On Writing Awesome Press Releases for the Music Industry

Over the last several months, Lauren and I, as new public relation practitioners, have been offering our readers tips on social media outlets that work best for promoting bands and musical groups. In this final post, we want to review just how you write a great press (or news) release for this industry. The press release is the “gold standard” in PR writing. It’s the best and most often used tool for getting a message out there.

            So how do you start a release for a band? First, you MUST follow the same formatting as for any standard press release. The rules for writing for public relations promise that if the format is not followed, the story is sure to go right into the trash before it can be read. Second, make sure that whatever "angle" you’re going for is newsworthy and can catch the attention of the media gatekeeper - and readers. No one will read past the lead if it does not garner attention.

           If this sounds familiar, you're correct in assuming that these tips work for any release regardless of industry or topic. What's so different? You must interview the band or artist and get all of the information you can gather from them. You want to know most importantly the name of the band, the names of the members, what kind of music do they play and the date and time of their next show. You want to make sure you double or even triple check this information and the spelling of the names. Yourself as a writer and the publication that runs your story will lose credit faster than you can blink if there are misspellings or incorrect information in your press release.

            It’s really not that hard to write a press release concerning a band, you just have to find the right angle you want to incorporate into your story. You also want to make sure that the angle is something that readers want to know about, something compelling, interesting and will grab the reader’s attention. With press releases for bands you can also be slightly more laid back in what you write about because the music industry is more laid back than say if you’re writing a press release about St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital. The information in those press releases are extremely serious and not to be taken lightly in any way shape or form. With music it’s about having fun, things are not as stuffy and 100% by the book. Just keep in mind these few tips for writing the press release for a band or artist and you will do just fine.

              If you still have questions about writing a press release for a band or artist check out this great article at eHow.

              Keep on Rockin',             Lauren and Brittany

"Facing" the facts about Facebook and music

        It's time to face the facts: The music industry is not the same as it was 10 years ago.

        Is this good news or bad?

        It may be both. While music retailers like Circuit City and Peaches may have lost their share of the market, technology and social media are making it easier to connect the music industry to its publics.

         For years, as Napster caused record labels to lose profitability, music executives feared that the ability to share music online would be the death of the recording industry.

         They may have been right to some extent...but for every death there is a new birth. In this case, the convergence of social technology and the music industry has spawned new markets.
         Facebook is among the first social networks to take the initiative in the aftermath of the Napster war. Facebook CTO Bret Taylor said, "Music was destined to be a big part of Facebook's strategy because it is tied to people's identities."

             Facebook's vision was to create a space where people can learn things from their friends and sharing the music they love was always part of the vision.

            Despite the resistance from record labels, newer music companies are now scrambling to attract as many Facebook fans and users as possible.

           Steven Levy offered his insight in, "Facebook, Spotify and the Future of Music" at Wired.com. For a look at the full article, click HERE. Thanks for tuning in to this first chapter in Facebook's historic impact on this industry. 

What Can You Do with Music on Facebook?

           Not only can users express interest in their favorite artists on Facebook but the network has partnered with 16 different music services (including Spotify, Rhapsody and VEVO). On Facebook users can stream music, listen with their friends, and artists can create pages to showcase, sell and share their own music with other fans.
          How is this changing the job of publicity managers? PR practitioners can more easily target each artist's audience through social media. Facebook is the largest social network which means it reaches more music consumers than some traditional PR tactics.  
        Social media tools like Facebook provide platforms where consumers and musicians come together in the cloud. Facebook is now linked to tools we've discussed in past posts -  Reverbnation, Spotify and even  Myspace has a music app on Facebook.
         Let's face it - Facebook is quickly becoming a one-stop-shop for content and the music industry lie many others needs to take advantage of every opportunity to keep its publics engaged.

Until next week, keep rockin' n rollin'!

Lauren & Brittany