WHY YOU NEED A MUSIC PR FIRM
The year 2020 and COVID-19, in particular, had an unexpected impact on the music industry. Amongst other things, the primary revenue stream for musicians, a live performance was shut down. 2020, however, showed the importance of streaming as a source of revenue for musicians.
To benefit from streaming revenues, a musician needs to have streams. Streams are possible with a large fanbase and generating interest in your music, to ensure it gets heard.
No matter how great your musical work is, you do not get recognition if the world isn’t aware. Publicity is the act of gaining and drawing public attraction to a specific thing. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Publicity as “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.” It also defines “Public relations” as “the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill towards a person, firm or institution.”
Music PR involves the strategic promotion of an artist and their musical work to the public using the media to gain recognition and prominence. PR’s ultimate aim is to put the artist in the public’s eyesight through different means to get the recognition. Although similar to marketing, they are quite different, as PR is quite different from marketing. Marketing deals with selling the product, but PR creates and maintains a favourable and good image of the artist in the media.
A PR firm will represent you in the media/press (blogs, podcasts, radios and televisions), and liaises with them to ensure that your musical work gets recognition. PR is more than just getting your song on the radio or to DSPs, but to get as much press coverage as possible through various means such as album reviews, a profile of the artist etc. and create a favourable image for you whilst keeping you in the news.
A good PR Firm will use a detailed campaign with a plan of attack to promote the artists’ releases. Many record labels and indie artist use PR Firms, even though they also have internal PR departments. This is because more often than not, the PR firm is in a better position to offer the artist and his project more exposure.
Engaging a PR Firm like Laude London will help generate interest in you and your music. They will utilise the media to ensure this, and follow-up on the interest generated, to ensure your work gets coverage.
Although there are no guarantees that you will get your desired press coverage, a good music PR Firm will most likely get more coverage for you than you will if you do it yourself. This is done through means, such as creating a bio which tells a great story about your person, creative photoshoots, articles and music reviews, and presenting your music professionally and attractively, while ensuring it is easy to access. For example, Laude London offers 4 Ps: Press, Promo, Playlisting/Placement and Publications.
What PR Firms bring to the table includes a long list of contacts which you most likely do not have easier access to the media. They also have more experience and knowledge about the media than you do and are more aware of the industry’s timing. As such, there are better placed to advise you when to release your song. Lastly, they know how to build your brand and make you marketable, through the media thereby generating interest in your songs and your brand.
Although hiring a PR firm can be quite expensive, it is sometimes necessary to take you to your career’s next level. You want 2021 to be your year? Then It is advisable to hire a Music PR Firm, especially when you believe your latest song, EP or album is “the one”.
Lastly, stay up to date with all you need to know about African music at SOA, right here.
I am a Nigerian qualified lawyer with over 3 years of post-qualification experience. I’m an alumnus of the University of Lagos and the Queen Mary University of London where I completed a master’s degree in corporate commercial law with a distinction. I’m also a drummer, a lover of dogs and an avid gamer.
Over the years, I have offered corporate and commercial services to companies, businesses and start-ups and also provided advisory services to artists and record labels. I currently work with Laude London, a music management consultancy firm which offers publishing, sync placement, branding, and A&R services to artists.
