The Undercover Band

If a music PR ever asks you the question “Well… What’s your budget?”, RUN!  This is definitely a red flag and this person or company is trying to take as much money as possible from you, in order to provide you exactly the same service and results regardless of the budget you give them. Must-Read:  My Best Tips on Promoting Music With No Budget With Music PR, the results are determined by several factors: the quality of the music, the artist’s history and previous press and their angles, and the quantity and quality of promotion materials (teaser, promo video, live video, pictures, artwork, music video, etc..) The biggest misconception of a PR campaign is to think that the more you pay the better the results. It doesn't work like that, because PR has already done the hard work getting all their press contacts and developing their network. So, in any way, they'll send emails to the same contacts, whether you pay a lot of money or not. A Music PR should already know the price a...

Being an independent artist can feel lonely and overwhelming. You might even be under the impression that without money, you’ll never make it. But it's not true. In our digital world, music promotion is free and effective if you put the time and effort  into it. Must-Read: How to Get the Most Out of Your Radio Airplay? Here are my best tips to promote your music at no cost.  ONLINE PROMOTION The internet has become a very helpful tool for musicians to pitch their music to blogs. Aside from that, it has become a powerful place to let your music be known since this is where most audiences are without costing you anything.  HOW TO PITCH TO BLOGS: 1) WRITE OR UPDATE YOUR BIOGRAPHY 2) WRITE A PRESS RELEASE that contains the name of the artist, release date, the news you'd like them to share, and a link to the song. It can be the make or break as to whether you’re going to get online coverage or not. Writing your press release is pretty similar to writing your band biography ...

You released a new song, ran a promotion campaign and radio stations received your new song.  What now? Are you getting the most out of your radio airplay? Is your music playing on the radio? 1) Track Your Airplays That's easy to know : a website such as  WARM  ( World Airplay Radio Monitor) conducts real-time ra dio-tracking to report on what stations your song is being played. From boutique stations in Japan and college radios in Canada to national radios in 131 countries, you’ll always know when and where your music is being played. Even on specialist and genre-specific radio stations. They claim to track 28024 stations as I'm writing this post! I personally love their service and I highly recommend them. Their website is user friendly, and their service is super affordable and efficient. In addition to knowing how many times you're being played on the radio and where they're located, you'll be able to discover your fan base demographics, which is very useful whe...

You recorded a new song, and you're thinking of putting it out there. You're not sure if you'll be hiring a PR yet, you haven't made a calendar for your release, and you don't know where to start? Don't worry. First things first.  This article is going to be a step by step guide to thinking and getting all the materials ready for your next music PR campaign, with or without a music PR company. Must-Read: WHEN SHOULD I PROMOTE? HIGH-RESOLUTION PICTURES  You will need at least two high-resolution pictures , one landscape, and one portrait that reflects your music genre, style, and image. These are essential for getting online coverage as it can be what catches a journalist’s eye.  It's also what will be used in any online features, so you want it to represent you as an artist. SINGLE/ALBUM ARTWORK You need artwork for your release, clearly stating the track title and your artist’s name. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you definitely need it again...

An essential question for your success! As much as artists need a PR at some point in their career,  most of them actually  don't know what a PR does.  They often  confuse " promotion " and " marketing " and have misconceptions  in this entire area, and what they pay for. That's why I decided to wear my PR jacket and explain the best that I can  the differences between them, so  you can make the best decision for your next campaign,  to set the right goals and the right budget. Music promotion has changed completely from what it used to be 20 years ago, which could explain the confusion!  Originally, music marketing and promotion were one concept, designed to get to sell as many CDs as possible.  Must-Read: WHAT DOES A PITCH LOOKS LIKE? Music promotion has changed with time, how will you adapt to it? MUSIC PROMOTION Music promotion is handled by a P.R., also called a Publicist. How was  it  before the internet e...