numerous covers and videos that helped us develop our production skills even further (and made us a few new fans along the way). We learned basic photography and design and we set up our merchandise infrastructure that allowed us to manage our costs to sell and distribute our merch completely by ourselves. By keeping the production and development “in-house”, we were able to manage the costs that would have been a part of setting up the band, and in a matter of months, we created a vast foundation of content that would both satisfy “old” fans and convert “new” fans into die-hard advocates.

Content is King

-Music

It is the life-blood of the band. And guess what… as an artist in any genre, it is an equal playing field. You are competing against everyone from Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Imagine Dragons to The Beatles. With the entire musical discography available for FREE to anyone, your music needs to compete or you will not break through the clutter. Everyone is in the “big leagues.” Push yourself to find your own sound. Think outside the box. Imitation will get you nowhere, however through the right combination of inspiration you can find your unique voice. People respond to what is DIFFERENT. Think Lorde, Macklemore, Adele, Gotye.

-Social Media

You need to connect with your fans with the resources available to you. We live in such a fast-paced world, that if you are “out of sight, you are out of mind.” From Twitter to Instagram to YouTube, you need to be constantly updating your fans. They want to connect with you. They want to participate in your journey. They want to feel like they have access to you! Be yourself. Much like the music, they will fall in love with you in your most honest, authentic and genuine moments.

-Talent

“Your ability to play exceeds social networking” – Bob Lefsetz

There is currently a shift in music back to true musicianship. The Top 40 charts are changing. As an artist, you need to be a triple threat. You need to be able to sing, to write, and to perform. And for us, it has been beneficial to also record, mix and produce. Not only do you need to be the best you can be, you need to be better than everyone else. An honest song that is true to YOUR heart is the way into the audience’s heart and that will only come through years of honing your songwriting chops. Anyone’s recordings can sound good, but when it comes to a live performance, you need to WOW the audience.

Traditional Media vs. Social Media

Nothing is more powerful than a person-to-person connection. Giving someone a hug after a show is more valuable than responding to someone’s tweet. Fans want to look you in the eyes. It is very important that you never neglect that. This is the reason Amanda Palmer raised over 1 Million Dollars on Kickstarter. She was the master of the fan-artist communication. This was built through years of touring & personally meeting people, AS WELL as utilizing social media. It is important that you balance both of these tools.

Drive

This is our job. We are on call 24 hours a day. When the band gets an email, it is our personal responsibility to read it and stay informed. We hold each other accountable. We are homeless for this band. We have sacrificed relationships, jobs, sleep and countless other opportunities in pursuit of our dream. Sacrifice and persistence are the key elements. Wanting to make it is not enough. We NEED to make it.

Decisions

We don’t make any decisions without truly thinking them through. Every business-move the band makes is strategic and calculated. We aren’t afraid to take risks. And we always have at least a 3-month plan.

The Team

Build your team based around trust and productivity. Anyone can talk the talk, but it’s the people that actually get shit done that you should keep around. And always compensate everyone for their work! Treat your employees well and they will exceed your expectations.

Goal

Our goal is to be true to our fans, our music and us. We strive to do as much as we can ourselves, to get expertise where we need it and to make some great music along the way and release it in the smartest way possible.

Extra Pointers:

Practice your ass off. There is always room to improve and progress will only come through being self-critical.
Look for every opportunity you can find.
If you make a promise to your fans, follow through.
Stay Hungry.
Be smart about fundraising. Kickstarter, Pledgemusic, merch bundles, sales, preorders are key.
Subscribe to Bob Lefsetz. Read Donald Passman’s “All You Need to Know About The Music Business”.
Carefully balance your use of social media tools (like YouTube) and traditional media/promotion tools. In person interaction is more valuable than online.

Hello again, everyone. Welcome to the very first ‘Advice’ column of the week. We always knew this series would be best if written by artists currently working in the industry today, and that is exactly who we have recruited for the columns you will see going live in the weeks ahead. Artists from a wide variety of genres have begun stepping up to help others on the rise, and we are thrilled to help their advice reach those ready and willing to listen. If you have an idea for a future installment of this series, please email james@haulix.com and pitch your story. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s rare for any band to rise through the ranks of underground stardom and find success on the national stage, but it’s a downright miracle when that happens to a group that involves at least two members who are romantically involved. There is no real science behind this, of course, but much like the trouble most associate with dating your coworkers in an office setting, it’s widely considered a rule of them that relationships between members of the same band could spell disaster for the group as a whole if things go romantically awry.

But what about the other half of the conversation? There has to be a positive outcome or two associated with couples working together in a creative setting, right?

Fine Fine Titans are an up and coming hard rock outfit from Grand Rapids, MI currently preparing for the release of their debut EP (Omega) on March 18. Two of the members, Jennifer and Evan Bartlett, are married. We recently asked the members of the group to weigh in with their thoughts about relationships within a group and how it does – or does not – impact the creative process. You can read their thoughts on the subject below.

There is no question that FFT are a young group with plenty of room left to grow, but it’s hard to believe anyone could listen to their new material and not believe the band is destined for great things. If you would you like to learn more about their efforts, please make it a point to follow them on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.

Romantic relationships within bands: can they work? If the relationship is destined to fail, will it almost undoubtedly destroy the band? If the band falls apart, does that put the couple’s bond at risk leading to an inevitable breakup or even some cases, divorce?

My most prominent concern in the above is that we are more often focused on the potential negative effects instead of the positive effects that a romantic duo can have on a creative project.

Evan and I were brought together by music. At the time, I sang in a band that had a strict policy of no dating within the group and it had been decided before I joined. This worked out wonderfully for all of us (the five men and I) because presumably, none of us were attracted to each other and it made it easy to focus on the task at hand. However, when I met Evan, it became impossible to ignore that we had a great deal of interests in common. We also shared a unrelenting drive and passion for our own dreams so we decided to combine lifestyles and start
a new band. Neither of us had ever balanced a romantic relationship inside of a professional venture and we were aware of the complications that could arise but we threw caution to the wind. We were hungry to make music. We knew we could help each other and we would be damned if we let some preconceived notion about disastrous couples in music stop us.

We would love to say that the last few years have been a cakewalk and our relationship has not suffered because of the band or the band because of the relationship but it would be a fabrication. However, humility has kept us together. Some days are harder than others and I can’t imagine what it’s like to be on the other side of us…the guys in the band watching as sometimes we dispute each other during writing, rehearsal or even which restaurant to stop at on the road. As much as we try to keep our most aggressive arguments behind closed doors,
we are almost honest to a fault and sometimes it’s impossible to hide that from the rest of the band. There have been times when both Evan and I had questioned if this would work out…if we were strong enough as individuals and as a couple to be successful in both a marriage and a professional endeavor. In fact, we’ve almost completely fallen apart and when I went public about it, we were reminded that this was bigger than the two of us.

The bond is what brings people together but it seems as the collective dream is what sustains the relationship. In our case, it wasn’t the desire for children that would make us a family but instead, the magic of music that we would use to build our home. I’ve always referred to us as a team and perhaps that pesky little marriage certificate somehow forces us to hang in there when the water is troubled…but that’s sort of the point. People are sometimes elusive and flighty and really a piece of paper can’t make you do anything but it sure helps to remind you that every movement you make affects more than just you. To have complete trust in someone when following your dream can transcribe to superlative motivation and our hope is that as the days go on and we learn to communicate with each other more efficiently, that will overflow into the rest of the band as well. We’re extremely fortunate to have a few patient guys by our side helping us through this. They say you shouldn’t shit where you sleep but forget the rule, the exception is always more intriguing.