Long-time industry expert and indie promoter Eric Walden kindly stopped by this week to talk all things By The Barricade and the changing music world, as well as the role of labels, advice for aspiring artists, social media trends, and plenty more. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hi Eric, thanks so much for the interview! For those who don’t know, how would you describe your current role within the music world?
I work for a website called By The Barricade where we share educational articles about the music industry. Our team covers topics like “what does a music programmer do?” and “what should you bring to a festival?”.
Are you a musician yourself, and what was the very first band or artist that drew you towards a life immersed in music?
I remember borrowing a friend’s headphone and sitting shoulder to shoulder listening to listening to Linkin Park on his iPod. It blew me away and I’ve been hooked ever since. After seeing Metallica live I tried to learn guitar but gave up after realizing how challenging their songs were to play. I regret not sticking with it but the site’s been a great way to get my music fix.
Tell us about By By Barricade – where did the name come from, and what inspired you to start it?
You can blame Rise Against for the name. Some friends and I had been waiting in line for hours and once the doors opened, we rushed the barricade. Looking to either side I knew almost everyone on the bar. When we started the site later that year, I wanted those same people to be involved and write articles. The name could mean “written by” or “close to” so it stuck.
You also run Awfully Good Records, how has the label been impacted by the changing industry in recent years, and what do you offer that helps artists connect with a broader audience?
AGR’s original goal was to reduce costs for artists by creating completion CDs. That way all the bands involved would benefit from combined effort. Now that streaming has taken over bands don’t need us the same way so we took a break. The label was put on pause and shifted the team’s focus back to ByTheBarricade.com when tours slowed down for covid.
I’m confident our new focus on educational articles will help bands more than financially supporting a few but I’m eager to restart the label once things ramp up again.
“TOUR! Headlining spots in your hometown usually pay more but tour experience has a huge impact on artist growth and future opportunities.”
What’s the best piece of advice you could give to a band or artist who’s been on the scene a while but is struggling to get any traction or to expand their audience?
TOUR! Headlining spots in your hometown usually pay more but tour experience has a huge impact on artist growth and future opportunities. Tour experience is one of the main factors industry people (agents, managers, A&R, etc) look at when evaluating bands. Strategically sacrificing short term profits can really pay off.
With the current trends on TikTok and social media requiring acts to showcase more of their lives, what are your thoughts on the impact of this on true artistry and mystique, and where do you see the music industry heading in the coming years?
Great question! Bands have tons of opportunities now to let fans see behind the curtain with songwriting and their lives. It lets your most die-hard fans get even more involved and attached to your band’s story if you do it right.
I’m not a huge fan of how much content bands need to create to stay top of mind & appease the algorithms though. Luckily platforms like Patreon, Twitch, & NFTs have given bands new ways to monetize the content they’re already creating. I’m really excited to see how bands leverage these tools to get paid for access to their lives and art over the next five years.
What’s something about you that people might be surprised to hear?
K Pop shows up way more on my Spotify playlists than metal. Most people introduce me as a metalhead because of the clothes I wear and shows I go to but if they’d be shocked to hear what’s often playing in my headphones.
Is there anything else we should know?
We’re planning to start a YouTube channel soon so keep an eye out. There’s no firm launch date yet but the team & I are really excited to get in front of a camera and talk about music.
Thanks again for the interview, I really enjoyed it!
Thanks to you too, Eric!
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