Ariel Publicity

September 27, 2008

Billboard Staff

It wasn’t so long ago that a comprehensive promo plan meant working a record to radio and maybe buying ads in the local alternative paper when a band went on tour. This may sound quaint, or maybe, if your job depends on successfully promoting a band, it sounds blissfully simple.

Today the ways artists can promote their music have proliferated so rapidly that it can be hard to keep up with what’s new — what’s actually cutting through the clutter. It’s in this context that Billboard decided to geek out with 20 promotions and publicity experts across genres and mediums to create the ultimate multimedia metric: Our first Maximum Exposure list.

Ever wonder about eh relative value of a cover of Rolling Stone, a gig on “Oprah” or a song on “Gossip Girl”? Read on.

1: SYNCH PLACEMENT IN A TV AD FOR APPLE

Promo spots provide coveted showcase for music

Patrick Wimberly can’t stop giggling.

The reason for his uncontrollable mirth? The drummer for Brooklyn-based indie rock act Chairlift can’t quite process what he saw on a TV screen the day before. It was a 30-second commercial advertising Apple’s newly launched fourth-generation iPod Nano-with the Chairlift song “Bruises” playing in the background.

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When I read “BILLBOARD’S 2009 MAXIMUM EXPOSURE LIST” a few weeks ago, I thought The Onion had taken control of the venerable music trade magazine with a satirical piece.

“Today the ways artists can promote their music have proliferated so rapidly that it can be hard to keep up with what’s new – what’s actually cutting through the clutter,’  the article began. “It’s in this context that Billboard decided to geek out with 25 promotions and publicity experts across genres and mediums to create the ultimate multimedia metric: Our first Maximum Exposure List.”

Sounds fine until you read on and find a list of filled with old school, unachievable and down right “this might actually hurt your career” advice. A small sample:

#2: PERFORMANCES ON “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW”
#35: COVER STORY IN ROLLING STONE
#71: TOUR SPONSORSHIP WITH LEADING MOBILE CARRIER
#89: SONG PLAYED ON ABC’S ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’

Indie music marketing guru and author Ariel Hyatt (twitter: @cyberpr) of Ariel Publicity also read the same Billboard article; and unlike me, who just found the list sad and amusing, she decided to do something about it.  As with all things Ariel, her response, “THE INDIE MAXIMUM EXPOSURE LIST” (A GUIDE FOR THE REST OF US) is filled with realistic and achievable suggestions.

It’s also a collaborative effort, bringing in a team of industry experts who are, like Ariel,  in the trenches with independent artists every day. She also asked several artists who make a living as musicians to contribute. Her dream team includes Derek Sivers (Sivers.org), Jed Carlson & Lou Plaia (both from Reverb Nation), Tom Silverman (New Music Seminar & Tommy Boy ), Emily White (Whitesmith Entertainment) and musician Jonathan Coulton.

The resulting “INDIE MAXIMUM EXPOSURE LIST” is a must read if you’re an artist who wants to move their career forward, someone who works with those artists or even if your a fan who just wants to  understand how this whole Music 2.0 thing works. Download the PDF here: http://www.tinyurl.com/indimax

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