Welcome to the golden age of the indie musician. Thanks to the Internet, there has never been a better time for independent musicians to compete on a global scale with the mass marketed musicians manufactured by the major music companies. This New York Times article on Rick Rubin sums up the panic that the top music companies are feeling now that most people are buying (or stealing) their music online. Recently hired as co-president of Columbia Records, Rubin believes the top five record companies need to band together to create a monopoly of sorts on the Internet, to keep control over their profits by maintaining control over what consumers have access to on the Internet. His co-president, Steve Barnett, thinks another solution for record companies is to start taking up to fifty percent of merch sales at concerts. If this sounds disturbing to you, welcome to the music business. But let's not panic...yet. While the major record companies figure out how, or if, they can maintain their mega profits by exploiting consumers and artists alike, here's my prediction: the Internet as a tool for musicians is not going to go away. Social networking sites, Internet radio, podcasts, free downloads, file sharing, email listservs, and blogs and vlogs have reinvented the best marketing tool ever: word of mouth. Ask any high school youth who his or her favorite bands are, and they'll rattle off a long list of bands you've never heard of; they are finding these indie bands via their friends' ipods, myspace, facebook, napster, and Internet radio. And this is constantly changing. Today's popular Internet sites are tomorrow's virtual wasteland. Musicians should be embracing all that the Internet has to offer and find a way of working within this open-ended model while also promoting themselves via more traditional media. This is where your publicist comes in. A good publicist not only helps you gain traditional media exposure for your CD or upcoming tour; your publicist helps you promote yourself in new and unique ways utilizing print and online resources. Of course, there are a great number of publicists and PR firms who specialize in one area or another, and you will need to find one that is right for you and your needs. The publicists I've found in my research that I have come to admire and respect can be found on my links page. I choose to take an individual approach to music publicity. I offer a menu of options to choose from, and work closely with musicians to create individualized campaigns. Campaigns generally last from one to three months. For musicians who don't already have one, I can help you create both a hard copy and an electronic press kit (EPK), which I will then post on sonicbids. The press kit contains a one-page bio, photo, press quotes, articles, and a stickered CD or, for sonicbids, MP3s and videos. Musicians are responsible for getting the photos and artwork. I can recommend graphic designers and photographers in the Ithaca area, if needed, but I'm no designer. Once the press kit is together, musicians simply pick and choose from the following menu what they need. |
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Concert Promotion
EPKs, press releases and calendar listings to the following media in the tour city:
Posters:
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Internet Publicity
Email
Newsletter:
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CD Promotion
Hometown CD Buzz:
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keep in mind timelines. CD campaigns should start three to four
months before the release date. Tour promotions needs to start four to
six weeks before the tour. Online publicity can be done with less lead
time, though I prefer at least one month lead time for online
campaigns, and that's how much time is needed after the press kit
is together. Press kits can take up to several weeks to put together. During the course of the campaign, each band receives regular progress reports via email. In the future, I plan to have a web site with a login account and control panel for each band to check the progress of their campaigns. For now, I will send weekly reports via email. As for cost, like each campaign, rates are individualized and negotiable, however musicians should plan on spending at least $250/month to start with a very basic media campaign, not including printing, postage and mailing costs. Please contact me for more information. Thanks for your interest. Best, Elizabeth |