We’re Rachel Hurley and Frank Keith IV, co-owners of the Sweetheart Pub. We’re music industry veterans with over 30 years of combined experience in the music business, having worked in licensing, talent buying/booking, label management, tour management, and more. Once a week, we’ll publish a new edition of this newsletter, where we’ll share some philosophy and actionable advice on all facets of the music industry.
We’ve been putting together a weekly playlist of seven songs (just enough to keep your attention) every week — check out The Sweet Spot to hear what we’ve been listening to.
What we’re thinking about this week…
We’re ready to see shows again. Can we do it safely?
Sweetheart Pub is partnering with The Basement to try and help them reopen with an outdoor, socially-distanced show on April 17th. There will be 22 tables that fit four people each set up in the parking lot behind the venue. Everyone will be required to wear a mask when going to the bar or the restroom. We are sharing this with you because this is a test.
Can smaller venues find ways to reopen creatively? Will there be enough people that attend to make it worth the musicians’ and the venues’ time? We guess we’ll see!
If you live in Nashville and would like to attend, you can purchase tickets here.
Also…check this out…crossposted from a viral Facebook post (they said it as well as we could!):
Yep. The rumors are true. Concerts are coming back. But before we get started, here’s a handy guide on how things are gonna go.
RULE #1: No guest list.
Don’t ask. Not now. Not ever. Everyone in the live music industry has been out of work for 13 months and we all need your support now more than ever. Buy the damn ticket.
RULE #2: Support local.
Before you buy that high priced ticket to see that big name artist at that big corporate venue, consider putting that money back into your own community. This is the best way to ensure that a thriving arts & culture scene will return to cities across America.
RULE #3: Wear a fucking mask.
If you’re going to a show, put a tiny cloth over your mouth & nose. Period.
Vaccinated? Don’t care.
Already had it? Don’t care.
Rona is a hoax? Also don’t care.
We only get one shot at restarting this machine. Please don’t be the one that fucks it up.
RULE #4: We are not babysitters.
We get it. Social distancing sucks. Masks suck. You’re tired of washing your hands. After more than a year of isolation, all you wanna do is lean in close and spew your spittle on friends and strangers alike.
But it’s been 13 months. You know the rules by now — please follow them.
RULE #5: No free drinks.
Don’t ask. Venues have been shut down for 13 months waiting for this moment. Support them.
RULE #6: Tip your bartender.
20% is ok. 25% is better. More than 25% is best. Anything under 20% is a non-starter.
RULE #7: Support the scene.
Can’t make the show? No problem. It costs $0.00 to support us in other ways.
Share the posts. Listen to the music. Invite your friends to the event page. In order for this to work, we need all hands on deck.
RULE #8: Be kind.
Look — it’s been awhile. We’re gonna be a little rusty. Plus, so much of what needs to happen in order to bring back live music safely is new for all of us — fans, venues, promoters and artists alike.
There will be hiccups. There will be lines. There will be unforeseen circumstances. Be nice anyway.
RULE #9: Go to the merch table.
Support the artists.
Buy the t-shirt.
RULE #10: Have fun.
You’ve been waiting for this moment for more than a year — so enjoy the fuck out of it.
Come out early. Stay out late.
Dance. Laugh. Make a new friend. Discover a new band.
Drink beer. Lose your shoes. Fight with your partner in the parking lot. Make the Uber driver pull over so you can vomit on the side of the road. The world is your oyster.
Counting down the moments until we’re all together again. See you all out there on a dance floor soon...very, very soon.
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Thread:
S*** You Can Do Today
There’s no worse feeling than working tirelessly on a record through writing, pre-production, tracking, mixing, mastering, and eagerly awaiting release day...only to hear your song on a DSP (e.g. Spotify) sound lacking in the dynamics and overall vision you worked so hard to achieve.
DSPs’ intent here is reasonable enough — to save listeners from being "blasted" unexpectedly, they turn down music recorded at higher levels. The higher the level your music is mastered at, the bigger the loudness “penalty” could be. This isn’t just a matter of “oh the song is quieter now” — we’re talking added compression and limiting. No fun.
Unfortunately, all DSPs achieve this in different ways, and give different values for submissions, which makes it difficult to know how big the penalty will be for your music.
Luckily, there is a tool to help you with this, which you can bookmark and check before sending your next release out for digital distribution: Loudness Penalty Analyzer
If you feel like a previous release of yours has been crushed by the loudness penalty, consult with your distributor — you may be able to swap out a fresh audio file without losing past analytics.
Audio nerds: Here’s a blog post for a deeper dive on this subject.
TikTok of the Week
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Free Advice
Have a follow-up question for one of our guests? Got a tip? Did we (*gasp*) get something wrong? Our line is always open -- hit us up and if we use your question or response in a future newsletter, we’ll give you credit and link your socials.
Don’t Forget!
As we often receive requests to work with artists who don’t have the budget to afford a full campaign, we’re launching an “Office Hours”-style consulting service where you can book us for 30 or 60-minute blocks of one-on-one time.
You can learn more here (scroll down past campaign details)
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