FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

ANSWERS BY RANDALL DAVIS, PRESIDENT

 

 

What is the focus of your campaigns?

 

We try to get a lot of attention in the new age music community initially (or, if the music is jazz, with the established jazz media) and then we pitch more mainstream media outlets.  We set the stage for you to continue to make deeper in-roads into the mainstream marketplace as you go along.

 

 

How is your company different from other music PR agencies and radio promotion firms?

 

My PR agency is one of the only ones in the country (perhaps the world) that thoroughly knows both the new age music marketplace and the mainstream music business.  My company deals with all of the new age lifestyle publications on a regular basis (and has for more than two decades), but we also work all the time with the mainstream media.  So we push into both territories simultaneously, and we split our mailing list accordingly.

 

I do not think there is another company in the world that really knows both new age publicity and new age radio promotion (I have been working closely with writers and radio programmers for several decades).  Some PR agencies send to a few radio stations.  Some radio promotion companies send to a few print media outlets.  But none have an in-depth and long-term relationship with both the programmers and the writers/editors.  And if you hire two separate companies, you will spend considerably more money.

 

 

How do you come up with your mailing list?

 

We have developed our list of media and radio contacts over many years, and have a close relationship with them.  One of the main things we offer is that we handpick the mailing list for each client.  We use the computer to whittle down the 15,000-plus names on our database to about 500 (by genre and size), but then we click through each name, study that media outlet, and decide if it is a good possibility for you and your music.  For example, there would be no reason to send a keyboard CD to GUITAR PLAYER magazine, but many agencies and record companies just send every CD to a standard list and do not care if they are basically throwing away a percentage.

 

Clicking through a computer list and studying each media name and their musical preferences can take four-to-eight-hours of my time, but this way we maximize the effectiveness of the mailing and don’t waste CDs.  I saw a list recently from a large New York City-based PR firm that was hired to publicize an acoustic neo-classical trio, and the agency sent copies to 14 editors at ROLLING STONE even though in more than three decades of publication, that magazine has never covered a neo-classical act.  If your background or instrument is unusual (a hang, stick, koto, duduk or oud), we will do extensive additional media research to add appropriate outlets to the 15,000 names we already have.  For one children’s music project, I did 80-hours of pre-campaign research.

 

 

What sort of media are on your list?

 

For Publicity Campaigns, we not only balance our list between new age (or jazz) and mainstream media, we also balance it between print publications and online webzines (with a few broadcast media thrown into the mix too).  There are by far more online media in the world today than anywhere else, but we don’t forsake old-fashioned print magazines (they’re important too!).  Few newspapers have the space to run reviews these days (especially on non-pop releases) and when they do run reviews, those reviews often come from the wire services and are not written locally.  When a client chooses one of our larger campaigns, we are able to send to more magazines plus some key newspapers that still do reviews (this is limited on the smaller campaigns).  We always send to some satellite, syndicated, webcast, interview and specialty radio, but there is much more focus on radio, of course, if we also do a full Radio Promotion Campaign.  Overall the media we contact is of a wide variety.  We take the approach that no media outlet is too large or too small, but we are careful to not just select large media because if they all say no, where does that leave you?  In addition, we work very hard to keep our media mailing list up-to-date (which takes a LOT of hours each week). 

 

 

Why do you send to so much on-line media?

 

Ten years ago we sent to a lot more print media than we do today.  But now there are far more media outlets online than anywhere else.  If you add all the newspapers, magazines, TV shows and radio stations in the world together, there is still more media online.  So now we send to more online media than print media.  We still care about print media, but, for example, very few newspapers run CD reviews anymore.  They do not have the space.  In fact, newspapers are rapidly becoming smaller and thinner, and many are dying and disappearing.  Research now shows that people get the majority of their information online.  But because there is so much media online, you need a specialty company like mine that knows which of these media outlets are important for getting exposure for this type of music.

 

One of the major benefits of online media is that the coverage can last a long time.  Previously, if a CD was reviewed in a newspaper, the next day the paper was probably in the trashcan and never read again.  But now a review online can be read by people all over the world for years to come.  And those reviews can be found by simply using a search engine.

 

 

What type of follow-up work do you do after the mailing?

 

We call every media and radio outlet that has a phone number (except foreign media or some online sites who do not give out a number).  When we start following up on our mailing with countless phonecalls and emails, we have a half-dozen refined verbal pitches for your project plus three or four written email pitches that we send.  These pitches contain reasons why that music critic should be listening to and writing about your music, or why that radio programmer should be playing your music.  We also have numerous short reminder or teaser emails that we send.  My company NEVER sends cc or bcc email pitches which could be construed as Spam.  Every email we send is personalized.  We work hard at developing and maintaining relationships with media people and radio programmers.  We are VERY persistent.  Our goal is to get a firm yes or no answer from each person about whether they will be utilizing your CD.

 

 

How do I found out what you have accomplished?

 

Every Friday we email you an in-depth written report outlining the reviews or airplay we scored that week.  Unlike some companies, we do not waste your time outlining everyone we contacted that week, but only the actual scores.  You can assume we are contacting hundreds of media/radio every week.  In addition, every Friday we also email you clippings (copies of media coverage) and radio playlists and reports.  We work hard to get in as many of these clippings as possible.  We paste them up with a media logo on top so they are clean and easy to read so that you can utilize them.  You can post them (or excerpts from them) on your website, or you can email them to fans, distributors, stores, concert promoters, etc.

 

 

How detailed is the information that you would send me about the media and radio that you score?

 

Our weekly reports are generally considered the most in-depth and thorough of any in the music business.  Many companies only provide a list, whereas we send you an informative written report each Friday.  For publicity scores, we not only tell you the name of the media outlet, but also whether it is regional, national or international; whether it is printed or on-line; and when the coverage will appear.  We also describe the publication (general interest, general music, just jazz or new age music, etc.).  For radio airplay, we tell you the name of the show, the station or channel, the frequency, whether it also is webcast, where the station is located, information about the show and station, the day of the week and time the show airs, and, when available, what tunes will be played or were played (and the date they were played).  Some radio promotion companies merely forward the list of Zone Music Reporter monthly report lists which tells you very little.  In addition, we supplement our reports with numerous clippings and playlists which are useful tools, proves the scores, and, in the case of playlists/airplay-reports, allows you to see what other artists you are up against.

 

 

What about written materials?

 

If we do a Publicity Campaign for you, I do an in-depth interview (two-to-three-hours) with you and write an in-depth biography that you approve before we send it out.  Over the years many media have told us that we provide some of the best music biographies available in this business.  I personally have written more than 3,000 music pieces, probably more than any other music publicist in the world.  For a Radio Promotion Campaign, we use the new bio if we also are doing publicity.  If not, we take whatever written materials or bio you have, and we re-work it for our purposes.  For either publicity, radio or both, we write numerous weekly email pitches.

 

I never farm out the assignment or writing a bio because this is our most important tool (and during the interview I get to know what you are all about).  My bios are full of background facts, but also cover the new recording, and include quotes so that the reader gets a feeling of the artist’s personality.  The bio is written like a music magazine feature story with an interesting beginning and ending.  This is important to draw readers in and because the bio usually gets posted all over the internet.

 

 

How many projects do you take on at a time?

 

This is an important question because many PR agencies and many radio promotion companies take on an unlimited number of clients, so they are working a long “laundry list” of projects that they have to ask each media person or radio programmer about.  We take a different approach.  I never take on more than four publicity projects or four radio promotions at a time (often my company is only working on two or three).  I do this so I can fully concentrate on each campaign.  Both Ruthe Forbriger (my longtime associate) and I work on all the projects (we don’t split up the clients).  In addition, we do all the media work (nothing is handled by an assistant, secretary or intern).  All of these points are important because virtually no other PR agency does this.  Few agencies set a limit on signing up new business.

 

 

What can I expect in regards to results?

 

I don’t promise you stardom or huge sales or anything like that.  What I promise is to work extremely hard on your behalf, no matter how many hours it takes to get results (which means nights and weekends, if necessary).  Unlike some agencies that end a campaign with only a couple of reviews in your hand or a few radio stations playing your music, I know I can get strong media coverage on you and your recording, and also get airplay with a large percentage of the radio outlets that we send to.

 

Regarding results and expectations:  this is the music business.  If there was a magic wand we could wave to get people to buy music, we would all be waving it like crazy.  All you can do is follow the tried-and-true methods of marketing -- radio airplay, publicity, advertising, videos, concerts, distribution (or online sales availability), special projects (such as film placement), social networking, etc.

 

 

Does your company do anything else?

 

I am available to my clients for music marketing consultation free-of-charge.  It is nice to have someone on your team who has many years of experience in the music business.  It is valuable to have someone to serve as a sounding board or to make recommendations.

 

Sometimes I get so involved in the creation of an artist’s music and forthcoming album that I am hired as an Executive Producer.

 

But I do not publicize films, corporations, advertising or gizmos.  I specialize in music publicity and radio promotion.  And I REALLY know music (including eclectic, non-mainstream music).  In addition, even though I formerly publicized all types of music and worked with many big-name rock acts, I now specialize in just a few genres of music.  If you are a pop or rock act, there are plenty of good PR agencies and radio promotion companies you can turn to.  But if your music is new age, world-fusion, neo-classical or jazz, you want to go to a company that fully understands the marketing of these types of music.  That is why I have narrowed the focus of my company.  No company can thoroughly know every style of music.  With my company you get a publicity agency and radio promotion company that is extremely knowledgeable about your type of music and knows how to get coverage of you along with airplay for your recording.

 

 

What else makes your company different?

 

We NEVER send out a press release, bio or pitch letter as a blanket email (cc or blind copy).  EVERY email we send is personalized from the heading to the salutation (“Dear Joe”) and including some of the text.

 

We would NEVER mail your CD with some other act’s CD.  Your mailing is special and individualized.

 

 

Could I do this myself?

 

You could not do these types of campaigns for yourself.  If you are the artist, it can sometimes be awkward to call up a critic or programmer to try to get them to use your music.  You can purchase various media lists, but none of them are thorough or targeted.  Many of them do not even have emails.  You cannot purchase a detailed and extremely workable new age music media list anywhere.  Anyone with unlimited time and energy could use the Internet to eventually put together a strong media list, but this sort of targeted list could take you literally 300-to-500 research hours.  At the end of that time you would have a list, but you still would not have a long-term working relationship with those media.  In addition, media names, addresses, phone numbers and emails change very frequently so it can almost be a full-time job keeping a list current.  It is generally most beneficial if a musical artist (or even a record company) does what they do best.  In the case of the artist, it is creating the musical product.  Hiring The Creative Service Company still requires you to oversee the campaign, read the weekly reports, track the marketing progress, perhaps update your website and do some social networking.  That is enough.  It is too much for an artist or small record company to try to do all the media contact and “in the trenches” publicity and promotion work.

 

Some clients ask if they could save money if they did the media/radio mailing themselves.  No, you would not save any money and you would expend a lot of time and energy (or pay someone else to do your mailing).  We do not make any money on the mailings we do for you.  We include those mailing costs in our fee, but we can tell you exactly how much of your cost goes toward the mailing.  We have found that the least expensive method of mailing is a regular envelope with the CD padded with a cardboard sheath to prevent breakage.  Our most expensive cost is the postage (which goes up every year), but also includes the envelope, the padding, the labels, the photocopied bio, and tape.  Some of the packages go overseas and these packages cost about three-times more than domestic mail and require a customs form to be filled out.  Mailings are a lot of work and we take care of that for you.  Keep in mind that when you get a price quote from many other PR agencies or radio promotion companies, they often will want you to do the mailing so you need to add those costs on to the total price so that you can actually compare prices between companies.  Even those that do the mailings often quote you a “come on” price for the campaign, but then later tag on the price of the mailing.  Our price includes everything including hundreds of dollars in postage.

 

 

Do you recommend manufacturing CDs in jewel boxes or Digi-Paks?

 

I highly recommend manufacturing Digi-Pak CDs.  This packaging uses a plastic tray, but around that it is all cardboard (varnished with a plastic-like coating).  The first advantage is that these CD packages seldom break (whereas the top of the jewel box cracks easily and the hinges often break off).  The second advantage is that Digi-Paks are lighter so there is less cost in both bulk shipping and individual CD mailings.  Digi-Paks also require less padding when shipped or mailed.  Digi-Pak prices have dropped and are usually within pennies of jewel-box costs (the difference is usually made up in shipping savings), and the design has improved so that they are the same size as jewel boxes with enough room on the spine to be easy-to-read.