pr companies: are they worth the money paid?

seonaid · 18th December 2004, 05:58 PM

i only ask as i know a couple of dundee bands have signed up to one

do pr companies actually boost your profile and are they worth what you pay?

or are they used primarily to boost the ego of the band / singer?

i think the latter

SuperMike! · 19th December 2004, 11:45 AM

Depends on the company, the band and what they hope to achieve.

Which company is it?
What have they promised to do?
What are they PR-ing for the bands?

Moohab · 19th December 2004, 05:20 PM

Pr companies can help you raise the profile of your band/company by using tried and tested methods to expand your fan base, distribution base and also alert you to some of the best methods of getting "your break".

They dont have a magic wand, if you are crap they can't make you popular, but they will work with your existing material to improve it and give you fresh insight and ideas which can only ultimately improve your band.

They arent always cheap but if it helps you out then it's worth a shot

petpiranha · 21st December 2004, 03:14 AM

The music industry is a sewer.

All aspects of it have a majority of people who only care about making money and a minority who genuinely care about bands. The key is to find those few rare people who care and love music and who will help you and warn you of the perils along the way, sharing their experiences.

The minute you sign a major record deal you *may* become part of that world and most bands lose control of who they work with in every aspect of what they're doing.

The bigger picture is knowing whats important, understanding it, and knowing how to make great music and reach people with it. There's corrupt pr companies as much as there's crap venues, crap promoters, crap music journalists, crap bands, crap etc etc etc. There's corrupt independent labels that rip young bands off as much as major labels, only difference is the majors dont lie to you about how they do it.

If a band is using a PR company I'd look at the kind of bands the company works with, look at their track record and draw conclusions. If they work for bands you respect and admire then its likely you can trust them. A few bookers & pluggers take smaller bands on because they are really into the band and/or label and actually charge next to nothing for their services. Those people are hard to find but it's always good to find other people who respect what you're trying to achieve and get what you're about.

And in an industry as subjective as music, thats often a tall order.

madfiddler · 22nd December 2004, 02:43 PM

Indeed. Come On England got to no.2 in the charts over the summer, and we didn't see a frigging penny. I'm not saying the track is great or anything, it was whorish, but to do over 100k units and everyone else but the actual band making cash out of it, sucks. And yes, the contracts were looked over by an established music lawyer in London. We didn't even get the performance money for the TV appearances.. Music industry sucks big time.

18th December 2004, 05:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
seonaid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: dundee Posts: 583	pr companies: are they worth the money paid? i only ask as i know a couple of dundee bands have signed up to one do pr companies actually boost your profile and are they worth what you pay? or are they used primarily to boost the ego of the band / singer? i think the latter

21st December 2004, 03:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
petpiranha Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dublin Posts: 284 Band: MERCURY TILT SWITCH	Focus, Focus, Focus. The music industry is a sewer. All aspects of it have a majority of people who only care about making money and a minority who genuinely care about bands. The key is to find those few rare people who care and love music and who will help you and warn you of the perils along the way, sharing their experiences. The minute you sign a major record deal you may become part of that world and most bands lose control of who they work with in every aspect of what they're doing. The bigger picture is knowing whats important, understanding it, and knowing how to make great music and reach people with it. There's corrupt pr companies as much as there's crap venues, crap promoters, crap music journalists, crap bands, crap etc etc etc. There's corrupt independent labels that rip young bands off as much as major labels, only difference is the majors dont lie to you about how they do it. If a band is using a PR company I'd look at the kind of bands the company works with, look at their track record and draw conclusions. If they work for bands you respect and admire then its likely you can trust them. A few bookers & pluggers take smaller bands on because they are really into the band and/or label and actually charge next to nothing for their services. Those people are hard to find but it's always good to find other people who respect what you're trying to achieve and get what you're about. And in an industry as subjective as music, thats often a tall order.

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19th December 2004, 11:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
SuperMike! Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dundee Posts: 3,247 Band: The A Forest. Kaput.	Depends on the company, the band and what they hope to achieve. Which company is it? What have they promised to do? What are they PR-ing for the bands?

19th December 2004, 05:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Moohab Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In the corner watching things.... Posts: 202	Pr companies can help you raise the profile of your band/company by using tried and tested methods to expand your fan base, distribution base and also alert you to some of the best methods of getting "your break". They dont have a magic wand, if you are crap they can't make you popular, but they will work with your existing material to improve it and give you fresh insight and ideas which can only ultimately improve your band. They arent always cheap but if it helps you out then it's worth a shot

22nd December 2004, 02:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
madfiddler Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee Posts: 101	Indeed. Come On England got to no.2 in the charts over the summer, and we didn't see a frigging penny. I'm not saying the track is great or anything, it was whorish, but to do over 100k units and everyone else but the actual band making cash out of it, sucks. And yes, the contracts were looked over by an established music lawyer in London. We didn't even get the performance money for the TV appearances.. Music industry sucks big time.