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By Kenny Love
"Are You Ready? Are You Really Really Ready?"
I recently
received the excerpted letter from a prospective client who is
interested in some of my promotion services. And, as much as I
herald the cause of independent music and its recording artist
residents, in all honesty, I must say that there are numerous
artists, many in fact, who are simply not ready for the
professional end of the music industry. The worst part is,
they don't yet realize it and, when they finally do, it is
often too late. And, that is as much a fact as my fear of
sitting at the top of a stationary ferris wheel (been there,
done that...with a girlfriend, no less). Please review the
excerpt to see if your own musical situation has frightening
similarities.
Indie Band:
Kenny, we are definitely interested in having you write a
pitch letter and a press release for us. And to answer your
question, no we do not have a record promoter. We are a
completely independent band actually. Pardon my ignorance,
but what does a record promoter actually do?
KL:
A record promoter is referred to as the person or company
that gets your recording into radio stations for possible
airplay consideration. In actuality, record promotion
encompasses all aspects of the promotion of a recording.
And, accordingly, what is commonly referred to as a record
promoter is, in actuality, a "radio" promoter,
whether an individual, or group.
IB:
We are planning to do a first pressing of 1000 CDs and
1000 posters and then have the CD promoted to college
radio regionally by a firm in Cambridge, MA.
KL:
Basically, this company, whether it holds itself out
as an official record promoter or not is, indeed,
performing the duties of radio promotion.
IB:
The obstacle to all of this right now is lack of
finances and/or a means to get them. We don't have
any investors or anything like that. We are dead
serious about our music and our band and are
committed to making it all the way to the top and
doing whatever it takes to do so. We are just stuck
at the moment due to financial constraints. Let me
know your thoughts, the pricing on the bio and
whatever else you feel might be applicable.
KL:
Again, my fees for the cover letter, bio and
release, are in the responding automated email
that you received. And, again, you also need to
spend money on, not only the firm in Cambridge for
radio promotion, but also for a press publicist,
whether with me, or another publicist. For, you
can obtain all of the radio airplay you wish but,
unless you have a follow-up process for the press,
with getting you artist interviews and music
reviews in area publications where that airplay is
occurring, any and all airplay will be extremely
short-lived. For, it is one thing to obtain radio
airplay, but quite another to sustain and extend
it which, in part, is based on a "buzz"
continually created in other areas, i.e., print
publications via artist interviews, music reviews,
television interviews. Getting such a
"buzz" in all other press outlets makes
your recording more appealing to radio and gives
it a reason to continue playing your recording
over another that may not have all media aspects
churning for it. You also state that you are out
of finances. In response, I must say that far too
many unsigned and independent musicians release
recordings long before they are ready to compete
musically and can be sustained financially. In
fact, without a promotion budget to sustain the
life of your recording as it "catches
on," makes it no competition to other similar
releases at all that have such a budget. And, I
cannot say this any better when I say to you that
it takes money to make your record happen, pure
and simple, whether you are the one spending it,
or someone else has your financial back. However,
many Indies have long erroneously believed that
the proverbial 1000 CD package was going to make
their career or, at least, be enough to get them
"discovered." This simply isn't so,
never has been and, if you don't have all media
sources working, you will quickly find this out.
I'm not talking about flukes that just happen to
be in the right place at the right time, but the
everyday standard process of establishing a music
career. Having only the Cambridge firm promote
your recording to radio, without having a
publicist follow it up and promote it to the press
area of each radio station that is granting you
airplay, is like wearing a pair of pants on a
Minnesota winter day that has one complete leg,
with the other leg completely cut off. In other
words, only 1/2 (more or less) of your lower body
is protected. Basically, for lack of a better
analogy, you can apply this same example to your
promotion situation. And, without backup press
support, and the quick death of your radio-only
recording, ultimately, all money and time spent in
any capacity up to this point, will have been
spent in vain.
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