PR, Anyone?

When I released my first album, A Thin Line, 5 1/2 years ago I had no idea what I was doing, and as a result I didn't do much to promote it. The bare minimum, in my opinion, but that's because I didn't know any better. Luckily, this time I have a slightly better idea of what I'm doing. Slightly. And so one of the new steps that I've been looking into taking this time around is working with a professional PR company.

But the problem is that everything takes longer and costs more than you think it will. This is the mantra that I have come to understand and live by when it comes to recording and event planning. And in this case, it continues to hold true. Months and months ago when the mixing of the new album, Over the Edge, first started, I contacted a company that I've encountered before and had a productive conversation. We talked about the services they offer, how it relates to what I do, and I was sent a breakdown of different campaigns that they structure and run. Awesome.

And then do to one thing or another, the mixing stretched on longer than was planned, and so the release of the CD was pushed back. Finally last Friday, I had a conversation with the head of the same PR company. We talked about a number of the same things and what my plans are for the CD, and then when I mentioned how long ago it had been since I first got information from her colleague, I got the response that every independent musician wants to hear: "Our prices have gone up dramatically since then." Oh really? Great.

It seems that even though the CD is literally days away from being completed and in my hand, everything still takes longer and costs more than I think it will. But rest assured that I remain undeterred.