|
There are more resources than ever to let musicians handle their own
careers these days - but don't believe the hype. Going DIY is not
the best choice for everyone. Where do you fit? Find out what labels
bring to the table so you can decide.Few people in the music
industry DON'T find themselves needing to reach out to the press on
occasion, but if you're new to the game, the process can seem a
little daunting. Who should I contact? What should I say? And
inevitably - why is no one calling me back?!?
Figuring out the press game is important, and the best thing you can
do is climb on the horse and start riding. There are two basic rules
to keep in mind:
1.No one - NO ONE - is guaranteed press coverage, so just because
you aren't landing the media spots you were hoping for doesn't
necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. There is no real
magic formula.
2.Press begets press. Getting that first piece of press is the
really hard part. Once you have that bit of coverage, your music
project becomes a little more interesting to the next journalist -
and so on and so forth. Plus, every little press win you score is a
step closer to turning the PR tables from you banging on the door of
the media to them suddenly returning your phone calls and then
eventually (hopefully) you finding a few journalists outside banging
on YOUR door for the scoop.Essentially, contacting the press to
promote a music project takes time, patience and a little bit of
keeping the faith - but there are things you can do to smooth the
process a bit.Getting music press coverage can be a frustrating
task. There is so much competition that just getting anyone to
listen to what you have to say can be an uphill battle. If you are
doing your own press campaign, you'll be fighting for attention with
people who already have the ears of the press. It's really hard work
- there's no two ways about it.
For obvious reasons, then, you don't need to make things even harder
on yourself by taking the wrong approach. You only get one chance to
make an impression, and you don't want it to be the wrong one. Here
are some definite dos you want to keep in mind when approaching the
media, as well as a few home truths, that will help you get your
pitch in order:
1.DO...Respect the Guidelines: Many publications have specific
guidelines in place to how you should contact them, when you should
contact them and how you should follow up with them (or in many
cases, instructions that you SHOULDN'T follow up with them).
It's easy to get the impression that some outlets are trying to
antagonize you with all of their rules and that they're just lording
their power over you. Understandable, but consider it from the other
side. Music writers and publications get approached CONSTANTLY by
labels, musicians and PR companies, all vying for some attention for
their stuff. There has to be some way of managing this constant
deluge of information, or nothing would get the attention it
deserves. Much like demo policies set by labels, any system put in
place by a media outlet is designed so that your music WILL get a
listen instead of getting overlooked.
Or not. Sometimes, you'll run into some music journalists who aren't
very nice or that do enjoy that microscopic bit of power they have.
The bottom line is - so what? You can hate their reasons, think
their rules are stupid or whatever else you want to think. The cold,
hard fact of the matter is, you have to put up with them if you want
a chance to be featured in their publication. You won't past "go" if
you don't.
2.DO...Provide Photos: One common complaint by musicians and some PR
is that music journalists are lazy and want you to do all their work
for them. Instead of researching their pieces and accessing photos
themselves, they want you to provide a press release with absolutely
everything they need to know and a press ready publicity shot, in
case they choose to use it.
Again - just do it. Sure, there are some lazy journalists out there.
Many a record label has had the experience of seeing their press
release reproduced as a review or preview of a release. But it's not
your job instill a little work ethic into the ranks of music
journalism. Your job is to get someone to write about your music so
people will know about it and buy it. If a journalist has Musician
A, Musician B and Musician C as potential topics, and Musician B is
the only one who provided adequate info and a photo, then Musician B
is about to get some press and Musicians A and C are out of luck.
Press begets press, so Musician B just scored big time - all because
they made life easier for the writer.
Of course, this isn't out of sheer laziness across the board. Back
to the notion of music journalists and music media outlets coping
with a lot of information - it just isn't practical to have to
invest a lot of time in chasing down info and photos for a small
piece.
3.DO...Provide Practical Information: True story: one day, in the
space of about 2 and half hours, I received four emails from four
different people claiming to be the number one MC in Houston (and I
don't even write reviews - more on this story later). A common
mistake musicians make when promoting themselves is thinking that
they can use words to convince a journalist of their greatness. The
music is the only thing that can do that. Nothing turns off a jaded
music writer like a press release full of self proclaimed greatness.
A good press release gives the reader an idea of what the music is
like, provides some background information about the musicians,
references past achievements of the musicians, and often gives the
press an angle they can use in a story. You should be confident in
the music you're producing and proud of what you've accomplished,
but be careful about the way you express that in a press release.
It's not a love letter to yourself, and while we're at it, it
definitely doesn't have any typing lIkE tHiS.
4.DO...Choose Your Targets Wisely: Back to the story about the four
way tie for number one MC in Houston. Because I'm not a music review
writer, I wasn't the best person for them to approach. It will save
you a lot of time and frustration if you make sure that everyone
you're sending your music to is in a position to write about it.
It's also a good idea to target writers and publications that deal
with your genre. You'll be wasting resources and setting yourself up
for heartache otherwise.
5.DO...Remember the Music Industry is a Small Place: There is going
to come a time when you're going to feel slighted by a writer or
editor at some music publication. Maybe they've told you they're not
going to cover your release, or maybe they won't even answer your
calls. Resist the temptation to be anything other than professional.
Not only will bad mouthing, yelling and name calling not get you
anywhere, you can bet that will come back to bite you some day. Some
day, you're going to want a gig at the venue that is owned by the
sister of the boyfriend of the cousin of the writer you went off on,
and they'll remember. Believe it.
From the time you make your first pitch to your last follow up call,
stay polite and on message. It won't always be easy, especially when
you hear that frustration in the voice at the other end of the phone
line, but it's worth it.
6.DO...See it for What It Is: Sometimes, it's a popularity contest -
the more people write about you, the more people who want to be
writing about you. Sometimes, it's all about the writer's ego. It's
frustrating. All you can do is recognize those things for what they
are - distractions from what you're trying to accomplish - and keep
on working. Take the right approach, and stay patient. That's the
best way to succeed.
Getting music press is never easy. So many people are vying such a
limited amount of print space that getting the press attention you
want is always hard work. The last thing you need to do is burn your
bridges before you really even build them. To make sure you get off
on the right foot when you're trying to get some press coverage of
your music, check out these "don'ts" when it comes to approaching
music journalists.
1.Don't...Engage in TMI: It's tempting to want to share your whole
life story when you're trying to get some press attention - after
all, you never know exactly which accomplishment will connect with a
particular writer. However, it's extremely important to pick the
highlights and target your message. Don't think that you can force a
journalist into digging through your back story just by stuffing an
envelope with lots of paper or attaching ten documents to an email.
Not only will it likely not get read, you may end up blowing your
chances completely because it just seems like so much work to dig
through all of your info.
Stay on point about this particular project, add a few past
highlights and keep your press releases to one page.
2.Don't....Show Your Frustration: Ignored emails and phone calls are
the order of the day in a press campaign. Getting frustrated is
easy, and often, it's completely valid to feel that way. As good as
it might feel, however, you can't tell some journalist off for not
giving your music a chance. You can't argue your way into review or
an interview and putting your bad attitude on display is a good way
to get the door shut in your face for good. Stay professional in all
emails and phone calls with the press, even if you don't like what
you're hearing. You'll get your revenge when you're big and famous
and they're scrambling to get on the guest list for your show!
3.Don't....Be Annoying: You'll need to follow up with music
journalists often during a press campaign, and they often won't get
back to you. Calling every hour, emailing several times a day -
consider how you'd feel if you were on the other end of that kind of
barrage. You'd do much better to show music journalists that you
understand that they are surrounded by people demanding their
attention from all angles. Keep your messages short and sweet, make
sure you let them know how to contact you, and keep the door open by
telling them how and when you will follow up next.
4.Don't....Get Discouraged: Even seasoned PR pros have to work
really hard to secure music press for a release, and not every pitch
is going to be a home run. Don't let an uphill battle with the press
get you off track. Eventually, you will identify writers and
publications that are a good fit for your music, and the job will
get easier. The only way to get there is to go through the
experience - the good and the bad. Stick with it.
CONTACT BACARDI
|
