Independent World Music: May 2007

Monday, May 21, 2007

Ariel's Digital Press Conference 5/22/07: VENUE CHANGE!

May 21, 2007

Digital Press Conference
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Nine Cutting Edge Artists to Interview
Wine, Beer and Sweeping Views of Central Park

Calling our favorite bloggers, podcasters, video shows, vloggers freelance writers, and online music peeps to attend to our first digital music press conference!

Many of you have not yet RSVP'd Please do so TODAY - 212 239-8384 or Ariel@arielpublicity.com

Ariel’s Cyber PR, ISL Public Relations, and Rive Video Promotion cordially invite you to come hang at the home Ariel grew up in on the Upper West Side, enjoy some wine, beer & hors d’oeuvres, and interview eight of our hottest artists (more are being confirmed so stay tuned)

VENUE CHANGE – THE RSVP’S HAVE OUTGROWN THE OFFICE!
Event: Digital Press Conference
Date: Tuesday May 22, 2007
Time: 4-9 PM
Location: The Hyatt’s
7 West 81 Street – apt 6A
New York NY 10024
(Between Central Park West & Columbus)

Please RSVP if you have not done so already to: Ariel@ArielPublicity.com or call 212 239-8384

FEATURED ARTISTS

Blood Red Sun
New York, NY
"Finally, a band out of New York that are not bed-headed Strokes clones. These guys wail, blending old-school riffs with radio-friendly chops. Plus, they’ve got the best female drummer this side of Meg White. Wait a sec, Meg White sucks." -New York Press
http://www.blood-red-sun.com

Darrin James Band
Brooklyn, NY
Darrin's songwriting has a narrative quality that draws us into his world through detailed imagery and captivates us in his mood. Darrin's voice is expressive and unique, rough-around-the-edges and gravelly like a world-weary everyman that is somehow tragic but wise, heartbroken but funny. Musically, Darrin's love of American blues and roots music shines through proudly as he draws from a diverse palette of musical styles of the past to create original music that is interesting in its depth and diversity.
http://www.darrinjames.com

edibleRed
New York, NY
Led by firecracker front woman Collette McLafferty, edibleRed is an eclectic New York City-based five-piece collective of atypical musicians. The memorable songs the band creates can be heard on their debut CD, Welcome to My Bad Behavior, slated for release on the day of the press conference May 22 on veteran indie label Select Records.
http://www.ediblered.com

Emiko
New York, NY
Indulging a rare breed of rock n’roll of the biggest kind, Emiko is a sensitive and introspective songwriter. Notwithstanding, this girl lives up to the rock legends as a trailblazer who sings, plays keys, takes her own solos, and is unafraid to say what others only dare to think. Having played piano since she was two and half, Emiko has transformed from classical pianist prodigy to rock and roll starlet.
http://www.emikomusic.com

Ill Phil Carnage
Staten Island, NY
A native of Brooklyn (NYC) who now resides in Staten Island (NYC), after college Phil started the independent label Suga' Shack Ent. He is inspired by early nineties rap and heavy rock influences, but rhymes up to par with today's standards. Phil has "in-your-face" adrenaline driven anthems with chanting hooks, and punch lines. Amongst the boasting lyrics, however, are innovative songs with meaning that fans can relate to. Phil is always writing and thrives on competition with the "freestyle" and "battle" capabilities of the "backpacking" emcees, but he is a true-to-form studio artist. He is a true voice of Middle America, controversial lyrics with a character, look, and style perfect for commercial marketability.
http://www.illphilcarnage.com

Kyle Lardner
New York, NY
Although Kyle is just a teenager, she is an incredibly insightful composer/performer. She wrote every song you hear on her album on the piano. With the help of her producer Alan Plotkin he was able to craft her sound into many different genres. This pop, rock and folk. The album was mastered by Greg Calbi (John Lennon, Billy Joel etc.).
http://www.kylemusic.biz

Leiana
Philadelphia, PA
The female-fronted, Philadelphia-based band of seasoned musicians has a rapidly growing fan base in the hardcore and skatepunk worlds. Leiana's music is the result of the collaboration between the sultry underground vocalist Leiana and veteran musician Chuck Treece. Leiana - produced/co-written by Chuck Treece (Bad Brains, Urge Overkill, Billy Joel, The Roots) The music industry may be more dominated than ever by soulless mega-corporations, but the DIY spirit of bands like Leiana is still alive and definitely still kicking.
http://www.leiana.com

Lez Zeppelin
New York, NY
Lez Zeppelin, the New York City-based all-girl, all-Zeppelin quartet, is set to release its self-titled debut album on July 10, 2007, with a nationwide and European tour planned in support of the new record. Since forming in 2004, Lez Zeppelin has gained unanimous critical acclaim as one of the most exciting live acts around, becoming the first female rock act to pay homage to Led Zeppelin and to garner rave reviews across the board. The album was recorded with legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer, best known for his work with Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and KISS; and was mastered by George Marino, who with Jimmy Page digitally remastered all of the original Led Zeppelin recording.
http://www.lezzeppelin.com

Stratospheerius
New York, NY
Stratospheerius is the bastard child of Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Blues Traveler. Lead by electric violinist/vocalist/mandolinist Joe Deninzon, the band has showcased their "psychojazz trip funk" at colleges, festivals, and clubs throughout the US. Their live performances are filled with funky dance grooves, rip-roaring guitar/violin jams, and hooks that mix jazz, funk, and world beat. The group was a winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, won the Online People’s Choice Awards in the Cornucopia Festival, and was named “Best Jam Band” in Musician’s Atlas Independent Music Awards.
http://www.stratospheerius.com

Telesma
Baltimore, MD
Blending ancient and modern instrumentation and spirit, Baltimore-based Telesma bridges the gap between primal and futuristic, setting itself apart from other bands in the music scene with their intoxicating sound and extra-ordinary live performances. Telesma's unique sound, that has been labeled "electro-acoustic psychedelic world dance music", is driven by the primal voices of the didgeridoo (one of the oldest instruments in the world, 40,000 years), the kubing (bamboo mouth harp), tribal drums and percussion, and the human voice. These elements are fused with modern instruments including keyboards, guitar, bass, theremin, samplers, modern drums, and the unique homemade "manDrum" to create a trance-like pulse not unlike that heard in modern electronic dance music.
http://www.telesma.net

Traedonya
Bronx, NY
The bride of new funk hip opera was born in Rocky Mount, NC , and was raised in the Bronx. In essence she is a country-city girl....a slice of both. Being raised by the funk and hip-hop, she has those influences in her music today. While in college, she was trained in the genre of jazz by some greats at the New School of Social Research in NYC. This cross section of cultures and music has allowed her to be comfortable across musical genres and cultures.
http://www.traedonya.com

CONTACT & INFO

http://www.arielpublicity.com

http://www.bandletter.com

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Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Invitation to the First Cyber PR Digital Press Conference

May 9, 2007

Hi! It's your favorite publicist--I am back from New Orleans, where I attended my 14th (!) JAZZFEST in a row stuffing crawfish bread and white chocolate bread pudding in my face and seeing live music!

LIFE = GRAND

INVITATION: The First Cyber PR Digital Press Conference

Calling our favorite bloggers, podcasters, video show producers, vloggers, freelance writers, and online music peeps to attend to our First Digital Music Press Conference!

Ariel's Cyber PR, ISL PR, and Rive Video Promotion cordially invite you to come hang at the Ariel Publicity offices, enjoy some wine, beer & hors d’oeuvres, and interview some of our hottest artists. There will be 8-10 artists in all participating. Please RSVP to Ariel@arielpublicity.com.

Event: Cyber PR's Digital Press Conference
Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Time: 4-9 PM
Location: Ariel Publicity - 325 West 38th Street, Suite 505 New York, NY 10018
Info: (212) 239-8384

I talk to musicians all day who call looking to hire a publicist, and I've noticed that many artists don't really understand what publicity is (And why should you? We are NOT born with this knowledge--and Lord knows I have NO idea how to play an instrument.). So, this prompted me to write this month's article. Happy reading, and now please go out and play.

Nine Critical Things You Should Know About Publicity Before You Make Your First Move

1. The Definition of Publicity - First, we are going to start out with the very basics--some definitions of what publicity is exactly. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Publicity - "An act or device designed to attract public interest; specifically: information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support. Also: The dissemination of information or promotional material."

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Publicity is EXACTLY these things.

A music publicist is hired as a member of your team to represent you to the media. Media is defined traditionally as editors and writers at newspapers, magazines, dailies, weeklies, monthlies, college newspapers, and television. Some publicists may also cover radio for interviews on tour stops, but if you want to get on the radio charts (like CMJ), you will need a radio promoter. Some publicists also cover Internet PR, like my company, but not all traditional publicists do! A publicist's job is to liaise with the press. They are not hired to get you a booking agent or gig, a label deal, a distribution deal, or any other type of marketing deal. That is what a manager is for. They will not get you played on radio, either. This is what a radio promoter is for. A well-connected publicist, however, may be able to hook you up with all of the abovementioned things, but it is not in her job description.

2. You Are in the Driver’s Seat – Remember artist - you are the buyer here and you are shopping for PR. You are in the driver's seat. It's your money and your music that keep publicists in business. And hiring one is like hiring another guitar player for your band. Choose one that you like who fits your vision and your goals. All too many times I've heard that a publicist was hired in spite of the artist's personal opinions. You should like your publicist, and she should be the right one for you.

3. With Publicity, You Pay for Effort - Never for Results - I have had disgruntled artists call me and say, "I hired a publicist and I only got six articles. That cost me $1,000 per article!" Okay. This is not how you quantify a PR campaign. How you quantify a PR campaign is by how many albums were sent out, what the responses were, and even if they were inconclusive or negative, it's how much effort the publicist made on your behalf. Of course, you should get some and many results. Getting nothing is totally unacceptable. But you never know where your publicist's efforts will show up months, and sometimes years, after your campaign is complete.

4. A PR Campaign Needs to be Planned Well in Advance - For long-lead press (that means magazines with national distribution like Spin, Rolling Stone and Paste), the editors put their publications to bed three full months before they hit the newsstands. So if your CD is coming out in October, you must have it pressed with full artwork and ready with materials to mail in July. Of course not all PR campaigns focus on national press (more on that later), but no publicist will take you on with zero lead time so you definitely need to prepare lead time in every case.

Good Publicity Campaign Lead Times:
National Campaign: 3-4 months before the release
Tour Press Campaign: 4-6 weeks before the show
Local Campaign: 4-6 weeks before placement
Online Campaign: 2-3 weeks before placement

5. The Four Components of a Press Kit – A good press kit consists of four parts: the bio; the photo; the articles, quotes, and CD reviews; and the CD.

The Bio - Create a one-page bio that is succinct and interesting to read. I strongly advise hiring a bio writer (if you can afford one, this should cost between $200 - $400). If you are not ready to pony up the cash, enlist an outside source to help you out. I find people who are great story tellers make great bio writers.
The Photo - It can seem cheesy to arrange a photo shoot, but if you take this part seriously you will deeply benefit. Create a photo that is clear, light, and attention grabbing. Showing movement is a plus (sitting on a couch or up against a brick wall is not interesting). If you have a friend who knows how to use PhotoShop, enroll him to help you do some funky & fun editing.
The Articles, Quotes & CD Reviews - Getting that first article written about you can feel daunting. Two great places to start are your local hometown papers (barring you don't live in NYC or Los Angeles), and any music website that you like.
The CD - The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. Do not bother sending out advance burns of your CD unless the writer requests them. Full artwork is always preferred. Put your phone number and contact info in the CD so if it gets separated from the press kit, the writer knows how to contact you.

6. Publicity is a Marathon, Not a Sprint - PR is very different in nature from a radio campaign that has a specific ad date and a chart that you are paying to get placed on. Sadly for me, there is no Top 30 publicity chart. With the sheer number of albums coming out into the marketplace, it could take months longer than your publicity campaign runs to see results.

7. Online Publicity is Not as Important as Offline Publicity - I always say that today's newspaper is tomorrow's recycling, so don't discount online publicity so quickly. For one, it's up and around for months and sometimes for years. The new research and statistics prove that people are reading newspapers less and less with every passing day. People are getting their news from the Internet, so Internet placements are absolutely a wonderful bonus.

8. Publicity Does Not Sell Records - If you are hiring a publicist to see a spike in your CD sales, I have news for you. There is absolutely no correlation between getting great PR and selling records. If that were true, I'd be a lot richer. PR is designed to raise awareness of you in the press, to help build a story, and also build up critical acclaim. And of course, a great article can lead to sales and being on NPR could really help you see a spike in sales. But overall, if selling albums is your goal, PR is not the thing you will need to reach it.

9. All Publicity is Good Publicity - I know we have all heard this, but it’s a great thing to really understand. If your goal in PR is simply to get your name out there (and this should be a goal), the truth is the average person remembers very little of what they read. Only a tiny percentage gets retained, so if you really think that readers are going to remember a tepid or a mediocre review of your CD, the answer my dear friend is they won't. And never ever take your own PR seriously. As my favorite artist Andy Warhol once said, “Don’t read your press, weigh it.”

Ariel