Canadian Musician - January/February 2021 | Page 27

COLUMNS

By Ernesto Cervini

How to Publicize Your Own Release

Doing radio and press promotions is an

integral step in the release of any album . Without this , it ’ s much harder to get your music into the hands of reviewers , and into the ears of music lovers .
Hiring a publicist is a wonderful step to take , as they have established relationships with radio and press across the globe and can use these relationships to make sure your album is heard . That being said , hiring a publicist can be expensive and for some this isn ’ t an option . I will outline some steps you can take as an independent artist to make sure your album gets out , gets reviewed , and gets heard ! I will write this with a jazz release in mind , but you can substitute the word jazz for whatever style of music you play and the process will be very similar .
Step 1 – Research radio stations that play jazz across the globe . There are some great resources on the web that list jazz radio stations . Everything is a quick “ Google search ” away . Create a database including mailing addresses ( if you can find them ) and email addresses of the jazz hosts or the musical directors .
Step 2 – Find jazz critics and jazz reviews . Again , there are great resou rces for this on the web . Another great resource is to go to your peers ’ websites and see where they got reviews . Make a list of 10 musicians you know that have released an album and received reviews and mine their websites for info ! Enter all of this info into a separate database .
Step 3 – Create a onesheet or sell sheet . This should be in PDF form and include the cover art , track listing ( with track times ), release date , and personnel listing . You should also include three or four paragraphs written about the album ( in first-person ). Cover the ‘ what ’ and the ‘ why ’ of the album . You can also include your website and recommended / focus tracks .
Step 4 – Upload your new album to a streaming site such as Bandcamp or SoundCloud . If people are going to check out your music , you want to make it as easy as possible . A recognizable link that goes to a streaming page is best .
Step 5 – Create a downloadable zip file . If people want to get your music right away , make this easy ! Create a zip file in Dropbox containing the music files , album art , and onesheet .
Step 6 – Time to go ! Send introduction emails . Email all of the press and radio contacts you ’ ve collected . Let them know that you ’ re releasing a new album , describe the music , and include links to the streaming page and to the album download .
Step 7 – Mail them out . If people are requesting physical copies of your album ( and I find that I still mail out about 200 albums per campaign ), then get their addresses , add them to your databases , and get mailing . Postage might be more expensive than you expect ( I routinely spend about $ 600-700 in postage per campaign ), so make sure you ’ ve accounted for that in your budgeting .
Step 8 – Follow-up . Give the CDs some time to get to their locations , and then it ’ s time for the gentle follow up emails . Remember , many of the people you ’ re contacting probably get 25-50 emails of this type per day , so be polite and appreciative . After sending a follow up email , allow for at least a week to two weeks to pass before following up again . Remember … polite and appreciative .
Step 9 – Contact radio stations about interviews and to promote your release show . As you get closer to your release date , contact radio stations to see if you can set up an interview . This will be especially well received if you have a “ story ” behind the making or impetus for making your album . Also , use this opportunity to promote your release show and see if they will list it in their “ upcoming events .”
Step 10 – Celebrate your success . At this point the radio play and reviews have probably started rolling in . Celebrate this great news by sharing it shamelessly all over your social media pages . Releasing a new album is a special occasion , so don ’ t be afraid to treat it as such . If it happens , but you don ’ t announce it on social media , did it actually happen ?
Good luck with your upcoming release !
In addition to being a professional jazz drummer based in Toronto , Ernesto
Cervini also runs an international publicity company called Orange Grove Publicity . The company focuses on working with jazz artists to promote their new album releases across the globe . For more information or to contact Ernesto , go to
OrangeGrovePublicity . com or ErnestoCervini . com .
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 27