We’re feeling a bit guilty due to the lack of articles we’ve posted lately (rest assured there are a number of good ones in the pipeline), so here are a few highlights from live footage we’ve gathered over the last 6 months or so. If you want more, check out our You Tube Channel. Enjoy 
Christa Vi @ The Lock
The Colours @ Silver Bullet
The Killgirls @ Psychosocial
Vetoes @ Heroes
The Dark Lights @ Firebug
The Recusants @ Bull & Gate
Sam from Friday Night Fist Fight looks like he’s won the fight – photo supplied.
Friday Night Fist Fight is not an indie version of “The Voice”. Thank goodness. Instead it’s a fun monthly gig night in Shoreditch, where you can catch some amazing up and comers in a welcoming environment. We’ve had a number of great nights there ourselves, so were pretty chuffed to have a quick catch up with founder Sam Bathe.
What is the history of Friday Night Fist Fight?
We started off with a weekly Monday night slot at Madame JoJo’s before swapping to monthly Fridays at Catch. We had some great shows there but wanted to really push the night forward and found an amazing new venue in The Old Blue Last, where we’re very happy indeed.
What makes FNFF different to other gigs?
We don’t have to run by any cliques or play niche music to be cool; it’s just a really fun time, great bands and amazing DJs.
What type of bands do you like to work with?
We’ve had a bunch of our friends’ bands play but booked on a much wider scale too. We normally book up-and-coming indie/electro acts.
What would you change about how the independent band scene operates to make it better?
The UK is really missing a big central London new band festival like SXSW or CMJ. Boris once talked about organising such an event, but if the Mayor’s office could bring in some people who would know what they were doing, it could be a real success.
Most memorable FNFF gig?
Our first event at The Old Blue Last was pretty special; packed out from the first minute to the last, we got a huge round of applause at the end and the bands were great.
How can a band be considered for FNFF?
Pretty easy, just shoot us an email on info@fridaynightfistfight.com with a link to their Soundcloud.
Check out the Friday Night Fist Fight’s website for the next show.
We are all musicians at UKIT, and our collective experience is quite a few decades when it comes to playing shows. Here are five pointers we’ve picked up along the way. These are the things that we love to see in the bands we work with.
(Note: These tips assume you write awesome songs and have a great live show. If not, there are plenty of articles on how to become musically awesome that you can find by googling the World Wide Web.)
In no particular order:
So there you have it. Five simple tips to make sure your musically awesome band is a great one to work with too. It’s not rocket science, just a little bit of common sense
Photo supplied.
Mark Knight from Right Chord Music knows all about marketing brands. Now he’s forging that knowledge into the emerging band scene, helping bands think about their own ‘brand’ and how to present themselves in the right way to their current and potential fans. We had an in depth discussion with Mark about the idea of band ‘brands’ and he’s given some invaluable tips for bands to further their audience.
Tell us about Right Chord Music. Why did you start it, history etc?
Right Chord Music was started to try and combine my two worlds. (Brands and bands) I’ve spent 12 years working in music marketing and sponsorship helping brands like Nokia, T-Mobile, Gaymers Cider and Coca-Cola forge associations with music. However, my true passion has always been with bands.
So I decided to try and combine my passion with my professional skills. It took me a while to figure out how that could work! I guess the explosion of social media and sites like Myspace signalled an exciting shift and opportunity for independent artists to get themselves out there. Myspace failed for many reasons, but one reason was bands were told success came with quantity over quality. There a crazy daily battle to add hundreds of new ‘fans.’ In reality they weren’t fans and as ‘fans’ went up engagement went down. This was probably the moment when I realised that the realities of being of being a musician had changed forever. From this point forward it was no longer enough just to write great songs, you also needed to become a tenacious, creative, strategic and opportunistic marketeer. It was pretty clear to me that most musicians didn’t have the appetite to take on this new role, and even those that did – were lacking the skills to make a difference. So for the first time I understood how my skills could help. RCM has a simple aim to bring the discipline of the brand marketing world to the music marketing world, encouraging bands to think more like brands in their approach to marketing. In real terms this means spending a bit more time planning and thinking before starting to promote something.
When I started RCM I wanted to manage everyone and quickly realised there was just not enough hours in the day. So I applied some of my own principles and focused on the management of one incredible band called The Daydream Club. Then I looked at ways to support other artists in the most efficient way. This resulted in the creation of a simple A-Z guide to music marketing, marketing seminars, and one to one coaching sessions. I am now also working on a couple of iBooks. The aim is simply to artists them promote themselves more effectively. That’s not to say I wouldn’t consider managing another artist, I’m always looking for someone to blow me away, but unless I love an artist I wouldn’t manage them. Passion is everything.
The final part of RCM (the new music blog) seemed to naturally fall into place. I was getting so many bands approaching me for management it seemed crazy not to give them a platform and offer them something in return. So I got up a little earlier and starting writing reviews, and features. Luckily now I have a writer called Ellie who does most of this, which frees me up to do more management and consultancy. The blog rule is simple. The quality has to high (IE not dodgy videos filmed on a phone) and the music has to be something we love. We try to focus on championing the under-dog, new, independent and emerging artists.
You do a lot of work with bands around their image and brand. What are 5 tips you would give to indie bands in considering their image or ‘brand’?
You also run a blog writing about emerging bands – what makes you want to write about a band and any tips for bands approaching blogs to get their music written about?
I only write about bands that genuinely excite me. There have been several occasions where I have started trying to write an article and I have scrapped it because I’ve concluded I just don’t love it enough. It’s hard to write with passion about something you dont really love.
Tips
Do you think the principles of band marketing have changed with the digital age? What changes in the industry have you noticed in the last 5 years?
I don’t really think the principles have changed; it’s still about writing amazing songs and finding an audience who love what you do.
However, the tools and platforms bands have at their disposal are changing all the time. It’s the speed of change than can be rather intimidating and it’s easy to get lost and try and do everything. It’s far better to focus on doing one thing really well and only start doing something else when you have mastered the first thing. I also think it’s hugely important to spend some time thinking about the role of each digital channel before you start using them. What is Twitter is best at? I would suggest networking with other bands, and the music industry. While Facebook is primarily about fan engagement, having this simple focus provides immediate clarity and stops you wasting time talking to an audience that doesn’t exist.
I think analytics are so much better and improving all the time and that is one area that bands don’t use enough. For example YouTube can tell you which of your videos are most engaging, do people watch to the end or always drop out at the same point? Very simply this allows you to ensure your most engaging video is given greatest prominence on your channel. I think the other key change is services which rationalise and pull things together to make it easy to consume music. Sites like Hype Machine (blog aggregator) and One Sheet look to try and simplify the music landscape.
Here are five great digital tools and services I recommend and use.
Top three emerging artists for 2012?
Well I am a little biased so naturally I would say The Daydream Club who I manage. Their next single Neon Love Song [Part II] out on May 28th, has been selected to appear in the new Burberry Eyewear campaign. Burberry funded the production of the track and the stunning video. It’s great to see a self released duo get the marketing support of a huge British brand like Burberry. The video hits YouTube next week. In the meantime here is there appearance on Burberry Acoustic from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHkbDmpGJFQ
My second pick would be another artist I have been involved with for a long time. Blackchords from Melbourne, Australia. Their debut album caused quite a storm when it was launched back in 2008 drawing favourable comparisons to artists like Radiohead and Jeff Buckley. This summer sees the release of their follow up album. It’s been a long time in the making. I’m lucky enough to have heard it in demo form and it’s sounding amazing. Here is their first ever single. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLvF7YylDQo&feature=relmfu
Choosing one other is tough, so I going to cheat and list a bunch of names of new artists that I love and have featured on RightChordMusic.co.uk recently: Courts, Mavis, Madam, //Midnight// The Veta Corps, The Jude, Alpine, and Retriever.
Festival season is fast approaching, its time to get those tickets booked! A serious contender for your cash is LeeFest, which takes place in the South London Country in late June and we got to chat to its founder and namesake, Lee Denny, who told us more.
What is the history of LeeFest?
It started in my back garden when we were 16 – because we were all really into music but couldn’t get into any of the local venues or clubs. My parents went on holiday so it was the perfect opportunity. Since then it’s grown really organically, fuelled by demand for the type of unique experience the festival provides.
What makes the LeeFest experience different to other festivals?
It’s the atmosphere, which is really annoying because we won’t ever fully understand it! The people that work on it and come contribute so much to the event and give it such a great feel. By the end of the festival its just one big happy family of 2000 people – artists and crew included.
What type of bands do you like to work with?
We like passionate and hardworking artists that create exciting and unique music – and that play it really well live. Those are about our only criteria when we put the program together.
How can an indie band be considered for LeeFest?
Every year we hold open applications to allow any artists to put themselves forward. Unfortunately they are closed for 2012 – but we hope everyone gets involved in 2013!
You highlight from the festival?
I really love sitting round the campfire with everyone at about 3/4 in the morning after the festival has finished. Its always really loud with people playing music and joking around – I love being amongst the noise of people that are making new friends and socialising in a way that they only really do at festivals.
Anything else to add?
We’ve opened up the festival even more this year to get more collaborative with interesting artists and creative collectives – if anybody has any ideas or sees an opportunity in the festival that they would love to use then please get in touch!
London based Recharged Radio is a station with a reputation for quality shows that promotes independent and alternative bands. We spoke to presenter Jordan Thomas, who discussed in depth about RR and the current state of radio.
What’s the history behind Recharged Radio? How did it start?
Recharged Radio began 4 years ago when a bunch of likeminded music fans realised that the mainstream radio stations weren’t catering for the majority of the music scene in the UK. While mainstream music magazines were making mention of bands who were still relatively unknown, it’s a tough job to get people to listen to something on the strength of reading an article and RR decided to address this issue by sampling music to people by playing it at them (aka – the old fashioned way!). We started with one, two-hour show and took it from there.
Why should people listen to Recharged? What makes it different to other stations?
The Internet is a strange world, where people can do pretty much what they like (within reason). If you do a search for ‘Internet Radio’, you’ll be given a whole host of options, ranging from Internet streams of FM broadcast stations to occasional podcasts. Recharged Radio sits in-between the two. One criticism which is constantly thrown at the radio is that it sounds amateur and badly produced. To us, this was (and is) no excuse to BE amateur. We believe strongly that the higher quality our output is, the higher our bands will be regarded by our listeners.
Also, we refuse to make a distinction between ‘signed’ and ‘unsigned’ artists; we prefer to use the term ‘independent’, as to us, ‘unsigned’ sounds like a second class citizen. This isn’t to say we play mainstream artists alongside independent artists – that’s simply not what we do. We provide a genuine alternative to mainstream radio listening by presenting the listener with bands that they just haven’t heard before – and won’t get charged a fortune to see live!
What type of music do you focus on?
Anything that’s good and reasonably well produced – we try not to stick with trends or one particular scene. We have no need or desire to play music simply to raise our listening figures. We also feel that our audience would rather us introduce something to them that they might have not otherwise have heard, rather than play 10 bands in a row, just because they’re big in Shoreditch right now, or whatever.
What are your thoughts changes to the radio industry over the last 5-10 years and what does it mean for Recharged?
Very good question! The UK radio industry is in a huge state of flux. The big debate currently is DAB Radio and how exactly the switchover will be implemented. Meanwhile, some people (for example, James Cridland) are arguing for a combined service of FM, DAB and Online listening, which would all be via people’s smartphones. This debate won’t be resolved any time soon.
When talking about station output, the stations are playing it safe. They perceive they are fighting a battle for people’s attention against other media outlets and to win this, they believe in making their playlists as unchallenging and homogenous as possible.
These days, it’s pretty much impossible to hear ‘new’ music on any mainstream commercial station, unless it’s new from Sony.
It’s my view that the BBC could do a lot to change this as they don’t have to worry about shareholders and advertisers. Radio1, despite huge youth listenership, can hardly be called an exciting station. If R1 was to add just ONE new band to its playlist every week from the grass roots music scene on the strength of their music alone, the grass roots industry would get a HUGE boost.
What does this mean for the likes of RR? I’m not sure – but someone like us always has to exist to remind people that an ALTERNATIVE does exist.
How does a band get played on RR?
The terms and conditions of airplay are on the submissions page of our site (we have to include them!) but the start of it all is just writing a friendly personal email. We don’t generally respond to PR mailouts, people who get our name wrong, inclusions on a BCC list… We don’t get paid for this so get chatting to us and we’ll see what we can do!
Anything else to add?
We drink far too much coffee for our own good. Also, check out our recently launched publication – Sound Of The Suburbs Magazine for something to read on the train.
London based Australian/German singer songwriter Christa Vi has been making some headway in the UK independent scene over the last 12 months, with tour supports, remixes and catchy songs. Christa talks to us about her upcoming release ‘Your Heart’ due out next week.
Your debut single “Your Heart” comes out on 26 March. Tell us about the making of it.
I started recording a load of songs with producer George Shilling around the end of 2010. ‘Your Heart’ started off as an acoustic song with only guitar and voice (as most of my songs do). When I brought it to George I wanted it to sound a bit more electronic so we played around with beats, I added piano parts and George added various production bits and pieces so we ended up making quite the indiepop track, which has lent itself nicely to remixing.
‘Your Heart’ was one of the earlier songs I wrote when I started my solo project and I always felt it was one of my stronger ones. I noticed people responding to it also when I played it live, people remembering it and getting it stuck in their heads (always a good sign for a pop song!). The lyrics are very meaningful for me too as it is really about following your heart, which is what I’ve tried to do with my solo project – finally making and releasing music again after a long break.
I’m excited about the remixes on the single EP too as I’ve been lucky to have some great producers make their own versions like Swiss NuDisco producer Show Your Shoe, South London producer Reggie Pepper and London based indie-electronica band The Dark Lights. Each remix is really different from the others and I love how the song is translated into a few contrasting styles.
The launch is on 23 March. What can people going along expect?
I’m really looking forward to my single launch as it’s at The Lock Tavern in Camden, a venue I’ve wanted to play for some time now. The venue has a great vibe and people seem to love seeing live music there. The heated balcony is a brilliant space too.
Live, my music is a bit more organic sounding and a little less electronic than my recordings. I’m excited to play with a new bunch of great musicians – two new members actually – who have worked hard to try and recreate my recordings and do it in a way that works well live. There are other live acts playing on the night – Chaplin and Sons Between Guns – both have their own original and unique vibe and combining electronic and organic sounds, which is a real interest for me.
All that and some dancey DJ sets by The Dark Lights and What Me Worried, it’ll be a really fun night! I’m hoping it’ll feel a bit like an intimate house party as the stage is quite small – the bands will be quite close to the audience! My tip is come early as capacity is limited!
You’ve done a few gigs over the last couple of months. What’s been a highlight?
I really enjoyed the gig at Brighton at The Hope. It was the last night of The Dark Lights’ UK tour and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Good sound, great audience and a friendly, chilled Brighton atmosphere – great for us stressed out Londoners! The charity gig for Shape last week at Club Fandango (Bull & Gate, Kentish Town), was also really nice. Lovely to meet other bands in the UK Indie Touring family.
Would you say you have a DIY approach? How does that work?
Yes, because I have to (I wish I could say choose to!) do pretty much everything myself! I spend a lot of my time in front of a computer at the moment using every possible internet way to social network my way to success – or the very least just get my music out there!
I am self-funding my whole project and am lucky to have been able to involve great producers like George Shilling and all my remixers. I’ve also had the help of some excellent musicians who’ve kindly agreed to play in my live band and given their time to learn my songs and develop my live sound. I also feel really lucky to have the help of some really talented photographers and designers like Boberika and Lisa Cant – friends of mine who’ve given their time to take my promo and live photos, design my logo and EP cover design and even give me fashion advice for on-stage!
Mint (aka Murray Fisher) from independent netlabel Boltfish Recordings has also given me so much invaluable help and advice about how to go about the practical aspects of an independent release including mastering and CD duplication etc. And I couldn’t have done the whole project this far without the support of UK Indie Touring who have helped by booking shows with other like minded bands. It really makes a difference playing gigs in supportive environments and through UKIT I’ve made a lot of new friends - might sound cheesy but it’s so important to build a community of like friends around you to support each other’s shows and online PR efforts. Definitely boosts the confidence!
So while I say I ‘do everything myself’ I guess I am the driver/manager of the whole project but I’m finding it so exciting and rewarding to involve others who are great at what they do and by being involved in my project, they are hopefully are getting something out of it too. Along the way, I’ve had some amazing opportunities to collaborate with other artists like sculptor Amy Joy Watson, who kindly agreed to let me use images of her work as my cover art. The next collaboration is with jewellery designers ‘iamacrylic’, who have designed some necklaces for the ‘Your Heart’ single, which I will have on sale at the launch!
If I could give one bit of advice about being a DIY artist – I’d say yes, ‘do it yourself’ but if you look around you, you’d be surprised how many people you can find who would be happy to help out if it means they get to contribute their skills and be a part of what you are doing – especially up and coming photographers, designers and of course musicians and producers. I suggest just ask people – the worst thing they can say is ‘no’ but more often than not people want to get involved and it ends up being a win-win situation /collaboration.
Future plans?
I have plans for a second single EP release -also with remixes - around May for another track ‘Long Way Home’. Also very excited about the remixes coming out with this one.
In October I’m hoping to release a longer EP (5-4 tracks). All this is really leading up to a full album release which would be great to do with a good indie label. I think a full album is harder to promote independently – not impossible – but my preference is for a label to help with this.
I aim to have the whole album recorded first so that all the creative decisions have already been made by me and I am able to present a final product already with a clear image and intention behind it that I am happy to own and promote. I’m thinking realistically this will happen in a year’s time if everything goes to plan. So this is really only the beginning! My long term plan was always to release an LP so will keep working towards that until I achieve this. I’ve had this album waiting to ‘get out of my system’ for quite a number of years now!
Christa Vi launches her single EP ‘Your Heart’ at the Lock Tavern in Camden on 23rd March from 7pm, joined by live acts Sons Between Guns, Chaplin, and DJs sets by The Dark Lights and What Me Worried. FREE Entry!
Digital and limited physical copies of ‘Your Heart’ single EP will be available from 26th March 2012 from Bandcamp, ITunes, Amazon and other digital stores (£1 from every physical copy sold will go to the Lymphoma Association: http://www.lymphomas.org.uk/ )
Check out www.christavi.com
The ‘Now We Are Weekender’ is a new independent music festival celebrating the thrills, spills and bellyaches of indie-pop ‘n rock. Taking place at The Public in West Bromwich, it is a two-day event over the Easter weekend of the 7th and 8th April and will feature over 30 bands, including headliners Art Brut, Misty’s Big Adventure, The Lovely Eggs and The Schools. I had a chat with Emma Cooper, part of the promotion team Funny Looking Cat, who filled me in on the details.
Tell me about the Now We Are Weekender. What inspired you to start it?
Wow! Well there’s a story! Since 2009 I (Emma Cooper, manager of Funny Looking Cat) have been on a quest of putting together an event after being blown away by the warmest, family friendly, good spirited Indie festival -Indietracks. The entire weekend I was there I was in awe of the amount of unseen talent from the bands, workshops and craft stalls alongside the polite staff and friendly crowds. It was like no other festival I had been to before and I wanted more of it. The following year I had applied to be a volunteer and was welcomed by a talented team with a passion for indie music, and I return each year as a volunteer to soak it up. I hope to carry the passion and dedication the Indietracks team have through into Now We Are. There are so rarely the opportunities for independent talent to be seen or heard. Now We Are is one step closer to creating somewhere talent thrives and what better place to do it than The Public!
What kind of vibe are you after for the weekender? Is there a specific music policy or crowd you are trying to attract in terms of music taste, age etc?
Now We Are is a family friendly event bringing the best local hand crafters together with Indie Twee Pop to Rock ‘n’ Roll mayhem to create a weekend never to be forgotten. With DJs to get you boogieing until the early hours this is a festival for everyone. So whether you’d like to look at the amazing hand crafts, want to join in our workshops and activities, like to dance the night away or would like to come and see what the Midlands and UK indie scene is really like, this is the weekender for you. Are we having fun yet?…Now We Are!
What are your thoughts on how the music industry has changed over the last few years?
Now there’s a question! Technology has played a massive part in how everyone uses, listens to and accesses music these days and has inevitably led to a huge commercialisation of it. I think in general there’s a feeling in the music world that if you want your music heard you need to be signed. This is such a shame because as I’ve found from the band submissions for Now We Are there is a huge pool of talent waiting to be found. Independent events like Indietracks and Now We Are that support live independent talent aim to give talented bands a stage in front of larger audiences.
Tell us a little bit about some of the bands who are headlining and how did they come about being involved in the weekender?
The headliners for Now We Are have been chosen after mind blowing live performances that have always left us asking for more! Art Brut’s high energy shows, Misty’s Big Adventure’s whimsy, The Lovely Eggs ‘anything goes so let’s run with it’ attitude which makes every show fantastic . The Schools cool sound mixed with their earlier rockier material is always a performance not to be missed. It was just down to us to ask them…
How can an indie band be considered for the Now We Are Weekender next year?
If you’d like to be considered for one of our future events, which are taking place around the UK, please e-mail me at bands@funnylookingcat.co.uk with links. Although we’re indie kids at heart we do encourage a diverse mix of music so whether you’re thrash metal, bhangra, hip hop or pop/rock we’d love to hear from you.
What are the future plans for the Now We Are Weekender?
The future of Now We Are lies in the hands of the bands that perform and everyone who comes along to it. This is our debut event and we’re learning new things everyday but I would love to see Now We Are become a permanent fixture on the Midlands Indie Festival scene. Who knows?
Anything else to add?
We are currently in need of some volunteers for the event, just as I started out, to help with the general running of Now We Are. Every volunteer is asked to commit to about 8 hours over the course of the weekend so they’ll have time to see the bands and will be given a free weekender ticket for their hard work.
Positions up for grabs include Stage Managers, Stage Assistants, Door Staff and Stewards, with roles varying from assisting artists with set up, to being on hand to answer queries from visitors.
No previous experience necessary but you must be able to attend an orientation at 11am on the 7th and 8th April at The Public. E-mail me here volunteers@funnylookingcat.co.uk if you’re interested.
For more information about the Now We Are Festival check out www.nowweare.co.uk
Festival Venue:
The Public, New Street, West Bromwich, B70 7PG, www.thepublic.com.
By Octave Cat
Daniel from Indepent Music News – looking thoughtful. Photo supplied.
Daniel Thomas is a true indie crusader. As founder of Independent Music News, he has built quite the readership in its relatively short existance, starting in late 2010. With an ethos that is anti-mainstream, IMN is definitely worth checking out if your looking for an alternative. Daniel tells us why.
What’s the history behind Independent Music News? What inspired you to start it?
I started Independent Music News because I was sick of the amount of shit I was reading in NME. I hadn’t bought it for a couple of weeks and when I found this copy in my office I was shocked in what I was reading. Money is a massive factor in magazines. We journalists like to call it commercialisation. They create stories to attract a large audience and to sell/promote a product, for example: a tour.
I also created IMN because I got into an argument with a local music magazine and how it covered bands. Let’s just say they don’t have the magazine anymore.
What makes IMN different to other blogs/websites/media promoting indie bands, your USP if you like?
Our USP is we don’t have one. Why have a USP? It just stifles creativity and limits productivity. We just produce articles and reviews that are funny and entertaining. In the UK, we moan at everything we see. Why not just have a laugh and stop being so strict.
What are your thoughts on the current music climate? What makes a band stand out to you?
I think the current music industry climate is both restricting and interesting. The internet has made is accessible for artists to provide music to an audience around the world without paying loads for publicity.
The restricting bit about it is if you finally get signed to a label you lose the creativity involved. In my opinion you should do it all yourself. I know it sounds good being signed to a record label but read the contract before you sign anything.
A band/artist stands out for me if they create something different. Too many bands copy existing influences and produce repetitive tracks. You need to produce a track full of emotion. The best bands/artists produced material from the heart. The Beatles are a great example.
Any tips for how you think indie bands should promote themselves?
Get on as much online platforms as you can and use these platforms to gain an audience/following. You should also use every different platform with a different stance, for example: On Facebook you could create funny status, while on Twitter you could have a different aim.
I would also advise you to use social networking to gain contacts. All of my logos are created by a graphic designer for free and I’ve never met the guy. Try and find people that will help you out.
Future plans for IMN?
Our next plan is to create a magazine for independent and unsigned artists and organise a festival. We might not make as much money for doing this; however we don’t do it for the money. It doesn’t cleanse the soul, it ruins it.
Check out Independent Music News at http://indiemusicnews.info
4AD is one of the classic British indie labels, having been going strong since 1979. They know how to promote their artists, with some great bands on their roster including: The National, Grimes, Bon Iver, tUnE-yArDs, Blonde Redhead and Camera Obscura, to name a few. We spoke to their publicist Annette Lee to get the low down on some PR tips.
What is the history of 4AD? How did you get involved?
For history check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4AD
I was an intern in the Beggars Group press department during my final year at university and subsequently was offered a job on reception. After about two and a half years I returned to the press department, and when the department was de-centralised, I ended up at 4AD. I’ve been at 4AD for about four years now.
At what point does a band need a publicist, and how important is the role of the publicist in a band’s career?
Artists tend to need publicists when they have something to sell (ie a record), but don’t have the means or know-how to do that themselves. The benefit of being represented an established publicist with a good reputation is they will get your music heard by influential writers and publications. As to when one is needed, it’s really dependent on the artist and their management (if they have one), but it’s not unheard of for a publicist to be hired before a band has even released a single.
Of course I’m going to advocate the importance of publicists, but let’s be honest, it’s not rocket science! For artists just starting out, there’s a lot that can be done themselves without taking on a press officer. It just requires a bit of research (hanging out in the magazine section of WH Smith helps). A lot of artist managers have experience of dealing with the music press (whether having been a press officer in a former life or otherwise), so have no need to take one on until they’ve got their artist a recording contract. You also have to weigh up the cost factor, and whether it’s a financial risk you can afford to take at such an early stage in your career.
How do you think the music industry has change over the last 5 years? Where do you think it’s headed?
The way people consume music has changed exponentially and in some ways the industry is still playing catch-up. The internet is a hugely influential medium and its creative and financial possibilities are endless, so whilst it’s great for a kid in a tiny village to find out about music, the abundant file-sharing that takes place puts us in danger of devaluing music and seeing it as a free-for-all. It’s important to protect the rights of the artists so they can continue to make music.
On the opposite end of the scale vinyl sales have soared, which suggests there’s still a demand for high quality music products. I’m confident there will continue to be a place for specialist independent retailers such as Kristina Records.
What are your 5 top tips for an independent band to promote themselves?
Play shows and be good at it! Get yourself out there. Remember, the biggest bands around once had to play to a room of five people too. You might have made the best record in the world, but if you don’t know how to play it live then you may as well not bother.
Communicate! Establish a good online presence with as much information as possible (shows, background info, contact details, photos, music), and be militant about updating it.
Don’t forget your fan base (if you’re lucky enough to have one). These are the people who will buy your records and tell their friends about you. Treat them well and they will reciprocate.
Be nice! This industry is a small one. If you piss someone off, trust me, they will let others know about it, and noone likes to work with a difficult band.
Think outside the box! Make interesting videos, play unusual shows, put out your own hand-made records, sell interesting merchandise. It’s a terrible cliché, but if you have a USP, it’ll make you that much more interesting than the next band.
Anything else to add?
Good luck!
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