Meet Cailey Lindberg of Cailey Lindberg in Cambridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cailey Lindberg.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I had a rather non-traditional path in college and moved to Boston in 2006 to attend Berklee College of Music for voice. I had always dreamed of being involved with music, and suddenly I was surrounded by musicians. I was a shy performer and didn’t enjoy being in the spotlight, so I always found myself writing lyrics for my friends. Something clicked and I decided to transfer to Lesley University to study Media and Communications. I was always listening to and asking the musicians questions, which is the cornerstone of being a music journalist.

I was determined to do a music journalism internship the summer of my sophomore year, and after being turned down by Performer Magazine, I decided to apply to Dig Boston. I was offered an editorial internship at the alt-newsweekly, which ended up being the perfect place for me to be because it was the new industry as opposed to the old. The fall after my internship I was offered a spot writing a column called DJ Set of the Week. At the time a group of my Berklee friends was producing an electronic collective called ElecSonic, so I served as the resident journalist for Dig Boston and documented it. My editor at the Dig also got involved and it was a successful movement for a time.

My break in the music industry outside of Boston came with Earmilk, a well-respected blog that was known for breaking indie artists. Through Earmilk, I fell into the murky world of the people behind the music (publicists and managers), when I had always exclusively worked with the musicians. I was chosen to represent the blog at SXSW in 2014, and found myself in the Fuse Box during Lady Gaga’s legendary “Swine” performance for her Artpop album. This was the first time that I had been present for the industry big-time, and I followed the dream to Brooklyn a few months later.

Brooklyn came with its own set of challenges, and I worked as an SEO music news writer and freelance writer for Blackbook while I lived there. I met people that I never thought I’d meet, such as the publicists behind Halsey and Tove Lo, and was present for moments I never thought I would be. I hate being on camera, but I was once interviewed at Quad Studios (where Tupac was shot) during a listening party. I interned at Sneak Attack Media and Right Angle PR and saw firsthand how the people behind the music shape the careers of bands. I did not come from a family with entertainment roots or music connections, so every opportunity I ever had, I got of my own volition.

I do come from an academic family and ultimately decided to return to Boston to finish a Masters in Publishing and Writing at Emerson College, which I completed in a year and a half. At Emerson, I had the unique opportunity to combine my raw and real-world publishing knowledge in an academic setting and explore the nerdier parts of myself. My Capstone was a 40-page compilation of profiles and transcribed interviews with the people behind the music, both the newer and older generations.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Journalism is a tough field, and it is very rare to have financial security or steady employment. The publishing industry is in a state of chaos because it has not quite figured out how to monetize online content. There is a lot of chasing down paychecks or being offered concert tickets as a form of payment. It is also important to vet the people who contact and to discern who will be unprofessional or underhanded. I was once verbally abused over the phone because I wouldn’t write a festival preview for free, which is a more dramatic example of the leeches and con artists that run rampant in the music industry. Unfortunately, the #MeToo movement also has deep roots in the business, and as a woman, you have to be aware and protect yourself from predators.

I have also always struggled with the two sides of myself, the girl who wants to be front row at a concert and interviewing the next big thing in the green room, and the girl who wants to read a collection of essays disputing Freud’s theories on women on a Friday night. Ultimately, the nerd won out and I decided to leave the commercial music industry behind and return to Cambridge, which has always felt like home. I continue to write for Earmilk and Magnetic Magazine, but am much more interested in the smaller acts, which is where I feel I can make the most difference and positive change in someone’s career.

Success to me is simply living life, and feeling a sense of stability, grounding and strong purpose. When I told my mentor in New York that I was leaving she said, “Go live your life. What we do, this isn’t life.”That advice made me feel like the commercial industry was letting me go, and I was finally free of the expectations that it places upon you. I am a big believer in energy, and I felt a strong pull towards Cambridge at that turning point in my life. Brooklyn and the more commercial industry were toxic and never going to give me the stability and life that I needed. While I continue to blog and write for various publications, I am always seeking new ways to use my writing to push my life (and the lives of others) in a better direction.

Please tell us about Cailey Lindberg.
I was once told that I heard music in a very different way, and I am known for telling the true story behind these creations and finding the hidden meanings. I have always been an empathetic person and sympathize with the plight of the artist struggling to be heard. I have had to weed out certain acts over the years and ignore publicists who do not behave professionally, but I am known for giving a relatively unknown artist the chance to be featured on a major blog.

I also specialize in interviews and am skilled at developing a rapport with the subject and getting them to trust me. Ethically, I do not betray this trust if there is something they want off the record and I often remember little details that will enhance their story.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Driving through the back roads of New Hampshire every Saturday afternoon with my Dad and blasting “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. Lisa Fischer’s blues vocals on that song were the reason I ended up in music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clippings.me/users/caileylindberg
• Email: lindbergcailey@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cailesseer/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cailey-lindberg-41a89854/

Image Credit:
Derek Sampson

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