I remember years
ago, when I first began dabbling in record promotion, I contacted
a veteran disc jockey to get the inside "goods" on my craft from a
DJ's angle. I expressed to her that I was new in my field, and would
soon be promoting an independent band, but already realized the tremendous
amount of competition that was in store.
I then asked her a question, which I was not aware at the time, would
generate an answer that would set the stage for every artist, product,
or service that I would ever market from that point forward. And,
while I believed my question was original, I learned it was actually
already being done by the "big boys" (major labels), and had been
for quite some time.
I asked her what the value of a pre-promotion campaign was for recording
artists, in sending out advance tape or CD samplers of upcoming songs,
in the interest of persuading radio personnel to add the recordings
when they were officially released and made available?
She answered, "Oh, pre-promotion increases an artists' chances of
getting added to a station's roster by up to 80%!" Trying for a self-imposed
backpat, and with one eyebrow raised a la Mr. Spock, I then asked,
"Is this a unique idea I have?" She chuckled (I hate it when they
do that), then answered, "No! Major labels do that all the time!"
Wow! 80%! Just from taking a small amount of time to pre-promote your
recording! Let me explain it a bit further. What most Indie artists
or labels do when seeking attention for their products or services,
mainly media coverage, is to create the traditional news release and/or
press kit.
Next, they locate as many press publications as they can find, then
send the press kit off with their blessings. And, if they're REALLY
feeling brave that day, they will also approach radio and television
contacts.
Okay, this is
great, normal, and nothing wrong with it. We have put the proverbial
horse before the carriage, and not the other way around. But! In
most cases, we have not checked the proverbial reins to insure they
are tight and secure, which in this scenario, represents the pre-promotion
campaign. And, in not doing so, we otherwise might just end up with
an uncontrollable runaway.
Okay, paralleling
the above proverb, the point is that, with a simple execution of
a pre-promotion campaign involving brief introductory contact with
media representatives whom we hope will grant us media coverage,
combined with an appropriate amount of "lead time," we can experience
dramatically greater results when we actually execute the main promotion.
"Lead time"
is a media term that refers to the time frame required before the
publication or airing of a story. An example of "lead time" in the
music business, is the advance release process of a recording. Most
people in the music business have heard the phrases, "release date,"
or "street release date" at least once.
These terms
refer to the actual date that a recording is to be available for
sale in record retail stores in order that fans can purchase them.
The pre-promotion time frame for a recording is, generally, anywhere
from 3-6 months.
Another phrase
for pre-promotion in the music industry is "creating a buzz." Thankfully,
this has absolutely nothing to do with results experienced from
smoking funny-smelling cigarettes not yet legally available over
the counter. :-)
Pre-promotion
can also be described in even more familiar terms; "primer," "warm-up,"
"date before the courtship," and "courtship before marriage." You
get the point.
In other words,
you are "pre-selling" and providing the prospective media representative
with advance mouth- watering information of what is to come in the
interest of piquing his/her interest so that he/she says, "Yeah!
I love it! And my readers/listeners/viewers will love it too!"
Now, taking
this information, execute it online for even greater and faster
results. Just try it...it works!
Kenny
Love. a music industry veteran, has recently opened his international
radio promotion and press publicity services to enable independent
recording artists to grasp a significant foothold on the marketing
of their releases. http://www.kennylove.net
