Labels:
Major labels have made serious cuts when it comes to staff, and they started with promo and marketing. While it was common knowledge that majors had plenty of fat to trim, the cuts that were made have left a bare bones staff of people too busy to be interested in the music they’re working. Any one person is working more records than is really possible, and although they are paying for the assistance of 3rd party PR companies, this kind of disorganization at the top always trickles down. For marketing departments to handle the workload, they have adopted a very simplistic template for press that they can plug any artist into, making only minor changes. Here’s what you need to work a major label record to press: 2 press releases, 1 bio, 1 audio link, 1 video link, tour dates, ad budget. Unfortunately, this standard set by majors has been adopted by essentially everyone, and ‘not knowing anything about what you’re working’ has become somewhat commonplace.
PR:
Since PR companies are given so few materials from their clients, there isn’t much more they can pass along to their press outlets, except maybe a few pictures. The main reason they are hired by labels in the first place isn’t really to ‘do press’ but to manage the ad buys and make sure people print the press releases. Where a successful PR agent once knew all of the big players in print personally, they are now maintaining spreadsheets to keep track of the thousands of music sites and blogs, a list that changes almost daily. These sites and blogs are of varying quality and reach, and their writers are of varying skill and taste, meaning for every good review, I’ll show you 10 bad ones and vice versa. While the actual work load is relatively minimal for just one band in this template system, PR companies are also feeling the pinch of an industry hemorrhaging money, and are picking up as many clients as possible to make up the difference. And while they aren’t being given any real information about the acts they’re working and most of the time have never even heard the music, they are still expected to produce results from their campaigns. They must report back with every site and magazine that has written about the artist and anywhere ads have been placed.
Press:
The average music site will receive upwards of 50 press releases a day. In a given week, they will be introduced to approximately 30 new bands, all of whom are ‘the next big thing.’ From the PR companies they work with, they are expected to print every press release and all of the tour dates, post the songs and videos from the acts and then review the album. While MOST sites will never receive money from labels or artists, many can be included in bulk ad buys through a number of companies, where they make fractions of a penny per day from their ad space. The constant flux of music sites and blogs can be attributed to how easy it is to start one, but how difficult it is to maintain. Writers are being bombarded by people demanding exposure, most of them not worthy of it, and find it difficult to break even, let alone turn a profit. Additionally, those who created sites because of their love of music quickly learn that not only does love not pay the bills, but the serious reporting they were hoping to do is made near impossible by the lack of information and access available. Magazines are certainly experiencing these same problems, and then some, as their ad space costs about 5 to 10 times more than what can be purchased on websites. The cost of producing a physical magazine is much higher than a web page, and finding someone who can afford the space often takes precendence over unearthing the underground.
Unknown artists do not break ground in press without ad budgets. Most press outlets are too broke to be concerned with hooking someone up, unless they’re being hooked up in return. Perhaps, if they’re creative, they can appeal to the right hipster journalists at the bigger rags and gain a little traction, but that hasn’t proven useful as those artists rarely achieve significant sales as a result. Now, I am not saying that press is pointless, but I will say that for music, it is completely dominated by those who can afford to purchase a writer’s time and pay for ad space. Real music journalism is barely alive today. Real writers who see the stories and wish to pursue them face roadblock after roadblock as their PR contact tries to find the right information for the label contact, who may or may not have heard of the band, but is certainly too busy to be bothered. Reaching out to the bands directly can also be a dead end as writers are bounced between the numerous managers and staffers, if they are able to find contact information at all. And should they finally get that story, the one they had been waiting for, all they can do is hope someone sees it amidst the endless overhyped press releases and ‘purchased’ articles.
So here’s the question:
Even if you DID have the ‘real thing’ on your hands, what would you do about it?
AJ, KOAR
AJ – Who do you consider to be the last bastions of music journalism? Who is out there still doing good work and not on the take?
Where should a PR guy focus time to help a new band break through the clutter? Assuming of course that the band is worth it.
- Matt
AJ this is an interesting article. I would have to say that you are pretty spot on with your assesment although all hope is not lost.
I may be an offender of the not knowing the projects i work, or even expecting my releases to get posted. Being a PR person I am constantly under the pressure from the label to get news posted about all my projects. Sometimes I am even expected to come up with stories on my own. Many of my press releases are reprinted with out even someone looking at them. Which makes me feel like I am some sort of Music Jounalist, when in reality I am just an agent of the devil (aka Major Labels).
I truely love music and every now and then get to work a band I can get behind. Daily I try to build real relationships at websites so that webmasters such as yourself will help me out when my hands are tied for ad dollars. Sadly i think your ad budgets got to people like me most of the time unless we are talking about a major priority at a label. Futher more when was the last time you clicked on a banner. I know I never do. I am too afraid to get some spyware or get sent somewhere I really don’t want to go. So editorial is really where it is at.
I feel that the supply of music has been growing and growing, while the demand to buy music has reduced. People want music for free or super cheap, i know you will say you buy albums but most people are hitting up blogs all the time. Leaks happen daily and sites post about them. The time of the ultra rich rockstar may be coming to an end but the funny thing is…music might be better for it.
So to end my disjointed comment, It is your job to pick and choose what aritsts are good. Don’t just post any crap that a PR person sends you. I will still beg you to put up my stuff, but the journalist are the ones that need to take a stand. I hope that my company helps you gain better access to the artists but sometimes I know we only get in the way. Keep hope alive music shall live on, just in a totally new form.
Any artist manager worth his/her salt wouldn’t rely 100% on a label’s ability to effectively handle press and PR. Labels are fucked and should only be used, if at all, as a bank.
One important difference between traditional magazines and music blogs is that the reader actually has a chance to hear the music on a blog. If a blog gives a CD 5/5 stars, it’s likely that a song from the CD can be found on that same page. (Or at least it should) Instead of just passing by that review, the reader will become interested in it if they haven’t heard the music before. This, of course, should lead to more sales, but it isn’t.
Music journalists should only write what they care about on blogs. Labels should make it easier for these writers to find information about the artist and to contact them.
One of my favorite blogs to read is the Subterranean Blog. (Subterranean is an hour-long show that plays indie music videos on MTV2) They have a video with each post. Bands like the Horrors have sent video greeting to the blog to say hi. It’s what more blogs should do.
The best way to get anything covered is to build a real relationship with someone in the editorial position. I have many PR folks that I would be friends with despite our symbiotic publicity-editorial relationship. I think creativity is also a big factor. Give me a story that is interesting. Tell me why YOU like the band not what every other mag has written about them. It is like a petulant child pitting one parent against another. I can read but I can’t read your mind (PR person). Organic grassroots promotion still works. I find myself doing promo for the bands I like and the CDs that I feel are ignored even my own mag! That said, printed press is still highly valued but seemingly not by marketing and advertising planners. Not sure why. Do you? Does anyone?
I love music and I love business but they are sometimes like ice cream and pizza; both great but not sure how I feel about them together.
-GP
“Kings of A&R” Offers ‘Secrets’ To Music Journalism
Posted by Jordan A. Baker / June 13, 2007- pastepunk.com
The popular music website KingsofAR.com has posted a brief look into the state of music journalism from the perspective of the major labels, public relations companies, and the media (both print and online). While there’s nothing exactly earth-shattering in the article, the site makes a couple of key observations:
- Too many disorganized press campaigns from the majors involving an over-worked in-house staff and a variety of disconnected third-party marketing firms.
- There is an incredible oversaturation of online media where it is increasingly difficult to analyze the value and credibility of the coverage, not to mention, the unlovable task of keeping track of coverage across thousands of sites.
While Pastepunk may be a part of the latter issue, I can certainly say that I have experienced the effects of the former. With certain high profile releases, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the press releases and people working for the band. Sometimes the press releases are the same, sometimes they include varying information, and sometimes they include conflicting details! The end result is often a tuning-out of the band news and a quickened motion to the trash bin. In short – anything remotely personal form is a plus, but the carpet-bombing of repetitive, rigidly written press releases is huge negative.
Many have already touched on what I consider to be the solution to this problem- personal relationships. If you want writers to KNOW your band to the point they will support them even without someone asking them to, you have to allot more than 15 minutes for interviews and you have to allow access to the artists.
For unsigned and independent artists, this is incredibly important: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. You’re not going to get radio play without talking to people at radio. You’re not going to get great press without talking to writers. These people got into the industry to hang out with rockstars, so you have to show them what a rockstar you are.
If anything, now is a great time for unsigned and independent bands to get in there, because there is no one at major labels trying to get their attention.
Reading all of this, I’m just glad I can operate my tiny little unknown non-profit music-loving blog with minimal hassle. Great piece, Mr. AJ.
The best way for a person to find good music is non biased websites that push it.
The best way for a band to get good exposure, get onto one of these websites.
How do you do that, BE GREAT, HAVE A GOOD WORK ETHIC and ACTUALLY PLAY LIVE SHOWS!
So many so called bands say they are a band yet never play. They have 20,000 myspace friends but no show listed, I don’t get it.
I like AlternativeAddiction.com, KOAR and DemoDiaries although I think that one is gone now.
PR Spam…
Kinds of A&R are right on the money with their look at the “dirty little secrets of modern music journalism.”
The average music site will receive upwards of 50 press releases a day. In a given week, they will be introduced to approxim…
[...] posted an article in June of last year discussing the breakdown between the label and press due to the volume of material and shortage of employees/respectable outlets. The problems discussed [...]