...just like other media, these music supervisors receive hundreds of packets a week so you want to keep your submissions organized, direct and to the point.

"Peace Ari, I hear a lot of indie music on reality T.V. shows. I don't have a publicist, but want to submit my music. How should I do this?" - Miller

 

Isn't reality TV amazing and mind numb-ingly addictive all at the same time [laughing].

 

Anyways, there are a few things to remember when submitting...

 

For starters find out who the music supervisor is for the program you are interested in and if they accept unsolicited material. Many studios and large production companies don't. Once the submission guidelines have been established, continue with your due diligence and make sure you're targeting the right show for your style of music, its demographic etc. You don't want to send Disney a track that's perfect for the next generation of "Menace to Society" [laughing].

 

It's also important to remember, just like other media, these music supervisors receive hundreds of packets a week so you want to keep your submissions organized, direct and to the point. In this case I'd suggest submitting all your material via old fashion snail mail with your music on a CD accompanied by an organized (easy to read) track list and all artist information. Labeling each track is very important.

 

After submitting everything it's always good (and deemed appropriate) to confirm receipt of material. I'd suggest via email. Don't call or stalk [laughing]. Once you know your material has been received, go about your life. In television once you're in their system if they want or need your music, they'll pull it and notify you.

 

There are never any guarantees that your music will get picked and placed, but submitting your material definitely increases your chances.

 

Also REMEMBER: Clearance problems are always an issue (i.e. rights to music, actual ownership etc.) Make the publishing and master info as noticeable as possible, especially if you control both.

 

Good luck!

 

Do you have something you'd like to know? Send me an email: contactsaidarie[@]gmail.com and follow me on twitter at: www.twitter.com/leirapr_ceo

 

The reality is, a lot of independent artists can't afford to hire the professional help needed to gain the additional exposure they desire. But, don't fret cause this answer is short and sweet!

"What's good Arie, I'm an up-and-coming MC who really wants to gain as much exposure as possible however, I don't have a budget to hire professional PR/Marketing help yet. What do you suggest?" - Sed

 

The reality is, a lot of independent artists can't afford to hire the professional help needed to gain the additional exposure they desire. But, don't fret cause this answer is short and sweet!

 

Don't worry about trying to hire a publicist/marketing rep until you reach the level of people outside of your immediate fan-base i.e. [street, neighborhood, church, family... You see where I'm going with this?] who actually care about what you have going on. Don't take it personal, but the reality is, publication editors and radio program directors won't care to cover you if there isn't a solid fan base that will check out their media on you. It's all about the numbers.

 

Serious! Even those artists and bands featured in "Indie Spotlights" that seem like they fell out the sky, have a solid fan base in the double digit thousands.

 

So, until you know you're at this level- save your money, doe, and pesos and put in some elbow work. You are your best representation, role up your sleeves and network, network, network. It's not a science, and you can accomplish a lot on your own.

 

So moving on....

 

Based on your personal needs, wants and goals create a PR check list and work your way down it weekly; contacting various outlets that fit your genre of music in hope of gaining interviews, reviews, etcetera. You will save tons of money that you could spend on studio time, printing/duplicates, some marketing and gas for your car to get to worthwhile gigs, that may help gain additional coverage.

 

Just remember what I always say- Keep your pitches short, direct and to the point. You have a 15 second window to introduce, display and prove that you and your projects are worth the coverage. Don't waste time with a million pointless links, pics and wordiness. Save that for when you make it and people actually care about those additional details. And most important stay professional, no spam and "Check my new shit" in the subject. Even the smallest "hole-in-the-wall" blogs expect professionalism.

 

If you create a schedule and stick to your weekly check list you should see results. Good luck!

 

Do you have a question for me or something you'd like to know? I'm here every week answering your emails on industry how-to's and important Do's and Don'ts. Send me an email: contactsaidarie@gmail.com and follow me on twitter at: www.twitter.com/leirapr_ceo

 

As an indie artist you NEVER miss an opportunity to network with people as influential as DJs, NO MATTER where they are.

"Yo Arie, I've been pushing my music to local DJs in my city. It's been somewhat helpful but now I feel like I'm beginning to spin my wheels. Would you suggest I start contacting DJs nationally?" - Mike

 

Ummm yeah Mike you think?! [giggles] As an indie artist you NEVER miss an opportunity to network with people as influential as DJs, NO MATTER where they are. You should've been Z-sharing, send spacing (or what ever those file sharing services are called) distant DJs from day one. It never hurts searching for new outlets while building your local fan base and network.

 

Just remember it's very important to avoid spamming; especially if you're fortunate to link with DJs that actually have the clout to help introduce you to the masses via their mix-tapes, blogs, radio mixes and so on.

 

So get networking, start compiling a detailed list of DJs [I recommend excel or other spreadsheet format for easy organization] and it's important to make sure the DJs you're contacting are spinning, scratching and Serato-ing, in whatever genre of music you spit, rap, sing or mine. It would be totally pointless to submit a hip hop track to a rock DJ that specializes in techno… [laughing] Yeah, doing that would make just as much sense as that last sentence. - Best of luck!

 

Do you have a question for me or something you'd like to know? I'm here every week answering your emails on industry how-to's and important Do's and Don'ts. Send me an email: contactsaidarie@gmail.com and follow me on twitter at: www.twitter.com/leirapr_ceo

 

Blogging is very important and is the easiest way to keep your fans & potential followers up to date.

QUESTION: "Arie, is it really effective/ important for indie artists to blog?" - Jeff

 

ANSWER: Hell yes! Blogging is very important and is the easiest way to keep your fans & potential followers up to date. Truth be told the public has a short online attention span, clicking from point A to point B and so on. Every link clicked leads to a million different sites, leaving artists lost in the mix. By creating a space that integrates all of your social media (Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Four Square etc.), videos, photos and latest media coverage you are keeping the attention on you where it belongs. The power of "The blog".

 

Tips for effective blogging:

1. Stay consistent! Your blog should be updated as much as possible; a bare minimum of once a week. If an artist or band is truly working on reaching mainstream acclaim there should always be something to update.
   
2. Be entertaining as well as informative. You can be very talented, but if your blog is drab or boring people will loose interest and keep it moving; totally defeating the purpose of having the blog in the first place.
   
3. No one expects you to be a walking dictionary. However, I can't express the IMPORTANCE of proof reading and spell checking your work. Don't assume everyone knows what you "mean" or knows your tone/ demeanor. These two steps are very important, especially if you want to be taken seriously. The appearance of any level of ignorance can and will hinder that.
   
4. If done the right way your blog can bring your independent ass some much needed revenue (dinero,doe, money, cold hard cash). For real, if your blog builds up enough traffic with people interested in what you having going on, that can open lanes for you to charge local and even national companies to advertise on your blog - just a thought.

The reality is, no one's going to give your talent the full coverage it deserves like YOU. So get up, get proactive and get blogging! Plus it's free, how's it get better then that?! Check out these sites for great FREE blog templates: Blogger, Tumblr and WordPress. Good luck!

 

Do you have a question for me or something you'd like to know? I'm here every week answering your emails on industry how-to's and important Do's and Don'ts.

Send me an email: contactsaidarie@gmail.com and follow me on twitter at: www.twitter.com/leirapr_ceo