Buzz starts at the bottom.<\/p>\n
I hate press releases.\u00c2\u00a0 Almost as much as I hate the people who e-mail me their MP3s unsolicited and ask for a ride to stardom (as if I could provide one!)<\/p>\n
I spend all day at the computer.\u00c2\u00a0 Surfing regular sites that might amaze you.\u00c2\u00a0 But I’ve ferreted out the information I desire.\u00c2\u00a0 And I have trusted sources. And when it comes to music, it’s not newspapers.\u00c2\u00a0 Not Pitchfork or the other blogs either.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s individuals.<\/p>\n
Someone who’s hyping a record because he doesn’t have to.\u00c2\u00a0 Who is truly enthused.\u00c2\u00a0 I’ll check out that person’s recommendation.\u00c2\u00a0 Once.\u00c2\u00a0 But, if it’s good, this person becomes part of my network, a trusted source.\u00c2\u00a0 The question is, how can you reach these people?\u00c2\u00a0 Who oftentimes are not professionals, but are tastemakers nonetheless.<\/p>\n
There’s a fascinating story in Sunday’s "New York Times" about tech PR.\u00c2\u00a0 Most fascinating because the star subject, one Brooke Hammerling, has revealed herself to be a wannabe equivalent to those angling for press on PerezHilton.com.\u00c2\u00a0 Rule one of reality, never appear on reality TV!\u00c2\u00a0 You’re gonna look bad.\u00c2\u00a0 Even if you’re nice.\u00c2\u00a0 Because nice doesn’t play well on TV.\u00c2\u00a0 Rule one of public relations, don’t have your story told by the media! Let me be clear here.\u00c2\u00a0 If you need the media to boost your appeal, go for it, cope with the carnage.\u00c2\u00a0 But if you’re already making a living, don’t you know media hype is going to kill you?\u00c2\u00a0 I know Brooke Hammerling, not personally, but the good-looking girl who flirts and climbs on her good looks…every guy knows her.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, don’t cry sexism.\u00c2\u00a0 Women in business can triumph without trading on their sexuality.\u00c2\u00a0 But a Google pic search will show you that Brooke Hammerling is much better looking than the average bear, and all those men fawning over her…that’s an age old game.<\/p>\n
But that does not mean there are not nuggets of truth in this article.<\/p>\n
I know no one like Brooke and her colleagues in the music business.\u00c2\u00a0 Someone who starts with relationships and leaves press releases on the cutting room floor, who doesn’t even bother to compose mass mail.\u00c2\u00a0 Someone who knows it’s not about the story, but the result!\u00c2\u00a0 How can you build something long term?\u00c2\u00a0 By getting those who pay for music to talk about it, not those who get it for free.<\/p>\n
It’s kind of like those concert reviews in the paper.\u00c2\u00a0 Why do these writers even bother going?\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re not a fan, why do I care what you think?\u00c2\u00a0 Tell me what someone who loves the band thinks.\u00c2\u00a0 Same deal with recorded music.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t want the musings of someone who got to have lunch with the star or is playing a game of endless favors with the flack, but someone who’s so enthused about the music that he can’t help but tweet about it!<\/p>\n
We’re all sophisticated now, we know how the machine works.\u00c2\u00a0 We know those talking heads don’t give a shit about Michael Jackson, they’ve just got to fill airtime, giving us what they think we want.\u00c2\u00a0 If we want a take on MJ’s funeral, we’ll ask the public.\u00c2\u00a0 Via Twitter, via online search, via blogs. There you get unfettered truth, not the canned words of someone who’s worried about advertisers and keeping their job.<\/p>\n
It’s all about relationships.\u00c2\u00a0 But who are your relationships with?<\/p>\n
"The New York Times"?\u00c2\u00a0 When was the last time the "Times" broke a band?\u00c2\u00a0 This article includes examples where users picked up the story first and then the mainstream media got it from them.\u00c2\u00a0 Then you no longer have a manufactured story, but a real one.\u00c2\u00a0 The paper is reporting on the buzz, not trying to create it.<\/p>\n
We’ve got police all over the Web ferreting out street teamers, telling the trolls to go away.\u00c2\u00a0 We’re immune to the hype.\u00c2\u00a0 But we respect truth.\u00c2\u00a0 And truth comes from the bottom, those with no investment other than their time, which is precious.<\/p>\n
Once the mainstream writes about a trend, it’s frequently over.\u00c2\u00a0 And mainstream press tends to kill that which is not already dead.\u00c2\u00a0 Your goal should be to keep the mainstream away from your story, or if it’s so big they want to write about it grant no access!\u00c2\u00a0 Say no to Letterman.\u00c2\u00a0 Say no to the newspaper.\u00c2\u00a0 This is how Trent Reznor built cred, which he’s still sailing on two decades hence.<\/p>\n
The past has been about shilling indiscriminate product to a public sans knowledge.\u00c2\u00a0 Now people know whether the new album by a star is any good before the official release date.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re buzzing about new bands almost instantly.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ve got to start off with something good.\u00c2\u00a0 Stop trying to sell crap.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not worth it.\u00c2\u00a0 And if you’ve got something good, don’t worry about making a big splash, about the rate of acceleration, just be concerned with whether fans are picking up on it.\u00c2\u00a0 The fans determine whether you’re going to have ultimate success.\u00c2\u00a0 You don’t get paid on media impressions, you get paid on sales.\u00c2\u00a0 Satiate the public.\u00c2\u00a0 Give people access.<\/p>\n
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