Music Publicity: Independent Public Relations in the Digital Age by Stephanie A. Maksimow A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The College of Business In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2016 Copyright 2016 by Stephanie A. Maksimow ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express her sincere gratitude to her committee members for all of their guidance, support, and patience throughout the process. Special thanks goes to my advisor for his reassurance, knowledge, and encouragement during the writing of this manuscript. The author is grateful to Florida Atlantic University and the faculty for the education provided and the inspiration to write this thesis. Lastly, the author wishes to thank the individuals who participated in the interviews and thought-provoking conversations contributing to this thesis for all their support. iv ABSTRACT Author: Stephanie A. Maksimow Title: Music Publicity: Independent Public Relations in the Digital Age Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Ira Abrams Degree: Master of Science Year: 2016 The music industry has undoubtedly seen accelerated change over the past decade. Standard practices in the industry have been turned upside down, leaving record label executives, managers, and other personnel behind the scenes working to develop new and innovative ways to cope with this change. Music publicists are not immune to these changes and have seen a tremendous shift in their roles and responsibilities. With the advent of the digital age, the role of music publicity is getting stronger and is arguably one of the most vital components of a successful music career. The demand and necessity for a well-executed music publicity campaign is growing as modern technology reduces the need for a record deal. However, external forces resulting from technological changes are making the job of a music publicist difficult. Despite its importance, little has been said about the field of music publicity in scholastic literature, and the few in-depth texts and articles on the subject are grossly outdated rendering them irrelevant. The majority of recent comment on music publicists v and their duties have come from journalists and music publicists themselves. Further, the average person knows little about the practice of music publicity and what a publicist does. Independent publicists are often highly criticized and looked down upon merely because artists, managers, media personnel, and even record labels may not fully grasp what a publicist does. This poses a slew of issues, including the publicist not feeling completely part of the artist’s team, despite being one of the most essential components of the artist’s successful career. The author of this thesis is an independent senior publicity manager for a boutique music publicity firm. The purpose of this thesis is to define music publicity, bring to light essential issues in music publicity, and provide a thorough understanding of the role and responsibilities of a music publicist. Through analysis of the available literature and qualitative interviews with industry professionals, this paper will address what music publicity is, how the digital age has changed music publicity, and finally will provide suggestions for best-practices when working with indie artists and mid-level campaigns vi DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my family, friends, colleagues, and clients for their patience and understanding, and supportive encouragement throughout the writing process. Specifically, I’d like to dedicate this to my mother. Without her love of music, I would have never become involved in the music industry. I also dedicate this work to my late grandfather, Tom, who has always been an inspiration for me to work hard and reach for my dreams. MUSIC PUBLICITY: INDEPENDENT PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE DIGITAL AGE Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 2: What is Music Publicity?...................................................................................4 Definition of Public Relations…………………………………………………….4 What Music Publicity Is……………………………………….………….5 What Music Publicity Is Not…………………………………….………..7 Independent PR vs Label PR………………………………………….…………..9 Chapter 3: The Digital Age………………………………………………………………14 A Brief History of Technological Change in the Music Industry………………..15 New Media and Music Discovery in the Digital Age………………….………...16 New Opportunities with Social Media……………………………….…………..17 Connecting Artists and Fans through Social Media………………….…..17 Music On Demand: YouTube and Streaming……………………………22 Independent Music Blogs………………………………………………………..24 The Emergence of Independent Artists………………………………….……….27 Oversaturation of Independent Music………………………….………...30 The New Face of Public Relations…………………………………………….…32 Challenges for a Music Publicist in the Digital Age……………………..34 The Importance of Music Publicity in the Digital Age…………………………..38 PR and the Emerging Artist: Why PR is Essential for Success………….39 vii Chapter 4: Publicity and Artist Management……………………………………………43 The Artist’s Management Team……….…………………………………………44 Artist Management and Development…………………………………………………...46 Managing Client Expectations…………………………………………………...48 Working Together and Building Trust……………………………………48 Managing Personalities: Artist Egos and Archetypes……………………51 Contractual Considerations………………………………………………56 Chapter 5: Press Management…………………………………………………………...59 Types of Media Opportunities…………………………………………………...59 Thinking Outside the Box………………………………………………..62 How Publicists Connect with the Media………………….……………………...64 Chapter 6: The Daily Life of Publicists………………………………………………….68 Publicity To-Do List……………………………………………………………...69 Stress Management and Self Care……………………………………………….71 Chapter 7: Launching Independent Publicity Campaigns………………………...……..74 Organization and Planning……………………………………………………….74 Research and Campaign Development…………………………………………..77 The Interview: Getting to Know the Artist………………………………78 Conduct a SWOT Analysis………………………………………………79 Define the Target Audience………………………………………………81 How to Research: Tips and Tricks for Your Media List…………82 Electronic Press Kits (EPKs)…………………………………………………….83 Biographies………………………………………………………………83 viii Media Training…………………………………………………………………...84 Timeline Development…………………………………………………………...85 Press Releases and Media Alerts…………………………………………………86 Press Releases……………………………………………………………87 Media Alerts and Tour Announcements………………………………….88 How to Pitch……………………………………………………………………..89 How Not to Pitch………………………………………………………...92 Implementation: I Got Placement – Now What Do I Do?.....................................93 Preparing for a Premiere, Event, or Announcement……………………..94 Day of Tasks……………………………………………………………...95 Post-Feature and Follow-Ups……………………………………………96 Chapter 8: Final Remarks and The Future of Music Publicity……..……………………98 References……………………………………………………………………………....100 ix Chapter 1: Introduction The digital age has undoubtedly shaken the music industry to its core. The internet opened the floodgates with the introduction of P2P (peer-to-peer) sharing networks such as Napster, launching a trend of illegally obtaining music for free (Owsinski, 2014). In turn, the consumer’s perception of the value of ownership of music diminished. Despite efforts to monetize digital music, album sales continue to rapidly fall and record labels are struggling to maintain control of the market. One thing scholars and industry professionals can agree on is that the music industry has been in the midst of a digital revolution, and is nothing like it was before. Drastic changes are being made to adapt to a consumer-controlled, oversaturated, and highly competitive market that is struggling to make a profit. Technological changes such as file sharing, online distribution, streaming, and social media have contributed to massive changes in the music industry (Gallagher, 2013). Musicians are now able to create, market and distribute their own music without the need for a record label. However, this ability has also caused the music market to become oversaturated with mediocre (or worse) music and has overwhelmed music fans as new independent artists emerge every single day (Markell, 2013). To stand out, independent artists must develop a strong image and social media personality that appeals to a specific market niche, maximizing their brand to align with the target audience and strengthen their fan base. Additionally, the availability of digital technology and the oversaturation of the market by independent artists has created a need for specific support services for a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) artist. Thus, there has been an exponential growth of independent record labels, which in turn has contributed to a greater emphasis on artist management. Historically, there has been ongoing debate regarding the role and importance of music publicity. Some have minimized its usefulness and effectiveness (Borg, 2014), while others have praised its results. However, in the age of digital music, it is becoming increasingly clear that publicity is more important than ever before. As the competitive sphere of the music industry grows, a professional and strategic approach to increasing the artist’s exposure and standing out from the crowd has become a vital component of an artist’s career (Pettigrew, 1997). An understanding of publicity strategies is important because the media world has become highly competitive. In the digital age, there are millions