You can be the greatest musician ever born but if you don’t have good music publicity, how would the world know?
You need a strong force that can help you get your music out there especially today that it’s hard to stand out from the clutter. Here are some of the pros and cons of hiring a music PR company for your album:
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YOU WILL HAVE TIME FOR OTHER THINGS
Using your time wisely, when you’re releasing a record, is crucial for its success. Sending emails to publications should not be on your priority list during those times. You might save some money but it’s not worth it. Another option, if you really don’t want to pay for a PR company (because they’re not at all cheap), is to hire an assistant to do it. It’s cheaper but still, it depends on the ability of your assistant to learn fast.
PR AGENCIES HAVE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
When you hire a top PR Agency, you are hiring talented and experienced professionals who have spent years honing their skills and knowledge. They know the music business and how it ticks more than any artist. Even if you study all night for the next years, you still cannot beat them unless you happen to major in PR. And anyways, it’s bad for your music. Might as well focus on what you’re good at and made to do, and let the PR people do their job to help you.
THEY KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE
These people don’t do any magic. What they bring to the table that you may not have a is a great list of contacts. Getting media attention is very competitive, and an established PR company already has the attention of the writers and editors. They’ve already been through that “let me leave my 205th message for this person, who clearly has no intention of ever calling me back” stage. They get called back.
THEY KNOW THE RIGHT TIMING
There are certain times of the year that lend themselves to being better for record/single releases. For example, August is well known for being festival season. Most publications and blogs are going to be giving a fair amount of attention to this, making record coverage a smaller percentage.
THEY KNOW HOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAND
In addition, PR professionals are storytellers. A good PR Agency can analyze your business and help identify the positive messages and then translate those into positive media stories.
Building a brand is not a sprint, its marathon; that means you should start the race as soon as possible and be consistent in your public relations efforts. The effects of media visibility do not grow overnight, it needs time, patience, and consistent effort. The results grow exponentially, the more visible you become the easier it becomes to gain more visibility.
Getting a music PR company is not cheap and there’s no assurance that you’d get the result you want. However, this is the best way to increase your odds.
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James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD/vinyl and merch company in LA.
