- Artist pre-sale is on March 5th @ 10am local time.
- Remaining tickets will be released to the general public March 8th @ 10am local time.
- VIP Packages (pre-show meet & greet, Q&A w/ Ben, as well as a signing) will be available for all dates.
Ben Folds and Violent Femmes LIVE & On Tour 2019
How To Get Online Publications To Feature You Or Review Your Music
You will need to roll your sleeves up for this one because this is going to take some serious research.
1. Search For Artists With A Similar Style: It is important to first establish your style and genre of music. Then, Google a similarly styled artist who is well known. For example, if you are a country artist, you might want to Google Kacey Musgraves or Chase Rice. You will find that they have articles or reviews in several publications that review or report on music. Look on through the publication to see if they publish features of new and emerging country artists. If so, send them a polished article or information that will help them to possibly publish a review on you. You will need to email about 10-20 publications before you get a bite, so don’t give up!
2. Pitch Yourself!: Content is KING. Be specific, and keep it simple. Let the publisher know exactly who you are and what you want. Be clear about what you are asking for; a feature of your recent work on their website, a review on a music video, hit single, interview, etc. Publications are always looking for fresh new content, so you are bound to find an opportunity if you just keep pitching yourself consistently without being too pushy or seeming overly anxious.
Things to include in your email to the publisher:
- Clear Subject Line: It’s the first thing they see. Make it count!
- Intro paragraph: Express that you have knowledge of the editor, coordinator, or other personnel that works for the publication. This shows you did your research. Acknowledge their recent work; a little flattery won’t hurt! Always be honest though. Don’t ever claim to know someone personally if you’ve never met them or communicated with them.
- Describe your music: This is the most important portion of your email. Compare yourself to a few other artists to give them a clear vision of what you are all about. Add links to where they can hear your music and see your website. Don’t hesitate to brag on yourself a little bit. If you have opened for well-known artists, or toured with big-named bands, or have had reviews in major publications, add it to your email! This will help you to get your foot in the door. No famous person is known for their humility; go all out! Don’t be conceited, just be confident. You are pitching yourself!
- The Correct Email Address: Before you press send, make sure you have the correct email address! This can be tricky as some publications purposely hide their contact information to limit incoming requests. Others just don’t make contact information easy to find on their websites without intention. Do some digging and make sure your emails are going to the right place.
- Things NOT to Do: Don’t attach MP3s, PDF files, or any other forms of attachments. Editors don’t have time to download information that they will likely not use. Give them links to your social media, articles written about you in other online publications, streaming sites, and your website. Don’t try to tell them your whole life story. They don’t want to hear how you started from the bottom and how got to where you are now. Be professional and straight to the point as they are most likely getting a massive number of pitches in their inbox every day. They don’t have time to read your memoir.
Overall, getting into online publications takes a little bit of guts and a whole lot of determination. Make sure you have a story worth telling and let the editors decide if they want to share your story with their readers. It’s pretty much a numbers game, so the more you pitch, the higher the chances that you will see your story being told in reputable online publications such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Music Industry Weekly.
How To Find Blogs That Will Review Your Music: Part 2
Now… we wait.
Waiting is probably the worst part of the process in your efforts to getting published. If the publication is silent for a while, don’t take it as rejection. It can usually take up to a week for the publisher to get back to you depending on their popularity.
If it takes more than 2-3 weeks for them to get back to you, then it’s plain and simple; you’ve been rejected and they don’t like your music enough to publish it on their site. No hard feelings! Nevertheless, here’s how you follow up.
- Leave a space of at least 2 weeks between emails. Give them time to decide if they want to cover you and how they will work you into their editorial calendar.
- Be polite. Don’t start sending angry emails because they didn’t get back to you. Be professional, include the original email in your message, and simply write a 1-2 line email saying you are following up on your initial message.
- Acknowledge their work. Before sending off that email, acknowledge that they are busy and that you appreciate their time to read your emails. Tell them that you are looking forward to hearing back from them.
Good luck!
Jaden Smith’s Foundation Getting Clean Water to Flint
What To Do When You Get Featured On A Music Blog
1. Add It To Your Website: Add it to your press page, your press kit, your homepage, etc. Make sure that this feature is visible for all of your viewers to see.
2. Share On Social Media: You will always get the most feedback on social media – especially Facebook.
3. Thank The Blogger: Send a quick message thanking them for their time. You will want to maintain these relationships as they are important for future work. If it’s a well-crafted feature, compliment the writer on a well-written article.
4. Use It: Use the blog review or interview to get you your next one! A write-up on a decent blog can open a lot of doors. A good feature on a prestigious blog can do even more!
Sidenote: No matter what you do, don’t give up! It might seem pointless to reach out to 20 blogs only to hear back from 1, but it all counts and the more media coverage you get, the more will come. Good luck!
Music Industry Weekly Featured Band: Messer Releases “Simple Man” Single
Messer is continuing their momentum from their breakout year by releasing “Simple Man“, the 3rd single and video from their self-titled debut album, which bowed at #3 on the Soundscan New Artist chart and was named “New and Noteworthy at iTunes. The Dallas, Texas-based band had a banner year in 2018 with first single “Make This Life” reaching #25 on the Active Rock radio charts, and second single “Save Myself” also made it into the Top 30 – the only truly independent act to do so.
“Simple Man” is already making inroads at radio and digital streaming services, and is set to follow in the footsteps of “Make This Life” and “Save Myself” which garnered attention throughout the rock world with spots on key Hard Rock playlists @ Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora Radio, Google Play Music, Youtube and Slacker Radio. The band has received positive press @ Loudwire, AXS, Alternative Press, Revolver, New Noise, Pure Grain Audio, and more.

The band is gearing up to go back on the road in the 2nd quarter of 2019. Messer played more than 100 shows last year, including a 40-city sold-out tour with RED and Lacey Sturm. The band was personally invited by Kevin Lyman to play the Texas leg of the final Vans Warped Tour.
The band’s cutting-edge modern rock sound was born through serendipitous connections in the thriving Deep Ellum music scene of Dallas, an area that has given rise to iconic Hard Rock and Metal bands like Pantera, Drowning Pool, Hell Yeah, and King’s X. The band grew their fan base locally, and began to branch out regionally and nationally, opening for notable bands such as Sick Puppies, Candlebox, Hinder, Vince Neil, Black Stone Cherry, Drowning Pool, Metallica, Scott Stapp Of Creed, and Avenged Sevenfold, among others. It was on one of these tours that the band caught the attention of Los Angeles based writer/producer, Chad Gendason. The band felt an immediate comradery with Chad and a lasting bond was made.

Dereak Messer, Lead Vocals | Donnie Deville, Guitar/Vocals | Javier Contreras, Guitar/Vocals
Kenn Youngar, Drums/Vocals | Maddox Messer, Bass/ Vocals
Messer started writing with Chad, and their first collaboration became “Simple Man”. Fan favorite “Whiskey” soon followed and the songs started to flow into what would become their self-titled debut album “Messer“. The album was mixed by Ben Grosse (Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed) and mastered by Tom Baker (Papa Roach, David Bowie, Motley Crue).
Messer continues to build on their momentum and is forging ahead with gritty determination – powered by a ton of positive energy.
Connect and share with Messer:
Official website: https://www.messerband.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2coMKvuQMhaFGFKGfq95Pu?si=x5Uta9daSWWrH4_0vbNuPw
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/messer/1348892084?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Messer_Messer?id=Bwgg2vbrw53gkx3q3prnxdhhqua&hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/messerband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messerband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/messerband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMCCaRiF6Bo
Management Contact: Erik Baker – Concrete Entertainment
615.499.6468
Erik@ConcretePlanet.com
Press Contact: Ed Bunker – No Problem! PR & Marketing
818.451.7585
Ed@NPMPRandMarketing.com
Carnage Returns From Hiatus, Announces The Reincarnation Tour 2019
Jack Antonoff Hints That Bleachers Album Is In The Works
i’m working hard. possess a few songs that i like and are part of B3. get this idea in my head plus piecing it together… unusual puzzle Zz strange wish etc https://t.co/6QX7pZWrP8
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) Feb 28, 2019
Building a Record Label Website
Whether you’re a recognized label, or you’ve just signed your first music group, your website is a vital component of your marketing strategy. It’s the online hub where music industry enthusiasts and media may discover and quickly interact with your artists.
So how do you develop a record label website that’s well-organized, and encourages your artists?
1 . Design The Homepage
The Homepage serves as the gateway to the rest of your site. It should be fairly simple, including several highlights from your content.
First of all, you will need to think about your header picture. You can either add a logo design, a picture of one of the groups you represent, or a share image that sums up the label’s style.
Under the major image, add a news area. This is a great way to emphasize recent releases, showing that the artists are active. You can even write about upcoming events, or even add a new video.
Updating these details regularly will keep people returning to see what their favorite groups are up to. It also makes a nice introduction to the rest of your site.
One more thing you’ll want to amplify your Homepage is a subscriber list signup form. Offer a motivation like a free download of an unique song to encourage people to sign up. That way you can follow-up by email with your newest label news, new photo album releases, and upcoming trip dates for your artists.
Brand Website: Jumpsuit Records
2 . Create A Musicians Page
One of the most visited pages in your label’s website will be the Musicians page. Make sure it signifies your label well simply by creating a page with to the point information on all of your artists.
The Musicians page should include images, or even image plus text, for every artist your represent. This can create a visual index of the roster. Link each picture to a sub-page per performer with information about them. You may also list each artist within a drop-down menu from your major Artists page.
Once you’ve created the basic layout to have an artist page, simply reconstruct it with the duplicate page articles option . Then add the kind of details.
Each page should include a brief musician bio, a track or two, their social media links, plus contact information. Include a web link to their own dedicated web site.
Label Website: Sargent House
You can develop and handle multiple accounts for these websites along with just one log-in . Change back and forth to edit every site with a just a few ticks.
3. Include Music
With so much scope pertaining to digital music, add a devoted Music page showcasing your own artists’ albums. Make use of content to separate out playlists, plus add new releases to the the top of page.
If one of your artists is certainly dropping a new album quickly, set it up for pre-order promote it in advance to generate hype.
If you utilize our built-in Music function to add albums, these product sales are reported to SoundScan. You can also use our Bandcamp incorporation to rapidly add music from all your artists without re-uploading their own entire catalogue.
Brand website: fifteen Passenger Records
4. Add A Merch Store
Looking to sell music plus merch for your artists? Setup a Store page to sell Compact disks, vinyl, and T-shirts, commission-free . You can use Bandzoogle’s built/in sales tools like deals and sale pricing to assist clear out old stock prior to a tour.
Label web site: Lisbon Lux Records
5. About Your Brand
Why did you begin a label? Are you the musician yourself? Or just an overall total music geek? How do you discover the bands for the label? What inspired you to definitely sign them?
Use an About page to tell the story of precisely why and how your record tag was created. This is interesting to the people who want to learn more about your label’s origins. It will also assist with your website’s SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ( seo ) for your report label keywords.
Make it easy for industry plus media to contact you. Consist of some kind of call-to-action at the bottom from the page, which can be a contact page, or even just your current email address.
6. Contact And Submissions
Include a get in touch with page to accept inquiries regarding your record label. When you’re actively searching for new artists for your record label, add information that will outlines the format that you accept for demos.
Be sure to deal with some FAQs as well, like the genre of music, what type of experience they should have, exactly where they’ve played displays, and what kind of a crowd they could draw.
If you’re not really seeking submissions, some textual content here indicating that you are not presently accepting new artists can help clarify things for rings contacting your label.
This page may also include a contact form for common inquiries. Then add an email tackle for any separate staff: administration, booking inquiries, and push.
Are the social media links for your label’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and any other social media marketing platforms you’re participating in.
Label site: Jazz & Milk
Streamline Your Design
A record content label website will usually contain tons of content. With such a selection of text, videos, music, and much more, you’ll want to build a simple design that’s easy to navigate.
Make sure the menu will be super clear. Avoid cutesy page names; use game titles that get the point across. Utilize a clear, sans serif typeface that is big enough to read, and a color that clashes with the menu.
Within each web page, separate out the different places with sections. The background might be different colors per section, or perhaps you could add a background picture for a little flair.
Make use of area titles to add more corporation to the page. This will ensure it is easier for website visitors in order to quickly pick out what they’re looking for.
Label site: Jazzland Songs
Monochrome is a nice starting color scheme for a record label’s web design. It allows for plenty of inhaling and exhaling room around your content. Additionally, it sets up your artists in order to shine with their colorful symbolism, music, and videos that could not necessarily all coordinate within color and tone.
Go on and create a website that increases your online presence, and places your artists into the limelight!