FEATURE: Under the Overdraft: The Risks of Operating a ‘Free for All’ Policy in Music

FEATURE:

 

Under the Overdraft

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 ALL PHOTOS: Unsplash 

The Risks of Operating a ‘Free for All’ Policy in Music

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THE next few months…

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will be quite a busy and stressful time for me. I have quit my, frankly, horrid job and decided it is time for a change. Many people do this but, without a job straight to go into, I have left myself quite a task to fulfil. To be fair, a full-time job is not on the cards where I am: I plan on moving to Manchester and working up there. For the moment, then, I am caught between getting some part-time/temporary work – to keep the money coming in – and starting the ball rolling up there. I want to visit Manchester next month and have a look around; check out a couple of flats and, most important, make sure I have something lined up regarding work. It is all a case of balancing things and transitioning without being too short of cash or being unprepared. It is quite a scary time but exciting all the same. Going somewhere new and experiencing ‘foreign’ people is pretty cool. It will be a case of transitioning and settling in but, when it comes to Manchester; one does not have to struggle for company and friendliness. One of the biggest gripes and concerns right now is how few people are willing to pay for musical coverage and subsidise my blog. Part of the plan is/was to work part-time on my blog and do part-time work out in the open.

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This is predicated on musicians and labels stumping up a bit of cash for my work. There are a couple of websites I am checking out – one that is run by a label boss – that goes behind the scenes and takes away the middleman. The pitch is put on the site (not sure if I can mention it at this point) and negotiations would take place. The journalist would make an offer to the musician/submission regarding fee and what the interview/finished product would consist. Once the work has been completed and everyone is satisfied; the money would be transferred and that would be it. It is designed to disintermediate and ensure artists who pay P.R. companies and labels a lot of money to promote their work are targeting blogs who can give value for money and ensure the finished product is what they want. So many artists are paying big companies to pitch their material and get as much coverage as possible. It is hard to say how effective a promotional campaign is and whether it is as potent as planned. This site guarantees a good selection of blogs and a chance to compartmentalise and control the overall costs. It sounds great but what I have noticed is this: those who are big and have great artists on their books are not willing to pay for work; those who are new do not, perhaps, have enough money to go beyond what they pay to labels/P.R. firms and give it a journalist.

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It is frustrating when you deal with those you know have that budget and money but feel, if they have had work done for free before, they should not pay out. Others do not pay the media for work and, instead, all the money an artist gives them stays within the company. That may sound fair but consider we are talking hundreds per campaign: some P.R. labels will have a couple of dozen clients and several people working for them. I guess you have to take into account wages and time but, when those are taken away, there is still money left over. There are one or two who are willing to pay a donation but it seems, largely, there is a stubbornness among those who want to get everything for free. Before; I took submissions and did not charge anything for them. I was working full-time but it meant I was working about ninety-five hours a week – in order to keep up with demand and ensure I could do both. I found, no surprise, doing that was not economical. What I am now facing is having to do a full-time job working more hours and less time to do work. The trouble I have is I can get anywhere up to forty submissions a day. So much of my time is spent emailing and having my hours calendared. That is fine but, when you have to balance that against work; how many spare hours are left? The perfect option is being able to split work and writing and have some free time to relax.

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What I am doing now, or will be, is turning a lot of people away or asking if they would donate a fee – many will turn that down and it means far fewer articles and interviews going up. I explain this to people and, rather than a plea to stop that and a bit of anger, there is that nonchalant shrug of ‘I know what you mean’ and the feeling that, if I did that, I would be forgotten about and it is all part of the machine. Whilst many/most of us in music are part of that machine and demand; every single human being I know in music gets paid for it! Maybe the bloggers do it for free but all musicians and those who submit to my have an income. It is a shame to think I might have to limit my blog and dedicate more time to workaday jobs because of this struggle. I can understand why those less-well-off artists want to keep their money safe and do not have huge budgets. I have been speaking with others in the industry and many go through the same thing: they are writing for free and many have a pay-to-play option. Many venues are charging them money to pay so (the venue) does not lose money and gets something. Others are gigging for petrol money and it seems the money that is in the business is either with the bigger labels/bands or venues themselves.

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I wonder whether journalism is a career that anyone can actually have any more?! With such competition and options around; it is seen as something that needs to be done for no financial reward. It seems strange because there are more and more musicians coming into the market. The demand is always increasing and every artist out there needs promotion. I am not going to quit what I do and want to keep my name among the frontrunners of the music world. In order to do this, and keep the blog going, there needs to be money coming in – spending most of my hours on a boring job to make ends meet is not something that appeals to me. If one has a strength and talent then it is not fair they should be doing it for free all the time. Musicians seem to be in the same predicament: there is less money out there and many people are working for very little pay. So many artists are stretching themselves to the limit and it is rather upsetting to see. I guess, with more people coming in, the coffers need to be split and divided. For musicians; they are relying on merchandise and endlessly gigging: journalists do not have many options beyond advertising. My ideal situation would be working for a P.R. label/radio station or somewhere I could do what I do for money and learn some new skills.

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For that, I need to have the experience and training and, for the most part, that is unpaid – not viable for a non-student and someone who needs to pay rent. Regardless of talent and prolificacy; it seems the big journalism jobs will be for the middle-classes and privately-educated. It is tough for people like me and, with demand increasing and money a huge factor; other options need to be explored (for now). Advertising is an idea that has been suggested but with the caveat of research and a business plan. If one wants to hit the right advertisers and keep their income consistent and unimpeded; they need a professional pitch and put the hours in. It is a daunting and challenging prospect and, even when you are agreed on terms, the sort of money you will earn is variable. It might take months to get anything slightly reasonable. It seems there is a discrepancy when it comes to earnings and sides of the industry. Musicians vary in terms of what they earn but journalism’s profitability seems reserved to those bigger sites/publications. It is a shame there are so few willing to subsidise writers and ensure they can continue to work. I do wonder why some labels are rigid when it comes to payment and whether, in this day and age, everyone expects everything for free.

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Going forward and it seems, in order to keep journalism afloat and ambitious, there needs to be money available. I cannot expand and diversify my site on my earnings as they are. I do not have the time to put in more effort and, to get the best from my site; I need to have a bit of income arriving from those I write for/about. Advertising is an available route but it seems to be a rather tricky and gamble-laden option. We also need to consider musicians and ensuring they are compensated for their time. Too many are working for free or paying venues to perform! That seems ridiculous and unworkable for many. Turning music and journalism from a job to an unpaid passion is a dangerous culture. More people will drop out and fewer will be attracted to go into the industry. This will lead to a privation and detriment none of us can afford. Many might muse where the money is going to come from and how can we fairly pay everyone in the business. That is fair, but I would counter that by arguing that nobody in any industry – unless it is a volunteering role – should be unpaid. What I and thousands out there do is not a hobby or casual thing: this is what we want to do and what we provide every day of the year.

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It may be beneficial to labels and artists putting stuff up for free in a timely matter: those who have to sacrifice social hours and struggle for money are the ones being hit. I know musicians who are in the same hole but none, to my knowledge, do every single gig for free – that would be a barbarism and injustice one could not overlook! There are great websites that offer the chance for artists and labels to donate a fee and ensure blogs/sites are subsidised: if everyone/most says ‘no’, then how can one reasonably expect blogs to produce work and feel it is okay?! It is a complicated argument and there is only a limited purse out there. I feel there is a disparity of wealth and I see too many social media posts of bigger labels/D.J.s/writers splashing the cash and not really struggling – many others are living on the breadline and, because of that, have to work two or more jobs and push themselves to the ragged edge. My plans, going forward, very much include my site but I realise I will have to cut back and take fewer submissions on board…otherwise, I will not be able to afford rent and have any options to go out or have any sort of a life.

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It is sad but, unfortunately, something many people have to live with now. It is not right or fair and, for those who have been working free of charge for years; it is only right that dedication and excellent work is paid – this goes for journalists and musicians alike. It may be tough for those who organise interviews and work but think about those people you are emailing and the position they are in. Many times, they are doing all the hard work and putting in much more effort. They do this all for free and it seems, at the end of the day, all the money earnt from the artist stays with the label/company – I know it their professional job but it seems unfair to expect every person you contact you work for free. I would like to see this change because, if journalists and musicians have to work endlessly or give up what they love to simply keep the bank balance in the black then that will make music a much…

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POORER and undesirable place.