#but in this industry having tight nit connections with people is important

[bandzboy]

yesterday i saw a person on twitter saying that they don’t consider musicians “artists” because they have big team being them who does the production of everything and etc and it’s so insane how… there’s still this misconception that if you are a musician and you put out music you must be rich which… very untrue! also small musicians don’t have a team behind them to make their music they usually do everything themselves and even if an artists is big most of the time they also contribute to their art by writing the lyrics and coming up with the idea of the song itself anyways!! i would even say that even if a person doesn’t necessarily write their music they still interpret the songs in their own way especially when they sing on stage and being able to do that is also being an artist! what i am trying to say is being a musician is definitely a way to be an artist no matter how successful, rich or not you are to have certain things!

[pikalew]

who are you (not in a mean way) and how did you get into twitch streaming??

Hey! Not taken in a mean way at all, thanks for the question, happy to answer! It was actually complete luck haha!My name is Lewis, I’m 25 and live in Sydney, Australia. I spent most of my working life never fitting in, trying just about every type of job before falling in love with writing/blogging and realizing that creating content was my passion. It started with a skate blog, which got huge and turned into a car blog, then an everything blog (www.dostuffandblog.com) which exploded. At one point I was getting over 10,000 hits a week (in hindsight, should probably have monetized that haha!) which lead me to pursue a career in writing. After about 2 years of writing for myself and unpaid for a automotive/culture website called Zen Garage, I landed myself my first internship at PC Powerplay, Hyper Magazine and PC & Tech Authority, all of which were video game/tech centric. After a few months there, it became abundantly clear there was no money in it for me (maybe because I’m not a good enough writer, who knows!?) and decided to start YouTubing my game/tech related thoughts. It seemed like a good idea to move to a newer form of media and I started to gain a good audience, realizing that video was a much better way of connecting with people than writing. One day, a friend that I had met in the games industry posted an advertisement on Facebook for a production job for a Twitch channel called 6t4bites, which is based out of Sydney. I randomly applied for the job with no real hope of getting it. Surprisingly, I made it quite far, but decided to take a gamble and ask if I could host the shows rather than produce them, as it felt like it was an even better way to connect with people (instant chat is amazing!) and that was very important for me. Initially I thought I had made an awful mistake because there was no way I would have fit in with the initial team of streamers there. It was a very tight nit group of friends who were all very successful and already established in their own right, so me coming in as a complete noob, I knew I was never really going to make the A-team. I was still optimistic though and showed up to as many streams as I was invited to and gave it my best, even though I was terrified. After about 3 streams, the whole team basically left and I was pretty doubtful of myself at that point. I stayed on and did my best. Eventually we got a new team and as time passed I became more comfortable on camera. The new team built what I dare say is the most supportive and kind channel I’ve seen, full of some of the most lovely people I have ever met. After a while, I moved into a more permanent role and started contributing to a website called Press Start to satiate my writing desires. I was fortunate enough to be able to get my hands on my own streaming PC and suitable internet connection, and for the last few months have been trying to build my own channel (www.twitch.tv/superpikalew) as much as I can. That pretty much brings us to here! Right now I’m trying to continue to build my channel, build 6t4bites, contribute to Press Start and just enjoy life. Video games are such an amazing thing, that unite such a large group of people that it’s almost universal. It’s an incredibly cool time to be in this industry and I can’t wait to see where it goes!Hope that answered your question, if you have any more feel free to ask away!XOXO- Gossip Goat

[popmusicgeneration]

Unpopular Opinion: Everyone Should Listen to Taylor Swift

by Elyse Wassem

People love to hate Taylor Swift. It’s a fact of life in today’s culture, although I think it’s entirely unfair. For years, the public has found any nit-picky reason to “cancel” Swift and put the blame on her for any drama involving her. (And there has definitely been a lot of drama.) Everyone knows of that now infamous scene at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Taylor was interrupted by Kanye West as she stepped on stage to accept her award for Best Female Video. Even as a bright-eyed 19-year-old just truly breaking into the mainstream music scene, she couldn’t have any successes without people trying to bring her down and minimize her talents as a singer and songwriter. 

This unfortunate trend has continued throughout Taylor Swift’s career and has been a consistent thorn in her side for over a decade. She has had to deal with countless media storms and a seemingly endless amount of drama, but has continued to write and record powerful and culturally important songs. Her perseverance in continuing to make music despite all of the hate that has been thrown her way and the excessive scrutiny from the press makes it obvious that she loves what she does and cares about making a difference through her songs. I think that most people automatically categorize Taylor Swift and her music as “basic” without ever listening closely and thinking about what she’s trying to convey in her lyrics. There are so many reasons to give Swift and her music a chance to gain your appreciation and maybe eventually even your love, including her versatility, honesty, and advocacy. 

She’s Versatile

Starting out in country music, Taylor Swift began her career as a young teenager whose songs were mostly about crushes, heartbreaks, and high school. Most people know that she continued to write breakup songs even as she made the seamless transition from the country genre into the mainstream pop scene with the release of her 2012 album Red and 2014 album 1989. Although many of her critics would like to say she only writes about bad breakups, her discography tells a different story, as it includes a variety of songs covering different emotions and topics. While her songs do include a lot of lyrics about the ending of relationships, there are also a lot about tough life-changing experiences and happy times in her life. “22” is a song that just about everyone knows, and it is upbeat and all about enjoying fun times with your friends, while “Soon You’ll Get Better” is an emotional song Taylor wrote while dealing with her mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Swift has also expanded her musical career to include songwriting for films. She wrote the heart-wrenching original song “Beautiful Ghosts” for the 2019 movie, Cats, which she also had an acting role in. Although there were a lot of negative reviews about the movie as a whole, Taylor Swift’s song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards. The 2020 nomination was her third in that category, exemplifying her ability to write a wide variety of songs. It doesn’t matter if you like peppy songs, show tunes, or songs that are good to cry to, because Taylor Swift has all of the above and everyone can find a song of hers to connect with.  

She’s Honest 

Swift’s music has changed a lot over the years and both the sound and message of her music have evolved as she has matured and had new experiences. Her musical evolution is evident of her growing into herself while constantly being scrutinized by the media and the public. Her two most recent albums are self-aware and honest in a way that most artists don’t dare to embrace. Her 2017 album reputation was a new and darker direction for Swift, as her previous albums avoided directly confronting the drama that she’s been involved in. However, in reputation, she wrote truthfully about her feelings surrounding the well-publicized feud with Kanye West. That album was a way for Taylor to set the story straight by telling her side of things and expressing how she truly felt about the feud itself and the ensuing press coverage, which was overwhelmingly critical of Swift. 

She continued her openness in her 2019 album Lover, by writing about the same aforementioned feud in the song “I Forgot That You Existed”, but now revealing how her anger about the situation has disappeared and been left in her past. While many would say that her early career was built on songs about boyfriends, Taylor delves into a new and deeper level of vulnerability about relationships in Lover. She had been notoriously private about her relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn and had almost completely avoided talking about him with the press, but she included many songs about their relationship in Lover. The songs “London Boy” and “Paper Rings” both give fans a new insight into how her and Alwyn’s relationship has progressed, from the early days before they were official to where they stand now. By being brutally honest and vulnerable in her music, Taylor allows her listeners to trust her and connect better with her songs.

She’s Not Afraid To Get Political… Anymore

Taylor Swift used to be notoriously tight-lipped about all things political. She explained the reasoning behind her being so quiet for so long and why she decided to start speaking up about her political views in her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana. When she began her career in music, she started out as a country artist and revealed in Miss Americana that her “label executives and publishers would say “Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks.””, because their split-second comment against President George W. Bush and the Iraq war in 2003 led to a flurry of name-calling and boycotting by conservatives. Swift went on to explain that she felt that her career was based on her being a “nice girl” and that it was a core part of her worth as an artist. She didn’t want to ruin her good girl image or jeopardize her career by saying something that people wouldn’t agree with and ostracizing her devoted fans, because she was led to believe that “a nice girl doesn’t force their opinions on people” and “a nice girl doesn’t make people feel uncomfortable with her views.” 

However, on October 8, 2018, Taylor posted a paragraph in an Instagram caption, revealing for the first time ever that she would be voting for the Democratic candidates in the Tennessee elections for Senate and House of Representatives. She not only declared who she was going to vote for, but explained why she would not be voting for the female candidate, Marsha Blackburn, because of her voting record on issues like protecting women from domestic violence and the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Taylor also wrote “In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life over the past two years, I feel very differently about that now.” In making just that one Instagram post, she ended her long-standing political silence, and paved the way for her to make political statements with her music.

In Miss Americana, this pivotal moment of Taylor deciding to talk about politics is included in a tense scene where her father tries to talk her out of making the post. Taylor and her mother both try to get her father to understand her decision and Taylor defends her reasoning by saying that “this is something that I know is right, and… I need to be on the right side of history.” When Swift released her documentary, she also released a new song titled “Only The Young”, which is outspokenly political and condemns the government for not doing enough to help stop gun violence. This song is a call to action trying to encourage young people to vote and make a difference in the world. While there are certainly people who might not agree with her views, I applaud her decision to stand up for what she believes in and her effort to bring awareness to issues she believes are important to fight for or against in today’s society. 

She’s An Advocate

In her latest album, Lover, Taylor Swift not only strayed from her edgy reputation-era sound and relatively aggressive lyrics into a happier and more peaceful album, but she also penned several songs addressing real problems that are prevalent in society. In her second promotional single from Lover, “You Need To Calm Down”, Swift tries to bring awareness to issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, including online hate, homophobia, and aggressive protests. In the prideful and empowering lyrics, Swift even includes a shout-out to LGBTQ+ advocacy media organization GLAAD, giving many fans another reason to call her an ally.

Another issue that Swift feels passionate about is feminism and equal rights for women. She uses her music as a way to call out and stand up against the double standards that women face in both music and the media today. “The Man”, from her album Lover, is a catchy song with a powerful message about how women have to work a lot harder than men do in order to be recognized for their achievements. Swift sings about how she’s been perceived to be a person who doesn’t the success that she’s gotten, but how men who do the same things she’s done not only get credit for what they’ve done, but they also get praised for it. She also references the Me Too Movement and her own experience with being a victim of sexual assault by including the lyrics “When everyone believes ya/ What’s that like?”, pointing out the fact that a lot of women aren’t believed when they come forward to report harassment or assault. This song is a very direct way of calling out the media, the music industry, and society as a whole by emphasizing the struggles that authoritative and influential women face purely based on the fact that they’re female. Taylor’s advocacy not only lets fans feel like they’re cared about and understood, but the awareness she raises can lead to real changes.

Just Listen

I know that not everybody likes every genre of music, but I think that a lot of people discount pop music and the hardworking and talented artists, like Taylor Swift, who make pop music, for no actual reason at all. While not all pop music appeals to all people, it is called “popular” music for a reason, and if a large portion of the public likes it, there’s a good chance that anybody who starts listening with open ears and an open mind can find something to enjoy about it. I think Taylor Swift is a great artist to listen to, with a wide variety of sounds and songs for every emotion and occasion to get you started in your journey to loving pop music. 

[andersostlund]

Preparations For Successful Networking

When you are considering attending a networking event, especially if the community is new to you, there are certain things you might want to consider to better prepare yourself and get the most out of the event.

Is It A Professional Networking- Or Social Networking-Event?

When looking into what kind of event you are considering the question of whether it is a professional or a social one will be important. Many events might look like professional events but in reality there are professionals who are socializing with each other rather than people networking for professional reasons and your expectations should be set accordingly. It is usually much easier to get to the point regarding a professionally related topic at a clearly stated professionally event but on the other hand you are usually able to build a much stronger relationship with professionals when you meet them socially.

What Are Your Reasons For Networking?

Finding your way to the right networking event and have a good and prosperous time at that networking event of course depends on your reasons for networking in the first place and why networking is important for you.

Here some brutal honesty is in place. Do you plan to network because you need it for your business or career, or is it your boss who has told you to go and that’s it? Maybe you attend networking events under a disguise of professionalism while in reality your core reasons are entirely social – you want to make and meet friends, have a good time in general and have no problem staying on for that extra hour or even continue the night down town?

The honest answers to these questions should be factored in when you decide which events to attend and also how you act at these events. Otherwise you might miss your target altogether and doing so under a cloud of general boredom.

Who Is Coming To The Event?

This question is rather easy to answer today as social media and previous events are widely published and might also present you with the opportunity to introduce yourself to other guests before actually meeting them. Then you have the advantage of being remembered more easily when you actually do meet them, which is a key success-factor when networking.

If you cannot find the appropriate event information online you can of course place an email or a call to the organizers even though they most likely will pimp-up the seniority of the expected guests somewhat. If you know some of the expected guests it might of course be a good idea to meet up prior to the event and have a little pre chat where you also have the opportunity to meet some other newcomers in a relaxed setting.

Where Does The Event Take Place?

The venue matters in many ways for networking. It is not just about finding the way there; it is also about what is around. Are there other venues in the area that can be used for pre-drinks, dinner, relaxed after-talks, do you know somebody working at the venue? Have you been there before, where can you park your car, can you eat there, are there several rooms, loud music, an opportunity to stay on after the event is over?

Community Cuture

The community culture can be a challenge for newcomers. Sometimes events are attended by a tight-nit community where everybody at least appears to know each other inside out and then it might feel like an obstacle to break into conversations and finding ones way at the event. Sometimes the appearance of a tight-nit community is only a fiction as people act like they known each other since childhood but in reality they have just seen each other before a few times. This is very hard for you to know in advance though.

The same challenge is presented by the professional cultures at various events. Industry oriented events might feel very introvert and the guests are happy using their most extreme jargon to further emphasize how important and special they are. If you realise the event is such an event and you are not a party to the industry in question you might just call it a day and leave instead of bouncing your head against the wall while looking like a fool.

Other cultural factors are age, strictness, mono- or multi-culture and gender division. Sometimes you will unfortunately find that some events are near fake as they might market themselves as for “senior management” while in reality all those seniors have sent their assistants in their place and whoever you speak with will have almost no decision making power at their company.

The Host

Special consideration should be given to the event host. Try to find out who is the host of the event and connect with him or her prior to the event. The host is most likely the most networked person at the event and therefore a key person to reach out to and say a few words to so he or she remember you. Also, and few people do this so you will stick out, approach the host before leaving and say a few words of thank you. Then you will surely be remembered.

Is There A Dress Code?

Appearance matters so make sure you look good and is well groomed but do have a look at photos from previous events and factor in the style of the audience; you want to stick out in a good way but not appear like you are from galaxy far, far away. Does The Event Have A Program

Is there a program for the event and certain activities that will take place? The event schedule can have an impact on when you should arrive. What if you are there to meet people but arrive at a time when casual conversations are obstructed by a program? Try to find out as much as possible before the event and ask the organisers – they surely know the flow of the event regardless whether it has an official program or not.

What Are The Languages Spoken At The Event?

It is naturally not very easy to attend an event where you don’t master the language spoken. If you need – bring a friend or a colleague that manages the event language. Surely some people speak some of the more international languages though but who they are and which international language they speak might be harder to find out. One advantage of being the odd alien is that you are likely to attract attention and might even be specially taken care of by other guests or the host. Most event organisers like to boast that their events are international.

Always Have a Good Time

Don’t get stuck being tense or over-focused. Try to relax, smile and have a good time. Whatever your reason with networking is your attitude will have an impact on your chances of achieving your goal – and of just having a good time at the event.

Anders Östlund Founder of Fryday, an international network of professionals

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