Earlier this month, we brought you our industry interview with up and coming New Hampshire bakery, Benson’s Bakery. This month we chat with founder of Bandhappy, drummer of Periphery, and teacher on CreativeLive, Matt Halpern in one of what will be many industry interviews with PR professionals, label staff, tour managers, festival promoters, and many more with advice for bands, aspiring industry professionals, and those who just want to learn more about the field. Check it out below.
Infectious Magazine: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. How are you?
Matt Halpern: Doing great, thanks!
Your latest venture is CreativeLive, an online classroom for those interested in the music industry. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Sure! Well, it’s not my venture, per say – the company was started by a great dude by the name of Chase Jarvis – however, I am going to be presenting a class for CreativeLive focused on the working musician and the music industry!
Can you tell us a little about your background, getting involved with Periphery and what led you to launch Bandhappy/get involved with CreativeLive?
Sure. I’ve been drumming since I can remember, and I joined Periphery in 2009 after leaving my former band Animals as Leaders. Bandhappy was something I had been working on prior to Periphery, as a way for artists to supplement their income on tour. Bandhappy aims to connect artists and their fans through educational experiences – these experiences can be anything from music lessons to music business and songwriting workshops. They aim to provide a really enriching experience for the fan wanting to get to know their favorite artist better, and they provide a great supplemental income for the artist looking to educate, interact, and give back to their fans. My relationship with CreativeLive came about through my work with Bandhappy. Our companies aim to educate people about creative topics, and given that both of our companies’ visions are inline, it made sense that we work together for the greater good!
Bandhappy has been heavily involved with Warped Tour, and I think it’s an amazing program. How did you partner with the tour, and would you consider partnering with other festivals or band tours?
Thanks! We’re very happy to be so involved with the Warped Tour – it’s been a great program the past two summers and we’re back out in 2014 for the biggest and best summer yet. I was introduced to Kevin Lyman (founder of Vans Warped Tour) in 2011 and I had the chance to tell him about our goals over at Bandhappy. Kevin is a huge supporter of education and continues to support our program. Bandhappy was recently a sponsor at South By So What and ran events at South By Southwest and will continue to partner with tours and festivals! We’re always looking to be involved with great events open to our educational programs.
What is one question that you don’t think is asked nearly enough that you’d like to offer insight on?
One question would be – Why should artists get involved with offering Bandhappy experiences for their fans? Answer: it’s a fantastic way to build a stronger, loyal, and more productive fan base. Fans want to get to know their favorite bands on a deeper level, and Bandhappy helps facilitate a great way to make this happen. We provide a direct line for the fans to ask questions, learn, and interact with their favorite artists, and we provide an excellent new revenue stream for bands who are looking to be more involved with their audience. Through educating, bands have a chance to help create better, more in-tune, and more supportive fans.
What advice would you like to pass along to those looking to get into the music industry?
Work hard, commit fully, and help those around you. It’s all about real relationships and building bonds with people.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received regarding the industry?
Be up front, focus on good communication, be patient, and be persistent.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Please check out my FREE class for musicians and prospective music industry professionals on CreativeLive.com - April 9-11th starting at 9am PT each day! Thanks!
Matt Halpern is the drummer of Periphery and founder of Bandhappy. He will be launching his free class for musicians and prospective music industry professionals on CreativeLive, April 9-11th at 9amPT. CreativeLive is a new, innovative site broadcasting free streaming classes from top professionals across a wide variety of creative platforms – from music, to photography, to business and more.