With the music industry changing faster than ever, record labels are being more particular about the artists they offer deals.
Last week, the Haulix team traveled to Los Angeles for a series of meetings with some of our favorite labels and industry professionals. We met with Hopeless Records, Pure Noise Records, Metal Blade Records, Prosthetic Records, and more. We covered a number of topics related to the music business, but there was one question we asked everyone:
What does it take to get a record deal in 2019?
We expected different answers from different labels, as they each have a specific niche of music they cater to, but the responses were mostly universal. Everyone agrees that you need talent above all else, but they believe talent alone is not enough. In the age of the internet, writing good songs and getting people to listen to them is the bare minimum an artist should be able to accomplish on their own. That kind of work ethic will start to create a conversation around your music, but again, that alone is not enough to get signed.
So, what does it take?
The music business is changing, and so is the type of artists who get signed. Labels are no longer able to take risks on everyone who creates a viral hit or knows how to write catchy songs. To stand out from the competition today, musicians need more than talent. Much more, in fact, and in this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell reveals what the biggest labels in music are looking for in the musicians they sign.
I have a spent a decade of my life writing about music. A lot has changed in that time, far more than I could ever tell you about in a single post, but one thing that always remains the same is the December drought. Every twelve months the year ends with a whisper instead of a band as far as new releases are concerned because a good portion of the industry takes close to half the month off and the other-half is too busy trying to garner ‘best of’ coverage for what was released in the preceding eleven months to busy themselves with something new.
You may be thinking, “If a big chunk of the industry is on vacation for part of the month, why would I even think about releasing something new now?” While it’s true the likelihood of every submission label receive being heard this month there are literally millions of music fans all over the world whose thirst for new and exciting music can never be fulfilled. While the labels are pushing their best releases on holiday shoppers you can make a splash by offering hungry music fans something to satisfy their cravings. Your music could be the record that saves Christmas (or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or…you get the idea).
And it’s not just music listeners who are looking for great content this month. Every music publication with a website – otherwise known as ALL music publications – are doing their best to keep a steady stream of news and streams flowing to their audience. A drop in the amount of music being promoted by notable artists and labels creates a space where up and coming acts can jump in and thrive far quicker than at any other point in the calendar year. If leveraged correctly, that momentum can be carried into the new year, and by summer you could be the next big thing in your scene.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Web Editor for Substream Magazine and host of the Inside Music podcast. Follow him on Twitter.
The secondary ticket market is a thorn in the side of many people, but perhaps no one is more thoroughly unhappy with that particular marketplace than musicians who gain nothing when tickets to their shows are sold at higher than face value prices. As far as we know there has never been a service that aimed to bring artists into the secondary ticket market, but that now seems to be changing thanks to a recently announced partnership between BandPage and StubHub.
Before you get too excited, StubHub is not offering to cut artists in on the money earned from reselling tickets to their performances. Instead, StubHub will soon begin integrating the BandPage platform into their site, which will allow artists to sell VIP packages, merchandise and other offers on one of the biggest catalogs of tickets for live events in the world. BandPage has found that online marketplaces typically have conversion rates as much as five times higher than what most artists see in their own online stores, so even though artists won’t get more money from their live show ticket sales they may be able to move a few more shirts or records as demand for their events continues to rise.
According to our friends at Hypebot, Switchfoot, George Clinton and OK Go will be part of a pilot program that tests this new integration. The promotion is expected to launch early this month.
“Being able to offer an upgraded experience like a VIP or merchandise at the moment they are checking out not only helps increase sales for musicians through a brand new channel, it helps improve the overall ticket purchasing and concert-going experience for these valued customers,” said Bruce Flohr, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Red Light Management and manager for Switchfoot.
Additional details of the partnership:
StubHub will show fans the available items for sale in musicians’ BandPage Stores as they proceed through the checkout
StubHub will also leverage insights into musicians’ biggest fans and reach them directly through email with highly targeted offers
BandPage will empower musicians with the ability to curate their profiles across StubHub, including StubHub Music, a new mobile concert discovery app for iOS that scans user’s iTunes and Spotify libraries to alert them when their favorite artists are performing at local venues
Musicians will be able to control their profile picture, bio and more on these properties directly from their BandPage Profile
Most the artists I have met would rather sites like StubHub not exist at all, but in a world where secondary ticket markets are allowed to operate this new partnership seems like the best opportunity for artists to get in on the financial action spawned by demand for their fast-selling live performances. Some may choose to not participate on grounds doing so is akin to saying you’re okay with people charging your fans above face value prices for tickets, but if that is going to happen either way I see no reason any smart artist would not try to leverage the situation for their own personal gain. After all, the only reason these sites thrive is because of demand for the artist, so it only makes sense that the entertainment industry find a way to lend some kind of olive branch to the people who make it possible for that market to exist.
Whether or not this partnership lasts remains to be seen, but I for one am definitely curious to see how, or even if it has an impact on the way majority of artists view the secondary ticket market. What do you think?
Making it as an unsigned band in America today is perhaps harder than it has been at any other point in recorded history. The age of social media and digital music has certainly created more ways for artists to engage with the world at large, but just because you have a platform to discuss your latest activity does not guarantee anyone will want to listen. In order to achieve that, you need to work hard and be as kind as possible to everyone you meet. You need to stay up late working on songs, and then stay up even later working on your live show. You need to tweet and use Facebook as much, if not more, than you use any other marketing service. You need to make yourself available, plain and simple, but you also need one thing many artist that get everything else right lack, and that thing is nothing more than good music.
Enter Fox & Cats. Hailing from Texas with a indie-tinged take on pop rock that will melt your heart, this duo has spent the better part of the last year preparing to release their new album, Ampersand. Along the way, the group has toured the states, played to crowds of every size, and learned a lot about what it means to be a successful band in 2015. With the release of Ampersand right around the corner, we took a few minutes last week to speak with the band about everything going on in their very busy lives right now, as well as the lessons learned over the last year of their lives. You can find their responses, as well as some music from their upcoming record, below.
H: To start us off, why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself to our readers:
F&C: We are Fox & Cats, a rock band from Houston, TX. I, Josh Willems, play guitar and sing. Nicole Wigginton handles the drums and we have our good friend, Chris Dunaway, on bass guitar.
H: When did Fox & Cats originally begin, and how did you and your band mate originally meet one another? Basically, give us the ‘Marvel origin story’ for your group.
F&C: Nicole and I met in high school through playing in different bands. We started playing music together with a couple friends a few years after we graduated. After about a year of trying to settle on a sound and going through lineup changes we decided to move forward as a two-piece for a while. Thus Fox & Cats was born. We’ve been playing together for about 5 years now and have evolved to become a three-piece in recent months.
H: You’re from Texas, which has been known for a variety of musical genres over the last fifty or sixty years. What can you tell us about the scene you hail from? Do most groups play a style of music similar to yours, or do you stick out? What are shows like?
F&C: Houston tends to produce a pretty wide variety of musical genres. Most of the bands we play with are doing something completely different from our sound which I feel works to our advantage by helping us stick out. Shows can be pretty hit or miss. It mostly depends on the lineup and what night of the week it is. People don’t tend to go out of their way to catch unknown bands at shows. If the mood is right and you’ve got something booked on a Fridayor Saturday night with a decent Headliner the turn outs can be pretty rad.
H: For someone who has never heard your music before, how would you sell your sound?
F&C: I usually find myself using the same terms to describe our sound: loud, upbeat and catchy. Our peers usually tell us it reminds them of everything they used to listen to in high school.
H: I only discovered you about a month ago while at a house show during SXSW. Your sound was great live, and it wasn’t until after I was back at my hotel that I learned you were actually a duo. When did you start bringing additional members on the road? Do you have plans to make those additional members a permanent part of the group?
F&C: When F&C first started we actually had four members in the band. After a while things came up and the two guys we were playing with went on to do other non-music related things. Nicole and I didn’t feel like giving up so easily so we continued as a duo. Because of our start, adding additional members to the band was always in the back of our minds but we wanted to make sure whoever we added was a really good fit. I think recording our new album really brought out our desire to grow as a band. In December of 2014 we decided to try playing a show with extra musicians to back it up. It went well so when we planned our recent spring tour we brought along our friend Chris to play bass. At this point we consider him a fulltime member. Whether or not we continue to add musicians or not just depends on whether or not we meet the right people.
H: I’ve always been curious about the writing process for a duo. Is it an equal combination or ideas from each member, or does one work on music and the other focuses on lyrics? Please, tell us what you are able to about how you go create your art.
F&C: Most of our songs start out as acoustic songs that I come up with in my attic. Once I have a basic skeleton of a song Nicole and I will start working in drums and polish up the song until we’re satisfied. I also like to use the voice notes app on my phone to record little riffs I come up with. I’ve probably got about thirty little snippets and ideas saved in there that may someday evolve into full songs.
H: Your new album is titled ‘Ampersand.’ What was the motivation behind choosing this name?
F&C: The idea came partly from us joking around about our band name. One of our biggest pet peeves is seeing our name on show flyers or reviews with the word “and” instead of the ampersand in our name. There’s just something some much less aesthetically pleasing about writing out the word “and”. Hopefully using it as the title of our album will help solidify our beloved ampersand. Another reason is that this is our second release. It’s kind of like we’re saying “…& here’s some more music from Fox & Cats.”
H: Your band is in the unique position of not just starting off, but also not being established to the point of being able to tour anywhere and have kids show up. You’re somewhere in the middle, and that interests quite a bit. What goal do you have for this record, and where do you hope to find yourselves after its released?
F&C: I think being able to tour comfortably is our biggest goal with this band. We just really want to be able to play music across the country and hopefully some day, around the world. Above everything else we hope that everyone who listens to the new record, or any music that we make, will enjoy it and be entertained by it.
H: Is the longterm goal to sign to a label, or are you happy remaining independent?
F&C: A label would be nice but it’s not something we’re actively trying to achieve. We’ve come this far pretty much on our own so I think we’d be comfortable moving forward that way. That being said, I’m sure there’s plenty that a label would be able to do to help us grow, so it’s definitely not an idea we’re opposed to.
H: Bands that are able to develop dedicated following without the help of a label are often able to demand more before signing any deals. Your band has started to build quite a bit of hype, so I’m curious – what would you want to see in a record deal that would make you interested in signing?
F&C: Honestly… just give us a sexy bus, maybe a steady supply of hot pockets and shows to play and we’re happy. Funding everything with just the three of us working crappy jobs can be pretty difficult sometimes. Recording, pressing cd’s and ordering merch definitely isn’t cheap so I guess some money would be nice too.
H: Moving away from the label talk, what kind of live plans do you have for the summer?
F&C: We’re planning on setting up at least one tour. Likely towards the end of summer and likely along the west coast. We’ll have more details on that as we start pulling it together.
H: For people who have never experience your live show, what should they expect?
F&C: Awkward dad jokes, crazy hair flying around in the air (it’s been about a year since my last cut) and sweaty bodies. We usually look like we just crawled out of a swimming pool by the end of our shows.
H: I think that covers just about everything I had in mind to ask. Before I let you go, are there any final thoughts or observations that you care to share with us?
F&C: If you microwave a Hawaiian sweet roll for 5 seconds and then smear Nutella all over it, it tastes EXACTLY like a chocolate doughnut. You’re welcome. Also be sure and pick up a copy of our new album ‘Ampersand’ when it comes out May 12th!
Hello and welcome to the dawn of a brand new week. We have been planning and working on the content you will see posted in the coming days for the better part of the summer, and to be perfectly honest it is a bit of a relief to know they will all soon be shared with you. This blog exists to promote the future of the music industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your music-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
The internet has changed essentially every aspect of the music business. From the amount of time between an album’s recording and release, to the way news is distributed and the way artists engage with their fans, nothing is the same today as it was even a decade ago. As someone who lived through it all and can clearly remember the days before everything you ever wanted could be found online, I constantly find myself blown away by the amount of change and evolution that has taken place within my own lifetime. It seems anything is possible these days, as long as you’re willing to work for it of course, which is part of motivation behind my decision to feature a relatively unknown band by the name of Knuckle on the blog this afternoon.
About a week ago, I received an email that brought to my attention a new duo from the UK who call themselves Knuckle. The two piece, as the press release explained, met on Halloween night in 2013 and decided to launch a band not long after. Their first single, “Living Hell,” can be enjoyed below:
I don’t know what you felt when you were hearing the song above, but the first time it met my ears I immediately knew Knuckle were onto something great. I reached out for more material, but their publicist informed me the guys only had a few songs completed and were focusing on developing their presence before releasing more music. This is a common response given to people requesting unreleased music, especially when talking about newer artists, but the more I pondered on Knuckle’s need to gain further exposure the more I became fascinated with the way the industry has changed. The members of Knuckle met less than a year ago, but already they have played with internationally recognized groups (Little Barrie), recorded some great songs, and released their first music video. Call me crazy, but there was a time when achieving all that mean you had ‘made it’ in some small way.
Anyone old enough to drive in the United States no doubt has a decent memory of the world before social media. In those days, if your band formed in October you would probably have a minimum of six months, if not more before you began playing shows. As for recording, you either needed to do it yourself with whatever equipment you could find or save enough money to enter an actual studio, but in order to that you first needed to generate income through playing shows. As a result, it was not uncommon to see even the greatest new artists take a year or two or more to find their audience. There was no Twitter to turn to with every thought you have, nor Facebook to post tour dates on. Bands that wanted fans had to hit the pavement and promote. They had to create actual press kits and pay whatever ridiculous postage was charged to get those kits into the hands of every record label, music publication, and management team whose address was available to the public. You may have an EP out six months after forming, but it would not hold a candle to the quality or quantity of content being produced today.
The world has changed since then, however, and whether you think it’s for the better or for the worse there is no denying that we are able to discover new artists and the music they create easier today than ever before. The hard part, at least as far as artists are concerned, is turning that person who discovers their music into an actual, financially supportive fan. That is the place where Knuckle find themselves right now, and it was one of the many things we discussed when I had the opportunity to interview them at the end of last week. You can read highlights from our conversation below.
Knuckle will be working on new music well into the fall, but I expect another single will surface before snow starts to fall. Follow the band on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated on their latest activity. If you have any additional questions, please comment at the end of this post and we’ll do our best to get them answered.
H: Why, hello. It’s a pleasure to have you with us. Before we begin, would you please take a moment to introduce yourselves to our readers:
K: Hello there! We are Knuckle, a two piece from Huddersfield consisting Jonny Firth AKA Jonny the Girth (refers to his waistband and not penis width) on Lead Guitar and Lead Vocals and Ben Wallbanks AKA Ballwanks on Lead Drums.
H: Thank you, Ben and Jonny. We have been looking forward to this interview ever since we first heard “Living Hell.” Tell me, how has the response been to that single so far?
K: Pretty good. We’re really happy with the reviews and radio play we’ve had from it. People have started singing it back to us when we play it live which is a bit weird, but awesome.
H: After hearing the single I had to look up your story, and I must say I am a little blown away to learn that you have been together for less than a year. Would you please share your origin story with our readers? Bonus points for descriptions of the costumes I’m told you were wearing at the time:
K: We met on Halloween last year (2013) at a gig Ben was playing. Jonny was the support act. Ben was wearing a potato sack on his head, a rice sack on his torso and gold sparkly tights on his legs. Jonny was dressed as himself (like an American trucker). Picture of Ben enclosed. After that we got smashed, went to a reggae night and decided we should be called Knuckle
H: Had you ever crossed paths before that night, or was this a random first-time meeting? You must have shared mutual friends.
K: We’d probably crossed paths around Leeds or Huddersfield before but never seen each other, either that or we’ve met a few times and been too fucked to remember. At the Halloween gig we met through a mutual friend that plays in the same band as Ben and fixes Jonny’s amps (The Amp Shack, plug plug plug).
H: So, who was the first to say ‘Let’s start a band’?
K: Ben was the first one to mention it, as soon as Jonny got off stage at the Halloween gig. I think the exact words were “You play guitar like I play drums, we should be in a band”.
H: Before we talk about this project any further, we should probably learn a little bit about your history. What other groups, if any, have you been a part of?
K: Jonny has a one man band thing called Jonnythefirth and is in a band with two girls that he can never win arguments with called Crybabycry.
Ben has played in all sorts of shit, from an experimental 18 piece ensemble to Space funk band Kava Kava and many other rock bands along the way.
H: I have read a number of articles about your music, and it seems everyone has their own way of describing your sound. How do you explain the sound of Knuckle to people who have never encountered your music?
K: We throw all of sorts of genres at them hoping to get one right from garage blues to surf punk. We just baffle them with bollocks.
H: Along with releasing the single “Living Hell,” you also released a music video. What can you tell us about the creation of that clip? Just so you know, we’ll probably embed the video into this story, so feel free to be as descriptive as you like
K: We were very lucky to be able to work with Marco Zafffino who is an award winning film maker. We wanted a dark and dingy performance video, so we went to the pub… Just so happens they have a dark and dingy basement. Jonny wanted there to be freaky masks involved because he’s a bit strange like that, so we got a load of mates to wear some… then we got fucked (can you see a recurring theme here?).
H: You’ve already played with a number of internationally recognized acts, including Little Barrie. How did you go about setting up your first shows, and what has the reaction from crowds been like thus far?
K: Like we mentioned earlier, we’ve played in a few bands before this one and people seemed to be excited that we were starting a band together, so they booked us! Luckily most of the people loved it. Some people have walked out because we played too loud, but fuck ’em.
H: How would you describe your live show?
K: Raucous and unpredictable, mainly because we never practice! Some nights we decide to jam, sometimes Jonny jumps into the crowd or climbs on tables, sometimes there are shameless drum solos.
H: You’ve been a band for less than a year, and even though you kick a lot of ass the vast majority of music fans have yet to discover your music. What steps have you taken to get your name out there?
K: We’ve gigged and gigged and gigged this year, playing around 45 gigs in 6 months, sometimes we have 2 or 3 gigs in one day. We also try to keep our social media stuff interesting, funny and/or dirty. Getting as many features in blogs and on websites is always a priority too, Wall of Sound pr have helped us with this massively.
H: What is the hardest part about gaining recognition for your music in 2014? There seem to be many channels for sharing your work, but getting people to pay attention seems like another battle altogether.
K: I think he hardest part of getting recognition is cutting through the bullshit. It’s so easy and cheap for anyone to put their music online so there’s a lot of competition… Even us two idiots did it!
H: Do you have any advice to offer others who may be considering starting a band in an age where marketing an recognition mean more than ever before?
K: Start a band because you love it!
H: What are the biggest challenges facing Knuckle right now?
K: The biggest challenge right now is getting over this bastard of a hangover! After that, I think it’s still getting our music recognised and listened to. We’re a long way off being able to sell loads of records.
H: Do you have any goals for this project? Go on, be lofty!
K: We want to give up our shitty jobs!
H: What is the hardest part about being a musician in 2014? Best?
K: The best part is the same as it’s always been, playing live and getting that buzz that can’t be replicated. The hardest is like we mentioned earlier, being noticed in a sea of bands all trying to get the same thing.
H: Okay, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Before I let you go, do you have any final thoughts or observations that you would like to share with our readers?
Hello and welcome to the fifth installment of Eric Morgan’s How To Kill Your Band. This column offers advice to up and coming artists from the perspective of a professional musician who has thrived with and without label support over the last decade. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
An Introduction:
I’ve been in the music industry as an artist for nearly 10 years now. In that decade I’ve achieved nearly all of my childhood music dreams, but I’ve also made just as many mistakes that run over my mind before I fall asleep each night. A wonderment of how a few different decisions, rerunning in hindsight, would work out in some alternate universe. This ever creeping determinism is a fallacy I’m quite aware of but one that I will never completely shake, though it’s these experiences I’ve learned the most valuable lessons. These are the things I’d like to share in a series of mini-blogs I call How To Kill Your Band.
Part 5 – DIY Touring
So you’ve made it through last week’s post and countered the bluntness of why anyone would even consider booking your band – well then you must have something special or you’ve got Apple level marketing genius. Either way, it works. The next step in the heroic quest to get your music on the road is to figure out how to book your own tours. Like I mentioned last week, learning to book tours independently is one of the few skills learned during bandlife that can eventually turn itself into a legitimate job so it’s worth diving into if you want to stay in the industry postmortem. Luckily for you, five years ago I took my just-graduated-college naivety and dove headfirst into booking AHAF’s first tour making just about every mistake you could possibly make. We’ll gloss over the embarrassing stuff and get right into a few tips and resources I’ve discovered that can help get you started.
Indie On The Move
Back in 2009, an “agent” had booked us our first tour that we’d been promoting for months along with our record label. Three weeks before it was to start, the agent vanished and we came to find out only half the dates were actually booked. We should of just canceled the tour, but being young and dumb I decided to finish it myself. After several tedious days of Googling/MySpacing venues in different cities I ended up coming across IndieOnTheMove.com. At the time, it was an oasis of venue information conveniently sorted by location and provided just enough hope to keep me going. To this day it continues to be a valuable resource for diy touring bands and has a great community providing not just venue information but it’s own tips for new bands on the road. However, I learned fairly quickly that having venue information is only valuable if they have in-house talent buyers specific to your genre. In most cases, promoters separate from the venue are responsible for putting on shows and this needs to be under consideration when contacting venues directly. Nevertheless, it’s a superb starting point when searching possible venues to go after on your initial routing.
Local Metal
One feature of MySpace that I still miss to this day is the ability to search for bands by location. Sure you can use ReverbNation* or Bandcamp but it’s not nearly as comprehensive as the service Tom built. Further, finding bands only lets you creep their show flyers in hopes of finding a mention of the promoter. Fortunately, the Local Metal Facebook network has become a directory of venues, promoters, and even current local bands in each state. As you’ll see in the main page’s info, each state has it’s own separate FB page and that page contains the directory of local contacts. Even more than being categorized by state, each state’s page has gone another step and conveniently listed contacts by city. This is by far my favorite diy find for collecting promoter contacts and has been invaluable on tours I’ve booked in new territories and contrary to the name, it provides worthy contacts across multiple genres.
*Quick note on Reverbnation, don’t use it. Or at least don’t show it to people. I live just a couple blocks away from the RN headquarters so it pains me to advise against a local startup but recently an A/R for a large record label mentioned to me that part of his daily email triage is to automatically delete anyone who sends a Reverbnation link with their submission. Seems harsh right? But it’s similar to applying for a job with an aol.com email address – it projects that you’re somewhat out of touch with the modern trends and realities within the industry.
Learn how to write an email
Now that you have a list of names to contact it’s time to, well, contact them. Here’s where you need to explain why someone should book your band and do so in a way that provides the breadth of necessary information in an organized, easy to read message. The importance of brevity here cannot be understated. Writing a 10 line deep first paragraph describing the virtues of your band’s dietary decisions is the quickest way to get passed over. Understand the volume of emails a promoter receives and try to not make their life any harder. The subject line should contain the bands on the package along with the specific date requested while the body needs only to list the bands’ most pertinent marketable information and links to Facebook and notable YouTube videos. Think of what a promoter might use to promote your band and give them the tools to do so right off the bat.
Above all else, the best advice I can give is to stay organized. Carefully maintain your contact and routing spreadsheets, respond to every email, and learn to love Google Docs. Booking, like anything, takes practice and you’ll make a fair share of dumb moves but it rewards those that are obsessive in their determination. Treat everything you book as if it’s going on your resume because as I’ve mentioned, it’s a skill that can turn itself into a job in an industry where experience is valued over degrees.
Hello and welcome to the fourth installment of Eric Morgan’s How To Kill Your Band series. We run this column every other week and encourage anyone who enjoys the material found below to visit previous editions of HTKYB they may have missed. If you have any questions regarding the content of this blog, or if you would like to learn more information about the services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
An Introduction:
I’ve been in the music industry as an artist for nearly 10 years now. In that decade I’ve achieved nearly all of my childhood music dreams, but I’ve also made just as many mistakes that run over my mind before I fall asleep each night. A wonderment of how a few different decisions, rerunning in hindsight, would work out in some alternate universe. This ever creeping determinism is a fallacy I’m quite aware of but one that I will never completely shake, though it’s these experiences I’ve learned the most valuable lessons. These are the things I’d like to share in a series of mini-blogs I call How To Kill Your Band.
Part 4 – Don’t tour. Yet.
Learning to book your own tours is perhaps the most important skill you can learn as you make your way in music. It’s not only useful because of it’s immediate impact on your ability to promote yourself on the road, but is also one of the few skills that can pay dividends after your own band calls it quits. Becoming adept at booking takes practice more than anything, but it heavily favors those who are a bit obsessive. Locking in a tour dates takes a certain neurotic tendency necessary to piece together a complex puzzle that never really has a exact solution. No tour is ever going to be 100% perfect from start to end, something that tortured me early on, though the key is learning how to adapt and work to the constantly changing variables – venue closings, promoter drops, competing tours in the area, etc. But before we get to the actual mechanics of tour routing, we’re going to spend this week answering just one question:
Why would anyone book your band?
Every young band would want to be out there promoting their music nightly but it just isn’t something most should do. There has to be a reason for a promoter to book your band and you need to be able to communicate that clearly. As I touched on in HTKYB #2, being signed gives you immediate value to a talent buyer even if he’s never heard of you before. They can build a show around your band because local bands are smart and know every single label so it gives them a reason for sharing the stage with you – essentially something to put on their resume and the fleeting hope that you’ll be so amazed by their set you’ll personally recommend them to your label.
If you’re not signed it’s still possible to tour diy, plenty of bands do it successfully, but you need to be able to offer another kind of value to the promoter. Here it helps to be different – why would a promoter in Toledo book an unknown metalcore act from out of state when there are plenty local bands who actually draw? Offering something not already saturating the market gives them an unique event to promote while also just supporting the basic economics of the situation. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need be genre defying but could also stem from having a distinct live show or an unconventional type of branding. If all else fails, you can even separate yourself by brute force through effort. Offer to set up your own publicity for the show with local radio stations, get posters hung at local joints, and even go out on foot to promote. On many of the early AHAF tours, we’d call ahead to Hot Topics and FYE stores at malls located near that days venue and set up our own in store meetups. We’d get to the store around noon to ready our merch table by the entrance where we’d handout show flyers and promo items to people as they walked in. During the holiday season it was even more valuable because parents would be rushing around looking for last minute stocking stuffers and it was it was easy to convince them they could end their search with an album or t-shirt.
The long and short of it is that it all comes down to giving a talent buyer something they can promote. Whether that be through label support, originality, or meticulously growing your support region by region, you must understand the basic economics through a promoters eyes and give them something they can build a show on. There are bands that get insanely lucky by starting out with notable agent even before their first show (Woe, Is Me, Capture the Crown) but that’s rare and having the ability to book your own tours is a highly valuable skillset if you plan on working somewhere in the music industry post bandlife. Perhaps what I’ve learned most from my experiences on the road is that you shouldn’t rush into touring. I’ve witnessed many bands, who while sounding great, simply weren’t ready to be on the road and eventually succombed to the depleted morale and mounting struggles of unsuccessful tours. It’s much more financially and emotionally supporting to be patient before going on the road, as the consequences of premature touring could end even the most promising bands.
Now if you’ve decided that you have a band ready to tour but unsure on how to get started, then check back next week when I’ll go through some tips and tricks from my experiences on creating your own promoter lists, negotiating prices, and communicating effectively in your offer sheets.
Hello and welcome to the second ‘Advice’ column of the week. This one is a bit different than others that have come before, as it is a guest post covering a wide array of industry topics. We never know what our guest contributors will deliver, but we are always impressed by the results, and this entry is no exception. If you have an idea for this blog, or if you would like to learn more about the digital distribution services we offer, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. If you prefer social media, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter.
A couple weeks back, I was watching our news ticker here at Haulix HQ when I say an exclusive on Billboard from an up and coming pop rock band I did not know existed. The photo accompanying the article showed three young and, admittedly, my mind instantly jumped to comparisons with the recent resurgence of boy bands. Then I heard their music and realized that was not the case in the slightest. No, these young men were (and are) onto something real. Something people can dance to, yes, but also connect with again and again.
The name of the group from that article is King The Kid, and they are currently watching their career ascend like a rocket through the various levels of underground stardom. They are indeed young, but that in no way means that have not learned the proper way to navigate the often tumultuous terrain of the music industry, and in the paragraphs below they share their recipe for success. From getting started, to touring, infrastructure, and goals, this may be the most wide-reaching guest article we have ever hosted and the information contained is absolutely indispensable.
If you would like to stay up to date with everything King The Kid have going on, make sure you follow the band on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
Introduction
On the surface, King The Kid, our band, is a group of three best friends that not only write and record music but also travel the country playing for our rapidly growing fanbase. But behind the scenes, King The Kid, LLC. is a well-oiled machine/ independent band that tries to effectively leverage our skills to maximize growth and potential opportunities. At all times, we are focused on both the Art and the Business of what we are trying to accomplish.
The Band Infrastructure
Our team is small. The three of us do everything. We delegate when we need to or where we don’t have the expertise. When we met in Los Angeles, the musical chemistry was remarkable, and we quickly learned that our success depended on the passion behind our music. We decided to leave our friends and connections in LA and move to Oregon, where we could develop our synergy and our music without distraction. We set up the band as a Limited Liability Corporation, entered into a partnership agreement with each other, and hired a lawyer and an accountant. With that out of the way, once in Oregon, we deliberately and strategically prepared the band for its introduction to the world. We wrote and recorded our first album, Start Something, as well as produced numerous covers and videos that helped us develop our production skills even further (and made us a few new fans along the way). We learned basic photography and design and we set up our merchandise infrastructure that allowed us to manage our costs to sell and distribute our merch completely by ourselves. By keeping the production and development “in-house”, we were able to manage the costs that would have been a part of setting up the band, and in a matter of months, we created a vast foundation of content that would both satisfy “old” fans and convert “new” fans into die-hard advocates.
Content is King
-Music
It is the life-blood of the band. And guess what… as an artist in any genre, it is an equal playing field. You are competing against everyone from Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Imagine Dragons to The Beatles. With the entire musical discography available for FREE to anyone, your music needs to compete or you will not break through the clutter. Everyone is in the “big leagues.” Push yourself to find your own sound. Think outside the box. Imitation will get you nowhere, however through the right combination of inspiration you can find your unique voice. People respond to what is DIFFERENT. Think Lorde, Macklemore, Adele, Gotye.
-Social Media
You need to connect with your fans with the resources available to you. We live in such a fast-paced world, that if you are “out of sight, you are out of mind.” From Twitter to Instagram to YouTube, you need to be constantly updating your fans. They want to connect with you. They want to participate in your journey. They want to feel like they have access to you! Be yourself. Much like the music, they will fall in love with you in your most honest, authentic and genuine moments.
-Talent
“Your ability to play exceeds social networking” – Bob Lefsetz
There is currently a shift in music back to true musicianship. The Top 40 charts are changing. As an artist, you need to be a triple threat. You need to be able to sing, to write, and to perform. And for us, it has been beneficial to also record, mix and produce. Not only do you need to be the best you can be, you need to be better than everyone else. An honest song that is true to YOUR heart is the way into the audience’s heart and that will only come through years of honing your songwriting chops. Anyone’s recordings can sound good, but when it comes to a live performance, you need to WOW the audience.
Traditional Media vs. Social Media
Nothing is more powerful than a person-to-person connection. Giving someone a hug after a show is more valuable than responding to someone’s tweet. Fans want to look you in the eyes. It is very important that you never neglect that. This is the reason Amanda Palmer raised over 1 Million Dollars on Kickstarter. She was the master of the fan-artist communication. This was built through years of touring & personally meeting people, AS WELL as utilizing social media. It is important that you balance both of these tools.
Drive
This is our job. We are on call 24 hours a day. When the band gets an email, it is our personal responsibility to read it and stay informed. We hold each other accountable. We are homeless for this band. We have sacrificed relationships, jobs, sleep and countless other opportunities in pursuit of our dream. Sacrifice and persistence are the key elements. Wanting to make it is not enough. We NEED to make it.
Decisions
We don’t make any decisions without truly thinking them through. Every business-move the band makes is strategic and calculated. We aren’t afraid to take risks. And we always have at least a 3-month plan.
The Team
Build your team based around trust and productivity. Anyone can talk the talk, but it’s the people that actually get shit done that you should keep around. And always compensate everyone for their work! Treat your employees well and they will exceed your expectations.
Goal
Our goal is to be true to our fans, our music and us. We strive to do as much as we can ourselves, to get expertise where we need it and to make some great music along the way and release it in the smartest way possible.
Extra Pointers:
Practice your ass off. There is always room to improve and progress will only come through being self-critical.
Look for every opportunity you can find.
If you make a promise to your fans, follow through.
Stay Hungry.
Be smart about fundraising. Kickstarter, Pledgemusic, merch bundles, sales, preorders are key.
Subscribe to Bob Lefsetz. Read Donald Passman’s “All You Need to Know About The Music Business”.
Carefully balance your use of social media tools (like YouTube) and traditional media/promotion tools. In person interaction is more valuable than online.
Hello, everyone. Another afternoon has arrived and we’re prepared to inform/distract with an all-new Advice column that aims to help give you the leg up when it comes to promoting your videos online. If you have an idea for a future installment of this column, or if you have a question you’d like us to tackle, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts.
There are endless possibilities as far as creative ways to promote new video content is concerned, but none of that matters in the slightest if you do not understand the basic ins and outs of YouTube. Yes, we’re all aware sites like Vimeo and DailyMotion are on the rise, but for the sake of today’s column we’re going to address those posting content to the crown jewel of Google’s user-generated media empire. Thousands of hours of content are uploaded daily, and in this article we’re going to provide some basic tips for maximizing your exposure.
My career in music largely involves writing and artist/event promotion, so when people began asking about help with video content I knew it would be wise to consult with someone far more active in that area of the business. I reached out to recently featured blogger Joshua Weilding, founder of Digital Tour Bus, and he was kind enough to assist me in putting together today’s list. If you have any questions, please comment at the end of this post.
Before we begin: If you have been skipping YouTube in your promotional efforts for any reason up to this point, stop reading immediately and create an account. YouTube is the most popular site for video online by a wide margin, and while that means fiercer competition it also means it has the biggest pool of potential new fans. Now, onto the list…
1. Use relevant tags (aka ‘you’re not a cute kitten – get over it’)
After you upload a new video, YouTube allows you to add as many tags as you would like. The goal of this tool is to help the site better service your video to people searching related criteria on their site, but all too often young artists use this section of the site to attempt at cashing in on popular tags (kitten, sex, Drake, etc.) in hopes of grabbing a few extra views. This promotional method rarely, if ever works, and for as long as you leave these irrelevant tags attached to your video they will be visible to those checking out your page. Do you want tricked clicks, or do you want the attention of people searching for new music? Choose wisely.
2. Reply to people who comment on your video
In an age where bands have fans contacting them from at least 3 social networking sites (Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook) at all hours of the day it can be hard to wrap your head around the notion of adding a fourth to the list, but YouTube comments should be a priority for every member of your group. Especially if you’re just starting out, damning or negative comments can have a severe impact on the way people engage with your content. By talking with people, both the supporters and haters, you begin to forge bonds with listeners that can have unknown returns in the days, weeks, and months that follows.
If none of the above appeals to you as a solid reason to engage this audience, consider the fact YouTube’s algorithm for ranking on search pages takes the interaction rates of videos into consideration. The more you communicate, the higher you rank. There are not many places in the social networking landscape where that is the case, so use YouTube as a way to gain a foothold with new listeners and over time it will extend to other areas of your online presence.
3. Sharing is caring, and that goes for press coverage as well.
No one was ever discovered without doing something to promote themselves first. If you want your video to succeed you’re going to have to promote it, and that includes doing whatever you can to gain the attention of blogs/journalists. The more backlinks a video has, the better it will rank.
Tumblr is especially useful as far as social sharing is concerned. Whenever a video is reblogged it counts as a separate backlink, and that number can grow significantly in a small amount of time of posted to the right account.
Hello and welcome to the beginning of an all-new week of music industry insight here on the official blog of Haulix. We’re turning the tables just a bit this afternoon and kicking things off with a brand new Advice column that aims to put one digital debate to rest for good. If you or someone you know has an idea for a future installment of this column, please do not hesitate to email james@haulix.com and share your suggestion.
Like it or not, there is definitely something to be said for artists who have the ability to amass a large online following without the help of a record label or top 40 single. Labels and managers love this kind of artist because it paints the perception of a successful, or at least well-liked artist even though everyone knows Facebook likes and Twitter followers do not correlate in any way to sales or actual financial success. Still, in a business where image means a lot there are those who are willing to do anything to raise the numbers associated with their so-called digital ‘supporters,’ and all too often that means turning to companies that offer guaranteed likes/follows for a price. These businesses may seem legit, but today we’re going to look at 4 reasons why going this route almost always ends badly for the artist.
1. Engagement means more than your like or follower count ever will.
You know that saying about how you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force it to drink? The same goes for gaming your social media stats. You can make it seem like 25,000 people love your one-man band from the middle of nowhere, but you cannot force their nonexistent bodies to show up at your next gig. Likewise, unless you go all-in and decide to buy followers as well as social engagement (plays on Youtube, streams on Facebook, etc. – it’s all possible for a price) it will not take long for the actual, living people who view your profile to notice a severe discrepancy between followers and people interacting with your account.
2. You increase the risk of spamming actual fans.
The idea of giving some unknown entity twenty dollars in exchange for 10,000 followers seems relatively catch-free, but anyone digging into the agreement users make when signing up for these companies will notice they more often than not require clients to allow the company to post on their behalf. That mean that at some point down the line, likely when you expect it the least, messaging will be blasted from your account to everyone connected with your group. If you’re on Twitter, this often means mass private messaging, which most people will report as spam. When that happens enough the fine folks at Twitter HQ will shutdown your account, and upon review of your activity it’s likely your recent ‘social boost’ will come to light. That will result in the loss of your account, and at that point you’ll be even worse off than when you began.
3. No one wants to work with someone who is trying to game the music industry.
No one holding a position in music that can help your career is stupid. That should go without saying, but click around the social media accounts of unsigned artists long enough and you’re bound to find dozens boasting followings that in no way reflect their actual status as performers. These people brag endlessly about their hype ‘on the streets,’ and for awhile this tactic may work, but there are a growing number of tools that industry professionals are using to unmask those hiding behind fake followers. People who are caught or discovered to be engaging in this practice of gaming social stranding are often blacklisted from many press outlets, and we’ve even heard from multiple PR reps who claim they have refused to work with artists in the past because they suspected them of boosting their stats.
4. You will get caught.
Music is hard for everyone, and that includes both professionals and artists. Those who make a career in this industry have worked extremely hard to get that far and they do not take kindly to people who try to cheat the system. Do the work. Post interesting content whenever you’re able, engage with the people who are already following your efforts, and over time you will begin to organically develop an online following. Anyone promising you a massive social media change over night is either lying to you or withholding key details that will eventually come back to haunt you.
