Mike McDougal

--THE BASICS--

Name: Mike McDougal

Title: Assistant Music Buyer/Regional Music Guy/International Man of Awesomeness

Company: Hot Topic

Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN

Current Location: Costa Mesa, CA

Previous Jobs: Gas station attendant/stock boy

--STARTING TO DIG--

>>How did you get into the music biz?
When I was 18 I left my full time job at a convenience store to start working for Hot Topic. I knew I wanted to work close with music, and being from Nashville and not being a country musician, this seemed like my only shot. Over the past five years I worked my way up the ladder and now reside in California where I got exactly what I wanted.

>>What did you want to be when you were 10?
totally a rock star

>>..and what did your parents want you to be?
I don't think my parents ever really had dreams of me being anything in particular, just someone that wasn't living in their basement when I was 30

>>What does a typical day for you consist of?
my breakfast consists of burnt coffee and cigarettes, followed by catching up on emails and checking out music news websites. From there my day is usually packed with meetings/researching local bands, returning calls and such. Each day is different, but they all usually consist of me running around all day.

>>Biggest misconception about Hot Topic and its music?
I would have to say that the biggest misconception about Hot Topic is that we are the Goth store. That time period has come and gone. There is so much more to us now, but a lot of people don't realize this. Times are changing, we are now being known as a destination for music, which is bringing a lot of extra traffic into our stores. As for the actual music aspect of it, there is a lot more to our selection than Goth, metal and industrial. We have always had a fairly broad genre base in our CD racks. This is the mold that we are trying to break. People wouldn't think to come to us for Rilo Kiley, Tegan & Sara or Band of Horses, but those were all on our shelves on their respective release dates. Those and so much more can be found in our stores!

>>If you had a musical genie that could grant you 3 wishes for the industry, what would they be?
1. To extend the life of the physical CD by another 10 years. What happened to people wanting to crack open a fresh jewel case and read the liner notes and read along as they play the album? What happened to people having extensive CD collections? Now that the industry is heading digital, the few of us still out there who want to own a physical CD are going to be S.O.L.

2. That labels would stop signing every shitty band that crosses their desks. Where is the new music? Everything sounds exactly the same; it's definitely time for some freshness in the realm of bands.

3. That there were no re-releases, special editions etc. Music should be a fair playing field for everyone. Let the customer decide where they want to purchase their music, not based on what extra material they are going to get. Isn't that what the internet is for?

>>Mentors/influences you've had in the music industry
Seriously, these would have to be my co workers.

>>Top 5 fav bands/artists of 'right now'
Right now I'm listening to a lot of Alkaline Trio, Radiohead, Rilo Kiley, Against Me! and Beck

>>Top 5 fav bands/artists of 'back in the day'
Back in the day is totally Rufus Wainwright, Dashboard Confessional, Sunny Day Real Estate, Belle & Sebastian and Neutral Milk Hotel (Even though they are back in the day, I still usually listen to them on a weekly basis)

>>Worst album of all time:
Anything Nickelback has ever done

>>Why does your job rock?
My job rocks because I get to work with music, my passion, every single day. I have the freedom to focus on smaller up and coming bands and to give them a shot to help develop them, and I get to ride a Razor Scooter around my office

>>Famous person you resemble?
God I hate this question. I used to get Jeffrey from Project Runway a lot, but lately I've been getting Anthony from Bayside. To the point where their manager walked into a bar in Chicago while I was having a drink and he thought I was Anthony...

>>Your daily reads
Absolutepunk.net, Punknews.org, AP, The Onion, Pitchfork media etc

>>How can people get in touch with you?
www.myspace.com/mikemcdougal
mmcdougal@hottopic.com 
AIM: Ohnoitsmikelush

>>Advice to young artists 'trying to make it'?
For young artists trying to make it, don't focus on making it so hard. Be yourself, work hard, and promote as much as you can.

>>Parting words?
I could probably ramble on, but Ill just leave you with Jawbreaker lyrics: "I kissed the bottle, I should've been kissing you, You wake up to an empty night, With tears for two"

BAND OF HORSES HIT PICK SIX: How fitting is it that, in the wake of a soggy weekend of Breeder’s Cup horse racing on the East Coast, South Carolina-based Band of Horses (Sub Pop) spends its astounding sixth week in a row atop the Mediaguide Alternative Specialty Song chart with “Is There a Ghost,” the premiere single from Cease to Begin (which remains at #2 on the Album end for the third consecutive week)? While they’re fortunate that the panel can’t agree on any single Radiohead song, it’s still a remarkable accomplishment. Speaking of Thom Yorke and company, the self-released In Rainbows spends a third straight week atop the Album index, fueled by a #2 showing on the Song chart by “Bodysnatchers” and a Top 10 position for “Jigsaw Falling into Place” (at #10). Big debut action on the charts this week for Thrice (Vagrant) and Louis XIV (Pineapple/Atlantic), with the former bowing at #4 on the Album side with The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II, helped by a #5 Song showing by “Firebreaker.” Louis XIV, meanwhile, rides a #3 debut for the title track of Guilt by Association, which propels the full-length to a #6 showing on the Album end. The ladies are also making a chart impact this week, as Natasha Khan and Bat For Lashes leap to #3 on the Album index with Fur and Gold (The Echo Label/Caroline), with leadoff single “What’s a Girl to Do?” checking in at #7 on the Song side. Joining the newcomer are a couple of First Ladies of the Alternative format: Siouxsie’s “Into a Swan” (Decca) rebounds to a #6 Song showing, helping full-length MantaRay to a #8 position on the Album chart, while PJ Harvey’s White Chalk (Island) remains at #5 on the Album chart, led by single “When Under Ether,” which stays strong at #11 on the Song index.