Attn Artists – It’s In The Approach

Every couple of months or so I like to dish out the free advice. I’ve been told this is something I could, and should, be charging for, but I’d rather give it out for free and hopefully help as many artists as possible. This time around I’m giving my five golden rules on approaching writers and radio DJs. OK, so maybe I’m also doing this a little for me, because when an artist is doing everything the right way in terms of the approach he or she makes life a lot easier on the writers and radio personalities of the world. Regardless, it’s free information from a seasoned veteran, so take a minute and see if you’ve been following these five major rules of networking.

Rule One: When making initial contact with a writer or radio personality don’t ask for anything from them other than a business card. Nothing is more aggravating than having an artist come up to you and immediately ask what you can do for them. Hello? I don’t know you, we just met, and you expect me to hook you up why? Keep it simple with your first conversation. Introduce yourself, talk about your work, be cordial, ask for a business card so you can get in contact with them and send them a CD, hand them a business card of your own, and if you have an interesting life story don’t be afraid to tell the sixty second version of it. This leads to the next two commandments.

Rule Two: Sometimes it’s better to wait and mail out a CD than to hand one out. If you’ve made initial contact with a writer or radio DJ you may not want to hand them your CD that night. A lot of artists hand writers and DJs CD’s on a daily basis, especially at events. Do you want your album thrown in a pile that may never get listened to? Didn’t think so. Email the writer or DJ you met the next day saying it was great to meet them and that you’ll be mailing your album / single / 12 inch out to them. Make sure you include a short note with whatever you send in the mail reiterating where you two met and thanking them for taking the time to listen to your work.

Rule Three: Always have sixty seconds version of your best stories. Everyone is guilty of going on and on with a story once in a while, but when you first meet with a writer or DJ this is not the right time for embellishment. Keep it simple. As a writer I love an interesting story, so if the conversation lends itself to story time hit me with something spectacular and quick. It’s more than likely there are other artists wherever we are so make your impression and then continue to network. You have the business card of the person you’re talking with, you can always continue a story, or expand on one, at another time. Of course if your life has been fairly regular you might want to skip the sixty second life story altogether in lieu of something more interesting, maybe a story about how the music scene is in your area, or something political going on where you’re from, basically anything to show that you’re not just another rapper.

Rule Four: Once you’ve made initial contact learn something about the writer or DJ you just met. Nothing is more infuriating than an artist asking for a write up or a radio guest appearance that doesn’t know what magazines I write for or when my radio show is on. These are really simple things to find out. If all else fails, ask in your email to them where you can find their work. If you want them to do research on you and listen to your music you should be putting in a little bit of time finding out about them. It makes a writer feel great when you can tell them you read an article they wrote, or picked up an issue they had something in. It’s also nice to find out an artist has actually listened to the radio show they’re trying to get on and can mention something he or she heard on air. Five minutes of listening, that’s all it takes to say “yeah, you played that hot new joint from Plastic Little. I love that song!”

Rule Five: Find the fine line between being ambitious and being annoying and don’t ever cross it. Occasionally an artist will become a bugaboo. They will call every day, they will email constantly, they will make you not want to deal with them at all based not on their persistence but on the way they persist. Take it easy, we’re all busy here, you included. If you spend all your waking moments chasing one person all it makes that person think is that you have no other leads and nobody else you’re working with. After you mail out your CD to the person you were networking with send him a quick email letting him know it’s in the mail. Most mailings, unless their cross-country, make it to their destination within a few days. If you haven’t heard from back regarding your package in four or five days, send another friendly note inquiring whether or not your CD has arrived yet.

That’s all the info I’m dishing out this time around. Will you occasionally meet an asshole writer or DJ? Hell yeah, but don’t become and asshole because of that. Remember, most everyone would rather deal with a professional MC who may not be the greatest on the mic than a top notch lyricist who’s an asshole. Keep cool, follow the rules, and you’ll hook more writers and DJs than you can ever imagine.