When the working week is done, I like to interview friends and colleagues about specific marketing and publicity topics. This week we have C.J. Camerieri, a frequent collaborator of my client Gabriel Kahane's, discussing how he's navigating the promotion of his new new-music ensemble yMusic. For an interview with yMusic co-founder Rob Moose from - coincidentally enough - exactly one year ago, click here.C.J. Camerieri, a Brooklyn-based trumpet player, enjoys an active and diverse career as a freelance performer. Since completing his … [Read more...]
Mutual exclusivity
I'm sure you'll be shocked to read that I love when marketing matters come up in critical reviews. This is funny stuff, from writer Doyle Armbrust at Time Out Chicago:Head over to the Harris Theater entrance on Randolph. Observe any instrument-lugging musician's reaction to the Lang Lang promo on the Harris's video screens. If it's anything other than eye rolling, chances are that musician is busy texting. Attempting to channel his inner Run-DMC with a pair of glistening black Adidas, the Chinese pianist's head is thrown back in a moment of … [Read more...]
OMG: am I old?
What is even going on here.I was reading my client Michael Gordon's Pitchfork review from 2004 to see if I deemed it worthy to put in a press kit just now, and I clicked on the 5 Gum banner ad in an attempt to send my friend James a link to the new "Zing" gum (he says "zing!" a lot, OK?). Instead of a Zing or a 5 Gum website, I got to this. 5 Gum's marketing campaign is just a super imeem page?? Fair enough: what could they possibly say about gum at this point? Might has well push Katie Perry and Lady Gaga associations and throw people off a … [Read more...]
RIP-ish QXR
Let them eat something else! Some sad Bastille Day news. Surely someone could have ponied up a mere 45 mill?From Reuters:The New York Times Co said it will sell its New York City classical music radio station WQXR for $45 million, in a two-part sale that will help the struggling newspaper publisher pay off debt. The station will continue to broadcast classical music, something it has done for 73 years, but at 105.9 on the FM radio dial instead of 96.3 FM, the Times said in a statement on Tuesday. Under the terms of the deal, Spanish-language … [Read more...]
Choose Your Own Adventure
This is Life's a Pitch: The Outward Bound Edition, as I'm in the lovely Berkshires. Other than the Biblical rain on Saturday night and the spider bite I seem to have acquired above my left eyebrow that has subsequently swollen and given me a not entirely unattractive kind of lazy-eyed Romulan-chic look, Tanglewood is fantastic. Hearing - emphasis on the 'hearing' - three concerts at Tanglewood this weekend has made me think more about different outlets of experience, previously discussed here. I had written about live-blogging/live-Tweeting … [Read more...]
Double skim Venti iced mocha no whip
Is it possible that our generation has become so absorbed with the Entitlement of Free that it will to refuse to pay $5 per month for The New York Times? Or is that so not the point. [Via Gawker.] At long last, the New York Times may have figured out how to make money off its website: by charging for it.Bloomberg reports that the NYT is floating the idea of charging $5 a month to access its website in a survey of readers. (It also asked if subscribers would be willing to pay $2.50 per month)....If all 650,000 print subscribers paid $5 a month … [Read more...]
You know what really burns me up?
I was a little disappointed when I received my Time Out NY yesterday. "Jonas Brothers quit music*" reads the cover, and then "*for just a day. Meet Kevin Jonas, our new Music Editor". In the elevator, I flipped right to the Classical & Opera section like I always do, and much to my chagrin, there was "Edited by Steve Smith" in the top right corner of the page. Now, I like Steve Smith very much, but come on, Time Out: don't tease a girl like that! If the JoBro are the Music Editors for the week, then they're the Music Editors! They have to … [Read more...]
Best shots
I was out and about on the Lower East Side on Monday night and at one bar, my friends and I were greeted with promotional The Ugly Truth shot glasses and napkins. [Yes, I was the girl taking pictures of shot glasses for her classical music PR blog at the bar. That is, in fact, how I get all the boys.]Every time I see an expensive mainstream promotion like this I crack myself up thinking about how the same promotion would be applied to classical music (also how I get all the boys). For example, will Deutsche Grammophon be creating promotional … [Read more...]
Hyperboilerplate
A journalist friend forwarded a press release earlier today that included this:XXXX, the feisty mezzo-soprano from Kansas who was born toplay Rossini's equally feisty comic heroine, Rosina, fell and brokeher right leg early in act one of The Barber of Seville on Saturday,July 4th, the opening night of an important revival at London's RoyalOpera House, Covent Garden. She returned to the stage to finish theevening's performance, and blogged into the night about her adventureand its aftermath. She then showed up on every operatic … [Read more...]
Here’s Johnny
I missed the 2/3 train at 14th street at an embarrassingly late hour last night because I was taking a faux toe of the Public Enemies poster for this blog. Naturally, I left the house (" ") today and forgot to bring the cord for my camera, so I will have to post said-picture at a later hour. Incidentally, probably after I get home from the midnight showing of that same movie tonight. Public Enemies happens to incorporate all my favorite things: The Great Depression, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, and Elliot … [Read more...]
Talk to me about Dilettante
Sometimes it's hard being Amanda. For example, when I think of lots of cool people to interview for (le) blog, and they say yes, and then I don't have time to write the questions? Yes, at times like that it's hard. But at long last, this week we have Juliana Farha and Chris Gruits from the recently re-launched classical music networking hub Dilettante. Juliana Farha is the Founder and Managing Director of Dilettante Music, the online classical music hub based in London, England. She worked at CBC Radio and as a magazine editor in Toronto before … [Read more...]
Don’t you carry nothing that might be a load
I'm glad our mom didn't come to The Wiz at City Center with my sister and me tonight. If she had, then from the first moment Ashanti stationed herself downstage center and started to sing, Aliza and I would have had to re-hear all about Melba Moore - "the tiniest little woman you'd ever seen" - being un-miked - "with the biggest voice you've ever heard" - "reaching all the way to the back of the house" - in Purlie. Ashanti was miked tonight - I know this because we're talking about musical theater in 2009 and because the body mic factors … [Read more...]
Go go gadgets
Has anyone tried the New York Phil iPhone app? I'm told it currently has 2.5 out of 5 stars. Reviews, please! As previously mentioned, I can't get an iPhone because I refuse to let go of my Verizon family plan, and my cheapness haunts me daily. All I hope is that the iPhone app is more successful than the Philharmonic's previously secret Facebook page. Recently, my clients David and Hilary weighed in on Tweeting, etc. during concerts. Life's a Pitch devotees may also remember the report of the Patti LuPone incident from this winter, … [Read more...]
You know what really grinds my gears?
...is when presenters ask for materials just for the sake of asking for materials. Are they redecorating their offices with these things?? Collecting Christmas gifts for their cousins?Here's an e mail that came into IMG from one of The King's Singers' 2010 presenters:We are still looking for the following materials and would greatly appreciate them or the appropriate forms as soon as possible. The materials we are looking for are as follows. CDs, DVDs, TV and Radio spots, handbills, posters, the name of any opening act(s), and a play list … [Read more...]