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NOVEMBER 2010 TAXI Road Rally 2009

Marketing Your Music Online Panel, Part 4
Moderated by Dan Kimpel PANELIST S
Tony van Veen – CEO, Discmakers and CD Baby Ariel Hyatt – President, Ariel Publicity Debra Russell – Life coach, marketing specialist Bob Baker – Author, Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook

Note: The first two paragraphs are repeated from part three of the panel in order to give you context. – Ed. Ariel: At my company we do two things. We are a PR firm, and we do place our musicians online, on blogs and podcasts, and radio stations. I read thousands of blogs so you don’t have to, and I can cut through the noise and help you get placed. But the only type of client we will take on is a type of client who is willing to understand that when I go away and I’m no longer your publicist for the three or four months that you’ve retained me, the Internet goes on. So this goes back to that conversation of like, “I just hate this so much, I want someone else to do it.” I can read all the blogs for you, I can get you some very important placements online, but the truth is, what feeds all of online publicity is social media. So if you flat-out refuse to participate on Facebook or on Twitter, if you refuse to update your website so that it works in a way that’s having a two-way conversation with your audience, you are a terrible client for me. We have plenty of artists that hire me to do that stuff, and we’ll do it well for three months, and you’ll end up dying in obscurity as everyone else catches on to how to use these things. So my ideal client—and we work with every genre, every level, independent, signed, small, big, everything—is the type of client who says, “OK,

The Online Marketing panelists striking a group pose. (L to R) Dan Kimpel, Tony van Veen, Ariel Hyatt, Debra Russell, and Bob Baker.

I don’t understand exactly how to use all these things, but I’m willing to learn.” Ariel: In a sense, we’re educating you as well as doing the marketing work for you. And if you hear that someone has a great reputation—like a radio plugger or a publicist or a coach or any type of marketing person—if you don’t resonate well with that person… You guys are in control, I work for you. If I don’t feel good to you, or if my tone doesn’t work for you, or if you don’t want me to be the fourth, fifth, or sixth member of your band, absolutely don’t put me on your team. Not everybody’s style works for everyone; not everybody’s vision works for everyone. So what my company does might work for a lot of artists, and it might not be what you’re ready for. I think what happens is—especially in this music business where it’s so hard to get anyone on the phone, and it’s so frustrating to get one more rung up the ladder, when you actually get someone—especially a marketing or publicity or promotions person. We are in the service-based

business. It’s like, I take your money, it’s a monthly retainer, I’m not invested, I don’t get points, I don’t get publishing. I’m like… Wow, I was going to say something really harsh. But I’m a work-for-hire, as it were. [laughter] But the truth of the matter is, you guys are in the power position there, and you should understand that when you’re going to hire any type of marketing person. Debra: Including your agent and your manager. They work for you. Ariel: Just because they’re a manager and they’re an effective manager, you don’t like them. Think about how that’s gonna feel when they pick up the phone and try to talk to anyone on your behalf. So remember that those people are always speaking toward you and for you. Debra: And I want to add one other thing. You have to remember with all of this you are delegating, not abdicating. It’s your responsibility; it’s your business. And to a certain level, you Continued on page 52
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Recording - November 2010

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