So my 11th SXSW is now a distant memory... and boy, it was an exhausting one this year! There were over 10,000 registrants, and so much happened my head felt like it was going to explode. At this SXSW I could really see the uprise of the indie in full effect. There were more interesting indie bands and companies than in years before, and this was both overwhelming and inspiring...

In continuing my dialog about how the age of the Internet effects us as artists, I caught up with seasoned publicist Jill Siegel to see how she is coping with the brave new world.... I chose to interview Jill specifically because I really love her approach of pairing artists with charities to make them more multi-facected and appealing to the media as well as to help out organizations that are always in need of as much help as they can get!

So read on and enjoy, and please feel free to send me your story of how aligning with charities has helped YOU.

I myself had a great meeting with WHY (World Hunger Year) last week and I am going to help them bring their work to indie artists looking to put on benefit concerts, so please watch for that in the next Ariel Publicity Band Letter!

By Ariel Hyatt

By the time Jill Siegel launched her Public Relations agency, Jill Siegel Communications (JSC), in 1996, she’d already earned the title of “seasoned professional,” having spent years in Entertainment and Corporate PR, working with a diverse roster of clients, from superstars to developing artists, from rock and pop to R&B, hip hop, classical and jazz performers to large, multi-national corporations and small, independent ones. Versatility was a hallmark of her career, but it was her overall understanding of public relations, marketing and the relationship between the two that truly informed Jill’s perspective.

Her company is a boutique agency that specializes in expansive multi-faceted campaigns that encompass everything from special events to charity alliances. Her company positions artists in a new light to create a different space for them in this ever-changing new world of music and the Internet.

JSC has designed and executed Public Relations campaigns for a diverse roster of clients ranging from the Three Tenors to Hip Hop Impresario Russell Simmons. Jill has worked for independent labels Pure and Necessary, as well as the ESPN X Games and Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan and Funkmaster Flex. JSC has created numerous high profile events, but perhaps it is the introduction of Evelyn Lauder’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation to the New York Jets which is the best example of pr, event and philanthropic synergy

Q: How has the uprise of the independent artist changed what you do for a living?

Jill: The greatest impact that the huge influx of self-released CDs has had on the industry is it gives all artists an opportunity to have their music heard.  From a business perspective it has made the PR process quite difficult because the “weeding out” process has been eliminated.  There used to be layer of tastemakers who would decide what records got released. A&R people at labels used to set the standard.  Now the reality is that that process can be bypassed and the challenges and questions for both sides record buyers and music journalists becomes: What do I listen to? Where do I find music? Is it about who journalists hear from? Is it the luck of the draw when they stick their hand into the huge box of CDs that has arrived that week?

The Internet takes away control from the “official spokesperson” me, and now the Internet makes everyone the official spokesperson b/c when you Google something what is the difference between what is officially released by the artist and their team vs. what is not sanctioned by the artist.

Blogs and ‘Zines are a whole new source for people to get their information and they are not music journalists.

Journalists now have trouble listening to everything they receive.  There are just not enough hours in the day to do so.  So what will make an artist stand out for a music journalist? The artist with the best press kit?  Is it on letterhead from a publicist that they trust? Is it from a major label? Is it from an indie label known for its tastes and history? Or does the band just have a cool name that caught their eye?

Q: What have you changed in your business in the face of 1,000 new CDs coming out every single week?

We have had to change the whole model of how we plan our releases from timing to servicing more outlets to trying to find creative new ways to make the artist stand out based on what they are doing, who they are and their music.  I think it’s a much more comprehensive program because there’s so much competition for space and even though there is so much more additional space available however the tendency is the outlets focus on the biggest artists and it is my job to make the other projects more interesting at an earlier stage.

Q: How do make your artists stand out?

We provide a continuous stream of real news on a consistent basis so the media gets a sense of consistency – so the journalist may not be seeing the artist at the top of the charts or headlining arenas they can see what the artists is doing via other approaches

We are currently working with Sarah Gazarek who on a debut record already has a major cross country promotional tour which incorporated not only her live performances but also incorporates visits to local Universities where she will go into established music programs to discuss giving back and supporting arts education. She will discuss how music and arts programs were critical for her own foundation. Two years out of college she has already been named the Downbeat Collegiate Jazz vocalist of the year and gotten a record deal and has released her first album and is Ambassador for the Music For All Foundation.

http://Music-for-all.org

To me, she is an example of this whole process – Her debut album was not even released yet and there was already a strong buzz – I think this is a great model for an up and coming artist – it’s all about getting journalists to listen and believe that there is a reason to support and write about an artist where the see there is a full story and a well thought out long term plan.  This way when the magazine comes out and says to their writers – we are telling you about this new artist – they want to know that is going to be around for a while. I think that is where other artists tend to miss the boat – they are not thinking of the big picture.

Jill: We request that our artists choose a charity to align themselves with and we work with them on that charity and our firm becomes deeply involved with the charity because we feel if we are going to work this hard to make an artist stand out in this day and age we should be doing it for the good.

Q: Have you always taken this approach?

Jill: No – but in this climate we feel we have had to diversify our approach in order to make it more interesting for everybody.  You can no longer just send out packages.  Actually, I’d like to do a test and send out 200 packages.  My guess is, if the artist is unknown not one journalist would call.  Most journalists would like to expand the coverage but at the end of the day if it’s not in their format it’s just not going to happen.

Q: What else have you done to create more opportunities for your artists?

Jill: The biggest change that has occurred since the Internet has become prevalent is it totally changes the architecture of a media campaign.  A news item can run on a message board on a fan website and this can be the catalyst for blowing an exclusive in Billboard.  This is a challenge because Billboard was always the gold standard when starting a full promotional campaign for an artist.  When you start out in Billboard you reach music industry executives, radio, retail, club owners as well as tastemakers who are going to support the artist as the record grew.  Now the publicist may no longer be the one breaking the story.

Q: How does it feel to know that you are not in as much control as you used to be in the framework of a media campaign?

Jill: It’s a big issue. I had this situation yesterday and I am a music fan first that is how I became a publicist, so I do understand the fan mentality of wanting information on your favorite artist but at the same time I am hired to do what is best for our clients and a lot of what can happen on the Internet is the notion of “I’ve got it first!” without thinking about implications on the artist.

Managing Artist Expectations

Q: What has become the hardest challenge in being a publicist in 2005 - 2006?

Jill: There is perception with all of these new outlets whether it be a new gay television network or new websites or new cable programming that are becoming more accessible, it appears that there are so many more opportunities, but everyone is looking at much of the same thing – I can’t tell you how many times a day my clients say – we would be so perfect for…..  Or I’m sure that X publication would love to have this artist!

When I first start working with clients I ask them what their top 3-5 fantasy placements publications are that they want to get in – then we gather recent pieces that ran in those outlets as close to their genre as possible so they can see A the format, tone and content is and B so that they are not frustrated down the road – sometimes they have not seen the publication in recent years and sometimes they know the pub better than we do and it is always helpful to know when there is new content that I wasn’t aware of – its very hard to read everything that comes out.

I think one of our main responsibilities, as publicist is to be as appropriate w/ journalists as possible.  As a seasoned publicist I am going to know what I am pitching based on research.  The journalist is less frustrated and it makes me a better representative in the end.

I only have a certain amount of time to get the job done (approx 6 months) we feel to make the greatest impact we need at least this amt of time to come in and do things right.

The days of the artist delivering a record and saying – now it’s your turn – are over back in the day the artist put out a record did a small amt of promo and then the album grew legs and walked away

The artist’s job has changed!  The artist can no longer afford to just make the best record possible – now they need to be a partner in all of the elements in their career – it’s a really big part of the job – support this release and execute a really strong plan to ensure that everyone possible can see the best show possible, everyone needs to do everything they can and a full schedule surrounding the release is now critical – the artist is the MAGIC not the marketing team, not the radio guy and not the publicist- the artist now has to be very diligent in picking their team and in trusting their team to put them in the right places so that they can go out and keep working – three months is no longer the norm I think that six months is the minimum I need to get the ball rolling for an artist. An artist should be prepared to expect a 12-month campaign around a new release.

I think that when all is said and done we have chosen to be in a creative business that is a living breathing evolving thing and as much as it is a challenge, it is a great opportunity to figure out ways to have art and artists exposed to a larger audience.  There certainly is something wonderful about the notion that you no longer have to have a record company put an enormous budget behind you to have your music heard but the Q is really at the end of the day if you are an artist making great art will the money find you – that is the bottom line – you need to make money to be able to be a working musician and that is a great life. Artists need to figure out what their end game is – are you looking to be a working artist?  What is the point of releasing a CD -If you just want to play locally and sell CDs then that’s great b/c you don’t need national distribution and huge deals.

As a fan of music I think the Internet has really offered artists incredible opportunity.

The My ya hi song is a perfect example of incredible things that can happen – this song was popular in other countries and was not really taking off here but became an enormous hit when an 18 yr old kid made a video of himself lip-synching to it and posted it on the Internet - and all of a sudden it became the #1 and #3 most downloaded song on iTunes.

There you have it – straight from the lips of a high-profile national publicist who, like all of us, is making changes in her personal business model and in her strategy to stay on top of her game in the new music business.

Ariel