AB CO .’ S SARI DELMAR |
is also important for the artists to do their own research about who they want to work with , seeking referrals from other artists and agents . For the artist / publicist relationship to be mutually productive , the publicist needs to be genuinely excited about the music because , as Pickard says , they must be the artist ’ s biggest cheerleader . The artist ’ s first question should always be , “ What do you think of the songs ?” If the publicist is lukewarm on the music , move on ( diplomatically and respectfully , of course ).
As well , Pickard adds about assessing a publicist , “ Go further than just ‘ so and so recommended you .’ Make sure the artist does their due diligence when choosing their team when it comes to PR . They have to make sure they ’ re talking to past clients . I think that a past client is a much more solid referral to find the right publicist than , say , an industry reference or referral . I think that is a really important part and sometimes it can take you two or three weeks to even get a publicist to book a phone call with you , which is why the three-month mark is really important .”
As Pickard says , and Delmar and Beattie agree , the general rule of thumb , as far as ideal timetable , is to begin three or four months ahead of an album release or tour . As with anything of this nature , the more time to strategize and execute a plan , the better . “ A lot of that work is pre-release , that is when you ’ re setting everything up and coming
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up with strategies and start sharing the album ,” says Beattie – “ especially if you ’ re starting from ground zero with a band that no one has heard about . You ’ ve got a lot of leg work to do in those first three months .” Assuming the publicist loves the music and is open to working with the artist for the right reasons , the artist must make a second judgement on whether the publicist has adequate room in their schedule . “ In my experience and the way I run my agency , no person should be working more than four music projects a month ,” Pickard says of Strut Entertainment . “ That is low and I know a lot of people in the business are working 10 or 12 because they are charging so little that they need the numbers to make the money , but make sure that your agency or person is available to you and has enough room for you .”
What They Want From their position , what will publicists want to know and see from a potential client ? In a nutshell , they ’ ll want to see your assets and know what plans there are for more . This means your music and live dates , press photos , a good bio , videos , and your web and social media presence . A publicist can help with certain aspects , such as press shots and a bio , but the artist needs to demonstrate that they have at least some of this taken care of and a plan for the rest .
“ One of the first things we ask an artist is , ‘ Do you have a tour plan ?’ Not everyone has an agent , but if they have already done some tours and are able to book their shows in the proper places across Canada , or at least in some key markets , because , again , we can only do so
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much if we don ’ t have any tour dates ,” says Beattie , whose Killbeat Music has recently worked with Kalle Mattson , Cowboy Junkies , Tobias Jesso Jr ., and more . “ I also always ask , more so now than ever , what their video plan is , and also what their asset plan is , because there are less and less publications reviewing records . The way to cut through all the noise is you have to be building your story and the way to do that is to be building assets .” |
KILLBEAT MUSIC ’ S KEN BEATTIE
As Beattie notes , the publicist may need to approach a media outlet a number of times before they bite , but the publicist can ’ t keep going back to them with the same stuff . They need to show that something is happening , whether it is a new video , new single , or new live dates . There needs to be a reason to keep going back to the media .
The Bottom Line Cost is understandably a major concern . So how much is an artist looking at ? First , it depends on the length of the contract or agreement . A respected publicist will be completely honest about what you need and not pressure you into a contract term that is longer than needed for the goal or assets . “ Any publicist who is professional , well respected , and understands the music landscape will give a
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band a reality of , ‘ You only have a single and a video ; you only need me for one month ,’” says Pickard . “ If you have an EP , you might only need me for six to eight weeks . You only have a one-month tour and an album ? You might only need me for three months .’”
In terms of actual dollar amounts , this varies significantly and is often determined on a case-by-case basis , with most publicists happy to come up with a plan to accommodate an artist ’ s budget . That said , Pickard gives the range of $ 1,200 to $ 2,000 per month plus taxes as an average price range for a solid publicist . “ You ’ ve got to be really careful . If you ’ re an independent artist and someone is asking you for more than $ 2,000 per month , or is offering to do it for less than $ 1,000 , there is usually something wrong ,” she adds , noting that artists can alleviate some of that financial burden by applying for the multitude of government grants available to musicians . Grant recipients are often required to spend a portion of the money on publicity .
There is a lot more that goes into a hiring and then getting the most out of a publicist , so do the research to find the right person , know what you need , and have what the publicist needs . As Delmar says , what most often leads to frustration on both sides is a lack of communication and clear direction . Everybody needs to be on the same page and transparent in their work , needs , and expectations , working from the same game plan and toward the same goal .
Michael Raine is the Assistant Editor of Canadian Musician .
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