Introduction
A music publicist is often the first person a band or act hires to help spread the word about their music.
This can include sending press releases, hosting and attending events, managing social media profiles for artists, and acting as liaisons between managers and other industry professionals.
Aside from these tasks, a publicist can also provide assistance with budget line items, arrange interviews with journalists or radio personalities, and help organize photoshoots amongst a plethora of other things.
Let’s dive into what Music Publicists do for a living.
What Do Music Publicists Do?
Most music publicists specialize in promoting and marketing one specific area of the music industry such as finding new artists or helping artists with their social media. There are many different approaches to promotion for a musical artist. The most common are press kits, which is when a publicist sends out a press release to anyone they think might be interested in covering an artist’s work.
Music publicists can be hired for a variety of reasons. They may be a solo person who is doing most of the work on their own. Or they may work as part of a team under the umbrella of an agency, working on behalf of their clients with other professionals such as managers, songwriters, booking agents, and publicists.
A music publicist may have many different clients and deals with many different people on a daily basis from managers to agents to labels to even bloggers.
Get to know the music publicist, not the band. Find out how they communicate, what their background is, and what they have achieved in the past. If you don’t get a good feeling about them, there is no reason to use them.
A good music publicist gets paid by their client based on how well they do for them.
Online Promotion
When it comes to online promotion, a publicist uses various marketing strategies to get their client or band heard. Social media is the biggest tool, as well as video promotion on YouTube.
A publicist can also help with local press such as free or discounted tickets to shows. They will also work with different companies that are willing to fund this type of promotion such as record companies and radio stations.
A publicist will generally work on one specific area of the music industry, such as marketing new artists or helping artists create and manage their social media profiles.
Radio Promotion
When it comes to the radio, a publicist will work with a record label on approaching radio stations with new music to be played on the station. The publicist will have an idea of who their target demographic is and what types of songs will appeal to them.
For example, if they are looking for someone to play at a college station, they may think that people who go to the college station want alternative rock and soft rock, so they will be thinking about this when they plan their campaign.
Touring and Event Promotion
If the band or artist is going on tour, a publicist will help them to promote this to the public and give them tips and ideas for how they can do it themselves. They will also organize press and interview opportunities before, during, or after the tour.
If you are looking for a music publicist you must think about what you need from them.
How Much Do Publicists Get Paid?
On average across the U.S., a music publicist will get paid between 25% and 35% of the band’s tour money, depending on how successful they are. Your average publicist makes anywhere between $25,000 to $75,000 a year.
How long will it take them to get on board?
The average music publicist takes about four months to get on board with your project. The longer they take, the more they will charge. There are also cases where they may be willing to work with you on spec (i.e. On a free trial basis).
Difference Between a Music Manager and a Music Publicist
The difference between an artist’s manager and a publicist is that the manager handles all the day-to-day business matters, such as bookings, contracts, and day-to-day management. The publicist is an expert who handles the promotion of their clients’ music. Most importantly, a publicist is seen as a professional who gets close to their artist and understands their vision and what’s important to them.
It is common for publicists to work for agencies. There are also freelance publicists, but in the music business, most of the publicist’s work is with a major record label.
Music publicists are generally employed by independent companies such as independent labels, booking agencies (see: artist management), or web-based companies. Most people working in this field can be classed as “producers.
Check out: How to Get Signed in 2023: Getting a Major Record Deal
What Profile Do They Have?
Get to know the record companies and bands/artists that they have worked with in the past. If you decide to use them, talk to other artists who they have worked for and ask if they were happy with their service. Don’t just ask your friends, as you should be thinking about how this person can help you reach your target audience.
How do I Hire a Publicist?
Publicists are hired in a variety of ways. Some work for independent record labels and are listed as (publicists) or (promoters) or just “publicists”. Others work in the music industry so they have their own company names such as Haydar Music Group, Publicity Fanatics, 48th Street Media, MCPL Records, and more.
In rare instances, a publicist will be employed by an arts agency.
People in music public relations often try to avoid the term Music Publicist, calling themselves creative PR professionals, or sometimes just PRs or ‘publicists’.
For example, Steve Harris of London-based Rocket PR: “I don’t like the word ‘publicist’ for two reasons… Your job is to work with the press – it’s not just about putting stuff out there.”
Mark Beaumont from Thetford, Norfolk public relations agency Meltwater Group has a similar view: “I don’t really like ‘music publicist’ because 90 percent of my job is to promote bands and especially artists. We have no idea who covers them – they could be journalists or anyone.
Mark Collings of Music Business Worldwide says “Music PRs who find the term ‘publicist’ demeaning are in danger of missing the point. The term has often been defined as someone who promotes an artist to a media outlet – and therefore a ‘publicist’ is exactly that!”
In 2014, renowned Leeds-based agency Ten Alps won a coveted award from PRWeek for being named best arts public relations agency.
Ten Alps director Eleanor Daley, said “the publicist title is too limiting”, and that “Like journalism, we consider our work to be creative”. In 2017, there were more than 671 music publicists signed up with PRWeek’s network – an overall increase of more than 12% on 2016 figures, by far the biggest year-on-year spike seen in recent years.
A study by researcher Geraldine Hartshorne in 2017 found that “the most successful publicists have three key types of strategies:”
Journalists frequently have their own “back-stories”. Having worked for years as a journalist, they are familiar with the industry and can often help a band navigate it more confidently.
Sometimes they may have contacts they can share with you, helping you to promote your work. Often, they also have connections in the music industry that may not be obvious but can still prove invaluable.
All of these factors combine to give journalists both credibility and an ability to gauge how journalists will react when approached.
Many music journalists view publicity as something that is sold rather than gained.
Difference Between a Music Publicist and Journalist
Publicists must build relationships with journalists gradually to establish trust in order to gain a positive response.
Music publicists often work with journalists on a freelance basis, or through agencies, publicists, and press officers who represent their clients. Journalists will often have their own network of contacts within the music industry they can share with you, helping you to promote your work.
They generally have “backstories” and can help a band navigate the industry more confidently.
Journalists are quick to identify an individual’s approach to their chosen profession and will often be aware of what they are capable of achieving in terms of results. They also know what sort of stories they prefer to report on.
A journalist is much more likely to listen if he feels that you understand this concept.
A music journalist might not want to respond well to the following things. If your publicist doesn’t understand this, they might put you offside with journalists:
If a publicist can understand these things, they’re more likely to win favor with journalists.
Conclusion
When you’re starting out, it can be all too easy to feel overwhelmed. There is so much information to take in that it’s hard to know what is right for you. This article was designed to bring clarity to the topic of music publicists and how they can help your career.
Publicity is a powerful way to promote your work and give it the exposure it needs.
The key is finding a publicist with the right skill set for your particular situation.
The best way to choose one is by asking prospective publicists about the kind of results they have achieved in the past for their clients.
All in all, the most important thing to remember is that a publicist’s job is not to manipulate the media. Instead, they should be working on presenting you as an individual who has something interesting to say.
It’s also important that if you or your publicist aren’t getting the results you are looking for, don’t be afraid to ask why. A little knowledge about how the system works can go a long way in finding out what’s going wrong and how to fix it.
