what does a music publicist do?
a music publicist gets your music covered by the press: reviews, features, interviews and premieres. a publicist does not book your shows, which is a booking agent's job, does not run your career, which is a manager's, and does not get you radio play, which is a radio promoter's.
by Studio Raine, a music PR firm in New York. we sell some of what this guide describes, and our own prices are marked as ours.
updated
the job, in the government's words.
“Public relations specialists create and maintain a positive public image for the individuals, groups, or organizations they represent.”
a music publicist is that job with one kind of client and one kind of news: a release, a tour, a signing.
what a publicist does on a release.
- builds a media list for this record: the writers, editors, hosts and producers who cover your genre.
- writes the press release and sends it.
- gets the record to the list, as links, files or discs.
- pitches for features, interviews, reviews, premieres and performance slots.
- schedules the interviews and answers the media's questions.
- works tour press in each city you play.
- reports what was sent and what came back.
- collects the clippings: every piece that ran.
publicist, manager, booking agent, radio promoter.
| who | what they get you | what they do not do |
|---|---|---|
| publicist | press: reviews, features, interviews, premieres | book shows, pitch radio, run your business |
| booking agent | shows: engagements at venues and festivals | press, radio, your release plan |
| manager | direction: the plan, the team, the decisions | the specialist work of the three others |
| radio promoter | airplay: your record in front of station music directors | press or shows |
the line between an agent and a manager is in the law.
in California, getting an artist work is a licensed activity. the Labor Code defines it:
““Talent agency” means a person or corporation who engages in the occupation of procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements for an artist or artists”
the same sentence carves out recording contracts, and the next section requires a licence from the Labor Commissioner to act as a talent agency (Labor Code 1700.5). New York draws the same line and names the manager's side of it:
“but such term does not include the business of managing entertainments, exhibitions or performances, or the artists or attractions constituting the same, where such business only incidentally involves the seeking of employment therefor.”
so the person who procures your engagements is the agent, and managing is a different business. a publicist is neither. a publicist deals with the media, not with the people who hire you to play.
do you need one.
for an album, a tour or a story worth telling, yes: a campaign is three months of the work above. for a single, one announcement does it. if you would rather do it yourself, the press guide is the method.