3 Reasons Why Using "For Immediate Release" Is Stupid

 

Let me also preface this by saying that I DO understand what you are hoping to accomplish with FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.  And back when the dudes above where ripping tips from the wire and sprinting to get it to print, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE told 'em "this needs to go out now!"

You know that it really doesn't work like that anymore, right?

If you don't believe me then take some time to really get to know one of those journalists you're constantly roundhousing with releases.  Know what you'll find?  Ten times outta ten, not only is your release not getting looked at, it's probably way too late to begin with...

3 Reasons Why I Think For Immediate Release Is Stupid

• You are assuming that whomever you are sending this to doesn't have anything else to release.  This is terrible because it couldn't be any further from the truth.  Like I said, make some time to sit down and talk to a journalist.  They are literally inundated with releases, more than ever before. Cut-backs have most performing more than one job.  Your last second release is a literal asshole line-crowder.  And nobody likes a line crowder.
• There is a 99% chance your release is about something salesy and not really of news to the general public.  I'm totally guessing here so feel free to slap me upside the head in the comments, but take a good look at your release.  Is it really news?  Seriously.  Look at it.  Is it really news?  Or is it some remade version of an event announcement that you hope the "press will get wind of and give you some free mention in the paper"?  If the latter is indeed the case and I'm in the small percentage of journalists that take your FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE seriously enough the look at the rest of the release, guess what?  I'm probably never gonna look at another one of your releases...ever.
  
• There is an 84.2% chance you haven't done crap else to get folks to your event.  For Immediate Release is desperate as hell.  Mostly because you are probably sending the release out at the last second, so - in a desperate attempt to get this out NOW, you slap FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE at the top.  Here's a nutty idea:  How about you put some of the promotional burden on yourself and do something else to promote your event?  And no, I'm not talking about what you do for the 4-6 weeks leading up to the event, I'm talking about what you do all the damn time.  Do you blog regularly?  Do you publish any other sort of content?  Is it regular practice for you to host events? 

Here is the deal, and I'm going to be bold here so bear with me:  unless you have built great two-way relationships with certain members of the local press DO NOT spend your time crafting and blasting a spray-and-pray FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE press releases.

They won't look at it. 

Try this instead.  Next time you are hit with the urge to vomit a press release, count to 10, pick up the phone, and then ask a local journalist out to lunch or coffee.  While you're at lunch, don't even talk about your event - just get to know her.  If said journalist is too busy, drop off some food/coffee or mail them a little note with a gift card attached.

Then, after you've done this with a few journalists in your area, get them all together for a networking event at your place - no pitching at all from you - just an event to get everyone together.  

By sort of flipping the media funnel and approaching the relationship this way, you'll get to know their needs - essentially helping you hyper-target your releases and actually getting a few of them to print.

It's Not Just Music, You're Creating Lifelong Bonds

Me (middle) with my buddies PJ and Brian of Yellow Light Maybe

My digital buddy Dave Cool inspired me to go back to my roots every so often.  So I'm gonna.

And in some ways this applies to the small business owner in general, but I'm mainly thinking of my musician friends here.  You guys are the ones more often creating mini-events that not only bring folks together in good or like-minded spirits, but mini-events that also give them something they yearn for:  good times and music.  And maybe a few drinks.

Here's my question to you:

You ever take a second to look around at all the friendships and life-long bonds that you are in part, if not totally responsible for?

I haven't been steadily on the road for a couple years now and I still see facebook posts and pictures from individuals that met at one of my festivals or one of my shows - years ago.  Even some bands that I brought together that are still at it playing great shows with one another, bringing their respective fanbases together and having a blast.

Now, a couple years removed, when I look back at my time playing music, the bonds I have helped create are one of the top things I'm most proud of.  Seriously.  Not the five albums I wrote and recorded, not the fact that I did exactly what I set out to do with music - it's the relationships and stories I helped create via a few fleeting melodies in my head. 

Someone once told me that as we look back at our time here, the only thing that really matters - the only thing that truly holds weight is our legacy and the memories we leave behind. 

If that is true, then I can't think of a more fulfilling legacy than to have created dozens, if not hundreds of friendships and experiences that may not have existed otherwise.

Think about that next time you're in-between songs at your show.  Look out upon the crowd and just give yourself a second to see the people having a great time together that wouldn't have been doing so otherwise.  Then, periodically scan the social webs to see folks that have gotten married, that are dating, that are going on vacations together or checking out other musicians - all because you brought them together.

That's your legacy, man. 

Remember that the next time you get down on yourself for not "making it"...k?

3 Reasons Venue Owners Should Call Bands Back

One of my fav venues in the midwest. 400 Bar in Minneapolis. PHOTO CREDIT: Todd Peterson

I don't want to blindly clump "venue owners" into this, but technically if you aren't doing anything to change this behavior then, well - you are just as guilty.

Venue owners, booking agents, bar managers that handle the calendar:  You guys are only hurting yourselves by  not being up front with the bands calling your club.

Here's why:

#1  You are pissing on the very customer base that your club relies on

Whether you realize this or not, you are.  In most cases, we are talking about local bands that are regular customers that are also a bullhorn for other customers.

By ignoring phone calls and making yourself hard to track down, you are ignoring a customer base and worse, silencing the bullhorns.

#2  You are ignoring a tremendous opportunity to build a scene around your club

Imagine for a minute that you took just 15 extra minutes each day to call a band back that you did not plan on booking.  In that phone call you were straight up with them and you let them know why you did not plan on booking them and you had a few encouraging words.

You would be helping foster a scene with your club as the epicenter. 

"It's not my job to give bands feedback"  blah, blah, blah. 

It's also not your job to help your buddy move or that lady cross the street, but you do it anyway because it's the right thing to do and it builds community.

And you know what happens when you build a scene around your club?  That brings us to #3

#3  You are ignoring a tremendous opportunity to build your club as THE PLACE TO PLAY.

Think by being impossible to track down and hard to get ahold of makes your club an elite venue? 

Wrong.

Scarcity doesn't always create demand in this scenario.

You only become THE PLACE TO PLAY when EVERYONE wants to play your club.  If you are known as someone that is helpful and scene nurturing then you increase your chances of this happening by ten fold.

Everytime you dodge that phone call, everytime you bump that band, everytime you cancel with no feedback - you lose customers.

Look around you.  Chances are you work in a dump of a building that resembles a basement somewhere in a dilapidated building.  You don't have built in clientele...you need to build them and keep them. 

You don't do that by being a d*ck all day.

That's my partial rant. 

Oh, wait.  Once you DO book said bands, can you stop promising a "percentage of bar sales?" 

You and everyone else knows you have never paid out on that promise.  And if you do, you know you've skimped it before. 

Seacrest, out.

Music Career Over? 11 Professional Skills You Have Gained In Your Pursuit

Kind of funny now that I look back on it.  I remember always saying "I'll always play music, nothing will change..."

Then fast forward to my son being born.  The rest of the band looked at me and said "So what are you gonna do?"

I said "What do you mean?  I'm gonna do what I've always done...play music."

Nope. 

Didn't count on actually wanting to watch my son grow up and work on the relationship between my wife and I.

So, I had to hit the streets for a day job.  I was a bit lost at first.  Then it hit me, I did have real skills...

Actually, let's cut to the chase - here are some hard business skills you may have gained or will gain in the next few years:

#1 Developing and Implementing a Marketing Strategy

#2 Public Relations do's and don'ts

#3 Copywriting

#4 Social Media

#5 Email Marketing

#6 Product Launches

#7 Sales

#8 Graphic Design

#9 Web Design

#10 Negotiation

#11 Event Planning/Marketing

Pretty good, huh?  Look at that.  Assuming you have spent any significant amount of time running your own business with music you HAVE EXPERIENCE in these areas now.

Why am I illustrating this? 

Because at some point in your life, maybe not anytime soon, but someday - there is a chance that you will not be playing much music anymore.  Which means, yep, you are gonna need to find a day job. 

Why?  Well, a number of factors.  Maybe you got married and had children and realized you wanted to spend more time with them.  Maybe music wasn't paying the bills anymore, maybe you just grew weary of treating your art as a "job."

Whatever the reason, you NEED to realize that the skills you have gained ARE RELEVANT to "real world" business.  And as long as you can polish your professional demeanor a bit, you do not have to settle for delivering pizzas.  Unless of course you really love delivering pizzas.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that. 

In fact, these skills you have gained are a bit more impressive because chances are you gained these skills through possessing a creative entrepreneurial spirit, something not everyone has. 

And provided you find a job you are passionate about - that spirit is unmatched in the workplace. 

READ SETH GODIN'S LINCHPIN yet? 

His entire book is about YOU.  Yep, you.  The creative, emotional laborer...people like us are in demand now.  Upper level Execs are starting to realize that blind compliance by employees gets them no-where. 

They need ARTISTS.  But not just artists.  Artists that know how to ship.  No, Seth isn't not talking about UPS, he is talking about putting your ideas into motion, moving them forward, and not being afraid to fail.  It's actually another skill you've gained that should be on the list above.

So  PLEASE view these skills you have gained as relevant.  DO NOT downplay them because you were "in a band."  It makes me sick to see people do this.  And frankly, it's a little offensive to me when I catch a snide comment about my experience stemming from a music career as if I just d*cked around in my mom's basement for 5 years. 

It's WAY more real world than experience you will gain in a marketing or business program at a college.  Trust me, I'm living proof. 

My son was born a couple years ago which cut down on my tour time.  Then, after helping me in my career for 5 years we decided it was my wife's turn to focus on hers...that meant it was pretty much time to hang it up.  At the time I had no relevant degree for business (Psychology) and no big organization references.

But, I did have clients (sponsors) that would give me a reference.  And I did have quantifiable skills (list above).  Throw them on a resume, stand proud, be prepared to talk and I promise you'll be golden.

Need some examples of what I mean from the above list?  Leave a comment below and let's get the party started ;)  I didn't want this post to be too terribly long, figured I would just field some questions if you had them.

PHOTO Source:  manshionfiles.net

Colin Gawel's Rock and Roll Stimulus Plan: Part 1 & 2

Thought I would "phone" this one in today.  I did a guest post over at Reverbnation's blog, so I kind of maxed out my original posts for the week ;)

Seriously though, I thought this was interesting and wanted to pass it along to you. 

In the videos below Colin Gawel talks about his thoughts on how we can bring local music back to the forefront, why the album is dead, and then he actually shares some actionable ideas for you.  And he knows what he is talking about.  He's not just some dude in his kitchen spouting off ideas.  Along with having an entrepreneurial mind (he's a small biz owner) his former project, Watershed, did everything from release their own records to recording a couple for Epic.  So he has seen the top, bottom, and everything in between. 

Anyways, enough blabber from me - videos below.