| Issue 10.5 : Music |
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In the music industry, talent isn’t always enough to carry a new act. You can be the most gifted performer of the century, but it won’t do you any good if no one knows about you. At a certain point, most artists come to the realization that they can’t be full-time rock stars and also their own press machines — and that’s where publicists come in. Whenever you hear about a new “overnight sensation”, there’s probably been a publicist working tirelessly for months to make it happen.
“Liz Rosenberg [Madonna's U.S. publicist] has a book on her desk called How to Do Music Publicity. But when you open it up, it's blank inside,” says Warner Music Publicist Fernando Aguilar. “The joke is that there's no way to do it.”
New York City Publicist Andy Reynolds of Penetration, Inc. says, “Artists don't have the time to do everything for themselves. And unless you're really savvy about Internet marketing and webpage maintenance, you'll need a professional publicist.”
Reynolds began his PR career as General Manager at Popular Records (distributed by BMG) and later served in the same capacity for legendary dance label West End Records. West End was owned by prominent AIDS activist Mel Cheren, founder of Gay Men's Health Crisis and financial backer of the legendary club Paradise Garage.
“At an indie label, each employee usually wears several hats,” explained Reynolds. “Popular Records needed PR, but I didn't feel like the existing agencies knew dance music well enough to represent it seriously - so I decided to take it on myself.” Reynolds later ended up doing the exact same thing for West End Records, so founding his own PR firm seemed like the next logical step.
One of Reynolds' first projects was Jeff Stryker's mini-album, Pop You In the Pooper. Reynolds was recruited for the project by his former manager, Jim Beatty. He attempted to hype the project in the only way he could — with humor. Reynolds created some great packaging, but unfortunately Stryker took issue with being labeled as gay. Reynolds recalls telling Stryker, “You've been fucking guys in the ass on worldwide video for the last twenty years. It ain't a secret anymore.”
After the Jeff Stryker job, Reynolds worked on a diverse range of projects with labels such as King Street Sounds, Trax, Defected Records, Irma Records, and Tommy Boy Silver. His clients have included Bob Sinclar, Arling & Cameron, Lady Bunny, GusGus, The L-Word, and rising star Naommon. Today, Reynolds continues to amass an impressive client list that includes some of New York City's hottest underground acts including Ultra Naté, The Ones, Cazwell, and Colton Ford — all of whom are managed by the resident genius at Peace Bisquit, Bill Coleman. In addition, Reynolds has handled gay press for queer rocker Bob Mould, the Cliks, and transsexual superstar Amanda Lepore. When asked about how he's been able to build up such a fantastic clientele, Reynolds said, “I track down the stuff I like and then I go beat the door down - whether it's the new Yello album or Billy Ray Martin's amazing new project, The Opiates.”
That ability to win people over is one of the keys to being a great publicist. In the same way that he wins clients, he wins over journalists and new fans for his artists. It's a valuable service that almost every artist will eventually need. Luckily, packages can be designed around almost any budget. Reynolds works on retainer, as well as making special arrangements on a project by project basis. With his keen eye for new talent, he's even been known to work pro bono for unknowns, simply out of his love for the music.
Publicity is changing rapidly due to the Internet, but good publicists always try to stay one step ahead of the curve. Fernando Aguilar at Warner Music has seen huge changes in the industry since he started out ten years ago. “There are less and less outlets for musicians. Music publicity used to be laid out much more simply, but now it calls for a lot more creative thinking.” Andy Reynolds agrees and says that he's dead set against stuffy PR tactics. “I'd sooner French kiss Bush than send out a trite, hype-ridden press release. Humor, please! If you can make people laugh, you're in.”
Reynolds lists ample lead-time and tight concepts as two of the keys to a successful release. “It's important to have lots of great photographs, because today's consumers are visually oriented,” he says. “You also need good artwork, a well-honed concept, some slammin' music, and a hot music video.” Reynolds prefers to have as many tools at his disposal as possible. Before taking on a project, Reynolds always asks his potential clients the big question, “Are you sure you’ve got your shit together?”
Despite the increasing importance of online marketing campaigns, good publicity often comes down to just beating the pavement. “Liz Rosenberg,” says Aguilar, “still has to go out and sell every one of her clients — even when it's Madonna.” Both Aguilar and Reynolds agree that today's music publicists are very focused on branding. As Aguilar explained, “It means making sure that each project is tailored to its audience. You have to know who the journalists are and what will pique their interest.”
Besides his publicity firm, Andy has also hosted a popular East Village Radio podcast for over three years. For a peak at some of tomorrow's biggest stars, check it out. You can also visit the Penetration, Inc. website or MySpace page for more information.
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