A brand new year is off and on the go, folks!
Here at the Hive, we have hit the ground running early, combing through some incredible new music and look, there are some exciting artists set to release projects this year that we are simply buzzing to share more about with you! All in due time though. First, we want to talk about some ways we’ve found effective in starting a brand new year off as successfully as possible.
We’re all existing in a powerful vacuum being the music and arts industries; so much change and so many opportunities to launch new and innovative projects present themselves at an increasing rate. So, if you’ve been thinking about how you want to tackle your New Year in way that will be productive and efficient, maybe the beginnings of your plans will mirror the below.
Music PR is obviously our ballpark, but in terms of wider publicity campaigns, we’ve found the below to be quite universal. There is an audience out there hungry for your new music, so getting things together as best you can from the jump – especially at the beginning of a New Year – can really set a standard moving forward!
Think as a Leader: Your initial plan is everything
At the beginning of each campaign, music publicists will work with their clients in establishing what it is they want to get out of the process, and the direction they want their music to be heading in by the end of it. At Beehive PR, this first step is integral in how the rest of our planning and work carries out. Some artists prefer to remain behind the scenes and focus solely on the music – completely fine – while others might split their role as artist with band manager, graphic designer, journalist too. It’s a multi-faceted element of the music industry we love.
Regardless of where you might sit yourself, having a concrete long game idea of what you want from a music PR campaign is the biggest asset you could have coming into a relationship with a music publicist. We work with you to come up with ideas of pushing the music (be it with a music video, unique content), but the more personal we can make the approach by having your voice and ideas incorporated, the more accessible the final coverage will be.
Goal, Goal, Goal!
This can apply to life in general, but starting your New Year with some set goals can do wonders for productivity and mental health. Often, we try to do too much too soon, over saturate our calendars and simply work ourselves into a rut. It is important to take a look at what did not work for you last year, think about what you’d like to improve on or introduce into your life – whether it be personal or professional – and start making steps to make those goals a reality. Professionally, when we work with our artists, part of our job is to provide an external opinion and a realistic, objective view. Big-picture goals are awesome to bring to the table early, and knowing the limitations and realistic nature of those goals is also crucial to achieving them.
Once you have your goals in place, begin narrowing them down. Look at how you can achieve those goals bit by bit, establish a roadmap of sorts and chart your progress.
Build Those Relationships
A New Year will introduce new members to your community, while long-standing contacts might move on. It’s imperative to know your environment as a creative and build new relationships with those around you. Find out who the new kids on the block are, what they’re about and if your interests and art aligns. You can connect with other artists or media creatives without being too full on as well – nobody likes coming back to a new work year with an inbox full of emails!
Reach out for a genuine meeting, introduce yourself and see how you might be able to work together. The music industry is built off these relationships and networks. In music PR, our reputations and continued success comes off the back of considered and long term relationships with media outlets, radio stations and music industry professionals. It’s our bread and butter, at the end of the day. It should be the same with you as well.
Being personable, engaging and open to communication will cement your face and art in the minds of industry folk in a sea of newcomers for sure. We’re not just wanting to work with these people as a one off. We want to cultivate something long lasting.
Know Your Worth
A new year like 2020, being a new decade, is honestly a breath of fresh air!
2019 was a huge year. We saw countless new names produce brilliant music and set themselves up for career defining success over the run of future releases. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to look at what else is happening around you and beam that back onto your already high expectations. It’s important though, to know that the art you’re pouring so much of yourself into does mean something and keeping your focus on achieving those goals we talked about above, is crucial.
Music is all about representing your individual identity and ideas – as music publicists, we always push our clients to remember this part. We’re here for you and to make sure you’re getting something incredibly you out there. At the end of the day, it’s about you! Know what you’re wanting to do and know your worth. As that ad goes, no one’s more you than you.