Anyone working in the music industry, either as a musicians or on the business side of things, can benefit from having a press database on hand. Spend an afternoon creating a list of newspapers, magazines and blogs that might review your music and shows, as well as a list of freelance writers who cover your genre of music. With your list in place, invest some time in finding out the following info for each contact:
- Name of editor/writer/column
- Mailing address
- Email address
- Phone number
- How they prefer to receive music (hard copies, MP3s by email)
- For print media, when the publication closes (how far in advance do you need to get info to them if you want something to appear in a particular issue)
- Additional information about preferences, notes about who has shown an interest in your work before, reminders about conversations you had ("writer X loves 70s sitcoms!") - anything that will help you target new releases to writers who are likely to be interested in them and that will help you build a personal rapport with them when possible ("hey writer X - here's the new release by artist Y, press release enclosed. Did you see that Sanford and Son marathon on TV Land last week? Loved the one when Lamont takes Fred out for his birthday!"). Don't be insincere, but if you legitimately have some shared ground, the personal touch can go a long way in getting reviews. Plus, it makes the often painful job of PR a little more fun.
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