Make a music writer happy

The other day a lovely local publicist asked me, 'What do you look for when people are trying to get you to listen to their music?' Asking questions is such a sign of intelligence isn't it? This one was so great I thought I'd turn it into a blog post. After all, I -- probably like a lot of other reporters -- often get enterprising artists contact me looking for press. Many, many times, the simple act of this person reaching out leads to a great story; sometimes it doesn't. Either way, if you or a friend/client is looking to get press coverage here or anywhere else, here are some pointers to help you out.

1. Have music

- Yes, friends, I had to say this. Because occasionally some people -- bless their hearts -- are so excited about the prospect of getting written up that they shoot too soon and call/email, asking how he or she gets you to check out their music. The obvious next statement for the writer is, 'You can send your CD to...' or, 'What's your MySpace/website?'. Amazingly enough, some people will reply to this with, 'We haven't finished the CD yet, but...' Well, why the **** are you calling me when you should be finishing your CD? Yeah, because as soon as we hang up I'll be wringing my hands waiting for your CD to arrive. Boo.

2. Send an email

-If you don't write well, get someone who does to compose and send it for you. Said email should very quickly introduce yourself, what kind of music you play, where (if you perform locally) you play and any neat info about you. That's it. Keep it short. Don't write in all caps. Do not, no matter how cool you think the writer is, say stuff like, 'We real hot in the streets.' This leads people to think you are an idiot/freshly freed from incarcertaion and generally speaking, people are uncomfortable around such neighbors. (Don't hate the player, hate the game.) The email should announce the fact that you've dropped something in the mail. Which brings us to...

3. Package yourself

-You need a good bio about you. Everybody and thier mama is trying to crack into the music biz. One way of standing out is, well, standing out. Basically, think about your life story and why you're into music, and then write this down. Unless you're like, Madonna, you can do this on one page. Where did you come from? Were you raised by hippies, gypsies, wolves? Put that in there. It's interesting, which makes journalists curious about you, which improves the likliehood that they'll want to write about you. 50 Cent is a perfect example of this, with the whole 'got shot 9 times' thing. That being said, emerging rap artists should steer away from the whole "rough upbringing/from the streets/former hustler" thing. It's played out. If it's really true (and not in any way exaggerated) focus the attention on the good things you're doing now. The hustler-turned-rapper thing is cliche and boring.

4. Art

-Invest some money in good photographs of yourself, in print and digital format, by someone who knows what they're doing. Cousin Boo-Boo isn't going to cut it, unless he's a pro. Really do it big here -- lighting, background, etc. Also, if you can draw or know someone who does, get a really nice graphic or piece of art or logo that conveys what you or this particular album is about. The goal here, with all of this, is to impress people.

5. Free stuff

-Many journalists will get huffy about this, but at the end of the day, they LOVE free stuff. Of course, there are ethical guidelines that cannot be crossed -- I cannot accept a free weekend in Ibiza to get your album on the front page -- but disposable crap like mugs, T-shirts, keychains, buttons, bumper stickers, candy or what not are the highlight of our otherwise dull lives. There's a shot glass on my fridge right now from The Shop Boys song "Party Like a Rock Star." I still hate the song, but...well, bad example. Might point is that for a few pennies, your package goes from "oh" to or "whoa!" (Or, 'aww!') Extra points if this trinket makes the package bulkier; like bratty children at Christmas, we open the big packages first.

6. Mail this

-The combination of the CD, bio, photo art and optional toy is a press kit. Put it in a nice, but not expensive, re-usable envelope. The day you mail this, call or email and say, 'Hey, it's on the way.' When the writer finds it through all the papers, envelopes, Post-its and such on his desk and opens it, he or she will notice the professionalism and, unless the music is just appallingly wretched, they'll probably be interested in working with you.

If all this sounds technical and business-y, that's because it is. You want to make money doing this right? Music is artistry but it is also business. Handle yours. In other words...make it fierce, not a hot mess.

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.