www.musicweek.com SECTORPROFILEPR PRMAGEDDON
While the opportunities for artist promotion sky-rocket, music industry resources have hit an all- time low – and PR agencies are facing the task of doing more for less
07.09.12 MusicWeek 17
MEDIA BY TOM PAKINKIS
T
here was a time when artist awareness was drummed up by a handful of newspaper features, a few TV appearances and the
usual bout of radio play - but such a strategy would be considered piecemeal today. With the rise of digital communications and
the dominance of social media, there are now more ways than ever to push a musician’s profile. Technology not only allows artist campaigns to be more direct but more dynamic as well. It’s perhaps unfortunate then that such
sparkling opportunities come at a time of famous uncertainty for the music industry. While audiences demand more from their idols, music companies are forced to deal with fewer resources - and PR agencies are left to balance the two. Stuart Bell co-founded DawBell in 2009 with
Richard Dawes. The agency has since gone on to work on the Brit Awards, Paul McCartney’s latest international tour and the Take That Progress Live. For Bell, the biggest challenge in the PR sector today is making sure that every avenue in the modern, media-rich landscape is utilised effectively. “PR isn’t just about getting a story in the paper anymore,” he tells Music Week, arguing
ABOVE Wonderland: The Outside Organisation brought Alice Cooper to Rock Of Ages and The Who to the Olympics, while DawBell worked on Take That’s Progress Live
that the PR sector is now at the heart of everything an artist does and that a good PR company needs to be able to work across every communication platform available. “It’s important for music PR agencies to understand that there are more opportunities out there,” he adds. “If you stick only to traditional avenues, you’re missing opportunities.” Bell points to the prominence of social media as
one such exciting new avenue, which can not only complement a campaign but also conjure new communication leads altogether. “We’ve been able to use social media to build unique portals to provide stories for the media, as well as creating a
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