Tag: Journalism

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Want to save music blogs? Work together.

In case anyone out there is still believing their music blog will change the world allow me to temper your dreams just a bit. As much as we would all like to believe music influencers will always have a role to play – and they may – the hard truth is that the streaming age has quickly taken power away from the majority of music blogs. As services like Apple Music and Spotify continue to extend their editorial efforts and allow artists to share more than just music with fans (tour dates, videos) there are less and less people turning to blogs for insight. After all, why frequent a site that covers a small fraction of the things you enjoy when you can have access to everything you care about all the time – and then some – through a single platform?

Before you completely lose hope and cancel your domain, hear me out. Music blogs are never going to go away completely. There was a time over a decade ago when people thought music magazines would die out because of blogs, yet here we are in 2017 and Alternative Press Magazine is gearing up to take over the same venue that houses the Cleveland Cavalier for its fourth annual awards show. Has everyone publication survived? No, but that would be true even without the streaming age. The vast majority of everything in every field eventually fades away. This is simply a fact of life. You think the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith were the only rock bands of their time? Of course not. They’re simply the ones that outlasted everyone else.

So who will survive the latest evolution of music blogging, and how will those publications change to meet the demands of the future? I cannot tell you specific answers to either question, but over the last ten years there is one common trait I have found in almost every writer who continues to be successful: They seek opportunities to build communities rather than their own personal brand.

What I mean is that the writers and sites who succeed place an emphasis on quality, timely content instead of ego. Their ultimate goal is to provide music fans with the information they need to make the best choices with their time and money. They seek conversation over branding at all costs, and because of this they are able to adapt when the industry demands change.

If you are reading this now and are the proud owner of a music blog I have to assume you know of other music bloggers who run their own sites or who contribute to a site other than yours. What is stopping you from joining forces with your peers and, instead of a dozen people running a dozen blogs, combining your tastes/talents into a single online portal for all things music? The cost of a single site’s hosting fees versus a dozen is an easy decision, as is the idea of having twelve people market a single brand name rather than twelve people who each market a different brand. So, why not work together?

Speaking strictly from personal experience, the biggest factor preventing collaboration and community building amongst the online music writer community is ego. Everyone wants their site or their thing to be the one everyone turns to, not realizing that in five, ten, or twenty years no one will remember the person who launched the site. Think about it. Can you tell me who launched Pitchfork, Stereogum, AV Club, or MetalSucks off the top of your head? Does the fact you can or cannot do that change the quality of the site or the respect you have for those who contribute to it? My guess is no, which should tell you all you need to know about how important it is that your site be the one everyone turns to for information. All that matters is the quality of the content, which is the direct result of the talent behind it, and that remains true regardless of the URL.

Changes will come and go, but there will always be a place for quality music blogging. The path to sustainable success in modern music is built atop collaboration and networking. Writers who want to last need to drop whatever ego they may have left, push brands to the side, and find a path to work together. Combine your talents and resources in order to cover more corners of music better. Your work, your readers, and your career will thank you.

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Op-Ed: Save some art for yourself

Music writing can be a double-edged sword as far as fandom is concerned. The fact you’re in a position to influence a group of consumers makes it possible for you to get closer to your favorite artists than you probably would otherwise, but it also means you have to continue following those artists’ every move long after your initial interest in their work has begun to fade. This is honestly a best case scenario because more often than not writing about music means you have to not only know, but learn to appreciate the works of many artists whom you would otherwise not make time to experience. Establishing a career in writing requires that you be engaged with the wide world of music, and that entails keeping tabs on far more artists than those you personally enjoy. Over time this can make the joy of writing feel a lot more like work than most would care to admit. But that’s because writing is just that — work.

This is not a complaint, per say, but rather a matter of fact. You cannot make it in music writing simply by covering the artists you enjoy when you enjoy them. You need follow-through, and more importantly you need to engage the fans of artists regularly in order to ensure people continue to care your writing and/or publication exists.

When I began writing about music I did so because I felt there were artists I knew and enjoyed that most of the world had yet to recognize. If you could find my first hundred articles I can almost guarantee every single one would be based on an artist or group I admired at the time, and if I’m being completely honest I would also wager most of those posts are fairly similar. They each praise a group I loved at the time, and they each argue others should feel the same. I built my initial following by covering bands like A Day To Remember, Chiodos, Secret Secret Dino Club, and The Wonder Years whenever possible, and I made it a point to interview someone from the band every time a new piece of news presented an opportunity for discussion. As word of my work grew, so did interest from others bands and labels about having their talent promoted through my channels. I was completely blown away by these requests, so of course I agree to almost every one that hit my inbox, and as I began to network with the industry at large my writing began to encompass more and more bands. Some acts I enjoyed, but most were perfectly average in my mind, and looking back now I know the only reason I covered them is because I felt that it is what my (arguably non-existent) audience wanted. Whether or not that was true is something I’ll never truly know, but I do know that covering a wide array of talent helped me navigate the industry and secure full-time work in the business I love the most. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Do I continue to cover any and everything that comes my way as a result? Hell no.

It’s incredibly difficult to land a job in music that allows you to share everything you love all the time. Most jobs are far more focused than that, be it covering solely alternative music or perhaps just hip-hop. Finding a paid position that covers everything is rarer than a Morrissey performance that goes off without a hitch, and they are becoming increasingly hard to come by as the demand for specific content curators continues to rise. I used to have a big problem with this because I felt, and still do believe, that everyone is able to enjoy a little bit of everything. I might not love country music, but there are several country artists I enjoy. The same goes for musicals, top 40 radio pop, and obscure shoe gaze bands. None of these areas of music are where I spend the majority of my time, but they each are filled with wonderful talent that is deserving of exposure and praise. Just because this is true however does not mean I am the person to tell you these acts exist. I can tweet about it, sure, but I cannot dedicate every minute of my day to telling you about everything I love as I once did. That is not my job.

At first, the need to separate the work I am paid to do from the work I would like to do was incredibly frustrating. I felt as though my initial mission to help more people discover great music had been compromised by the need for a paycheck, but over time I came to realize that was not true. Having full-time employment gave me more freedom than I had ever had before as far as creative pursuits were concerned, and though I couldn’t argue the need to cover everything I could do more to help a specific set of artists and bands than ever before. Instead of writing about 40 or 50 acts a week I wrote about 10 at most, but I made sure to make each piece released as good as it could be. Having less artists to cover made it possible for me to dig deeper with my coverage and, ultimately, provide higher quality content to my readers.

But what about all that other stuff I loved? Did I turn my back on a world of talent just because they didn’t fit my 9-5 lifestyle?

Of course not.

I still love a wide array of bands as I always have, but these days I keep some things I love to myself if for no other reason than the ability to enjoy certain songs or records without turning that enjoyment into work. Before I had full-time work in music I viewed everything I enjoyed as something I would eventually cover, which in turn made everything I enjoyed some form of work. Maybe it wasn’t hard work, but it was work nonetheless, and as a result my relationship with music began to change. The idea of listening to music for the sake of simply enjoying it became an absurd concept, as I hadn’t purely enjoyed music for years on end. I liked it, and I wouldn’t know what to do without it, but at the end of the day I was trying to put food on my table based on what I was listening to, and that put a lot of undue pressure on myself, as well as the talent.

When I speak to aspiring writers and music professionals today I encourage them to experience as much music as possible. As soon as I do this I immediately tag my comments by adding that not every great song or record needs to become the sole focus of their work moving forward. It’s not only perfectly acceptable, it’s needed. If you lose your ability to simply enjoy music you will be unable to accurately critique it. The reason anyone begins chasing after a career in music in the first place is based on their love of enjoying music in their youth, and when you lose the ability to appreciate music in that way you begin to lose track of why you work in music. It’s not about clicks, and it’s certainly not about being the first person to hear the next buzz worthy release. It’s about celebrating art and the appreciation of art, as well as making others aware of undiscovered talent. You can only do this to the best of your abilities if you too are still able to be wowed by music. If you’ve lost that passion, or even if you believe it has begun to fade, take a step back from writing and unplug from everything except your stereo. Put on the records that first inspired your career aspirations and reconnect with the source of your drive to succeed. Never lose your passion.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the inside Music podcast. You can follow James on Twitter. In fact, we think you should.

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Why music festivals should rethink their relationship with the media

Festival season is upon us, which means there are bloggers and journalists all over the world impatiently waiting to learn what – if any – events they will be covering this summer.

For those who have never attempted to cover a festival before, here’s a quick rundown of how the application process typically works, from beginning to your arrival on site:

  • Press applications open 2-3 months prior to the event and require your name, publication, traffic size, description of all planned coverage, publishing dates for planned coverage, and (sometimes) a letter of assignment
  • 2-3 weeks before the event, at most, approved members of the press receive letters of acceptance. These letters also include any artist specific coverage restrictions, as well as a photo release (when applicable) that must be signed in advance of the event.
  • Once approved, press must make good on any promise of preview content ahead of the event. This generally means a ‘must-see’ list of talent or similarly simple promotional content.  
  • In the week before the event the PR and labels for the artists performing are given your contact information. Requests for coverage consideration begin to pour in
  • Prior to arriving on site most festivals request a list of all desired interviews with talent. Submitting a list does not guarantee approval, but it does mean your publication will be considered. Some approvals may arrive in advance of the event, but decisions on other requests may not be made until you are on site.
  • Once at the event, you need to check in with the media tent and learn when the interviews you were approved for are scheduled to happen. This schedule is usually determined by the artist, meaning you have to cancel any conflicting coverage that might arise as the last minute in order to conduct your requested interview.

To be fair, a lot of this has to be last minute. It’s the nature of the beast, so to say. Artists come to festivals from all corners of the Earth for a single day and then go back to their tour, studio, personal lives, etc. Knowing when a particular artists will arrive and be available/willing to do press is something that can be hard to confirm in advance.

Coverage on site is another story altogether. Fourteen hour days spent running from stage to stage, trying to take in as much as possible while still being on time to grab photos from the first three songs of the next must-see artist’s performance. When you do have time to relax, you usually need to eat and find somewhere to charge your gear.

Once the festival is complete, all coverage is expected to be live by a certain date or a penalty may be incurred. These penalties range from not being accredited in the future (slap on the wrist), to a fine of $500 (or more).

Suffice to say, covering music festivals is a lot of work, and with each passing year it seems the demands from festivals of accredited press are growing as their interest in making coverage easy seems to wane.

This makes little sense because festivals need media, influencers, and conversation around their event more now than ever. The so-called ‘music festival bubble’ has ballooned to the point there are numerous major events happening every week all summer long across the United States. Aside from genre-specific events, most lineups are largely the same, with a handful of select headliners being relied on to secure the largest chunk of ticket sales.

The competition for consumer dollars in the festival market has never been as fierce as it is right now, and sooner or later many events are going to fold. The ones that survive will do so because of their marketing efforts, community development, and funding, all of which can be aided by great receiving – and enabling – great press.

A great way to do this, or at least to begin, would be for more festivals to consider granting publications more than a single press pass. Festivals are inviting publications to cover an event featuring dozens of artists spread across multiple stages and days on a patch of land several acres in size. Do organizers really believe it is possible for one person to adequately cover even one-fourth of this madness? One-eighth? The more publications can cover, the better, and with the right photo policy (where you credit photographers and only use images with their permission) you can capture countless moments that you would otherwise miss.

Everyone wins when festival media is empowered to do their jobs well. Solid wifi in the press area allows for on-site updates that can encourage walk up ticket sales, as well as amplified conversation over social media. A designated area to conduct interviews away from noisy stages allows for higher quality content to be produced, which in turn encourages greater engagement.

The truth is that every piece of media created because of a festival is an advertisement for that festival. It does not matter who creates the content, only what impression that content makes on consumers. A lot of this is out of the festival’s control, but there is plenty that can be done to aide members of the media in properly covering their events. To not do so would be to hinder future promotion, and that is the kind of mistake events of any size cannot afford in today’s marketplace.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the Inside Music podcast and a ten-year veteran of music journalism. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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Making The Most Of Your Summer Festival Coverage

Earlier this week we offered tips to help musicians make the most of their time at festivals this summer, so it only makes sense that we do the same for journalists today. This post comes to us from Matt Leimkuhler, a writer for the Des Moines Register. 

Ahhh. The ever-so formidable task of mastering festival coverage. It’s not easy, running around like a chicken with your head cut off for 12-18 hours on end — making sure every must-see band has been seen, every must-shake hand has been touched and every must-interview act has been chatted with. Not only must you balance every minute of your time and energy, but you must focus that energy to make sure you are creating better content than every other writer on the scene. What does it take for you to stand out during this festival season? Here are five questions I ask myself when going into all types of festivals:

1. What story hasn’t been told before?

Every blog, ‘zine and YouTube account is going to give you the typical, “Must See” lists for festivals, and this is okay. It’s cool to give your thoughts on what the standout acts are. But why not push this idea further? Instead of the “Five Must-See Acts at the Vans Warped Tour,” why not the “Five Songs to Crowd Surf to at the Vans Warped Tour?” Centralize your ideas — make your thoughts unique and insightful. This doesn’t need to pertain to solely preview content — think about different angles for every aspect of the festival.

2. What questions haven’t been asked yet?

If you’re interviewing a band on a festival bill, odds are the act is going through an extreme press run. Don’t waste the band’s time with monotonous questions the likes of “where did you get your band name?” or “how did you all meet?” Goodness, what a waste of time. You [probably] have a smartphone…Google different interviews, visit Wikipedia, or at least read the band’s bio before stepping into the box. Dig into insightful conversation with the musician and you all might actually learn something from one another. And better yet — the artist might actually want to work with you again in the future. A good musician always knows when you’re skidding through an interview and it is a bad reflection on everyone involved. Always do your homework. Don’t be afraid to step away from even insightful and traditional interviews to have a little fun with the artists. Does the band want to talk about the best food to eat on the road? Great! Grab that opportunity and create the best damn “must eat places according to this band” piece possible.

3. What can I do to stay ahead?

Okay: you’ve done amazing preview pieces, you’ve locked in the best interviews, you’ve relentlessly prepared for those interviews and you’ve just landed at the festival. What now? Staying ahead and in your element is tough. Typically, festivals offer the best distractions possible. Food, booze, after parties and sideshows are all fantastic for fans, but you’re at this festival for generate content. Stay in communication with your publicists or tour manager. Embrace the notion of being a public figure. Live tweet sets and daily agendas, reach out to other professionals you know will be in attendance and do you best to not make an ass of yourself (it happens to everyone at least once). Do daily write-ups and reviews of what you’re experiencing at the festival to give the outside world an idea of what’s taking place.  Make the most of every second. Stay focused and make great impressions but don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the fantastic music you’re getting to cover.

4. How do I sum it all up?

Congratulations, you killed your interviews and you made it home safely. Now, time for post-festival coverage. Again – tailor to your audience and strive to be unique in your post-festival coverage. Everyone will have a photo gallery and everyone will have the “best of” lists going live. Try to step back and think about the bigger picture. What really was the best part of the festival? Embrace the entire community you were apart of, not just the music. At this point of your coverage, more than ever, it’s time to be a journalist and tell a story.

5. What about next time?

Be sure to send the required follow up message upon returning home and be timely in turning your interviews around. Never take on too many interviews or you’ll dilute your product and slow down the process. Five well-thought out interviews stand out against fifteen half-hearted interviews any day. Make sure all of the appropriate parties know you are turning your content around in a timely fashion and thank them for the opportunity. Always be humble.

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Music writing advice from music writers

Becoming a full-time music writer in 2017 may seem like a pipe dream, but there are hundreds of people around the world making it happen. Thousands more are writing part-time, be it as a hobby or a way to bring in extra cash month to month.

But how do you, someone just starting out, navigate the often tricky waters of music journalism in the digital age?

There is no one way to become a successful writer, but as with any field there is much that can be learned from those who came before. We recently asked the writers of today what they wish someone told them early on, and we have collected the best responses into this post.

Please take the advice below to heart, but remember: You are your own person. No one can tell you what your voice is or how it should be conveyed other than yourself. Find a path you enjoy and follow it as far as you can.

“The thing I tell everyone who wants to work on the professional side of music is to pick one career path and practice being great at it every single day. If you want to be a writer you need to wake up every morning and write. Set a word count goal and hit it, no matter what. If the resulting article or piece is trash, don’t share it. All that matters early on is that you get into the routine of writing every day and slowly, over time, you will see the quality of your work improve.” – James Shotwell, Marketing Coordinator for Haulix / Managing Editor at Substream Magazine

“I think the most important tip that I’ve ever received is “act like you belong and no one will question it (most of the time).” – Ali Nugent, Music Director at WMCX 88.9 FM

“Always remember you’re there to do a job and gather information, not become creepy and try to be best friends with the artist.” – Rey Roldan, founder of Another Reybee Production

“Plan, but also allow yourself to be in the moment. Whether it’s for an interview, review, or entertainment, music is an experience. Let it guide you.” – Scott Fugger, writer at 36 Vultures

“Your writing, like your passion for music, is a journey… do not look to the end for that passion, but find the love in every opportunity along the way.” – Michael Pementel, writer at Metal Injection and New Noise Magazine

“Don’t lose focus of why you started writing in the first place. It’s tempting to get caught up in the numbers game, but nothing will kill your passion faster.” – Angela Mastrogiacamo, Founder of Muddy Paw PR and Infectious Magazine

“Be polite to everyone–tour managers, road crew, merch, stage crew, EVERYONE. This industry is small. Good manners go a long way; shitty manners get you no where.” – Jackie Cular, freelance writer

“Do your best to be unbiased, write news as it is, write reviews fair and balanced- the good along with the bad. Also appreciate everyone who helps you along the way. From the bands to the PR teams and their interns to your contributors and your readers.”  – Daniel M Dread, Founder of Dread Music Review

“Do not corner an artist at a show, requesting an interview. Not only is that unprofessional, it is also poor form and puts the artist in defensive mode. If you want to ask them a question, find the tour manager and ask permission from them. They will know the artist’s schedule and if he/she minds doing post/pre show interviews.” – Rey Roldan

“Don’t share your Haulix promos with pirate sites. You will get busted and your site’s reputation will be ruined” – Craig Nicholas Roxburgh, Founder of Emo Night South Africa

“Leaking privileged information may lead to a spike in short-term traffic, but this industry is small and publicists don’t forget.” – Joshua Wielding, Founder of Digital Tour Bus

“Be prepared to challenge yourself. Take on a band or genre you don’t know much about as you can’t always cover music that you like. Also be respectful to everyone you work with.” – Sean Reid, Founder of Already Heard

“Write about bands and music that you’re passionate AND knowledgeable about, it shows in what you write, and it benefits those artists A LOT more. But also keep an open mind about what excites you. Personally, I’ll listen to ANYTHING, and enjoy it, except super hate/racist/mysoginist lyric filled music. But there are certain genres–and you can tell which ones–that excite and inspire me to write more insightfully. However, that being said, go outside your comfort zone periodically; like your taste buds, your music interests change based on your life experiences and age.” – Tracy George, Founder of TAG Publicity

“It’s never personal, unless directly stated otherwise.” – Jake Denning, Social Media Manager at Mediaskare Records

“Don’t be afraid to learn everything. In this day and age where the competition is so fierce, it is vital to be a jack of all trades. Learn how to write. Learn how to edit other people’s writing. Learn how to work a DSLR. Become familiar with social media outlets. Also, before every assignment, do your research. Know that this job can be stressful and usually doesn’t pay well, but in the end, it’s worth it because it’s a hell of a lot of fun.” – Brittany Woosely, freelance writer

“Even if you think you know everything, you don’t. In fact if you think you do, you almost definitely don’t.” – Molly Louise Hudelson, Founder of Circles & Soundwaves

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Challenge Yourself All Month Long With This Music Writer Exercise

Our pal Gary Suarez developed a great exercise for music writers in early 2015 that has since been resurrected for February 2017. We plan to participate and hope the rest of you will as well. Here are the rules:

Each day in February, listen to 1 full album you’ve never heard, from start to finish. Once complete, write one tweet about the album you just heard and tag it with #MWE so others can follow your efforts.

You can choose any album you wish, but if you’re stumped please do not hesitate to ask us and other for recommendations. In fact, we may post some on here just in case.

Are you in?

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Journalism Tips: Overcoming The Holiday Slowdown (AKA Stop Worrying About Traffic)

Christmas and Chanukah just days away at this point, and as a music news writer you have no doubt noticed a major drop in the number of press releases and pitches hitting your inbox. Many PR firms, as well as many record labels, take off the last few weeks of the year, if not longer. It is a long-standing corporate tradition that is both a gift and a curse to blog owners, and so far this year seems no different. On the one hand, you have less emails to keep up with and far more time to relax. That said, the lack of breaking news almost always means a dip in traffic, which is the kind of thing that keeps most serious editors awake at night.

Though this certainly won’t prevent you from worrying about the longterm impact from the drop in traffic try reminding yourself when things get slow that these dips impact virtually everyone in music journalism. Culturally speaking, there is very little emphasis placed on entertainment news and the tour plans of emerging musicians around this time. We as Americans are conditioned to view the time immediately before Christmas, as well as the days leading into the new year, as something intended for family gatherings, get togethers with old friends, and generally strengthening the bonds within their individual communities. People are not reading your review the new album from Before Their Eyes because they do not care, but rather because they have been trained through years of advertising, lessons from parents, and countless other avenues to focus more attention on themselves and their immediate surroundings. You are likely the exact same way, even if you don’t notice it. The only difference between you and them is that you understand what it is like to rely on the number of unique clicks given to any one site or page in order to make it through the day without hating yourself.

I wish I could say that the holiday dip gets easier to handle with each passing year, but sometimes I believe the opposite may be true. When you first start out, the importance of day to day traffic is not as big as, say, how you perform over an entire month. You are happy that anyone is reading your work at all, or at least you should be, so dips come and go without much thought given to the reason for their occurrence. As you begin to build your professional profile however, the frustration you feel towards negative changes in traffic only continues to build. It is at that point that traffic becomes a true addiction for most bloggers, outpacing alcohol and prescription pills in the rate at which they can make or break a person’s day. You begin relying on numbers to justify your work rather than the feeling of accomplishment writing about music well typically provides. When that happens, and it hits almost everyone who finds the smallest bit of success, it is hard to not feel like the world is telling you they no longer care. You feel as if you are a hobby, or maybe even something less, and that the vast majority of internet users would be perfectly fine living life whether or not your site ever existed.

Of course, this is all big and lofty stuff that holds little real weight, but in the mind of a creative person trying to use their voice to share their vision or perspective of the world around them it can feel like a 10-ton boulder weighing on their shoulders all day long. The dip inn traffic sets off an internal struggle between the belief one is doing what they were put on this planet to do and the horrifying notion they may have chased a fruitless hobby to the point of no return. This is admittedly a selfish thought, but that is the way the mind works for many writers. They feel every change in traffic directly correlates to something that was first birthed in the deepest canals of their brain. Every success is because of them, but so is every failure, and allowing themselves to believe that is true can often worsen an already fragile sense of self worth. Writers typically believe they are good, even if they won’t admit it to others, but it is a lot easier to believe with data. When data says differently, that initial blind faith is hard to maintain.

My battles with the holiday traffic dip have been epic since day one. Like many young writers, I believed the easiest way to create more traffic was to have more posts. More content would equate to more unique readers, at least in my inexperienced mind, so I would spend long hours writing about artists – many of whom I did not even care for – who had for new or even recent updates that we had previously not run. I was a news madman, but for all my effort the results were typically about the same. A day with twenty articles and a day with forty articles would only be separated by about 500 uniques, which made the value of those extra twenty posts incredibly small. Ever worse, I knew how much time with family and those I love had been sacrificed in order for them to be created. I was losing on all fronts and feeling even worse about myself than I had just knowing the dip existed.

Two years ago, things started to change, but certainly not as fast as I might have hoped. Instead of driving myself insane by sacrificing large amounts of time for content that very few people would enjoy, regardless of that content’s quality, I decided to use the holiday slowdown as an opportunity to plan the year ahead. Admittedly I did not plan as well as I might have liked, but for the first time in over half a decade of blogging I had found an outlet for my frustrations that allowed me to constructively combat my own demons, as well as the drop in uniques, all while focusing on the one hobby/job/passion/interest I have carried the last decade of my life. It was not perfect by any means, but it was more productive and beneficial than any of my previous late December breakdowns, and I am hoping to improve upon those efforts in the weeks ahead while I set to planning what this blog will do in the new year.

When we started the month of December I had no plans to write this article, as we wrote a similar entry last year, but as I noticed students posting about final exams winding down and saw numerous friends begin complaining about traffic I had a change of heart. I saw myself in those were frustrated, and I wanted to reach out in hopes of easing their worried minds. Let me tell you right now that anyone thinking that the dip they see in traffic around this time is a direct result of something they did is wrong, and that perspective is coming from someone who has spent many holidays being hard on themselves for not producing stronger traffic during Christmas Break. You are worth more than you know, and so is the work you are doing to promote the art and artists you love. That is true whether or not your analytics surpasses your expectations, and it always will be as long as you do not allow yourself to get lost in data. You didn’t start writing to become obsessed with who is or is not reading you work, so don’t let it distract you now. Be the best writer you can possibly be and the rest will follow.

Believe me, young writers, when I tell you that the world has not forgotten about you. The audience you have built remains dedicated, your work remains consistent, and the support you have from the rest of the blogging community is as strong as it has ever been. Instead of letting the holiday slowdown throw you and your emotions for a loop, accept that traffic dips and focus your efforts on creating a more productive new year. Don’t waste time with stories no one will read or social media efforts that will find only minimal traction and look to the future. Build a content calendar, draft requests for 2016 album releases, apply to SXSW, and/or something else altogether. Whatever you do – stay positive. The world is not ending and your talent is not going unnoticed. People simply have other priorities right now, and in less than two weeks things will return more or less to normal. Just breathe.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine, host of the Inside Music podcast, and a ten-year music writing veteran. You should follow him on Twitter.

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A Conference for Music Bloggers: Could it Work?

As many of you know, we here at Haulix spend a lot of time and money every year making appearances at music festivals and conferences, as well as a number of college campuses across the nation. We do this both to raise awareness for our work behind-the-scenes of the industry and to help aspiring music professionals find their own paths to success. Our experiences up to this point have been nothing short of life-affirming, and with each new event we find another reason to believe in the future of the entertainment business.

After three years of working to build a reputation on the industry speaking circuit we have found one area of the industry that is almost completely overlooked in the world of conferences: Journalism. Whether you’re a music blogger working for free from the comfort of their parents’ house or a paid contributor to Rolling Stone, finding a panel or event that caters specifically to your work and interests is almost impossible in 2016. There were less than three journalism related panels at SXSW this year, and that event is considered to be the largest annual industry gathering in the world. Smaller conferences often only have one, if any, panels or events built around the world of journalism. 

Our big question is: Why? Artists depends on writers to help expose their work to potential new fans, just like labels rely on writers to help maintain brand awareness. Writers rely on both of those groups in order to develop their publications, and they often attend conferences or festivals to help those events get more recognition on a national/international level, so why are they so underserved? 

We continue to pitch panels on writing and the relationship writing has with music promotion to any event or school willing to hear us out, but we have come to the conclusion that the best course of action may be to give bloggers/journalists/writers of all varieties an event of their own. A blogger conference, if you will, where the topics of ethics, monetization, industry growth, career development, artist relations, and more can be discussed at length by writers for writers.

Here’s the problem: Conferences are expensive and they require months of planning, not to mention sponsorship dollars, in order to make a reality. On top of this, we would have to convince people to come. We are passionate about the idea of such an event existing, but we fear wasting a year of our lives on a project that only interests us and the circle of industry friends we have surrounded ourselves with over the years. Something like this requires the interest of thousands with the hopes that hundreds end up participating. 

So we have to ask – Do you think a blogger conference is a good idea?

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Inside Music Podcast #80 – The Death of a Music Blog (with Jacob Tender!)

On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls returning guest Jacob Tender to discuss the current state of music blogging, the rise of podcasts, and the need for change in the world. This is Jacob’s third time on Inside Music, and every time he’s appeared he has had a new role in the industry. Jacob recently launched a podcast of his own, VBR, and discussing that project leads to a great conversation about the role podcasts are playing in shaping the future of music journalism. James and Jacob also discuss the recent death of a music blog they ran together for years, Under The Gun Review, as well as the reasons why they’re not necessarily sad to see it come to an end. The world is a crazy place, but as long as we communicate and help one another it’s not so bad. Enjoy!

The music you hear in this episode is a song from The Gay Blades titled “Robots Can Fuck Your Shit Up.”

You may already know this, but Inside Music is available on iTunes. Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

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Journalism Tips: Curiosity may kill cats, but it will save your writing

People are not machines. This may seem obvious on paper, but it’s a bit harder to discern when applied to real life. Many people feel they are put on this Earth to do one very specific thing, and every morning they set to doing that one thing over and over, again and again, until they whither and die. If they’re an accountant, they account. If they’re a teacher, they teach. Like machines, these people feel the only have one task and that is the only task they set to do. While this method of living may work in some careers, it is a recipe for disaster, or at the very least lethargy, when it comes to the creative arts. Whether you’re a writer, artist, poet, musician, filmmaker, or working under some experimental title I don’t even know exists just yet, variety is key to your success, and not just in the work you do. Let me explain:

A toaster’s sole purpose is to toast, and in order to do this it needs electricity. You can toast anything you can fit into your toaster, but virtually every toaster on this planet only functions if it has power provided through an electrical. There is no variety in the diet of your toaster. It needs one thing and one thing only to work. If you try and run your toaster of something else, like water or wind, you’re not going to toast anything anytime soon.

People are not toasters, or any other machine for that matter because we cannot rely on a single source of any kind to survive. We need a variety of foods in order to gain energy, just like we need a variety of influences in order to feel consistently inspired. We all have our go-to foods and sources of inspiration, but if we only rely on those things our palettes will tell us they have grown stale in a very short matter of time.

The same idea also applies to writing: If all you do day in and day out is write about the same thing the same way your creative drive will stall long before it should. If you’re a pop-punk critic who only listens to pop-punk your ability to denote the small differences between various artists will abound, but after several months or maybe even years you will find yourself becoming increasingly burnt out on the genre that once felt like your musical home. This is because all great writing, and by that I mean everything from criticism to novel writing, thrives on original ideas born from a variety of life experiences. Writing solely about pop-punk is perfectly acceptable, but if the only thing you’re putting into your ears is the sound of three chords and gang vocals your mind and body will begin to hate the idea of continuing to rely on that musical diet. You brain can only take so much of the same input before it stops responding as it typically would, and the only way to prevent that from happening is by diversifying your musical and/or entertainment palette.

It’s important to remember when you find yourself stuck on a creative plateau that literally every other person who has tried to create something from nothing has found themselves in the exact same place. Creativity stems from original thought, and those are born from your personal experiences, including all the media you consume throughout the day. Your creativity needs nourishment just like your body, and it can only survive on a single source for so long before it begins to breakdown. The responsibility to prevent that from happening rests entirely on your shoulders, and that is something you should never take for granted. We live in a big, beautiful world of creativity, and you owe it to your own career to experience as much of it as possible. So next time you’re feeling down, stuck, or otherwise lethargic toward your passion, step outside your comfort zone and take in something radically different. Truth be told you might not like what you find, but even if that is the case you will walk away with a new influence and a bevy of new ideas born out of what you have just experience. In those ideas you might find your next big move, and if not at least you’ll have a new story to share with those around you.

Life is short. Take my advice and experience as much of it as possible.

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