How My Love of Music Led Me to a Career in Social Journalism
I had worked in television for over 12 years and as much as I loved it I decided to leave it behind all because of some song lyrics. Let me explain.
I remember the first time I met Gaby Moreno. I was one of four people sitting in a small candle lit music venue in New York City. I found her CD (yes CD) in my production office when a co-worker, who met her at an event, left it lying around. This was one of the best things I’ve ever stumbled upon. As soon as I heard Gaby’s rich, raspy voice belting out lyrics over a boss nova, blues and Latin inspired tune I was hooked. I couldn’t understand why this girl wasn’t signed with a label or why only four of us were in the room that night. I was blown away and made it my mission to get the word out about her.
I watched Gaby’s fame rise over time. She went from sleeping on my couch when performing in New York to touring the world with international artists and eventually winning her first Latin Grammy. It was a wonderful journey to watch, but I never knew exactly how she was able to accomplish this as an independent artist. I never asked questions about how she supported herself or what she sacrificed in order to build her career. I always avoided personal questions, but I wanted to understand her process and the process of other independent artists like her. In her song Still the Unknown, Gaby sings…
“Looking out the window
Searching for your home
And it’s never to late
To call on your strength
And if all else should fail
There’s still the unknown.’
Ultimately, I wanted to help indie artists like Gaby, but I had to make some life changes first.
Good-bye TV career, Hello Social Journalism
I had been working as an entertainment news producer for years and as much as I loved it I noticed that there was something missing at many networks I worked for. I saw a growing disconnect between their programming and their viewers as new media began to play a part in the entertainment industry. Ratings were down, budgets were cut and departments didn’t know how to develop digital content or connect with their audience on social media. I found myself watching companies go under while friends in the business were being laid off left and right. Media owners and executives didn’t understand the changing media landscape. It wasn’t clear to them what was happening, but it was clear to people like media expert Jeff Jarvis. In Geeks Bearing Gifts Jarvis offers great insight on the current state of the industry and solutions for the changing newsroom. Jarvis says:
Here’s how I translate the catchphrase ‘digital first’ into a business strategy for legacy media proprietors: They must transform their companies into fully sustainable digital enterprises before the day when print becomes unsustainable. And for the most part, print will become unsustainable. I needn’t explore in depth the causes of death, as the essence of mass media’s plight is now apparent: Publishers as well as broadcasters controlled scarcities — limited space in print and time on the air, each in a closed distribution channel — which afforded them enviable pricing power. The net creates abundance — no shortage of content and no end of advertising availabilities, not to mention the opportunity for brands and merchants to bypass media altogether and build direct relationships with customers.
He goes on to write “Technology has disrupted the news industry — its relationships, forms, and business models — but it also provides no end of opportunities for improving.”
I didn’t want to get lost in antiquated formats Jarvis talks about in his book and wanted to build a new business model for opportunity. I thought, “How can I combine my television background, my love of music and emerging media into an area of expertise?” That’s when I discovered that Jarvis and the staff at the City University of New York (CUNY) had developed a new graduate program in something called social journalism. According to the CUNY website:
Social journalism is about more than producing “content” and filling space. It is also not just about social media, although we think it is vital for today’s journalists to understand and master these tools.
Our Master of Arts in Social Journalism is aimed at helping future leaders in news recast journalism as a service that helps communities meet their goals and solve problems, using a wide range of new tools and skills involving relationship-building, data, social media, and business.
I entered the program with the vision of creating a platform that supports independent artists in both financial and audience growth. My goal was always about impact. So, I immediately began applying the five pillars of social journalism to the needs of this community.
First, I LISTENED. I wanted to know how musicians defined being an independent artist.
I interviewed independent artists and fans in person, over the phone, through email and via social media to find out what they were missing in today’s music industry.
The results all pointed toward some sort of collaboration. Musicians needed fans to come to shows and buy music. While fans wanted more access to artists and deeper forms of engagement.
In order to dig deeper into the lives of independent artists I began developing relationships and REPORTING on the community.
With new media, you can report in several ways so I used TECHNOLOGY to my advantage. I took a multi-media approach when creating stories and posted pieces to as many platforms as possible. Indie artists expressed a great interest in new, original content on places like Facebook and Instagram while fans enjoyed seeing new content on Periscope and Snapchat.
Covering stories was a great way to measure interest, but I wanted to dig deeper so I did market research on the community. I explored existing DATA and created my own.
According to the U.S. Census there are currently around 90,000 musicians and artists in America. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for for artists at$34,750 a year. This was a great start, but I had to dig deeper in order to understand how these numbers might apply to the indie artist community.
I surveyed over 40 artists asking questions about music discovery, new platforms, music news and how they made a living. I found that not only did most earn the majority of their income on tours or live shows, but they also spent the most on travel.
My results were similar to a case study that had been done by the Future of Music Coalition where an independent rocker’s income and expenses were tracked for a course of 4 years.
In an effort to truly understand the journey of independent artists, and get a better idea of spending habits and overall revenue, I did several case studies. I spent time with street performers, YouTube talent and even a former American Idol contestant - all who perform live to support their careers.
What I found is that indie artists struggle to ask for help. They do need financial help, and they often work several jobs (such as recording, playing live shows, teaching, etc), but they also need help managing social media. Indie artists need fans to participate in promoting shows over social media and of course, attend live shows, but they also want to connect in person.
My solution was to create a BUSINESS that builds connections between fans and indie artists on tour. Instead of crowdfunding for cash, fans will be able to purchase items that will supplement tour costs for artists. I’m launching the very first crowd-gifting site for independent artists on tour.
The site can bring fans closer to artists than ever before by giving fans exclusive access to artists as they tour through private shows, one-on-one events and offsite hangouts. It can also offer unique rewards, original content and live music memberships. It would be THE place to find live music and new artists in the U.S., and eventually around the world.
As I finalize my business plan to launch this project I continue to spend time with the community in order to further evaluate their needs. I’ve learned it’s one thing to report on a community, but it’s a whole entirely different thing to actually make a difference. With the help of CUNY’s leaders, such as Jeff Jarvis and director Carrie Brown I’ve learned what it takes to become a part of a community, give that community a voice, understand its needs, educate others about the needs and ultimately create change. This is the start of my new career. This is my work in Social Journalism.
