I love this ad campaign. It’s been very funny especially the hot breakfast bar one with the plate of bacon. Creating marketing that truly sticks is tough but Holiday Inn has pulled it off nicely. It got the wheels turning in my head for sure!
This one is a new ad apparently. I have yet to see it air on TV. Check it out and sound off in the comments.
Today I received a package with CDs inside for review. Every day is about the same, I get anywhere from 1-5 review packages. This one was “special” however because I had to PAY to receive it! What?!?!
POSTAGE DUE
Don’t ever ever send anyone you want support from a package without the proper and correct postage on it. I am an understanding a forgiving guy when it comes to stuff but this one made me upset. Seriously.
Don’t be like this guy.
The other day I received a coverage solicitation. Names have been removed.
Hello my name is [removed] and i am the Music Manger of [removed] and [removed] please review the intro. bio of both artist and also go to there page and listen to there music at myspace.com/ [removed] myspace.com/ [removed] can call me direct or email me [removed] cell number is [removed]
I’m no English Major myself but… this is my first impression of you! You’re a “Manger”? Spell check homey! I’m not trying to pick on folks but you’ve got to do a better job at presenting yourself. This is the stuff that people at magazines laugh about during break times. We get stuff like this all the time. It’s not only a waste of my time but yours too.
When you put yourself out there on your own or someone elses behalf, are you sloppy? Professional? Consider stuff like that before you hit “send mail” or before you seal up that mail package.
This entry is inspired by various emails I’ve read in the past 2 weeks from artists/labels in our scene and also in the mainstream.
Can it be hit single… if nobody has ever heard it, it hasn’t charted and you haven’t mailed it to radio?
Can it be a classic record… if you’ve mailed it to only a few niche websites without a trusted history? Or sites that call everything “classic” in the loosest sense possible?
Can an artist be a superstar… if I asked 100 avid fans of the genre and only a handful have even heard of you much less experienced your music?
A problem here is of outlandish claims and at times 100% dishonest marketing. It happens all the time in our scene and in the music industry in general. Telling such fibs to your fans is one thing, believing them yourself is the most dangerous part of the fib. Believing your own hype creates complacency, laziness and poor stewardship tendencies. A potential fan is going to be turned off pretty quickly and dismiss it as over-hyped. It’s too common and needs to change.
Let radio chart positions tell the story for you. Let a very broad base media decide if your record is worthy of the labeling “classic”. Let the masses decide if you’re a “superstar”. It’s better that way anyways. It’s not of your own doing and will have some beneficial lasting power (the “superstar” thing being whatever).
Besides, if you need to tell people you are something… you probably aren’t.
You know the type… the artist that has only one ambition… to promote his/her music and that’s about it. It comes before caring for others in various forum communities and also at the true expense of effectively promoting their music. People are quick to dismiss or otherwise ignore such a face time strategy. I know better, I learned it the hard way many many years ago.
As a person who wants to see more folks succeed, it bums me out when I see artists posting stuff up on every forum on the planet while ignoring the better opportunities available to them. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because it’s:
I don’t really know how to help fix the issue. When I see it happening and have a relationship with the person doing it, I try to step in and give some loving advice.
When I started to look at the bigger picture I learned that it might be okay for now but the truth was that I was marginalizing what I was trying to share with the world. You become “that guy” who just posts his messages and doesn’t actually interact with anyone. While I do still make the rounds, I do my best to be a genuine participant in each community. Making friends and building relationships… maybe that’s what is worthwhile after all. Think about it.
Most people who are into music (and various other goods) are well intentioned people when it comes to consuming it. You’ve got others who find no wrong in ‘sharing’ this music with others… without permission to do so and often very much against the wishes of those who created it. Why?
I’ll detail a few reasons I’ve done some thinking on…
It’s easy to steal – If something is easy to do and seems to also be a ‘social norm’ then it becomes like a white lie. If it doesn’t really hurt someone, it’s not so bad right? Besides, if you’re not being caught and there are no felt penalties… it’s easy to become complacent in feeling okay about it. The trouble is that if you apply the same thinking to other things, the same person wouldn’t do it.
It’s free – There is no cost to it. The common rationale is that “I’ll try it and if I like it, I’ll buy it.” Really? It makes one wonder what the follow through rate on such justification.
This also points to a weakness in the promotional department for many artists/labels. Are you offering previews? How about a free song or two? One would assume that simply offering the chance to preview the tunes would discourage a certain amount of piracy and even sell more music in legitimate fashion.
It’s just a few bucks – Well, sort of. You can find a plethora of spots selling pirated music that pay ZERO royalties to those they sell music of. You know, full albums for a dollar or unlimited songs for like 7 cents each. Most based out of an Eastern European nation or even Russia. If it’s too good to be true — it is. Plus knowing these unscrupulous types, you’ll also end up with some bonus “junk” on your computer.
I can’t afford it – Try that at the grocery store, or the car dealership, or at the video rental store… just because it’s downloadable, doesn’t mean you can take it. Again, rationalization downplaying what the act does is dangerous.
It’s out of print or I can’t find it for sale – Most of the time this is a legitimate excuse. Sometimes it’s simply laziness. Especially in our niche of the hip-hop scene, it’s not too hard to find a copy at an online store such as Sphere of Hip-Hop. Sometimes an email to a retailer like Sphere will shed details on the products availability.
I can speak for Sphere in saying, we stock deeply and make every effort to keep pushing older titles. Why? Because if we’re selling… you’re finding past releases AND the artist is usually encouraged to keep the title available… because it sells! This is really where the piracy bug hurts. Sales are down and there is no disputing it. Those albums that are years old may now not be worth printing more copies because of the pace of sale. I know from experience that I think twice when it comes to spending $2,000 on printing another run of CDs that will take years to break even on AND have more boxes taking up space. Consider this from the perspective of an artist or record label and now you’ve got some insight into why albums go “out of print”.
I’ll drop a second installment soon with some ideas and suggestions. Enjoy your hip-hop responsibly.
Two emails I received
Maybe it’s merely a product of the volume of email I receive… Today I found a message in my news submissions (only) inbox requesting information on a review. To find that inbox, the submitter needed to ignore what the button said and what the entire page said. In addition, the entire message was one run-on sentence. I’m no English Major but I do try to make it easy to read and comprehend my communication. Isn’t that the point of communicating anyway? Needless to say, I deleted it without response. I don’t have time right now to chase people down to do their job correctly.
A few days ago I received another email requesting airplay. No information, no punctuation, no full words (“yo” in place of “your”), no capitalization… very unprofessional. Deleted.
Here is the jewel…
This doesn’t work. If this is you, change. If you don’t know how to present yourself to media and radio people then by all means learn how from someone who does. Moreover, be teachable. I shake my head at artists that “have it all figured out” and yet continue to make major mistakes.
Would you go to a job interview with dirty disheveled looking clothing and with your hair all jacked up? I doubt it. Well, this is essentially the perception I get of people when receiving sloppy submissions. At least I am understanding of it and am willing to look past it. Most others will not. You’ll get the delete button or the trash can with the quickness.
Once you have something of a relationship with an organization, then you probably have a bit more grace for being casual.
If you’re not willing to spend the time to do stuff properly, don’t waste other peoples time. Keep in mind… these people are doing you a big service.
When sending emails to media and radio folk, myself included, please make sure you provide the necessary information needed to make a coverage/airplay decision.
Here are some actual emails I’ve received.
Submission email:
“I love your site. Please cover my music.”
I’m thinking:
“What? Who? Where do I learn more? Why do I have to track you down to find out more? At least give me enough to make a decision.”
Submission email:
“Yo son!!!!! Pleze cover my muzic fa realz! (insert 4 line unintelligible run-on sentence here).”
I’m thinking:
“Huh?” One of the reason some media and radio will not feature you is because of how you present yourself. How you talk amongst your friends is not the best way to present yourself to a person who may not know anything about you. Oh and turn on your spell check before you click send.
Another tip…
Be personal and build a relationship. These folks owe you nothing and in most cases it cost them money to provide a free service (coverage or airplay) to you. It’s also not your birth rite to be guaranteed coverage or airplay. Earn it. Take it seriously and act accordingly. I am more likely to feature music from an artist who has taken the time to get to know me and shows sincere effort to maintain that. I’ll go the extra mile for them.
Follow and respect submission rules each spot has set up. It’s usually not for trivial reasons but to make it easier for them to support you. Remember, these people owe you nothing and are providing a tremendous service with great value for you. All it costs you is a few bucks to mail a CD or two out for exposure to anywhere from thousands to 10s of millions of people. Sounds like good bang for the buck. Take it seriously.
Say thank you. Did someone add you to their radio show? Say thanks. Did a magazine or website feature your music? Say thanks. 90% of the time, I hear nothing from artists/labels after we feature their material. Let your fans know where they can read more about your music. Send links out to album reviews you’ve received. Let them know what radio shows and stations are playing your stuff. It’s smart to do on two fronts… informs your fans and also provides a small boost to the media/radio outlet.
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