 Nora Rahimian (creative consultant and founder of #CultureFix) and Lillian Farzan speaking on mental wellness in the music industry. Photo by @kyleimhof I’ve been working in the field of mental health for a few years now. While there doesn’t seem to be a dull moment for a pre-licensed therapist in Los Angeles, I have always sought after doing more than solely seeing clients throughout the week. I have imagined participating in speaking engagements, writing blogs, and connecting with a broader audience overall–a large contrast from the private individual sessions that fill up most of my workweek. As an advocate and young woman of Color, I’ve been cozying up to the idea that, like my clients, there are plenty of individuals that could find comfort and a sense of normalcy through my shared perspective. With all of this being said, I am so excited to finally share and connect. A little more about my history and how this all came to be–most of my clinical experience has comprised of work with survivors of sexual trauma, young girls and women, and people identifying as LGBTQ+. My passion of advocating for minoritized communities stems from my identity as a second generation, daughter of Jewish and Iranian immigrants. My parents left Iran for college around ‘79 and unbeknownst to them, would never return to their war-torn home. Due to my own intersectionality, I grew up with an acute awareness of oppression, discrimination, and inequity in both overt and covert forms. With all of this history and fuel, I decided to create LoveByLill to begin connecting outside of my therapy office. I launched the site soon after my dear friend, Nora Rahimian—entrepreneurial queen, creative consultant, and founder of #CultureFix–invited me to join her for a conversation on self-care and mental wellness as it pertains to the music industry. #WomenCrush Music, an organization that aims to give more platforms to women in music, set the context. Interestingly enough though, some of the topics we covered seem to come up with every single one of my clients–regardless of their occupation, race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Self-Care is one of these topics: These days in our society, I find that people’s lives seem fast-paced and overly compared to the highlight reels of others. Burnout seems to come easy, especially considering our lovely news cycle and current, “administration.” To sum it up–life can already be difficult! And buffers ought to be set in place to shake up your work-flow, responsibilities, and obligations. I discuss self-care as a concept based on what I want to do vs. what I should be doing. It’s incredibly important to carve out time to feed your soul with activities that you may lose yourself in–things you take part in solely because they spark you joy. Clients, and even myself at times, may often feel guilty taking part in this “me time,” without realizing how beneficial self-care is for not only them, but their loved ones and occupations as an indirect result. I often remind my clients that they may not have much quality output without any considerable input. Nora also asked me about ways to stay grounded amidst times of insecurity and uncertainty in the music industry. Regardless of industry, I believe that in times of transition more than ever, there is great power in sticking to your values, rituals, or reminders of what makes you you. Whether you feel grounded in religion, spirituality, hiking, salsa dancing–whatever that thing may be for you–having some semblance of inward stability, familiarity, or mastery over something can be greatly comforting in a time where everything else may feel inconsistent. I like to emphasize the value in this practice especially when clients are thrown by what they feel they should be doing due to what they believe others are doing. It is normal to become distracted by the journeys – or Instagram posts - of others. One of the last topics we spoke on, and perhaps the most universal, was regarding social support and, in Nora’s words, dispelling “this false narrative that women don’t support each other.” This is important so let me say it loud for the people in the back: I believe that social support is one of the most powerful predictors of mental and physical wellness. Of course, good times and laughter are great, but there is a lot to be said about simply feeling seen and embraced by others in your most natural state (#nofilter). I mean come on–these days–you know that’s priceless. Entering a space in which you can come as you are–regardless of your emotional state, your hair, legs shaved or not, is invaluable. This is particularly true in a time and place where individuals find themselves to be code-switching frequently throughout their day. While switching masks can be quite exhausting, having a community with whom you can just be is a special sort of refuge. Experiencing validation for our most authentic selves can largely impact our happiness and the way we come to view ourselves. In addition to what it does for you alone, I find that art and collaboration can emerge from this place of comfort, vulnerability, and common understanding. All in all, my first speaking engagement as an independent mental health specialist was quite thrilling. I can’t wait for opportunities to come and for sharing more and more authentic content. Lillian Farzan is a pre-licensed therapist, speaker, and writer based in Los Angeles. She aims to engage her audience through normalizing stressors that we typically shy away from as well as providing validation over systemic injustice. Follow her on her journey and learn more at @lovebylill or lovebylill.com
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 This year women have seized the Grammy’s spotlight along with many of the biggest prizes at the 61st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Cardi B even went down in history as the first solo female rapper to win the award for Best Rap Album for her smash hit “Invasion of Privacy.” Other big winners that night include Kacey Musgraves and Lady Gaga, who took home multiple awards, H.E.R. for Best R&B album, Dua Lipa for Best New Artist, and Ariana Grande for Best Pop Vocal Album among many others.
The night started off with the wonderful host, Alicia Keys, spoke about her own experience at this crème de la crème of music awards shows. In 2005, the R&B singer badly wanted to win song of the year for “If I Ain’t Got You.” To the artist’s dismay, John Meyer won the award instead of Keys. However, Mayer believed that Keys deserved the award and split his award in half to give her a piece. Although a thoughtful gesture, no women settled for half a Grammy this year. Here is a list of all of the killer female artists that one this year in the 61st Grammy Awards. Congratulations to all of those talented women artists who won this year.
Charlotte is a recent Graduate in Art History from New York University. After working at a publishing company, she realized her affinity for writing when she had to write weekly newsletters on authors and podcasts. She started her journalism career contributing for online media and entertainment source, The Knockturnal. Currently living in New York City, Charlotte enjoys going to concerts and art museums, and mixing cocktails for her friends.  (Image of Alissa White-Gluz with Arch Enemy: https://www.ticketfly.com/event/896213-arch-enemy-wichita/) Seeing a woman in a heavy metal band used to be like seeing a unicorn in the wild. Non-existent. Thankfully, these times they are a changin’. Women in metal have graduated from mythical creatures--hardly seen and scarcely believed--to an endangered species fighting for a spot in the musical food chain.
It is no secret that the music industry, like Hollywood, has its fair share of rampant sexism. In terms of the world of rock and roll, women have notoriously been placed on the back burner in favor of men unless they are deemed sexually appealing to the male gaze. Google the band In This Moment and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Let’s be honest though: sex sells, and that is never going to change. Now, I’m not one to be a prude but I do enjoy a little substance in the music I listen to, regardless of what the band looks like. Lucky for everyone, we have been blessed by badass, take-no-shit ladies like Angela Gossow, Alissa White-Gluz, and Cristina Scabbia. These leading ladies are steering women in metal in the right direction. Girls: take note, and fellas: watch out. Angela Gossow hails from Germany and was formerly the vocalist for the band Arch Enemy. Active from 2001-2014, the band produced about one studio album every year, including a DVD special. Gossow is known for her incredible death growl, something we usually only hear in male-fronted bands. For those of you that don’t know what that is, imagine what a demon would sound like and that’s basically it. And trust me, it’s difficult to do. The song “Nemesis” will give you some insight into what the band is like. Instead of flaunting around on stage in little-to-no clothing, Gossow carved a spot for herself and the band by her musical talents alone. In 2014, Gossow stepped down from her role as vocalist and handpicked Alissa White-Gluz to lead the band in her stead. Like Gossow, White-Gluz is also capable of producing a death growl, albeit not as evil sounding as her predecessor. White-Gluz isn’t a spring chicken though. She’s had her share of trials and tribulations from her old band, The Agonist. It seems that even if you spend a decade with a band, they still might kick you out for mysterious reasons… But I suppose in the end, White-Gluz is doing perfectly fine in her new gig with Arch Enemy and the fans are pleased. Cristina Scabbia of the Italian band Lacuna Coil is also a heavy metal icon. She has been active with the band since 1991, releasing eight studio albums. Unlike a lot of other metal bands, Lacuna Coil kicks formula to the side and sports two vocalists, herself and Andrea Ferro. While Ferro is in charge of the growling, Scabbia sings clean lyrics with pipes any pop star would dream of. “Our Truth” is probably their most famous song and I’m pretty sure it was on either RockBand and/or Guitar Hero… that’s a sign of making it big. Just like Gossow and White-Gluz, Scabbia’s vocal talents are what has helped push the band into the spotlight. Women’s visibility on stage in heavy metal bands is still a work in progress. Don’t even get me started on how many women actually attend metal shows… I get excited when I see one other lady in the audience. But it is artists like Gossow, White-Gluz, and Scabbia that have dealt with hardships in the industry, like being judged and fighting to be taken seriously, who pave the way for future generations. These ladies empower the girls and women who listen to them, showing them what they could accomplish with a little determination. And the best part is, they prove you don’t need to show skin in order to make it. Who knows what the future holds? But I have the feeling we’ll be seeing more and more of badass ladies like these in the spotlight as time goes on. So hold tight, keeping pushing and fighting for what you believe in, and of course, horns up! By: Zoe Rosensweig Zoe was born and raised in NYC and is obsessed with all things Halloween. Writing was, and will always be, the greatest outlet for her overactive imagination. If she’s not writing she’s listening to music. She’ll put on anything from Beethoven to Scandinavian folk metal so if you ask her, “have you heard of…” the answer is probably, yes. You can follow her wild adventures on Instagram @Zoetrobe.  Welcome to #WomenCrushWednesday! In this biweekly column, I will be introducing you to a woman in music who might just be your next #WCW. That being said, what better way to start than an interview with Ariel Hyatt! I first started following her because of her company, Cyber PR, when I was pursuing my solo artist career, then referred artists to her when I was EP-release coaching. Now, I just think of her as my fairy godmother - and after reading this interview, I think you will too! This boss-lady has spoken in 12 countries to over 100,000 creative entrepreneurs and has penned four best selling books on social media, marketing, and crowdfunding. In this interview, I had the honor of chatting with her about the future of PR and what she’s up to next! How did you get into PR? What exactly does Cyber PR do? During college, I interned and worked at a fashion PR firm. My internship experience taught me that fashion wasn't exactly my path, so after I graduated, I started pursuing opportunities in the music business. That led me to work at a well known music PR firm, as well as a corporate classic rock radio station, and a record store. Years later, I finally landed at an independent record label in the PR department. Cyber PR is an artist development and education company. The term "Cyber PR" is a process that combines digital PR, email marketing, and social media amplification while emphasizing fan acquisition and growth. These are the things we focus on as a business. I truly believe that PR on its own does not work for independent musicians, so Cyber PR also combines artist education. I believe that the most powerful thing a musician can do is educate themself to understand the ever-changing industry and how to get ahead in it. That's why I've written many books and hundreds of blog posts on these subjects--to help empower musicians. How has your job changed in the last 5 years? And what do you think music PR will look like in the next 5 years? My job has shifted radically in the past five years. PR is no longer just about getting written about in newspapers and magazines, going on television, and getting on well known blogs and podcasts. PR today is also about streaming, playlisting, and social media. This all starts with a strong story and a cohesive brand, which most artists do not have. I believe this will only get more intense in the next five years and any good publicist will not only facilitate blog placement, interviews, and write-ups, but they will also help to guide the overall brand and story for their clients. At this point, there are so many music PR firms available, that paying premiums is no longer necessary for an emerging artist. With systems and tools likes Submithub, artists can do much more than they ever could before without hiring a publicist. This is why we are doing fewer and fewer PR campaigns these days, and focusing on strategy and artist development. It seems that this is a dying art, as artists are now expected to arrive at the record label with millions of followers, a tight brand and everything already done. Why did you choose to go into working with unsigned artists, versus working for a big label or agency? I started out interning for a massive music PR firm, working for household names, but I hated the vibe--I hated the people working there and I didn't like the attitudes. Some of the publicists on the team thought they were equally as famous as their clients. They were abusive and mean to the staff and I went home crying more days than I care to talk about. It just wasn't for me. My second job was at an independent record label called What Are Records? I loved the spirit of the founder, Rob Gordon, who later became my biggest champion and mentor. It was an amazing experience to take a band from zero to over 1 million records sold by working closely and intimately with a team of young passionate people. I also loved collaborating with the artists that we represented. That's how I found my lane. I got really good at understanding the artist development process because that was exactly what we were working on every single day. For all of the artists reading - can you advise on when to know if they are ready to hire a PR/Marketing professional? A few years ago the first step after you recorded music was to hire a publicist. Now, I suggest that artists take time to build true, organic audiences. Not fake followers by purchasing Facebook ads and using Instagram boost companies. Take the time to truly start creating real tribes who know, love, and believe in you. To do this, you need a plan. Hire a marketing and PR professional when you actually have that plan underway with goals beginning to come to fruition. I can't tell you how many artists I speak to who say their goal is: "I just want as many people as possible to hear my music!" That is not a goal. When people ask you where you would like to travel, do you say, "I just want to see all the countries in the world." I hope not. You should have a vision: "I would like to go to Paris, London, or the Galapagos," and you should have a reason for wanting to see those places. Your music career planning should be no different. Pick your first destination, plan how to get there, and learn everything you need to know about it. You also need to understand what is actually happening in the music industry today. Unless you've been living under a rock, you are probably aware that we are now living in a singles-driven atmosphere. Yet, artists come to me all the time with full albums, 12 to 14 recorded tracks, or full EP's that are ready to go. They have not thought about releasing more than one or two singles. They have not thought about the strategy behind each single and how you can use each one for a different purpose. Instead, they randomly pick a date and say, "I'm releasing my music on this Friday!" Usually, nothing but urgency is driving that decision. Planning is everything. Therefore you want to hire a marketing professional that isn't there to just grab your money, but is there to truly help you make cohesive plans, work on your brand and help you to build a tribe. Try to do your own PR or have a friend help you for your first release. After you understand the process, have a solid brand and gained at least a thousand true fans, then go for PR. Do you have any exciting launches coming up? New book? Course? Anything we can help promote to our readers! Yes! I am halfway through my year-long program called Cyber PR LABS. LABS is a series of courses that cost just $97 each and are designed to help you hyperfocus on the areas that you need to concentrate in. I have asked 11 of the smartest people I know in the business to teach each LAB with me, and it is delivered as a live stream in a private group. There are three sessions of 45 minutes each. So far the most popular LABS are: LAB 1 Supercharge Your PR is a PR Masterclass that will teach you how to effectively run your own PR. LAB 3 Release Music With Ease will show you how to think through a release without getting overwhelmed. LAB 6 Booking Successful Shows/ Tours will help you to prepare to go on tour and not lose money. You can read all about them here on my site: https://cyberprmusic.com/cyberpr-labs/ We are launching LAB 7 - Musician Brand Mastery in a few weeks http://offers.cyberprmusic.com/bobby-lab-sales-page Thank you Ariel and team for doing what you do for DIY artists. The industry needs more people like you! Want to work with Ariel and her team? Just fill out this form - http://offers.cyberpr.com/work-with-us and say #WomenCrush Music sent you for a special offer. The #WCW Series is brought to you by Founder & Executive Directress of #WomenCrush Music, Ashley Kervabon-Stoyanov. When she isn't being a creative socialpreneur, she's out penning pop hits with members of the #WCM community or travelling the world with her hubby & chiweenie pup. Follow her on IG at @mrsbossladywcm.  You know what they say, New Year, New Ariana Grande anthem! The pop star from Boca Raton does not disappoint with the single ‘7 Rings’ off of her recently released album "thank u, next". Playful yet no nonsense, the song starts off with the familiar riff from Richard Roger’s and Oscar Hammerstein’s ‘These Are a Few of My Favorite Things,’ from the 1960’s classic, The Sound of Music. However, it is not the lyrics that we adore and remember, but rather empowering lyrics in Grande’s enchanting, Disney like princess voice. Just look at her opening verse!
Grande changes the tried and true lyrics of the classic, “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens/Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens/Brown paper packages tied up with strings/These are a few of my favorite things,” to “Yeah, breakfast at Tiffany’s and bottles of bubbles/Girls with tattoos who like getting in trouble/Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines/Buy myself all of my favorite things.” But this boasting of wealth and materialism is nothing new to the Hip Hop genre. We hear it all the time in songs done by her male counterparts. However, what makes Grande’s song stand out from all the rest is that she takes this recurring theme of riches and boast of money and turns it into a celebration of female success the prosperity of being a bad ass lady in the music industry. Certainly something to be celebrated. The chorus stays simple with a head bobbing, clipped rhythm. “I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it,” Grande huskily chants, further emphasizing her well-earned independence. The story behind the song surrounds the musician’s breakup with ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. After their separation, she went with her six best friends to Tiffany, got drunk on expensive champagne, and bought all of her GF’s their own engagement rings. A grand tale of rich indulgence that is both alluring and nauseating. She is unapologetic about her bragging rights and her empowering rebellion. Who needs a fiancé when you’ve got red bottoms? Review by: Charlotte Kohlberg Charlotte is a recent Graduate in Art History from New York University. After working at a publishing company, she realized her affinity for writing when she had to write weekly newsletters on authors and podcasts. She started her journalism career contributing for online media and entertainment source, The Knockturnal. Currently living in New York City, Charlotte enjoys going to concerts and art museums, and mixing cocktails for her friends.  Photo Cred: Larissa Szilagyi (@larissacomedian) Broadway actress and star soprano Kristin Chenoweth once said, “We sing when we can’t speak anymore.” In the case of up-and-coming singer/songwriter LEAU, this is certainly true. People turn to music when they are afraid to say what’s on their minds and because they want someone to relate to. Though LEAU’s music has a self-proclaimed “sad girl vibe,” it is anything but an aesthetic trope. Both passionately delivered and lyrically unapologetic, LEAU’s music addresses some often skirted-around topics. I sat down with LEAU to discuss how she got started (and re-started) in the music business, her new single “Frustrated,” and her thoughts on being a woman in an industry that’s predominantly male.
How did you get started in music? I’ve been singing since I could talk--that’s what people have always told me. Growing up, I had a rough childhood and music was really my escape and my one true love. I would audition for small plays in second grade up until high school, and I frequently landed the leads but, to be honest, I think it was just because of my voice, not because of my acting capabilities. So growing up, I always thought I was going to be a singer but as I grew older and went to college, I knew I needed to work a job that was going to give me health insurance and be lucrative. I went to college and stopped singing for a long time. I entered into finance and loathed my day-to-day life a bit, so occasionally I would sing, but it was seldom. Over those years, I ended up developing stage fright from my lack of performing. About a year ago, someone who was very important to me passed away and right before they passed, they asked me why I wasn’t singing anymore. I didn’t really have an answer for them, and being the blunt person that they were, they said, “Wow, what a waste. You’re wasting this gift that you have.” It was from then on that I decided I was going to pick back up the only way that I knew how and sort of force myself into the music industry after all those years. I really just started writing again and started working with producers from all over the world through connections and online platforms and dragged myself to open mics. I guess you could say that’s how I got started and then re-started in the music industry. You say in your Soundcloud bio, “I’m just a sad girl who sings.” Would you describe your music as “sad girl” music? I get this question a lot when I first work with a producer or when I reach out to someone as a writer. It’s so hard to answer this question because I feel sort of like an enigma. I really enjoy singing so many different types of music. I think the sonic vision I’m going for for the project I’m currently working on is sort of like a moody, sad, alternative, indie kind of vibe. I really don’t want to shut out any kind of genre because of course, I love pop music; my first single when I was just getting back into music called “Good Love” is very pop-y. I think I’m more meant to sing “car music” like music you listen to in the car if you’re going for a drive and just wanting to relax. But “Good Love” is really special to me because it got a lot of attention, even from Lil Xan, who shared it on Soundcloud. At first, I thought it wasn’t real, that it was a fake fan account, but then I found out it was him and I was like, “whoa!” So that was really cool. “Good Love” is about being with someone and going through a lot of the motions relative to a good relationship, but in the end, it leaves you wanting more. Your latest single “Frustrated” is also about a failed relationship, not just with a lover, but with yourself. You say, “I’m frustrated. I don’t want you, I don’t even want myself.” What inspired this single? I don’t really want to say too much about what inspired “Frustrated” because I want to leave it open to the listener’s interpretation. I will say that the literal inspiration for this single is about insecurity and having a sexual tendency that could affect you and a partner in a relationship. It’s been something I’ve dealt with and I know a lot of other people deal with. It’s a thing women don’t speak about: feeling like sometimes they just don’t want to have sex. The process behind “Frustrated” was so much smoother than I had originally anticipated because I never really write lyrics first. I like to find a melody that’s stuck in my head and build off of it, but for this one, it was more of a piece I had written about this insecurity and these tendencies, and how it was affecting myself and my relationship. I worked with a producer named Ollie Brown. He’s fantastic and he’s worked with Julia Stone, which is why I picked him for this song because I knew he would be able to grasp the sound I was going for. He did exactly that and it all came together to be natural and moody and somewhat yearning. What’s your opinion on the current state of women in the music industry? The industry is definitely a boys club. It’s interesting to hear because if you’re out there and you’re listening to female artists like Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, these women, and many others, have consistently had hit records and have all received recognition for their work, their albums, their concerts, and are financially successful. However, many people are kind of unaware that these female artists don’t represent the whole story when it comes to the music industry. It really does take a village of tech people, producers, musicians, and vocalists to make their songs and the music that we listen to everyday on the radio. So when I look at the industry, it’s predominantly male still. I think that women have been fighting back in more ways than one and we’re more powerful than ever, but there still needs to be more opportunities given to women at an early age so they can feel encouraged to explore fields in the music industry like music composition and music engineering so there isn’t just an influx of men in the industry. You can listen to LEAU’s newly released single “Frustrated” on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play. Follow LEAU on Instagram for more music updates! Interview by: Anna Sejuelas Anna Sejuelas is a New York-based LGBTQ+ writer whose work has been published in This Bitch Magazine, Her Campus, College Candy, Medium.com, and FLURT Magazine. The way she writes and sings is the way she wears red lipstick and leather jackets: classic and with a purpose. You can read her work here: https://annasejuelas.journoportfolio.com/ and find her on Twitter: @AnnaSejuelas10 and Instagram: @annasejuelas.  By: Heidi DuBose (left), Maiah Wynne (right) Hi! My name is Heidi DuBose. By day I am a boom operator for film & television, and by night I am a “friend-ager” for Maiah Wynne, a 22 year old singer-songwriter. I’m not an official manager. I have no prior experience in music and I have no industry connections or traditional wisdom to share with my co-conspirator, but I do help out whenever I have the time. Together, as an “up-and-coming” musician and a “not-a-real” manager with a full time non-music job, we’ve learned a few things that I wanted to share with others that are in our same position. Maiah is unsigned and neither of us were born into a wealthy family that is just dying to fund her music career, so everything we do we have to fund ourselves. If you identify with this situation, then please, pull up a chair and have a look, have a listen and ask a question, or share your own unique experience regarding these websites. I also want to give a shout out to Ari Herstand, whose book “How To Make It in the New Music Business” we have listened to over and over and whose blog we read regularly. He is the one that has pointed us in these directions and really what inspired me to write this up. Since he is a recognizable name, he can interact with these programs differently then we can. I encourage you to read up on his reviews of these same websites. I enjoy reading his reviews because they are well written and informative. But, I have to read his blog knowing he is 1. a well known player in the music industry 2. a male artist and 3. his genres and our genres are vastly different. That is why throughout this series I will be describing those notes in detail so that YOU, my dear reader, can see how those things color our experience as well. For instance, Maiah is not a hip hop artist. If you are a hip hop artist then your interaction with SubmitHub will be very different than ours (there are a ton more blogs looking for your music!) This article is about our experience with Submithub and tips to get the most out of your time and money. Later on in this series will cover our unique experiences with fluence.io, Playlistpush, Sonicbids, and Submittable. If you all have suggestions or questions send them my way! What is SubmitHub? Below is a direct excerpt from Submithub founder Jason Grishkoff’s blog “SubmitHub is a website that I started late in 2015 that makes it easy for musicians (or their representatives) to send their songs to blogs, record labels, radio stations, and/or a variety of channels (YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify).” In summary you pay $1-$3 to a representative from a blog, channel, radio or label to listen to your track - and hopefully they will review it, share it, or add it to a playlist. There are “standard” submissions that you do not have to pay for so you can use this site for free, it just severely limits how frequent and sometimes who you can submit to. SubmitHub claims to get you access to blogs, playlists, channels, radio & labels. But what I’ve personally experienced as far as real listens, real interactions and real follow through has just been with the blogs and a little bit with radio. Why are blogs helpful? Before I jump into my review let me take a moment to answer the Why? What good does it do to have a blog do a write up on your song? For us it has been a way to get some good press for a release and some great quotes to have on our website & epk. (You can check it out yourself at https://www.maiahwynne.com/news/) None of the ones we got onto have gotten us tons of plays, tons of traffic or tons of subscribers. There are blogs at SubmitHub that do have that kind of clout, for instance getting the attention of IndieShuffle could be a huge deal (more on that below). If Spotify numbers are truly all you are interested in then I don’t think SubmitHub is a great place for that. Yes, they have playlists available to submit to but from our experience with them, we were much better off with PlaylistPush. Tune in for my next blog post on PlaylistPush which popped us up from an average of 30-40 streams a day to 300-500 streams per day. (and if you can’t wait that long and just want to go it alone, then at least use this coupon code that will get you 7.5% off and me 7.5% off on our next campaign - 2CTR5ZW) The benefits of premium credits We cannot afford a publicist to push our music for us, so for us SubmitHub allows us to get our music in front of people we had no shot at ever getting our music to for $1-$3 a pop. Not all the blogs on SubmitHub are worth a dollar, but some of them are. The best blogs we have gotten onto were ones we paid for. Standard is: Completely free, Capped at two credits every four hours to keep bloggers from getting overwhelmed, No guarantee of response or feedback Premium is: Guaranteed response within 48 hours, if they don’t respond you get your credit back, your submission filters to the top, Bloggers / playlisters must listen for 20 seconds before making a decision, you'll get at least 10 words of feedback if your submission is declined. If you don't want feedback, there's also an option for 90 seconds minimum listen time instead of feedback. ****Worth checking out is this article on SubmitHub submission strategies **** Research First!  I can’t stress enough that you need to genuinely dig into who you are submitting to before sending them a song. Some of them just repost your bio along with a massive amount of other songs, and some of them take your soundcloud link and throw it into a playlist that only 3 people listen to (and if your song is number 60 then those 3 people probably didn’t listen that long). However, some of them are truly lovely, like The Revue. Through their blog we have gotten a decent amount of listeners and two well written and thoughtful reviews.
If you have the time to truly do your research you can find a blog that will review any kind of song. We even found a blog that wrote a beautiful quotable review for our sad, slow song about a woman with cancer. After doing research, we found just 3 blogs that might be interested in the genre and topic, and were happy when this one picked it up. Look at the statistics SubmitHub gives you some great statistics to start out with to help you find your match. Pay a lot of attention to their “Genre Bias” data and their approval percentage rating. If it’s under 3% approval or over 10% approval we usually don’t apply. Under 3% means they you really have no chance so why waste the dollar. Unless you have done your research and know for absolute sure you are a match for what they like, in that case I’d say “It’s only a dollar, why not try!”. Over 10% means they are approving a lot of music and your song will end up drowning in a sea of music rather than being highlighted. Again, these are my recommendations based on what has worked for us, it’s your music and your money so I encourage you to do it any way that works for you. When uploading - direct them to your preferred website When you submit a song you get to choose your source- a link or an mp3. We try to submit our Spotify link first, Youtube link 2nd or an mp3. (if you do an mp3 make sure your metadata is tight!) Some blogs will only take SoundCloud, so we have that ready too but in private mode and only as a last resort. Soundcloud numbers really haven’t helped us in any tangible way. We want Spotify numbers and YouTube numbers if we have a music video for the release, so that is what we push first. You can submit more than one type of streaming link. Say no to feedback! The option for 90 seconds listening time instead of feedback is new. If you only get one thing from this whole write up, it’s this: Do not opt for feedback. Choose the 90 seconds minimum listen time instead. If you want to know why - the feedback is usually not constructive or informed. We, as well as many others, have had a very negative experience with their feedback option. Use filters to your advantage When filling out the genre for your submission, you also have the option to use filters. I recommend using the filters for “Really good bloggers” and “Listed on Hype Machine”. Next check out their profile. Make sure first and foremost they actually like your genre. For instance, Indieshuffle does not have Folk listed on their genres so I have only approached them with “Sleep”, a song that falls under the indie rock category. A good story goes a long way At the end of the submission process, there is a place to put a quick pitch about the song. This has actually been a key factor in our songs getting picked up. Songs that had a fast and intriguing story attached were more likely to get chosen. Remember they are writing about music and that can get repetitive. Make the story for them and they will love you. For our song “Ballad of Lefty Brown”, it was tough because it is western/folk and there are not a lot of blogs covering country. But, we had a great story “Maiah Wynne was a crew member on a feature film shot in Montana. She wrote the song on set and pitched it to lead actor Bill Pullman over chili. It is the end credit for the feature film out now!” We got picked up by Adobe & Teardrops and Two Story Melody. For “Sleep” our quick pitch was "Millions of people all over the world suffer from chronic sleep disorders, I am one of them, for me, this is what it feels like." Watch & Wait After you’ve made your selections and have finished submitting, all you can do is wait. There is a handy Dashboard area where you can view your submissions and even see who has listened and how long. This is really where SubmitHub gives you data that you can use to hone future campaigns. If you’ve found 50 blogs you want to submit to, start with 10 and look at the data you have. Your campaign history will show you how long they listened and how many times they listened before making a choice. This is priceless information and is how you decide who to keep submitting to with future music. It was agonizing to watch Indieshuffle listen to “Sleep” all the way through, FOUR times over a few days time only to ultimately decline it. BUT because of this, I know that I can send them more music and that we still have a real shot at this blog. Other blogs that immediately decline at 91 seconds, I re-evaluate. I double check the music they are into and see if I got it wrong. If I’ve submitted more than one song to them over the months and gotten the same results I permanently remove them from my “try” list. If your song isn’t listened to, your money is refunded. I’ve never had any issues with this. SubmitHub also gives you the option to download your campaign history as a .csv file. Be careful not to resubmit the same song twice, as this can be accidentally done. Chat & Follow Through Once you are approved, you’re given a Chat session with that blog. Say hi and give them more info if they need it. I usually send them our epk with password so if they need more photos or more information it’s right there. Give them time. Once they publish, make sure to share it with the world! Remember: this is a two way street and you want to build a relationship with them so that the music you make in the future has a shot at being featured again. Evaluate SubmitHub wants to know how things went. They help you follow up with a blog if they have been quiet for awhile. You can rate the experience and you can quietly share with them if something went badly. I give positive reviews to people even who declined us simply for listening to the whole song. That, to me, is awesome of them. I go out of my way to review and loudly recognize the blogs that do great write ups. That’s the whole point of this site! SubmitHub does a great job at refunding the credits that weren’t used and I’ve even had a blog tell me (this was before when they didn’t have the “no comments” option) that we were declined because our music video wasn’t “professional” enough. This was for a music video that was shot with my union coworkers from TNT & Netflix on 4K and then we cut in real footage from the film “The Ballad of Lefty Brown” which was a 35mm Film starring Bill Pullman, Kathy Baker, Peter Fonda and more. It’s a very professional, very good looking official music video for an internationally distributed film. I pointed this out to SubmitHub and they agreed with me and promptly refunded me. Summary With time and research you can get your music truly listened to by blogs for a reasonable price.  Photo Cred: Larissa Szilagyi (@larissacomedian) Broadway actress and star soprano Kristin Chenoweth once said, “We sing when we can’t speak anymore.” In the case of up-and-coming singer/songwriter LEAU, this is certainly true. People turn to music when they are afraid to say what’s on their minds and because they want someone to relate to. Though LEAU’s music has a self-proclaimed “sad girl vibe,” it is anything but an aesthetic trope. Both passionately delivered and lyrically unapologetic, LEAU’s music addresses some often skirted-around topics. I sat down with LEAU to discuss how she got started (and re-started) in the music business, her new single “Frustrated,” and her thoughts on being a woman in an industry that’s predominantly male.
How did you get started in music? I’ve been singing since I could talk--that’s what people have always told me. Growing up, I had a rough childhood and music was really my escape and my one true love. I would audition for small plays in second grade up until high school, and I frequently landed the leads but, to be honest, I think it was just because of my voice, not because of my acting capabilities. So growing up, I always thought I was going to be a singer but as I grew older and went to college, I knew I needed to work a job that was going to give me health insurance and be lucrative. I went to college and stopped singing for a long time. I entered into finance and loathed my day-to-day life a bit, so occasionally I would sing, but it was seldom. Over those years, I ended up developing stage fright from my lack of performing. About a year ago, someone who was very important to me passed away and right before they passed, they asked me why I wasn’t singing anymore. I didn’t really have an answer for them, and being the blunt person that they were, they said, “Wow, what a waste. You’re wasting this gift that you have.” It was from then on that I decided I was going to pick back up the only way that I knew how and sort of force myself into the music industry after all those years. I really just started writing again and started working with producers from all over the world through connections and online platforms and dragged myself to open mics. I guess you could say that’s how I got started and then re-started in the music industry. You say in your Soundcloud bio, “I’m just a sad girl who sings.” Would you describe your music as “sad girl” music? I get this question a lot when I first work with a producer or when I reach out to someone as a writer. It’s so hard to answer this question because I feel sort of like an enigma. I really enjoy singing so many different types of music. I think the sonic vision I’m going for for the project I’m currently working on is sort of like a moody, sad, alternative, indie kind of vibe. I really don’t want to shut out any kind of genre because of course, I love pop music; my first single when I was just getting back into music called “Good Love” is very pop-y. I think I’m more meant to sing “car music” like music you listen to in the car if you’re going for a drive and just wanting to relax. But “Good Love” is really special to me because it got a lot of attention, even from Lil Xan, who shared it on Soundcloud. At first, I thought it wasn’t real, that it was a fake fan account, but then I found out it was him and I was like, “whoa!” So that was really cool. “Good Love” is about being with someone and going through a lot of the motions relative to a good relationship, but in the end, it leaves you wanting more. Your latest single “Frustrated” is also about a failed relationship, not just with a lover, but with yourself. You say, “I’m frustrated. I don’t want you, I don’t even want myself.” What inspired this single? I don’t really want to say too much about what inspired “Frustrated” because I want to leave it open to the listener’s interpretation. I will say that the literal inspiration for this single is about insecurity and having a sexual tendency that could affect you and a partner in a relationship. It’s been something I’ve dealt with and I know a lot of other people deal with. It’s a thing women don’t speak about: feeling like sometimes they just don’t want to have sex. The process behind “Frustrated” was so much smoother than I had originally anticipated because I never really write lyrics first. I like to find a melody that’s stuck in my head and build off of it, but for this one, it was more of a piece I had written about this insecurity and these tendencies, and how it was affecting myself and my relationship. I worked with a producer named Ollie Brown. He’s fantastic and he’s worked with Julia Stone, which is why I picked him for this song because I knew he would be able to grasp the sound I was going for. He did exactly that and it all came together to be natural and moody and somewhat yearning. What’s your opinion on the current state of women in the music industry? The industry is definitely a boys club. It’s interesting to hear because if you’re out there and you’re listening to female artists like Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, these women, and many others, have consistently had hit records and have all received recognition for their work, their albums, their concerts, and are financially successful. However, many people are kind of unaware that these female artists don’t represent the whole story when it comes to the music industry. It really does take a village of tech people, producers, musicians, and vocalists to make their songs and the music that we listen to everyday on the radio. So when I look at the industry, it’s predominantly male still. I think that women have been fighting back in more ways than one and we’re more powerful than ever, but there still needs to be more opportunities given to women at an early age so they can feel encouraged to explore fields in the music industry like music composition and music engineering so there isn’t just an influx of men in the industry. You can listen to LEAU’s newly released single “Frustrated” on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play. Follow LEAU on Instagram for more music updates! Interview by: Anna Sejuelas Anna Sejuelas is a New York-based LGBTQ+ writer whose work has been published in This Bitch Magazine, Her Campus, College Candy, Medium.com, and FLURT Magazine. The way she writes and sings is the way she wears red lipstick and leather jackets: classic and with a purpose. You can read her work here: https://annasejuelas.journoportfolio.com/ and find her on Twitter: @AnnaSejuelas10 and Instagram: @annasejuelas.  www.grammy.com Hello readers! My name is Chloe, a music industry publicity assistant and self-proclaimed news nerd, and I’m here to bring you #TheCrush Report - a monthly series brought to you by me as a way to blab about music industry news and its relevance to the women in it. We’ll be covering everything from award ceremonies and new music releases to issues of diversity and how the #MeToo movement effects the industry as a whole. So come on! Let’s kick off this journey with a rather timely Grammy edition of #TheCrush Report.
It almost goes without saying that the Grammys have received their fair share of criticism in recent years. Many music journalists and fans alike have put the Recording Academy on blast for being out of touch and choosing to recognize overly commercialized mainstream music over artists who are truly deserving of recognition. Oh! And remember that time last year when Neil Portnow said women just have to work harder to be considered for more awards? If you care to get a little more in-depth on the Academy's short comings, let me direct you to this piece by Chris Richards, pop music critic over at the Washington Post. While I love to be critical, credit deserves to be given where it’s due. Over the past year, the Recording Academy had a bit of an ah-ha moment, and has been working to make improvements. They’ve introduced a Recording Academy Task Force to address issues of diversity and inclusion and whose members include artists like Common, Sheryl Crow, and Andra Day. They’ve also invited hundreds of music creators from diverse backgrounds to take part in the Grammy voting process, which definitely shows in the artists who received nominations this year. Now, let’s get into some of the things to look forward to at this year’s ceremony. First off, the bare-faced icon that is Alicia Keys will be blessing us with her presence as host. I’ve heard whispers that people are bored of this choice because it is so obviously a ploy for the Grammys to be like, “Look a woman! The people have spoken and we’ve listened!!!” but I’d like to say that I’m here for this choice. Alicia recently announced her #SheIsTheMusic initiative (hey girl, wanna collab?) to increase the number of women involved in all aspects of the music industry, from songwriting and producing, to engineering and other industry professions. Alicia is one of those artists who is really putting her money where her mouth is in terms of encouraging women to get involved and having their voices heard in the industry, and we should all be taking notes. The Best New Artist category saw a major spike in the ratio of women to men this year, with six of the eight nominees being female artists. I guess you could say women really stepped it up this year, huh Neil Portnow? Anyway, I think this is great. There’s also a good representation of diversity in this category, both sonically and racially. Again: it’s about time, but all of these women are total badasses deserving of this recognition. For those of you really dedicated to not caring about the Grammys, the women in this category are Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Jorja Smith, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., and Margo Price. Now all I need is a Best New Artist 6-way all-female performance mashup to make my Grammy dreams come true. This isn’t something to bet on, but it will be interesting to see if, like many other awards ceremonies of the past couple years, there will be some sort of #MeToo or Time’s Up haze over the Grammysr. Not just because the music industry as a whole is desperately overdue for its #MeToo reckoning, but also from the heightened awareness of these issues brought on by Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly documentary series and the even more recent the rape allegations against Chris Brown. The White Rose demonstration on last year’s red carpet was a step in the right direction, but it is also important to acknowledge that real change is about more than wearing a pin or flower on the carpet. I’m curious to see if any attention will be paid to the much needed conversation around sexual harassment and discrimination within the music world at large. Well, that’s it for me! This has been fun, right? I’d love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, so feel free to shoot me an email or @ me on social media. In all seriousness, I hope this column grows to become a real discussion between my fellow women in the #WCM community, so let’s get gossiping. See you next month! Follow Chloe Cardio on Twitter & Instagram @ chlo_vah. |