Getting featured on music blogs Vol. NT Bloggers welcome

niquefreak94

niquefreak94

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Sep 10, 2009
Okay so you know how everybody looks at A$AP Rocky and Trinidad James and say "Oh it's so simple now all you need is a catchy song and a video!"
Well really you need that and for it to actually be featured on music blogs so people can be exposed to it. As an artist myself and just someone curious, how does that even work?....let me rephrase that. I know how it's supposed to work: you're either already on or you send submissions. But let's be real, submissions rarely get features. So is there some type of payola in place? What is the "secret?" Inquiring minds would like to know. :nerd:
 
I can only speak for myself, but being involved with music blogging for 5+ years - running my own sites and contributing to a bunch of other blogs/sites - there were/are certain things that caught/catch my attention as well as many more things that automatically make me hit delete. I don't really have time right now to post a detailed response, but quick bullet points off the top of my head:

Pros
~personalization always catches my eye - it shows me that the person submitting the content took the time to check the site/actually knows my name
~affiliation with people/artists/labels I'm already familiar with/have a relationship with
~obviously big names/features catch the eye
~easily accessible/pre-uploaded links to music
~properly labeled music files
~[seemingly] sincere e-mails of artists just looking for a shot...without sounding desperate

Cons
~generic e-mail blasts
~sloppy e-mails (misspellings, not knowing how to form a sentence)
~submissions TELLING ME that I must post the music or I lose out for some reason
~ misspelling my name/website - meaning they clearly don't care enough to get details right
~telling clear lies within the e-mail
~harassment on social media is automatically despised by just about every blogger I know
~asking stupid questions such as sending me an e-mail on how to send me an e-mail submission:

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I can't confirm payola for some of the biggest sites, but I'm sure it happens on a regular basis.
 
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Doesnt take money.

Always think from the receivers perspective. They get a billion links a day. How can I stand out?

Basically spam the ****** with relevant comments. For example. They post something bout a Wale new single. Hit the email in the Subject Line write: Response to Wale - Song Title Posting....then write a relevant compliment or comment to the post... THEN plug ya music....make sure you make it easy to consume the content. Meaning upload the mp3 to gmail so they can just hit play or if its a youtube send it straight to the song/video not no video channel where they gotta look for it. Keep the email text short too. ****** dont read...

Catch the bloggers on twitter and talk bout something other than your music build a rapport. Stand out. "Stay in they mentions" they'll notice you.

Having a PR team always helps but the guerilla way of getting on these blogs is just to build relationships. And always be plugging. Thats all PR firms do. Internet makes it easier.

Another thing I learned back in the day for getting placements. Use somebody else's name as a cosign. If you get ANY type of praise or positive comment. Use it as a testimonial and plug that **** in the email. Editor So*so from Fader.com said "You got what it takes keep working"....that **** goes a long way.
 
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cartune said:
make sure you make it easy to consume the content. Meaning upload the mp3 to gmail so they can just hit play or if its a youtube send it straight to the song/video not no video channel where they gotta look for it. Keep the email text short too. ****** dont read...
 
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not saying that this won't work, but the problem with attaching an mp3 through gmail is that so many people do it on a daily basis that it eats up a lot of space. bloggers, and especially music supervisors, hate that ****. it's better to upload it on soundcloud or thru a private audio link only for the bloggers. blogs don't want to embed youtube links unless there's an actual video so just stick with something like soundcloud and make sure you have great artwork. people are going to see the artwork before they hear the music, so it's just as important to invest in a graphic designer as it is to invest in an engineer. you can also try to partner with a smaller blog to give them exclusive content. bigger blogs mostly reblog what the others have already blogged anyway. getting good with blogs involves more favors than money, at least from my 6+ years of experience

JD161616 makes a lot of good points. i would go with that. if you have a small budget, it's worth investing in an indy PR company that has good relationships. there's a lot based in LA that aren't too expensive. if you have no money, have the homegirl with the hot profile pic act as your PR. a lot of bloggers are as thirsty as NT beasts
 
Its all about who you know. Learning How to Network is your best bet. I met a guy who was trying to do bussiness/Manage in music bizz he was young we chopped it up for a while he was telling me and showing me youtube videos of different acts he managed. (Quest Love from the roots cousin was one of them) He said its all about who you know and alot of people are shady blah blah blah. Bottom line he showed me all the Blog sites like XXL and other sites he got people on. I asked him how? He told me for $150.00 he could get me on any major blog site Because of his connects so its who you know plus Mula $$$$$
 
KingB said:
Its all about who you know. Learning How to Network is your best bet. I met a guy who was trying to do bussiness/Manage in music bizz he was young we chopped it up for a while he was telling me and showing me youtube videos of different acts he managed. (Quest Love from the roots cousin was one of them) He said its all about who you know and alot of people are shady blah blah blah. Bottom line he showed me all the Blog sites like XXL and other sites he got people on. I asked him how? He told me for $150.00 he could get me on any major blog site Because of his connects so its who you know plus Mula $$$$$
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   p    lease tell us   some   more  
 
I've never been featured on a blog that I actually submitted my music to.

Also if you get put on a blog, be appreciative no matter how popular the blog is.
 
There are a couple blogs that regularly show love, but they're not the ones that I submitted stuff to. They just happened across my music on their own.

I find that being somewhat active in the soundcloud community can move things along more quickly.
 
JD161616 said:
I can only speak for myself, but being involved with music blogging for 5+ years - running my own sites and contributing to a bunch of other blogs/sites - there were/are certain things that caught/catch my attention as well as many more things that automatically make me hit delete. I don't really have time right now to post a detailed response, but quick bullet points off the top of my head:

Pros
~personalization always catches my eye - it shows me that the person submitting the content took the time to check the site/actually knows my name
~affiliation with people/artists/labels I'm already familiar with/have a relationship with
~obviously big names/features catch the eye
~easily accessible/pre-uploaded links to music
~properly labeled music files
~[seemingly] sincere e-mails of artists just looking for a shot...without sounding desperate

Cons
~generic e-mail blasts
~sloppy e-mails (misspellings, not knowing how to form a sentence)
~submissions TELLING ME that I must post the music or I lose out for some reason
~ misspelling my name/website - meaning they clearly don't care enough to get details right
~telling clear lies within the e-mail
~harassment on social media is automatically despised by just about every blogger I know
~asking stupid questions such as sending me an e-mail on how to send me an e-mail submission:

View media item 217039
I can't confirm payola for some of the biggest sites, but I'm sure it happens on a regular basis.
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Good points here. Also PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't forget to BCC the sites you send to. A lot of artists forget about that.

H TOWN HUSTLER said:
Get a PR, link up with people at SXSW.

It's politics.
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Not really politics, just connections and doing good business (scratch my back, I'll scratch yours type ****). The publicist I work for has been in the game for 20 something years so naturally her network is deeper and just going thru the database of contact info for writers, bloggers, TV people is :wow:

The artists you mentioned OP had a backing once that buzz starts picking up. You got money to spend, get in right with the right buzz generators and it's on from there. I think the publicist I work for was supposed to do work with Trinidad, but it fell thru for whatever reason. As somebody doing it on your own, effective marketing of your music on social media, connecting with bloggers on Twitter, and have good music will trump all.

Connect with "smaller" bloggers. For example, I've run my site for a few years, it's not much, and it's fallen off, but connecting with people who run smaller sites will allow you to be featured easier. A few people I know run their site and freelance for bigger publications (XXL, Vibe, AHH, Fader, etc.) and their connections could help you out.

John Gotty from the Smoking Section is an NTer and posts in forums /16 sometimes, it would dope if came in here and dropped some game. I'll try to find some good links him & the crew have done about this topic, a lot of good advice on how to stand out and what not.

This music **** is connections, money, and business more than the music itself so you gotta know how to play the game...
 
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Does anyone have a list of some new up and coming Blog sites or even your own if you want to plug them
 
3 ways

1. Build your network and relationships by not spamming but talking to editors, writers, and bloggers about anything but music. When the opportunity arises ask them for feedback, NOT a post
eventually with the right sound and right relationships, post will happen.

2. DO IT YOURSELF... meaning get your fans to where your movement is undeniable and they will come to you...

3. Pay for PR... good PR not some pretty girl, claiming PR just to get into concerts

I've got on XXL,2dopeboyz, HipHopDX, Source, Vibe, ESPN and more! Put in the hardwork and a gameplan and you will see success. You have to standout and ask what do you offer the game, why do you deserve a post or why should people listen to you (dont say because you're good, cause there are 10000's of good rappers) is your image right, is the music good, etc
 
H TOWN HUSTLER said:
link up with people

It's politics.
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/thread

son da music industry is a small circle of cliques...you gotta start shaking hands with people outside da net.

how you think da same group of blogs and sites all push da same "independent"  rappers at da same time?

any body in NYC that ever blew up was connected by someone that put em on.
 
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