Is a zero-sum game, if they’re not paying attention to you, they’re paying attention to someone else.
Know who your audience is and how to reach them. It’s old school, but best to have e-mail addresses. Even better, phone numbers so you can text. But you can’t use these channels too often, people view their inboxes as inviolate, don’t abuse the privilege.
Personal is everything, bland is anathema. Any message can be made personal, it just requires a bit of creativity. “I was in the shower when I realized I hadn’t told you that I added gigs to my tour…” That’s much better than a press release.
Press releases are ignored unless there’s real news involved. Tour dates, a new album… Shotgun no longer works, precision is everything, you’re a sniper aiming for your target.
Professional PR. Is worth it if you’re a star, you need someone to be your gatekeeper, you need someone with relationships for big media opportunities. But for the rest of musicians? It’s money down the drain. You cannot outsource your career these days, you are in charge of and must do EVERYTHING! Think of it like playing video games, or using online platforms. There’s zero tech help. You’ve got to figure it out for yourself. And those who can win and those who can’t are forever behind the 8-ball… If you need the Geek Squad to figure out your tech problem you’ve already lost. You must be familiar with the tools, every social media platform, all the ins and outs. Don’t tell me you can’t, because you’re a musician… These skills are now part of Life 101, like learning to cook or drive. You need these skills, they’re bedrock. And they’re best learned by participating, and getting frustrated. Frustration is the key to growth. If you never hit a wall you’re not driving fast enough or far enough from home. And the bottom line is you can find the answer to almost every problem on Google.
So you are in charge. DO NOT outsource your social media. That’s a fool’s errand. Because you can’t pay anyone enough money to care as much as you do, nor can anyone truly be you. View participation/posting as a continuum, some live online, some only post once a day…
Occasionally is ineffective. There must be a steady stream of information. It will be ignored by most, but your hard core fans, who are the bedrock of your career, who will insist their friends listen to your music and will drag them to your show, cannot get enough info from you. That’s right, there’s no such thing as too much. So you should never hesitate to post. You never know what will resonate with someone. Don’t second-guess yourself.
Sure, it’s good to ramp up a campaign if you’ve got something new to promote, but it really doesn’t mean much unless you’re in touch with your audience all the time. The hype for Lady Gaga’s new album was everywhere. Like everybody cared. Then you didn’t hear a word. And some other album was number one. The lasting image is that the album is a disappointment. You don’t want to risk this. Better to be in touch with your fans than everywhere.
You can’t get in major media or on TV without an intermediary/advocate/agent/PR person. But know what you’re getting… If you’re on SNL or CBS “Sunday Morning” it moves the needle. As for getting one of those pieces in the “New York Times”…this only works if you want to influence tastemakers. Last Sunday there was an article on Cameron Winter in the Style section of the “Times”: “On the Verge of Rock Stardom – Is Cameron Winter ready for the spotlight? He better be.”- https://rb.gy/rrsud7 You know, the lead singer of Geese. No, you probably don’t know, but I saw the article and thought…either this is something huge or something completely irrelevant, but one thing is for sure, it didn’t end up in the “Times” by accident. A PR person got it in. Now if you go to the Google News, there’s no equivalent press, nothing close. So, the PR person shot his wad on the “Times.” Are the “Times” readers going to cause a conflagration, blow up Cameron Winter’s career? OF COURSE NOT! But people like me, who can shift the needle, are aware of the fact that someone is putting a big push on an artist and they’re now on our radar. So, if you’re not worthy of attention, if you’re not new, this placement will do NOTHING FOR YOU! Generally speaking, forget mainstream press unless you’re a star or a critics’ darling, like Jason Isbell. Also, if you get one of these pieces, don’t talk much about the new album, but your IDENTITY! Even babies are O.D.’ed on new project hype. And the funny thing is mainstream media plays along, it hasn’t gotten the message. I don’t need to see a story about everybody who stars in “White Lotus,” it’s a turn-off, it’s lazy reporting, it’s frivolous fluff. If there’s not a deep angle or story that resonates, it’s worthless.
Which brings me to backlash. You want to avoid it. AMONGST YOUR FANS! Don’t care what non-fans have to say about you, NOT AT ALL! But you can burn your fan relationship. Don’t keep asking. What makes me crazy is getting hype about an event six months in advance and then ad infinitum until the date plays. I’m either going or not, I don’t need to be reminded every single day! I just unsubscribed from “Ski”‘s e-mails. Now they send them every day with clickbait headlines… I’ll just go to the website, nothing sent is ever truly important or newsworthy, it’s just that “Outside Online” is struggling and they want to dun me into subscribing… Don’t they realize they’ve got a bad business model?
People want to go deep. Surface is for punters. Talk about your interest in electric trains. Talk about your breakup. Your goal is to put out content that people can truly relate to, you want to establish a bond, to the point where people think about you when they don’t hear from you and wonder what you’re up to.
BE SUBTLE ABOUT THE ASK! Don’t beat me over the head to buy your vinyl so your album can go number one, what…do you think I’m brain-dead? This might work with the prepubescent, but what makes you think I care about you that much? Maybe if you’ve established a close relationship online, but… I am not your employee. It is not my job to make you successful and rich. Make me aware of stuff and let me decide whether to buy/partake. Or personally incentivize me. Give me something for helping you. This is a business transaction when you ask me to do something, never forget it, there must be a quid pro quo.
Stay on message and be true to yourself. Do not change yourself for instant gratification. The public is incredibly savvy, when you’re not true to character, they’re out. Don’t play to the big boys, play to your audience. If you can’t say no it doesn’t mean anything when you say yes.
If you can’t come up with novel ways to enchant your audience, make people laugh or cry, then you’re not a good artist to begin with. Your songs have lyrics…you can’t write anything else? It’s all about creativity, doing something different.
Get down into the pit with your audience, you never want to appear better than they are. That paradigm expired with the internet. If you’re hobnobbing with the celebrities, out on their yacht…you must have a sense of humor about it if you do it at all. As for LOOK AT ME posts… Those are for dolts who don’t get enough attention in their regular lives, never do that.
Managing your fan connection and image is a 24/7 job, and only you can do it. That’s one thing the influencers know… Then again, too many of them are one-dimensional and need attention while they try to get you to buy dreck. You’re selling yourself and your music. Sure, it can have rough edges, it can have mistakes, but it must be YOURS! The Spotify Top 50 can employ ten writers and multiple remixers but that’s a different market, flavor of the moment, you’re in it for the long haul. Credibility is everything. Give people a reason to believe in you. They’re dying to believe in you!
None of this means anything without great music, but if you’re selling something other than music… This is what the Democrats don’t understand. They sit on the sidelines hoping Trump will blow himself up, when in truth they should be out flooding the airwaves themselves, they should be everywhere, because no outlet reaches everybody… You never want to be self-satisfied, you never want to blame people for not getting and understanding your message. If that’s the case, IT’S YOUR FAULT!
