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The best advice on conducting interviews I ever received

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Music writers today are inundated with requests for coverage from artists and their representatives on a daily basis. There are far too many for one person to ever do them all, and most would not be worth the effort anyways. This is not a slant against artists or writers, rather an acknowledgement that conducting a good interview is hard. Real hard.

I statistic I just made up claims only one in five interviews conducted with musicians ever result in new, interesting information being uncovered. The majority of interviews tend to cover promotional points as if they are being read off a checklist. The basic outline for these conversations goes something like this:

– How are you?

– How is tour?

– Where do you like to tour?

– When are you recording again?

– Are you working on material right now?

– Do you have any crazy stories to share?

– How can people stay connected to you online?

Some questions may be added or subtracted based on circumstance. None of these questions are inherently terrible, but they also limit responses to information that could easily be found in a press release or social media update. 

In order to make your interview deserving of attention you need to uncover something deeper and more human in your interviews. To help you do this, I would like to remind you of something: 

Musicians and celebrities, at any level, are just people.

Now I know that sounds obvious, but all too often journalists treat the subjects of their interview like a business rather than another person. The questions outlined above are not that far removed from the following:

– How’s business?

– Is your latest product performing well?

– What do you like about this product?

– When can we expect another product?

– Are you working on something right now?

– Is there anything consumers don’t know about your business?

– How can we learn more about your products?

Great interviews strip away the idea of celebrity altogether and share the unique perspective on life possessed by an individual or group. That may sound difficult, but in reality it is one of the easiest things to capture. All you have to do is this:

Don’t ask questions. Have a conversation.

Treat the people you interview as if they were someone you started talking to simply because you were curious. Cover the necessary bases of promoting whatever it is they are looking to promote, but also strive to understand the person behind the art. Ask about the influencing or motivating factors in their life and explore why those things have such an impact on them. Ask if they creativity comes easy or if it is a daily challenge. Ask them if they are content. Ask them what they need and want. Ask them the kind of thing you would ask anyone whose happiness and well being you are concerned about because ultimately that is the real reason for the interview in the first place: You care about this person or group, for whatever reason, and you hope more people will as well. 

Allow your interview subject the space and opportunity to be themselves and I promise – people will surprise you.

James Shotwell is the marketing coordinator for Haulix. He is also a ten-year music writing veteran and host of the Inside Music Podcast. You should follow him on Twitter.

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Journalism Tips: 3 Tips To Prepare For The Big Interview

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the beginning of another week of music industry discussion and commentary here on the official blog of Haulix. It has been a few weeks since shared a Journalism Tips column, but we finally found a topic worth sharing and a fantastic professional writer to add their own flavor to the mix. Matthew Leimkuehler has contributed to this blog before, but this piece may be his best to date.

This blog 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.

So, you’ve established yourself at a reputable publication. You’ve reviewed a fair amount of records, you’ve done some live reviews, you’ve interviewed the local bands, you’ve even shot a few photos. And now your time has finally come. One of your favorite bands is ramping up for a new record run and your editor just sent the email over saying you’re the lucky one from your publication who gets to interview the band before the album drops. It’s a “bucket list” interview for you, one of those artists you adored growing up — you’re nervous, you’re probably a shameful wreck. That’s okay. Take a deep breath and dive in. These people are human and you are, too. This is why you started writing about music in the first place, right? Here are three tips to consider when you prepare for the big interview:

1. Do your research

You want to do your best to make an impact during this interview. Stay away from redundant questions. Sure, it’s okay to break the ice with a generic question about the record or the recording process. But don’t stay on the surface for your allotted time. It’s your job to dig into this artist’s brain, to tell the world where his or her mindset is for this release. Read old interviews, watch old music videos, soak in every piece of media that has led up to this release. Don’t repeat questions that have been asked for a decade on end — find something you think needs to be talked about more and run with it.

2. Listen to the music

Make sure the artist’s representation gets you the proper assets before you’re heading into the interview. Get an advance of the new record, listen to the singles that have already been released. Don’t go into the interview blind (or, deaf?). The artist always knows. Listen intently and prepare questions about the record. This is new material for the artist, he or she should be excited to talk about the project and what they have created. But it always starts with you listening and preparing to ask the right questions.

3. Don’t be a “yes” man or woman.

It’s your job to tell a story, not to flatter the artist. It’s okay to be grateful and it’s okay to be complimentative if you like the music. This is an artist that probably has a world full of fans who preach his or hers greatness daily. If there’s something that’s questionable, don’t be afraid to hold the artist accountable. The last thing readers deserve is an extended arm of public relations. He or she pays people good money to make their new record sound good — it’s your job to deliver the truth. The artist will respect honesty over fake flattery any day. Stand your ground and enjoy every moment.

Have any questions? Feel free to tweet me @callinghomematt to discuss more!

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Haulix Advice: Making The Most Of Email Interviews

The last few editions of our Haulix Advice column have focused on making introductions and getting your music in front of people who will [hopefully] share it with their readers. Today we’re focusing on selling what lies behind the music: Yourself.

Once your music begins getting traction online, the time will come when you desire to setup additional features for your band with notable publications. Interviews are always a great route to go, but all too often the bigger outlets do not have the free time needed to execute a face-to-face feature with rising acts and an email interview (sometimes referred to as a form interview) may have to suffice suffice. This may seem like a negative, as everyone tends to express themselves better through conversation than statement, but with careful thought and consideration fill-in-the-blank questionnaires can be a gateway to a deeper relationship with your fans, as well as an effective marketing tool. After all, any opportunity for exposure is better than none, and rarely will you come across an opportunity as customizable as this.

For everything a form interview lacks in terms of human interaction it more than makes up for in the endless freedom offered to the artist. The questions outlined should be viewed as starting points for conversation with the reader rather than individual bullet points. Make your introductions quick and be sure to answer everything clearly, but keep in mind every response is another opportunity to connect with listeners on a deeper level. They want the details (that’s why you’re being asked you questions), so make sure you take your time to answer everything in full. That may sound fairly obvious, but having spent last half decade in journalism I cannot count the number of one-word or single sentence responses I’ve received from artists of all sizes. It’s not engaging or entertaining to read. Ever.

In terms of reaching new listeners, form interviews offer you the opportunity to discuss elements of your art that may pull in the casual webzine reader. In depth information regarding your inspiration, goals, antics on stage and behind-the-scenes, views on music, and the like can offer the publications printing the article an angle to sell, and with the right hook you’ll be reeling in new listeners in no time (pun unfortunately intended).

To offer additional insight on how artists can make the most out of email interviews and the reasoning behind why it’s important, I turned to a few notable members of the music world for advice. You can read their insight below. If you have additional tips for artists reading this column, please feel free to comment at the end of this post and add your two cents. 

“I think the short responses in interviews via email are not because the artist or musician doesn’t care, it’s because either: 1) The artist feels as sense of entitlement because someone cares enough about their art to interview them about it. OR 2) They aren’t viewing their art as a business. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to act professional. no one wants to work with unprofessional artists who are flakey and don’t care about their perception to the public. – Mike Sacchetti, Bad News Bears

In the unfortunate event that an interviewer is left with no other option but to send out an e-mail interview as opposed to doing a phoner or in-person, it’s important that the artist(s) being questioned elaborate on their answers to make for an interesting and insightful read. There is generally no way for the interviewer to anticipate how the artist(s) will respond so more often than not, an e-mail interview will not flow as well as an in-person or phone interview would, as the interviewer doesn’t have the opportunity to ask follow-up questions in regards to the artists’ answers.

I would suggest that the interviewee read all of the questions before they begin answering because it has been my experience that the artist will answer with similar responses multiple times throughout the interview due to the order of the questions. Many times, the artist(s) will answer a question as well as a succeeding one at the same time which isn’t always necessarily a good thing in terms of length and an engrossing read. This also falls into the responsibility of the interviewer to ask engaging and unique questions to hopefully get the most out of the interviewee, in way of in-depth responses.

In some instances, an artist will be cooperative enough to allow you to send some follow-up questions if you’re unclear on something they answered or you feel that you need to expand on something that could ultimately make for more piquant content. It would be nice if all artists offered this option knowing that an e-mail will typically need a little more life than what is breathed into it in the initial transaction. – Brian Lion, Under The Gun Review

When filling out digital interviews, every band should take the time to make sure they not only hand in thoughtful answers, but responses that are professional. Time and time again, I read and put together interviews where artists don’t take the time to even run spell check over their answers, which can reflect poorly on your band. Put in a few extra minutes, look over your answers and make sure what you’re saying is representative of how you want your band to be perceived. – Tyler Osborne, ToZ Productions

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