Let’s Talk About Music

I was faced with a bit of an uncomfortable situation for me last month – I swapped my usual position with the microphone to become the subject of an interview on Star Radio 107fm.

As a fellow of the Cambridge Marketing College, I was invited to divulge my thoughts on PR in the music and entertainment industry as part of their Marketing Review feature.

Communications in the creative industries has long been in the business of producing exciting and compelling campaigns in an innovative way but fragmenting media and reliance on digital has meant that there is an increasing challenge to deliver activity in an even more inventive way.

The industry can no longer rely on hyped stunts to launch new material or announce tours but need to embrace a dramatically changing media environment that is continually being re shaped and refocused by digital and social media. In 1988 the Rolling Stones launched their latest album by playing on the back of a truck….in 2013, Mick Jagger broke news of the band’s Hyde Park gig on twitter. Sign of the times.

Whilst there is the temptation to completely shift PR activity into an online environment, however, it is crucial that digital media enhances traditional techniques, not replace them. One thing, though, that has always been, and will always remains, the cornerstone of PR is quality content.

The media landscape may have changed but content is still king. 

Exclusive interviews, competitions, downloads, and video, are great tools to entice audiences, social media is crucial in generating engagement, and blogs and websites are a central hub of PR activity during events. Now is also the time for great visual content with the emphasis firmly on imagery for viral marketing and YouTube.

PR consultants and agencies now need to be adept at handing all media, from TV and radio to online publications, and can no longer rely on a small network of key journalist contacts. The increasing complexities around delivery are also testing the skills of even the most experienced PR and is certainly not something I would advocate for artistes to attempt themselves.

I would say that, I hear you cry? Well, as a PR consultant as well as practitioner, not necessarily, so why not listen into the interview and hear for yourself, it’s being aired on Thursday 13th March at 7pm on Star Radio 107fm.