This may come as a surprise to some of you, but there are very few people who can be compelled to care about a band or song or product they don’t know just because of something they saw on Instagram. Maybe a friend of theirs tries a new restaurant and the resulting photograph leads to a future meal, or maybe a cool clip sells someone on an upcoming movie, but by and large there are very few people turning to Instagram for new media discovery. Of those that do use the image and video sharing platform for such efforts, only a tiny percentage are trying to make a living in writing, and only a part of that segment would even consider covering something solely because it caught their attention on Instagram.
It’s not you, but rather the platform you choose to use. Instagram is a place where people are able to see the world through the eyes of their friends, family, and any celebrity or brand they choose. There are discovery tools in place, and there are some who use them, but the majority of Instagram users tend to view the platform as way to better see what is happening in the lives of the people and groups they care about. Speaking from personal experience, there has never been a time when I thought the answer to my musical needs could be found on Instagram, but that doesn’t many people have tried to convince me otherwise. Take a look:
For clarity’s sake, this is the only time this band, or someone from this band, made an attempt to contact me. No emails were received, no tweets, no texts, not even a Facebook message. Their one and only approach was to contact me with a text based message delivered through private DM on a platform specifically designed to share photo and video. They couldn’t have given me a link if I asked for it, yet there they were, hoping for no rational reason whatsoever that their odd approach would make me want to give them a few minutes of my time. There is always something to be said for originality, but in this case it’s not enough to sell me.
And it’s not just bands I know. I have received messages from artists all over the world I have never heard of or from on any other platform. It’s as if these artists believe putting their all into one specific social network will somehow bring them great success, but in the case of pitching that is simply not true. I promised I would not make the name of the artist responsible for the following message known, but this is an actual pitch I received just last week:
“Hey UTGjames –
My name is ___ and I’m in an easycore band called _______. We play music along the lines of Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals, only with an added layer of pop punk. We have a new EP out soon, and I wanted to know if you would tell your followers about us and maybe write about us on your site? You can hear clips on our IG page. If you want to know more just give me your email and I will send everything over.”
There are a few problems with the message, including the fact my name is not actually ’UTGJames.’ That is my handle, but Instagram also makes it possible to see my real name, so the presence of my handle tells me this artist did not spend much time researching my work prior to contacting me. Second, they ask me to promote a band I know nothing about to my followers without giving me much, if any reason to do, and then proceed to ask for coverage on my ‘site.’ Again, the lack of a proper name tells me how little time was spent piecing together this pitch. The artist also appears to believe that the best way to introduce me to their music is in 15-second increments that they task me with seeking out on their feed, which speaks less to their talent as songwriters and more their ability to craft digital media clips. That is indeed a much-needed skill in 21st century promotion, but it doesn’t exactly make you a good musician.
Even if this person had written a perfectly worded pitch, the likelihood our interaction evolves into a full-blown coverage opportunity for their band is highly unlikely. I would first have to enjoy the artist’s music, tell them as much, provide an email, hope they follow-through, download their actual music, listen to their full songs, form thoughts worth sharing, and then – if all goes as well – start writing. There are simply too many steps and not nearly enough engagement to push me to do the heavy lifting as far as actual discovery is concerned.
In music, just as in life, time is precious. There are only so many hours in a day and you need to make the most of them, so you cannot waste time putting energy into fruitless endeavors. Pitching over Instagram is pointless. Journalists won’t take you seriously, and even if they do the time between initial contact and coverage could very from days to weeks, if not longer. Don’t waste your time trying to catch someone in a place no one else thinks to approach and use the traditional methods, like email, instead. Trust me, it will do far more for you and your career than Instagram ever could.
The following post is the latest in our ongoing collaboration series with the fine folks at Sonicbids.
Music PR is not easy. It’s a lot of work and is usually best left to a professional publicist. But sometimes, due to lack of funds, difficulty finding the right fit in terms of person or firm, or the desire to just get ‘er done on your own can dictate your decision to take matters into your own hands and do your own publicity (which can actually help you eventually find that ever-elusive PR rep).
Know your market, know your scene, know your media. Make friends with local radio DJs, the music writers, and the music bloggers. Invite them to your shows. Make sure they get a copy of your music with a personal note. Stay in touch with them. Reach out even when you have nothing to promote. Make that relationship rock solid so that the local media can feel like they have ownership. They will stick with you forever.
2. Combine tenacity with creativity
You are the most passionate person about your music. Why not funnel that passion into action, by messaging radio stations, writers, or editors? Come up with an efficient pitch and send it via social media or email. Be nice. Follow up. Come up with an interesting angle and make them an offer (aka, a pitch) that they can’t refuse. Be creative. If you’re touring cross-country using discarded vegetable oil from restaurants, let news or environmental outlets know as much. There might be a story there. Anything “different” is a possible angle, so explore it.
3. Use the buddy system
If you have a good friend who’s gregarious and is enmeshed in your market and scene, ask them to perhaps tackle some PR tasks for you in exchange for a few bucks, lifetime free admission to your shows, a finder’s fee, or a delish dinner at the nicest restaurant in town. If said person is hungry like you’re hungry, it’s a win-win for both of you.
4. Vet, vet, vet
No, I don’t mean the animal doctor, either. If you’ve decided that you can no longer pitch yourself and follow up with the media because you have to tour and write music, you should vet about 10 potential publicists or firms. Look at their client roster. Look at their Facebook updates, where many of them post clips of their work. Look at their testimonials. Look at how what they do meshes with what they do. Reach out.
Those are the four easiest things you can do to be proactive with your band’s PR when you’re doing it on your own. These practices will also help prepare you to hand over the keys when the time is right.
Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver to Bustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.
We talk about a lot social media platforms and the various ways they can improve one’s position in the music industry both as an artist and as a professional. We’ve covered how Twitter and Facebook make constant engagement a breeze, as well as how emerging platforms like Snapchat and Periscope make your interactions with the world at large even more personal. What we haven’t covered, and what we honestly never thought we would have to cover, is the proper use of LinkedIn. However, after several weeks of strange messages and friend requests we have found there is no getting around the fact people still don’t know how this professional networking platform is meant to work, so here we are with a quick explanation.
LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and promoted as a business-oriented social networking service. The mission of the company has more or less remained the same since that time, though several new features and tools have been implemented along the way. I cannot speak with any authority as to what founders of the site thought might happen when musicians and music professionals joined their service, but given the way their site functions I highly doubt they ever anticipated LinkedIn being used as a platform to pitch journalists, label owners, booking agents, and the like on new music. Why would they? The vast majority of the service’s users, and by that I mean far more than 90% of those with an account, work outside of the entertainment industry. Of those that do work in entertainment, only a small fraction of people work in music, and only a tiny fraction of them have any reason to pitch someone about a new artist or album.
This math may have your mind spinning, but let’s cut right to the chase: There is never any reason to pitch someone about a band, album, or tour through LinkedIn. Doing so is the modern day equivalent to distributing your press releases through MySpace bulletins circa 2006. People might see them, but will they care? More importantly, will they act on them?
In the decade I have been active in the music business I have probably received dozens, if not over a hundred, friend requests on LinkedIn from bands and low budget (aka no budget) PR firms. You know when these requests come in because instead of receiving an email that reads “John Jones wants to connect” you receive something like “Death By Unicorn Blood wants to connect,” or “Rich Money PR wants to connect.” For the life of me I cannot think of a single reason anyone would ever accept these invitations. Unlike other social media platforms, which are built with brands in mind, LinkedIn and its users put very little value into the amount of connections someone has unless they’re matched by numerous endorsements for a particular person’s professionals skills. Simply having a large numbers of connections does not impress anyone, nor should it!
In that same time, and especially in the last several weeks, I have received numerous pitches asking for content in regards to records, signings, tours, and everything in between. The quality of these messages usually ranges from piss poor to only somewhat terrible, and since LinkedIn isn’t built with media-sharing in mind there is never much content to browse. If anything, messages will end with a large amount of links asking you to do the leg work.
To further explain the types of messages that shouldn’t be sent, here’s an actual pitch that recently hit my LinkedIn account:
Hey James,
My name is [removed to protect identity] and I am the founder of [Anonymous PR firm]. I’ve got several great punk rock bands with new or recently released albums I want to tell you about. I see you used to work at Under The Gun Review, so I assume you still write about music somewhere. If you want to interview these artists or perhaps get a download of their music, just let me know and I will shoot you over a link. Also, can I have your email? I was going to call you, but I thought that might be a bit forward.
Here are the bands:
[Punk Band A] – This group rules! They just played a tour with [unknown band A] and [unknown band B] across Southern Arizona. The response was huge and we expect big things in the future.
[Punk Band B] – The pride of Alabama! This band has been playing music together since the members were 14. They just graduated high school, but they are quickly establishing themselves in the greater punk scene. The band has submitted their music to Warped Tour’s battle of the bands contest three years in a row, and each time they place fairly high.
Again, if there is ANYTHING you need at all, let me know.
Sincerely,
[A bad publicist]
There are a number of issues with this email. For starters, the person admits to knowing I don’t write about music for a certain publication before assuming that I still do write and that I would want to cover their bands. My LinkedIn profile clearly outlines where I work and what I do, so the opening sentence has already informed me that this person did very little research before contacting me. Secondly, they offer me free downloads of music without knowing a thing about me. What if I left my old job because I pirated a bunch of music? What if I run a leak blog on the side? Neither of these are true, of course, but the person contacting me doesn’t know that.
Furthermore, the publicist behind this email makes the assumption I not only check my LinkedIn messages regularly, but that I also do business through LinkedIn. While I cannot speak to what most people do with their LinkedIn account, it’s very unlikely that many view the service as a place to do actual business. At most, people use LinkedIn to connect with professionals they don’t know and then use that connection to find the proper avenues for contact. The publicist above did do that, but not until AFTER they decided to go ahead and pitch me. That’s what my dad would call “jumping the gun.”
At this risk of talking to much about what should really be a pretty straightforward factoid: STOP MISUSING LINKEDIN. If you want to connect with industry professionals who may be able to help get you a job or if you want to connect with someone so that you can learn how to properly send them pitches, fine, but every other topic of conversation you might message someone about should be reserved for other platforms and messaging services. Send an email or make a call. Heck, you might have a better chance of getting noticed and taken seriously through Twitter than LinkedIn. It’s all about presentation.
There are million ways to be discovered in music, but there are several million ways to waste time by promoting yourself in all the wrong places. LinkedIn, as it is today, is the wrong place to promote your new music. Just don’t do it.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2016. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each week we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary: Responsible for maintaining awareness of The Smith Center brand and promoting performances and events through publicity and media relations efforts.
Job summary: Red Bull Sound Select is an artist development program that delivers the best in new music, supporting a group of curated artists through 200+ yearly events and festivals, in-studio collaborations with leading creators, distribution, and marketing from the Red Bull network. The program will be expanding into 7 new countries in 2016. The Project Manager, Red Bull Sound Select Artist Relations will oversee artist onboarding for 6 Red Bull Sound Select countries and manage 5 major artists campaigns each year. He/she will play a fundamental role in the longterm success of the program, as these artists will be core case studies for the program to build on in its international expansion. This is an opportunity to market artists without traditional music industry boundaries through Red Bull’s studio, producer, festival, and agency relationships; unique partnerships; and your and the artists’ creativity.
Job summary: Alternative Press Magazine is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as our Marketing Coordinator. Our company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and prospective candidates will preferably live in the general Northeastern Ohio area. Candidates should be highly organized and adaptable to our dynamic work environment. Qualified applicants will have had experience in similar marketing roles (preferably within the media and entertainment industry).
Job summary: Lead, develop and execute consumer engagement and ecommerce campaigns in collaboration with UMG owned and associated labels. The Director will be the key point person at the label level for all direct to consumer activities, including but not limited to initial artist strategy, product development, marketing and eCommerce. This person must be the organizing force and leader in commercializing direct to consumer campaigns and other integrated artist rights (e.g. ecommerce, experiences, touring). This person must be skilled at influencing and collaborating with all label departments (product managers, digital marketing) and artist management, and will be responsible to organize, plan and collaborate with labels in the execution of marketing campaigns for artists not only across release and touring schedules, but also “off cycle” promotions of artist relevant commercialization opportunities. He/she will be responsible for overseeing and managing all D2C stores including identifying, planning and executing against revenue opportunities for stores, merchandise recommendations, pricing, design, social media, crm and other label marketing initiatives.
Job summary: Pandora is looking for an experienced Account Strategist who has a background in digital or radio advertising with a proven track record of building and maintaining strong client relationships. This individual will partner directly with the sales team to build strategic media partnerships while providing a high level of client service for assigned Advertisers, Agencies and internal Clients.
Job summary: We currently have an opening for the position of Music Publicist / Account Manager and are looking for an intelligent, independent creative thinker with an analytical approach and a proven track record working in music publicity. Our ideal candidate is an original thinker who brings something new to the table. This individual must have a strong passion for the entertainment field (music in particular) and be able to professionally communicate with clients, journalists and other industry professionals.
Job summary: The Marketing Director is responsible for the advertising and marketing of all events in Atlanta and Alabama including events at Philips Arena, Infinite Energy Arena, Fox Theatre, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Lakewood Amphitheatre, Chastain Park Amphitheatre (Concert Series), Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Music Midtown Festival and all outer market shows in Georgia and Alabama.
Job summary: You will join the US Marketing Team to manage existing and build strategic partnerships. To achieve our goal of increasing our footprint in the US and increase the number of subscribers, we want to grow Deezer distribution through the telecom channel.
Job summary: Live Nation is seeking a qualified individual for a Project Manager position. This detail oriented position requires excellent organizational skills, professional interaction with management personnel, vendors, clients of all levels, an ability to work efficiently, accurately and effectively under pressure, and ability to complete and prioritize tasks in a timely manner. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in staff supervision and recruitment, and customer service. The ability to communicate with respect and diplomacy across all levels of business is essential to this position. Maintaining knowledge of current ticketing trends in entertainment industry is an essential element to this position.
Job summary: As a Music Manager, you are responsible for the daily operations of the Music/DVD Department, ensuring that they are consistent with our bookselling culture, world-class customer service focus, digital initiatives, and operating and merchandising standards. You assist with interviews and in the development and evaluation of music sellers. You foster an employee-centric environment and focus the team on maximizing sales and productivity.
Job summary: The Sr. Manager, Strategic Partnerships is a key member of the Strategic Partnerships team within the Brand Marketing department. This role will be responsible for creating relationships and programs with brands that put Pandora in new categories and conversations and enhance our brand equity with specific audiences. Reporting to the Director, Strategic Partnerships within the Brand Marketing organization, this person will execute brand partnership projects from initial evaluation through completion, maintaining senior level marketing finesse and client management throughout the process.
Job summary: Reporting to the Vp Of Marketing, the Harmonix Marketing Manager will sit at the heart of marketing Harmonix products. As the central strategist and go to market expert for each product the Marketing Manager will be responsible for building and executing their marketing plan for their assigned titles.
Job summary: The role of Department Coordinator is to organize, execute, and complete department needs. This includes scheduling, registration of students, the management and promotion of department events through email blasts, posters and program design. Additionally, this position works with prospective students, providing information about the department and the Presidential Scholarship in the Arts which includes coordinating the scholarship applicants and audition weekend.
Job summary: Spotify is creating the world’s most personalized music service, and the way we communicate to listeners is an integral part of that goal. In support of this mission, we’re hiring a Product Owner for our marketing automation and notifications platform. The objective is to reach the right user with the right message at the right time, helping them discover music or enjoy a great listening session.
Job summary: Provide key input into development of strategic and tactical marketing campaigns. Serve as project manager. Communicate with artist management. Provide budget oversight. Evaluate effectiveness of campaign
Job summary: The Festival Specialist is responsible for assisting the Festival Manager in all aspects of their role’s business scope. This includes the development, management, production and success of all business unit (BU) sponsored music festivals; as well as assisting cross-functionally with On-Premise Marketing on large scale and big moment activations. The ideal candidate should be passionate about live event production, experiential marketing, festivals and both the nightlife & music scenes. This position will operate cross functionally with On-Premise Marketing/Sales, Culture Marketing, Operations, Activations, Consumer Collecting, Brand, Key Accounts and outside vendors to drive Red Bull’s relevance within the festival landscape. The Festival Specialist will ensure quality event execution at larger A-Top festivals/image building events as well as leading the development and on-site execution of select A-Image and A-Volume festivals/events including multi-city tours.
Job summary: The Orchard seeks an enthusiastic individual for the Digital Advertising Department with a passion for music, film, video, and other media. This passion must be personal, but also exist as an academic interest in how these media are positioned within culture. To continue to advance our groundbreaking services to clients and owned/operated properties, You will report directly to the Director of Digital Advertising.
Job summary: Cox Media Group – Miami Radio has two part times positions for an Event Crew/Activation Specialist. Are you pursuing a career in Communications, Media, and/or Marketing? We are looking for outgoing, hard working and creative individuals to join our Marketing/ Promotions team. Responsibilities include working on location at radio station events, live broadcasts, interacting with listeners, social media activation and clerical duties. Knowledge in video recording, editing and Photoshop are a plus. Ideal candidate is energetic, efficient and capable of multi-tasking in a lively fast paced environment. We are seeking a highly results oriented and talented individual with a passion for original entertainment to join our growing marketing team. The right candidate will be a team player who takes initiative with excellent written and verbal communication skills. All employees are expected to bring a positive attitude to the work place and be cheerful, cooperative and productive and to perform other such duties as may be required for the efficient operations of the stations.
Job summary: Universal Music Group is seeking a Manager, Consumer Engagement Operations to manage and support creation and operational execution of consumer engagement campaigns, products, D2C stores and marketing campaigns. The Manager will be the first line of command for the UMG Consumer Engagement Operations team in all D2C projects assigned, including involvement in artist strategy, product development, marketing and ecommerce, and help with collaboration with label departments (product managers, digital marketing, and artist management, etc.) during the release setup. He/she will be responsible for overseeing and managing operational details associated with all D2C stores.
Job summary: Harmonix is looking for a music supervisor and music business expert, who has sophisticated knowledge of the music industry and who will be responsible for securing music/artist participation for inclusion in the game, add-on content, advertisements, trailers, promos, partnerships or any other form of visual media. The ideal candidate will act as the liaison for Harmonix with the music community. The role also includes engaging the music community from a marketing partnership perspective in order to leverage the artist/music in the games to create additional exposure and marketing opportunities. The level of partner participation varies from social posts by artists and gaming partners to in-game artist participation, live performances, advertisements, retail executions, etc. The music marketing partnership director will be responsible for fulfilling all marketing needs and driving execution from a music perspective.
Job summary: As part of our new vision for the future, we are looking for an excellent, aggressive, career-minded professional for the position of Associate Director, Public Relations for Florida Grand Opera. Ideal candidates will have a strong knowledge of opera, a minimum of four years’ work experience in opera public relations or a closely related industry, as well as a Bachelor’s degree. Personal strengths must include strong attention to detail, knowledge of opera, hands-on experience with social media, and strong verbal and written communication skills. Ideal candidates will be self-directed, able to work independently and bi-lingual in English and Spanish.
Job summary: We are actively looking for a self-motivated Box Office & Client Service Coordinator. This detail oriented position requires excellent organizational skills, professional interaction with management personnel, vendors, clients of all levels. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in ticketing software, client and customer service service. This position will oversee the day to day operations of the Box Office Department within the scope of generally accepted procedures and practices for a major clients nationwide.
Job summary: Consumer conversations and relationships fuel the work of Nike Marketing. It’s the fuel that has built one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Nike Marketing captures the science, art and emotion of Nike’s innovations and connects them with the hearts, minds and souls of athletes. The pros in brand strategy, advertising, digital engagement, product presentation, consumer analytics and more foster consumer connections via channels ranging from Nike Stores to social media. They approach marketing in a way that only Nike can: taking risks, pushing boundaries and inspiring consumers to be champions.
Job summary: The Marketing and Communications Associate is responsible for facilitating and overseeing the execution of all marketing and communications functions for the organization, with an emphasis on digital marketing. The Associate reports directly to the Marketing and Communications Strategist and interacts with web developers, graphic designers and other vendors that are identified by the organization to work on select projects.
Job summary: The ideal candidate will have Music or Entertainment experience and have experience supporting an SVP, GM or other high-level executive with discretion and confidentiality. Must be very efficient and highly attuned to the smallest of details. Multi-tasking and working on tight deadlines in a high pressure environment is crucial. No task is too small and no challenge too great. A “can-do” attitude is essential.
Job summary: In this outside sales position you will sell radio sponsorship messages, digital media and event sponsorships. An account executive in public media is similar to that of a salesperson in commercial broadcasting or local print media. In this consultative sales role you will make cold-calls to decision makers at local businesses, meet with them to understand their marketing needs and develop proposals that offer marketing solutions to help them grow their businesses. This is a full life cycle sales position in that you will prospect, conduct needs assessments, create and present proposals, close the deal, write copy and service the account. You will focus on developing new business while managing and growing an account list.
Job summary: Full responsibility for all aspects of assisting with venue business operations. Passionate and motivated. Driven, with an entrepreneurial spirit. Resourceful, innovative, forward thinking and committed. At Live Nation Entertainment, our people embrace these qualities, so if this sounds like you then please read on!
Job summary: his position is responsible for coordinating and executing daily operations for Vice President, Motion Picture Music & Marketing, which are vital to the Department’s general workflow.
Job summary: This role in Apple Music and in iTunes is working with music publishers. Music publishers supply the songs that we all enjoy listening to in Apple Music. Your job will be to work with the publishers to develop the processes and systems and reports we need to make sure the songwriters around the world get paid for their work. It is a business critical role and you’ll need to be entrepreneurial, quick to turn around solutions to our partners and accurate in everything you do.
Job summary: We are looking for a marketing manager to join our team in NYC to run growth marketing initiatives for one of our products, Splice Sounds. You will be responsible for driving new customer acquisition through planning, execution, and monitoring of marketing initiatives. The ideal candidate will have experience growing sales at a consumer e-commerce startup. Knowledge of music creator tools or music production appreciated but not required.
Job summary: Beatport is looking for a Marketing Coordinator to join our team. You will work with a cross-functional and will be responsible for coordinating, launching, and driving marketing projects along the critical path to completion.
This post is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration with the fine folks at SonicBids. Enjoy!
You know the story: one fateful night at the local music hot spot, an up-and-coming local band is playing a show to a packed house. The place is going wild when suddenly, the crowd parts as a hot-shot record executive strolls in. The band plays their last song and starts packing when, out of nowhere, a sweaty, diamond-ring-encrusted hand is thrust into the face of the lead guitarist. It’s the hot-shot record executive, and he wants to offer the band a record deal. It could happen to you, right?
Don’t count on it!
The reality is, if your band isn’t very well known, there’s a slim chance of attracting a high-ranking record executive, producer, manager, agent, or any classic representative of the old music world. Instead of leaving your band’s success up to some fateful meeting, step back and think about who you already know or see often. If you’re an active musician working on making your presence known in your local scene, these eight people you probably already know can help you get your music into the right hands and keep your career in music rolling.
1. The barista at the local coffee shop
It doesn’t matter if you like coffee or coffee shops – the local coffee shop is going to attract local music lovers. There are probably lots of flyers for shows on the windows already. Next time you walk by or need a cup of coffee, introduce yourself to the baristas working. Mention your band, and ask if you can hang up flyers or leave a stack of CDs next time you stop in.
2. The DJ at your favorite college radio station or podcast
Spend a lot of time listening to college radio or podcasts? If they’re playing bands you like or similar-sounding bands to yours, stop listening and start communicating. The people DJing for college radio stations and podcasts are just like you: a fan of music. Find their contact info online and send them a short, polite message introducing yourself and your music. If they like what they hear, they might want to play you or introduce you to someone who can help you get your music heard.
3. The clerk at the music store
This might seem obvious, but it can be surprising how few musicians look to their local music stores for support. These people spend their lives buying, selling, sorting, and organizing music of all styles. If you need any sort of information, from cool bands or places to play to what’s happening this weekend, your local music store clerk probably knows more than he wishes he did!
4. The sound guy at the local venue
There might be no better resource for learning more about your local scene. If there’s a bar or club where you regularly see bands, chances are the sound guy has seen a hundred times more bands than you. Introduce yourself and your music, and the sound guy probably can point you to the venue’s talent buyer, introduce you to other similar bands, or just hip you to anything you might be interested in knowing about playing at that particular spot. All crucial info!
5. Your friend who runs an independent record label
Maybe you’re already out and about in the local music scene, and you happen to be friends with someone running his or her own independent label. You’d be surprised at how common this is! Whether or not the label puts out vinyl, CDs, cassettes, or even just digital, your friend might be willing to release your music if it fits the label’s style (and it’s good). It never hurts to ask. Even if your pal can’t or won’t release your stuff, he or she can point you towards other labels that might be interested and help you connect with other bands or musicians.
6. That Facebook friend who you know is a successful musician IRL
Facebook is breaking down more walls than ever, letting musicians connect with each other regardless of where they live in real life. If you’ve been on Facebook long enough, you’ve probably seen some well-known local musicians or even famous musicians come up in your feed as possible “friend” connections. Add them as friends and send them messages! Introduce yourself and your music, and let them know that you’re a fan of theirs. You might be amazed at the responses you get.
7. Your family
This might seem like a no-brainer (or totally embarrassing), but your family can be a surprising resource for advancing your music career. Keep them knowledgeable on your doings in the music world and invite them to performances, even if you know your dad won’t be moshing in a basement anytime soon. If you and your family have a decent relationship, they might mention you and your pursuits to someone who can help you down the line. Remember, you are being proactive. Swallow your pride and believe in your music!
8. People in the hallways at your rehearsal space
If you practice at a dedicated rehearsal space, chances are you aren’t alone. Next time you’re taking a break from your band or music, hang out in the halls and see who’s around and listen to what other bands are playing. Knock on the door after you hear some awesome band stop playing, and introduce yourself. Next time you talk to someone randomly as you walk to your space, politely let them know about you and your band.
Above all, don’t give up hope. For every person interested in your music, there might be 10 people that aren’t. Don’t worry about it. Keep spreading knowledge of your music, and keep meeting people. Sooner or later, someone who can help you will take notice.
Christopher DeArcangelis is an active musician and copywriter from Chicago. He writes songs, plays guitar, and sings vocals for the rock and roll band MAMA and is the founder of the creative agency Static Free Industries.
The hottest social media trend of 2015 has been the rise of ‘live broadcast’ companies that allow users to share their perspective on life using nothing more than the camera(s) on their phone. These companies have found a way to make a real impression on the overcrowded digital business space in a very small amount of time, so it should come as little to no surprise that the world’s largest social platform, Facebook, is now preparing to introduce their own real-time video streaming service in the new year.
According to a post on Music3Point0, Facebook quietly began testing a live broadcast tool with select users earlier this month. The tool has been available to big brands for a few months, but the company is only just now beginning to share this feature with everyday users. The testing is in its beta stage right now, with a full public release expected in early 2016.
Beta testers have found that you’ll be able to see both the people that are currently viewing your broadcast as well as the real-time comments.
What will separate Facebook’s live broadcast feature from that of other services is the ability to specify who is able to access each stream. This means that you, page owners and users, can designate your broadcast to be seen just by your fans, followers, a group, or even a small group of friends or family. Have a big tour announcement? Invite everybody. Need to share the news of a new baby? Make it personal and only allow those you care about the most to join. Facebook aims to make this specificity the thing that sets them apart.
Also, all broadcasts will live forever on your timeline, or at least as long as you desire to have them available. This differs from Meerkat and Periscope, which only keeps user videos for a limited amount of time (usually a day or less).
The one disadvantage to Facebook’s live broadcast service is the need to be logged into Facebook in order to participate, and the videos of previous broadcast will only be able to be viewed on Facebook itself. This mean no exporting no sharing to other networks. In a time when more and more people are finding the social platform too crowded and busy to be of much real use, Facebook is hoping great services like this will give users a reason to remain committed to the site.
The news of Facebook’s decision to enter the live broadcast market is sure to worry those working at Periscope and Meerkat. Those companies combined 12 million registered users is nothing compared to 1.5 billion people registered on Facebook. If Facebook’s broadcast tool offers high quality streaming that is easy to operate, there is a good chance the companies currently leading the live broadcast discussion could fall behind the social media giant.
Are you excited for Facebook to enter the live broadcast world? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!
Christmas is right around the corner, and with it comes a unique opportunity to show your appreciation for fan support that happens only once a year. Your fans, like those you look to please with your holidays shopping list, deserve to be reminded of just how much their continued faith in you matters. We don’t suggest attempting to buy every single person who supports you work a gift, though you absolutely could if money and time allows, but we do believe there are several ways musicians can express their gratitude that will resonate with fans for months and years to come.
1. Free Music
There is an old adage about the easiest course in life often being the most obvious one, and that is very much the case with this suggestion. Your fans support you all year long in hopes that you will both come to their town and continue to release music that touches their lives. Though you are unable to be everywhere at once on Christmas, you can make your music available for anyone who has yet to add it to their personal collection. Whether you choose to make a song, album, or even your entire catalog available as a free download, you should see a rise in engagement as a result. People who have been waiting to buy your album when they see you live won’t be able to resist the free download, and there is a high likelihood they will recommend your friends take advantage of the offer as well.
2. Record and release a holiday cover (maybe give it away as well)
The world has heard countless covers of holiday classics, but the world has yet to hear your take on famous seasonal staples, and that is why you can still use them to give back to fans this Christmas. I know my favorite Christmas covers are those performed by my favorite bands, and I’m willing to bet the same can be said for most music fans. Record a holiday cover, be it in a studio or in your own home, and share it with fans in the days leading up to December 25. You can even take things one step further and ask fans about their favorite holiday songs in advance, that way your cover will have an even higher likelihood of being shared by your followers.
3. Surprise your fans with free stuff (no contest necessary)
Everyone is thinking of others during the holiday season, or at least they should be, so many fans may not have money to buy the limited edition winter merch items you have available in your online store. To show fans you understand their dilemma, consider offering a give away where you send a prize pack including numerous merch items, as well as items not available in your store (handwritten lyrics, drum head, etc) to one lucky fan. Don’t make it a contest and don’t ask for contact information in exchange for consideration. Simply pick a fan, or four, and send them a present. With any luck, the fan(s) will share their surprise with the world, and you will earn brownie points for being one of the more thoughtful artists in music today.
4. Stream an acoustic performance from your home/studio/van/bus/basement
There are few things music fans love more than seeing their favorite artists playing bare-boned versions of their favorite songs. Since there is no way everyone who follows you could attend a single performance, especially one planned close to Christmas, make the event special by broadcasting your set on one or more of the popular live streaming services that have risen to prominence over the last year. If those services require you to charge consumers, like with StageIt, then you should also consider giving all the money earned to charity. This way, fans feel like they are giving back by tuning in, and you walk away having established yourself as an artists who hasn’t lost sight of the problems that exist outside your immediate surroundings. Win-Win.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
This post is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration with Sonicbids.
Promising bands have a lot to deal with. From seeking, attracting, and responding to label and management attention, to possible press interest, to the basic desire to succeed, a lot of noise isn’tfiltered out. There’s one thing, however, that kills promising bands faster than anything else – and that’s focusing on everything but the music.
If a band gets caught up in all the social media shenanigans or trying to find a team before they have the great songs that are required to attract the music industry types and fans they need, well, they’re going to sink instead of swim.
If you’re in a band, and you don’t spend the majority of your time on your music, crafting the best possible material, you’re doing it all wrong. Nothing else matters, to quote Metallica. You can focus on the social media and the peripheral stuff later or in secondary fashion. Get the songs and the sound down first. Make songs people want to hear. Make songs you’re passionate about and proud of. If the music is great, it’ll start to react and find its audience. You can spend time sharing music online or reaching out to potential fans or media, but don’t let that take up the bulk of your time. You’ll derail the train before it leaves the station when you get caught up in too much of the external noise.
Your career starts and ends with great music. There’s this saying that you can only polish a turd so much. At the end of the day, it’s… still a turd. The same concept applies here. You can Instagram photos, post Facebook updates, and tweet your face off, but if you’re social media strategizing on something no one gives a shit about or something that is just plain bad, you’re wasting precious time that you could be using to craft better songs. Get the song parts down first.
I’ve had plenty of bands contact me with nothing to go on, claiming that they want PR to become the biggest band in the world. Zzzz. If there isn’t a quality song or even a legit or long-term career plan in place, it’s like trying to build a house without tools or a plot of land. It doesn’t just appear – you have to lay the concrete and then each brick atop that foundation.
So, yes, you can utilize social media and seek out representation when the timing is right, but make sure your songs are top notch first.
Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver toBustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.
This post is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration with Sonicbids. Enjoy.
Your music isn’t being heard by bloggers, journalists, editors, or those in positions of power within the industry. Either you’ve been pitching them yourself, or you’ve hired a PR firm to reach out and get them to listen, but for some reason, it just isn’t getting through. You’re spending time or money (or both), but not getting any real results. Should you scale back your expectations for a response from the media and the industry? That might be possible; it depends on what they were to begin with. Should you stop trying to get your music heard by influencers? Of course not! Just because things aren’t working right now doesn’t mean you quit – you just might want to change tactics.
The truth
Those people you’ve been sending your music to – the journalists, bloggers, and everybody in all the different facets of the music industry – are pitched constantly, and usually indiscriminately. Ask anybody at a well-known publication or who works for a successful label, and they’ll tell you about the incredible amount of music that gets sent to them every day. I, for example, receive somewhere between 150 and 200 emails a day with new music, and I rarely even cover that space, so I can hardly imagine what the inboxes of some other writers looks like.
While you may not want to hear it, here’s the truth: there just isn’t enough time in the day for everybody to hear all the music they “should,” and no matter how good it is, there’s a really good chance that people are simply going to skip past your new single or album. With hundreds of submissions and only so many hours, it’s extremely tough for almost any artist to be heard these days, let alone newcomers and unknowns.
A solution
First, you should keep pitching your stuff to the people you think should hear it, and you should be smart about it. Make sure you’re contacting the “right” people (those who might actually be interested in it), or make sure your PR team is doing just that.
In addition to the tried-and-true methods, you may want to start investigating a new online world that allows you to pay people to listen to your music. Now, I can already hear some musicians and singers groaning and getting upset about this idea, and I understand. Making music, recording it, touring, and all the other responsibilities and necessities that come along with being a professional musician are all expensive and the income is sparse, so why would you pay for one more thing, especially when it’s something you shouldn’t have to pay for?
My reasoning is twofold: first, realize that you already are paying for people to hear your music. You’re either paying PR people to reach out to press for you, or you’re doing it yourself, which is taking up time you could be using to make new music, creating stronger relationships with fans, or pretty much anything else. Both of these options are costing you, but they may not be giving you a good return on your investment.
The second part of my reasoning is that while you may not want to hear that this is going to cost you, it does, and that’s just the world we live in. If you’ve decided that getting these groups of people to hear your music is really that important, put your money where your mouth is or start reprioritizing what you want and what you “need.”
How to do it
I am certainly not suggesting you start emailing bloggers and A&R execs and begin offering them cash for plays, because that’s not how this works, and you probably won’t make any friends. In the past few years, a handful of platforms have popped up that are actively recruiting writers and industry people to join.
Fluence is the best option for this, and it’s pretty easy to get started. Influencers set their hourly rate, and when you submit a song and choose who you’d like to hear it, the site automatically calculates an exact cost per listen. For example, most three- to four-minute songs I listen to cost the musician around $5. From there, the influencer gives feedback, and they’re encouraged to share the track on social media. Newer sites like Promeo have also popped up, and the idea is gaining traction with people in the industry and up-and-coming musicians, so it’s likely that both of these sites will grow, and that some new ones may continue to emerge in the future.
Now, will this ensure press coverage or a record deal? No. Is it certain that the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone or the CEO of Sony is going to hear your new single? Nope, sorry. The idea of paying people to listen to your music is one that’s really best for those just beginning in the industry and who simply need a way to get their foot in the door. It’s all about getting the momentum going, so once a few cool bloggers have heard your track and shared it, you can go from there (and to be honest, it’ll probably cost less than a several-month-long PR campaign).
Readers – what do you think? Sound off in the comments below!
Hugh McIntyre is a freelance pop music journalist in NYC by way of Boston. He has written for Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and MTV, as well as various magazines and blogs around the world. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the blog Pop! Bang! Boom! which is dedicated to the genre of pop in all of its glory.
We received a lot of emails at Haulix from labels, publicists, and bands alike hoping to learn a few additional tricks or tips for better exposing whatever music they are working at that particular moment. We do our best to help everyone that comes to us, and we would hope many of you would respond in a similar manner, but recently we were contacted by someone seeking additional press who seemed to completely misunderstand what it is they needed in their career.
While coverage on blogs and in print is always helpful, it is not something every artist needs in order to be a success. In fact, history is littered with brilliant minds who lead long career in the arts without ever having a number one song or a feature in Billboard magazine. They probably wanted those things, of course, but in the long run they were not an essential part of a healthy career in entertainment.
So here’s what happened:
A call came in this week from an industry contact who shall remain nameless. During our chat, the person who called explained how they were running a label where almost every cost was covered by two very successful electronic artists. These artists have made literally millions of dollars from licensing and placements in everything from movies, to TV shows, advertisements, and even video games. They have been making money this way for years, all while continuing to release new music, but for one reason or another their label had struggled to garner much, if any, traction in the world of music journalism. Their artists were labeled as too electronic for rock blogs, but too rock driven for electronic blog, which left them feeling as if there were no place for them in the modern music business.
While we sympathized with the label owner and how he felt his artists were basically successful outcasts, we also felt that somewhere along the line the label owner had forgotten the point of press. Getting mentions on blogs and in magazines is something done by artists and their representation in order to generate more excitement for an upcoming release. While we could debate all day over the effectiveness of mentions on top music blogs as it relates to sales, the fact of the matter is that in this unique case the artists going uncovered by most members of the music journalism community had long proven their ability to financially succeed in the industry. They don’t need music blogs, or even music magazine to care about their efforts because clearly there is already a well-established demand for new content from them by people who have the power to make sure the artists in question can pay their bills (as well as the bills of their label).
If you or someone your represent are working full time on creating art, and by that I mean living a life that is not dependent on a second source of income, we urge you to not allow yourself to be frustrated if members of the journalism community do not take notice of those efforts. Just because someone with a blog or byline does not see the talent you or your artist possesses does not mean everyone else who has supported that act up to this point is somehow wrong or misguided. Headlines will come in time, but if you’re already paying your bills with music then you’ve already won the game of existing in this industry. You’ve reached a point of success most will never know, and you cannot allow the fact some teens and/or twenty-somethings don’t ‘get it’ hold you back. You don’t need them.
