RE: Press releases

Dear bands and your publicists,


Stop wasting your time with paper press releases.


Signed,
Kevin

You're probably wondering where this is coming from. Basically, I'm doing a little spring cleaning here at the office and just went through at least 1,000 press releases that were in my desk.

And, with only a couple exceptions, I threw them all out.

Well, for starters, I actually recycled them. And those 1,000+ were accumulated over the last year. But nonetheless, it stands out as an amazing waste of money and resources to produce, copy and send that stuff when all I'm going to do, at the end of the day, is chuck it into my little recycle bin.

It's my opinion that a band will catch my attention better by sending me their CD (or better yet, a digital download) and a list of tour dates. Those are really the only things I need. Mailing a piece of paper that says you made "a strong record of simple heartfelt folk tunes nestled between hard driving cuts of acoustic indie/americana" isn't going to convince me of anything.

Take that time (and that money) and apply it to making your band better. You'll make better records and therefore do a better job of catching my eye.

* * *

Busy day today... Talked to Laura B. from The Mynabirds today about her new record, which I strongly suggest you listen to. It's very good. Saddle Creek is streaming the whole thing and, if you like it, you can get it shipped from them before it comes out April 27.

Tomorrow, be on the lookout for a weekend roundup and a batch of headlines.

Side note: I'll actually be out of town the next three weekends and am missing a ton of good shows. As always, if you see something you like, drop me an e-mail (kevin.coffey@owh.com) and let me know what you think.