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Finding an agent really is... again really a function of research. And the issue these days it seems to be there’s fewer and fewer agents, and there are more and more artists. So the key to it is really to find an organization that you would be a good match for,
which means doing your homework, getting a sense on the Internet what their roster is, what sorts of opportunities are they fielding? What advantage can you be to that organization? And then try and prepare a package of material that is effective, that helps you communicate that.
If there’s a way to identify maybe a particular person inside of an organization that you can reach out to personally, that maybe there might be somebody, some common person that might be out there working.
If you are an artist and you’re performing already in Canada, chances are that there might be a Canadian presenter that actually has dealings with that agent. You might ask that person, if you have a relationship, an opinion. You know, who do they think would be an excellent agent for the representation?
It’s a little bit of a different approach to it, but it helps zero in on who do presenters like buying things from? And that can help create an opportunity perhaps that that person might be able to make an introduction on your behalf.
Because presenters that call me, for instance, recommending people, I listen to that. In the course of a regular day of business, my job is to look after the artists that I currently look after. Their business is first.
And then... but I always have an eye on what’s out there and what’s coming up. So this is a relationship business, creating a relationship, and a lasting relationship is a bit of a challenge, especially at times where time is tight. So it’s making yourself as marketable and presentable as you can. And don’t be discouraged. It could take some time till you find the right match.
Getting a publicist is a key position, more so now than in the past because in the advent of record companies and the more limited resources, having your message and your brand represented in the media and having a strategy to have that happen is key to your growth. So finding the right publicist is really a matter of pick up some newspapers and see who’s being written about in the papers.
Who are those artists that are getting the nod, and maybe artists in your genre or your field; and then you can go and Google and figure out who represent them as a publicist. So you’re almost getting a full-time edition by picking up the newspaper or your trade magazine or what have you,
because typically a publicist is involved in the placement and the strategy of having that material presented in a paper, or magazine, or on the Internet at some times, depending on how it’s rolled out, or television. Television is very, very vital for certain art forms.
And there’s a lot of competition for those sorts of resources. So again, finding the right person and trying out more than one person inside of that, but the examples of their work in reality are probably the best judge if someone’s great at what they do.
Record deals are more these days elusive. The resources that exist, multi or major label deals are few and far between just with the advent of all the downloading and the current economic realities that come with it. A label deal is important to have when you’re going into another territory, because there’ll
be a pathway to get your material out into the marketplace. Some markets – like Japan for instance or different parts of Europe – they’re still vibrant record-selling markets, and the local editions, people have been trained by records, and they want to buy the records. A true fan wants the package and they want the feel of what’s going on.
It’s research again. Finding out, and on the Internet again with the tool that it is to be able to listen to the body of work that a label represents, gets a sense of are you a fit? Or would you enhance that particular brand, and what can they bring to you in terms of that? A lot of it again, it’s a relationship business.
So experiences, first time experience of other artists with labels, if you have the ability to be able to be connected or related to artists that are already represented by a label, it’s a good way of just getting some information as to how effective are they? But really, how many records an artist has with a label is also a determination if they’re happy.
So certain labels specialize in, if it’s the world of folk, they’re very effective in getting to different parts of Europe, for instance, and getting the record distributed widely. A publicist may be able to give you a lead because they may be hired by a label, and they have a relationship in place. So they may be able to help with introductions.
But the key thing is if you are going to go with a label, have a firm understanding of what they can do; and, more importantly, what you can already do for yourself, because with the emerging technologies of what goes on today, a lot of artists are holding on to that for themselves until they can really find a partner that’s effective, and they can add value to their brand.