“Don’t read your press, weigh it.” – Andy Warhol
New York City-based music publicist Ariel Hyatt gives out a ton of great advise for free on the web. Her latest piece on Band Letter covers “Nine Critical Things You Should Know About Publicity Before You Make Your First Move.” Her writing exposes her thinking for bands in need of a publicity. It’s a great way to affirm her thought leadership in the industry, and generate new business.
This is how she defines publicity:
A music publicist is hired as a member of your team to represent you to the media. Media is defined traditionally as editors and writers at newspapers, magazines, dailies, weeklies, monthlies, college newspapers, and television. Some publicists may also cover radio for interviews on tour stops, but if you want to get on the radio charts (like CMJ), you will need a radio promoter. Some publicists also cover Internet PR, like my company, but not all traditional publicists do! A publicist’s job is to liaise with the press. They are not hired to get you a booking agent or gig, a label deal, a distribution deal, or any other type of marketing deal. That is what a manager is for. They will not get you played on radio, either. This is what a radio promoter is for. A well-connected publicist, however, may be able to hook you up with all of the abovementioned things, but it is not in her job description.
Ariel also offers these gems, “All Publicity is Good Publicity,” “Publicity Does Not Sell Records” and “Publicity is a Marathon, Not a Sprint.”
This Berkshires Week piece from 2003 provides some interesting background on her career. Ariel also maintains a stream at Live 365, where she showcases the talent on her client roster.