In his latest movie, The Woman In Black, Dan traded his Hogwarts uniform for a totally new role as a Dad.
Natalia brings you the latest news on Adele’s interview with Anderson Cooper, Kristen Bell’s interview on Ellen is auto tuned, Ladyhawke’s latest music video and much more!
Natalia discusses what’s new with Pharrell Williams and her thoughts on Karl Lagerfeld’s mean comments towards Adele’s weight. She also shows a roster of animals behaving like humans and, wait until you see the new size of coffee available at Starbucks!
Natalia dishes the latest news on the Juno Awards nominees, the upcoming Spiderman 3D film starring Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield and is Katy Perry hooking up with Tim Tebow? Watch today’s episode to find out.
When The Kooks are in the studio they’re focused and most importantly, sober. Watch Hugh and Luke explain their reasoning below.
The Kooks released a new album called “Junk of the Heart,” and you would think Hugh and Luke would be very excited about it. Well, they seemed rather indifferent to be honest. We spoke about that and why they don’t care about critics.
Natalia dishes the latest in entertainment news on Joan Rivers, Lana Del Rey and a brand new trailer for the movie Hunger Games.
Natalia talks about how Snooki might be pregnant, Nicolas Cage’s Cage Rage, Elisabetta Canalis is dating Steve-O and more for Feb 1, 2012.
Natalia dishes the news on Miley Cyrus breaking her tailbone, a 100 year old woman who plays the Nintendo DS to stay young and Houston, Texas contemplating a statute of Beyonce.
David Beckham debuts a new line of underwear, the worst dressed celebrity – Shy’m and Matthew Broderick is back as Ferris Bueller with a brand new commercial airing during the Super Bowl on Feb 5th 2012.
Daniel Radcliffe is back with his new movie The Woman In Black. It’s a bone chilling remake of a film from the ’80s. Ironically, Daniel actually scares very easily but he’s not afraid of ghosts. In this interview he tells us what really gives him the creeps.
Next time you’re struggling to make conversation, try asking this question: “If you could invite anyone (living or dead) to the perfect house party, who would it be?”
Graffiti6 is starting to make their North American invasion, and they are hitting up the Tonight Show. Does this sound familiar? Well the Beatles made the exact same journey over 40 years ago. Naturally, @jordans_life had to make some comparisons.
Nick plays World of Warcraft. Not only that, he’s the head of his guild, demonstrating that it IS possible to juggle being a hardcore gamer with being a top-selling recording artist.
During a LIVE interview on andPOP.com Nick Carter gave out a number and took phone calls from his fans. These were real phone calls from real fans who we gave exclusive access to one of the biggest recording artists of our generation.
There were great questions about music, fitness, the backstreet boys but the most popular question, however, was about his underwear. In this clip Nick talks about his his ‘Haynes’ and covering his fans with glow in the dark paint.
When releasing new music today, half the battle is online promotion. However, contests, signed merch and giveaways aren’t always the best solutions. When working on their latest album, Hedley came up with a brilliant idea, they decided to make trailers.
It’s hard to prepare for an interview with Hedley. So in this interview, we threw caution to the wind, got a 24 of beer and broadcast the interview live on our USTREAM (andPOP.tv). Eventually Jacob, Dave and @jordans_life ended up talking about hairy legs, their newest music video and more.
Diamandis from Marina and The Diamonds talks to us about her very serious disease. It’s called synaesthetic. And we lied, it’s not a disease. More like a cool condition. Diamandis explains further.
Would you be embarrassed if someone scrolled through your iPod? We sit down with Spee and Brendan to talk about the diverse music on their playlist.
I get asked a lot about press kits. People want to know how to present them, what’s in them, etc. I have been asked over and over again to write articles on the subject, so here you are: a brief crash course on press kits.
Your press kit is your calling card. It will introduce you and your band to the people you need to help move your career forward before they meet you or hear your music. Make it interesting, exciting and entertaining. Make it attractive. Make it something that will capture their attention and make them want to see, read and listen to what you’ve sent.
Your press kit should include reviews you have received for shows, information on current venues, and any reviews from your new CD when they are available. Include a head or group shot (black and white is the least expensive, but color really catches the eye), a bio (if you don’t have a bio, create one, or get someone to create one for you), a cover letter, a CD, and a business card.
Your cover letter, should be limited to one page and should be packed full of concise well formatted information. Try to limit your press kit to 7 or 8 pieces of information. You don’t want to overload them and you want to save some excitement for later! Keep them a little curious.
You’ll want to compile three types of press kits: one for major labels, one for distributors, and the other for Radio PD/MD’s. (In my book, “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1, I go into much greater how to present the different press kits to each one.) The order you place the information in your folders is equally as important to the reader as the content is to you. They know what they’re looking for. Your enclosures should go in the following order starting on top:
Press Kit for Major Labels On the left side of the folder CD Business card (attached to the folder) Cover letter Head shot/Group Shot On the right side of the folder Bio Reviews (most current on top) Any press Lyric Sheets (very important to many A&R personnel. If you already have them in your CD jacket don’t repeat them with another enclosure unless they specifically request separate lyric sheets. Save on postage.)
Press Kit for Radio PD/MD’s on the left side of the folder CD (possibly two, depending on the type of station – more on this in my book.) Business card (attached to the folder) Cover letter Head shot/Group shot on the right side of the folder Bio Reviews (most current on top) any press
A word of advice: Certain labels will not accept unsolicited material no matter what you do. Generally, you’ll need an entertainment lawyer or manager to submit to them on your behalf. Other times major labels have an established relationship with a verifiable industry contact that must represent you. Warner Brothers is one of those. Before you send any press kit, you need to get permission first. If you don’t get permission, your product has a very low probability rate of ever getting to its destination and even less of a chance of getting read and listened to.
There are musicians who think that their music is the only thing that will speak for them. They believe that their music alone will open the doors to major labels. It won’t. That is just the plain truth. You must have a proven track record as well as a “certain” style and look. It is after all the first thing they see before they ever listen to your music. This is a money making business. The majors are in business. They may think you’re the nicest person in the world, but they still want to make money off of you and your contract. They aren’t really interested in taking a risk on what you think is the best music. Your CD and ticket sales will inspire them.
So make sure that you do your work! Get listed with Soundscan. Keep a record of all the airplay you receive (which stations are playing you), and sell, sell, sell before you submit to labels. Your statistics are equal to you being a low-risk prospect for a major label. You’ll have already proven yourself! And, more importantly, you’ll have a much better shot at opening the doors.
After you have sent your press kit, make sure to follow up with a phone call to make sure your press kit has arrived safely. Then wait three weeks before you begin follow-up calls. Don’t just send the package and expect them to call. Remember, they get hundreds of packages from musicians just like you every single week. Follow up and get noticed – but don’t become a pest or they will ignore you. It’s a fine line and you will know it when you speak with them. Once you get a response, whether you like the answer or not, politely thank them and send them a thank you card for their time. They will remember you and you may have perhaps gained an ally for the future! Jaci Rae – “The Rae of Hope TM” Copyright 2006
About The Author
Jaci Rae is the #1 Nationally Best Selling author of “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 and “Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time.”
Jaci also hosts the popular “Jaci Rae Show,” heard live around the world. With top music executives that share insiders information such as: Thom King (former VP of Clear Channel who now tells it like it is and works in getting sponsors for artists), Mike Corbet (former A&R for Mariah Carey, et.), Peter Visvardis former Director of A&R for Sony Records, Harvey Cooper former VP of RCA Records, Jordan Keller legal counsel for The Backstreet Boys, etc.
To gain valuable career advice, tune in every Thursday night at 8 PM PST, by going to: www.jacirae.com and clicking on the weekly show link to find out who’s on and how to tune in. Guests can email their questions live.
Dubbed by the media as “Racy Jaci” because of her quick wit and “The Rae of Hope,” for her powerful insight, please make sure to check her out at: http://www.jacirae.com.
To a better day in every way ~ Jaci Rae “The Rae of Hope”
