š² Competition vs. Creativity
And: Practical Guide To Compile a Press Release, Gig Opportunities, Radio Interviews and Industry News You Should Care About
Hey music pals, how is the week treating you? I know most of you are busy working on fresh music, planning a new release, or rehearsing an exciting live show. Keep doing what you are doing and donāt forget the reason why you started making art in the first place, that passion-fuelled creative fire that originally motivated you.
š² Do you know what can kill creativity? Competition. Following up on last weekās column, PILLARS returns on our newsletter urging us to collaborate, instead of competing:
Competition
āFind what you do best, and do it over and over again - whether thatās a particular production style, a vocal tone, appealing to a specific or niche fan base, developing interesting concepts or visuals - just keep on doing what you do best. And it doesnāt matter if someone else is doing something similar, the point is that itās authentically you. As soon as you focus on your own game and less on what others are doing, those competitors will become fellow music creators and you can start feeling part of a community. The issue with competition is that it can be totally isolating. This is something that artists, particularly solo artists, feel intensely. But imagine if all of those artists got together and shared their experiences, their skills and their network - not only would we expand our resources but weād also feel far less isolated. With social media, with everyoneās greatest achievements on show, this can be challenging - but sliding into another artistsā DMs to show support, or better, buying their merch or promoting their releases, can go a long way in creating a healthier landscape for artistsā.Ā - PILLARS
Practical Guide To Compiling a Press Release (applies to EPK too)
We get sent tons of PR assets and thereās always something missing, hereās a few tips on how to approach your promo material:
ā° Why is a press release important?Ā
It allows the artist to control its own story, to āspinā the narrative as they wish. For instance by highlighting certain facts about the artistās history, or particular characteristics of its work. Things like creating a brand new genre for your music, or enhancing a particular aesthetic, can do wonders for your branding.
It gives journalists and writers everything they need, in a clear and concise way, allowing them to find information easily and ensure what they write is as accurate as possible (thus benefitting the artist).
āØļø What should it contain?Ā
History of the track/EP/Album: whatās the theme of the song, where does the inspiration come from, how the recording process went, any collaboration? Anything else that could be useful to understand the track and the artistic concept behind it.
Itās always good to include a personal quote about the track that can then be included in the final article; Itās also an elegant way to reiterate a theme or a story.Ā
A short Biography: 100-150 words describing who the artist is, where it comes from, anything interesting that could be used in the final article. This is actually an essential section of the EPK; it allows the journalist/writer to get a quick overview of who the artist is, and in turn, it communicates a clear and precise article to the reader.Ā
Links to Press Shots, Artwork and any other visual assets
Link to a preview of the track/EP/Album, and any accompanying music video
Social Media links
If you still need help, let us know at hey@weareymx.com
Opportunities and Gigs!
šø We have a few gigs coming up, and we are finalising the line-ups for them. If youād like to perform please email us at hey@weareymx.com with your preferred date.
13th February / 13th March / 10th April / 8th May - Evening time at The Finsbury
Radio Show
š Every Saturday afternoon we are running our own radio show on Caffeā Latino Radio, where we interview up-and-coming artists, host solo live sessions, or just chatting over coffee. Our host Giack Bazz is keen to speak to you so get in touch! (hey@weareymx.com)
Industry News You Should Care About
š± Instagram launches early test of creator subscriptions in the US - TechCrunch
Yes, a new tool to grow and monetize your fanbase! Twitter is now moving in the same direction with āFlockā - Could we see Spotify introducing audience curation tools in the near future too?
š Is Old Music Killing New Music? - The Honest Broker
Very interesting article by Ted Gioia on a surprising new trend, and it ties directly with the article below too ā¬ļø
š¼ How The Financialization Of Music Could Lead To Demands For Perpetual Copyright - TechDirt
Taking over from the article above: thereās evidence that music copyrights are the biggest sector in the industry right now: and crucially the sector focuses mainly on old cataloguesā¦
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