Artist Progression & PR Management

Our Artist Progression Management is at the core of MCPR’s vision and inception. Our business was designed and developed to assist talent capitalize on every opportunity.

Unlike a lot of PR agencies, we stopped and thought about traditional PR methods and began to critically break apart what is right and wrong with the tried and tested methods people expect. We quickly realised that all too often there are holes in music projects that need to be fixed before an artist is put in front of peers. We formulated the Artist Progression Management service as an ‘all-in-one’ or ‘360’ service that didn’t just promote and advertise, but installed our team directly into the centre of everything that our clients do – and we don’t think there is anything else out there like it. By asking questions about the deepest roots of what we’re working on, we came to the conclusion that what musicians need above all else is trustworthy guidance, creative ideas, inspiration and realistic goals on how best to grow.

We’re like a swiss army knife for your music projects

Unlike a lot of PR agencies, we stopped and thought about traditional PR methods and began to critically break apart what is right and wrong with the tried and tested methods people expect. We quickly realised that all too often there are holes in music projects that need to be fixed before an artist is put in front of peers. We formulated the Artist Progression Management service as an ‘all-in-one’ or ‘360’ service that didn’t just promote and advertise, but installed our team directly into the centre of everything that our clients do – and we don’t think there is anything else out there like it. By asking questions about the deepest roots of what we’re working on, we came to the conclusion that what musicians need above all else is trustworthy guidance, creative ideas, inspiration and realistic goals on how best to grow.

The beginning, middle and end of what we do, is music. We’re lifelong electronic music diehards and have been ceaselessly locked down on the movements of just about every corner of the dance music world since it started. We can recite label numbers from 1980s Acid House classics, we know what parallel compression is, we know where Richie Hawtin was born and we know how many issues of Mixmag have been published. The point is – we’re not suit and tie marketers with 100 websites for 100 different industries – we’re electronic dance music experts that dedicate our professional lives to knowing everything there is to know about this wonderful world.

Matt Caldwell PR started as a utility to get new music heard and although we’ve expanded, this is still the number one resource we offer. Over many years we’ve developed a long and winding list of personal contacts in the music and media industries and the tools to break through new music on a global scale. We work with all of our clients to ensure that the world’s leading dance music press are well informed of new releases and push hard for support, features and exposure to help get the music heard by fans around the world.

The backbone behind any good PR campaign and something your average Producer forgets entirely. As writers and contributors to some of the world’s leading dance music magazines and sites – we know how to talk about electronic music. We’ve reviewed hundreds of releases and have a way with words that is reflective, creative and all about the music. We know how to talk about production on a deeper level and we’ve got the technical knowledge to write about your music using the same thought processes as you likely do in the studio. What this results in is press releases that speak on behalf of the artist – not an over-cooked barrage of superlatives and praise with no backbone or foundation. Our press releases are subjective, professional and steer well clear of talking about you like you’re Justin Bieber – unless of course that’s what you’re looking for (maybe we’re not for you). Our press releases get the job done – concise, structured and descriptive texts that shine a light on your music and help get your message across to the public.

As our press releases are approached in a review-like fashion – many sites are happy enough to re-publish what we write – but for those that like to write their own – our press releases are designed to push for reviews and give journalists the tools they need to write awesome reviews for their readers. With hundreds of industry journalists signed up to receive our new music – you can be sure that your music is being heard by the best in the business when you’re with us.

In 2019 – blogs are one of the most powerful promotional assets in the world. Viral content gets noticed and we’ve got a network of close contacts that come to us for the best in new and forthcoming electronic music. Over many years we’ve become a trusted source of quality and a long list of the world’s most-noticed bloggers know that when a new release pops up from us – it’s going to be worth checking out. With the combined social reach of our friends in the blogging world running into the millions – our clients feel the impact of having us on hand to get bloggers sharing and shouting about our new releases.

New release? Ever uploaded a preview to Soundcloud for the world to get a first listen of your next release, but found it didn’t perform as well as expected? We know how that feels, so we put all of our power behind making sure that doesn’t happen to our clients. Launching world-exclusive previews with influential sites is a great way to get another team of music lovers as excited about your release as you are. Our contacts will make sure that never again will you have to sit there watching your Soundcloud play count move along at a snail’s pace.

Pre-release is the ultimate promo time – but so often people decide to leave it till release day. The dance music press love nothing more than being first to hear about new music and by the time release day is here and your release has been on Soundcloud for a month – you might have missed out on some valuable promo time. We love to jump straight onto PR on the day that first previews appear – ensuring that releases don’t go unnoticed. Ever wondered why you’re not getting Beatport banners and features? Pre-release promo is the key to the gate.

Our contacts are always looking for new content and with our team of ready and waiting PRs on standby, you can be sure that we’ll never be lost for ideas for progress. Artist Spotlights are features that we rely on to break news or release articles on our acts. Whether it’s an ‘Introducing’ feature or something more focused, we love writing about our acts and if you’ve got a story to tell – we’ll always be on hand to turn that into press.

There’s nothing worse than a record label not taking advantage of the window in the run up to a release to maximise promotional opportunities and letting your release go un-noticed – but unfortunately this is sometimes a reality. With us on board, you can be sure that our communications with the labels will ensure that every avenue for promo is being used and that everyone involved in your releases are as committed to its success as you are. Keeping a schedule with the label is crucial to ensuring all interested parties are informed of plans, progress and of course – results.

If you’re not already getting your releases spotlighted by Beatport – you’re 100% missing out on one of the most effective ways to get sales up and make a push up the charts. There are a few things you can do to help catch the attention of the #01 selling music store in electronic music and sending them a portfolio of press that’s already excited about your release before it hits their shelves is one of the better approaches. Other than of course the fact the music’s great – Beatport want to make sure they’re promoting the right artists and making it crystal clear that you mean business when it comes to PR is one of the most effective ways to secure support from the likes of Beatport.

Release week is the peak of any PR effort for a release and there should be no resource left untouched when the links are live and your release is ready to buy. In 2017 – the first week of your release is going to determine its success. Getting into the charts, securing plays and getting the DJ world and fans talking about your release is going to happen now. If you find yourself looking at your release on Beatport and expecting it to start flying off the shelves by itself, or wondering what to do – you might well be in need of some specialist help.

When it comes to looking back, assessing and working out how to move forward from a release, we don’t expect you to just trust us that the promotion has been successful – we’ve got hard evidence. We monitor everything we do and compile complete reports to keep our clients up to date of what’s happened and what impact it had. We compile plays, hits, likes, features, social media reach and more to ensure we can keep pursuing the right avenues moving forward with our acts.

In-between releases? Too busy in the studio? That doesn’t mean the PR has to stop there. We can keep you busy with artist spotlights, interviews, guest charts and more to make sure that the inactive gap between releases becomes a thing of the past. If you want to be busy with PR – we’re always able to make something happen. We’ve got a huge number of contacts ready and waiting for content – so there’s no excuses to not be working on something.

If you’re working on new music and need a second opinion, we know what’s selling, getting signed and racking up the plays and we know how to talk to producers of all levels to get the results required. We’d never claim to be better producers than you – but we manage a hell of a lot of demos, so you might find some creative advice from us the missing link between a lost work-in-progress and your upcoming release on the label you’ve been targeting.

Our years of promoting have made us plenty of friends in the dance music world and we keep in contact with those we’ve worked with – many of whom are often on the lookout for new talent to feature on remix packages and more. If we hear about something that may suit you – we’ll be there to help bring you new projects and help expand your own contacts.

A-list labels – we love them for their music, but hate it when they don’t write back when you send them demos. Over our years working in and around electronic music, we’ve developed a long list of friends in high places and that stretches to A&R Managers at many leading labels. Whilst we can’t say that by working with us, we’ll have you signed up to top 5 international label that month – we can make sure that by preparing correctly, having music up to the right level, targeting the right labels and communicating with the right people at the right time – we’ll give you the very best chance of getting the deals you need. We’ve secured a tonne of releases on labels of all levels and our friends know that when we come knocking – we bring quality.

If you’re not already showcasing a radio show or podcast – working with us will help bring that idea to life. We can hook you up with just about everything you need to develop a professional show and get it heard across the world. Whether you’re looking for guest DJs for episodes, assistance getting your show on iTunes or help growing your subscribers – we can work alongside you to bring your show to the masses.

If you’ve already established a radio show or podcast, the next step is syndication. Securing syndication on radios around the world is no-doubt one of the most effective ways to grow your show. We’re in contact with hundreds of radios around the world and we can help get your show onto their timetable. There’s nothing more effective in PR than synergy and having a team of radios that promote and air your show is just about as effective as it gets.

Interviews are a great way to keep the press well stocked with new content whether building up to a new release, making announcements or just generally helping to build your profile and character. We’ve got pretty good at setting up engaging and informative interviews over the years and whether you want to talk music tech tips, industry or your own personal story – we can get together quality interview features that are sure to find great homes in the dance music press.

Ever entered a remix competition? In 2017 this a seriously powerful tool that so often gets underused. 100 entrees would leave 100 people promoting your name and better than that you can unearth some serious talent as there’s plenty out there going undiscovered. Whether you’ve got CDs, tickets, merchandise or anything else to giveaway to your fans – we can work with you to strategize the perfect plan for you. Using our contacts we can run exclusive interviews with high-trafficking sites to make sure that you get maximum impact on your competitions.

The electronic music world is as global as it has ever been before. There are huge opportunities in every continent for PR and we can scope out countries and continents to suit individual needs. Whether you’re hunting for digital press in India – or trying to break American radio markets, we’re constantly developing our own network of press contacts around the world.

Soundcloud is where it’s at for hosting dance music – there’s no doubting that. Despite the wrath of copyright claims and less-than-great stability – it is a seriously powerful platform and is industry standard. We’ve got a chunky contact book of groups and sites/blogs that have massive followings on Soundcloud and love to feature new music. With some of the leading networks on Soundcloud having hundreds of thousands of followers, impressing the right people can really make a noticeable difference for releases and your profile.

Whilst we try to avoid total control of accounts of our clients to keep them personal, one thing you can be sure of is access to a steady stream of press to keep your followers well stocked with new developments on your movements. If you find yourself running out of things to say – we can be sure to keep you well stocked with interviews, artist features and more to keep your social media channels interesting. We also maintain a large database of social media channels that are mad about electronic music and keep our friends well stocked with new music from our clients. With social media reaches into the millions – we’re able to help spread music, news and viral content to a public that are all about music. Linked with our custom- designed dance music advertising algorithms for Facebook, we can help get your natural likes up without turning to fake likes and followers.

Communicating the right message in the right way is key to prosperity in the music industry. Whether that’s press releases, social media profiles, behind the scenes interaction or important e-mails – we’re on hand to make sure all text documents are concise, professional and fit for purpose. Well-prepared communication and professional dialogue can genuinely be the difference between a deal and no deal. If you’d rather be spending your time working on music – we can help to make sure you’re projects are being managed correctly and communicated effectively. We can operate to a high level in both English and Italian, so if English isn’t your first language, or even if you’re just better in the studio than writing documents – we’ve got you covered.

Does your artist bio present you in the best light possible? Is there a year gap since your last release on your discography because it’s not been updated? Does your Facebook say you’re “one to watch for 2013”? Any one of these is a sign of neglect and something that the likes of major record labels, management firms and well- trained industry professionals will see as a warning sign. If this is you, it’s important to keep on top of every document that you publish whether it’s public or private. When trying to convince anyone in this world that you’re worth their investment, time and effort – up to date, well-presented and relevant press packs can make the difference. We keep our clients looking good for proposals, demos and more – ensuring they’re as well prepared as the competition.

If you’ve got a budget for advertising, be it small or large – rather than taking chances, we can recommend tried and tested advertising platforms and can often secure a more attractive price for our clients. The fact we supply content and have on-going relationships with some of the leading spots for banner ads and more means we can get the best prices in the right places.

If you’re regularly on the road for bookings, it’s easy forget that PR opportunities go beyond what goes on behind the decks. We’re always keen to make the most out of pre-event hype. Securing interviews, promo mixes and making sure the promoters and clubs involved are utilising their own promotional channels to maximise the effectiveness of bookings.

This article although lengthy – covers a wide range of what we do. Every client has different needs and we do what we can to make every account with us as personal and relevant as possible. We strive to offer a full service of PR opportunities to suit artists on every level and feel we’re one of the most effective services of our kind in the electronic dance music industry.

Sound like something you could use? Contact pr@mattcaldwell.co.uk today for a free consultation.