18 MusicWeek 07.09.12 SECTORPROFILEPR
one-stop-shop for information and special content about the project itself,” he explains. “Platforms like Twitter allow for the right sort of
stories, seeded with the right people alongside a media strategy, to go viral faster than they ever could have done before social networks existed.” Among a number of high profile artists and
events, The Outside Organisation represents both Alice Cooper and West End musical Rock of Ages - and scored a recent hit by pairing the two. CEO Alan Edwards cites Outside’s creation of “the very first online entertainment PR company” Outside Line in the mid-Nineties as an example of how social media has always been at the forefront of the group’s thinking – but agrees that success comes in combining various communication routes. “We never forget that the media is a broad
church and the key is joining all the different dots so that we can put up multi-layered messages with particular emphasis depending on requirements of specific clients and projects,” says Edwards. “At the end of the day we will work with whatever medium is the most effective, but it should never hide the fact that the key is really good and original communications - and that is always dependent on content, something we pride ourselves on.” Murray Chalmers, founder of Murray Chalmers
PR, points out the double-edged sword of social media. While Twitter and Facebook can empower artists to a much greater extent, there’s also a danger of information becoming a little too free-flowing. “Lily Allen really pioneered the idea that the
artist could answer back if they saw false stories in the press, and get their message out instantly,” says Chalmers. “The way information is disseminated now is so much more fragmented that it amazes me when something doesn’t leak. But the Stone Roses is a good example of how a major story, their reformation, can still be kept under wraps until the right time.” The benefits of social media far outweigh the potential problems it can pose to PR outfits. Director of PR at LD Communications Doug Wright argues that no pitch is complete without a full social media strategy: “Impact via social media is now essential and can often create the springboard event that will generate the news and angles that are needed to develop awareness and coverage in traditional print media. Working with our dedicated digital PR arm ensures that the speed of social media is a benefit not a hindrance to campaigns.” As Wright’s outlook on social media implies,
while the national newspapers are by no means the only route to wide-scale awareness these days, they are still considered something of an end goal for many in the world of PR. But Wright echoes the sentiment of his peers, saying that the best campaigns must embrace a variety of outlets. “PR will continue to be dominated by new media,” he says. “We have positioned ourselves to face this head-on by establishing LD Digital, and the impact
prosperity in recorded music. Album and artist projects will always be a big part of a music PR agency’s workload, but for Doug Wright there is no choice but to diversify. “Diversity is key to LD’s success,” he says.
“Whilst entertainment is always at the heart of what we do, variety is what makes it even more interesting and inspiring.” LD has taken on non-music brands including
Sainsbury’s and BT, which sit alongside LD’s music roster - including the likes of Deezer and the NME Awards, artists such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Jools Holland, and events such as Wireless festival and Hard Rock Calling. “Due to the spiraling decline of record sales we
ABOVE Ding dong: Rich Dawes (left) and Andy Bell (right)
“There is no reason why PR teams shouldn’t get into production and publishing as well. The role will expand into general media management” STUART BELL, DAWBELL
of combining traditional creative PR thinking as well as utilising online and social media as part of a joined-up campaign will be a powerful marriage.” Name PR’s Sam Shemtob suggests that we are
still sitting in the crux of change. He believes that the relationship between digital and physical media could look very different in years to come. “As the social aspects of the web become ever
more deeply embedded, we won’t talk about social media as a distinct and discreet optional part of a campaign – it will be at the heart of everything PR agencies do,” he suggests. Shemtob puts the change down to the wider
trend of digitisation in media. Today, news travels faster, meaning that physical, glossy monthlies and broadsheet supplements will become less about news and more about considered opinion. “In these soundbite times, where news stories often don’t dig that deep, that has to be a good thing for society as a whole as well as PR,” he argues. “That said, the ingredients of what make a good
story will never change, and nor will the importance of good, trusting relationships with journalists.” While the challenge of social media tends to
ABOVE Silent success: The Stone Roses reformation secret was kept under wraps despite our social media age of free-flowing information
throw up more exciting opportunities than it does headline headaches, the economic woes that are plaguing industries worldwide present little in the way of silver linings. The record industry has tackled changes in demand by diversifying its product and approaching audiences with new, ‘added-value’ opportunities. PR companies have had to go through similar spates of change, although, for many, touching a wide-range of related sectors has always been part of the plan. “Diversification has always been one of our
watch words,” says Outside Organisation’s Alan Edwards. “In our determination to have influence in all areas of the media we’ve always operated in other disciplines including sport, fashion and the corporate world. “We’ve never operated in a music bubble and
always felt that any experience, skills and knowledge we can bring from other industries to bear on ours can only be a good thing. Diversification has always been a core part of our culture.” For LD Communications, the live industry has provided some salvation in the wake of declining
are no longer able to rely on album-only projects from labels. We have supplemented this work with events that are often funded by the UK’s leading brands like Sainsbury’s and BT who were behind two of the biggest events in Hyde Park this year.” According to Outside’s Alan Edwards, the
stripping away of the music industry’s frivolities has created more opportunities for artists who are willing to work with PR companies in a more inventive manner. “In many respects, recent developments and patterns in the music industry are a return to basics,” he suggests. “Without stating the obvious, the artist and the
song will always be of paramount importance, so it’s no surprise that the live side of things has been absolutely crucial in recent years, without forgetting the music publishers and the power of the song. “The current situation can work brilliantly for
creative artists and managers who are willing to take a few risks and develop their own strategies - as opposed to those who sit around waiting for something else to do it for them,” he adds. Murray Chalmers is similarly keen to keep the
artist at the centre of everything his company does. While he understands the virtue of diversification, he remains cautious about straying too far from what his agency was initially set up to achieve. “If I felt like we had to do something merely to
keep going then I would shut up shop,” he says. “One of the many benefits of running your own show is that you can make decisions based on what is important to you personally. For me that is the artist roster. “Of course we have to pay the bills but I’m not
willing to compromise too much to do so,” he says. “It’s that damned school of 1976 punk rock attitude that just won’t leave me but it’s stood me in good stead so far.” Chalmers adds that diversification has to come
for the right reasons, confident in the belief that his company can “genuinely bring a creative and fresh approach to certain brands and events.” “Creativity needs to thrive more in a recession
and in an industry that is in such a period of flux,” he adds, although admitting: “It’s hard to be idealistic when you’re starving.” And therein lies the rub for PR agencies. Although the music industry is changing drastically in terms of its approach to consumers and the products it offers, the biggest effect of the ever-present credit crunch is that companies are having to shut their wallets. “The problems faced by the record business
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