How to Avoid Pissing Off Music Bloggers (and Several Other Handy Tips for Artists)
This week Culture Bully is celebrating its sixth anniversary and in looking back on the years it quickly becomes evident that even during such a short amount of time the online musical landscape has changed immensely. While the blogosphere on the whole has made many complex advances over the years, music blogs in particular have seen a wild shift in both credibility and popularity. With that in mind there have also been noticeable changes in how bloggers, labels and the artists themselves all interact, and how each of these relationships have impacted larger trends across the board. With that in mind it seemed more appropriate to mark the occasion with something that would be of larger benefit than simply a self-absorbed self-congratulatory blog post (though don’t get me wrong, I did that also); more specifically, something that could potentially offer some insight into the music blog process for artists (or labels, or anyone, really). The following isn’t a State of the Music Blogosphere address, nor is it an arbitrary step-by-step “how to” for artists guiding them toward getting their music out there. But rather, it is a series of tips which come as the result of conversations with a few dozen bloggers, industry figures and artists, all of which stand to enforce not only why it’s important that artists keep music blogs in mind when promoting their music, but what they can do to avoid being one of the many who fail to make it out of the inbox.
WHY MUSIC BLOGS?
Music blogs aren’t likely to change the world any time soon, but they have significantly helped shift the face of how music is promoted online. In 2006 the term “Blog Band” began to buzz when acts the likes of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Cold War Kids began finding wider audiences, due in part to growing support from music blogs. Rolling Stone went as far as printing a piece titled “First Hype, Then Kill” which tracked such bands’ success relative to their support from blogs. The idea was more of a farce than anything, and it eventually peaked with a well-received (and rather hilarious) video that Human Giant released with Tapes ‘n Tapes parodying the influence of music bloggers. (“Step one: You get the bloggers on board.”) “When Stereogum launched almost 10 years ago, labels treated Web and print publications very differently,” explained the site’s founder Scott Lapatine via email. “Blogs had extremely limited access because the Web was viewed as untrustworthy and unprofessional. Which was sort of true! That stopped being the case after a few years. Now there’s a constant dialogue.” Stephanie Trick, former Director of Online Marketing at Mute Records, echoed that same sentiment, “Expectations of bloggers changed quite a bit since I started working in music in 2005. I think they were seen as more supplementary to a traditional publicity campaign.”
While music blogs hardly had the ability to single-handedly make or break careers, their early effectiveness became partially due to a tendency of featuring “unknown” acts or groups that would typically be overlooked by mainstream media. In a 2007 article, Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk noted that “Taken on the whole, MP3 blogs offer more breadth, depth and music than a magazine or radio station ever could.” “They seem to be leading the way with breaking new bands,” agreed Tapes ‘n Tapes’ manager Keri Wiese, cheekily adding, “so most of their attention is paid to the buzziest of the buzz bands.” Additionally, while not only offering a promotional outlet for artists who might typically go largely unnoticed, there was an ongoing perception that bloggers were unprofessional college kids, hacks, or nerds typing away late into the night while living in their parents’ basement (at various points of my life I have been all of those things) rather than being legitimate journalists (something I have yet to be). On the surface this might seem like a burn, but in many ways it gave bloggers a fresh introduction to a market that had otherwise become tired of old, jaded curmudgeons. “A lot of them are really respectful music lovers who like sharing their love of music with others,” noted Trick, a statement which still goes to represent the majority of music bloggers.
This isn’t to say that music blogs haven’t moved beyond this simple generalization though as there are plenty of bloggers, those both well respected and completely unknown, which make some sort of income from their blogs (this being one such blog). But of the 17 music bloggers I surveyed for this article only one person claimed that making money from their site was a driving factor in them blogging. When considering that three hours is the average amount of time that each blogger spends working on their site every day, that number should seem absurdly low. Having met dozens of music bloggers in person and hundreds online I can confirm that it’s no secret that the common interest which is shared by all is a passion for music; it just so happens that many of these particular fans have channeled their passions into a now largely reputable medium.
WHAT YOU’RE UP AGAINST
While it stands to reason that music bloggers would also conveniently be fans, that point alone does little to help artists actually be heard however: you still have to put yourself out there somehow. While reaching bloggers via Facebook and Twitter is becoming increasingly popular, the most utilized method for reaching music bloggers has been through email. But simply shooting a clear and concise message off to someone hardly offers any guarantees, a fact which isn’t lost on Wiese. “Back in the day, I imagine bloggers interacted with a few people a day and got a handful of emails. I cannot even imagine how deluged they are with emails now.”
From the bloggers I spoke with, the average number of PR/label/band emails which they receive on a daily basis is just under 100 (93). This probably isn’t an encouraging figure for artists attempting to reach out to bloggers, but unfortunately the picture only grows darker from there. “The most difficult part with music bloggers is probably getting them to pay attention,” suggested Wiese, a sentiment which was echoed by both Trick and George Corona, co-founder of Terrorbird Media. “Definitely,” he confirmed when asked if the most difficult part of working with music bloggers is getting a response. The survey results only served to further emphasize this point. Of those 93 emails music bloggers receive on a daily basis, less than half are opened (45%) and of those emails even fewer (20%) are responded to. So if on any given day you were to drop 93 emails on the music blogosphere, you’re only likely to hear back from about eight bloggers. And depending on who you talk to, even that figure seems like it might be a stretch.
Further, Corona suggested that depending on the focus and popularity of the blog you’re contacting, your chances of being heard may become even slimmer. Despite many bloggers still priding themselves on devoting their sites to artists who float well below the mainstream’s radar, Corona added, “The reality is that a lot of outlets are reluctant to cover if the artist doesn’t have an endorsement already from another outlet.” But that isn’t the end of the story on emails.
“Following up is extremely important,” he continued. “Sometimes nothing will happen with an outlet until the fifth email.” Repetition is a method which artists have to be careful with however. “A big chunk of people are not going to get back to you at all,” continued Wiese. “That does not mean you should send a bazillion emails asking if you’ve listened, and it also doesn’t mean that they haven’t listened. You can ruin it by badgering someone.” A statement which Corona seconds, “[With] random, haphazard follow up [it] is really difficult to get good results.” But despite such stacked odds, someone has to be getting through, you might be saying to yourself. Is there something that can be done so that your email doesn’t simply blend in with the dozens and dozes just like it which hit a blogger’s inbox on a daily basis? Absolutely.
THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE
“Breaking through to any kind of next level requires both hard work and a massive amount of LUCK,” confirmed Wiese. But in the case of reaching out to music bloggers, luck can be somewhat less a factor than simply catering to an individual’s preference is. For instance, when Culture Bully started six years ago, the ultimate prize that a music blogger could receive was an mp3 in an email, approved and fully cleared to post. As mentioned in the introduction though, a lot has changed since 2005. The bloggers surveyed were evenly divided in terms of their preference of how to receive music: a third prefer an MP3 hotlink to a streaming link, a third prefer the opposite and a third are split between each option. Many were strong in noting that they don’t like receiving songs as email attachments however, a trend which Wiese strongly confirmed, “Do not send large attachments EVER.” Appealing to this preference isn’t a sure-bet, but it won’t hurt. Despite the balanced acceptance of each method, MP3s and streams, the overwhelming majority of support has shifted away from what was once the primary method of sharing music.
In a January post titled “An open letter to independent artists to delete their myspace pages,” Aaron of Tsururadio made his plea for musicians to move on from the social media hub. Though the main argument is made quite clear in the title, a number of valid complaints are also provided throughout the article as to why MySpace has become such a nuisance. One point of his stands out above the rest however: “Is myspace the first impression you want to give a potential new fan?” The same question would seem to hold true for a blogger: so aside from its increasingly slow loading time and decreasingly functional assets (all of which made that much more evident after the site’s most recent redesign), how does MySpace compare to other methods of sharing music in 2011? Not well at all. When surveyed the bloggers were offered a list of resources which help artists deliver their music to listeners and two stood out miles above the rest: Soundcloud and Bandcamp. As Franky of Listen Before You Buy relates, “I’d rather click a link and listen to a song than click a link and wait for the song to download, then find the song on my desktop, and then open it in my media player.” Furthermore both of these services are about as easy for artists to use as they are for listeners (both offer simple tutorials to help get you on your way: Soundcloud + Bandcamp). Music bloggers also confirmed that MP3 hotlinks were still favored, as they ranked third, when compared to Facebook (fourth place), Reverb Nation (fifth place) and MySpace (sixth place).
With the process of uploading music and sending mass emails being so simple and inexpensive, many artists are still of the belief that they’re giving themselves a leg up on competition by making the extra effort and sending a physical package with a hard copy of their music. This theory would seem confirmed by Tim of The Blue Walrus, “Emails cost nothing to send so people send them regardless of whether they fit my tastes, whereas CDs/vinyl/tapes/etc. all cost money to produce and post — people will only tend to send them if they actually think I’ll like it.” Surprising as the news might be however, the overwhelming majority of bloggers surveyed confirmed that they don’t actually pay any more attention to physical copies than they do digital. In explaining his stance, Peter of TwentyFourBit offered an intriguing alternative, “My advice to bands considering what to send over would be: Send a stream or video of your absolute favorite track, regardless of when it was recorded/released. If the song is something that they could die happy knowing they had put to tape, I not only would be open to hearing it, but would love to. I’ve been recording music for 14 years, so I’m familiar with the struggle of creating a gem you’re thrilled with before struggling to find some friendly ears to share the jams.”
On a personal note, one of the most unfortunate experiences in terms of being a music blogger has been the realization of how much money artists waste by blindly following this method of promotion. As an artist, when you combine the cost of a CD, a jewel case, printed inserts, release documentation and a bubble mailer (not to mention the time it takes to assemble everything) you’re making a serious investment in the hope that someone will actually listen to what you’re sending them, let alone enjoy it enough to promote it. Peter continued, “If they sent a nice piece of vinyl, I’d listen, but I’d prefer bands not waste such an amazing product on promos unless I’ve already raved about them.” As if it weren’t hard enough to make money as a musician, there are countless artists who still follow this very path of outreach. Bloggers might not seem like the most caring or responsive people in the world but I can almost promise you that no one wants you to waste your money by sending them music they don’t want to hear. So now that you’re saving your hard-earned dollars by not sending CDs and vinyl out, it’s time to touch on one of the easiest ways you can avoid being overlooked by music bloggers altogether: simply don’t send anything.
THE CARDINAL SIN
In a recent discussion with Anthony Volodkin, founder of the world’s most popular music blog aggregator: The Hype Machine, he explained that the site now indexes around 800 music blogs. Additionally, Brandon Griffiths, founder of Elbo.ws (another tremendously popular music blog aggregator) revealed that his site presently monitors around 4000 music blogs. Technorati, “the leading blog search engine and directory,” tracks well over 100 million blogs (*English speaking blogs*), but only lists some 7000 as music-specific sites. Clearly the organizational system there isn’t perfect and doesn’t include all 100 million blogs, but how many of those do you honestly think might actually be music blogs: 10,000? 20,000? 100,000? More? The point with all of this is that there are more music blogs out there than anyone would ever have time to sort through. As a music fan, focusing on the big picture as a whole could be overwhelming but once you dive in — following blogroll links and shoutouts, taking advantage of the connectivity between like-minded bloggers — it doesn’t end up being all that difficult to find some music blogs which fit your interests. You’d think that the process which artists might go through when searching for blogs that would vibe with their music would seemingly be just as simple, but if you ask a music blogger, you’re likely to get a very different response.
The lightning rod of the survey was quickly identified when bloggers were asked whether or not they feel that those sending emails should know what kind of music WOULD NOT be of interest to them. “I wouldn’t have over 26,000 unread messages if folks could target the proper blogs more efficiently,” replied Sean of Buzzgrinder. This opinion isn’t simply shared by bloggers however. “For a new band, you can’t just generically pitch everyone,” explained Corona. “You have to really target who you think might be into something — so you have to read their blog, and at the very least have a basic idea of what they’re about and what they’re into.” Trick noted that through her five years in the industry she focused on “maybe up to 100 blogs per campaign.” Wiese further reinforced this idea, adding, “I think if bands take the time to do some research and seek out their audience, they will have more success. Take those small successes and build on that.” However, the most interesting piece of advice on the topic came from John Dragonetti, one half of the indie pop duo the Submarines.
Independently releasing their debut album not too long after Culture Bully got going, the band was swiftly picked up by Nettwerk. Yet despite the continued label support (they just released their third full-length LP), a number of high profile advertisement spots for the likes of Apple, and a variety of film and television features, the band still emphasizes adding a personal touch to their process. “We’ve simply tried to connect with blogs that we’re fans of. Just connecting with a few folks can help set the right tone for the band. Even if your label is sending out en masse, the band should do stuff on their own.” He continued by defining the importance of relying on your own sense of hustle even if you’re surrounded by a team working to help you. “We’ve had a great relationship with our label but you don’t always want to be defined through the filter of a record company. Label folks come and go as much as bands do, so it’s good to connect independently.” There is another side to this argument however, and just because a few bloggers (about 90% of those surveyed, actually) think that musicians (and labels/PR folk) need to do a better job of focusing their campaigns doesn’t mean that they speak for everyone.
“Why not send to as many people as possible?” Replied Lee of Knox Road. “I don’t see much harm in it, as long as the emails are either bcc’d or personal (which will indeed, and for good reason, get more blog love).” Added Franky in response to the original question, “No, mainly because between myself and my writers we have a broad taste in music and will literally post anything if it’s ‘good’.” That doesn’t take away from the general sense of care that many overlook when focusing on music blogs that might actually be interested in their music. While it might not affect the artist in terms of shooting off emails — last time I checked it costs the same to send an email to one person as it does to 1000 people — such minimal attention to detail would likely save artists from wasting money on unnecessary mail-outs, and it would definitely leave a little more room to breathe in bloggers’ inboxes. Why should that matter to you as an artist? Because it’s just about as likely that music bloggers will become overwhelmed by volume and blindly purge 100 emails as they are to becoming fully engaged with 10 well-placed messages. If you want bloggers to take time and become interested by what it is you’re presenting them with, make certain that you’re prepared to spend just as much time to figure out who your music is best suited for. All of this isn’t to merely say “don’t send anything” and move on, but it’s 2011 and unfortunately that means that simply recording your music and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut it.
SO NOW WHAT?!
Relating his own personal experiences on his blog, Nashville-based artist Quiet Entertainer recently wrote, “Do you hate the media and the press? Do you think that they are purposefully ignoring you and all others with talent? Do you think the entire world is against you and your music? This is your first obstacle; maybe your biggest.” It’s easier to believe that no one cares about what you’re doing than it is to care enough yourself to put a solid effort into attempting to focus your music at bloggers who are likely to enjoy it. Regardless though, if that’s how you feel right now, don’t worry, it’s natural and you’re not alone in experiencing such insecurities. “There are honestly some bad critics out there with quite a bit of power,” added Wiese during our conversation. “It can be as simple [as] relating to the music and other topics on the site — or as ambiguous as the vibe you get when you walk into an unfamiliar coffee shop,” noted Dragonetti when explaining his process of searching for bloggers to reach out to. “You kind of get a sense right away if it feels right to you or if it feels ‘off’. There are also plenty of blogs that I love — and still send our stuff to — that probably couldn’t care less about the music we make.”
It’s a hard market to break into but it’s not impossible. And perhaps you’re doing everything right and are still falling through the cracks; that’s life, it happens to all of us. The flipside is that if you’re doing something right, regardless of all the hurdles there are to overcome, chances are better now than they’ve ever been that your music is going to be heard. “Bands are much savvier about digital strategy than people realize,” concluded Lapatine. And I personally feel that to be true, myself. I guess it’s really no different than any relationship: If you want an honest effort from the other party, you’re going to have to do some work yourself. If you want someone to blog about your band but can’t be bothered past the point of spamming a collection of mailing lists, you’re wasting everyone’s time including your own. Whatever you do though, don’t give up. That next email you send or blog you read might lead to you finding your biggest supporter. It’s always worth a shot, but unless you’re sensible with your expectations and are willing to be at least a little bit honest with yourself along the way, you’re not likely to make it past a single blogger’s delete button.
Also: How to Fail at Promoting Music Online
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Notes: All numerical figures have been rounded up. While the volume of music bloggers surveyed isn’t enough to make any serious claims, those who contributed to this include a wide range of both males and females from around the world who have been blogging from anywhere from one to ten years. By my estimate, that’s a pretty solid sample group. With the exception of Stereogum‘s Scott Lapatine, bloggers’ last names were omitted as some simply prefer to leave it that way — by all means, if you’re curious, feel free to ask them though: Aaron (Tsururadio), David (SF Critic), Franky (Listen Before You Buy), Greg (Captains Dead), Jessica (New Music Collaborative), Joe (Each Note Secure), Jon Jon (Sound Verite’), Lee (Knox Road), Lydia (Sunset in the Rearview), Matthew (Song, by Toad), Niall (Nialler9), Peter (TwentyFourBit), Sandy (Slowcoustic), Sean (Buzzgrinder), Tiana (Ride The Tempo), Tim (The Blue Walrus) & Will (We All Want Someone To Shout For).
Thanks for the mention. What an epic post. I agree that a little research beforehand can save a lot of headache before submitting to a blog. I think the stats you mentioned early on highlight the importance of that as well. There are just so many music blogs; the time you spend contacting them is valuable. Better to invest the time with a few blogs then to shotgun blast every blog you can find.
Thanks for checking it out QE! Was a pleasant coincidence to come across your thoughts as this was coming together.
Pleasant for both of us!
Great Advice for artist still learning the ins and outs of blogs!
Really great article. Well written, insightful, and quoting some of my favorite blogs certainly helps. I don’t disagree with much, as I’ve been known to get overwhelmed and just delete mass quantities of emails. It’s sad to think what good things slip the cracks, but when half my submissions say “dub step remix” in the first line, it’s hard not to send stuff to the trash.
Thanks for this. Well done.
Thank a lot for the feedback Jim. I’m with you on the email dilemma… the way it stands things are tough, and it is humanly possible to go through every last one of em if you want to spend all your day reading email.
There are two people I talked to who are on a whole other level in those terms. Niall puts in work on a couple site and can end up with upwards of 250 emails a day and Scott shot me a message this morning saying that he gets around 800.
800 emails. Every day. Amazing.
Great piece, the game has changed as has the credibility if many blogs, however the game is for each blogger is develop their own taste. Most blogs don’t see a dime, therefore they answer only to themselves, or at least should.
Couldn’t agree more – something I’m trying to be more honest with myself about there – developing a better filter for what hits the site and what doesn’t. Could post up music from all 100 emails (and you might swear that some blogs seemingly do so), but that doesn’t help anybody when it comes to finding legitimate tunes to listen to.
Great piece! From the title, I was expected some snarky head-up-ass tirade and, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I too get annoyed by 100s of emails every week, but at the same time, if I were a band, I’d be sending them everywhere too. So I guess I’m in the minority, but I’d say to bands: don’t waste too much energy targeting your work. I mean, make sure there’s SOME chance of a fit – MetalMayhem.com may not be the best choice for your twee-folk EP – but wasting too much time combing through each blog’s archive gives you less time to send out as many emails. Sad fact is, when so many emails are getting deleted, the smart bands focus on quantity just as much as quality.
Don’t get me wrong Ray, my head’s usually up my ass. Honestly I think we’d all be quite surprised at how much non-metal content a site like that probably gets submitted… I’m not suggesting spending all day to search out a single recipient for your work or anything, just a little more attention to blindly unleashing spam like you and Jim have touched on.
Great article it made My day
Promise Matic, despite all this big talk, I’ll still read your emails when the day is through
Thanks for checking this out!
haha, i’m with ray. i thought this article was gonna be just a list of things not to do, a rant. but it’s actually helpful as an artist, and i’m bookmarking it. thanks
Thanks for checking it out and making it past the title Chantilly, hope there’s something valuable in it that can be passed on.
I run an indie-label “Fill In The Breaks” and this article said it all. Thanks Culture Bully! We have a hell of a time getting some blogs to care but you cant take it personal. Fans don’t care if your mentioned in blogs. All that matter is making great music. You do that and someone will hear it and millions will care….It’s science. lol
One note Keri mentioned a few times was the statement of the cream rising to the top. Good music has a tendency of finding a home regardless of whether bloggers do any bloggerin’ about it… but some focused effort in getting the word out (counts for mainstream media, radio placement, whatever) isn’t going to hurt. Thanks for the feedback dude
nicely done, chris. cheers!
Thanks again for the help man!
This is dead on. As both and blogger and publicist, I find myself in a curious position sometimes, trying to NOT enact the things that piss me off as a blogger during my dayjob work.
As such, we conducted an experiment asking bloggers how they like to receive music, which lead to a conversation that brought up many of the points raised above. We wrote up a summary here – http://www.crash-avenue.com/what-you-said-about-online-press-releases/ Definitely glad CB got this together… hope people on both sides of the equation take note!
Nice job Chris. I respect the voice and approach you took throughout the article. A piece like this affirms that bloggers are not simply college nerds itching to get free tickets and the latest swag.
Daps to you.
Trill.
David
thanks G – appreciate the help along the way man. dap back atcha
I’m a dude who is about to send out his own music to several blogs and I’ve spent several months going through blog lists and trying to find the ones that would actually like what I’m doing — and getting a lot of great new reading in the process! I thank you for such a great article and confirmation of all the work I’ve been doing.
Thanks for reading Mark. Sounds like you’ve got it locked down–best of luck getting the word out.
One thing that’s consistently ignored both in bands Twitter-marketing and emailing is whether or not the link they include is going to work on a smart phone. I can’t be the only music blogger who reads the vast majority of his emails on an iPhone (or Android device).
If you include an announcement, don’t make me login to Facebook Mobile to see it — send me to an actual webpage. If you send me a link, don’t make it to a page that requires Flash.
My “day job” is in marketing, and we’re constantly being told to “think mobile.” Bands should think the same way when marketing themselves.
I agree on that, too, and a few bloggers pointed that out when speaking with them. I didn’t want to touch either the Twitter or mobile topics because, well hell, the thing is already wicked long. But you’re right–it’s not even forward thinking, it’s just adapting to what’s going on now.
Great article.
Getting coverage on blogs is crucial for all the clients that I work with – but we don’t just focus on music blogs.
We try to find an angle that fits with the band. So, if they are a jazzy folk act, we’ll find some blogs that fit around that culture, perhaps one that talks about jazz clubs and offer them a piece that is written for them by the band from the perspective of a touring jazz act. Or, more usually, things like approaching surf blogs with bands whose music would fit, or gear sites for really techy dance music.
We also aim for local area what’s on and general interest blogs that relate to the artist – hometown, where the record was made or some other connection
This can give you some initial coverage that will help when approaching music blogs.
Then, we very rarely approach music blogs cold. We concentrate on a few, starting with those with a lower level of traffic and more niche specific and get to know the bloggers by commenting and joining in threads, BEFORE we email them and ask for anything.
This could look spammy but if you target blogs that truly reflect your music it shouldn’t be because there is a genuine correlation.
Then we always email a few at at a time and log who we have sent stuff to on an XL sheet and follow up if there are no replies.
If we aim at 100 blogs for a release, 20 or so will be non-music, we will connect with ALL of them in one way or another before asking for anything and we’ll expect feature length reviews or pieces on at least 30 or so, and mentions in another 30 or so, with a 40% or so total failure rate.
Really.
Oh, and we’ll always point people to a page on the act’s site that sets out streaming links and other info (this might be a post with an embedded player about the forthcoming release) or direct to either Bandcamp or Soundcloud as you have said.
I wouldn’t ever send out a blast to a whole list of bloggers that I have no relationship with. If I did, I’d expect 2% success.
Doing it right is a LOT more work but the results are exponential and can truly be the bedrock of a new artist’s breakthrough.
“But we don’t just focus on music blogs.” And I would totally disregard that as a sane approach to getting the word out. Sounds like you’ve really got a good system down – very cool!
I can’t stress how important I think the local focus is, too. If you can meet with someone face to face for an interview, or meet them at a show, that’s invaluable for artists trying to build relationships.
Here’s another excerpt from what Scott Lapatine told me, “Ideally a band can make an impression across a network of sites in a short time period, then leverage that momentum offline while not putting out too many shitty remixes.” This only goes to strengthen what you’re saying as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for the feedback!
Chris
Thanks! It does work.
This is a really great piece and I’m overly impressed how you find the time to reply to every comment and really fuel the discussion.
Ian
My pleasure Ian – If any questions come to mind, lemme know. This could’ve probably been twice as long had I used quotes from all my blogger homies.
Great article, Chris. Something I will definitely run by the artists that I come across. I actually just restarted my music website last month. I shut it down, because I was bombarded with too much spam and noise from artists that either didn’t fit or were just untalented with no production value to their music. This was all due to not having a filtering process in place.
Thanks for doing what you do for the love of music. Keep doing an awesome job.
Best of luck with the reboot – we’re all dealing with the static, guess it’s just a matter of making the best of it, or filtering it, like you’re saying. Thanks for checking the site out!
Excellent article, thanks for writing this.
A couple of notes on figures you’ve mentioned. First off, I’m a music blogger who only manages about 3 hours per week! How the hell do you guys find the time?
Second off, I get between 10-20 emails a day, and that’s an impossible number to get through for me. Possibly because I only spend about 3 hours per week on writing. But one thing that will get an email read is if the person sending it has clearly read my blog, likes it, and thinks the music they are sending (be it their own, or a band they are representing) will be liked by me. This has worked a good few times.
Thirdly, does HypeM really only have 800 blogs indexed? I thought it was more like 8000! I would be honoured to think I’m one of 800, but I suspect I’m one of 8000. Or more.
Anyway, thanks again for a great article.
Hi K – thanks for checking the site out – glad to hear it was of interest!
I guess most people would probably just say it’s their hobby or passion. Three hours doesn’t have to be a sit-down, block of concentrated blogging time… Three hours over the course of a day is far easier to fit in that it might seem. And if you’re like TwentyFourBit Peter – he works all day every day. Never sleeps, the guy’s a machine.
As far as the Hype Machine is concerned, here’s what Anthony related to me: the site narrowed its focus to work with a concentrated pool of sites. Presently there are about 800 blogs pumping out 3000-5000 posts a week that make it onto the site. Brandon said that Elbo.ws is indexing about 12,500 posts a week. THAT is a lot of content!
This is just a bloody great article
awesome
really really helpful
cheers
The Suit
Thanks for checking the site out!
MMA rules! But yeah, times have changed. Even though I already had an idea of what was going on with the industry this was insightful Chris! Time to bombard you with some more e-mails!
No doubt you will Clyde, no doubt you will.
I’m going to add onto the pile o’ praise here with my declaration of how fantastic this article is. As someone who runs a D-List music blog and also plays guitar in a folk-rock band, I’m familiar with this discussion from both sides of the street.
For me, when I open my inbox after coming home from my day job, the first thing that I look for are e-mails (whether from PR people that I know or bands who have actually visited my blog to know what I’m about) that display some heart. You know – the ones who are really attempting to connect with me in hopes that I connect with them. That sort of attention to detail makes all the difference to me.
I respect your opinion and that really means a lot to me, thank you Adam.
Finally found some time in my day to read this fully (bookmarked from earlier). Really insightful. All bands (and labels even) need to read this before sending promos.
Do you mind if I bookmark this for later and quote/source you in my dissertation
?
Do I mind? Of course not Tiana! That’s what it’s here for.
Thanks!! doing a dissertation for August on a topic and my topic is going to be how blogs are the new curators of music. This is so well written I can’t not mention it!
That is very kind of you to say, thanks Tiana.
Thanks a ton for this, Chris! Really helps put a face to all those unanswered emails. I guess unanswered doesn’t always = hates your music!
Happy Birthday and Congratulations, Chris! Well done!
I just had this conversation the other day. Thanks for writing it down. Keep up the good work.
Paul
Excellent and informative. Maybe I’m just more jaded and uninterested in “buzz” bands or genres than most, but out of 100 PR/marketing emails a day I might read 5-10. The ones I do read and respond to are those that show some level of care and interest in what I do. Spending even just a little time to make a personal connection can make all the difference.
Haha – well, I don’t know that you’re jaded, but I the disinterest is clear as day. On my part concerning the emails–even personalized messages don’t that do much for me. (That being said, many people’s view of personalizing is putting your name at the top and saying that they’ve been following your blog “for years” before slapping in a copy & pasted pitch.)
I might not be in the majority with this, but I feel that the expectation that emails (from strangers) have to be replied to is an unfair one. To some degree I guess I feel that without an honest effort, the implication is that our time is hardly valuable (how could it be worth something if they can’t make an effort? Or get our names right–haha–Tiana expressed that in her survey and I still get quite the kick out of emails that say “I love Culture Belly!”). All of us have a finite amount of time each day and, to me at least, it’s much more important that I spend that time doing something rad… I go through spurts where I try to send out feedback to artists that I didn’t enjoy, but for the most part I’d rather spend my time on reading a friend’s blog than reading a stranger’s email.
Chris I want to to thank You so much for this article! I’m one week into blogging and I must say I really didn’t know what I was doing and having so many other jobs trying to learn the music industry! I’ve spent tons of hours on how to get music heard and This article has given me Hope for me and my Artist “Black
Sinatra” THANK YOU
Thanks for taking the time to read it Frankie – best of luck as you dive in!
Came across this article while in the midst of literally hundreds of one-on-one follow-ups. As a “PR Person” I’ve been thinking about this subject for some time now – how to get people to care without being annoying – while trying not to get discouraged at the percentage of emails sent to emails answered. I feel like my company makes a good attempt at doing outreach the “right” way, but it also comes down to what to put in the subject lines to make websites open our emails. Chris, if there’s any way we could discuss this topic further via phone or email I’d love to pick your brain.
Sure there is – would this an appropriate forum for it? Maybe someone else could offer some additional insight that would also be beneficial? (Could always toss the question out to people via Twitter, etc.) If not, shoot me an email.
Yes, a Twitter/forum would be ideal! If anyone else commenting on here has input as to what will make an email stand out in your inbox I would love to hear it. I will email you on Monday too, Chris. Thanks!
That’s a legitimate question. Pretty tough to answer though. Part of the point of this whole thing is to simply say: there’s no sure-fire right way of approaching email marketing. What stands out in my inbox is email sent from people I recognize. If we have a relationship, I’m likely to check it out. But you can only go so far with that…
One of the things Anthony Volodkin related to me during our conversation was that–while he’s not a music blogger, per se–he’s likelier to follow emails from labels he’s a fan of. Personally, I’m heavy on Third Man Records, and my ears perk up when they announce any news. Altered Zones? Better believe it that if Transparent says something, they’re paying attention. But in many of those situations, the email is already secondary to the news as it drops on Twitter or Facebook.
Worse yet, this changes every day. We’re all people and we are all inconsistent to some degree.
Great job Chris. This is incredibly well written, and it hit the nails straight on it’s head.
All bands who are trying to get posted on blogs need to read this.
Thanks dude – this was a group effort though, big part of it was the feedback you guys offered up!
Wow what an incredible article! As a music blogger I am relatively new to the game and reading your article has inspired me even more.
For starters 100+ emails a day? That is crazy. Maybe one day I will reach that number and hate what I am about to say……but I would be thrilled to dive into 100 emails a day of fresh music just sitting there.
I get emails here and there but nothing like what you guys are handling. As a music blogger I just feel honored to have the chance to voice my thoughts and opinions on music and what sounds good to me. Starting out I have had to reach out to Record Labels and Companies and knock on PR’s door. I would love to have that reversed and the other way around.
I feel music bloggers are a real community and are willing to help one another along the way which is awesome. No one is trying to one up the other guy, it is a real sense of unity and community. I can see the 3 hours a day of running a music blog I do that already and in return it is just about the love for music not for money in anyway.
I do admit I do love recieving free music either in the mail or by download and that right there is a perk for me to keep going.
Thanks again for this article it was excellent!
James
I did the exact same thing James: was still heavy into a lot of punk at the time I got going and reached out to some labels I enjoyed at the time like Fat Wreck and BYO — both of which kept me happy for years! But you bring up an interesting question: what’s the most valuable way that you can spend your time? Sorting through that mess of emails or listening to music that you know you already enjoy? I might leave the impression that I’m a dick or something by saying I don’t like responding to emails, but I make a genuine effort to sample most everything that hits my inbox. (It might take me a few days, but I’ll get to it.) I think the payoff is there when you find something that you enjoy that you’d never have heard otherwise, but the chances of doing so are becoming increasingly rare.
Chris I wasn’t trying to make it sound like you were ungreatful for getting emails and music to listen to. I fully understand your point on getting music that you know that you will enjoy and not having to sort through the garbage.
With the internet and social media really driving music lately there is so much out there and not enough time to take it all in. You have to stick with your favourites and add a few new young guns along the way. There are so many new bands out there and it has been music overload the last couple of years. I see what you are saying about getting the 100 emails you want quality and not quantity. I am just a little music blogger now and I look up to all you guys with the veteran experience.
It is also hard listening to an album only one time and tossing it aside or making a judgement on it after one listen. All of my favourite albums I have had to give at least 4 or 5 listens before the thing even made sense to me.
oh no no no no no — sorry, didn’t mean to aim that comment at you, just in general surrounding the topic, and some of the other comments i’ve left here. didn’t mean for that to reflect negatively against something you said. sorry bout that. guess it’s a matter of knowing your personal tastes and whatnot. which isn’t to say that i can tell if i’m going to love something a year from now based on a 15 second sample of it, but given that window i can usually tell if i’m *not* going to enjoy something enough to post and 95% of the cases — that’s pretty easy to pick up on along the way.
I’m actually surprised how much bloggers still rely on email for music submissions. It may be the standard way to contact people, but really only if you need to talk to them. That’s why, like we talked about before Chris, I get them to submit it to my SoundCloud dropbox.
SoundCloud has it’s benefits and drawbacks, but it’s been most efficient for me. I get a lot less people submitting music – no spammers + it takes a little more effort to submit – and SoundCloud lays it all out for me on a single page (though there does seem to be minor glitches).
My biggest problem now is being able to blog about all these artists. I’ve fallen way behind because it takes me so damn long to get a post up (I’ve just made it way too much of a chore). I really need a huge site update/automation process – this blogging thing is killing me
That said, for your seventh anniversary can you please do a ‘handy tips for music bloggers’??
Happy Sixth, many props!
Haha – you bet dude.
On the Soundcloud tip – I think it’s a good idea but it just doesn’t work for everyone. It might be my favorite way of receiving music, but it’s no different than simply deleting all emails that don’t come to you with a Soundcloud link. Lot of great labels that send stuff out still send download links and whatnot–have no interest in dismissing them because of their process. Same with great young acts who use Bandcamp–that’s just as easy to use in terms of sampling as Soundcloud is for me. Email might not be the most efficient way, but it covers the most ground… think that’s why it’s still leading the way.
Great article, not only for the musicians but also for anyone working with bloggers. I had to learn most of this on my own, but it took me several years. Thanks for the resource! I shared it with the rest of our biz dev team
Thanks for checking it out and passing it along Svetlana!
Pretty good stuff!