Journalism Archives - Page 10 of 10

Hello and welcome to a new week of industry insight here on the official blog of Haulix. We have featured over a dozen notable industry writers up to this point, and this afternoon we could not be more excited to share another great mind with all of you. If you have a recommendation for a site or writer we should highlight in a future installment of this series, please do not hesitate to contact james@haulix,com and share your story.

Some say it takes a village to raise a child, and in a similar sense it takes a team of contributors to make a music blog great. Anyone can start a website with a few dollars and an internet connection, but without support from at least one other person the quality and consistency of content will suffer in time. Finding a good partner takes about as much hard work as it does luck, and for today’s highlighted blogger the search to find a like-minded individual crossed several state lines.

Matt Nistler is one-half of the creative power behind The Sound Alarm, a site which we first highlighted earlier this year during a conversation with co-founder Kayla Guyette. He went to school for graphic design, but thanks to positive reinforcement from people in his life decided to pursue an interest in writing (that also lends itself to design work from time to time). That interest lead to the launch of one of the most interesting blogs currently covering alternative music, and we could not be more excited to share his journey up to this point.

The Sound Alarm is not your typical website. They don’t see the need for news posts that could be found anywhere on the net willing to cover music and they rarely worry themselves with whether or not they post every single day. Their focus has always been quality over quantity, and through our discussion with Matt you’ll learn how that has made all the difference in their success. If you would like to know more, head over to The Sound Alarm and see what Matt has spent the past several years developing. You can leave any additional questions for Matt in the comment below.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:

MN: My name is Matt Nistler and I’m the co-founder of a music website called The Sound Alarm.

H: If you had to pinpoint when it all began, what would you cite as the moment you fell in love with music?

MN: I’m not sure there is any one moment that I fell in love with music, as it is something that I’ve been drawn to throughout my life. But I would say the moment I knew I was in love with our music scene was when I first attended the Vans Warped Tour. There was just something magical about getting to see so many bands that I looked up to all in the same place.

H: What was the first album you purchased with your own money? Do you still own it?

MN: The first album I ever purchased was Sweet Dreams by La Bouche. I was so stoked walking down the cassette aisle of Best Buy knowing I’d be able to listen to “Be My Lover” any time I wanted. (Apparently grade school me was a Euro-dance fan?). I like to think my music tastes have slightly improved in the years since. I still have that cassette in a closet somewhere back at my parent’s house. The singer actually died in a plane crash in 2001, so there won’t be any more La Bouche purchases in my future. Kind of depressing.

H: You started The Sound Alarm in 2010. Did you have any experience in the music industry before that time?

MN: Yes, prior to The Sound Alarm I was a contributor for a different music publication, The Daily Chorus. It was probably most known for the “Top Unsigned” list. I also conducted a number of interviews for SmartPunk and managed an indie rock band as well. I enjoy taking on music-related graphic design projects too when I have time.

H: You studied Graphic Design in school. What drew you to the world of journalism?

MN: I always enjoyed writing essays in school and was often complimented on my writing, so pursuing the world of journalism just made sense. I was the layout editor at my college’s newspaper, so sitting in on the weekly meetings helped me fine-tune those skills even further. I love that I have the opportunity at The Sound Alarm to combine my passions of music, journalism, and graphic design.

H: What inspired you to start your own business, and how did you come to know co-founder Kayla Guyette?

MN: I came in contact with Kayla while coordinating an interview with the band that I was managing. She was an editor for a different publication at the time and I was very impressed with her professionalism. A few months later we came in contact again and realized we were both interested in starting up a music website of our own. We were seeking editorial and creative freedom and The Sound Alarm was born.

H: Where does the name ‘The Sound Alarm’ come from?

MN: The Sound Alarm is a play on words. Most people hear the phrase “sound the alarm!” when something bad happens that deserves everyone’s attention. “The Sound Alarm” flip-flops that idea by alerting our readers of good sounds that deserve their attention. That’s where our slogan “alerting you first of the hottest new music” originates from.

H: Kayla shed some light on this for us, but one thing that makes your site unique is the focus on features over news. Was this always the case? What attracted you to this approach?

MN: When we started The Sound Alarm, it was never our intention to post every possible news story. We knew there were many other publications already doing. Instead, we opted to devote our time towards actually checking out the music of the bands we post about and coordinating features (such as “Six Picks”) with our favorites. We do still post some news stories though, as it is important to have our readers up-to-date on what albums and tours to be on the lookout for, but everything we post is with an intentional filter.

H: It’s not about being better than anyone else, but what would you say separates the content found on The Sound Alarm from what is being offered on any number of sites covering similar areas of music?

MN : One of the reasons why Kayla and I started The Sound Alarm was that we both felt there was a lack of positivity and overabundance of gossip in the music press business. As fans of music we wanted to know what new music to check out and also wanted fans to get to know their favorite bands better. There were too many blogs that were quick to point out which band member was dating which other band member, who got arrested, and who had their…uhm…private parts posted online. We pride ourselves on the overall positivity in the content that we post, the fun features (such as contests and fan- interviews), and the quality of what is posted.

H: The Sound Alarm is an independently run site that has made no mentions of plans to introduce a payment plan anytime soon. What is the ultimate goal of TSA?

MN: As cliché as it may sound, if we can introduce even one reader to a new favorite song or band, then we feel we are accomplishing our goals as a music community. We would obviously love The Sound Alarm to someday be a profitable enough venture to be our only jobs, for now we are more than happy running things independently for the love of spreading great music.

H: You have helped many bands get their start through The Sound Alarm. Where do you look when hoping to discover new music?

MN: I generally get caught up on most of my music news through the press releases I receive in my email inbox. I’m also constantly browsing Spotify and Facebook Pages to find new bands to check out. I do miss the days when MySpace was more relevant. It was a great way to discover up-and-coming bands.

H: What advice would you offer talent hoping to one day appear on The Sound Alarm?

MN: Before you reach out to the press, make sure you have at least a few studio recordings. They don’t have to be completely perfect and mastered, but if your only samples are rough demos recorded on your MacBook, then we’re both better off waiting until you have a more clean recording. Having a solid press kit and promo photo help as well. Regardless, make sure to run spell check before reaching out to us, since if we can’t take your email seriously, we’ll probably have trouble taking your music seriously too. Lastly, make sure your style of music at least somewhat encompasses the genres we cover (mostly pop/rock, punk, indie/rock, etc.) too. It’s cool that you’re an aspiring yodeler, but we’re probably not going to post about it.

H: What is the biggest mistake you see young artists make?

MN: The biggest mistake I see young artists make is lack of accessibility. By this, I mean it is important to connect with your fans as much as possible, both in the real world and on social networks. Meet with fans before and after the show. Hold video chats or acoustic performances online. Be active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Stay humble. On the flip side, if you’re only focusing on promoting and not on writing a great song, then you’re completely missing the mark, too. It’s a delicate balance.

H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

MN: As our staff is based all over the world, we prefer digital streams and digital downloads. I still have a place in my heart for physical copies, but when it comes to sharing music with our staff, it is much more convenient to share a hyperlink than to go to the post office to mail a CD.

H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

MN: I wish the music industry was still as booming and influential as it was in its heyday. I miss when the only way to hear new music was to go to the store and pick up the new cassette or CD, or turn on the radio. The digital age is great and has many benefits, but it has also led to a lot of job cuts in the music industry and I think some of the mystique has been lost of going to the store, picking up the album, and running home to page through the accompanying booklet.

H: Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what you have planned in the months ahead?

MN : This is an exciting time of year with all of the upcoming fall tours and album releases that are just being announced. Keep checking back on www.thesoundalarm.com and find us on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram (@TheSoundAlarm) for all of the latest happenings and features. Thank you for the interview!

The latest edition of our Blogger Spotlight is not exactly a fitting title. You see, even in 2013 not every journalist working in music writes solely online. A very select few have been able to find lasting work in print (ie those newspaper-like things you see in bookstores that are now on ipads, only in paper-form), and today’s featured interview is with one of our personal favorites.

In an age where it seems everyone is rushing to digital, Substream Music Press is one of the few remaining print publications in the alternative scene. It’s not that they don’t appreciate digital, and they certainly recognize the changing times, but they also know how actually holding a magazine can add weight to words. Managing Editor James Ketchum is today’s featured writer, and his insight offers a unique look into a part of the music journalism world that may not be around much longer.

As always, if you like what you read, please support our featured writers and the publications that post their work. Follow Jameson and Substream on Twitter. If you’re not a twitter person, Substream also has an entertaining Facebook page as well. Click here for information on subscribing to Substream Music Press.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the publication you work for, and your role at said site:

Substream: Jameson Ketchum and I’m the Managing Editor at Substream Music Press Magazine.

H: Everyone’s backstory is different, and from following your adventures on Instagram it’s clear you have had many titles during your time in the music industry. What inspired you to seek a career in music, and how did you get from that initial inspiration to writing?

Substream: I remember being 15 years old, sitting in my English class, writing Dashboard Confessional (“This Ruined Puzzle”) lyrics in my notebook. Yeah, I was that kid. It was this feeling where I couldn’t write anything of my own just yet but I had to write. More honestly, I wasn’t confident enough yet to put my own thoughts or poetry down on paper, but I just had this itch where I had to write, even if it wasn’t my own words. There was some kind of magical therapy in the act itself. I always knew that, even if I didn’t become a “real writer”, that writing was my jag that I loved more than anything else in school. It took me a very long time to figure out where I was best suited as far as actually striving to make a career in music. I don’t know if I’d say I set out initially to create a career out of what I was doing. I did freelance work for a few years while I ran an online publication with a friend and business partner. Looking back now, I owe a lot to that first publication as it allowed me to make more contacts in the industry as well as learn how each different job worked. The sentiment with that first publication was “Well, I don’t have the experience yet to start applying to be a paid or full time writer, so I guess I’ll just do it myself until someone notices”. That is a philosophy I highly recommend!

H: You are the first of our featured writers who currently works for a publication that still thrives in the physical form. How does Substream make physical work in a digital era, and do you have any plans to move completely online in the future?

Substream: That’s the continual thought rolling around in our minds. Obviously, other publications have seen success having moved completely to digital, which was a move made out of financial necessity, even if they claim otherwise. It’s been interesting to see the competition make cutbacks to their product while doing their best to showcase these downgrades under the guise of “improvements for the readers”. Meanwhile, Substream has added more pages, improved the design work, became a bound publication and snagged bigger and bigger acts. Being a physical magazine is nowhere near as easy as it used to be. I get so excited if I see a kid reading a ANY magazine at the store because that’s such an antiquated notion these days. We do have a digital side of Substream. We use our website to not only post up-to-the-minute news but to give readers a further insight into their favorite article or interview. We post “Continuations” on the site so that whatever we had to cut from the physical mag, will still have a home somewhere. The key is quality and consistent content.

 H: What would you say separates the content offered by Substream from other publications covering similar areas of music, beyond having a physical product?

Substream: We’ve always been known as the magazine that really spotlights the up and comers. We pride ourselves on showing you a band before anyone else does. We gave now vastly successful acts such as Paramore, Owl City and Travie McCoy their first covers. We genuinely love working with the bands personally rather than going through a hundred handlers to get an interview completed. We care about the music AND the people and I think that shows in our pages.

H: When it comes to planning content for a publication that runs online and in the physical form, how do you decide which artists make it to the actual magazine?  

Substream: We have a few guidelines that we’ve honed over the years. Say we give a lesser known act a smaller feature online. If we see the band really backing us, promoting the piece, keeping up with us, seeing what other opportunities we have for them, then of course that makes us happy and more likely to feature them in the future. But let me speak to bands for a moment, you HAVE to have something going on. If you’re still playing in your garage, your promos were taken by a girl in your yearbook class, have no releases and no future plans, then we’d really be doing you a disservice by featuring you. It won’t get you anywhere and it only makes the both of us look bad. I mean that with the utmost respect because we truly do want to see these smaller acts grow.

 H: You also happen to work in public relations with a number of rising artists. Which came first: The journalism or the publicity?

Substream: The journalism definitely came first, but it was because of the journalism that I was able to dip my toes in the waters of another endeavor. By being a writer, I was dealing with publicists all day long, making sure I met their needs when it came to chasing down an interview or review. I really listened to what they wanted and what they expected. Since at the time I was working for such a small publication, we made it a point to really learn as much as we could from each contact. Eventually, I began to think that I had learned their side of the transaction so well that maybe I could try my hand at it. Not only had I been working as a journalist, but I was also touring at the time so I was learning first hand what the band themselves expected from those working for them. The more experience you can gain firsthand, by touring and working very closely with the bands themselves, the more you’re going to put your heart into what you do in this industry. I didn’t start in publicity in a very conventional way. I work with some of the most talented publicists in the business and I still learn from them everyday. It’s a good balance of book smarts and experience.

H: As someone who not only covers new music, but actively works to get it exposed in multiple ways, how do you go about seeking new talent?

Substream: It’s an ever-changing mission. When I started out, it was all about referrals from friends or bands you had worked with early on. You have to always be asking around, going to festivals and scouting nonstop. It’s nice to have publications and websites that largely feature unsigned acts. If it’s a reputable site or publication, you can bet that they did their research which will lead you to a potentially great find.

 H: Let’s say the artists want to come to you. What advice would you offer a band hoping to stand out from the countless others vying for coverage?

Substream: As a publication, you’re so inundated with bands requesting coverage through social media (not the most professional of ways) or cold emails, so it’s become tougher and tougher to sift through the acts that aren’t quite up to snuff. Bands really have to create a personal and professional email pitch when approaching a publication in that medium. Do not blast out an impersonal email to 100 outlets, do not send unsolicited attachments or download links as these will often go to spam or will simply not be read because of all the red flags. I cannot stress this enough; do your research on the outlet you’re pitching to. Nothing is worse than getting a pitch from a band that is nowhere near what your publication usually covers. Be creative but again, be professional. Do not pitch to a major publication if you do not have quality promo photos and recordings. I have to state this again; it will do you no good to be featured in a publication if you don’t have any skin in the game.    

H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

Substream: I swear I’m not just saying this, but Haulix really is the best. I’ve never had any hangups with it unlike many of the other services. I always get a little extra excited when I see I have new music through Haulix because I know I can jam it in mere seconds with no hassles.

  H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Substream: I recently, independently from Substream, wrote an article for Heartsupport.com on the lack of leadership in this particular music scene. The egos on some of these bands that have been publicized and seemingly encouraged lately has been pretty upsetting to witness.

Secondly, while the internet and social networking has no doubt been an amazing tool for the music industry but it has also somewhat devalued the job of the journalist. Just as digital cameras made everyone a photographer, blogs have made everyone a writer. I don’t believe I’d change it though as competition just creates a better product.   

H: You write a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what Substream has planned for the remainder of 2013?

Substream: We plan on rounding out the year with some big names on the cover including at least one that you will not see coming! We’ll be amping up some of our less music-oriented sections in the hopes of expanding our reach and fan interest. It’s a really exciting time at Substream. We can’t wait to show you what’s next!