The Importance of Following Up:

The Importance of Following Up:

Whether you are after a new promotion, looking to secure a new job, or simply trying to get someone to listen to your client’s newest project or album many times your requests will be sent over email or the phone.  For some people this is where the contact stops, they wait silently hoping that their one email, voicemail or phone call was enough to get what they wanted.  The truth is 99% of the time, it isn’t.  It may not be because you aren’t interesting or lack the “right stuff” to be remembered, but rather that you aren’t the only on trying to get the other person’s attention.  Because of this it is important to give the person you are trying to get a hold of sufficient time to receive your message, and then if you haven’t heard back from them follow up.

Below I am going to list a few tips I have picked up that may help you on the road to getting that job or big break for an artist that you are working with.  These aren’t secrets by any means, and you may very well know everything I am going to suggest, however just because you know what you should do doesn’t always mean you act on that knowledge, and I hope this can be a small mental check list to help you out next time you feel you may have been forgotten.

Getting Noticed:

1] Always make sure you have the most up to date contact information for the person or company you are trying to get a hold of. 

- This may seem like a no brainer, but often times companies change internet providers or any other various thing and contact info can change day to day.

2] Dig a little bit to find out if there is an actual PERSON you can contact and not just an info@company.com

-Many times I have gotten phone calls or emails weeks after I sent out a press release or email saying, “Yes we are interested in running a feature, sorry for the delay an intern is supposed to check that email daily, next time just email me directly at jim@company.com

3] Never send something with an attachment unless the other party is expecting it.

- People in the Music Industry get a lot of mail constantly and running out of inbox space is something that is very real and very obnoxious, often if they don’t know the email address and there is an attachment they will just delete it. 

4] Finally FOLLOW UP!

            -Following up is not something that is considered annoying by any means, sometimes you just     have to send a second email to get someone to remember your name or client.  I suggest 4-5 days after the first draft sending your first follow up email and if you still get no answer wait a week and send another.  Never follow up more than twice, at that time you can consider that the other person simply isn’t interested and you don’t want to run the risk of upsetting them.

5]Rejection is very real!

            -Get used to it, learn from it, and use it to motivate yourself!

Publicity and PR with Miranda of PMA.PR

I recently had the opportunity of sitting down and chatting with Miranda Lange over at PMA PR in Chicago, IL.  Miranda has been working in the music industry for nearly two decades and was more than willing to share her knowledge and expertise with me.

Publicity is something that I never intended on getting into, the opportunity just fell into my lap and after the first couple campaigns I realized it was something that I was not only passionate about, but actually rather good at.  With out any formal training in the area of publicity and PR I found myself getting a lot of exposure for clients that were virtually unknown even in their local areas.  Miranda got started almost the same way, she was working at an independent label when the publicity job opened up and was offered to her.  Without any training or knowledge of the industry she started doing what made the most sense and really creating her own style of PR which ended up being exactly what the label and her clients were looking for.

Publicity is a service, and that service is promoting someone else's product, you can't promise it is going to get much attention but you still have to push as much as possible to get the right people hearing and talking about it.  Miranda went through her normal day-to-day, and how she starts campaigns as well as how she ends them.  A lot of the information was helpful and even more was very positive reenforcement to the process I had already been taking with my own campaigns.  I learned more in the 50+ minute conversation with her than any book or class could hope to teach me.  Overall I feel very positive about my future in the music industry and my abilities to provide a very solid service to bands in the near future.

PMA//PR
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Talking Business with Sean Sheahan

Sean Sheahan is head of management for Gold Coast Music Group, a independent management/publicity firm based out of Orlando Fl, and took a few moments to sit down with me and talk about what goes into negotiating artist contracts.  Sean represents Every You, Madeira, and The Anytime, as well as producer/engineer Jason Aaron Adams.  He is a Full Sail graduate with a passion for new music and helping small bands get heard.

Over the last 6 months Sean has worked to develop his business into a model where bands get support and priority based on the quality of their work and the drive they show, not how much money they are willing to spend.  Because of that the roster has seen a lot of press in recent months and have had many high profile features including sites such as PureVolume.com and Kings of A&R.  Sean describes his job as a glorified babysitter to musicians, but clearly takes things more seriously than that!

After talking a bit about what goes on day to day for Sean, we got into the contract negotiation information and he talked about various problems and solutions that have come up along the way.  "The most important thing to remember is that you are doing them a favor but you need to close the deal to get paid so both parties have leverage."  Often times Sean would find himself in the middle of negotiations and a member of the band or family member of the band would say "15%? that sounds like an awful lot when you can't promise anything." which is true however the thing they are forgetting is that if no deal is made then no money is exchanged and therefore the determined rate is meaningless.  The only time Sean's percentage means anything is when the band is getting paid.  After making that point they usually follow with "Well still then you are taking 15% of our money."  This is a very real concern for many artist as they feel like they are getting ripped off and Sean is making off with money from their music.  But they are paying Sean to get them the opportunity to get paid, and often times this argument can be settled by simply saying, "The 15% is my payment for finding you work, if you feel like you can do it on your own, then management is not something you need. However since we are here I assume that you have tried and failed or just felt like it was too much to handle."  As long as you keep a calm level head and always treat clients respectfully, they usually will come around and agree with you terms.

"A lot of the back and forth isn't because they think something is unfair, but because they think they can get away with a little less.  Once they realize they can't, they more or less just give in."

New Release from BOY BLUE

The Milwaukee based band "Boy Blue" have recently put the finishing touches on their debut EP "I Liked You Better When," set to drop mid July 2011.  The guys have been working non stop for the past year and a half writing, recording, and developing what some believe to be the next big thing to come out of the northern midwest.  

Boy Blue is an Alternative/ElectroPop band comprised of five musicians from various conners of Wisconsin.  The current sound stems from "newest" member Nicholas Schubert's keys/synth driven influences which have allowed the band to become slightly more mainstream and appeal to the current "dance" oriented fan base.  "I Liked You Better When" will release mid July with five explosively catchy tracks ranging from folk driven guitar licks to dance floor bound sequenced beats and insanely catchy vocal and synth melodies.  With the release of the EP the guys will begin to branch out into the world and hit the road for multiple dates mid-late summer spanning both east and west coasts.  Although no dates are confirmed as of now, they have been on the horn setting up what the can while they finalize both artwork and packaging.  

Fans for bands such as Passion Pit, Phoenix, and Rooney may find Boy Blue's style very inviting while giving them more than just another sound a-like act to dive into.  With more than a few shows under their belts all over Wisconsin, as well as numerous radio appearances the growing anticipation for the release of the EP has just about reached a fevered pitch within the current fan base and seems to be infectiously growing through out the greater Milwaukee area.  If you would like to have a listen to what the band as to offer, they currently have one song available for stream on their Facebook page. 

The Electric Shoes

The Electric Shoes have just recently release their debut EP "Off To Save The World" and I would like to take a few moments to give my personal feelings about said EP.

Off To Save The World is a six song release that covers, in my opinion, a multitude of genres and styles which really show off the talent and potential of the band.  When I say the guys have a multitude of genres I mean some songs have 8-bit electro rifts while others have very country inspired string parts.  There is a strong PopRock/Punk tone to all the vocals which allow them to flow even when the music may vary track to track.

As you listen to the EP the simple approach to each of the songs is more or less to set up the vocals on their much deserved pedestal. The singer has an amazing amount of control, emotion and presence that can not be faked through autotune and melodyne. This gives the listener a better chance to really connect with each and every song, which to be honest is the driving factor in whether or not a song becomes a hit.  The band is relatively knew and with the right people behind them have more than enough staying power.  It will be interesting to see where the next 6-12 months take these guys and whether they will work hard to get heard or simply get lost in the sea of competition that seems to plagues every "up and comer" these days.

If you are interested in picking up the EP you can do so RIGHT HERE!

Take my advice and jump on this band before the bandwagon fills up!

The Power of Music

Bobby McFerrin Hacks Your Brain... With Music!

Although this is not a speech in the traditional idea of what a speech it, it does speak volumes about the human experience and the power of music in our society.  In this short 3 minute video, presenter Bobby McFerrin shows the power music has to connect everyone regardless of social barriers.  It is more of a performance piece than anything where he uses his voice to indicate various positions on the stage and then using his body, and the vocal accompaniment of the audience, creates a simple yet powerful musical arrangement.

There is no language more universal expected than music, In a music theory class I had a long time ago my professor told me that the way I read music is exactly the same way anyone and everyone world wide reads it, other than one or two tribes that is.  This is a concept that has really stuck with me, music although very different depending on where you are playing/listening to it, is comprised of the same notes regardless of composition.  The same way that regardless of where a person is born, what language they speak, or the color of their skin, we are all the same and we can all relate to one another.

I strongly recommend that you take 3 minute out of your day to watch and listen to an entire audience of strangers coming together to create something timeless and beautiful.  Then take a few minutes to think about your life and the people around you, and think what it would be like if you could connect that much with a stranger.

-Nic

PRSA

The PRSA or Public Relations Society of America is an organization set up to not only outline or define Public Relations and what it means, but also act as a place for a individuals or companies operating within the field to meet and communicate.  The organization is comprised of over twenty-one thousand individuals ranging from college grads just starting out in their PR careers, to seasoned industry professionals in charge of or representing some of todays top public relation firms nation wide. 

PRSA focuses its efforts in five major categories, Networking, Professional Recognition, Learning, Intelligence, and the PRSA JobCenter. Each area of focus is a resource for those interested in bettering not only themselves but their careers and futures in the field of public relations. They are also places that seasoned individuals can pass on their knowledge and offer support for up and coming members. The organization offers seminars, webinars, and conferences to better education not only those interested in working in the field of PR but also those that are seeking help in the field and want to make sure they are dealing with what the industry considers to be professionals. The have extensive material and literature on ethics and what the industry and PR field feel is appropriate and professional behavior, this alone is a huge resource for an individual looking to get into the field. The entertainment industry is a very relationship based industry, if an individual is operating or conducting himself or herself in an unethical way, chances are not only will they lose respect and business of those they are working with but also create a name or reputation for themselves and the company they represent that will spread through out the entertainment community.  This may mean that no one will want to work with them in the future.  

Over all the Public Relations Society of America is an organization that offers knowledge and community for those looking to or already dealing in the world of PR.  It acts as both an opportunity for new comers to learn and industry leaders to share!