Interview with PULP MagazineThis is an interview I did with Kayley Guyette from PULP Magazine from their "Yes, I Am" interview series.
http://pulpcb.com/blog/2009/02/yes-i-am-interview-series.html Yes, I Am A Merch Manager: Aileen Burns When and how did you become merch manager for the Plain White T's? I was in college at NYU studying the music industry and working in the Columbia Records A&R department in 2004 when I met the Plain White T's. One of my bosses was scouting them for the label and sent me to a few shows, so we ended up becoming friends. In June 2005, after a year of working at Columbia, I decided I really needed a change of scenery and asked the T's if they would take me on tour that summer. Had you worked for any other bands before this/have any experience? If so, what did you do? My first experience came from selling t-shirts for a local band from Long Island called Last Week (currently a touring band known as Lights Resolve). They drew a pretty good crowd locally, so I offered to sell their merch in exchange for getting into their shows for free. The local music scene on Long Island was really strong at the time and we actually did a decent amount of business at shows. Eventually the band started traveling to nearby cities for shows on weekends, so that was my first taste of "tour" life, even though we were never really gone for more than 48 hours. What are the duties of a merch manager exactly? Duties vary depending on the band, the tour, the merch person, and the company that employs the merch person if that happens to be the case. Personally, my responsibilities start weeks, sometimes months, before the tour. I compile a list of design and item ideas with the band, then discuss the list with our merchandise company. From there I pick the best of the designs that our merch company brings me, which I present to the band for approval. I work with the company on sales projections and that's when the printer can start rolling. Once we're on tour, I handle receiving of shipments and inventory of all merchandise. On show days, if I am selling merch, I have to set up the merch area with a visual display and enough product for the show. If the venue provides a vendor, I count in merchandise with them, check on their stock during the show, and count out at the end of the night. After every show no matter who is selling, I handle Soundscan and the merchandise settlement using an Excel spreadsheet that I created. Once all of that is taken care of, I spend some time checking over my spreadsheet for the show, re-counting the money, and sending the show's settlement sheet to the merch company and band management each night. Another responsibility that I've taken on is coordinating the product going into our online web store. Not a lot of merch managers get involved with the online store, but personally I like to know what's going on with all facets of our merchandise business. Additional responsibilities can also vary if the merch manager has been hired out specifically by the merchandise company, which is typical for companies who handle product for larger bands such as Metallica or Coldplay. Sometimes duties include driving a Penske truck, or brokering merchandise when crossing the Canadian border. On tours that require less hands-on work by the merch manager, such as in arenas or stadiums where the building provides vendors, it is common for the merch person to help with other tasks such as guest list or wardrobe. How does merch manager defer from merch guy/girl? I'm glad you asked that! I mean, it's really just a difference in name. But a person who is on tour simply to set up a display and sell t-shirts each night is someone I would call a "merch guy" or "merch girl" and not a merchandise manager. A lot more responsibility and work is involved in the manager position. Some say that merch managers are easily replaceable, do you agree with this? Why or why not? It may seem that way, especially compared to other crew jobs on tour like a tech or tour manager, but I disagree. The merch manager handles the band's immediate income, so there's a lot of trust involved in the relationship between band and merch person. I would say that not a single member of the touring crew is easily replaceable. A band and their crew is like a big family that lives and works together. We depend on each other to make it through each day. You're a girl in a highly male dominated industry; do you think it makes it harder for people to respect/take you seriously? Definitely. There's a preconceived notion that girls can't work as hard or be as skilled as a male in this business. Girls are also considered a distraction on tour. It doesn't help that there are some girls out there proving these notions right. Even with a strong resume and years of experience, it's still common for a woman to be turned down for a job in favor of a guy whose resume may not be as impressive. I would say women are becoming more accepted into the touring industry as of late, but a woman on tour is still not common and finding a job is still difficult. Any advice for girls aiming to get into the music industry? Respect yourself first and foremost. What about your job do you find most pleasurable? Least pleasurable? I've always loved the sense of family that I get from being on tour, both among your own band and crew, but also with the other bands and crews on tour. And the amount of traveling I've done all over the world is far beyond most people my age or older. I'd say the least pleasurable part of the job is being away from home, friends, and family for extended periods of time. Do you aim to go higher in the music industry? Or are you content where you are? My first goal was to be successful in A&R, but after a year of scouting bands for a major label, I got pretty burnt out on the idea. I've always dreamt of someday owning my own independent record company, but I think that's a long ways down the road. Between now and then, I'd like to experience a few different aspects of the business, maybe working for a merchandise company itself, a booking agency, or in management. When I was preparing for college, my goals were very specific. Touring opened up a whole new side of the music business for me, so my path is now ever changing. Do you have a most memorable show you were working at? In 2006, Plain White T's were invited to fill a spot on Panic At The Disco's headlining tour after Bloc Party were forced to drop off. I had literally been home for three hours after finishing almost two months of tour when I got the phone call that we would start tour with Panic At The Disco the next day. For two weeks we played arenas in front of 6,000-14,000 people, and I was moving more product than I ever had before. The two weeks we spent on that tour was a big turning point in my life I think, when I realized this could become a career. More recently, Chris Carrabba from the band Dashboard Confessional gave me a shout out from stage on the last night of the Rock Band Live Tour. I definitely became a fan of Dashboard on that tour, and getting the shout out was both incredibly embarrassing and totally awesome. Chris and everyone in the band and crew are amazing people. Any "horror stories", that you'd like to share? I am a survivor of the Warped Tour 2007 Cleveland, Ohio storm of the summer. I was working for a non-profit called Shirts For A Cure and was responsible for selling 40+ t-shirt designs in a 10'x20' fold up tent. The lightning, thunder, and hail storm lasted 90 minutes, with constant heavy downpour and gusts of wind so strong that half my tent collapsed with me under it. A good amount of my product was ruined that day, and there were moments when I thought I was clinging to the tent for my life. One of the scariest things I've ever experienced. Any advice for someone looking to become a merch manager? Don't get into it because it seems like it's the easiest job on tour. Just because there's isn't any technical work involved, like working with instruments or sound boards, doesn't mean a high level of skill isn't required. It's also important to keep in mind that touring is a fun job, but not a 24 hour party. If there was any band (dead or living) that you could sell merch for, who would it be? And why? Being able to tour with any of my favorite bands would be amazing, but sometimes being on tour with a band changes how you appreciate them. If it came down to working for a band simply for the opportunity to hear them play every night, I would have to say either Wilco, Kings of Leon, or Jimmy Eat World. Any fan creeper stories, you'd like to share? Plain White T's fans are pretty tame, actually. I've heard stories about friends bands with much crazier fans, but so far no real "creeper" stories to tell from the Plain White T's camp. It's not creepy at all, but Pierre from the band Simple Plan named his dog Delilah after the song, does that count? Maybe he's secretly a creepy fan... just kidding, he's actually a really good friend of the T's. If someone was to bring you a present on tour, what would you like it to be? I love baked goods, especially brownies, but the trouble with those kinds of gifts is that they always get eaten by everyone else on the bus besides me. I rarely get gifts which doesn't bother me, but homemade stuff is fun. I wear a lot of jewelry and I'm never opposed to adding to my collection! Anything else you'd like to add? Your questions were great, I think you really covered everything :) Fun Questions An upcoming CD release you're looking forward to? No Doubt! Also awaiting new music from Wilco, Mew, Fleetwood Mac, and Moneen. If there was to be a sandwich named after you, what would it have on it? One of my tour nicknames is "Pineapple" because I grew up in Hawaii, so I guess that's what it would have on it... I'd eat it. Favorite food? I love anything Asian, especially sushi. I eat sushi on tour as often possible. Luckily Dave and De'mar from the band are both big sushi connoisseurs too so I always have someone to go with. Favorite pizza topping? Garlic mashed potato pizza from Pizza Luce in Minneapolis, the best pizza on the face of the planet. Favorite Holiday? Halloween on tour is always a lot of fun but usually I have a really difficult time getting the band to be pro-active about wearing costumes. This past year, however, the guys totally got into it and every single one wore a costume on stage and for most of the night. I wore a red wig and dressed up as Hayley from Paramore... easiest tour costume ever.
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Also- garlic mashed potato pizza?! That sounds random and amazing!
A SANDWICH? now THATS nasty!!!