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What musicians should ask themselves before hiring a publicist

Music PR, Music Publicity, Music Publicist, Hiring a publicist, publicity, pr, music business, music industry

Publicists can do a lot for your career, but only if you’re ready to work with them.

Every artist wants to find success in their career, but the path to success is rarely the same. What works for one artist or group may not work for another and vice versa.

For example, some artists get ahead with the help of publicist who uses their connections to land the band press opportunities that offer exposure which aide in the development of an audience. Other artists choose to promote themselves, and in doing so often find a quicker route to connecting with listeners. One way is not better than the other. Both offer success, though how it comes and what comes with may vary greatly.

The vast majority of up and coming talent we engage with mention their desire to find a publicist. Most know what publicists do or at least have some understanding of their role, but very few seem to grasp their role in determining whether or not a publicity campaign will succeed. With that in mind, we put together questions that every artist should ask themselves before investing in PR for their career.

1. Is my career even at a point where I need a publicist?

The idea of having someone in your life who spends a part of their day doing whatever they can to get the word out about your efforts sounds like a smart decision, but unless you have something worthwhile to share with the world you’re going to end up wasting a lot of money. Focus on creating the best album/single/video you possibly can, which I can tell you will likely not be your first release, and then think about bringing in someone to help promote. While many professional publicists will tell a band if they think the band is not ready for such a business relationship, there are a number of those out there who will happily take your money and never look back. It’s not on them to have something worth sharing; it’s on you.

2. Can I financially afford a publicist right now?

This may seem like a rather obvious statement, but the truth is many artists do not fully understand the costs associated with having a publicist. Most PR firms require a minimum commitment of 3-months for any project, regardless of whether it’s an album, video, or single. That means for three months you are expected to pay whatever price you negotiate at the time of signing, and failure to do so will likely result in monetary penalties being issued against your group. Avoid this unnecessary trouble (not to mention looking amateur to industry professionals) and double-check your finances before seeking representation. Set a budget and work to find someone who offers you the most ‘bang for your buck.’

3. What am I hoping to accomplish with this campaign, and do I need a publicist to pull it off?

It’s common sense that artists and bands hoping to promote their new releases turn to publicists to help get the word out, but depending on your situation you may be able to handle marketing perfectly fine on your own. There are a growing number of articles and sites dedicated to empowering independent artists, including the one you’re reading right now, and if you’re willing to put in the work yourself, it’s reasonable to assume you can gain at least a small amount of press on your own. Blogs and smaller publications usually post their contact information online, and by reading up on PR tactics, anyone can craft a pitch letter, so as long as you’re okay with Rolling Stone and Pitchfork not giving you the time of day you may be able to do it on your own.

Furthermore, you need to know what you hope to achieve with a campaign. Getting the word out about something is too vague. Do you want more followers? one-thousand plays in the first twenty-four hours of release? Ten interviews a month? All that and more? Make a list of goals and ask yourself if you possess the knowledge and means to achieve them on your own.

4. Do I have high-quality promotional materials ready to go (masters, photos, etc.)?

Publicists spend their day trying to get the word out about their clients, but that does not mean they’re going to create promotional materials to help get the job done. As the client, it is on you to provide your publicist with everything they need to promote your efforts, and it should go without saying that quality plays a big role in whether or not journalists give you some of their oh-so-rare free time. Before you even consider bringing someone else into your career, make sure you have quality materials you want to be shared with the world. If you turn in mediocre media, the returns will likely be mediocre as well. Publicists work with what they’re given, so be sure you give yours the best material you possibly can.

5. What marketing ideas do I have for the release of my album/music video?

This is probably the most important part of this entire list because it’s the area artists most often overlook. Publicists can make amazing things happen for your career, but without guidance and direction from you, they will have no idea what it is you’re trying to convey with your art. This is why when deciding to bring on a publicist it is imperative that you first come up with your own set of goals and ideas for the release. Publicists want to help you, not do the work for you, and starting the relationship with a wealth of ideas on deck will simplify the promotional efforts on their end. By knowing what you expect, publicists can work with you to craft a campaign that’s designed to accomplish your specific goals, and that will lead to better results down the line.

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PUBLICITY 101: The Broad Focus

With the third year of our blog still finding its footing, we thought now would be as good a time as any to introduce our latest guest contributor. Rey Roldan has lead an incredible career in music PR that now spans multiple decades, and in the coming months he will be sharing some of his vast industry knowledge with us through his very own bi-weekly column. Enjoy!

“I loved the opportunity, but I only liked a handful of the bands,” texted a friend recently about a job at a growing indie label that I had recommended her for.  The label was a solid company – full benefits, allotted vacation time and a publicity team… and the bands – mostly indie rock with a smattering of alt-country (which she abhors).

“You should look at the job first, and THEN the bands,” I typed back, trying to convince her that she needs more experience. “And besides, you like a lot of the bands.”

“I know, but I want to love ALL the bands,” she replied.  “I want a job at [INSERT HIPSTER LABEL HERE].”

I stared at the text message and almost did a facepalm.  I typed, “Like THAT will ever happen”… but I deleted it before sending.

While there’s a really great advantage to only work bands that you love as a publicist, many publicists don’t get that dream job in the early part of their career.  Learning the craft is more important than loving the bands you’re working. But if you’re able to combine the two, you’re golden.

For some, like Amy Sciarretto of Atom Splitter PR, they’re able to achieve just that. “Most of my career has trafficked in hard rock and metal, as a writer and a publicist,” she says. “I have ventured outside the genre somewhat, and I have worked with artists that are not metal. But I do have that specialty.  You really do get to know your base and your ham ‘n’ eggers and go-tos. You tend to develop awesome strong relationships and friendships with people you work so closely with. I find that the outlet and I can get really creative as to how much we work together. We’ll come up with new ways to publicize a release or a band, for maximum exposure for the artist and the outlet.”

The big advantage of working a certain genre is that writers and editors trust that you know what you’re talking about. If they’re working on a story and need a band that fits your wheelhouse, then they know who to go to.  Being a trusted name in your field is a huge accomplishment and Sciarretto, by far, is one of the most trusted people in the metal and hard rock world.  When one thinks of metal publicists, her name is at the top of that list.

In a lot of ways, it also makes it like one-stop shopping for a writer who is working on a genre-specific story to find appropriate artists.  “You usually know what to expect when you’re getting a pitch from a genre-specific publicist,” says writer John B.  Moore of Blurt, New Noise, Innocent Words and others.  “But if I’m writing for pubs that aren’t likely to cover that genre of music, I usually don’t bother even opening the emails from those publicists.”

“Speaking for myself, I found it easier to do publicity within one genre of music,” answers Jim Smith, Sales and Promotions Manager of Metropolis Records. Once a genre-specific behemoth in the industrial/goth/electronic/avant-garde label world, Metropolis has been slowly shifting and evolving into a much broader spectrum of artists that still includes many of those bands like Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy and Covenent, but now includes legendary 70s punk and postpunk artists such as Gang of Four, The Rezillos, Membranes and even 80s stalwarts Alison Moyet and Ali Campbell of UB40. “When we first started out as a label that catered to a very narrow field, the shrinking media market combined with the challenges of developing new relationships in other niche music markets presented a slew of new challenges. When we were more specialized, we had a stable of press and media people that we had long-standing relationships with. Now, it’s an ever present challenge to get publicity outside of what we have been pigeonholed into.”

Broadening the palette into much wider and colorful strokes instead of gothic black is how Metropolis is evolving.  For writers too, a wider view offers more colors to choose from. “For me, it’s all about the music, not the genre label,” says William Dashiell Hammett, a freelance journalist who has written about a myriad of artists across a multitude of platforms.  “It’s great to be able to work with people who can draw knowledge from across the musical spectrum and make comparisons those too focused on one specific style would never consider.”

In my personal experience, I’ve been lucky in my career to go through phases that took me through from a legendary artist-driven label, I.R.S. Records (The Go-Go’s, R.E.M., Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine), to a buzz-heavy alt-rock label in Mammoth Records (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Juliana Hatfield, Jason and the Scorchers), to a blues/rock label in Silvertone (Buddy Guy, John Mayall, Stone Roses), to a pop/urban labelJive (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, A Tribe Called Quest), to a high-powered boutique PR firm KSA PR(Sting, Duran Duran, Fiona Apple), to a major label Island Records (Hanson, Ryan Adams, Mariah Carey).

Now with my own firm, I thrive in a diverse roster of talent that covers all those genres without heavily concentrations. You’ll find English Beat, KMFDM, Dashboard Confessional, Yellowcard, The Fratellis, andBlackalicious all cohabitating my roster. For me, being able to switch gears is what keeps my job interesting. It’s a challenge to talk about the heavy alt-country of The White Buffalo in the same breath as the piano house music of Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn (“Hodor”).

Rounder Label Group’s Director of Publicity Regina Joskow (a sage in the publicity realm) has had a similar wide-ranging history as me, having handled widely eclectic rosters as well as a highly specialized and focused clientele. “I’ve worked on both sides of that fence. I think that it’s probably easier for a publicist to work with a broader range of music and with more broad-based journalists, rather than work within a specific genre where you really, really need to know your stuff,” she explains.  “Metal writers and the metal community in general can be very welcoming, but in certain genres – say, jazz or classical – you really have to be educated. So if you’re already really knowledgeable and passionate about the music, you’re in good shape. But if you’re not, you really need to get educated. Jazz writers (at least the good ones, and there are many good ones) tend to be extremely knowledgeable, and in order to get any respect from them, you need to have to know what you’re talking about. You can’t just fake that.”

Moore adds that it’s not about the genre a publicist specializes in, but from the publicist’s knowledge of what kind of music he covers. “Ultimately the best way to get my attention is to read what I write and learn the types of bands I cover. I have a handful of publicists that I have been working with since the late 90s and I read every single e-mail they send me and will listen if they say ‘I think you’ll dig this,’ simply because they have learned my tastes. Also, never underestimate the ego of a writer. If you are even half way pretending to follow my stuff, I’ll engage with you.”

As for my friend who turned down that job? She was just handed two country bands as clients and she hatescountry.  And her dream label?  It just extended its publicist’s contract for two more years.  She now wishes she went for that other job.

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PUBLICITY 101: The First Three Lines

With the third year of our blog still finding its footing, we thought now would be as good a time as any to introduce our latest guest contributor. Rey Roldan has lead an incredible career in music PR that now spans multiple decades, and in the coming months he will be sharing some of his vast industry knowledge with us through his very own bi-weekly column. Enjoy!

As the pool of publicists gets more and more crowded with journalists and bloggers trying their hand at hacking away at artists’ campaigns, a direct result of this influx is the flooding of inboxes with massive amounts of press releases and pitches.  Many of the higher-tiered journalists can get pummeled with over 500 pitches a day – some even more than that!  Each morning, writers, bloggers, producers and editors weed out their emails, deleting hundreds of them without even knowing exactly what the pitches are selling.

So how does a publicist cut through the clutter and get a journalists’ attention?

“Well, I think it’s a fairly simple answer: if you can’t make a really compelling case in the first paragraph, chances are, your press release or pitch will either go unnoticed, or will simply get deleted,” answers Regina Joskow, Director of Publicity for the Rounder Label Group.  “It’s kind of like an audition when a performer gets to sing 16 bars, and that’s what determines whether they get a call-back or not. These days, people are inundated from all sides with email messages, text messages, social media posts and messages, instant messages – it’s completely overwhelming. People’s attention spans aren’t what they used to be.”

And she’s right.  The secret to getting a journalist’s attention isn’t flooding them with information, bio material and too much text that they didn’t ask for… It’s about getting right to the point.  An old editor friend of mine, Gus Pena of the amazing but unfortunately now defunct Chord Magazine, once said, “It’s about the first three lines.  If I don’t know what your point is by then, you’ve already lost me.”

“To me, the first paragraph is very crucial,” agrees Gil Macias, Editorial Coordinator atPlayboy and contributing editor of Inked Magazine.  “An accurate description of the band’s sound makes or breaks whether or not I want to listen to something…. and comparing the band or musician to other bands that sound similar also peaks my interest.”

“For me, the first line of a press release is very important,” says Lori Majewski, longtime music editor, writer, and author of Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s. “If I don’t read anything there that appeals to me, I’m not going to go any further.”

While it’s always nice to start off with a pleasant “Lovely day, innit” type of greeting, being rather direct can save everyone a lot of time.  “The first paragraph is mission critical in my opinion, this stems from my journalism training,” explains Heather West of Western Publicity. “Writers sometimes want to get ‘creative’ and bury their lede in a morass of descriptors that obscure the key elements, which are who, what, when, where and why. Journalists, in my experience, find this irritating. So it’s best to get right to the point.”

Some journalists might be so busy that if they don’t like what they immediately see, they might not even get to the first line of your pitch.  “Actually, even more important than the first line of a press release is the subject line of the email,” adds Majewski. “Journalists are inundated with so many emails daily, you have to stand out somehow, someway, or it never even being opened.”

“I read every press release I get, and as important as the subject line is, the opening paragraph is equally – if not more – important,” counters Chuck Armstrong, Editor-in-Chief of Diffuser. “I want the story. I want to know why this band or this song or this video is important to me and, potentially, to our readers. If you can sum that up in the beginning, you have my attention.”

So it boils down to subject line and the first three sentences… Capturing your audience’s attention lies within a short window of words and can turn a writer’s apathy into intrigue that forces them to read your pitches.  Armstrong adds the parting shot, “The only time I don’t open an email is if it’s from Rey Roldan. I delete that shit before it infects my computer with his well-known publicity viruses.” #shotsfired

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