3 Erros Comuns Que Um Relações Públicas De Uma Banda Deve Evitar

Three Common PR Mistakes Bands Must Avoid

By Wade Su*on, Rocket to the Stars

As I was pu9ng the finishing touches on a recent development ar@cle, I couldn't

help but go back and look over some of the comments from Beaver County Times

entertainment editor Sco* Tady. One of the stories he relayed to me struck a chord

and it lingered in my mind for several days.

The story I am referring to is Tady's telling of having to track down a photograph of a

band he was wri@ng an ar@cle about. The short version is that Sco* was wri@ng a

piece on a band that was part of an upcoming doubleheader in Pi*sburgh. Sco*

wrote the story and contacted the band because he needed a photograph for the

ar@cle. When the band failed to get back to him, Sco* a*empted to reach the

band's publicist. The publicist, like the band, also failed to send the photograph.

Sco* was leI with few choices and ul@mately decided to run the story...with a

photograph of the other band set to perform in that show.

I'm going to tell you something very disheartening: This sort of thing happens more

oIen than many of you would believe. I find it truly amazing that so many bands do

not comprehend how quickly inadequate public rela@ons and media representa@on

can ruin their reputa@on in media circles and how much it can hold them back from

advancing in their careers. I am completely sympathe@c of bands that don't have

the money to hire the proper representa@on but, if that is the posi@on you are in, it

is vital that you give this part of your music business the a*en@on it deserves.

I am going to tell you three TRUE stories that I had to deal with all during a span of

just a few days. Some involve bands that currently have no public rela@ons or media

representa@on while others are currently under contract with firms. This is the kind

of stuff that goes on behind the scenes...

"STORY #1"

Just a few weeks ago, I reached out to a singer I was interested in covering for one of

my in-depth ar@st interviews. The ar@st is very talented and was in the process of

wrapping up a tour. My ini@al contact with her was via Twi*er and she appeared to

be genuinely enthusias@c in her responses. I requested her e-mail address so I could

send her a standard form I give all ar@sts prior to one of my interviews.

Understand that the form I send them includes a sec@on explaining that Rocket's

long-form interviews are typically conducted via Skype. I'm not going to go into

many specifics here but being able to see the person I am interviewing is an

important part of my interview methodology. A person's mannerisms, body

language, and facial expressions are all indicators of when I should increase pressure

or ease up during certain lines of ques@ons. I take the interview process so seriously

because doing so leads to the wonderful ar@st interviews published by Rocket to the

Stars. It is a ma*er of maintaining a standard with my readers in mind.

Back to the story. So I sent that form to the e-mail address provided to me by the

ar@st. Four days later, I received a response from the public rela@ons firm

represen@ng the ar@st. It said that she had agreed to the terms of the interview and

wanted to set up a @me to conduct it but, near the end of the e-mail, the public

rela@ons representa@ve includes a brief comment informing me that the interview

would be done by telephone instead of u@lizing Skype.

"Huh? That isn't how this works," I thought to myself. I sent a very polite response

to the public rela@ons representa@ve explaining that doing the interview on Skype

was part of Rocket's policy for conduc@ng and wri@ng our ar@st interviews. I also

explained the reasons for the process being what it was and even provided them

with links to previous ar@st interviews on our site so they could see what type of

ar@cle I was aiming to write about their client. They later responded saying they felt

it would be be*er to do the interview by phone and "suggested" @mes that would

be good for them to conduct the interview.

I went to Twi*er and contacted the ar@st directly in an a*empt to figure out what

the hell was going on and I asked her if there was a specific reason she didn't want

to do the interview on Skype. She responded to my inquiry and said that she was

more than willing to do the interview in that manner and was confused by the emails

I was receiving from her public rela@ons representa@ve. I suggested we set up

a @me and day to do the Skype interview (I wanted to get the interview posted

because I had other stories I needed to work on) and she suddenly became very

hesitant.

That was all I needed to know. I immediately pulled the plug on the interview. I

knew one of two things was happening: either there was a complete lack of

communica@on between the ar@st and the public rela@ons representa@ve or the

ar@st, for what ever reason, did not want to do the Skype interview and wasn't being

honest with me when we spoke about it. The interview never happened.

Journalists have more important things to do than waste @me trying to sort through

this kind of mess. Ge9ng one story from an ar@st while their PR crew is saying the

exact opposite is unprofessional and makes it very difficult for media to take you

seriously. It also makes us not want to cover you.

"STORY #2"

If you, your public rela@ons representa@ve, or your band's manager decides to

contact the media hoping to get coverage for your show, do not send one of those

stupid e-mails pretending to be a fan sugges@ng the media outlet "check out this

totally awesome local band". You think you are being slick but an experienced

journalist, even one working in a small town, will sniff that out from a mile away. Do

you want to know why we are so good at detec@ng that kind of BS? Because it

happens so oIen. It happens in music news and it runs rampant in poli@cal news

coverage.

It was just last week that somebody e-mailed me sugges@ng I watch a YouTube of

some band from New York City. The author of the e-mail went on to say they

thought the band had poten@al and he just happened to think of Rocket to the Stars

(JOY!) and he thought I might be interested in doing an interview with the band. Of

course, he just happened to have links to their YouTube videos and website.

"Seriously?" I groaned.

I immediately responded to the e-mail asking if the author was the band's manager.

Sure enough that ended up being the case. I received a message from the guy

about ten minutes later admi9ng that he was their manager.

I'm going to give you a pro @p: If the ar@st or band in ques@on is NEWSWORTHY,

journalists do not care if it is a member of the band, a manager, or a fan contac@ng

us with the @p. If you are a member of the band, a public rela@ons representa@ve,

or a manger pulling double duty, please, just say so from the beginning. We are

going to find out and it will make you look tacky and unprofessional.

And if you do feel you need to pretend to be somebody else, that act probably isn't

newsworthy enough for coverage to begin with.

"STORY #3"

If there is any one lesson ar@sts take from this ar@cle, I hope it will be this:

Journalists contac@ng you for interviews are usually working on some sort of

deadline. I know of several instances in which journalists and entertainment writers

decided to drop an interview with an ar@st because it would take so long for the

performer to get back to them. This problem is not exclusive to the music industry.

It happens in poli@cs, with community events, and several other areas of news

coverage.

You have to understand that reporters live and die by their ability to meet deadlines

and uncover stories before their compe@@on. So when a reporter suddenly seems

less interested in interviewing you and wri@ng about your band, don't start

cri@cizing and saying nasty things about them on social media. More oIen than not

those interviews are ge9ng dropped because you have a pa*ern of wai@ng three

days to respond to the journalist's inquiries. Once that pa*ern carries out over the

course of three e-mails, the reporter has already blown more than a week trying to

set up the interview and get the informa@on he or she needs.

I had this happen with three different ar@sts...just last week. Most reporters do not

have @me to deal with this kind of thing because they have deadlines they have to

meet to keep their jobs. They have editors breathing down their neck to get things

done. I don't have an editor standing over me at Rocket to the Stars but I s@ll

maintain self-imposed deadlines to guarantee new content is being posted on a

regular basis.

One more pro @p to close this thing out: If a reporter is interested in covering you,

they are probably watching you on social media. So when they wait three days for

you to respond to an e-mail while seeing you post on Facebook every twenty

minutes, well, they are probably going to drop you in favor of covering somebody

else.

And the chances of them ever covering you again are slim.

5 Regras Para Composição Para Comerciais De TV, Teasers ou Sequências

5 Unwritten Rules For Composing a TV Commercial, Ident or Title Sequence

Written by Tim Rabjohns & Fridel for 

As TV composers and course leaders we come across many unwritten rules that

are simple but sometimes forgotten when working as a TV composer. Some of

you will agree that these are very simple but it sometimes make sense to go back

to the basics.

1) When you read the brief try to understand what's written in between the lines.

Remember that most likely it was not written by a musician, and so they do not

have the same way of expressing music as you do. Try and think of the brief that

describes the emotional journey that sets the mood of the piece, rather than

always just the style of the piece. Always ask as many questions as you can,

(preferably to the person making the creative decisions) before starting to

compose. It also pays to ask for specific examples of existing music - this can

save a lot of time and make things clearer..

2)Many people only submit a single option when they are pitching. We really think

it’s worthwhile trying to submit more than one option. (some of them may be from

pitches that you have done before). We normally send one version that is exactly

what the brief asks for, one that is a bit more extreme and one that follows your gut

feeling (i.e. how you think it should sound).

3) Although it is a short (ie 10 - 30 secs) it will often need to have a ‘Narrative’ of

some sort. By this we mean a short intro, a middle or body and then a build

towards the end and a finale. We find it helpful to think of it like a song - with

different “sections” - although much shorter.

Obviously not all jobs will require this format - especially some TV commercials

which want the soundtrack to sound like a slice of a song.

4) If the job needs a “mnemonic” (a memorable melody line at the end - think “Intel

Inside”) make sure it is a clear memorable melody and better if it appears in more

than one place in the music. Nowadays a mnemonic can also consist of a

signature “sound” rather than a melody - so it’s always a good idea to ask the

client what they want.

5) Subtle sound design can give lots of life to your ident composition. There are

lots of sound design libraries full of sounds, so it is very easy to do. It's worth

noting that you will always score more cred points if you create your own sounds -

that nobody else has.

Uma Das Minhas Trilhas Sonoras Para o Vídeo Game "Last Of The Disciples" - LOTD

My Soundtrack For Video Game "Last Of The Disciples" - LOTD

By Bruno Cantinho 

I like video games, I have my preference focused more action, adventures cars racing and so on. 

As I have my owns studio (Musical Producing and Recording) I started working with soundtrack and sound design making my demos and some experiences.

On the example below, check the video, I did three soundtracks for the game "Last Of The Disciple" - LOTD with prediction of launch for next year.

As with any process of creation, I first made a classic version then made this change by swapping instruments and adding the tempo to make a more heavy metal variation.

I made a total 3 versions within the same theme, this version is the most complete, i.e., drums, bass, three guitars, synths and a series of layers of church organs.

I made the video to present the music and put the frames of the characters of the game.

For more details about the game look on social networks for Last Of The Disciple - LOTD.

Trailer Do Documentário do Ron Howard Sobre os Beatles Dos Primeiros Anos

Trailer for Ron Howard’s Beatles doc shows Fab Four’s early years

As Paul McCartney continues to rock around the globe — and Ringo Starr continues to do whatever it is that Ringo Starr does these days — director Ron Howard has aimed his lens at the iconic Fab Four and their beginnings in a documentary he has titled The Beatles: Eight Days A Week.

The first trailer for the hyper-authorised upcoming film — Eight Days A Week was created in partnership with both surviving Beatles, as well as the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison — focuses on the band’s early days, when massive waves of success shattered their whole reality.

Related: Gary Barlow didn’t just meet his ’80s heroes, he made a retro album with them

“We were kids,” says a dapper current-day McCartney in the minute-long sneak peak, “We were all pretty scared.”

The previously untold story of the Beatles’ beginnings will span from their early days at Liverpool’s Cavern Club until their landmark 1966 concert in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, documenting the rock and roll band’s meteoric rise to fame in the interim. Featuring rare and exclusive footage, as well as interviews with McCartney and Starr, the film should peel some of the shiny veneer off of the creation of the band’s international fame, revealing a more personal perspective of the four British musicians in their musical infancy.

The film will be released via Hulu after its theatrical premiere, and was the first nonfiction movie picked by the video streaming service as part of its new Hulu Documentary Films arm. A Beatles documentary from Ron Howard is a good get for any streaming company, especially in a market that is increasingly using exclusives and original programming to drive subscription numbers.

Eight Days A Week will premiere on September 15 in London, and Hulu has partnered with indie film distributor Abramorama to get the movie into a small number of film houses that will show the large-format version. But despite the limited theatrical release, if the film is up to typical Ron Howard quality, it could still be considered for many of the film world’s top honors.

Twitter Investe No SoundCloud, Mas, Porque?

Twitter Invests In SoundCloud, But Why?

First of all thanks to my friend  Bobby Owsinski

for this article.

Twitter has made an investment in SoundCloud for a reported $70 million and if you’ve been following the story between the companies, you have to ask yourself “Why now?”

About two years ago Twitter almost acquired SoundCloud before walking away at the last minute, and an acquisition certainly would have made a lot more sense at the time, even though it might not have changed the futures of either company.

Back then Twitter wanted to capitalize on its high profile music users like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, who had massive followings on the service (and still do) but weren’t able to take advantage by directly serving up their music to them. SoundCloud was struggling with both monetization issues (which still exist) and licensing problems, and theoretically could have provided the infrastructure for Twitter to transition to at least a partial music service.

Many think that Twitter was better off for walking away from the deal and keeping the focus on its core business, which in theory worked fine except for the fact that the company’s user base has plateaued in the meantime even with a focused agenda not diluted with delivering music.

SoundCloud has actually come a long way in that it now has signed licenses with the three major record labels, and has since worked hard to roll out its $9.99 monthly subscription service called SoundCloud Go. Still, it’s a cash-starved company and needs another round of funding to stay alive, so having Twitter as an investor in this round is most welcome.

That said, the benefit for Twitter isn’t as apparent. It’s not getting any of the technical goodies that come with an acquisition, and it’s buying a piece of a company that essentially hasn’t grown in valuation since its last go around.

In fact, out of all the music streaming companies currently in the space, SoundCloud may be the most baffling. It’s long been a boon to artists, bands and songwriters as a tool for free music distribution, and at that it may very well be #1 in the space. That market isn’t large enough to add enough subscribers to make the platform go however, and may be tapped out already. Attracting regular music consumers to its paid Go service may be limited to electronic music fans, since the platform is a favorite of DJs, but that genre seems to have plateaued as well. 

Os Mais Surpreendente Fenómenos Acústicos Do Mundo: Entrevista Com Prof. Trevor Cox

The world’s most amazing acoustic phenomena: interview with prof. Trevor Cox

Trevor Cox is the professor of Acoustic Engineering at the Salford University. In his amazing book Sonic Wonderland, A Scientific Odyssey of Sound, the sound is the main actor on the stage and we can follow it through the voice of Cox who says: “a compelling tour of the world’s most amazing acoustic phenomena and a passionate plea for a deeper appreciation of and respect for our shared sonic landscapes”.

A scientific book about sound finally written in a simple and clear language able to amplify the common interest about this theme, where prof. Cox invites us not to be passive listeners but to open our ears and our mind to the majestic cacophony that surrounds us.

In this interview, Cox talks with us about his point of view on old and new techniques of buildings concerning acoustic effects or the use of reverberation in some specific places or again the change in global soundscape over the centuries.

At the beginning of your book, you talk about acoustic problems related to indoor environments such as schools, illustrated by the example of the Business Academy Bexley. How much are more architecture and sound far apart in the planning stages?

Trevor Cox: Most architects receive little training in sound, and so are reliant on advice from an acoustic consultant. For this reason, a good relationship between architect and acoustician is vital. A big change in design methods is happening now, where acoustic engineers play architects examples of how their building will sound. This is transforming the acoustic design of buildings because listening to examples allows architects to make better informed decisions.

About the use of reverberation, you quote many examples ranging from classical music to Brian Eno and the evocative experience of the most reverberant site in the world but I was particularly impressed by your considerations about the acoustic of prehistoric sites such as the burial chambers. How important it is for contemporary man rediscover how our ancestors were listening?

TC: Visitors to prehistoric site such as a burial chamber or stone circle should think about how places sounded to our ancestors if they want to better understand these precious sites. Rituals would have taken place in or around these places, and nearly all human rituals involve sound. The acoustic, whether good or bad, would have influenced how these places were used.

Animals show a variety of ways and an amazing adaptive ability, you describe numerous examples such as real dialects in the case of birds. Men, unlike animals, also seem to need an evocative component in relation to sound, what do you think? How we evaluate the sounds based on what they remember us and not according to what they are from an acoustic point of view?

TC: For much of what we hear, our reaction is first determined by what we think is causing the sound. If you hear a car, you don’t think vroom, you think car. Then our reactions to the sound have a lot to do with how we react to the car. Of course, cars make different sounds, so a sports car might have a particular bass throb conveying a sense of power. In this case, some of our response are about the character of the noise rather than what is making it. Bass sounds are generally associated with larger, more powerful things.

The change in the global soundscape over the centuries is evident, in the ninth chapter of your book you deals with the topic by mentioning the introduction of the typical sounds of the industrial age. Do you consider as positive this soundscape’s evolution?

TC: It is hard to think positively about industrial noise as this can be responsible for noise­induced hearing loss or aircraft noise that causes sleep deprivation and harms attainment by pupils in schools. But this is the soundscape of progress that has lead to longer and healthier lives. What we need to get better at is at managing the noise so it causes less problems.

In a very beautiful excerpt of your book, you talk about the need to pass on to posterity an auditory documentation of the places that means preserving the soundmarks so to not lose the tracks of sound pictures of places that otherwise would be forgotten. What can we do to stimulate the sensibility on this argument?

Fortunately, this preservation is beginning to happen almost by chance. We’re now carrying out mobile phones that record video with soundtracks. So many special sounds are being captured.

About musical productions of last years, do you think is there a trend in the use of sound?

The biggest change in music productions in my lifetime is the shift from analogue to digital that contributed to overly loud music that lacked dynamics. There are some hopeful signs that this loudness war may be over and we can return to better-produced music.

If anyone would like to know more about the world of sounds, what kind of readings or albums do you recommend?

I would recommend just listening. Nothing special is needed, just spend some of the day listening to what is around you. The Soundscape by R. Murray Schafer is the seminal book on listening and acoustic ecology. Or you could go back to old authors like Thomas Hardy who had a beautiful way of writing about sound. In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise by George Prochnik is the best of the recent books on silence.

If you want to know more about Trevor Cox you can visit his blog, the SoundCloud account or the project called Sound Tourism.

Trilha Sonora INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE - THOMAS WANDER & HARALD KLOSER

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE - THOMAS WANDER & HARALD KLOSER

What You Will Hear:  A watered down version of the original film’s score.   Full orchestra and brass for the big cues and piano/bells for some smaller moments. Standout Tracks:  More Stimulation, The Only Family I Got, What Goes Up, Worth Fighting For, Bus Chase Will You Be Humming Along?  Yes, and hating yourself for it. Composed by my 15 year old self. The album this makes me want to dust off:  Independence Day – David Arnold Will I come back to it?  Let’s get one thing straight:  this is not a poorly scored adventure.   Don't give into the skeptics.  Some of the action cues are quite enjoyable, and the quieter  moments manage to install a sense of family and wonder.  Additionally, the string writing is sufficiently dark to be considered a true successor to the first film.     But, ID4: Resurgence has one major flaw from which it just cannot recover.  Following in David Arnold’s footsteps is a tall order.  His theme from the original film is one of the most joyous adventure themes ever composed.  Wander’s & Kloser’s new main theme is beyond generically forgettable. It sounds like it belongs to some 5th sequel of a C-level franchise.  It works well when it is (rarely) used as part of an action cue, but it is cringe worthy when attempting to convey  pride or honor.  Adding insult to injury, Arnold’s theme inexplicably shows up towards the  end of the album.  It’s a total head scratcher; the finale uses recycled statements of Arnold’s material.  One cue sounds like they didn’t even re-record it. Why would you remind us of what is missing?   The majority of this score is a fun ride.  But, each use of the new theme just takes away from the experience.  A more respectable theme could have saved this attempt at following a classic.  Instead, this one will chase me away from an otherwise enjoyable score.Independence Day: Resurgence was provided courtesy of The Krakow Group and Sony Music Masterworks.