Publicity Whore Issue 4
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The LA Music Scene
Part 2: Taking This Scene By Storm
By Annette Bzdawka
So, we know all the crappy things that make our scene different from
all the rest... Pay to Play, the lack of an in-house crowd at most clubs,
lack of support from promoters (I only mentioned about no drink tokes
and not getting parking taken care of; never even mentioned the fact that
promoters around here actually do NOTHING, or very close to it, to promote
their own shows... they should just be called “bookers”. Most
of them are certainly NOT promoters. And thank gosh there are some exceptions
to that rule around here...) What we CAN do about all those things depends
on us changing this scene together, as a whole, a unified front. And anyone
interested in creating a forum for that, please give me a holler and we’ll
get some people together and create some changes. As a starting point,
does anyone know what it costs to book the Troubadour for a night? And
does anyone know enough bands that can sell enough tickets for us all
to make a profit? Let’s put on our OWN shows. Who needs these so-called-promoters
in this town when we can DIY and actually KEEP some of that HARD EARNED-MONEY????
OK, getting the attention of industry people. First, how do we find out
who they are? We need names, right? We can’t just call up Dreamworks
Records and ask for A&R. Well, hopefully, we all know that there are
industry publications available that give us names, e-mails, fax numbers,
and all sorts of precious information about those so-close-yet-so-far-away
industry people that we want at our shows and listening to our demos,
right? Like the Recording Industry Sourcebook (a.k.a. “The Sourcebook”),
the CMJ(College Music Journal) Directory, The YPR (“Yellow Pages
of Rock”), and so on. Well, how nice is it that there are a huge
number of those people right here in L.A.; we are practically neighbors!
But be careful; I’ve actually heard stories about people going up
to the offices of these A&R people and singing a song for them, and
then they are flabbergasted that the A&R person does not sign them
right there as if they should be the next Brittany Spears. But the truth
of the matter is, there is ALOT of talent out here and you have to somehow
be unique to these people or they will not give a rat’s ass. These
A&R office marchers are not taken seriously. You can sound like Mariah
Carey but if you don’t have anything that makes you different, well,
there’s already a Mariah... But it IS nice knowing that if you want
to do a showcase for a label, you don’t have to travel far to be
in a place where they’ll be able to see you.
So, what do you do with this information? You call these people and fax
them and send them e-mails and, believe it, they will NOT care about you
until they see, over and over again, some sort of serious and unceasing
activity with your act. But first you have to start by making contact
and getting your name heard/seen by them, and e-mails and faxes are pretty
non-intrusive; a good place to start. I learned this when I had the pleasure
of interviewing this cool guy by the name of Joey Arbagey, VP of A&R
at Arista Records a few weeks ago, and he gave me some of the inside scoop.
He actually told me that he has his interns listen to EVERY tape or CD
that comes in, and, he said, that anything that an intern thinks sounds
good, then Joey himself will actually take a listen, and this is the rare
scenario, indeed. He also told me that most A&R people do not listen
to every tape or CD that comes in, in fact they do not listen to most
of them. I’ve also heard that most A&R people do NOT listen to
ANY unsolicited music because of copyright issues. And then I also recall
an interview with a big record exec in ASCAP’s Playback Magazine
that someone eventually listens to EVERY unsolicited tape that comes in,
it just takes 3-4 months before anyone gets back to you. Being the optimist
that I am, I myself have come to believe, after countless posings of this
question, that someone listens to at least the first 5 seconds of each
recording, and then the great, great majority of them are “rejections”.
So, my ultimate conclusion for you is that it just depends on the particular
A&R guy you sent your stuff to, solicited or unsolicited is NOT necessarily
the issue.
Mr. Arbagey also told me that he WILL give attention to demos from acts
that actually have press, and/or some sort of buzz. Those are the tapes
that probably get any (be it minimal, but better than none) amount of
attention that the A&R guy in question has to give to looking for
new talent. He’ll actually go to one of those “A&R Showcases”
to see that band if he’s heard/read stuff about the band and they
seem to have some sort of buzz. But Mr. A. also told me that A&R people
are ssssooooo busy, they have the interns helping out a lot, too. I’d
be willing to bet it can’t be a bad idea to be friendly with those
interns you always end up talking to when you call... after all, isn’t
that intern hopefully going to be a record-label person him/herself someday
soon?
So, calling those A&R people and faxing them and e-mailing them are
all great ways to tell those A&R people about your act, but it will
probably do you no good unless you already have some sort of buzz happening.
At least we know they’ll be listening when your buzz is on and it
really is time to start calling. Even better, according to the fine, young,
Mr. A., is to contact entertainment lawyers, managers, and even radio
people. Get your demo in their hands. “Always have a copy of your
demo on you. You’re in L.A. and these people are everywhere. And
all of these people have connections.” And you never know how your
demo will end up in the hands of that magical person who really wants
to help you. Because these folks KNOW those A&R people PERSONALLY,
and can move your act up the priority list much quicker. (Who once said,
“It’s not how good you are , it’s who you know”?)
So, how do you get into contact with THESE folks if you don’t happen
to bump into them at the Rite-Aid? They’re also listed in those publications,
of course. Call them. E-mail them. Fax them. Bunches of them at a time.
Do not stop until you have a decent number (50 or so, from each group)
actually e-mailing/calling back. Narrow it down more according to who
actually shows up at a gig or spends time with you on the phone. This
will be your crucial bunch of people you’ll have to continue putting
energy into until you can strike some sort of reasonable deal with one
of them.
So, you ask, “How do I get that buzz going with my act? How do I
get press?” The answer is the same: Find your press outlets in those
publications, (or you can even start locally, we all know what’s
out there), send them your CD, send them flyers to your shows, and start
calling, e-mailing, and faxing. Every week. People WILL bite if they see
you are persistent. And if you get a bad review, well, as they say, “bad
press is better than no press”. At least your NAME is out there.
People who’ve read the article may or may not remember if the write-up
was good or bad, but they WILL remember “Oh, The Tousled Titties...
I’ve heard of those guys!” They’re unlikely to print the
review if it’s a bad one, anyway. Except for those Music Connection
DEMO Reviews. But they’ve gotten much nicer these days, I’ve
noticed.
This all seems like elementary on paper, but the truth of the matter
is, it’s NOT EASY getting that press, that buzz, those people interested.
One thing is for sure. PERSISTENCE is a KEY factor in getting what you
want. As I mentioned earlier, the kind Mr. A. attests to that. A major
factor about bands that get attention from him is persistence. You can
have the best demo in the world, but no one will ever hear it if you don’t
constantly keep telling him and his interns and really the whole world
about it. Everyone in the music biz is too busy these days. So, don’t
be afraid to get more in their faces. And expect a rejection and be ready
to get right back up on your feet, and make a better demo next time, and
do it all over again. They’ll remember your name this time, cuz they’ve
seen it before. And your next demo will be much better.
And the final words, the final determining factor: Your demo has to be
incredible. Especially these days in this state of the music biz. If you
feel it needs work, finish the work and THEN send it out. If you feel
your demo is not your very, very , very best work or if you are not feeling
TREMENDOUSLY proud of it, send it out after you’ve got it to that
point. You’ll know when it’s “good enough”; it usually
takes more than one try. Industry people are looking for stars, and stars
only. “Pretty damn good” will not sell records.
And, let’s say you ARE getting industry people at your shows. How
do you take the best advantage of that? Be natural, thank them for their
time, ask for their feedback, and stay in contact for as long as it takes
until they either sign you, or they finally “take a pass” on
your project. Send them updates every other week with the developments
of your project. Keep inviting them to your shows. They don’t typically
sign an act after seeing them for the first time. They watch acts; they
follow the bands they’re interested in, and they sign the act when
they feel the act is “ready”. There’s no need to rush.
As that Joey A. said at this point in my interview with him: “Be
happy with what you’re doing, and always be doing what you can to
take your music to the next level. Follow your dreams and know that if
there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Keep loading your gun.
DIY Magazine
Annette runs her own in-home record company (remedial children records)
and is a strong proponent of the Do It Yourself philosophy toward success.
The label is funded completely by herself. Send your comments, questions,
feedback, and YOUR ideas about what you’d like to see in future articles
to her at: diy@publicitywhore.com
She'll get back to you the best she can. Promise.
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