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About the author: Mona Loring, president of MLC PR brings forth solid experience in public relations, magazine writing, copywriting, marketing, and business development. Holding powerful positions such as public relations director, copywriter, entrepreneur and leader of media relations for a number of charity organizations, Loring offers original PR approaches and resourceful insight.
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Music PR Facts to Know When You're Unsignedby Mona Loring Most unsigned artists trying to break in the music industry don't have the luxury to hire a publicist. Many have to try and do their own PR in the beginning, and it takes time and experience to learn how to work with members of the media. As weird as it may sound, music media personnel (journalists, TV show producers, radio program directors, etc.) are really--let's just say particular. The problem is that they have different ears for music, extremely busy schedules and limited patience. Your best bet in the beginning is a local paper or a music website or ezine to write a story about you or review your new album. Stop here. If you don't have at least a professionally put together EP, wait. Music press has certain standards. They won't take a burned CD full of MP3s or a few MP4s off iTunes. If you don't have the basic materials, start there before you worry about media outreach on any level. If you already have the tools needed, then go and get some attention! Below are 5 helpful tips about music media outreach: - Do your homework. Know what they like and dislike, do and do not review. If you position yourself in a manner that appeals to the person you're contacting, your chances are obviously... greater. - Never address your press material generically. If you do, your materials will be put into a large pile on someone's desk if you're lucky--but probably thrown in the trash. They'd much rather review the 100 other CDs mailed in a package addressed appropriately! Again.. do your homework! - Follow-up! Every call and mailing sent deserves a follow up. Wait about a week, then call the contact and just ask if you could take a minute of their time to tell them about what you have going on... If you actually make contact, find out if they got your package/email, and if they plan to cover you in some way. Be very polite and don't take it personally if they blow you off... these people are very busy/ - If you do get a hit with the media, remember to be very punctual and professional. Do not miss your appointment, or show up late for an interview, they do not give second chances. Again, you are dealing with very busy individuals that have many more people like you to choose from--you, do not have that luxury with media. - Be prepared for mistakes to happen. Again these people are very busy and unfortunately, this means they may get your name wrong on air, mix your facts up in a feature, or worse, tell you they will cover you and then flake out. No matter what happens, if you want to have the chance to work with them again, you need to take it all with a grain--ok a spoonful of salt. This is not an easy job but it's doable. If you take these tips to heart and really put time forth working with the press, researching potential contacts, reaching out, and staying in contact with the media, you should get the initial buzz you need going. ©2008 Mona Loring. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
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10 Music PR Tips for Today's Unsigned Artistby Mona Loring As an unsigned artist, publicity is a huge driving force when you're looking at success in the music industry. Although it's definitely beneficial to retain a publicist once you have your music career in gear, you can still manage to create a little buzz on your own in the meantime. Below are the top ten tips for generating your own publicity as a music artist.
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First Steps to Breaking Out as an Unsigned Artist: How to Stand Out in the Crowdby Mona Loring Standing out in a sea of musicians isn't easy for an artist on a major label. Jon McLaughlin, Single Life, and Tyra B are all artists on major labels, yet most of you reading this article have probably never heard of them. These major artists have considerable marketing dollars behind them, but still--you probably have no clue what they're about, what genre they fit in, or what they look like. Now, imagine how hard it is for indie label artists to stand out when major label artists have to compete for attention--and then take it a step further and think about how difficult it is for unsigned artists to even make a small splash against these big guns. What can you do to give yourself a legitimate shot in the fickle music business? It's really simple. Start with grassroots marketing and work your way up to building a team within your means. Grassroots marketing is likely something you're already doing--you just need to make sure you cover all your bases. Start with your immediate local market (meaning your city not your county, etc.) and make sure anyone who could possibly like your music knows about you. This is when creativity and persistence comes into play. If you do this right, it is almost definite that someone in the media will come knocking on your door. Once you get the media interested, step up your game and create as much of a local buzz as possible... then grow out into a larger surrounding area. This will definitely help you break out as a local unsigned artist. Street Team If you don't know already, you need to play locally as much as possible until you have secured a strong, loyal fan base. If you don't have any fans yet, get to work. Forget this article, get on the phone and make some calls... book yourself at as many local venues as possible. You need people to hear your music first and foremost. Once you have a fan base established (no you don't need 500 fans, even 50 is a great start!) then you can contact some fans and see if they're willing to head up a street team. A street team is a significant tool for unsigned bands. They will pass out flyers for your shows, become MySpace friends to add your music page, support every show, and more. BIO I threw a bio in here next because every artist needs to have one when they are seeking placement in the media. When you're trying to gain media attention--or simply just introducing yourself to the world, a bio is essential. This should be a few professionally written "all about me" paragraphs that describe what you are about, what kind of music you play, your musical influences and why you're special. Try and make your bio as creative as possible. No one cares about where you're from. Sure you can add it in, but make sure the focus is on what you are bringing to the table musically. Posters and Postcards Posters and postcards are a great way to get your name out there and they aren't very expensive to create and print. You can make copies at a copy shop or if you can afford it, you can send them into copiers online who will print your poster based on your artwork. All you need is your photo and logo. Have your street team post them on college campuses, bars, coffee shops, and fitting retail stores. Media Outreach Once you feel ready for a write up in the press (be realistic... just because you think you're incredible doesn't mean you're ready to be written up, the journalist is brutally honest and believe it or not, bad press is NOT always good press.) If you feel you have a polished live show, great new EP or album and some sort of image--feel free to reach out to your local newspaper. It is the best place to start. Call and ask for the music editor. Introduce yourself and politely ask if he/she would be open to receiving a package in the mail. If the journalist agrees, immediately send a package with your bio and EP/album. On the package, write "AS REQUESTED." This is a great PR secret. It will help them determine unsolicited material from possible packages they did request. Don't lie--they'll remember if you called or not! Once you have contacted the local paper, look for some online music websites and ezines. These days there are hundreds of thousands. Look for an editor to contact and simply email them your bio and website/Myspace link. Ask if they'd be interested in a review or feature. This is just a start to what you need to do for grassroots marketing and publicity but you have to build a solid foundation before moving to the next step. Concentrate on your fan base as without fans, you have nothing. Reach out to as many people as you can on a daily basis. The internet makes a musician's life so easy--you have no excuse not to do so. ©2008 Mona Loring. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
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