One common complaint we receive from people accessing our promos is that certain releases come with a limited stream allotment. This number, which is set by the sender, restricts the listener to only hearing each track a certain number of times – typically 5 or less.
The reasons people set limits on streams are numerous. Some, for example, believe there is a lower likelihood of piracy if the material can only be accessed a finite amount of times. Others want to ensure an album is streamed strictly for professional purposes and not, for example, to entertain someone’s friends.
When you encounter a stream limit you should email the contact who sent you the promo directly and request additional streams. That person may or may not grant your request.
We (Haulix) cannot grant additional streams without permission from the sender.
This morning I came across post from a young industry professional hoping to offer guidance to those aspiring to follow their path into the music business. The article outlined four things everyone should do in order to pursue a career on the business side of entertainment with the highest likelihood of success. The first two were fairly obvious, referring to networking and settling on a specific goal, but the third tip made me do a double take. I’m not going to link the post in question, but here is a screenshot:
Whether your goal in music is to be on stage or work with the people on stage, here is something anyone who has found lasting success in the industry will tell you:
Don’t quit your day job unless it is an absolute must.
While it is true that the industry is a demanding place where professionals often spend extended hours at the office, newcomers to the field should not feel pressured to dive that deep from the jump. Furthermore, most cannot afford to abandon their current life in hopes of creating a new one, especially in a field where the vast majority who attempt careers never make it.
There is simply too much risk involved with music to be ignorant about the reality of the situation, and any good professional can recognize that. You can fully commit yourself to making connections and developing an identity in the world of music while at your current job. Maybe you cannot do it as much as you would like, or as much as some of your peers, but you will be able to do it while also keeping a roof over your head and that is a big deal. Bigger than most realize, in fact.
The music business thrives on creativity, both from artists and the professionals who work with them. You need to be able to think on your feet, spot developing talent, recognize emerging cultural trends, and always be looking toward the future. In order to the do that to the best of your ability you first need to cover the more necessary part of life, such as housing, food, clothing, etc.
Some will say that comfort is the cousin to laziness, and that those who are the most successful in music get that way by constantly forcing themselves out of their comfort zone. While there is some truth in this, those driven to succeed in music always find a way to make it, and that drive is an essential part of what makes any music professional great. That drive exists in all of us, regardless of what we do in music, and it pushes us to work hard each and every day.
Still, that drive will only get you so far if you are constantly worried about bills, and until music is bringing in enough money to cover your expenses your drive will be (rightfully) stifled by concerns over your quality of life. If you can work and work on your journey into music, do so until you can no longer maintain a healthy work-life balance. Before you jump altogether, consider asking for less hours. At least in that scenario you still have some money coming in, which is always better than nothing.
Having a career in music is a dream for many. It can be your reality with hard work, good networking, and smart planning. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, as they say, and in time you will find a place to call home in this wild, wild industry.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the Inside Music Podcast and a ten-year music industry veteran. You should follow him on Twitter.
Now is the best time in history to be a music fan. The era we live in is the first where music is available everywhere, all the time, for only a few bucks a month. You can use YouTube and enjoy millions of songs for free and artists STILL get paid. It’s incredible.
Despite the rise of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, digital piracy has continued to be a thorn in the side of the entertainment industry. The amount of media pirated in 2016 was double the amount stolen in 2008, and it is expected to double again by 2020.
The majority of albums that leak ahead of their release date find their way online due to careless promotional tactics on the part of the artist or their team. Dozens, possibly even hundreds of copies of a record are shared with members of the press, radio, and industry at large before an album is released to the public. Somewhere along the line the album reaches someone who decides to share it with a third party, and that is all it takes for countless sales and streams to be lost forever.
In an age where artists can make money for every stream of their music across countless platforms there is no reason to risk the loss of a single penny to piracy. Protect your music and easily share it with the industry at large by joining Haulix today.
Haulix is a digital distribution platform built specifically to enable the advance promotion of new and unreleased music without the fear of piracy. Their platform makes it incredibly easy to upload, watermark, distribute, and track your new release.
Within a matter of minutes you can be sharing your music with fully customizable emails and promotional pages without having to worry whether or not someone will choose to leak your material online. You can try Haulix for free for the next 30 days by visiting their official website and choosing the subscription that best fits your needs.
You see this beautiful soul? This is Ashley Osborn, an awesome photographer and music business lifer with more experience than many of her peers. Ashley was recently hospitalized while touring overseas and is now facing mounting medical expenses. We want to help her get back on her feet, and we’re hoping you will too.
Here’s a little more information about her work and her current situation, courtesy of Third String Productions founder Mike Ziemer and Ashley herself:
If you know Ashley, you know she is a very strong and amazing person, but you also probably know she’s a little bit stubborn when it comes to allowing other people to help her. For the last 2 weeks, I’ve spoken to her every day while she’s been in the hospital and she’s kept high spirits and positivity about her situation. However, today, she was handed the bill for her stay and it’s finally come to the point where I’ve convinced her to allow others to help. She needs us right now. Not only does she have medical bills piling up, but her medical condition will keep her from being able to work for months. If you would like to donate and help out, that would be incredible. Ashley will also be putting up a print store if you’d like to wait and help by supporting her art as well. Below is her statement and updates about her condition.
“Now that all of my immediate family knows what’s happening. Here we go.
Never wanted to be that guy but I really need all the positive vibes in the world. I’ve been having issues with my hand and wrist for a few months. It’s a very long story but once I flew over to Europe on the 25th of October things got dramatically worse. I started tour on the 29th and the night after the first show my hand swelled up so bad it was purple and I had lost all feeling. I was in and out of various European hospitals that all diagnosed it as carpal tunnel. I couldn’t deal with the pain and I knew staying on tour meant further endangering my health so I left on the 7th and flew to the U.K. To figure shit out. I had a doctor refer me to a orthopedic specialist. I came to Leeds on Tuesday and he took one look and knew immediately that CT was not the case. He ordered an urgent ultrasound of my arm and I left feeling very positive because I thought physical therapy would be the fix.
Wednesday morning they called and I went back to Leeds for the ultrasound. They ended up finding a huge blood clot in my shoulder of which now we know has spread variously down my arm. This happened because I have a rare cervical rib which overtime caused compression around my neck / shoulder. With flying and repetitive motion for photography overtime made it worse.
They immediately brought me to the ER and I’ve been in the hospital since getting various tests.
Today I met with two vascular surgeons and they feel that starting me immediately on a treatment where they put a tube through me up to my shoulder so medicine can drop down and dissolve the clots in my arm is the best option to start. They aren’t sure how much it will help since the clot is at least a few weeks old but they believe it will clear it up enough to get feeling back into my hand / so the surgeon can get in there safely. I will be heavily medicated and out for up to six days so I kind of wanted to let everyone know what’s happening. I also need surgery to remove cervical rib.
Basically this month has been my own personal hell. I’ve been very quiet.
I have no idea what this means for my future or my career’s future. But I need all the positive vibes right now. I just want to use my hand again.
I’m going to be selling prints once I’m out of here to help me cover my medical costs so if you want to help please keep an eye out.
Ashley now owes $10,000 for her treatment, and Ziemer has setup a GoFundMe page to aide her recovery efforts. If you have money to spare, please take a moment and support this wonderful person.
The following post is the latest in our ongoing collaborative series with Sonicbids.
For brand-new bands, landing that first gig can sometimes be a catch-22 dilemma: Booking agents and talent buyers want acts that draw a crowd, but you’re still trying to establish yours. How can you begin to cultivate a local following if you can’t score a show?
Luckily, booking isn’t so cut-and-dried. Maybe you can’t convince a mid-size venue to take a chance on you, but there are other routes to building your fanbase for live shows. Here are five realistic options for working your way up to securing those bigger gigs.
1. Open for more established bands
Talk to local bands who are booking at the level you’re reaching for about opening slots. If they’re iffy about allowing you to join a bill, offer to perform a short set for free. Make the most of the opportunity by manning the merch table, where you can interact with interested attendees. Let them know how to find you on social media and to stay tuned for your next date.
Venues aren’t too keen on featuring fledgling bands on Fridays and Saturdays, which is fair, because even clubs that are true champions of their local music community are still businesses with plenty bills to pay. If you can’t get in on a weekend, try organizing a show on a slower night, and offer to perform for free. Get a few bands to join you, so there are more reason for folks to come check out the show, or try a weekly residency for a month or two to help generate a buzz.
3. Hop on an existing event
This is different than asking to open for a more established band. Why not offer to play a set at an upcoming pop-up market event? If your music is danceable, you should try the same with a reliably well-attended DJ night. Any event that doesn’t already feature live music could be an opportunity for your band to add that component – and earn yourself some new fans, too. Same with the previous two options, performing at no cost to the organizers is usually your best bet for convincing them to accept your proposal if you have no existing track record.
4. Organize a show at a nontraditional venue
If you can’t book at a club, turn another spot into a temporary music venue. Know someone who’s willing to host performances in their home? Can you convince the owner of a local business – a restaurant, a clothing store, whatever – that a one-off concert could be mutually beneficial? (It definitely could be!) A free event is ideal in these kinds of situations, but you can ask for donations to help raise funds for the bands and host.
5. Use your social media following as leverage
While venues and booking agents do want proven results in terms of show turnout, bands that haven’t performed much or at all can use their social media followings to demonstrate their expected pull. (Tips for growing your following can be found here.) If this method doesn’t help you land a Friday or Saturday night gig at the club you’ve got in mind, refer to the aforementioned four ideas for working your way up to that level.
Jhoni Jackson is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.
We are taking a small break from the industry advice and interviews to talk about something very important to everyone here at Haulix. Some of you may know Jonathan K Dick. He’s a writer who has had his work featured in a variety of publications, including Stereogum, Noisey, NPR, and Pitchfork. He’s also the founder of Steel For Brains, a fantastic metal-centric website we legitimately visit every day of our lives.
By all accounts, Jonathan is a great guy, and that goes beyond his profession. Everyone we know who knows Jonathan K Dick swears he is one of the nicest and kindest souls you could ever hope to meet, which is why we wanted to bring attention to a very serious situation currently impacting his family in hopes of convincing at least some of you to help however you are able.
Jonathan’s children are his world, his end-all and be-all, and he is a joyously loving, accepting, goofy, and devoted father toSolomon, Elijah, and his youngest, his little warrior princess, Hannah. Here is a recent family photo:
Recently Hannah has been dealing with severe medical problems, leading to an extended hospital stay and uncertain future. She has been diagnosed with ciliary dyskinesia, an incurable genetic lung disorder that means that she will have to undergo daily breathing treatments for the rest of her life.
It’s also left Jonathan with a mountain of hospital bills. His insurance won’t cover all of it, and an Alabama teacher’s salary ain’t what it used to be. Hannah has further tests to undergo, as well, so the family still has a long road ahead.
With all this in mind, writer Kim Kelly (otherwise known as Grim Kim on social media) has launched a GoFundMe page to help cover some of the many costs associated with helping Hannah receive the medical attention she needs. The campaign is seeking to raise $20K, and in three days the amount received has already surpassed the $10,000 mark.
We know as well as anyone that money is tight for most people in music, but if there is anything at all you can spare to help out Jonathan and his family we urge you to do so as soon as possible. No parent should ever have to worry about whether or not they can afford to give their child the help they need, especially someone as wonderful and giving as Jonathan.
The music business may seem large on the outside, but in reality it’s a very tight knit group of people who have discovered the key to success is not only working together, but also supporting one another when someone falls on hard times. Jonathan K Dick and his family are part of our community, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have everything they need to be happy, healthy, and together. Please join us in making that possible. We don’t have anything to offer as a thank you, but know we appreciate everything you are able to do.
Hey, everyone! This post is not a typical advice column, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Many Haulix users complain about promos ending up in their spam folder instead of their inbox, but fear not because we have a the perfect solution (thanks to eHow).
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.
So why do Haulix promos sometimes end up in my spam folder?
To be completely honest, we do not know with 100% certainty what causes a promo to be directed to spam instead of a person’s inbox. Google’s Gmail email service contains a spam filter that tries to identify undesirable messages, but those efforts often catch messages that are not spam in the process. A message caught in the spam filter is sent to the spam folder instead of your inbox. You can whitelist email addresses in Gmail if you never want Gmail to categorize them as spam. Gmail will send emails from the white-listed email addresses directly to your inbox, even if the spam filter would match them. You can also whitelist entire domains or whitelist emails with specific subjects or phrases.
How do I whitelist something?
It’s relatively easy to whitelist an email, and in a few simple steps you can ensure all future Haulix promos arrive in your inbox. Login to your email account and…
1. Click the “Create a Filter” link to the right of the search box at the top of the Gmail Web page.
2. Type an email address into the “From” box. If you want to whitelist all email addresses on a domain you can type “@haulix.com” instead of an email address replacing “haulix.com” with the domain.
3. Click the “Test Search” button to see which emails would have been white-listed.
4. Click the “Next Step” button.
5. Click the “Never Send it to Spam” checkbox and click “Create Filter.”
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 the best skill any writer can develop. 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.
In the age of social media and instant connectivity it can be hard to resist the promise of instant gratification that comes with being the first to post about a certain artist or topic. There is a seemingly endless demand for content in 2014, and the allure of grabbing a few new clicks by hopping on the next breaking items a temptation every music writer knows all too well. What professionals realize that amateurs do not is that no amount of mindless content will ever build a sustainable career. Breaking news and being on top of the latest headline may garner short term recognition, but lasting careers are built on original ideas and unique perspectives. You have to separate yourself from the deafening roar of blogs and writers that already exists so that people seek out your work. They will still want to hear about the latest and great music, but they specifically want to hear about it from you. Delivered in your voice with your unique phrasing and style.
I am not sure I could ever properly explain how one develops their own style, but from my own experiences and witnessing others rise through the professional ranks I can tell you the path to setting yourself apart begins with learning to disconnect. I spent years of my so-called professional career waking up at the crack of dawn with the sole intention of churning out as much news as I could in the hours ahead. My blog was young and so was I, at least in the professional sense, and I fell victim to the idea enough quickly posted breaking news bits would establish either myself or my site as something special in the business. What I did not realize at the time was that the only thing my rushed posts amounted to was a slightly condensed version of whatever information was in the press release or separate site’s post I was using as my source. I was making a lot of posts, but creating very little in the form of actual content. My URL and whatever writing talents I had at the time were a thinly veiled promotion platform for whatever talent hit my inbox first. Traffic was good, but my voice was nowhere to be found.
Somewhere amidst my fourth year of writing I felt like I had hit a new plateau where I could write about anything that interested me and my readers would follow. I was writing more original content than I had before, but I was also still making as much time as possible for news. My site also had at least fifteen additional contributors at this point, and each of them were responsible for creating a minimum of three posts a day. If the sun set and we had yet to break twenty ‘stories’ I thought I had somehow failed myself and my audience. That audience, however, was not really mine to fail. They were news hungry clickers, jumping from Twitter feed to Facebook feed and back again in search of headlines that grab their attention. They were after the video, song, tour, or other media-related item at the center of the story and not my site or the voices of anyone writing for it. We were ubiquitous in music blogging, inseparable from countless other teens and twenty-somethings with a working knowledge of WordPress, Blogger, or Tumblr. If we didn’t get the latest hot item out within minutes of the people we saw as competition our posts saw no traffic. Truth be told those posts did not really deserve any traffic in the first place. They were lifeless and filled with stale writing that regurgitated press releases in ways not too distant from my writing habits three years prior. I was spinning my wheels at best, and in doing so causing a lot of other aspiring writers to do the same.
My breaking point came somewhere in the fall of that year. September and October are always busy months for music, and no matter how many posts we shoveled out I always went to bed feeling like we could be doing more. I would wake up no later than six in the morning (on the East Coast), shower, and then sit down at my desk to begin scouring the net for any headlines, songs, or videos that may have popped up while I was sleeping. My site was covering essentially all variation of rock, pop, and hip hop at this point, as well as some film content whenever something special grabbed our attention. Coffee was my fuel and whatever songs were released that particular day was my soundtrack. There was no time to plan, there was only that day and the dozens of press releases that would fill my inbox. I drank coffee to stay moving and left the house only for work or assignments. If I went to a show or movie, I had to write about it. I needed to set myself apart, and if we could just get a little more content onto the site I knew that attention would come.
One morning I woke up and I felt like I was going to be sick. I could not eat, I could not drink, and I hated the idea of being anywhere that did not require a sweatshirt to be comfortable. I initially thought the season’s typical round of flu and disease has caught up to me, but by day three the pain was downright unbearable, and my list of symptoms had grown to include dehydration and bouts of dizziness. I saw two doctors and had several tests, but they best anyone could tell me was that I had simply become too caught up in the stresses and anxieties of my everyday life. I had pushed myself to the limit, both mentally and physically, and my body was unable to cope. There was no surgery to be performed or physical therapy needed, but I did receive a recurring supply of nausea meds and a recommendation to relax.
The medicine worked wonders and I was happy to welcome it into my routine, but the recommendation to relax is one I did not fully grasp. I thought my site was they way I would typically relax. It’s what I did to feel like myself, so even though I took a leave from my day job I was still doing everything in my power to create as much content as possible. I asked my contributors to work more if they could and worried constantly about whether or not enough was being done. I did not heal and I did not sleep any more than I did before. I took my pills though, and for a long time that helped.
As I was nearing the end of my first refill of nausea medicine, I knew I needed to make a change. Winter was still waging strong and the amount press releases hitting my inbox was still on the rise, but I needed to stop. My life had become a giant hamster ball, and the endless running in circles had begun to take a toll on my body I could no longer ignore. Even worse, at least in my foolish opinion at the time, my career was still not taking off even though I was killing myself to give music ‘my all.’ Christmas was coming and I knew things would slow down a bit, so I decided it was time to finally try and unplug.
You probably know where this is headed by now, but after a couple of days my health problems began to turn around. The knots in my stomach that I once thought could never be tighter began to loosen and my mind began to feel enthusiastic about the concept of writing once again. I did not want to write news, but rather features and editorials with interviews and unique perspectives. I wanted to uncover the last great band in the midwest and share their first demo with everyone I knew. I wanted to be a professional.
After a solid week of rest and light engagement with the digital world I woke one morning, still at six, and hopped in the shower. Once clean, I ate breakfast, spent time with my girlfriend (who had been there the whole time, though I never really made time for her), and talked about our plans for the week. I stepped out on our patio and took in the morning air, then sat down at my desk and logged on to start the day. I skipped the inboxes and went directly to work on an editorial regarding a band I had loved since childhood with the sole intention of hopefully bringing their creations to the attention of a few new curious ears. It was not the greatest article I had ever written, but it was one of the most honest and sincere things I had created in years. Better yet, it made me feel good to share it with people and see them have a reaction. There was a genuine sense of connection with those who engaged the article, and even when someone reacted in a negative way I knew it was only because of my words that they felt that emotion at that point in time. I was making a mark. I was using my voice.
Two years have passed since that first bout with self-induced illness and I still struggle with the allure of being on top of every ‘cool’ story. I am not sure online writers today can ever truly escape that temptation, but it is possible to shut off your laptop, put away your phone, and spend a few minutes engaging with the world around you. It’s not the easiest thing to do, and if I am being completely honest there have been two additional hospitalizations for similar reasons since then, but it’s one of the most important skill any writer can master. You need to disconnect from the digital world and spend time working on anything other than writing about music. Take a walk, take a nap, grab some coffee, ask someone on a date, see the Red Sox, read a book, call your mom, go camping, go to a hotel, go anywhere and do anything that allows you to interact with the universe without feeling compelled to turn that interaction into content for your blog. Life is not about content, it’s about experiences, and it’s great experiences that eventually make for great stories. You’re never going to reach the professional level of writing if you’re unable to experience, develop, and share great moments, but more importantly you’re never going to be happy unless you learn to experience life.
Don’t let your life get so out of control that you end up in the hospital with a condition brought on entirely from your own poor decision making. It’s not worth the damage it does to your body or your wallet. The internet will still be here tomorrow, and if it’s not then you will figure out another way to share your voice. Just breathe. It’s going to be okay.
Good afternoon! Thank you for taking a few moments from your busy schedule to spend with on our blog. We are glad you stopped by and hope the content below will help further your efforts towards building a lasting career in the music business. We love to entertain, but being informative in a way that is easy to understand is always our primary goal. 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.
We have been running this column every Saturday for the better part of two months, but so far we have yet to any multi-part features. That all changes today, as MindEqualBlown editor Joe Ballard shares the first of his two-part series on common errors aspiring writing professionals need to avoid. We have yet to feature Joe in our Blogger Spotlight series, but we have worked with him for a number of years and know him to be one of the brightest minds in alternative music today.
An Introduction:
You know that classic phrase “it’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it”? I feel like that’s how a lot of people think of us editors. After all, part of our job is to clean up writers’ articles and make them shiny and spotless before they get published. However, even the professionals can’t catch all the mistakes 100% of the time, and this is why I’m here today – to show writers and aspiring journalists five of the most common errors I see in music-related articles and how you can successfully avoid them in the future.
1) That vs. Who
This is the single most common mistake you will see in any publishing format, whether on a website, a national magazine or a bestselling novel. It happens everywhere, both in writing and speech. Luckily, there’s a simple way to differentiate between the two:
“That” is used when referencing a place or an object. “Who” is used when referencing a person.
Example 1: Cities was the album that took Anberlin’s popularity to a whole new level.
Example 2: Dustin Kensrue is the kind of lyricist who writes his words like poetry.
Easy enough, right? However, it becomes complicated when referring to, say, a band name. What is a band, exactly? Should it be referenced as an object or a group of people? Actually, both ways can be correct, depending on the usage. Let’s take a look:
Example 1: Saosin, who reunited with their original vocalist Anthony Green, will be performing at this year’s Skate and Surf Festival.
Example 2: The band that I’m really looking forward to seeing in concert is Tonight Alive.
If you use the band’s name in the sentence, use “who”. If you use the collective noun “band” then it should be “that”.
2) It’s vs. Its
Another one of the most common mistakes seen in all forms of writing, yet a very simple one to rectify. If you are ever unsure whether to use “it’s” or “its”, speak the sentence out loud. If you can say “it is” and the sentence makes sense, include the apostrophe. If “it is/it was/it has” doesn’t work, then “its” is the word you need.
Example 1: The only thing I dislike about Neon Trees’ album Habits is its short length.
Example 2: It’s been a long wait for the new Pharrell Williams album. Did it live up to its hype?
3) Past tense vs. Present tense
Tense usage in music articles can be a tricky issue, and some of the rules are likely different according to each individual publication. Here, we’re going to look at a couple of rules that are (or should be) universally accepted by every publication, specifically for album reviews.
A. When discussing individual songs, always use the present tense.
Example: The opening guitar riffs of “The Ocean” immediately set the tone for what’s to come, showcasing the group’s expanded sound as well as Jenna McDougall’s range as she shows off her lower tones in the verses but reaches sky-high in the bridge.
This applies whether you’re discussing the new Taking Back Sunday song or an Elvis Presley hit. Whether it’s a brand new review or a retro review, always use present tense verbs to explain a song.
B. When discussing the band or the album as a whole, vary the tense as needed but make sure you stay consistent.
This is where a lot of writers get tripped up, especially when writing retro reviews of albums from previous decades. Let’s use the classic Beatles album Rubber Soul as an example of how you can vary the verb tense within a single paragraph:
I have always loved the song “In My Life”, and the unique sped-up piano at the bridge still gives me chills to this day. The Beatles did a terrific job with the entire album, which still inspires music listeners nearly 50 years after its release.
The same principle largely applies to current albums as well – vary the verb tense as needed, particularly in the intro paragraph – but generally you want to stay in the present tense for the rest of the way.
Hey there, everyone. Thank you for stopping by the official blog of Haulix! We are thrilled to be sharing the second installment of our recently launched How To Kill Your Band column this afternoon, and hope you’ll continue stopping by as this series continues in the weeks ahead. 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.
An Introduction:
I’ve been in the music industry as an artist for nearly10 years now. In that decade I’ve achieved nearly all of my childhood music dreams, but I’ve also made just as many mistakes that run over my mind before I fall asleep each night. A wonderment of how a few different decisions, rerunning in hindsight, would work out in some alternate universe. This ever creeping determinism is a fallacy I’m quite aware of but one that I will never completely shake, though it’s these experiences I’ve learned the most valuable lessons. These are the things I’d like to share in a series of mini-blogs I call How to kill your band.
#2 – The $200 Hump
Deciding to go out and make a living as a musician is less a career decision and more a statement on your mental health. It’s never been more apparent how arduous it is for modern musicians to earn decent money from their craft. Album sales have been nosediving since 2000 (even digital sales decreased in 2013, the first time ever) and though paid streaming services are growing, they provide even less in terms of revenue to the actual composers. “Make your money touring”, has been the go-to answer over the past couple decades but as Oh, Sleeper’s Shane Blay so eloquently broke it down a couple years ago, even that has become a breakeven prospect, at best, for mid-level bands.
Is it still possible to make money touring? Definitely, but it’s harder and more competitive than ever. Never have there been more bands on the road battling for a relatively fixed amount of fan dollars and so to be successful you have to surpass this little thing I like to call “The $200 Hump”. If you can make it over this hump, there’s money making promise. But if not, you often end up in eternal band poordom where ending tours means less money to your name then when you started.
Why $200? This seems to be the per show guarantee a lower level signed touring act needs to pass in order to keep growing and I have a few good theories as to why. First, for local talent buyers there is an inherent value in booking even a smaller signed band. In most cases, these bands won’t even draw enough on their own to justify a $100 guarantee but it does give promoters a band to build a show around. Locals are smart and know who is signed to what label and sharing the stage is enough incentive to open a show and basically donate their friend’s ticket revenue to the touring act. Pretty much no matter what, even the freshest of signed acts can get $100-200 any night of tour and that is the just the value of investing in yourself enough to get a label deal.
Now that’s not going to come close to paying bills. That might cover gas (and tolls, I’m looking at you Long Island…) but that’s pretty much it. Everything else: breakfast, lunch, hygiene, etc are all coming out of your savings. At this level you cycle from saving money working while home and then quickly blasting through those reserves on tour. It’s not a sustainable way to live, but it does offer you the opportunity to do what you love and is a step towards more rewarding pastures.
To break this $200 barrier you have to do one thing – draw. No shit right? But in such a saturated market it’s a tremendously difficult thing to do – bringing 50+ people to your show on a nightly basis across the country is pretty damn impressive. The instant promoters see you can reliably deliver even just a few dozen in ticket sales, it becomes exponentially safer to offer you more money. Bands that can break this barrier usually have buzz gained from past touring, online celebrity, or just raw talent – these are things that tend to keep growing. Passing the $200 mark usually takes this level of significant draw which is based on more than just your associated label and so once you break the barrier, it’s much easier to keep it going.
That’s basically the difference, at some point you prove you can draw and it’s what makes or breaks your band. Further, as a mid-level band earning $300-700 per night, that increase can actually start becoming tangible profit for each member as long as you are smart on the road – something that’s not easy in itself. What I think my $200 theory ultimately suggest is the gap between a low-level and mid-level band is much bigger in reality than it may seem in dollar amount even if that difference is felt in your pocket. It marks clear the separation between the bands struggling to stay alive and the ones that have found their niche and can see the promise of perhaps, one day, maybe pay rent.
This column was contributed by Eric Morgan. Eric spent a number of years touring the world as part of the Victory Records band A Hero A Fake. He’s currently developing a new project,Bornstellar, which plans to release its first EP later this year. Click here to learn more about Eric’s time in music.
