Interview: Ryan ter Heerdt Label Manager @ Dirty Workz

In the dynamic landscape of the music industry, individuals with passion and dedication often find themselves on unexpected paths. Such is the case for Ryan ter Heerdt, the Label Manager for Dirty Workz, a prominent record label specializing in Hardstyle. Through a stroke of serendipity, Ryan ventured into this world, driven by his ardent love for the genre and the allure of contributing to its growth. In this exclusive interview, we delve into Ryan's journey, insights, and experiences as he steers the ship at Dirty Workz. From dreams of teleportation to pivotal career moments, we explore the intricacies of his role, the challenges faced, and the transformative impact of music amidst a rapidly evolving industry. So, let's tune in and uncover the rhythm behind Ryan's remarkable voyage in the realm of Hardstyle.

Interview with Ryan ter Heerdt:

Question: What initially drew you to the music industry and working at a record label?

Ryan: I really don't know how I got here. haha :) Actually, it was all somewhat of a happenstance. I was/am a big fan of "Hardstyle" and to be a part of the growth of the genre, working with so many talented artists and seeing everything evolve is sometimes unbelievable. Sometimes I really do need to just stop and understand where I'm at.

So the music drew me in, and I guess the joy of working in it (also, I have really cool colleagues and the best 'bosses') kept me here.

Question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Ryan: I'd love to be able to teleport instantaneously anywhere I wish. I remember being on tour with some artists and hopping on planes and in cars and in and out of hotels and all that 'fun stuff', but I could never understand how an artist could do this over and over and over again each weekend. I was so worn out. So teleporting would save so much time. No flying, no delays, no hotels, just pop in and leave whenever I want.

Question: Can you share a memorable or defining moment in your career that had a significant impact on you?

Ryan: There are 2.

The first one is how I got started. I was writing (for free) for an online magazine and decided to write daily reviews for DJ Coone's latest project "The Challenge" - he released a video blog on creating a new track each day, and I set out to creatively cover it as soon as it came out. It caught his eye which got me into contact with an event organisation in Belgium for who I was asked to write show story boards for. I was in IT back then and they offered me a job to work for them. After some deliberation, I took the job and have been in the industry ever since (from booking agent to artist management to event organisation and talent buying to label management - I've basically done it all, which is also a big plus knowing how everything works).

The second is the 'pandemic'. Although it was an even busier period for me as artists were releasing even more intensely plus we setup extra things, like live streams or extra content for the fans, it did give me the time to reflect on the things that are most important. So, on a personal level it took me into the deep darker places of my 'self' and allowed me to make choices that I have stuck with to this day. This has also affected my work ethic and how to decide what is important and what can wait until tomorrow (for example).

Question: How do you handle the pressure and demands of the music industry while maintaining your own well-being?

Ryan: When I was younger (say about 10 years ago), I felt that I needed to prove myself more. I needed to go all in for everyone, all the time. With age and experience, I've learned to let go of a lot of things. Plan things better and create a better environment for my mental state, my family and my work. Although it's important to spend enough time and energy making sure everything runs smoothly, at the end of the day the really important people are the ones waiting for you at home. Don't get swept away in the whole 'glitter and glamour' and remember to find yourself and stay true to yourself.

Question: What are the common mistakes artists make when approaching record labels?

Ryan: Sending a demo, then sending a long mail with the demo as attachment (yuck) and then sending the same message to the brand page and my personal account on all possible social media platforms. Sending a reminder after 1 day, then after 3 days, then a less friendly reminder after a week, ... to be honest, it's VERY hard to listen to a track with a neutral feeling if the person sending you has been bugging you to the moon and back. You really create a "vibe" and it's going to really affect how I (we) listen to your demo. And more often than not it's really going to negatively affect your chances. Just be patient - most labels are super busy and don't listen to demos 24/7. LabelRadar makes that process easy.

Question: How important is an artist's image and branding in today's music industry?

Ryan: I think every genre works a little differently. And it also depends what the artist wants. Some artists just want to make music and that's it. Some want to make music so they can hopefully get to one day play at the large festivals.

If just making music is your thing, then honestly, I don't think a huge amount of work in branding is really that important. However, if you want to be the next big thing - then you need to think of everything. A good and clear/consistent branding is a must. That ranges from good press pictures, a good and clear logo, a good artist name, good music that fits your style and doesn't move too far off of that style once you start, a good performance on stage and a good/fitting social media presence.

You really need to stay "in character" and show that in every essence of all public outings of yourself. It's a very tough job, but it's one that will allow you to stay relevant for a very long time.

Don't make too drastic changes with your branding. Make sure it's incremental/small changes and always always always make sure your branding is YOU. YOU need to be that "character" or avatar and it needs to be close to who you are or you're not going to be able to keep up that appearance for too long.

Question: How hard/easy is it to get signed these days?

Ryan: I believe it's easier than it used to be. Say, what... 10 or 15 years ago, when we were still releasing vinyls and artists released only a few tracks a year - it needed to be top notch quality. Nowadays, the track needs to sound good, doesn't really need a backstory or anything like that and can be signed quite easily - especially if labels sign on track/single basis. With tutorials on YouTube, masterclasses you can follow, sample packs, vocal packs, and the processing power of PC's, being a producer has become a lot easier. You just need to dedicate a lot of your time to really create something unique.

You can produce an "OK" track to get signed, but if you really want to go somewhere, you need to do a lot more (branding, online presence, marketing, DJing, ...) and create a unique sound to really make some waves. So in that sense, it's harder to "make it" than it used to be.

Question: How does LabelRadar help the music discovery process for you?

Ryan: Seeing as though everything runs smoothly, the tracks load quickly and the audio quality is great + the UI is easy to use and doesn't have too many bells and whistles, it really helps save time and helps us get through a lot more demos than any other method. Making it fast and easy is probably the biggest plus.

Question: How has joining LabelRadar impacted your (or your team's) day to day?

Ryan: It has drastically helped the listening process. We generally can hear quality from a snippet of a few seconds. If it doesn't catch us, then we move on to the next. If the quality is good, we take a longer listen and mostly move the track onto a shortlist so we can get other ears to listen as well. From there, it's more of an internal voting system, haha.

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