First panel begins
Heeeeey, I’m sitting in the first panel of Remix Hotel L.A.: Building Your Team: All You Need to Know About Artist Management & Promotion. Hank Shocklee is hitting the ground running, saying that people assume that they’re going to make music, play shows and become famous. But there’s a lot more to it. Promotion is key. The panelists include managers, radio promoters, marketing-firm owners, etc. Hank asks, “What’s the difference between marketing and promotion, and what’s more important?” One panelist says that marketing is targeting a specific audience, whereas promotion is more generalized, such as blanketing with flyers, for example. But the overall consensus is that marketing is the plan, and promotion is how you carry out the plan. Another guy said, “Labels are attracted to brands.” Hank asks, “How do we create that brand? MySpace is ridiculously overrated. I got a bunch of hits on it. It doesn’t translate to anything.” In other words, creating a brand is a whole lot more than having a MySpace page. In coming up with a brand, it takes a lot of time to develop: t-shirts, radio, publicity, touring. Hank says that you have to hone in on what you’re offering. Way interesting: Hank said it’s incredibly outdated to look for a record label nowadays. All the big artists are not really artists: They’re corporations. They’re doing clothing lines, tours, acting, etc. So they’re creating an entire brand. The harsh reality, Hank says, is that, “Nobody gives a shit. I’ve seen it, heard it all…. So that’s where your promotion starts.” Sounds a little hopeless, but his point was that you have to push yourself by any means possible in a jaded world. One panelist says, “You have to pick a niche and stick with it. But when you’re just starting out, you can’t be everywhere. You have to build your team.” Another panelist suggests starting a financial plan at the same time you’re creating your promotion plan. There are a lot of good ideas flying around, and I wish I could bottle them, but my brain can’t capture it all fast enough. Sorry if my report is a little disjointed. Just too much really good advice in too short a time. Fortunately, we’re filming all these panels, so you can watch a lot of the action online as early as later tonight. Okay, Josh Gabriel’s Apple Logic demo is coming up in a half hour. On to the next thing…. Kylee
Related Topics: Remix Hotel Los Angeles
