In 1988, the first Hot Topic store was opened, giving birth to an outlet for a culture barely at its beginning. Since then, the company has expanded, now with 630 stores total.
From the moment one enters a Hot Topic at their local mall, they almost can't help letting their eyes bulge out of their sockets, though who could when you first see the walls covered in shirts with bands and logos across them? With jewelry for piercings they didn't even know existed? And music that they believed to only be on their iPod, seeing as the bands didn't get the deserved radio-play, blasting from all different directions?
This is the experience anyone will recieve when they step into a Hot Topic, along with being greeted by a typically cheergul and helpful employee.
The store has not only found commercial success, but has also become part of a culture, often part of a stereotype (emo/goth).
Of course, there has to be someone behind the many trends the stores see within a month; someone has to choose what merchandise consumers have to choose from. That person is Jay Adelberg, Hot Topic's Head Buyer of Music and Music Accessories; in other words, the man who picks out the accessories you wear and the music in your CD player (if you still have one, that is).
"I am responsible for choosing what merchandise and what music releases we will carry in our stores, when we will carry them, and how many units of each we will buy," Adelberg explains. "With accessories, I decide what level of support to give the item and figure out how to buy from there. For music releases, it basically is worthy of running in our listening booth program or it only goes in the 100 or so stores that carry additional music titles. All 639 stores carry a forty-title listening booth, but only 100 or so stores carry additional music titles like smaller new releases or catalog titles."
At just 38 years of age, it's almost astounding at how much power Adelberg truly has over the Hot Topic consumer. He has acquired the ability ever parent and adult in the world has craved since the children around them hit puberty--he can control what they choose to buy and what they choose to wear (though indirectly).
Adelberg began working for Hot Topic fifteen years ago (this September). After working in record stores in addition to being a university student and musician (Adelberg has been playing the drums for twenty years), he was a Hot Topic manager for three years. "The old music buyer took a shine to me because I was taking advantage of Hot Topic's open communication policies. The HQ encouraged those of us working in the field to communicate with them about new bands or trends we saw in our hometowns. I was a punk-rock show promoter, so I was emailing about these brand new bands I was booking and that people were responding to. I lived in Connecticut at the time (where I grew up) and was the first person to book shows in Connecticut for bands such as Saves the Day, Thursday, Boysetfire, New Found Glory, and the like and could see these bands had lots of potential to get big. I was right about that frequently, so it got me noticed at the Hot Topic headquarters."
After years of practice, Adelberg got very quick at identifying the quality of a band. "It's weird, I have been doing this so long, sometimes I just know the goods when I see and hear the goods. [I]t's like a weird sicth sense. I'm not always right too, so it's not the most reliable sixth sense," he laughs. "I can often telly by the packaging of their demo and press kit. Beginner stuff just shows through very easily."
Of course, if you'd like to avoid the same fate, Adelberg suggests not "spamming the Hot Topic Facebook or leaving multiple, rambling messages." "I get many, many emails and phone calls from bands convinced that they will be the next big thing, if only I will put their music release in our stores. The odds are not with any of these bands; if I had a nickel for every one of those bands who never amounted to a hill of beans, I could retire on my giant pile of nickels, you know? I am hard-pressed to believe that it's because of me that they failed too.
"The best advice I can give is to always make sure there is someone in your band who could at a moment's notice take over the duties of your manager or agent. If you don't have such a person in your band, that means there are people out there working on behalf of your band and you have no idea what they are up to. Very dangerous. Also, at the same time, don't get a manager or agent until you absolutely need one."
However, despite such experience, when asked if he allows his personal music taste affect what he buys for the stores, Adelberg responds with good humor and a laugh. "Absolutely not. I know that I am not the Hot Topic target consumer at 38 years old. I make sure I understand all the bands we sell, but personally, I don't listen to a great number of them. Similarly, I know that if I really, really like a band, it probably means it's not good for us to carry it!"
While Adelberg believes originality will get a band quite far in terms of success and sales, he admits that looks do come into the "very, very political music industry." "It's sad but true that what a band looks like often makes a difference on how people will react to them. Often, the younger the demographic a band appeals to, the more important their look is. Take a band like Black Veil Brides, for example; their look is an integral part of what they do. Same with bands like Blood on the Dance Floor. For a band like Foster the People, who have an older audience, you can see much less effort put into having an extreme look. These bands know their target audience, and dress accordingly."
For every person desperate to be in the spotlight as a musician, there is a person who craves the behind-the-scenes action of jobs such as Adelberg's. "Find a good company whose product you believe in and start working on the retail level so you know the product well," he recommends. "[For example,] if you like sports or sneakers, go work at a sports shoe store for a bit. If you like fashion, work at H&M or Urban Outfitters. Find out who the people at the company HQ are and reach out to them, start a relationship by discussing the business and such. This will put you on their radar. It worked for me. You don't need to have an agenda at first, don't force it. Just try to build a relationship casually and organically."
Overall, Adelberg has proven that hard-work and confidence (NOT cockiness) make a winning combination that can open numerous doors.
"My parents always gave me this piece of advice growing up, and it's worked wonders for me: 'Find something that you absolutely love to do, and find someone to pay you to do that. You'll never be unhappy.' Also, and this is advice from me, remember that life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you are going to fail, you will. Don't rely on luck or good fortune, if you want something in your life, you go out there and make it happen for yourself. It's the only way."
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