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music industry in Brisbane, Generation Y, Music, Profiles
music industry in Brisbane, Generation Y, Music, Profiles Sophie Benjamin // {Profile} {Swell MR}
Monday, February 1, 2010 at 3:02PM 
Could you tell us more about Swell MR and all your other work?
I've always considered myself a writer who just happened to be musical. After a brief stint as a musician which included gigging and studying music at uni, I realised I was much happier keeping music as a hobby, and have split my time pretty evenly between journalism and the music industry ever since.
Swell MR helps creative practitioners engage with both traditional and new media to promote their work. I don't think the traditional form of "PR" really works for artists, as they do a lot of their own "relating to the public" through their exhibitions, gigs and social media. A lot (well, most!) artists are a bit shy about plugging their own work, so they find it a bit of a relief to have somebody else doing it.
What was the motivation behind starting up Swell MR? Your plans for the future of it?
At the end of 2008 was involved in a songwriting mentorship with Brisbane songwriter and member of Women in Docs, Roz Pappalardo. We didn't get a lot of songwriting done but talked a lot about the business side of art, and how artists need to take control of the media to publicise their work. Roz put the idea in my head that I'd be able to do something like Swell, but it was Brett Wood at Starving Kids who gave me the encouragement, mentoring and opportunity to make it happen.
One day, I'd love to drop the MR tag line and run Swell in partnership with an arts lawyer and arts accountant - sort of a one stop shop for all the boring but necessary bits of being a creative practitioner. I'd have to find like-minded people, which isn't easy. I still have a serious itch to scratch with my own ambitions as a writer and journalist, so we'll see, I guess.
What has been the journey like of starting up your own service?
I love being my own boss, dealing with the good people and hearing a lot of music. I don't love doing book work, and sometimes it can get pretty lonely.
One of the hardest things I have had to learn is the importance of work-life balance and looking after your health. I have so many different interests and ambitions and I've just had to accept that there are only so many hours in the day, and some of them have to be used for sleeping and bathing. My workaholic tendencies began to cost me my health and affected the quality of my work, and after becoming incredibly ill last year I've really had to evaluate why I was working myself sick.
What are your thoughts on websites such as The New York Times offering paid content in 2011? Do you think that this will work? Would you pay for content if not/if so, why?
Personally, I think paywalls in their current form won't work. All it will take is a subscriber with the ability to use the Copy-Paste function and it'll be all over red rover. That said, I am more than happy to pay for excellent journalism and I try to whenever possible. In fact, I wish there was a way to donate money to individual journalists, or after you'd read a really good article somewhere. Maybe this is the future?
Who could be the future of journalism?
I like that the question is "who" and not "what". I definitely think the media and publishing industries need to take a look at what the music industry has experienced over the past few years with regards to the impact of the internet and losing revenue. The internet is the future - that is undeniable - but we need to use it better and provide valuable content so people will feel inclined to hand over their money.
What do you think of current journalism (or media in general) degrees - is there room for improvement with what is being offered?
My current degree (Bachelor of Journalism at QUT) is really excellent and I'd recommend it to anyone considering a career in the media. They seem to overhaul the course structure quite reguarly to reflect changing trends in the media, which is what you want in this sort of course. I know that from this year's intake, QUT will have quite a strong focus on online media. QUT has a really strong focus on gaining real-world practical experience and the staff are just fantastic.
I think a good journalism degree must provide a grounding in the bare bones of journalism (news values, interview technique, current affairs) while helping students gain the technical skills they will need to do their job. It should also be able to give students a "foot in the door" so to speak, whether through work experience or freelancing.
Thanks Sophie!
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