Today marks one month since I took over as your Dallas Observer Clubs Editor. Among other things, I maintain our extensive concert calendar, and I've learned very quickly what a big job it is. With so much amazing live music going on in this city every week, it can be pretty overwhelming trying to keep up with it all. From your weekly dance party DJ nights, to your country jam sessions, to your rap battles, to your most obscure basement punk shows -- it's my job to make sure we know about it. Here are a couple of sure-fire ways to make sure your live music event pops up on my radar and in the Dallas Observer music listings.
If you've ever poked around our calendar section before, you may have noticed there is a submission form for submitting your events. If you haven't, here is where you'll find it.
Or you can just bookmark the link. This one. This link right here. This is important, because it's the most fail-proof way to let us here at the Observer know what's going on. When you fill out your event information and submit the form, it goes straight into an email inbox to which I have direct access. Wham, bam, thank you local music aficionado.
Why should I do this?
I know, I know, that's a lot of required fields right there. Skip any of the red stars, and you shall not pass. And what then? Our music coverage is a joint effort. I collect information about shows, and music editor Kiernan Maletsky and I work with our staff of writers to figure out what we're going to cover and how we're going to cover it. If I don't know about a show, chances are we won't be able to write about it.
Trust me when I tell you that it's better to be extremely thorough on these. Think of me as your line into the Dallas Observer offices. When anyone on staff wants to know what the week in live music is looking like, they look to me and the work I'm doing. Wouldn't you want me to have as much information to give as possible? At an absolute minimum, nothing hits print or the web calendar unless I know who's playing, where it is, how much, what time, and age restrictions.
When should I do this?
As soon as possible! The earlier you get a concert submitted to our calendar, the longer it will appear in our listings and the easier it will be for us to arrange coverage. Once you find out about a new show, fill out the form. You can also follow up or send your full calendar or just say hello if you...
Whether you're an promoter, artist, publicist, booker, or just a dedicated fan- I'm ready to hear from you. My proverbial door is always open via my company email. Fire away, Dallas. As we say every week in the music section, let's do this!
