#Tuesday Tips #4 4/14/2020

THE IMMEASURABLE VALUE OF MUSIC PR

Music publicity has been an integral part of popular music marketing since the birth of popular music itself.  A music publicist’s primary duty is to convey to the world the message, artistry and image of a musician by way of editorial coverage in media outlets including music press, online news, general entertainment and niche blogs; television appearances when applicable; NPR and specialty radio (not mainstream, AAA, etc. as that is the realm of radio promotion), and podcasts.

Every successful artist, from cult favorites to blockbuster stadium headliners, has a PR team behind them to fine tune their image, introduce a new project or even damage control.  When it comes to up and coming artists, PR is essential in creating a profile from the ground up–securing the most effective media coverage accessible to a new musician whether it’s placing the first song premiere in a respected blog to strategizing a series of premieres, interviews and reviews to bolster their profile and increase the buzz on a new talent.  Media coverage also lasts in perpetuity—it’s a permanent footprint, so fans and VIPS can easily see how well an artist’s music has been received at any point in their career.

PR provides a competitive edge to an artist in a situation where there are countless unheard musicians clamoring for attention.  Respected editors and writers from the most obscure blogs to the NPR’s and Pitchforks of the world all receive hundreds of pitches a day.  It’s an overwhelming situation to say the least.  There is never a guarantee in obtaining editorial coverage in respected outlets—they all adhere to a code of honor that the talented get the consideration.  In these situations, it’s to the artist’s advantage to have a respected professional making the pitch for them to at least give them a chance to be heard.  Ultimately securing coverage is never a given, but putting together the best presentation possible is the publicist’s #1 duty.

We are now obviously in a time of uncertainty where musicians have been impacted, particularly in the live music realm. Tours of all sizes have been canceled and venues have been closed.  Alternative weekly papers have been particularly hard hit and may never recover.  However, opportunities still exist for active artists to be heard.  New music is still being released weekly and the online outlets are still supporting and running editorial.  We continue to secure premieres in trusted outlets big and small and I’ve heard from most that they are as busy as ever scheduling coverage.  There’s no telling how that might change as this crisis drags on, but we are still moving forward and work is being executed at close to normal levels, live music notwithstanding.

Streaming entertainment has become a crucial medium whether for film, TV and music.  PR has always augmented music streaming and playlisting by elevating the profile of artists and thus enabling them to capture the attention of playlisting curators. That situation has not changed and is more important than ever as listeners have considerably more time to spend on playlists and artist discovery in general.

Music PR has always been an essential component of a successful campaign. The value is immeasurable and indeed, it often is impossible to gauge in fueling that ever elusive concept of “buzz.”