So You Wanna Be An Artist Or Writer Or Publicist?

So You Wanna Be An Artist Or Writer Or Publicist?

By indie rapper Kosha Dillz (@koshadillz).

This is an interesting twist. The same advice you give to an artist (rappers, singer, band), you can also give to a writer and/or publicist. I think there are 7 things you must prepare for in basic level, and I think this article can spin off into many responses. There are probably way more things to write about with this topic, but these 7 are very key for anyone who is embarking on a life long journey.
I believe music is an art, just as much as journalism and being a publicist. To make it into a job will take a lot of cojones and patience, and you might want to reconsider heading this route. But since I'm sure you will not reconsider it, let's give it a whirl.

1. Make good music that you can perform x represent great music.
Since being part of the music world is so much of an in-person experience, try making amazing music, that you can play. If you make amazing opera music, you might be in a different work than us, but maybe it can work out provided you find the right feel. Writers and publicists who touch topics that aren't what their brand is…will have them judged by their audience. Basically be involved with the best of the best in the brand you are trying to deliver. If you want that 200,000 email industry contact bullshit for $49, you will deal with clientele that associates with, and it doesn't win you "fans".

2. Have a dope music video / column that delivers your brand.
Music videos are the way to be in 2014. A video can describe a person so much. Let me fix that, a music video will describe you to the person as their first impression because it's the easiest way to get to know you in 3 minutes. Audible Treats does a great podcast of their artists that is well put together, and since we trust the brand, we download it. Writers should start a column. I used to write for Ruby Horney and did interviews with people in a "fill in the blank" form. I always asked silly questions and made people fill in the blanks.

3. Be prepared to be rejected.
Have you ever tried Tele-marketing? It's great practice for the music business. Imagine being rejected a lot by people for whatever reason. No …NO….not interested…I'm not into that kind of music….no. This goes for rappers, writers and publicists. You don't know when a no will turn into the yes.

4. Be prepared to be underpaid.
A lot of people consider music business a hobby. What this does is compare a real writer to a "blogger". It considers someone like MC Supernatural who gets paid tons of cash to perform with his freestyle shows to a random person who is drunk and "freestyles too." Just because you drive a car doesn't mean you are a race car driver, but sometimes all people need is the car. For this reason, you will be underpaid provided you don't stick to your worth.

5. Don't have a backup plan.
Anyone who ever is a part time artist or a part time writer/publicist will never fully understand how to have a full time job as an artist. I have never met a part time doctor, or a part time dentist. They put in years of work for nearly slavery (4 years college, 4 years med school, 3 years residency min, 1 year fellowships). But the pay off is great after all the years of hardwork. Notice how this time is spent working with other people.

6. Document and publish you.
Artists def have to put their life out on the line just like writers and publicists do, because we all know that it isn't always objective reasons for the way things get done. Kevin Lyman recently spoke at the ASCAP conference about ways to introduce music to someone. For him specifically, you'll want to chat about fishing and not your music. For me and people like Diamond Media 360, you'll want to chat about collegiate wrestling. Writers and publicists do the same thing. You can't only pitch music. People want to work with you because of you. At least in my experience…I think.

7. You must go out.
Kinda hard to say. You stress over time, but we all have the same amount. Go out and meet other people. You have to get clients. You have to get things to write about. You need inspiration. You need to show other people support. The internet has made everyone lazy. Stop texting and start calling. Stop sitting in the back and get in the front. Some of my biggest successes, like beaching a video game character in NBA 2k, happened because of me being out at an event. Every article I write is because I am out somewhere and get inspired to write.

Well. I think this is all a good place to start. Recently I was street performing on Hollywood BLVD and was discovered by a Vlogger named Roman Atwood, Vitaly, and Kevin Brueck. Performing for four people has gotten me over 365,000 views in the past few weeks, and inspired me to start my own 30 day vlog challenge.
Subscribe to my 30 day vlog challenge on YouTube.

Related articles

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10 Reminders For SXSW Before You Enter The Abyss

8 Ways Musicians Can Gain Media Coverage Indirectly [Kosha Dillz]

Location:Hempland Rd,Mountville,United States

What Publicists Need From Musicians – Guest Post by Anne Leighton

Posted By: Michael Brandvold (Michael is a 20 year music marketing veteran who has worked with unsigned indie bands and international superstars. Michael owns Michael Brandvold Marketing a site dedicated to providing tips and advice for musicians.)

This is a guest post by Anne Leighton.

The best, savviest musicians listen to their publicist’s expertise. Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Tower of Power’s Emilio Castillo pay attention to what I tell them when I disagree, find a wrong fact in their bio, or if they NEED to do an interview during a vacation. They also tell me when something needs to be fixed. We’ve never had an argument. Sure, we’ve all made mistakes that were based in misunderstood e-mails or my faulty research for an address. All my artists have missed interviews, but we rebound and reschedule. We’re human.

Your publicist interfaces with you: the media, other world and industry tastemakers, or gatekeepers to get you more known in your career.

We work together. Whether it’s you or Ian, artists have to realize the type of coverage (radio, print, TV, internet) they will receive in conjunction with where they are at the time of their album’s release. If you’re at Lady Gaga’s level, most everyone will devote space and time to you. If you had hits more than three to 40 years ago, selected national outlets might be interested, but chances lie more in local print and radio. If you’re still determined to wake up early in the morning, you could get some local TV coverage.

If you’ve never had a hit, you need a fireball publicist who believes in you to get media coverage. You may get newspaper, radio, maybe even TV. As far as national coverage, you might get whoever that publicist has contacts with, plus some new outlets, and significant web coverage.

A good publicist will help educate you on how to work with the media. I’ve combined thoughts based on both my experiences and those of other publicists I’ve grown to know over the years.

As the artist, your responsibilities are divided up into Three Categories: Personal Responsibility, Information and Customer Service. Technically it is all about personal responsibility, but I’ll show you what to emphasize.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

For your career and the publicist.

At the independent level, you are probably underpaying your publicist, who is always responsible for getting more media people to cover you with the hopes that fans will read those articles. Let’s say you’re paying them $2000 per month. The standard pay for publicists is $150 to $250.00 an hour. And yet, these folks will be working for you, probably over 20 hours in the next month.

That work will include summoning the press to your tour dates, posting on the internet and in social media, writing a bio (unless you already have one….then it’s tweaking your bio). It’ll include follow ups with journalists who did interviews with you, rescheduling interviews you missed, event planning. The publicist’s agenda might include mail outs. Even journalists they know don’t respond. It’s a challenging job to be an advocate for talented musicians, but it is rewarding.

The publicist is also taking your phonecalls, coming to your shows, then going home the rest of the night trying to catch up on e-mails.

If you ask publicists for some advice on your career, don’t be insulted by thier answers. They are not jealous or gossiping, but giving feedback for you to be aware of, and—at least—file away in your head.

Decide that you’re going to take criticism because that publicist cares about you, wants you to grow, flourish and prosper, so he or she can work with you forever. If you disagree, be logical not accusational. Don’t be insulted if the publicist says, “You’d look better in tight pants.” Discuss why you don’t want to wear tight pants. Then, while you’re alone, look at the photos of you in the pants she hated, and assess how they really look on you. Sneak out to the clothing store, and try on some different pants, making sure—of course—that you evaluate how your ass (the only one you’ll ever need in this business) looks. Think about the feedback you’re getting.

Accept where you really are in your career. Look, you know you’re special, but just in case you weren’t warned, neither America, the media, venues, other rock stars and their entourages agree… yet. One or two people, yes. Maybe a few more every month you gig, but at the end of the day, this is a country of starfuckers. Just know that nobody in this business is going to make your way easy unless, after they listen, they decide you’re good. And then it’s just one person; who knows if their hot shot music industry colleagues will agree or if they’ll be pushing their unknown fave.

Oh, and make sure you get to know your fans. They already know you or think they do—pay attention to their expectations, you’ll learn something. Never travel incognito. If you’re waiting on line at a pitstop, talk to the people next to you, give them a flyer, ask them about their musical expectations. Engage the whole line in conversation.

Everyone in the industry gets lots of music; the bigger media outlets (like JAY LENO, ROLLING STONE, NEW YORK TIMES, ELLEN DEGENERES) and their counterparts receive more pitches and music than you can imagine. The talent booker or a major writer only has two ears, and they pretty much need to listen to the same thing at a given time… and there’s only so much time. In fact, I’ve seen name publicists NOT get THE placement in ROLLING STONE, RELIX, NPR SONG OF THE DAY, PITCHFORK, and national TV over and over again, even for a seemingly-hip act with a track record.

I can’t tell you the amount of people—including best friends—who didn’t listen to some really great musicians, even some semi-famous folks over the past few years. Busier people listen to two notes, or click a YouTube page, turn it on, walk away to get a snack, come back, and go, “nah…” I have no idea what “Well, they’re really talented, but it’s not my kind of music” really means, but we get that line a lot from media people. DON’T TAKE ANY OF THOSE ANSWERS PERSONALLY, EVEN IF IT’S THE OUTLET YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN; KEEP PLUGGING.

A west coast publicist stresses that artists need to manage their own expectations of what publicists can deliver. Be realistic about knowing where you are in their career when a publicist starts working with you. The general rule of thumb is if you’re not new on a major or super hit roster, where a record label is funding a full-on media outreach campaign like you saw over the last year for Florence and the Machine, it will be harder to get mass media attention. Know that your publicist will be sending out more albums to more media people and getting less results than what a glorified major label artist receives.

Again, if you are absolutely an indie artist, consider doing a long campaign in which the publicist works your album intensively for three to five months before an album’s release, and then on a maintenance plan where he or she would follow up over the course of a year to at least18 months. After all you’ll be touring and building your career during that time. Records should not be left on the curb to die. The idea is that you’ll be at a higher level with your career for the next album, and will receive some automatic placements with journalists who covered you over the last album, and—if you have a story that’s bigger than just great reviews–bigger media could be interested.

These three months get a minimal amount of placements and only start the awareness for artists (even those with the humongous push). Hiring a publicist for just three months—well that time is pretty much prep for the releases and mail out. Those CDs are now lying in wait along with dozens of packages.

Be grateful for the placements, especially if you go with a three month campaign.

INFORMATION

At the beginning of the campaign, the band and the publicist need to develop a collaborative working relationship when it comes to the media. A recommended way to get everyone on the same page is to have the bio, press release, song description sheet actually originate from the band. They should talk with the publicist, brainstorm on angles and the most important reasons their new album exists. What’s it about? The band will write a draft, and then the publicist builds on that. Depending on how throrough you were, she might ask you, “Well, since we’re aiming to work what a great live act you are and how you broke the songs in live, then maybe we should talk about some of the festivals you played at. Do you have a list of festival you played it?”

Bands should be maintaining their web sites and social media pages. Bands should add the publicist to their fanlist. Publicists should be posting the best articles on her social sites, and telling industry colleagues she’s working with these artists. Create a buzz about them with everyone, including industry tastemakers.

As soon as a show is confirmed, let the publicist know via e-mail.

Communicate. If you won an award, are collaborating with someone famous, tell your publicist. If you’re planning a charity event, plan the event with your publicist. How it should be named, who are the priority acts are on the bill. Send your publicist any extra thoughts related to the event, keep the publicist up-to-date. I worked a concert that was one of those once-in-a-lifetime events. After the event was a critically-acclaimed success, I heard from two musicians that a special guest was not happy with how the show was billed. All through the campaign I had sent him e-mails and also private messages through his Facebook page about the press release, but had never heard from him. So don’t be disappointed in the marquee if you don’t communicate either in the beginning or as the work progresses.

Take advantage of the publicists’ expertise. If they specialize in sponsorships, pay them to do a campaign to reach out for sponsors. You can negotiate up front money along with a percentage. Supply them with information.

Give the publicist your media contacts, including phone number, e-mail, and special comments. Who has covered you in the past? Bands need to always be updating their contacts; be prepared for the future.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

I know stern taskmasters and I know assholes. There’s a difference. When my workers don’t do something right, I have to give criticism, “Let’s work on this,” and I tell them exactly what I want. If they don’t follow up, I repeat myself. At some point I plead, even cry but without an insult; “I’m trying to help you be better at this work, it’s pleasing the customer.” I explain why something should be the way it is. I listen to them. I also get a good vibe about whether they can take criticism.

If you yell at a person, it makes criticism hard. If someone yells at me a lot and doesn’t let me speak then I know they’re not able to have any dialog, then I’d rather talk with them at a time they’re capable of expressing themselves. Look at criticism as something that needs to be fixed. Think “constructive criticism.” Insults are another case—people who give insults need to fix themselves. Constant rants and rages show they’re problem clients and it’s best to stay far away from them.

These are actual lines clients have insulted their publicists:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results and I’m not going to drive myself insane” on something little.

“You’re driving me crazy,”

“Why are you so lazy?”

“You’re jealous,”

“I was being sarcastic when I said, ‘Let’s do the bloody interview.’”

“I want your report, which probably has nothing on it.” The publicist sent the report with plenty of placements and got back, “There’s nothing on the report!”

All of those are rude and nasty things and have no place in a business relationship.

Being late is another way some people feel insulted, so being prompt is good. If you’re scheduled to do an interview at 3 PM, call the journalist at 3 PM. (Of course the publicist has to check with you to make sure you’re available for a 3 PM interview!!!)

Sometimes you have an interview scheduled for 3 PM the next day, and something else comes up. Whether it’s a family outing or a last minute gig, you need to notify the publicist as soon as something comes up, so we can notify the journalist and reschedule the interview. Chances are if you tell the publicist at the last minute, the journalist will not give you a second chance. It’s hard to build careers, and harder with a diva.

Yes, there are times where there is a family emergency. My client had to take his wife to the hospital one time when we had a slew of interviews. He called and e-mailed me 10 minutes to the first interview. That was a name act, and all interviews were rescheduled.

If you have apprehensions about a media interview, discuss that with the publicist. Technically you should be doing all the interviews you can, but you might not want to be in something like a very poorly produced cable show, blog that just started, interviewer who seems scary, or an early morning TV show. Discuss that with your publicist enough in advance so that the journalist can find a replacement if this was confirmed. If it wasn’t confirmed, it will be up to the publicist’s diplomatic skills to figure out what to tell the journalist.

It’s funny. I recall a diva who was really upset about doing a late night radio interview. So the publicist said, “I want you to take a break and think about why you want to cancel the interview tomorrow night. Then get back to me with your decision.” And now that diva is great friends with that late night radio host.

You just don’t know where your career is going to go, what unique path you’ll be working as you become more known. Will you be a household name or will you be the sound that music fans from 2015 and 2025 discover? If you use common courtesy, and keep the channels of good communication open with your publicist, you should be able to develop some great relationships with most media people. And at least your unique road will be happier.

–

Anne Leighton believes artists can create their own opportunities to grow their careers, and has done this with her own career. These days she handles publicity and music services for a range of master musicians including up-and-comers Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius, Mike Keneally, KJ Denhert, Emily Hurd, Jann Klose, plus classic artists Vonda Shepard, Jethro Tull, Tower of Power, Grand Funk Railroad, the Strawbs, Yardbirds/Jim McCarty, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. She also works with America’s Got Talent audience favorite The Kinetic King. Anne’s books include USING YOUR ART & THE MEDIA TO COMFORT PEOPLE (Free to Run books, US) and PAWS FOR THOUGHT: HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR CAT IS THINKING (Rockwell Books, UK). Her web site is http://www.anneleighton.com .

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4 Tips For Bands On Working With Publicists

4 Tips For Bands On Working With Publicists

DIY is great but it doesn't have to mean Do It [All] Yourself. Having a knowledgeable publicist in your corner can make a big difference in growing your career as a musician. The following tips for working with publicists are a good starting point for building a successful relationship that should go far beyond simply paying for a service.
Bianca Valentino interviewed publicist Emily Kelly of Deathproof PR for her awesome interview blog "Conversations with Bianca". It's a wide-ranging interview and I've pulled out a few comments from Kelly related to her work with Deathproof PR in Australia.
4 Tips for Working with Publicists

1) Know Who You're Contacting & Why

"I’ve noticed that Deathproof is approached by a lot of young bands who email us with information about themselves, followed by the question – ‘so what do you do’? This always makes me laugh because I find it odd that they’d approach a company to ask for help when they’ve no idea what they do. It comes off as lazy and a wee bit insulting."
2) Be Realistic About Your Expectations

"The biggest nightmares occur when the artist or management’s expectations are disproportionate to our own. Working with an artist who believes they deserve only cover stories and breakfast radio is a tough time. Often you’ll see overseas management trying to call the PR shots in other countries when they don’t actually have an understanding of the Australian media landscape."
3) Return Calls or Emails

"I’ll answer just about every email that is sent to me, because I think it’s polite and being known as a prompt and efficient communicator can open lots of doors. I’m always infuriated when clients or peers totally fail to return calls or emails. Even if I get a one-line response asking me to politely fuck off, that’s fine, I just appreciate the 2 seconds it takes to reply."
4) Participate Fully in Campaigns

"One of the big ones [that can make or break a publicity campaign] would have to be the band’s willingness to participate. To make themselves available, be good interviewees, be as communicative as possible with their team and take our advice."
For some thoughts on publicity as well as the work of Emily Kelly and her Deathproof PR business partner Rebecca Reato, check out the interview.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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Complete Musician’s Guide To Preparing For A Publicity Campaign

Complete Musician's Guide To Preparing For A Publicity Campaign

By David Roberts is founder of Nashville consultancy the Sunshine Promotion company. He blogs at "Sunshine Promotion".

I’ve touched on publicity briefly in other articles, but recently I had the chance to sit down with Laura Goldfarb over at Red Boot PR about the ins and outs of a properly executed publicity campaign. Huge thanks to Laura for her contributions. Any questions for Laura or about the article? Leave them below.

At what point do you think a band is ready to hire a publicist? I’ve shared with my readers before that dollar for dollar, I think publicists offer the best “return on investment” when bands are starting out. Do you think that’s true?

Laura: I think that CAN be true, but it depends on the band as well as the publicist. Unfortunately the mainstream music media market is completely over-saturated right now, which means it’s a more competitive environment than ever before, resulting in incredible artists who deserve attention not getting much of it. I think we’ve taught each other that managers and publicists are most important and we’ve forgotten about the development of the product to manage and publicize! Artists should really spend more time honing their sound and craft, developing their fanbase organically and putting in the hours before hiring a publicist. Otherwise, what’s there to really publicize? An artist who’s paid their dues a bit, went through trial and error with their music, worked hard to get a local/regional following the old fashioned way (one fan at a time) tend to have more success with a PR campaign than one that’s never recorded an album, never toured (even a little bit), and one who doesn’t have any fans. When the artist has really done it themselves for a good run first and then they hit that point when they say, “Okay, I need to call in reinforcement now,” that’s the time to hire a publicist. Otherwise, put that money (because publicity can be expensive) into online marketing to help grow your fanbase and/or recording an EP and/or touring.

How soon should a band come to you before their album comes out? Do you need a final mastered retail-ready copy to begin pitching or will a early mixes of the songs work for you to decide whether or not you want to take them on as a client?

Laura: Unmastered final mixes are great to get a feel for the artist and the album, and decide if they’re someone we’d like to work with. We typically start working an album 4 months out from its release date, and at that point the final mastered retail-ready version is necessary, as are at least some (100-300) physical copies with full artwork to send to press (some folks haven’t quite made the switch to digital yet). We tend to steer away from anything less than 4 months of lead time because it often can take AT LEAST that amount of time to get attention from press. Very often we pull in album reviews and other great coverage months if not years later. PR is definitely not a marathon!

In addition to the album, what else should the band bring to you when they’re ready to run a campaign? Photos, bios, stories, previous press mentions?

Laura: If we haven’t yet confirmed working together, Red Boot typically asks to see your current bio, links to your website and social media, YouTube videos of yourself that you love, and an idea of your goals for a PR campaign as well as your proposed schedule.

In short, can you give readers a basic run down of what an album PR campaign looks like? How long does it last and what do you do after you’ve agreed to take on a band?

Laura: Red Boot’s record release campaigns typically run for 4-6 months. Once we sign the paperwork and gather all current materials from the artist (hi-res press photos, past press, tour itinerary, etc), we work with the artist to write their new bio and all new press materials. We also figure out a tentative schedule and game plan for the campaign, like the initial roll out, singles, music videos, touring, etc. We pitch artists digitally through our massive email list as well as through physical mailings, by phone and even Twitter! Throughout the campaign we’re pitching multiple stories and angles to mainstream music media to try to secure coverage, which tends to start to come in after about a month and then continues to roll in throughout the rest of the campaign and even months after.

You can never guarantee results, just your work ethic, right?

Laura: Correct! Although specific results can not be guaranteed in PR, with Red Boot the artist can expect a new bio and one-sheet, multiple press releases, consistent pitching and constant communication with press on behalf of the artist, at least some coverage and appearances of varying sizes from various outlets (in print, online, TV and some syndicated or online radio), and biweekly reports explaining how the pitching process is going and any feedback from press. We also guarantee that the artist becomes “family,” and we are available to them for pretty much anything throughout their campaign — whatever will make it successful! We’re here to discuss ideas for improvement, new content, help set up photo shoots, meetings, venue introductions, etc., anything that we can do to help the success of the artist and their campaign.

What are some of the best ways bands can start generating buzz in their home town without hiring a publicist right out of the gate?

Laura: Above all, have fun! Play out as much as you can — residencies are a great way to start generating buzz. Also, get involved in your community. Get to know the other artists, collaborate, write with them, support them genuinely — build a family — and find charities and benefit shows you believe in that you can play (a great way to get in front of various prospective new fans). Interact with your fans, one at a time, and never forget that without them, you’re just playing music in your room — your fans are the key to your buzz and success at all stages of your career.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Laura: Choosing a publicist is like choosing a nanny for your first born child. It’s not a decision to take lightly, and it’s not always about whoever has the best resume. The best publicist for you is the one you feel most comfortable with, the one you can sit down with and feel at ease, and the one you feel you can trust to have honest, open dialogue. If your publicist does their job “right,” you’ll be getting pretty intimate with them during your campaign so make sure they’re someone you like.

Contact:

http://www.redbootpr.com

http://www.facebook.com/redbootpublicity

http://www.twitter.com/redbootpr

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