It’s All Good: There Is No Such Thing
As Bad Press!
By Sheena Metal
It’s one of the oldest riddles in the history of music:
If a band rocks hard in the forest and there’s no one
there to hear it…did it ever really happen? It’s
a fact: you may be the most talented musician in the galaxy,
but if no knows about you, you’ll probably never advance
past playing to your one and only fan in the mirror in your
mom’s garage.
Writing, recording and performing terrific music is half
the battle, but the other half may be even tougher than the
challenge of creating a #1 hit…the task of publicizing
it. Without publicity, your great opus might very well sit,
gathering dust on your closet floor with the other 999 copies
you had printed, cased and shrink-wrapped. Getting your name/your
band’s name out there is quintessentially the most crucial
step to: gigs, management, fans, radio, label exposure and
rock ‘n’ roll stardom.
But what if your new found press is not-so-positive? Should
you turn away a chance to pimp your band to the masses if
the article is entitled, “Worst Bands In The History
Of Sound” or “CDs You Wouldn’t Listen To
If They Washed Up Next To You On A Desert Island”? Is
all press “good press”? Is it always a positive
move for your band if the average music lover reads your name
in print; even if the article’s content is not exactly
what you’d frame for your dad on his birthday? In a
word, “Hell Yeah!”...Well, that was two words.
The following are a few tips that may help you to utilize
both the positive and the negative press that may come your
way:
1.) Never Turn Down Press---If people are talking about you,
you’re doing something right. Don’t throw away
free exposure by becoming your own publicist and deciding
who can say what about you. Brittney Spears can afford to
hire a PR genius to nix an upcoming article on “Overweight
Pop Stars Looking For A Comeback After Two Kids.” You,
however, should tell your vocalist to pooch out her gut, grab
her babies and smile for the camera. The only thing more important
in the music business than who you know is who knows you.
So, remember, “bad press" is good and “good
press” is outstanding.
2.) Make Sure They Print Your Name---The single most important
key to success in entertainment is the recognition of your
name. A magazine may print, “The John Smith Band sounds
like a toilet flushing.” Weeks later, most people will
only remember that they have heard the band name. This is
the beauty of press. Plus, even if rabid music listeners now
associate your band with potties, they will probably check
you out just to see if you’re really that terrible.
How many songs/bands do you think are horrific yet, when they
come on the radio, you listen anyway? Name recognition is
essential to the success of your band. Whether they’re
praising or dissing, everybody needs to be talking about you.
3.) Turn Bad Press Into Good---There’s no way around
it…bad press happens. Even the hottest band in the world
has just as many hate sites as fan sites. But what reads to
you as bad press doesn’t always have to translate as
bad press in your press package and mailers and on your web
site. There are two easy ways, to turn bad press into good.
First, edit it. It’s your press after all and not every
word can be bad. Simply omit the parts that make you want
to run screaming and leave the rest to make up at least a
decent review. Second, interpret the negative as positive.
No matter what’s in the article, act like you think
it’s a great thing. Turn criticism into irony, insults
into humor, and bad ratings into humility. Make it seem as
if the reviewer was on your side and don’t let on that
it upset you at all. Again, in the long run, it will only
matter that you got the publicity nod in the first place.
4.) Complaining Only Makes Bad Press Worse---Bad press will
come and go, but your making an issue out of it will surely
last longer than the review itself. Press is only as current
as its latest issue and soon enough, what feels like the ruin
of your band will be replaced by the ruin of someone else’s.
But, repeat mentions of it on your websites, My Space pages,
etc. will keep the negativity alive as long as you refuse
to let it go. I realize that your art is precious to you and
that you’re easily hurt by bad press but continuing
to ruminate on it, only serves to keep the wound open way
past the original issue date. The energy you put into bad
press should be focused onto getting newer, better press for
the band. You will remember the bad press long after everyone
else has forgotten about it so let it go and move onto more
positive things.
No one every said that the music business was going to be
all sugar and spice and everything nice, so it should come
as no surprise that you’ll probably garner as much bad
press as good. Foster the positive publicity as much as you
can and chalk up the negativity to a small pothole on your
road to success. It’s true that it doesn’t matter
what they say as long as they’re talking about you so
be thankful for the free PR, take the high road, and let the
bad reviews roll by your band and into oblivion where they
belong. It’s unrealistic to think that you can get everyone
to like your music, so make it your goal to get everyone to
remember your name.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor,
consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated
radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates
to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance
program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently
promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area,
where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.
Past Column's by Sheena
Every Song
Fan Etiquette
To Tour or Not to Tour
Leave Your Drama At Home
Burning Bridges
Radio Play
Opening Acts!
Managers
Show Me the CD
Be Committed
Scandalous Behavior
Create A Buzz
Green Eyed Monster
It's All Good
The Winner Is
