"No Disgrace", one of the songs on Little Genius is about when my childhood friend OD'ed. His shame was the worst part of it for me, for him. Shame is bullshit. CLICK HERE for the whole story
Perhaps ArtistPR has contacted you already. Perhaps you're wondering if its a scam. I didn't go far enough with them to be taken in (although I've subsequently found out that less-fortunate others did), but for sure it is a sucky waste of money.
I got unsolicited emails from them offering me what seemed like interesting licensing opportunities, but when I tried to register "for free" on their site, it never worked. I called their contact number and left a message with my information and phone number and Frank the Salesman called me back to say that I had been chosen for their "Spotlight". Curious, I spoke with him, and he rather distractedly told me I would be featured for "a low fee of $2.95 to cover our admin costs". Now, remember, I was never able to sign up for their service or submit any of my music or anything, so I'm wondering how I was "chosen".
When I asked Frank what being "in the spotlight" meant, he was totally vague, saying something about how I would be reviewed by "every major publication", although when I asked him to name a few he got DEFENSIVE and said, "I don't know, all of them." In fact, he responded to all my (relevant, professional) questions with defensiveness and more vagueness, telling me that there were "other people" who could answer those questions and that after I gave him my credit card number he would put me in touch with them. Also, I was able to get out of him that the "Spotlight feature" was entirely passive, that is, I would have a photo on the ArtistPR homepage but that the company would do nothing to push that, it was just a photo of me and a link on their home page with several other people. Meanwhile, go to the main Artistpr.com website and there is no "spotlight" to be found anywhere! Its all about getting your information so they can have someone like Salesman Frank talk you out of your credit card info. Google "Artistpr spotlight" and it takes you to a shitty-looking page with over a dozen tiny images of bands who have had the singularly craptastic honor of being featured. There are no special pages for the artists; click on the tiny image and get forwarded to that band's MYSPACE PAGE!!
I already knew I wasn't going to give this annoying dork telemarketer my financial information, especially after Googling "ArtistPR scam" and seeing how many others were given the same lame pitch. I also found experiences of people who did pay for a trial period and then were completely unable to cancel their monthly $60 payments, as promised. Links didn't work. Sounds pretty scammy to me..
I'm also perplexed as to why Frank wanted me to SNAIL MAIL them my press kit - he said, "so we can have your information at the ready for labels and music supervisors" - wha? Haven't these people heard of EPKs? Even more bizarre is when I asked him what he needed hard copies of in that press kit he got flustered and said, "oh, just the normal stuff" - ! For that, and $2.95 + $60 per month, ArtistPR gives you "access" to a "massive" list of bookers, radio stations, etc. that you then can feel free to contact and follow up with on your own. I mean, my god, where else could you possibly get that kind of information? For free on the Internet. And you can have a proper EPK from Reverbnation for much, much less. Others who have been taken in by Artistpr have said that a large percentage of the contacts provided by Artistpr are fake or just so old they are irrelevant.
Frank followed up with me when I didn't call him back with my credit card info. I politely told him I wasn't interested, and added, "I thought you might want to know why, I felt you didn't answer my questions fully enough.." he cut me off and said, like a little snot, "I think you need to tell someone who cares and its not me". For reals! 'Nuf said.
I am a staunch advocate for independent artists in these days where there is little support for us and so many avenues for corrupt people to take advantage and our hard-earned money.
Don't be seduced by them!
Click READ MORE for the followup and comments!
CD Baby, the indie music online distributor, has entered into a partnership with Rumblefish, the online synch placement company
Friends, I'm pissed. Perhaps you've been given the "opportunity" to participate in this program, to essentially provide anyone Rumblefish works with, with your music, to use as they please, for an undisclosed amount (you won't know how much you made until they decide to tell you). This is a very, very bad deal!! Read on for my thoughts...
I'm a dyed-through New Yorker. I love it and at times I really fucking hate it, but I consider it my home and I doubt I'll ever live anywhere else full-time. It struck me that what I hate about it are nearly the same elements that I deeply love...
A note written in 10th grade -
G:
I am sitting here in typing and I don't have any idea what's going on. I read your note, and I can understand where you're coming from. But think for a minute about what you're saying... do you mean that you never want to get high again?
He didn’t hesitate once the plans were carefully and discreetly made, the lies covered, time excused. He brought only a small duffel and plenty of money – dollars pieced away from his entry-level paycheck from the art department at Young and Rubicam, Madison Avenue, 1959 – he was 19.
I've been wanting to write this story for a while now, since I drank the "Mad Men" kool-aid I've been fascinated by the vision that television show gives me of the scene and business my dad was starting out in during that exact time.
He told me the Cuba story almost offhand - interestingly, it was in the context of my telling him about the tour in Scandinavia I had just come off of. He offered no details - he was too conservative, in an uptight Catholic sort of way, to speak to his daughter that way. It was more a conspiratorial kind of brag, as though he was sufficiently impressed by my world travels to hip me to his own.
I will write the story though. It will be fiction.
