WAMCon Focus: Sarah Tout (Voice Box Media Training)

Sarah Tout (Director, Voice Box Media Training)
How did you first become involved in the music business and how did you end up where you are today? I began by spinning tunes on RTRFM as a presenter of the new music show Out To Lunch. I formed a couple of bands with folks I met at and through the station, and went on to join Simone & Girlfunkle a few years ago. I met Dan from the band through RTRFM! I also have a solo musical project. I think it's essential to get in to the industry, volunteer, learn about the bands in the scene, go watch them, meet them and meet like-minded musicians before it's really possible to get anywhere.
What's been the biggest change in the music business you've seen over the past 12 months? Definitely the way music is distributed to radio, and created for merch. It was all CDs and physical distribution until recently, now everything is digital. And that's had interesting effects: it's made room for bands and artists to be really playful with how they want to press and sell their music. Because so many people will consume it digitally, and you don't need to press a heap of CDs for your marketing, we're seeing an influx in vinyl and the rebirth of cassette tapes. That's pretty fun.
What do you think will be the biggest issue affecting the music industry in the next 12 months and why? I'm interested to see where the conversation about gender representation in line-ups will take us. People have finally started to pay attention to that. More broadly we need to find a way as an industry to talk about safety at gigs, venues and festivals. There needs to be a conversation about intimidation, harassment and abuse. And then there need to be steps committed to and taken by everyone from punters to promoters, venues, and musos themselves to do things just so much better so that no one gets hurt, or excludes themselves from fear of not being safe.
What advice would you give young practitioners in your area starting out today? Get a mentor. Find someone you can trust to teach you everything from how to negotiate fees and splits with your band, understand your entitlements when it comes to royalties, know you're rights with promoters and venues, think through so many things that could become a headache in the future, but if you plan it right from the start you can relax and have fun knowing you're set with APRA, with your tax, you've got an accountant, you've got contracts. Expect to be treated with respect, and with integrity, or walk away. You're worth more than a shitty deal.
What's the secret to success in the music industry? There's so much to consider. First make great art. Make real, authentic, interesting, music that is truly you. Imitation is boring. Work your butt off to get really, really good. Play as many shows as you can. Rehearse. Seek feedback. Improve. Secondly, assemble a wonderful team. You'll need a mentor, you'll need someone to show your work to. You'll need someone to help with the business side of things, or do music management workshops (Jen Cloher has a great one). You'll need to meet other bands. You'll need a producer you gel with. And remember to rest.
What will you be primarily discussing during your appearance at the WAMCon? Any and all of the above ideas and anything else I can think of that might be useful!
What are you hoping that people will be able to learn from your panel/interview? Something concrete and useful. Something inspiring. Or walk away thinking about something they'd never considered.
What do you personally hope to take away from your time at WAMCon? New friends, new ideas, inspiration for the future!
Which acts are you most looking forward to checking out at WAMFest? Oh man... everybody!

Check out the WAMCon website for all the details.