This past week, well 10-4-2010 to be exact, Dessa Darling graced us with her presence in Creating a Life in Music. She is the resident artist here at McNally Smith College of Music and an integral part of Doomtree.
Aside from Dessa’s animated personality you can tell she has a true passion for music. It’s a tried and true cliché in the music industry to claim you would rather be broke making art than well off working a conventional job. However, Dessa was one of the few artists that I truly believed when she claimed loyalty to this much followed doctrine in the art community. Disclaimer: I’m by no means saying that many if not all artist sincerely feel that way about art. I am however merely trying to decipher the difference between passion and commitment and the easy cop out for not being a responsible part of society. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you how I really feel ;-)
Dessa was a wealth of information for an indie artist like myself. She was a straight shooter that gave us a realistic look at what self promotion takes/looks like. Here are a few of the notes I found to be of particular importance to me.
· Have a well written bio.
o This would include a personal/intimate bio as well as a profession bio. If you have a well/professionally written bio it is much easier for writers and editors to use your own words in their writing which helps you get publicity because it is easier for writers and editors to meet deadlines.
· Have a press list.
o This is basically a list of contacts for writers and editors of any local or regional publications.
· Have Black & White as well as Color Photos.
o When submitting a press release or press kit for publication you should submit both photos so the editors have options. Unless you know if your page will be run in color or black and white. Also you should avoid wearing red against dark backgrounds and vise versa because when run in black and white you appear to be a body less human with arms. This inconvenience in and of itself can be enough to not get you published if the editors have no more photo options.
· Book your gig then submit press release.
o Publications only care about press releases if you already have a show or CD release booked. Apparently a lot of artists try submitting information in the reverse order.
Check Dessa out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eQL3BrRqM8
Chris
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