Industry news & advice blog

In our continuing series of blogs brought to you via our partnership with legendary recording studio Strongroom in Shoreditch (who are offering a massive 50% discount - full details here!), Bark. PR, who are based at Strongroom, connect artists with the world around them. PR is arguably the most important step in releasing your music, especially as an independent / unsigned artist. 

Here the company’s founder James Barker explains how it works and what you can do to maximise your reach...

How & when to hire promotion teams
There’s a lot of different press and radio promotion teams out there. You’ll hear these teams referred to as Publicists (press) and Pluggers (radio) and it’s worth knowing how and when to approach such companies, as usually they will work via an upfront payment. This can vary in price and it isn’t cheap to hire the best.

Hiring promotion companies costs money, and it can be money well spent or a frustratingly poor pick-up and response from media, so it’s worth considering a couple of pointers before committing.

When first starting off, it is a good idea to try to do some basic bits of promotion yourself. Uploading songs via the BBC Uploader can give you some early regional radio plays and with a bit of research you can find contacts (try The Unsigned Guide!) for a basic press push online to blogs and magazines. This is a good way to gauge how ready your music is to hire a promo team.

The advantage of hiring a team is to help you manage other areas of being an artist, and let the experts promote your music for you. After all, there is a lot to do when starting off.

That said, not all projects should hire promotion teams – it’s worth doing your own research to see what artists press and radio are supporting to see if your project could align alongside.


Creating an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
Before starting with any promotion, make sure you prepare your electronic press kit (EPK) before you reach out to marketing companies. This should include:

· Bio – a description about the project, who is in it, the backgrounds and influences of the musicians and any other notable information
· Music Files – Mastered MP3/WAV files – no demos!
· Radio Edits – WAV files that are suitable for radio – i.e. no swearing and shorter than 4 minutes.
· Streaming links (SoundCloud and YouTube work best before the track is released)
· Lyrics – Full lyrics for the singles/EP/album
· High resolution press shots – Both landscape and portrait varieties with photo credit
· High resolution artwork (for each single/EP/album release)
· Artist quotes – A quote from the artist (usually around 200 words) for each of the tracks they are releasing.
· Marketing Information – any key information such as support from streaming platforms, TV placements, live information
· Tour dates – if applicable as these will add weight to your campaign


How much time do I need to schedule in advance?
Press teams will ask for anything from 2-3 weeks lead time into a single, whereas if you are planning on releasing a full record, the lead time for albums to printed press can vary from 2-5 months. Make sure you plan ahead! For radio there is often a shorter lead into the single, but generally allow 6-8 weeks for a typical radio campaign around a single.


Are lyrics videos or live videos worth creating?
In short, the more content the better. Lyric videos don’t tend to have much pull and are best released alongside the single at the same date. Live videos can be more creative and will depend on how the footage turns out.


Will promotion teams work on a results-based fee?
Short answer is generally ‘No’, yet some companies will build in a bonus scheme whereby if they deliver outstanding results they can get paid more. Whilst you need to balance your budget and work out a fair base rate, this can be a good way of incentivising your promo teams.


How much should I spend?
This is the hardest question as companies charge varying prices depending on what they offer, who they represent, and many other factors. It’s not worth going for the ‘cheapest’ option out there as often these companies will not be able to generate many results. However, in contrast, the most expensive companies might not be right for the project either, you might be a low priority and still spend a lot of your budget.


So how do I find the right PR company for my music?
It is worth researching who PR companies look after, what results they are getting, and speaking to several options before you commit. Generally, whoever gives you the best feeling that they are interested in the project is the one to go for. Ask around, speak with peers and artists repped by different companies to see who is recommending which teams.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to try to negotiate your fee. If a publicist or radio plugger is really interested in the music they should be able to bend their prices a little to show that. Word of mouth is often the best way to find the right team, but also the team that gives you a positive feeling that they are committed and they like your music.