BBC News reports Pharrell Williams urged new acts to chase ad agencies at the last MIDEM conference. We take no issue with Mr. Williams’ strategy, in fact we agree almost entirely with his points. But we strongly suggest artists discard his suggested tactics as bad advice.
We agree that the advertising market is a great place for today’s musical artists to earn a fair living for hard work. While it’s far from a “blue sky market”, and already clogged with providers and operators at every level, there are unique opportunities for original music artists. Pharrell Williams was on target with where to start: ”I would probably build a site, a home for my music, a destination where people could come and see me and what I do and what I’m thinking about.” Perfect! We couldn’t have said it any better.
But he immediately goes off the rails when he continues: “And then I’d probably assemble a team of kids that would go and bug the hell out of advertising agencies and marketing companies to use my music.” Terrible advice. If you are Pharrell Williams, working in a major-label band like N.E.R.D. you might have enough fans and clout to get away with this. If you’re a local or regional band, this is the express train to a black-list, reserved for hacks and desperate losers.
It gets stranger when he adds, “But what a kid has that everyone else has is that same ability to market yourself and get yourself out there.” This makes no sense, even to the casual observer. Sure, there are viral stars, like the Numa Numa kid, but that path is too random to fix – fans were equally likely to encounter a LOLcat or crazy wedding dance. Susan Boyle started with a mainstream media boost, not a great plan of her own. There are a few scattered examples of successful viral campaigns by individuals, but they’re the exception, not a norm or even repeatable phenomenon. Mr. Williams may believe the statement above, and his intentions are clearly positive, but he’s factually wrong. A kid, along with everyone else, has very little ability to market themselves out here, minus a lot of luck and/or money.
Even though you can’t do it all yourself, and pointing flash-mobs at ad agencies is pointless, musical artists can still participate in the licensing market. Actively putting music before decision makers inside agencies is indeed required, but spamming agencies and advertisers is never welcome. You need partners who are already getting calls to place music in licensed settings. One-Stops like Getty’s PumpAudio, and YouLicense, occupy the bottom rung of this ladder, and get you in the door. Music supervisors, editors and specialists are frequently hired to do searches, and clear licenses, so these are better targets for a band or it’s management to climb a step higher. Modern labels have relationships with these folks, and often pitch work actively, keeping your profile high. Finally, newcomers like The All Night Party are already getting calls for great, original music placements by positioning ourselves in that market.
It’s not a lost cause or even particularly hard. Licensing deals are very organic: music works against a picture or in a campaign or not, and selection criteria are more objective than label signings (advertisers can’t afford bad decisions). More important, we’re discovering bands offer unique benefits to advertisers that other players simply can’t match. It’s easier to commission compositions that are based on known starting points, and existing songs can be legally and liberally “borrowed” from. Bands don’t necessarily require session players to flesh out a piece, saving time, simplifying production, and controlling budgets. These are easy sells!
So the market is really there, as Mr. Williams suggests. It’s a good direction for many artists, willing and able to play the game. Just forget the tactics and find a better way to get your music on the field. And if you need help, you know where we are…
