Why write "Do The Devil's Work For Him" How to make it in the music industry (and stay in it!)?
The quintessential mantra of MOST writers is Write What You Know. So that's what we did. We wrote what we know. I also get several emails, Facebook messages, MySpace messages and queries from people all over the country asking me for advice on how to get where I got. So to me, it was apparent that there was and is a need for this information, so why not compile it in a book that's usable, notable and readable for those who want to break into this crazy business? To me, it all seems like common sense, but most people don't know where to start in this field, so I wanted to offer my insight and information to those who don't know what to do. Why not aid and assist and offer a leg up to people? I had people do that for me, so now I feel as though I am returning a favor and doing it through my best-honed skill, which is writing!

Why is NOW the time for it?
The music business model is changing, and everyone is scrambling to adjust, to keep up with it and to modify themselves within the new "way it is," so to speak. Nowadays, less people are doing more work, the competition is beyond cutthroat (and it always was! Only now it's more fierce!) We tell people what to do, how to do it and how to evolve WITH the business so that they can increase their employability!

Who will benefit from reading this book?
I think high school students who are entering college, college students and anyone who decides they want to pursue their passion in the music industry. I think that those early in their college careers will benefit most. I just got an email the other day from someone who just graduated asking me how to get a job in the music business. If you've not interned, you're ALREADY behind the eight ball and have to make up ground, so the book is like reading material for a basic music business course. It tells you to start early and do a lot, and guides you like a back pocket, best case scenario survival guide, if that makes sense.

Do you feel like as a person who has been immersed in the music industry for many years, you have an obligation to underground bands to shed light on certain aspects of the music industry?
I don't think obligation is the proper word for it. I don't mind helping people and bands; I enjoy it. But just like people who want jobs in this business, a lot of bands aren't sure of the tactics or strategies on how to catch people's attention, so we do have a chapter on that, too. I feel like I've amassed a wealth of info, so I'd like to pass it on. I believe in good karma and don't want the fist of bad karma to come down on me later. Wink wink, nudge nudge. In all seriousness, I do enjoy assisting when I can.

You have an extensive career ranging from print magazines, to satellite radio, to record labels; how do you think this experience helps you to explain to musicians how to help themselves?
It's a basic tenet: be well-rounded. Master something, and keep doing it, but also learn a new skill, so you have a wealth of skills that can allow you to be versatile. I don't mean jack of all trades, master of none, either. I mean doing a lot of things well and doing more things well, instead of a lot of things half-assedly. Time management is key to this. I've always juggled many tasks and being incredibly organized (to a fault, I color code Post It Notes in my day planner to help me get tasks done and I have done this since college) makes this possible when employed behind the scenes. However, in a nutshell, it's the same for me as it is for a band or an intern! Never stop learning your industry. Never stop asking questions. Never avoid doing something new or different, no matter how unglamorous. If you learn something, it was worth the effort. The more you know about each field your band is immersed in - radio, press, new media, A&R, merch, royalties, etc.- the better prepared you will be to deal with the bullshit, the highs and the lows.

What is it about heavy music that drives you to be so motivated to do all that you do for the genre?
Pure passion. I was just talking to Jake from Converge the other day about this. When I was in college, I loved discovering new music. I lived for it. It was the highlight of my existence, and while I wouldn't say I am jaded, old and bitter now, I don't listen to music the same way. I have a different perspective, but one thing remains the same. If I feel something when I listen to it - whether it's a catchy chorus, a breakdown that makes me want to punch babies (borrowing from Dane Cook there) or a crazy, shredtastic riff- then it's good. It's all based on feeling and emotion for me. I love what I do. I don't get a case of the Mondays like my friends do, you know? I love what I do. I love exposing bands on Roadrunner to the masses. I love finding new bands, writing about them and exposing them to others. I like learning about these bands when I interview them. I love metal. I always have, always will. I write for urban tattoo magazines and do fashion and beauty coverage too, but metal is my first love. I feel incredibly blessed to have turned my passion into a career. I am currently trying to figure out how to turn my passion for sports (Philadelphia teams only!) into another side career! I am actually using my own advice in my book to do that.

From the "light-shedding" point of view, how important do you think trail-blazing bands are to underground music?
Well, that's a tough question, since 'trail blazing' has a different meaning to me than it does to someone else. I think people need to not consider genres and listen to things openly and if it makes you feel something, that means it's good .That's my personal mantra.

Trail-blazing or doing something that's been done... just better, what will get you signed faster?
Again, that depends on who is doing the signing and whose A&R ears are listening.

What do you think is more important?
I think doing something that comes from a real places and that isn't forced - IE, trying to be trailblazing or trying too hard to reinvent the steel!- will get you noticed faster. Gimmicks and trends always fade. That is something to remember.

With the way the music industry is changing, do you feel like bands have a better chance of making it online without a record label at all?
I think that is an option, but remember, there are millions of bands out there. How do you get noticed? You need the resources of a record label to get some more notice and attention in other spheres of the business.

What are the benefits of being signed to a label as opposed to doing it all yourself?
Again, sign to a label and you get the benefit of their resources and relationships. Chances are, your publicist has a better relationship with [[INSERT MAGAZINE NAME HERE]] than you do, and that his or her call is going to get taken and his or her package is going to get opened before yours is. Same thing with radio promotion. Your radio department and their budget at a label is going to get you on the air faster than you can. Sure you may network locally and get support from your local outlets, but a record label can take you to that next level. They do the legwork, you do the music. If you have to focus so much on the 'business' of being a band, you get your attention taken away from the most important task at hand, which is making your music. The full complement of label resources are necessary - the players play the game better than a new band can or knows how to.

Do you feel the internet has flooded the market with so many bands that it's almost impossible to get noticed, even if you're great?
I think that with the rise of the web, anyone with a guitar is a musician, anyone with a keyboard is now a writer. It certainly waters things down a bit, but doesn't the cream always rise?

What do you hope to leave as the Amy Sciarretto mark on the music industry and heavy music in general?
Oh Jeez, how do I answer this without sounding like an arrogant prick? Hehe. Great boobs and great hair, and a way with words? Hmm. Maybe not. Super cute, infinitely stylish and not afraid to be front and center in a Hatebreed pit? Hmm, maybe not. Seriously, I was profiled in the now-defunct R&R trade mag as the Queen of Metal. That was an honor. Jose, my good friend and my boss when I was at Sirius, always calls me that still. I would like the legacy that I was a woman who had my finger on the pulse on what was going on in metal. Even if I went on to write a script and got paid $9 billion for it, I'd still write about metal. I'll never stop. Because as they say in Little Miss Sunshine, love what you do. Fuck the rest. I live by that credo.

I have written columns for Revolver and covers for Kerrang and done pieces for Decibel. I've edited Hit Parader, wrote for spin.com, VH1.com, Guitar World, and wrote extensively for Outburn, Metal Maniacs and so many others. Lately, one of my greatest honors was when my good friend and editor Seth Werkhesier from AOL Noisecreep approached me over a year ago with the seed of an idea and asked my input to help to foster and develop it, I felt blessed to help create something new and I absolutely love being there from day one on these types of things. Now as the lead blogger of Noisecreep, sharing the blog space with some of the best writers out there, growing every day, with fun and exclusive content and this overall freshness and newness of blogging, I feel so rejuvenated about writing about metal. I've not been this stoked about writing daily since I was Loud Rock Editor for CMJ, which was a job I loved. Also, I've been at Roadrunner for EIGHT years now and I have worked all Killswitch Engage records, four Slipknot records, several Opeth and DevilDriver and Machine Head records, to name a select few. The feeling of being involved with definitive, mark-making records like "Alive or Just Breathing" and "The End of Heartache" and "The Blackening" and "All Hope is Gone" is not only a privilege, but has enriched my life. Those albums mean a lot to me, musically, and seeing how much they mean to fans, and to be a part of that process, has been incredible. It's what makes me RUN to work every day. They represent a time in my life - like when I hear "Rose of Sharyn," I remember what I was doing in '04. But to see these bands grow and move units, and being a part of that process? A job doesn't get any better than that. To see music impact other regular people. Wow. I am glad I was able be some of the oil on these band's machines, so to speak. Seeing my bands be successful is a real joy. At the end of the day, this is a lifestyle, not a job. I put in 10 hour days at RR, hope on the NJ Transit Bus, go home, throw on a Phillies game on TV and write until about midnight. I can sleep later. Also, when I was invited by Mike Faley and the Grammy committee to sit on the Hard Rock/Metal Screening committee, that was a huge honor, as well. I love to see and learn from everyone around me and everything I do or participate in!