Last week at Ticket to Ride we took a look at maximizing your band’s social media profile. Ultimately, part of what you want to achieve through social media is to direct potential fans to your website where they’ll get a full-taste of what you’re like as a band. That’s why, when your fans finally get to your website, you want to make sure that you’ve got plenty of things for them to look at. Here are some ideas to make your site the best it can be.

1. Content is KEY! – Of course your music is great, but your site should be provide more than just a place for fans to hear your music. That’s why you’ve got a Myspace page or BandCamp site. Your website should be a place where fans can connect with you in other ways. Successful bloggers and small businesses update their sites at least once a week  and they do it consistently. Do as they do. Find new avenues for creating content by video-recording practice sessions, writing tour diaries, snapping photos from the road, whatever you think will keep people returning to your site.

2. Collect your press. – Your social media strategy should include updating your fans on any press coverage your band has received. Your website should do the same. Make sure that you’re tracking down any and all positive press your band has gotten (concert and album reviews, interviews, anything), and link to it through your site. This way you’re not only ensuring fans hear how great you are, but you’re also keeping an archive of your band’s press.

3. Keep your site up to date. - The nice thing about social media is that it’s constantly up-to-date. Keeping your site up-to-date can be time-consuming and seem like a bit of an afterthought. Don’t neglect it. Every show date you forget to post, every review or interview you don’t link to, even failing to upload photos from the last concert you played is a missed opportunity to make an impression on people and create new fans.

4. Nobody likes an ugly website. - Now, I’m not saying lay down your guitars and drums and take a web design course. You’re a musician, and you’re probably pretty comfortable doing that (if you could design websites you’d probably be doing that instead), but your site shouldn’t look like it was designed by someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing. There are plenty of web-publishing formats that can get a great looking site for minimal effort. Short of hiring a web designer (or bartering some kind of music for tech skill trade), WordPress still provides plenty of free or cheap design themes that are easily customizable for whatever your band needs most. Creating a Tumblr site is also an option, but Tumblr’s main disadvantage is that it’s overly simplistic and not terribly functional (at least as compared to WordPress or a custom-designed site). Whatever you decide to do, make sure your site looks good and reflects your band’s personality. Unlike your social media pages, every single detail of your website is up to you, so make good design choices and try to make the most of the unlimited options you have.

5. Pay for a unique URL. – This one should go without saying. Your site should be easy to remember and reflective of YOU. Unless you name or your band’s name includes ‘.wordpress.com’, find a web-hosting service and buy a domain name.

Social media is a delicate business. You either sink or swim, and knowing what works, and what doesn’t work is crucial. Here are just a few DON’Ts you should know before you get started!

1. Don’t ignore your fans. One of the worst things you can do in social media, is to ignore your followers. It’s important to engage and respond to fans. Sure, posting content is important, but what happens when someone has a question? Be sure to answer all inquiries promptly and thank followers for their loyalty. Every question needs a response, even the hard ones. Just because you may not know how to answer, or like what you follower has said, doesn’t give you an excuse to ignore them. Assure them that you will get to the bottom of whatever it is, and above all else, do not delete what others have posted.

2. Don’t be repetitive. When it comes to posts, don’t get too repetitive. There’s no faster way to loose followers than by spamming them. No one wants to feel like they’re being sold to. There’s an art to it. Manage your posts and manage your time. Know when your peak hours are and use them wisely. Post 2-5 times a day, every day, with new content. Use terms like “click”, “comment” and “share” to keep fans engaged. And if you have to repeat old content, make sure you do it differently. Find a new way to say what you want to say.

3. Don’t forget your voice. In social media, your voice is all you have. Define it. Create a social style guide and use it. Be diligent, and don’t let things get messy. Make sure your spelling is correct and that all your links are working. And don’t write novels; keep posts short and concise (80 characters is a good number to go with).

4. Don’t be out of date. Make sure you’re keeping up to date with all of your social media platforms. Update your pages with current and relevant information, and include links to all social platforms on each page – you want your fans to be able to find you anywhere! Don’t forget to use each outlet. Maximize your platforms, and stay up to date with new features, like Facebook tabs, and Timeline.

Remember to always use your common sense. Ask yourself how you would like to be treated as a fan. Find out what’s working for your followers and use it to your advantage, and don’t keep doing the same things if your fans aren’t responding.

by Courtney Parkes (Audio Blood’s resident Social Media Coordinator)

Dropping in to show support for the Canadian Music Scene. Audio Blood Media is joining forces with Jägermeister Canada who is an official sponsor for Canadian Music Week 2012. This means, hopefully, that we’ll be checking out more new events around Toronto next week, as you can preview on the poster. Also we’ll be keeping the updates coming about special programs given by Jägermeister. This year is the 30th anniversary for CMW, so grab a drink and come out to celebrate!

Click here for more info!

Thanks and see you at the festivities!

We’re drawing ever so close to this year’s Canadian Music Fest. I’ve decided that it’s time to share with all of you some artists that will be in Toronto from March 21st to March 25th. To do this, I want to share a playlist of CMW artists with all of you. If you can, return the favour by sharing one or more songs/videos from CMW artists that are on your playlist! This way we all get help choosing our must sees at CMW, and we can discover and share new artists too.

With all that said, let’s start the ball rolling:

What’s on my playlist?

Reggie Watts – I just want to

Cat Empire – Days like these

The Balconies – Kill count

BadBadNotGood – Camel (by Flying Lotus)

Paper Lions – Travelling

Ben Caplan & the Casual Smokers – Stranger

John K. Samson – One Great City

Dinosaur Bones – N.Y.E.

Sheezer – El Scorcho (by Weezer)

Sheepdogs – Who

Check out all the CMW artists here and be sure to follow the CMF schedule. Use twitter hash tag #askCMW for any questions leading up to and during the festival!

Now what’s on your playlist??

SXSW 2012 is coming up in Austin Texas! As usual there are the three sections of music, film, and interactive. SXSW Music is happening March 13th to 18th with a diverse lineup of various bands from all over the world. Here at Audio Blood, these are just a couple of the bands and artists we are excited to see.

First of all is Lights, a Toronto artist that has recently released her newest album, “Siberia.” The album has a slightly heavier, grittier sound as opposed to her previous works, but that only makes it that much better to jam to. Lights usually puts on a great live show filled with fist pumping and hair flipping so we are definitely stoked to see her at SXSW. Check out her latest video for “Banner”:

Next is Canadian rock band, Arkells. Formed in Hamilton, Arkells have become one of Canada’s most acclaimed bands. Just last October they released their second album “Michigan Left” and are showcasing this year at SXSW. We are very excited to catch them and here is their video for the album’s title track:

We are also excited to see Icelandish band Of Monsters and Men. They are a folk/indie band formed in 2010 and after wining a battle of the bands in their home country, have risen into the foreground with their song “Little Talks.” You can go check out their “Into the Woods” EP. Also here is the video for “Little Talks.”

Neon Trees will also be at this year’s SXSW. They released  their first full length, “Habits,” in 2010 and was quite successful. The next album, “Picture Show,” will be released on April 17th. In order to tide us over until then, Neon Trees will be performing at SXSW so for sure check them out. In the meantime, scope their video for the second album’s lead single, “Everybody Talks”:

And of course, we are looking forward to seeing Metric. They are quite well known but if you do not know, Metric is a Canadian indie rock band fronted by vocalist Emily Haines. They too have a new record that will be coming out soon called “Synthetica” and will be released on June 12th. Here is their video for “Gold Guns Girls”:

That’s just a taste of the 2012 SXSW lineup so definitely come out for some good music and a good time. See you there!

It’s a damn good thing that right around the time MuchMusic decided to stop playing music videos, YouTube decided to pick up the slack (it beats watching a whole day of music television to see three videos you wanted to see). Music videos are still an awesome way to get a sense of a band’s visual style and personality, plus the added bonus of being a pretty entertaining brand of art. Audio Blood artists have been busy in the last few months putting together videos, and there’s no shortage of interesting offerings. I wanted to throw some love to some especially entertaining videos outside the Audio Blood sphere as well, because some videos are too entertaining to keep to yourself.

The Balconies – “Kill Count”
AB’s flagship band just released this tasty offering into the videosphere. The Balconies have a lot of energy, and it really translates into this frenetic video. It’s got enough sparkles, luchadores and sweet wrestling moves to dazzle you. Even if the song weren’t great (and it’s a pretty great song), I could watch this thing over and over. Watch the video right to the end to see what happens when you eat a bowl full of glitter.

Ben Caplan – “Stranger”
Not a music video per se, this live video was shot at The Winking Judge Pub in Hamilton, ON. What you’ve got to love about it is how well Ben Caplan (sans The Casual Smokers) just owns that place. It’s an ideal venue for Ben’s scary-good dark-sounding folk. The beer signs everywhere, the crusty barflies in the background (it’s hard to tell, but I think they’re having a good time). This isn’t what EVERY Ben Caplan show is like, but it’s probably the best way to see him.

The Stanfields – “Ship to Shore”
Mmm, Celtic  punk. Frontman John Landry makes this one hell of an entertaining video. The premise is something to the effect of “soldier inside videogame is pissed he’s a pawn inside a game”, and Landry moves exactly like I’d expect someone being controlled via Super Nintendo would. It’s a interesting slant on the typical “war sucks” theme. This song is making on to my iPod as soon as I finish up here.

Charlotte Cornfield – “All of the Pretty Mistakes”
I’m a sucker for two things:
1) A lady who can strum a good acoustic tune
2) Rooftop dancing

So I guess it’s no surprise that Charlotte Cornfield’s video for ‘All of the Pretty Mistakes’ is part of my AB video roundup. Whenever a bunch of people get together on someone’s roof to play a song, I like to pretend I’m on top of Abbey Road studios, except in this case it look a bit warmer. And someone brought sparklers. I love sparklers.

Gloryhound – “Electric Dusk”
I think the special beer has acid in it. I wouldn’t drink anything in a non-descript green bottle unless it had acid in it.

Odonis Odonis – “Blood Feast”
(Tragically) not an AB artist, Odonis Odonis make some great, trippy surf-rock. Their video for ‘Blood Feast’ is completely…utterly…weird. But in a good way. The intense, surreal imagery really complement the music. This is what Un Chien Andalou would have looked like if Dali was into Joy Division.

Phèdre – “In Decay”
…wow. Phèdre are a solid electronic group that seem to be exploring disco and dream pop’s scary side. This video reminds me of a dinner party in one of those mental institutions where the inmates run things. Yeah, this is why we don’t have those anymore.

Red Fang – “Hank is Dead”
No video roundup is complete with a Red Fang video. These hairy, beer-guzzling gentlemen have single-handedly restored my faith in the ability of the music video to be entertaining. Except for the disturbing abundance of hairy man-breasts, an air guitar competition seems like an ideal place to set a music video.

**TO READ SARI’S OTHER BLOG POSTS CLICK HERE

Hey there! Sorry I fell off the blogging bandwagon there for a second! Things got hectic!

But good news, I’m back and also we have a new AB website in the works for you that will be so blogged-out you won’t know what to do with yourself.

Speaking of which, in this blog post I get really hippy about over analyzing how people are receiving information these days. Here goes…

How many times have you caught yourself face to face with a colleague/client/friend talking about something and telling them to “email it to me”. “Yeah, just Facebook it to me,” or, “Just put that in a email please.” I fall into it all the time.

Shouldn’t we just really be saying, “I don’t want to try and remember what you’re saying”?
“I don’t like the sound of your voice, just deliver this in text”?
“I don’t care enough to actually have a conversation with you and remember this in 4 seconds”?
“I have too many other emails coming in on my blackberry that I can’t even hear what you’re saying to me”?

Probably.

I have fallen in to this habit and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Heavily relying on digital delivery instead of human interaction is the common thing to do. In fact, going as far as evading human interaction and translating it into digital is the norm. I realized that this might not be the best thing for my business a few months ago and have tried aggressively to reverse this. It occurred to me that when I’m talking to my clients or staff they want to hear from me. Not me inside their computer screen. They want feedback, they want me to show I care and am interested, they want to bounce ideas back and forth. These interactions almost seem foreign in this day and age where we’ll quickly choose email over a call or meeting.

Well I’m going to take a stand. I want people to know when they tell me something I AM going to remember because I DO care. This is hard though. My response? Email it to myself. I do this anywhere from 50-100 times a day. Sending myself small tidbits of things to remember or ideas. It works though. When I sit at my desk I actually put these things in to action.

But it leads to another issue. Whenever I am around human beings and we are making plans and hanging out and discussing things I am sending myself notes on my little blackberry screen to my larger desktop screen. It’s not a big deal because most of the people I’m around have their face buried in their little screens themselves. We barely look at each others faces anymore, we’d rather look at our small silly screens in our hands.

Now why do we prefer this message of communication so much more than speaking one on one?

It could be our obsession with control. On a email or text you can decide whether or not to answer, you can research something before you reply, you can fake it when you don’t know what to say… Now that’s security. Email/texting has given us the security that being a real life human being dealing with another real life human being never left room for. God forbid someone were to turn to you and ask you a question you totally didn’t understand or you didn’t want to answer. Then you would have to say “I don’t want to answer that question” or something even more awkward.

Some might say it is a matter of efficiency, but don’t let them fool you. Let’s break it down with a anecdote from my youth:

Sari: “Hey Mom, can I borrow the car on Friday?” (4 seconds)
Mom: “You’ll have to email me about it Sari” (3 seconds)
Sari: sits down and sends email (10 seconds)
Sari: “Hey Mom, did you get my email about  borrowing the car tomorrow?”  (5 seconds)
Mom: “Oh did you send it? Can you forward it again?” (3 seconds)
Sari: forwards email (2 seconds)
Mom: replies (3 seconds)
= 30 second exchange spanned over 4 days.

vs the alternative:

Sari: “Hey Mom, can I borrow the car on Friday?” (4 seconds)
Mom: “Yep” (1 second)
= 5 second exchange spanned over 5 seconds

Another reason why we might be obsessed with emails is because we always want to have a paper trail. You never know when you might need proof from some contents in an email that you are in the right. If everything is on paper you can always prove someone wrong. This also means that the slim-sters out there have learned that not emailing something and making deals over the phone or face to face will benefit them hugely because if you don’t have an email to prove the deal was made then it must not have been. Here say now holds no weight, only emails can be trusted.

If we trained our brains to retain information I think we would be truly surprised at how much they could hold. Instead we treat them like babies (our brains) and rely only on the several screens we have surrounding our day to day life. Now, I’m no hippy, I understand how important these screens are to aspects of my life and everyone I love’s… but I think somewhere along the way we let them actually become us and we stopped knowing how to talk to people. And I miss talking to people and relying on my brain to remember things.

We’re just waltzing around with small screens by our side at all times to remind us who to be and what to say. When we actually do have to talk to people (I’m sure there won’t be much of that in 200 years from now) we are staring at our screens the whole time anyhow. When we’re at concerts, on the subway, everywhere…  Soon our screens will meet up for lunch and go out for coffee dates with each other.

Now this leads me to my next concern. If we’re all so screen obsessed are we enjoying where we are? Are we seeing the small beauties of our hometowns? Are we paying attention to the art and the people around us? Probably not as much as we used to. Will this result in people caring less or only working hard at projects they can filter through screens to be delivered effectively to people. Well, it’s already happening. If it’s not digital, it’s not profitable.

In the workplace, it’s common that you work with people daily and you’ve never even seen their face in real life. Of course you’ve seen their Facebook profile pics but you’ve never seen them smile. You would call these people your work buds or acquaintances but wouldn’t recognize them if you were standing beside them in a line up. That’s some huge disconnect. You can sit alone in a room all day staring a screen and feel like the most popular person in the world thanks to social media. Are you the most popular in the world though? Probably yes. We’re at a crossroads where people who used to be called popular because they actually knew a lot of people are replaced by people who actually don’t KNOW that many people, except for on twitter.

So we see how this affects our work relationships but what about our romantic ones? They’re not off the web. Most of them live in cell phone text message conversations. We’ve all been there… daring-ly texting at 4am the things you didn’t have the balls to say in person. Can you fully fall for someone after just texting and IMing them a lot? Probably. You could probably have a whole relationship without ever meeting. Well you would need to have sex.

Which brings me to my final conclusion…
Thank god for sex. Sex is the only thing you can’t do via digital screens (at least not properly). So we’ll always have that, I hope.

So there we have it, we are turning in to our computers. How do you feel about it? Okay? Not so Okay? leave your comments below friends!

Thank you for reading!
- Sari

**TO READ SARI’S OTHER BLOG POSTS CLICK HERE

(Photo by Courtney Lee Yip)

Ben Caplan is one of our artists that spends the most time on the road. After countless performances nailed and many new fans left swooning, we decided we would ask him for some performance tips! Catch him touring Canada and Europe this year or at South by Southwest Festival and Canadian Music Week! For more info on Ben’s music visit: http://bencaplan.ca

And now over to Ben….

I was asked to submit some tips on how to be a good performer. Well, I don’t know if an expert but these are some of my ideas about how to stand out on stage. Of course, the most important thing is great music but it never hurts to be fun to watch!

Have a good time

If you’re having a good time, it’s easier for everyone else to. That doesn’t mean that you have to have a big phony smile plastered across your face or that you need to be beaming good vibes all the time, but take pleasure in what you are doing on stage. I think it is really important to be at ease in your skin in front of people. I strongly believe that this is a skill that comes with practice. Some people think that you either have it or you don’t, but I’m pretty sure that’s BS. Perhaps some people are born with a stronger inclination to get up in front of people or be the center of attention, but that just means they probably got more practice in earlier on. You learn to excel at performance with practice, just like anything else. If you weren’t doing skits in front of your aunts and uncles when you were 7, then start booking some gigs or going to open mics until you feel good, ’cause it’s supposed to be fun.

Fuck up loud and proud

Don’t get derailed by screwing something up. A misplayed chord or a forgotten lyric doesn’t bother anyone else as much as it bothers you. If it’s a little mistake, keep going. No one noticed but you, and even if they did, they’ll forget whatever went wrong and remember the general feeling of the show. If it’s a big fuck up, don’t try to hide it. Enjoy yourself. Love your mistake. Relish in it. This is a unique moment that you and the audience get to share together. It’s not every night that Mick Jagger forgets the words to “Brown Sugar”. You would certainly brag if you were at the show when he did. Unless he fucked the whole thing up and then sulked about. But he wouldn’t do that, cause he’s Mick Jagger.  So enjoy yourself. If the audience is with you, they won’t care. Let them know with your words and/or body language that you are all still having a good time.

Don’t think to hard

Personally I don’t like to plan a set order or what I am going to say on stage. That works for me. It may not for you, but whatever you do don’t think too hard. Once you are onstage it’s too late. So be awkward or don’t. Tell a joke, or don’t. Jump up on your amp and kick one leg in the air when you play a solo, or don’t – but don’t be thinking on stage.

Don’t be afraid to choreograph things

Choreography is different than thinking on stage. The thinking and planning and rehearsing should happen before there is an audience in front of you. If you are going to steal your bass players hat and have him chase you around stage during the show – talk about it beforehand and know when and what is going to go down. I have a secret for you – those spontaneous guitar solo duels that Wilco does sometimes, or the part in the show where Sharon Jones’ guitar player plays a solo with his teeth are not actually spontaneous. Nothing wrong with putting some thought beforehand into how you are going to make your fans shit their collective pants.

- Ben

—

Audio Blood is a full-service artist and brand development company based in Toronto, Ontario. During it’s two years of existence, Audio Blood has grown to house a team of dedicated and talented staff each with impressive backgrounds, and has built a name for itself as a reputable and quickly expanding force in the Canadian music industry. Through unique media and promotional packages, Audio Blood continuously proves to be creative, innovative, and on the cutting edge of independent music marketing and promotion. Audio Blood has built working relationships with many prominent Canadian labels including EMI Canada, Universal Music, Sony, Underground Operations, and has helped jump start the careers of some of Canada’s favourite exports (Leif Vollebekk, The Balconies, Dinosaur Bones).  http://www.audioblood.com

Although another CMJ has come and gone, we’re still very much stoked on a strong group of artists that impressed us during our week in New York City. It’s amazing how in one of the busiest and greatest cities in the world, NYC can make Toronto kids feel so at home. There’s such cultural splendor in our favourite five boroughs beneath the border and we sure can’t wait to get back!

Venue to venue, night after night, like every festival there was no shortage of music. Between Bowery and East Village and Brooklyn, it was pretty easy to catch a bunch of different bands each night without losing time in traveling. It’s all about effective planning and every sort of nick and snag that comes along with it!

Traveling in packs or traveling alone, every band we witnessed had their own je ne sais quoi about them, but there are a few who still jump out as some leading acts to expect big moves from in 2012.

Right of the top, Ireland’s Jape have indie rock in their pocket. Fronted by a strong, charming Dubliner with a voice that could weld a pipe with all it’s perfection, Jape hit the heaviest punch of the week, playing to a modest crowd at Fat Baby. If swigging beer alongside fans, mounting bar stools, and calling the room to take a deep, diplomatic breath to be thankful for life isn’t enough, the tunes should then sell you. All around we’re excited to see more – Jape equals the real deal.

Although festival favourites, Gotye is still on our list of eyes to watch. Despite having a ton of buzz and mucking up in front of the most sought after crowd of the festival (Saturday night at the Brooklyn Bowl), the band has not been dismantled from our pedestal of love. De Backer has the voice of an angel and his arrangements are forward thinking – even for Australia. Keep your head turned, they’re creeping into mainstream land very, very quickly.

On the underground level, it wasn’t hard for us to keep our ear to the ground. Art was everywhere. Astounded by the likes of Hey Marseilles and Sydney Wayser, we were glad to have our hands in the much of it all with our own day party at Arlene’s Grocery. A full afternoon of music, including our very own Sandman Viper Command, friend bands like Chicago’s Paper Thick Walls and Archie Powell & The Exports were a huge hit.

The Paste Magazine showcase was probably the highlight of sponsored events at CMJ this year. I had every intention of giving that credit to the Cantora Lab at The Thomson, but it wasn’t as interactive as I expected it to be. We Are Augustines were surprisingly engaging and Grace Woodroofe was a lovely performer so kudos to them! Honorable mentions also go out to Marcato and Rdio for being exceptional festival sponsor, and Porterand Big Picture Mediafor getting us back and forth safe and sound!

Until next year CMJ.

- Kate

About Kate:

Kate Snack has operated as an independent music professional in Toronto since 2008. After spending four years in Quebec, Kate returned to the city to pursue a career in music and has since completed a post-graduate certificate in Corporate Communications from Seneca College.  Seasoned in digital marketing (Sony, Vitamin Water), and web journalism (Pink Mafia, ion Magazine), affection for creative landscapes and promoting growth in the arts community are among her capital pursuits. A public relations practitioner with a bright eye on the future of the music industry, Kate’s got her ear to the ground, hunting for passionate, rock solid tunes.

—

Audio Blood is a full-service artist and brand development company based in Toronto, Ontario. During it’s two years of existence, Audio Blood has grown to house a team of dedicated and talented staff each with impressive backgrounds, and has built a name for itself as a reputable and quickly expanding force in the Canadian music industry. Through unique media and promotional packages, Audio Blood continuously proves to be creative, innovative, and on the cutting edge of independent music marketing and promotion. Audio Blood has built working relationships with many prominent Canadian labels including EMI Canada, Universal Music, Sony, Underground Operations, and has helped jump start the careers of some of Canada’s favourite exports (Leif Vollebekk, The Balconies, Dinosaur Bones).  http://www.audioblood.com

This month Audio Blood intern Roxanne Hathway-Baxter has scribed some words about the importance taking on an internship if you want to work in the music industry! Roxanne has been interning at Audio Blood since September!

—-
So, you made it. All those late nights spend cramming and the swimming pools of coffee consumed finally paid off. You graduated! Your family is proud, you’re proud (or at the very least, relieved) you’ve got a diploma. Now what?

Getting your foothold in the real world doesn’t always come as easily as you might have expected. You have a dream in your heart and some songs in your headphones, but the next step sometimes isn’t that clear. All the postings on job websites seem to be asking for people with a lifetime of experience, but where does that leave the recent graduate? It often leaves them working in retail or in some other job they never thought there $30,000 education would land them.

The job market right now leaves something to be desired. It may be necessary to take a job that pays the bills, even if it’s not the fantasy job you imagined you’d have as you counted down the minutes until the end of that class that would never end. The job situation right now might seem hopeless, but if you’ve still got that dream tucked away somewhere, there’s an option. It’s one word, with big possibilities: interning.

The idea of an internship sometimes get paired with a very negative reputation. There’s the unfaltering mental image of starving grads running around the city buying coffee and picking up the dry cleaning of a boss that doesn’t look them in the eye, let alone know their name. It’s no wonder that many people are hesitant to dip their toes into this water.

Coming from the fingertips of a current intern in the music industry, I must say that I thought these things. But I took the plunge and you know what? The water was lovely.

Interning acts as a great transition phase from the Ivory Tower to the real working world. You get the hands-on, nitty gritty experience that you need to get a job, without those pesky tests and essays. You get a close-up view of how the machine works and what it means to be a part of that world. You can read about a job as much as you want in a textbook, but until you’re in right there in the middle of the action, you’ll never totally understand. It can open your eyes to aspects of the industry that you end up being very interested in, and you never would have known about. Conversely, the job that you thought would be perfect for you might not be everything you imagined it to be.

Interning in the music industry is especially important because it gives you the chance to do the very valuable networking that will help you as you make your way towards a future career, whether those are people you meet while working the scene or the person sitting across from you at the office. It’s essential that you get your name out there and establish yourself as a presence in the industry. It shows your dedication, that you want to get more out of the internship than just a few lines on a resume.

Of course, there is the unwavering reality that many internships are not paid, a fact that deflects many people from giving them a shot. Yes, it’s definitely not ideal, especially at times when it feels like getting your rent together for next month is going to be a Houdini-esque feat. No one needs three meals a day, right?

Forgive the cliche, but internships should be thought of as an investment in your future. Many places are flexible because they understand that their interns need to have time for another life, whether that life includes another job or part-time education. Plus, who doesn’t love the drama of being a starving artist?… Er, intern.

Now, if you can focus on all the positive aspects of interning and you decide that it’s the path for you, be proactive! You need to shop around, find the placement that’s the best fit. Don’t be afraid to send some emails out, make some calls. Many places will be thrilled to have people contacting them with an interest in working there, I mean, you’re basically asking if they would mind if you worked for them for free. It can sometimes feel like a futile search, when your outbox is full of email un-responded emails, but don’t give up!

Never forget that an internship is definitely an incredible learning experience, no matter where your placement might be. You get to share an office, email lists and music with people in the industry who can offer you great insight. Most of the people you will work for were almost certainly in the same place you are a few years ago. They know what it’s like!

So, give it a shot, send out an application. No matter where you end up, I promise that an internship is never going to be a waste of time.

—

Audio Blood is a full-service artist and brand development company based in Toronto, Ontario. During it’s two years of existence, Audio Blood has grown to house a team of dedicated and talented staff each with impressive backgrounds, and has built a name for itself as a reputable and quickly expanding force in the Canadian music industry. Through unique media and promotional packages, Audio Blood continuously proves to be creative, innovative, and on the cutting edge of independent music marketing and promotion. Audio Blood has built working relationships with many prominent Canadian labels including EMI Canada, Universal Music, Sony, Underground Operations, and has helped jump start the careers of some of Canada’s favourite exports (Leif Vollebekk, The Balconies, Dinosaur Bones).  http://www.audioblood.com