Let’s start with the introductions. My name is Paul and I am a Publicity Assistant for Green Light Go Music PR. I am going to explain what you need to know about PR from a musician’s perspective—and a musician with a young band. I’m in a local band from Detroit called Go Tiger, Go! and PR is very new and uncharted territory for me. I have a fresh perspective because I’m coming into this as a rookie, but we’ll both come out as pros. I’ll document my adventure into this awesome career path in the form of this electronic manuscript, while compiling every tip and trick I can think of into a digestible grouping of words. It’s a win-win!
My idea of PR prior to getting my job at GLG was basically a way of promoting a band—pretty simple. I knew that bands hired publicists to promote, but I wasn’t really sure of how they did that. One of the major questions I had before coming into this was, what are the benefits of hiring a publicist, rather than going the DIY route? Great question, Paul!
Here are my “Top 3 Reasons” the publicist route is better than the DIY route. Keep in mind these are from the perspective of a very new band trying to get any buzz they can. This is what I took away from the first week:
Ok this one is a little harsh, but keeping yourself honest as a musician is the best way to push yourself. Let’s say you have managed to record an EP, or at the very least one song. Guess what? So has everybody else. Why should anybody listen to your song over any other band’s song? We live in a wonderful time where music can be shared instantly. Keep that in mind and understand you are no greater than any of your contemporaries. Don’t get cocky…ever. That doesn’t mean your songs aren’t good, but before you proclaim yourself as the Artist of the Year, remember there’s a lot of work to be done.
This builds off of number one. You recognize your song has potential, but you aren’t satisfied with just that. Yes you can post your song on as many websites you can keep open in one browser, but a publicist has an advantage. Your publicist has this amazing, seemingly infinite list of people that he or she has formed actual relationships with and learned all their likes and dislikes. The media trusts your publicist. Think of them as your bridge to greener pastures.
Your publicist has (hopefully) been doing this for a credible amount of time. You just started your band last year; they’ve been working with bands for the past ten years. Just trust they know more than you.
Let me sum things up really quickly: I’m Paul. I’m in a band, and I love working in music PR. My mission is to share tips and tricks with you and have a lot of fun along the way. Seriously, I have a lot more to say so I’ll expect you to come back next month. Feedback is always welcome.
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