How to Approach a Metal or Rock PR Agency

Dear Reader,

if you are here, it is because metal or rock music is part of your life. You are a musician and you have a band or a solo project. You create music because it helps you to express your feelings and ideas about the world out there. You spend time, money, and energy for it. You pass nights in the rehearsal room, playing with your friends, trying to find the right tunes.

Then, after a lot of time, your dream comes true. The master CD is in your hands and you have the feeling that most of the work has been done. You think it would to be cool to appear on a huge website, or get some good reviews, but in the end, you feel to have done the 90% of the work because "You Created Your Music". This is a very TRICKY moment, an illusion we can say. The more is yet to come because, if you want to bring your band and music to the next level, it is better to take a seat with your band members, several times, and make a plan.

Promoting means Creating An Echo of Your Sound and Message.

Now I will tell you what a metal or rock PR agency is. It is a sounding board. It spreads musical and textual contents. Ok, it can help you with correcting texts (and giving tips about how to promote properly), but a band should already have clear ideas when they contact a PR agency. For one reason: PR's are not in the musicians' minds and they did not follow the entire composition of an album from the beginning. So we come back to the starting point - how it is important for a band to make a plan.

When your band is talking about how to promote the new release, first of all you have to make a list of the materials necesssary for the promotion. Usually what we require is the following:

- Full album in Mp3 format 320 kbps,

- Band Photos,

- Artwork (at least the front cover),

- Links to video contents (official videos, lyric videos, teasers, etc..) uploaded as unlisted on your YouTube channel,

- Release details (release date, tracklist, line-up, artwork artist, record label/distribution partners, genre, recording/mixing/mastering studio etc.),

- Album formats available,

- Links to website and social networks.

Then you have to provide textual content. This part is usually overlooked by many bands, but do not make the same mistake. A good biography and a detailed description of the album's message, are important like the music you created. Spend time when you work on these. The websites and radio stations are not interested in reading that the person A met B at school, then they made the band. They want to know more from you, they want their interest to be aroused because, otherwise, you will be "one among the many".

Now is the moment of contacting a metal or rock PR agency. Before doing this, think about HOW you will communicate. Introduce your band, eventual achievements and why we should be interested in promoting your release. And please, do not send a quick e-mail where you ask for the prices and that's it. In this way, you are offending your music, because you will give the feeling that your final decision only depends on price. Please take your time and explain to us your needs, and let's built a strategy together. Of course the price should be reasonable, but if the PR person has ideas, a friendly attitude, and a VISION about how to promote your release, he is the one for you.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to ask questions, or make comments. We would like to listen from you.

For any info about how to promote your next release, please send an e-mail to themetallistpr@gmail.com

Thanks for your time & believe in your music!