live music photography Archives

Live music is back! Here are a few things music journalists and photographers should keep in mind before heading out to a show.

Can you believe it? After more than a year away, Live music is back. Concerts are already happening across America and worldwide, with hundreds more being announced every week. Live Nation, one of the most prominent concert promoters on the planet, says they will have twice as many artists touring next year as they did in 2019. That would have worried the industry a few years ago, but today, demand and excitement are at an all-time high. Fans are ready. Artists are prepared. Everyone is itching to get back in the pit and sing along to their favorite songs while surrounded by people who feel the same way they do about music. It’s a beautiful thing.

Music journalists and photographers, many of whom have spent the past year trying everything in their power to make click were the headlines from reviews and live stream announcements, are pretty excited as well. As much as writing about tour announcements and reviewing albums can be a satisfying experience, nothing compares to the thrill of covering a live show. A well-written review or beautifully captured photograph can do more to help members of the media and musicians alike than a dozen album reviews. With competition for consumer attention rising, the music journalism community is in a unique position of influence. The tours and events they cover can make or break someone’s spending decision, and that responsibility is not to be taken lightly.

But there’s a catch.

Since the first post-pandemic shows were announced, messages have circulated on social media calling for an end to guest lists. For those unfamiliar, these lists are used by venues and artists to set aside tickets for select individuals to attend a performance without buying a ticket. Spots are typically reserved for family and friends of the artist or promoter and members of the industry at large.

Here’s an example of the messaging in question:

It seems clear that the message of this tweet is for people who do not have a legitimate reason to request guest list inclusion. Artists and promoters are trying to tell friends that they would prefer they buy a ticket. Honestly, it makes sense. Before the pandemic, an artist had no reason to believe that touring, the primary way most musicians make money, would come to a halt. Artists in 2021 know that live music can disappear anytime. There is no guarantee of another tour. Artists need people to buy tickets so that they can feed themselves and pay their bills. The same goes for promoters. People have spent the last year worrying about where the money would come from, and now they have an answer. Live music is back, which means making money is possible.

Regardless, certain members of the music journalism community have taken these comments personally. But as the old saying goes, “if you think it’s about you, then it probably is.”

We spoke to several publicists and promoters who confirm they have no plans to deny guestlist access to writers and photographers when live music returns. One professional, who is allowing us to use their quotes anonymously, went as far as to say that “concert coverage may be more important than ever this fall. Artists, especially smaller ones, are going to need all the attention their shows can get to move tickets.”

That said, we put together a few rules with the help of the industry at large that music journalists from all walks of life should adhere to as concerts return:

Always say please and thank you. That may seem obvious, but unless you are a significant publication with massive influence, granting you access to an artist and their performance is a gift.
Do not publicly attack artists, labels, promoters, or publicists if you do not receive access. Many factors go into media accreditation consideration. Keep working hard and, in time, you will get the access you seek.
Always deliver on your coverage promises. If you said you would write a review, then you better write something. If you said you wanted to take photographs, then you better publish a gallery. The publicists we spoke to say they will be more closely following the content created in return for guest list inclusion moving forward.
Don’t request access to anything you wouldn’t cover otherwise. If you write for a metal site, for example, then you shouldn’t be requesting access to the Jonas Brothers concert under the guise of being a music journalist.
In the event you are granted a plus one, use it to expand your coverage. Guestlist spots are limited, and they are not intended to help your friend or significant other access a show. It would be best to use additional guest list spots solely to ensure the best possible coverage—for example, a writer AND a photographer.
If you enjoy the artists performing, consider buying merchandise. Not only will this help the artist continue to pursue their career, but it’s also a show of support for both the artist and their team. It says that you are serious when you say you want the artist to succeed. Artists and publicists know that not every site has any significant level of influence, but when you vocally support musicians and buy their merchandise, it tells the industry that you are actively working to ensure musicians can continue creating the art they aspire to share with the world.
Don’t be a dick to security or venue staff for no reason. Treat everyone the way you wish to be treated.
Don’t post a photo of your press badge or photo pass on social media. It may seem harmless, but someone may steal that image in an attempt to infiltrate another gig or event in the future. At the very least, wait until the tour or event has ended before sharing your pass.
Respect any boundaries set by the artist or their team. If someone says they don’t want to discuss something or be photographed at a particular time, listen to them. No one wants gotcha journalism.
Send links to your coverage to the person who granted you access. Everyone in music is busy, but you can make someone’s job easier by sharing your contact with them rather than making them seek it out. That behavior will also help you develop stronger relationships with publicists, labels, etc.
Don’t fake it. Humans have a unique ability to detect when someone is lying or not presenting the entire truth. Don’t create content you don’t believe in or would not want to consume. Make what is authentic and meaningful to you, and everything else will fall in place.

There are probably 100 other things we could add, but this is enough for now. We’ll see you at the show!

We spend so many hours scouring the internet for great reads on the music industry that it’s a little impressive our eyeballs haven’t melted out of heads just yet. Still, every once in a while we stumbled across something that makes all the effort worth it, and this week that honor goes to the following blog from photographer Jarle H. Moe. Enjoy.

THE CONTRACTS

The last couple of weeks, the matter of photo contracts once again has been debated. First came Jason Sheldon’s blog post, calling Taylor Swift out on her hypocrisy when attacking Apple for demanding musicians give away their music for free while doing the exact same thing to concert photographers in her photo contracts. If you’re reading this, you’re probably well aware of that whole ordeal, so there’s no need to get into it further other than to say that I fully support Sheldon’s views.

His post made some waves, the latest being The Washington City Paper refusing to sign Foo Fighters infamous contract. Honorable as it may be, as pointed out by Kevin Bergin, their way of solving the problem, will make matters even worse for concert photographers. Petapixel’s Michael Zhang calls the decision a brewing revolution in the world of concert photography, but, I’m not so sure. Right now, it’s “viral”, so there is an immediate payoff, but, as soon as the story fades, so does the will to make change among the decision makers. After all, this is not the first time we’ve seen an “internet riot” against photo contracts, and yet, they are breeding. Well… except in Norway, but I’ll get back to that.

I, A PHOTOJOURNALIST

At its core, concert photography is two things at once: art and journalism, or rather, photojournalism. Most concert photographers work for some sort of outlet – i.e., they are photojournalists. While that’s not a label all concert photographers embrace (or even know about), they should. I see myself as a photojournalist and fully adhere to the responsibilities tied to that label. When I post photos, they are the truth, or at least as close as I can get to it, strictly following the guidelines of the Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press in all my editorial work. Nothing is added or removed, nothing is changed for better or worse. My photos are first and foremost journalistic work, and my audiences can trust that I do not deceive them in my photos.

But, I also see myself as an artist, and care just as deeply about my art as any musician about their music. The greatest challenge to concert photography, in my opinion, it to make art of reality. Not just documenting reality, but showing the world the hidden aesthetics in it. In many ways, it’s a lot like street photography. If it’s staged or “photoshopped”, it loses its value. It’s no longer art in reality. Of course, making art for art’s sake (l’art pour l’art) with the tools available to you, isn’t a bad thing, and I know a lot of concert photographers doing just that, but I’m a journalist. To me, the real world is enough. And, if you are working for an outlet of any kind, you should feel the same way. People reading a newspaper, magazine – or even a music blog, are expecting trusting that you show them what the concert was really like, not how good you are at Photoshop. Your readers are expecting the truth.

I, AN ARTIST

The discussion regarding photo contracts, seem to be centered around the idea of the concert photographer as an artist. A photographer, an artist in his own right, should be able to control (and get paid for) his own work. Handing out a contract demanding the photographer to sign away or limit those right, is disrespecting a fellow artist. While I, as an artist, fully support that notion, I believe that journalistic integrity should come first. The problem with the above, is that not all concert photographers care enough about their work (or monetizing upon it) to defend their rights as long as they get to shoot their favorite band. There’s also the problem of some people viewing an artist as somewhat larger than life, where you, as a concert photographer, are lucky to be even in their presence and should adhere to their contracts (rights grab or not) out of sheer honor.

An artist can be manipulated and bullied into giving up his rights. However, if you have any journalistic integrity at all, it doesn’t matter who you are shooting or what artistic aspirations you may or may not have. One of the most important tenants of journalism, is the idea of a free press. That means, as a photojournalist, you can not allow any company, person or artist to decide what you can, or can not capture or publish. Then the press is no longer free, but dictated by external forces. In a free democracy, the public needs to be able to trust that the press acts as a free agent, without any constraints or limitations exerted by external forces.

IT’S ALL ABOUT CONTROL

Artists (and their managements) will always try to control what the press publishes about them, and while I completely understand the want to control an artist’s image, it is not for the artist or anyone else to decide as long as we live in (and want to continue living in) an open, free democracy (hell, in the age of smartphones and great pocket cameras the whole idea of trying to control image to that extent is, honestly, just silly, as photos will be captured anyway – but they will always try). We, as photojournalists, should treat musicians just the same as we would a politician. If a politician openly tried to control the media in the way some musicians are, it would be a scandal, and yet there’s not any real outrage. Sure, the artistic photographers are angry, but that’s about it.

Concert photographers seem to worry most about the rights grab aspect of some contracts (and, to some extent, the limitations on reselling photos to other outlets), and sure, I totally get that. The Taylor Swift photo contract that [re]ignited the discussion this time around, was mainly criticized for being a rights grab contract. And yes, I like so many others, feel that a rights grab contract is disrespecting me as an artist. That said, my main ‘beef’ with photo contracts, isn’t the disrespect of me as a photographer, but rather the attack on my integrity as a photojournalist. The same contract stipulates that photos shot at the concert may only be used once and only until the end of 2015 online. In my opinion, that’s an attack on my integrity – and in extension, the free press.

And, it’s spreading, because of course it is. They always want more control, and will take it if they can. Now, we’re seeing more and more artists putting limitations on how we photograph them, as well. Only shoot the left side of the face, or from the waist up. The newest instance I’ve read about, is artist Lily Wood demanding no photos to be shot in profile or overview (unfortunately I have no link to back this up, as it was discussed on the closed Concert photographers group). The worst contract I’ve come across, was when Crystal Castles played in Bergen a couple of years ago, with a contract demanding photos to be pre-approved by their management before publishing. You give them the finger, and theywill take the hand. Now that right there is a scandal. Yet, nothing went ‘viral’ back then.

With this in mind, it baffles me to see not only concert photographers, but also major newspapers and outlets signing photo contracts. Where is their journalistic integrity? If a politician demanded to be only photographed in a certain way or that photos be removed after a given period of time, it would be unacceptable, so why is it any different for artists?

BUT WHO GETS CONTROL?

Of course, photos also have a historic value, and should be allowed to live on for future generations to see. They are what lives on when the present has passed. They are history. Having anyone try to control what lives on or not in the way many, if not most, contract tries to, gives artists and their managements power over history that they should not have. One of the most important and recognized concert photos of all time where Johnny Cash is flipping off the camera at his Folsom Prison San Quentin concert, imagine if a contract had been signed, and his management for some reason or another, didn’t like what they saw (or didn’t see it at all, but the photo could only be printed once). Imagine what we, and history, would have lost! It is not for you, me, or any one else to decide what will be important to history. Securing free speech (including as photographic documents), is also securing our history and legacy. Censorship should not be accepted regardless of who tries to impose it. You, as a concert photographer photojournalist, should have enough integrity to not let yourself be slave to the despotic whims of an artist or their management. They may deny us getting in, that’s their right, but when they let us in, they may not dictate how we chose to shoot or how we chose to publish.

If more, if not all, concert photographers identified as journalists and with the ethics that follow in their work, photo contracts would be a thing of the past. Signing a photo contract should be unacceptable, not because it’s disrespecting you as an artist, but because it’s a violation of the ethics you follow as a journalist. So stop thinking about yourself primarily as an artist. You are a [photo]journalist. You may create art, but it’s more to it than that. You are a part of the freepress. Encourage new photographers to identify as journalists. Make the journalism be as natural to our profession as the artistry, and heed to the obligations that come with that label.

GET YOURSELF SOME INTEGRITY, IT’S CHEAP!

And you know what? It actually works! The Norwegian press as a whole, has made a joint statement to never sign any contracts put forward by artists or their management pushed forward by concert photographers, as can be read here. In Norway, most concert photographers are, in essence, photojournalists and identify more or less as such. And because of that, we are part of the press. We are not 100 concert photographers, but 7000 journalists. Together we have a powerful voice. We generally do not meet any photo contracts, and the few we do, never gets signed. And because of that, contracts get fewer and fewer. With the press associations and unions behind us, we actually have a powerful voice against such demands, and the contracts get dropped (though, it has to be said that the local promoters have done tremendous work as well in that regard, but without all of the press acting like a collective, they would have no incentive to waiver the contracts). The aforementioned Foo Fighters contract? Guess what: that was not presented to the photographers in Norway. I can’t even remember the last time I “had” to sign a contract. That’s what having some integrity gets you.

Jarle H. Moe is a photographer based in Norway. You can find more of his work and writing on his website and blog. You can also connect with him throughFlickr, Twitter, and Instagram. This article was also published here.