Surviving (and thriving) In The Music Industry

February 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

The music industry has made such a complete 180 in the past few years, that it’s enough to make you dizzy.  The days of A&R reps finding a new band, recording them and putting them through the star making machine is pretty much a thing of the past. The mid to late ‘80s was one of the heydays in the music industry.  From The Police and Motley Crue to the GoGo’s and the Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem) bands were signed and snatched up out of the local rock scenes.  Those were the days of powerful large labels and upstart independent labels.  Most bands sparked for a minute or two and faded away, some are still on top today.  But the difference is that back then there were labels that were willing to take a chance on an artist or a band, produce, market and distribute their product.  That was also the heyday of MTV.  A video in strong rotation could launch a band.  Touring was still important, but bands could do so more sparingly.  Radio and video exposure could help keep an act in the spotlight.  CDs were sold directly to the consumer.  Artists actually made money by selling their music.

Fast forward to 2012.  The world I just described is as anachronistic as that of the era of the horse and buggy.  Everything has changed.  It is now a true struggle to make money by selling music.  Touring and merchandising is a must.  The days of musicians and record labels spinning gold by selling music are over.  Not long ago there were bands who wouldn’t consider selling their music to an advertiser or TV show.  They could make their revenue off of an album and then CD sales.  With product placement now becoming the name of the game, recording artists are having to rethink their approach and their career paths.

The upside is that there is more of a level playing field.  More singers, bands and musicians now have an opportunity to get known and develop a career.  But, it has become more of a do-it-yourself world; musicians, who know how to work social media, blog, and launch traditional media campaigns, can still establish a presence, create a fan base and build a buzz.   There is still a way to launch a music career and make money while making music, but musicians now have to be savvy marketers.  They need to understand PR, media relations, publicity and the basics of marketing.  It’s a bit daunting, that goes without saying, but for those who learn the ropes, it also puts the power squarely in their hands.  It’s true that labels launch many a band, but there are also myriad stories of bands who were taken advantage of and ripped off.  Musicians now have to be more savvy about marketing and business, but they also command more control.  In the long run it could be a decent trade off.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Entertainment Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Promoting Your Art Utilizing PR – Part II

February 17, 2012 Leave a Comment

I know how difficult it is for artists to promote their work.  Look at it this way.  PR is an art.  It’s not hawking or selling, it’s the art of effective storytelling.  For it to work it needs a narrative, a story arch.  Learn and use the art of storytelling to promote your art.  Use your creativity in your media relations campaign.  My last article highlighted 4 approaches that artists can use to highlight their work and garner media coverage.  There are at least two other approaches to consider:

1) Controversy:  Are you creating art or a show that is different, or controversial?  If so utilize that.  The media loves controversy.  You don’t want controversy for controversy’s sake (although people have gotten pretty damn far going that route) but you want it to be a part of your work, your show, your journey.

2) Timeliness: Can you tie your work, or a show to a particular time, season, date, etc.?  Can you revolve your media pitch around a particular holiday or tie it into a story that’s currently in the news?  Try and find ways to make your story pitch timely and use that to your advantage.

Regardless of the type of marketing campaign you choose to launch, keep in mind chances are you’re not going to hit a home run your first time at bat.  There are those situations where you score big right off the bat, but don’t count on it.  The most effective campaigns are long term, cumulative approaches.  They need to be refined, adjusted, and modified.  As you go, you learn.  But as an artist, public relations and being featured in the media is your best approach.  It offers the validation and credibility of being featured in the news.  Take a look at your favorite, famous artists, most likely you will find most or all of them are media darlings and have learned the art of PR.

You can definitely launch a campaign on your own if you’re working on a shoestring, but if you can possibly afford it, bring a professional on board to guide you and run the campaign.  If you do bring on a PR consultant or public relations company, work with them.  It’s a collaborative process.  It’s important you work as a team to develop story ideas, media pitches and create a campaign that meets your needs but also allows your PR firm to meet the media’s needs.  Don’t look to your friends and acquaintances to give you marketing and PR advice.  Advice is cheap and easy to give.  Everyone believes they’re marketing mavens, but few actually have a clue.  If you start listening to everyone’s advice you’ll continually be in reactive mode.  Your marketing campaign will function like an old fashioned pinball machine, shooting to the right and then to the left with no focus, no point of view and no concrete direction.

Don’t let marketing your artwork intimidate or depress you.  View it as an artistic challenge.  Play with it.  Have fun with it.  Remember you’re building the bridge between yourself and the public.  You’re giving your art a chance to soar.    

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under artist pr, Authors, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Promoting Your Art Utilizing PR

February 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

If you’re a sculptor, painter, photographer, craftsperson, musician, author, cartoonist and/or performance artist creating your art is step one when it comes to launching a successful career.  Once you’ve created your art, you next need to build the bridge between your art and the public.  From my perspective, once you’ve given your time and care, blood, sweat and tears to your artwork, you owe it to your art to get it seen and experienced.

There are a number of ways to promote your art including advertising, direct marketing, guerrilla marketing, social media and publicity.  For artists, PR can generally be the best route.  Public relations and being featured in the media offers the validation and credibility of being featured as a news story.  Often the most effective approach is a combination of medial relations and social media.   The two complement each other.  You can amplify and magnify your media placements via social media and a creative social media campaign can result in coverage in TV, magazines and newspapers.  The most important element when launching a PR campaign is coming up with compelling stories that meet the media’s needs.  Below is a quick overview of approaches you can use when pitching the media:

1) Pitch An Event: Do you have a show or a gallery opening coming up?  Here you have something concrete to point to.  You can offer the media somewhere to go something to see.  But keep in mind that journalists, editors and producers are inundated with offers to come to shows and events.  So find a way to make your story different, compelling

2) Something New:  Give the media something new to cover.  Have you begun working in a new medium?  Have you changed your subject matter?  Is there a new approach or style you’re utilizing?

3) Tell Your Journey:  Your art is a story, but so is your journey to becoming an artist.  Offer the media human interest stories about how you became an artist, how you followed your dream.  Outline the obstacles you overcame, or the uniqueness of your journey.

4) Defining A Trend:  Are you a part of, or are you helping to define, a new trend?  You might not initially think so, but give it some thought.  Don’t just think of art-oriented trends, keep in mind demographic, cultural commercial, and aesthetic trends as well.  Think of how you can position yourself as someone how illustrates that trend.

These are just some approaches that artists can use to help promote their work.  Keep in mind that, like it or not, this is a part of your job.  Have fun with it.  Don’t just keep your creativity for your art; use it in your marketing. You owe it to yourself, your work and the public.  

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under artist pr, Authors Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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