Adventures In The Music Business: Publicity
You need a publicist to build critical mass in the print medium. For an indie artist, this is a bit of a drag because publicists cost money – in some cases, a lot of money. And, you will want to hire them for at least 2-3 months to promote your new record.
I'm writing this piece only so other indie artists might learn from my mistakes. I do not mean harm to anyone I mention. For the attorneys: Nothing I say should be construed as slander, misrepresentation, or impugning their credibility. I am only relating my experiences as I perceive them. I am only citing documented facts that can be easily proven.
Here's my experience.
I searched around and found several publicists I was interested in. I emailed them. Some asked for a CD; others simply went to the website to listen to the music. A few of the publicists never returned the email. Of the publicists who returned positive comments, I chose a company called, In Music We Trust. They seemed to be well known in the indie business. My intuition, though, told me that they really didn't get where I was coming from. They didn't understand the music. But, we spoke on the phone and decided to work together. This initial foray into CD publicity was a disaster. The press release, written by the publicist, was barely literate, imo. I had to make numerous corrections – basically rewrite it. I was promised weekly reports on who was contacted and what the status was. I think I only received 2 during an 8+ week period. And, I had to continually ask for what little I received. Also, this publicist is of the email generation. It's like they don't like to talk on the phone – only through email. Drag. I did get some blog reviews, which is great, but I wanted the print publications – publications that I probably couldn't get on my own. In all fairness, the publicist did say the print publications would be difficult because they cater to major label artists and signed artists. But, I saw reviews of unsigned indie artists in many of those publications.
Toward the end of the period that we agreed to work together, the publicist told me that I would receive another 2 months "free!" I guess they were feeling guilty or something. I don't think I heard from them again after that.
So, I wasted a few thousand dollars. I hold no grudges.
Here are some tips:
Find out who does the publicity for bands that fit with what you do.
Be very clear as to what you expect from the publicist – reports, communication, updates, an accurate and intelligent press release, etc.
Trust your intuition.
Before signing them, ask them to send you an email describing your music.
Write down your publicity goals in terms of the publications you hope to receive print.
If they have a website featuring their artists, make sure you are on it in a prominent way.
Outline everything you want, expect and have agreed to in writing.
Don't expect anything, that is not in writing, to happen.
Make sure they actually use the telephone, if that's important to you.