how to approach music PR company?

violetdream

I have recorded with my band a single and have a broadcast quality video for it and we are ready to go....i would like to launch the song in ireland with a concentrated top level PR campaign including tv appearances, repeated national radio play, magazine/press reviews etc. asap....

I have a list of what i think are the big player music PR companies in ireland but i am not sure how to approach them......as i have no contacts in the biz...

If you can give me any advice it would be great.....

thanks

judas101

lets hear the track

Rockshamrover

With lots of money:D

I know nothing about PR or who you should contact but it sounds like the campaign you are considering could be very expensive.

Good luck with it.

Denalihighway

having had a very small amount of experience with PR companies (getting a few quotes for an album release etc), if you are dealing with the big players, it's big money.

I'd imagine 5K plus for what you're talking about but then again, we're in a recession and there is always competition so play hard.

You usually contact them with an idea of your requirements, then have a meeting, see if you like each other and each other's ideas and then decide they're too expensive

but if you're serious about what you're doing and the stuff has potential, then you gotta work with good people. Just have a good idea of what you want before you approach them.

violetdream

thanks for the helpful feedback...really appreciate it ...we have saved the cash i need...i know its gonna be around 5k mark...but i want the best so the jobs done right haha:pac:...spielbergo's won't cut it :pac:....(even if football in the groin has a football in the groin:pac:)

in terms of first contact ...i was thinking of sending them an email with an mp3 or video link and if they see potential and want to work with it....also giving them an idea of what im looking for....best way?

sorry can't play the track....not my decision alone....

Obi-Jim

Just send them an email (a professional email) requesting a meeting and list a few of the things you want from them and tell them about your songs and video etc etc.

They do want your business as much as you want them. Just jump in and get chatting with them and try to get a quote from all of them (thats the hard part )

PaulBrewer

What do you hope to get out of this?

Speak to other bands/managers about what service you intend to buy.

My gut feeling is that spending that kind of money on promoting COULD be a waste.

For 5k you'd be a long way towards a Van and a PA - gigging will get you fans (if you're any good!) .... 5k of 'promotion' probably won't.

Money spent on 'promotion', despite good intentions by all parties is, in most cases I've seen for starter bands, a waste. I've never seen anyone reap rewards that couldn't be garnered by a making a few calls yourself.

Best of Luck

PaulBrewer

I think posting the track or video here will give you some honest (maybe TOO honest!) feedback.

It may shine some light on how to proceed.

madtheory

My experience would be the same as Paul's. Gigging is the key. If you're truly good, you should be able to get a PR/ manager on board who will invest in your promo. Personally I think it's bananas to pay for it out of your own pocket. It's double banana split not to have an extensive tour as part of your plan.

I suggest you take a look at this, some sound advice from Aerosmith's manager, now retired from the biz:
http://www.mosesavalon.com/nadine.shtml

krd

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Money spent on 'promotion', despite good intentions by all parties is, in most cases I've seen for starter bands, a waste.

I've never seen anyone reap rewards that couldn't be garnered by a making a few calls yourself.

Best of Luck

It's probably an obvious answer, but the making a few calls yourself bit. How does that work? You make a list of all the music journalists and try to call each one up and asked them for a review?

Who else would you call?

Will radio stations play your song if you just ask them?

Dublin_Gunner

Are you seriously considering this for 1 single??

You are crazy.

I could maybe half understand if it was an album launch, and this was the first single off it.

Usually bands that release single with video's (without an album coming / already) are signed to record labels who front the PR costs for them.

Try go down the Indy route - Dave Fanning etc best bet for getting ANY exposure.

Record labels and promo company's are not going to be bothered with a band whom they've never heard of, with 1 single, and a video. Seriously.

Especially considering you'll be approaching yourself, with no major contacts, no following, no sales, do you have a distro netowork for the single? I know the big players (HMV etc) won't deal with individuals.

Best bet is to maybe approach a record label, and see what they think. Do a demo with a number of songs / EP and see how you go.

PaulBrewer

krd wrote: »

It's probably an obvious answer, but the making a few calls yourself bit. How does that work? You make a list of all the music journalists and try to call each one up and asked them for a review?

Who else would you call?

Will radio stations play your song if you just ask them?

DJs/Radio Producers, despite appearance, are human too.

They're out and about like 'normal' humans and theoretically at least, have an interest in bands and music.

Whilst they're most likely bored to death with bands grabbing them - if you do it politely and professionally, perhaps suggesting you drop something into their show rather than giving them a CD when out, you may get a positive response.

I know Paul McCloone on Today FM plays a good few new bands, for example, and is a face I see often enough out and about.

The main reason most music fails is that it's complete and utter derivative useless shyt.

That's always the main obstacle, if it's amateur hour stuff that it will stay.

NO amount of promotion will get past that.

Rockshamrover

You've already got 8 people on this forum curious and that's without spending a penny.

You must have spent a grand on the single and god knows what on the video. Plus the 5k on PR.

Nothing ventured and all that.

krd

PaulBrewer wrote: »

DJs/Radio Producers, despite appearance, are human too.

They're out and about like 'normal' humans and theoretically at least, have an interest in bands and music.

Whilst they're most likely bored to death with bands grabbing them - if you do it politely and professionally, perhaps suggesting you drop something into their show rather than giving them a CD when out, you may get a positive response.

That's kind of what I thought.

Ireland is small. I know though in England and the US pluggers are a big part of getting music played. I just recently read Andrew Collin's book(DJ used to work for NME/Q) - he said there's pluggers camped out at all the major radio stations trying to get the stations attention for new singles - it's the same pluggers each time. Walter Yetnikoff biography is really good too. He ran CBS for a good part of the 70s and 80s. He said pluggers were used a lot - and there was an underhand bribery thing going on.

But Ireland's Ireland. The Irish as a race - do not seem adverse to taking an occasional bribe.

judas101

I dont see what youre achieving by NOT letting people who want to hear the track hear it.

Firstly for the honest feedback from people who arent in your band, the studio engineer or your mammy.

Secondly, for the advice on what to do depending on what genre the music is.

Thirdly, it might be great and soneone might hear it.

PaulBrewer

krd wrote: »

But Ireland's Ireland. The Irish as a race - do not seem adverse to taking an occasional bribe.

Huh?

krd

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Huh?

I don't know. Sending someone in a radio station, a bottle of something.

In the US it's illegal to pay any form of a bribe to a radio station to play a song. (It's not illegal to take a bribe to play a record, if they admit they've been bribed) A record company could be in very big trouble if they get caught. They get a fine big enough to hurt them. see Payola.

In Ireland it's not illegal. I don't know if Irish radio stations take money to play music, or if they ever have.

In Theory - If you had someone in Phantom who took 10 quid for every time they played your single - then if you spent 5,000 - you'd get 500 plays - no Phantom listener would be able get the song out of their heads - ever. I wonder though, would people smell a rat?

Denalihighway

violetdream wrote: »

thanks for the helpful feedback...really appreciate it ...we have saved the cash i need...i know its gonna be around 5k mark...but i want the best so the jobs done right haha:pac:...spielbergo's won't cut it :pac:....(even if football in the groin has a football in the groin:pac:)

in terms of first contact ...i was thinking of sending them an email with an mp3 or video link and if they see potential and want to work with it....also giving them an idea of what im looking for....best way?

sorry can't play the track....not my decision alone....

I agree with a lot of what the lads are saying about avoiding massive costs by trying to avoid the traditional media route, there's no doubt it has it's merits but it seems to only really benefit where there have been inroads already made to capitalise on, or as somebody mentioned, if there's a record company or manager involved etc

Familiarise yourself as much as possible with how the industry is operating, how it's changing and what people are up to (I'm not saying you're not doing this already)

For example:

some unmissable blogs - read everything (I mean everything) they've ever written and you won't know yourself afterwards:

- New Music Strategies (he's been quiet of late but scroll for archives etc)
- Music Think Tank

others worth a look:
Bruce Warila
Digital Music News (general industry stuff)

There's stuff you'll read that will immediately give you an edge over bands who aren't doing their homework and you'll wonder how you ever did without it before...well that was me anyway.

Unfortunately, there is a business side to all this malarky , and saying all this, bands have been broken in a huge amount of different ways, there's no magic bullets. Trying your best to have a couple of original ideas is always a good start.

eamon234

You're really working on a seriously old fashioned method here.
You will absolutely waste every cent of your 5k if you go down this road.
Check out http://www.topspinmedia.com/
This is the way forward.
Unless you're signed to a major label (yes, the DJ's are in their pockets maybe not moneywise but they get plenty of other freebies) the main radio stations won't touch you and the Fannings and McCloons have little or no influence anymore whether they play you or not.
Bottom line is you need to be good. Damn good. You've got to be able to perform, market, network, produce as much as you can yourself.

PCPhoto

why not release the single - gauge what people think..... if people think its good they will buy it.

if you feel the need to "promote" the band/song in order to create an image and say ....We're here !! ....then spend money on a photoshoot, contact various music hacks (reporters) and get someone to do gig reviews, set up a website and create a fanbase.

a major promoter will most likely take your money and thank you ....then after a couple of days/weeks/months of apparently nothing happening they will most likely tell you ....we need more money for this...or more money for that.


self promotion is possibly the best way to go about this....build a fanbase....prove to the big-wigs that you dont need them promoting you.