Georgina Fiske
Georgina Fiske is one of the best up and coming industry professionals out of Melbourne. What Georgina is providing for emerging artists is so vital and important to learn the industry. This year, co-launching a live gig streaming platform and "Fiske" - Which provides emerging musicians with the info to learn about the industry and focus on presenting themselves with a business attitude. Hazy Days Music would like to thank Georgina for taking the time out and having a chat.
“Spider House” is one of your latest projects launched at the start of Australia's lockdown, co-created with your friend Erin Larkins. Spider House is a boutique live streaming gig platform for local emerging musicians. Some of the artists that played were Harper Bloom, Nightlight and Suzi. It was great seeing these line ups dominated by female artists every week. What were some of the challenges with organising a streaming gig compared to an in-person gig? Was getting the sound right ever an issue or the internet dropping out? Will you consider making streaming an option when in-person gigs are allowed to happen again?
The idea for “Spider House” came in the first few days of lockdown, we saw that a lot of our friend's bands had shows that were cancelled or postponed. You could tell that artists were a bit lost and didn't really know how to stay connected with their fans, it really looked like live music was dead.
We saw the need that artists were desperate for some way to continue playing live and music lovers were keen for any way to watch live music (there were so many good gigs and festivals that got cancelled coming up in April and May). We started working out a plan for our first streaming show and that night Isolaid and Bridget Hustwaite both announced lineups for their streaming shows/festivals. That forced us to speed up our timeline a lot, we worked nonstop and hosted our first show 3 days later. Every Spider House show was booked week-to-week and we never saved artists for later shows. In the end booking week by week really burnt us out fast. We started struggling to find artists that understood the effort it takes to host and perform their own streams.
There was a bit of chaos in those first few weeks, a lot of artists unsure how to set it up the best way without sacrificing sound or getting a laggy, pixelated video. We saw a lot of awkward interactions or silent pauses between songs. The difference between an in-person gig and a streaming gig couldn't have been further away at that point, but that changed after a few weeks. Musicians figured out how to improve every aspect of their show without having to put hundreds of dollars into each performance. The shows went from someone playing to their phone in a bedroom with a white background to these incredibly creative performances, some with multiple camera angles and changing backdrops, that lack of energy had vanished and it seemed anything was possible.
There was always going to be some sort of issue with the sound and internet dropping out, we were just bracing for it to happen. Sometimes the performances cut out or at times artists didn't have their computers set up to take audio, and that's fine, it's all part of it. I think we all understood that this was something new that we were all trying to figure out and even my internet would drop out from time to time. These problems weren't something to get angry over, everyone was just happy to be seeing live music again and I think everyone understood that these issues were always a possibility.
This experience has shown me that it is a possibility and should become an option in the future at in-person gigs. There are so many people who can't attend gigs for a very long list of reasons - venues that have lacking or no disability access, having anxiety in large crowds, feeling vulnerable/not safe attending shows by themselves or the location is hours away or just in a different state. I still have to drive a decent way to the city and on weeknights, you can't always be getting home after 2am with work in the morning. I just know a lot more people will end up attending shows virtually and giving local gigs more of a go than they would have if they were just walking past the venue.
You played a massive part in Melbourne's 2019 “Changes Conference”, pretty much running the 2-day music industry event. What led you to gain this amazing opportunity? Could you give us an insight into the planning of an event this size and what the experience was like during the conference?
My role for Changes was "Volunteer Coordinator" which was an unpaid intern position. I would've done well over 80 hours of work, and on the days of the conference, we all were doing 12+ hour days. I got this opportunity through The Push Mentorship Program, Mel offered me the position, and I jumped at the chance. If I didn't take it, I never would've had the experience of leading 80 volunteers, organising 100's of shifts and improving my people person skills. I was very comfortable introducing myself to someone new via email, but picking up the phone was a different story. I used to be pretty shy, and Mel knew that I hated picking up the phone to make a new connection that way, being in these environments really makes you come out of your shell.
For me, it was really important that I got to know all the volunteers, making them feel comfortable on their shifts, and they could speak up if they needed anything. I was happy to take that extra time to find out their interests, and try and get them working in a room focused on song writing, Ableton Live sessions or working the door at a venue with some of their favourite local artists playing.
Some advice I would like to pass on is - If you have a passion for an area of the industry or you really want to do something, jump at any opportunity you can to do it. There will be times where you aren't loving the volunteering experience or feel like what you are doing is a waste of time, and you can offer more. But more often than not, something great will come from each experience, you never know who you'll meet or get introduced to, everyone talks and the music community isn't that big, you never know what it could lead too.
“Fiske” launched earlier this year on Instagram. It’s filled with great info for up and coming artists, it’s amazing! I know you have studied and experienced a variety of roles within the music industry (music business degree, internships, The Push Program, artist manager, venue booker and a lot more). What has been the most beneficial for you to learn the industry and now pass on this information? There is a lot of misleading info out there, do you have any advice on how to filter through what is authentic and what is dodgy?
I believe that all musicians should learn how to do most things in the industry themselves. They don't need to be experts in every different avenue, but having that basic knowledge to understand their way around the industry, will make them more professional and help them avoid dodgy deals while they are building their careers. I am hoping everyone will learn and pick up helpful tips from the topics I discuss. One of the recent topics is - Do I need a manager? We look into all the positives and limitations of being self-managed versus having a manager. I would love to build a community where emerging artists can reach out to me at any time and ask for help or if they are unsure about any specific topics. The mission for “Fiske” is to get emerging artists to have the knowledge to look after their music/art with a business mindset.
I think the music industry can be a really scary place, especially for anyone who doesn't understand it. There is a lot of misleading information out there, and it starts to get confusing when you spend hours on end looking for the answers on the internet. It doesn't help that the majority of movies only talk about artists getting ripped off by the venues, managers, record labels and getting stuck in shitty contracts. I think it sucks that this is the easiest and most prominent information out there. I'm not going to say that doesn't happen, but there are a lot more people out there who want to help you than rip you off.
It sucks that new musicians are scared to trust anyone that contacts them. I think it's important to check your basses and if someone reaches out to you and it feels weird, then it probably is weird. If you have industry friends, ask them and see what they have to say, or if you don't, you can always reach out someone in the industry and just be honest with them say " I'm new, I got this offer, I don't know if it’s a dodgy or not, could you please give me some advice". Because there is a good chance if you got offered this deal someone else has been offered it before. If you are not sure who to ask, look for other local bands from around your area, it would be a great way to build connections with your local community.
What is planned for “Fiske” for the rest of the year? Do you have any advice for some of the smaller artists that might be struggling to move to the headlining spot on the bill or turning job interviews into employment? What's the best way for artists or anyone to get in contact with you if they have any more questions?
I would love to grow “Fiske” into a place where anyone can reach out to me and ask the questions they might think are silly. In the next few months, I'm looking to bring in artists and industry professionals that I think it would be really beneficial to hear their stories/advice. I love working directly with musicians to achieve their goal, and I believe being an artist manager and “Fiske” is a great bridge for me to do that.
Kate Duncan has a great talk on networking. It discusses the idea that if you do interesting things, interesting people will be interested in you. I think that is great advice, but it's important to do something that excites you and don't just do something because it will excite someone else. Networking can be awkward and tough at times, and getting a coffee with someone isn't always the best option.
If I can leave one bit of advice - You can do it yourself! If you are struggling to get the gig, land the job or the record labels aren't responding to you. You can do it yourself! I know it is scary to go out on your own, and you might have to put a little bit of cash behind you. But that is where you will learn everything and make real connections.
You can reach me on Instagram or my email is - fiske.australia@gmail.com
Stay up to date with Georgina and Fiske on Facebook and Instagram.