The Business of Ska, Part Two: Ariel Publicity's Ariel Hyatt
By Megan Garrity
Easy*Life Ska
For the second in our four part series on the business side of Ska, I conducted an interview with Ariel Hyatt, the
President of Ariel Publicity. Her company just celebrated it's 3rd year in business, and their roster includes such
quality ska acts as Bim Skala Bim and Skavoovie and the Epitones.
How many years has Ariel Publicity been operating?
We just celebrated our third birthday this past March.
What made you want to get into publicity?
During my first year of college I began to look at what I liked to do. A close friend of my family was the Vice
President of a fashion PR firm based in New York City, where I grew up. At the time, I was very interested in
fashion and he thought I would make a natural publicist. He offered me a summer internship. The firm
represented some of the top designers and was responsible for producing fashion shows and special events.
After my first summer I was invited back for a second, then a third. During my Junior year of college, I realized
that the music business was much more interesting to me than the fashion industry but I still really enjoyed
Public Relations. I was really in love with music, I loved going to see live music and I was a theatre major, so I
was surrounded by people who were performing. So when I graduated I started looking for a publicity /
promotions job in music.
What was the first band you represented?
The first band that I represented all on my own was a local Funk, R & B, Hip Hop fusion band from Denver called
Lord of Word and the Disciples of Bass.
Did you find it any harder to break into the business being a woman in a typically "boys club" scene (or is
that just my perception)?
The music industry in general is a very hard industry to break into. I found it was hard to get a job after college,
everyone I interviewed with wanted me to work for free and I had already done three years of internships. So
just the getting my foot in the door part was a challenge. This industry can be like a boys club, especially the
radio side of it, where I started out. It didn't take me long to realize radio was not at all my thing, so I quickly left
that job and started looking into PR firms where I knew women were in charge. The reality is a vast majority of
publicists in the music business are women. Publicity is a place where women dominate and excel. I think this is
due to the fact that women are great communicators and this is a very social job where attention to detail and
timing is crucial.
What exactly is the role of a publicist?
A publicist is responsible for exposing the band to the media. It is the publicist's job to generate a "buzz" or a
story and get it written about in newspapers, magazines, fanzines, on TV, and in some cases on the radio. If
you open any magazine on any topic - fashion, music, sports etc. and you see a product featured as the best
suntan lotion on the market, or a bathing suit on a model in a fashion layout, the trendy look in sunglasses for
the season, or a list of the top places to get a facial, this is all the work of publicists who have worked hard to
educate the writer about whatever the product they represent can offer the public. A music publicist must make
sure the band looks good on paper - write a band biography and create a press kit that is attractive and easy to
digest in a short amount of time. A music publicist must know what writers will like and pitch them not only the
music that the band plays but also the story behind the music. Hopefully the band has something interesting
that is worthy of a good story. We represent a band (Podunk) that have been best friends since they were in
kindergarten. We represent another band that played their own high school prom (Skavoovie and the Epitones)
These are things that grab writers as interesting and they can write a story not only based on the music but also
on the musicians who create it. A publicist is also the voice of the band. It is my job to get on the phone and sell
the band to entertainment editors who sometimes receive 100 CDs per week. It is my job to be nice and
courteous and to the point with writers who are under a lot of pressure to turn our articles week after week.
What's a day at the office like for you?
I usually work between a 10 and a 12 hour day. Most of my day is spent on the telephone pitching ideas to
writers, and because I also am a booking agent I book shows for three of our bands into clubs across the
country. I talk to our bands and to their record labels about setting up interviews with the press that request
them. At the beginning and end of the day I spend my time writing press releases and creating media kits,
drafting proposals for new clients and answering e-mails.
Do you have any staff? How many and what are their responsibilities?
I have two full time staff members - Jen and Lalena (and as many interns as possible). Both of them are primarily
publicists and they do much of the same things that I do. They both spend most of their days on the phone.
Lalena is a full time publicist and Jen is also responsible for accounts payable and invoicing and the financial
side of things.
Do you decide which bands to represent, or do the bands choose you? It is very mutual. Many bands
approach us and if we like their music and we have the time to take on the account we accept. We have also
approached a few bands that we really liked when we saw them live as well.
How do you build your roster?
Mostly by word of mouth. Bands recommend us to their friends - that is how our ska and swing rosters got so big
- the ska and swing band communities are tight knit and one band led us to the next. Sometimes when we are
really in love with a band we go after them as well.
Do the bands pay for Ariel Publicity or do you work out deals with the labels?
Both. Depends on whether or not the band has a label.
How much contact do you have with bands vs. labels?
It really depends on the band or the label. Some are a lot more hands-on about their approach and they call us
frequently to check in and see how progress is coming along. Some prefer to sit back and wait for us to call them
when an interview arises or when a new show is confirmed.
Without giving away trade secrets, what is your approach to publicizing a band?
Before we mail anything out - we strategize. This involves figuring out which writers in which areas should be
receiving the information and CD. If the bands budget allows we try to come up with cool promotional items or
special additions to the press kit. Next we put together a press kit - band info, bio, photo etc. and then we send
them out. We wait about a week for the writers to receive the information, then we start calling, faxing and
e-mailing them until we get a response - a yes or no answer. We treat each CD we mail out like a child, we really
want to find out what happened to it and what the opinion of the writer is. Even if they hated the CD I want to
know the answer so we can report it back to the client.
I dug the lollipops you gave out last fall - how'd they work?
They worked to the extent that we could say - "you know the CD with the lollipop included" and this sparked
writer's memories a bit. It is hard to make your clients stand out when writers are receiving 100 press kits per
week - this is the case with a lot of publications.
How did the recent ska fad impact your business?
It helped our business quite a bit - there were a lot of ska bands out there jumping on the bandwagon and many
of them joined our roster - it was a great time because the mainstream press became very interested in anything
Ska - unfortunately what goes up must come down and now it is very difficult to garner press. I think it will get
better in a few more months after more ska bands break up and get off the road.
Where do you see Ariel Publicity in the next few years?
I'm not really sure - I do this work because I love what I do and so do my employees. We have a deep love for
our bands' music and for them as people. How many publicists can say that their clients regularly say I love you
before hanging up the phone at the end of a conversation? This company has grown a lot in the 3 years since it
was created and I only see it growing stronger and better.
As far as a publicist is concerned, what's the role the ska fan plays in your business?
I couldn't do a lot of what I do without the fans. I know this sounds corny but it is often the fans who make our
jobs - which can be stressful and frustrating better. I love it when I get e-mails from fans asking when my ska
bands are coming through town. I love it when fans call me and tell me to stay away from clubs that are not
friendly to all ages shows or to try out a new venue, fanzine or newspaper, or to stay away from certain
promoters. This helps me tremendously and let's me know that there is a reason to keep doing the work that I
do. The other reason why I like hearing from Ska fans is because I am a huge fan myself. I spent my youth
going to see The Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, The NY Citizens and countless others play shows. If only the internet
existed 12 years ago, I would have been e-mailing publicists and agents the way dedicated ska fans do with me.