Jason King (The Vogue in Indianapolis) Entertainment Manager / Talent Buyer - June 23, 20167/28/2017 AuthorStacy Riddle What is your occupation?
Entertainment Manager / Talent Buyer How did you get started in your job? The industry? I am the owner of IndyMojo, an Indiana based concert promoter and music blog. What services do you offer? The Vogue offers 150+ concerts per year. What are your clients typically looking for? Great shows and affordable drinks. What skills are required to do the job? Knowledge of music (past & present), In tune with current trends, Marketing, Finances, etc. What do you like about the business? Seeing shows, rush of a big crowd. What do you find most challenging? Forecasting ticket sales.. some shows do great..other shows are a grind to sell tickets. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the business in the last 5 years? Millennials. They don’t jump in the car with their pals and go on an adventure.. they use their smart phones to know exactly what, when, where. Everything is a destination to them. What are your plans for the Vogue in the next year? Book more shows! Sell more drinks! What opportunities do you see in Indiana? I see larger bands coming to the market.. we have been building our scene and Indy is no longer the “fly over” market it once was. Any advice to people considering going into the music and entertainment business? Find the right mentor and hold on tight.. don’t risk your own money until you have it to lose. Any thing else you’d like to add? I think that’s it. ;)
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What is their occupation?
DJ How did they get started? As a kid Antonio would always listen to DJ’s such as Grandmaster Flash and Jam Master Jay hopeful to one day acquire the skills of such DJ’s. At the age of 10 Antonio begged his mom and dad for his first set of equipment which was a Kaoss Pad. Christmas of 2000 Antonio received his first set of equipment which was not exactly a Kaoss Pad but it was close enough. He would rehearse and rehearse for hours in his room to different songs he could play and what kind of persona he wanted to hold. Antonio adds that, “Learning how to use my equipment did not come easy. I read the instruction manual hundreds and hundreds of times and tried my best to master the arduous skill of DJ’ing.” He always had a niche for the art of DJ’ing. What services do they offer? Antonio offers his art to night clubs, private parties, events, anything you can think of. Rates vary depending on the occasion, how many hours the event runs, and traveling expenses. What are their clients typically looking for? Clients typically search for a DJ who is skilled in the art of Dj’ing. “Customers want to be well aware that I can customize their event. If they want a certain genre played can I play the most popular songs for that genre? Can I keep the crowd dancing the whole event? Am I able to handle song request from the guest? Do I have back up equipment in case of a malfunction? These are just majority of the questions I receive when it comes to client bookings. I understand why these would be common concerns of theirs. You want a great DJ or your event can take the wrong turn. I want to retain old customers and longevity. I want my returning customers to spread word of my services to new customers. I always make a great effort in making sure my customers are happy. They are part of my success.” What skills are required to do the job? “I would say skills you need for this job are a passion for DJ’ing first and foremost and staying tech savvy. With these skills there is no doubt that you will survive in this business. Passion will take you a long way, you cannot be in the business just for the money. In my opinion you will not last long. You have to also stay tech savvy and that goes as far as keeping up with technology and being well rounded. You have to cater to your customer’s individual needs. There is not one customer that is the same.” What do they like about the business? Antonio finds the drive and energy he gets from others that are in the entertainment industry as the best part of the business. It gives him constant motivation to perform at his ultimate level. He has been in the business for six years and there has been times where he did not have the drive and passion because others around him did not have a drive and passion. It was a time where he was surrounded by those who were only in the business for money and he truly had a passion for the art of DJ’ing and his niche was not enough. What they find most challenging? “The most challenging thing is learning how to brand yourself. It will not be a walk in the park when it comes to doing so.” What’s the biggest change they’ve seen in the business in the last 5 years? “Biggest change I have seen in this business within the last five years is DJ’s slowly stepping over to producing as well. Producing is something I have experience with as well but not so much.” What are their plans for next year? “My plans for next year are to breakout nationally. I am not going to speak on it much. Actions speak louder than words and I am slowly getting my foot in the door nationally.” What opportunities do they see in Indiana? “I see a vast amount of opportunities in Indiana today. It all starts with networking and building your network. Networking can take you a long way. It can be something as small as a conversation with a server at your favorite restaurant. That server can know somebody who may know somebody that’ll land you an opportunity you probably would have never landed if you would have not had that simple conversation.” He makes it very known that networking is very important and the use of social media makes it 100 times easier to network today. You can take advantage of any opportunity with networking. Any advice to people considering going into the music and entertainment business? “Advice I have to those going into the business is surround yourself with like minded people, maintain a positive image, and respect everyone you come in contact with. You want to surround yourself with those who have the same goals as you or goals bigger than your wildest dreams. Always give yourself a challenge. Maintaining a positive image is very important you do not want to be known as someone who is bad with business or is hard to work with due to your negative attitude. I was raised to greet the janitor the same way I greet the CEO no matter your status in life we are all owed some form of respect.” AuthorTyler Thom What is your occupation? I am a professional musician/record company owner.
What services do you offer? (Recording, performing etc.) As a musician, I tour off & on with Dee Dee Bridgewater and also record CDs and commercials for various artists and agencies. What are your clients typically looking for? Depending on the client, being able to performing a variety of different musical styles is a must. Also being responsible & dependable is important. When traveling, it is important to respect cultural differences and having the ability to work with different musicians on a social level as well as a high musical level is very important. What skills are required to do your job? Reading music and having knowledge of the business is important. Time management and being able to make decisions is at the top of the list of necessary skills. What do you like about the business? (Music business or recording business) Having a vision and a plan is what I like most about the business. The ability to move from an idea to the final product and also the management. To help facilitate and oversee the project is very inspiring to me. While recording music, it's the same but the difference is that you're responsible for your contribution and you may not see the big picture. What do you find most challenging? The most challenging thing for touring is the travel but on the businessside it is keeping up with the new technology. What is the biggest change you have seen in the business in the last 5 years? The advancement of social media and the ability to stream live opened up so many possibilities for musicians. What are your plans for next year? I am hosting a radio show on WICR the summer of 2016 and will be teaching at Butler University in the fall. Any advice to people considering going into the music and entertainment business?My advice is for you to follow your passion and work hard to achieve your desired goals. You will only live once so determine to never live with regret. AuthorAbigail Hoyt What is their occupation?
Plays in a cover band called Full Tilt How did they get started? I had a couple of friends that also played instruments like keyboard and guitar and we decided to get together and create a cover band and we did that over in my friends basement. What are their clients typically looking for? Most of the time its people who are at bars sometimes we get hired for private parties and festivals. What do they like about the business? Well, I suppose just like any other musician I have a passion for music, being with a group of individuals that have the same passion as me. What they find most challenging? Musicians are kind of an odd group of people so the personalities are pretty wild, trying to come to together and come to an agreement is difficult. What’s the biggest change they’ve seen in the business in the last 5 years? The biggest one is equipment that is used, a lot of the equipment has gone digital and now everything is wireless and also bar owners don’t pay bands as much as they used to so its hard to find a place worth while. What are their plans for next year? Nothing different, just to help increase the quality of the band. What opportunities do they see in Indiana? The opportunities in Indiana for bands like ours aren’t great and I don’t see them changing or getting better as far as quality. Any advice to people considering going into the music and entertainment business? Just like anything else do what you like to do and opportunities will start popping up. |