The Importance of T, T & A

Get your minds out of the gutter, folks! I realize "T&A" might have prompted a Beavis & Butthead type response, and maybe that's why I typed it out. But I'm talking about T, T & A--Time, Ticket Price, & Ages. When you book a show, or when your agent books a show, these are details that need to be established. But even more importantly, they need to be put on your website and, if you have a publicist, they need to be relayed to that person.

If you are rolling your eyes right now, you've probably had a publicist up your butt chasing details. And that's because a publicist needs this info to properly promote your show. Newspaper editors, both print and online, usually cannot list a show without this complete information. And believe me, they make a publicist feel inadequate if it's not part of their pitch. Obviously, calendar editors are even more interested in this because they want to publish complete details. And when you think about it, your fans should have access to this--especially the time part of it, because they need to plan their outing to see you accordingly.

So always remember T, T & A when you are booking a show, and make sure everyone has these details. By doing this small step, you will make a lot of peoples' jobs easier, and they will appreciate you for it.

Finish What You Started

I just noticed I haven't posted on this blog since October 26, 2010. Yikes. My message today to myself is to "finish what you started." Apply that as you may to what you're working on now, or projects you may have on the back-burner that finally need attention, because I think at some point or another, we all need that little kick in the butt to stop going through the motions and actually do something that's going to make a difference in your own life, and hopefully in the lives of others as a result. That's all for now, but lots more coming soon. Have a great Monday!

CD art

Here is something I want to bring up, because in addition to being a publicist, I am a journalist and PR guy for a large online men's magazine, Bullz-Eye.com. So I have a giant crate of CDs that were sent to us by labels, publicists and from bands themselves. And I'm sorry to admit that we review probably 20% of what is sent in, if that. So as the bin gets more and more full, I have to e-mail our music editor and let him know what "orphans" we have on hand. I do this manually, typing in each CD title into an e-mail to our editor. And last week, I was reminded of a few things that drive me nuts with regard to CD art work....take this advice as you will, but I am sure other journalists agree with me.....

1. If your CD cover is dark, make sure the print you use is bright white. I went though a ton of CDs that had like dark blue type on black background. Seriously?

2. Put the artist name in bigger type than the album title, unless you are, say, Aerosmith.

3. Make the name and album title LEGIBLE, not in some weird script we can't read

4. Consider a light background. The darker it is, the less easy it is to read the type when you have a stack of CDs on your desk. I would say the ratio of dark art to light in the bin is 60/40.

5. Jewel cases are much better for being able to find a CD in a bin or even when stacked up on your desk. Those thin cases are kind of a big reason you may not get coverage.

I'm not being bitter, I'm just trying to help, so hopefully this info does help you!

Keep It Simple

I just read somewhere (and I've read this before) that some magazine editors and writers just delete press releases from publicists and bands if they are too long, poorly written, have too much unnecessary hype, or a combination of all of those things.

That's one reason I decided to shrink my monthly newsletters, and it's always a reminder to me that I need to keep press releases simple, almost painfully simple, to avoid being "white noise" to readers. It's not always easy convincing clients of that, however, because often clients or their managers just want to hype hype hype, and want me to be sure to include every last bit of information that is happening with the band.

Trust me, readers don't want all that. Give them a few lines about what's happening and then hit them with a link to music and/or video link...right away, if possible. If they want more information, they will ask for it...believe me, they will.

Sell Sell Sell

If getting a record deal is your ultimate goal as a band or artist, it's probably because you need some help from a third party in the way of helping to spread the word about your music. That, and you desire the prestige of being a band on a label. But getting signed isn't quite what it used to be. Oftentimes, a band signs with a label and if there isn't instant success, the label either drops the band, or holds them hostage until they are dropped or ask to be dropped. Of course, that doesn't mean success doesn't happen, because it does.

Still, the best way to get a record deal is to sell albums yourself, and lots of them. Not only does this ensure that you'll make money, it assures that record labels will notice you before you even have to approach them. And usually the way you sell lots of units is by touring and starting a buzz. And oh yeah, having a great live show helps a ton.

So where are you at on this spectrum?

Helping a Brother (or Sister) Out

The relationship between publicist and client goes both ways, in many ways. One of those ways is in the relaying of information, or at times, the lack thereof.

I was reminded of this again last night when information about one of my clients' upcoming shows had incorrect band lineup information. Granted, I had not submitted this information to the venue that posted this on their website, but the band's manager forwarded me an e-mail from the band, who had caught this.

My first reaction was one of defense. I hadn't submitted the info. However, it's still ultimately my responsibility to ensure that this kind of thing doesn't happen. And I've come to realize a couple of things over the years--venues and newspapers and blogs are going to grab information or photos from the web without our knowledge. It happens WAY more often than you might think. So getting them updated bio and photos are such an important part of a publicist's job these days. That doesn't mean, however, that we can always catch these things.

I've also come to realize that what ultimately matters is that the information published is correct. That means a good publicist should communicate with his/her clients and make sure they know of all lineup changes, show information, or other shifts in the musical solar system.
I always jump on my clients' websites (weekly) to make sure I know of shows coming up that I have to work. And I feel like I may be in the minority here. But it helps me, and helps my clients to do so.

That said, I think it's also the client's responsibility (or the label, or the manager, as it were) to update the publicist with any and all changes to the band's schedule, the band itself, or, most importantly, any breaking news.

We should all help each other out, because after all, we're working toward a common goal--getting the artist exposure.

It's a good time to be indie

Having a record label sign you and promote your music used to be a pipe dream, and for those who were/are lucky enough, it still happens these days. But labels have limited rosters and budgets now, and the landscape has changed to reflect the fact that we're in a digital world. We're also in a world where bands can and do interact directly with fans on a daily basis. So it makes sense for bands to release records on their own and keep all of their money. Of course, there are instances where labels give more of a push than what a band can accomplish on their own. But they also sometimes string bands along and then drop them just as fast as they signed them. The good thing is, for bands that this happens to, they can save face by continuing to make music and continuing to reach their fan base with said music. So it's a great time to be indie, even if it's at the longer term expense of not becoming international superstars.