Exposed Vocals Interviews Independent Music Promotions

Exposed Vocals: When clients consider your services, do you show references or testimonials? Do they normally ask for this?

I.M.P:  I believe in complete transparency when it comes to offering services of any kind. The last thing people want when they’re looking for the best company for them is to get to the rates page and see “contact us for a quote”. On our website we have a testimonials/commendations page, a roster page, and full rates/guarantees public.

Exposed Vocals: Are you normally open to disclosing this type of information to potential buyers?

I.M.P:  Absolutely. I share everything I’d want to know as an artist and consumer myself.

Exposed Vocals: How does your service show that you care about their reputation as a brand and the reputation of their image?

I.M.P:  At I.M.P we are musicians and artists ourselves, so the presentation of the art and it’s meaning/intention are of paramount importance. This why I chose the “music with depth” niche. We’re more interested in passionate, honest art than artists who aren’t about the music.

Exposed Vocals: There’s nothing like paying a company and playing phone tag for weeks when you need answers ASAP. I know some people prefer a phone call over email but some just need to hear a voice. Do you guys offer phone support?

I.M.P:  Yes, I like to have a phone call or Skype before a campaign starts. It’s often the easiest way to answer all the necessary questions without excessive emails.

Exposed Vocals: What types of packages do you offer?

I.M.P:  We offer single month/starter campaigns for artists who possibly just want some quality press but don’t have the funds for a full campaign. We also offer 3 and 4 month, more comprehensive campaigns that offer more major press and more potent buzz within the campaign time, the most effective being the Critical Mass campaign.

Exposed Vocals: How do you monitor your client’s brand?

I.M.P:  Yes, we do. Our forte is the press factor, so our aim is simple: to land as much press as possible in order to elevate the public perception/status of the artists we choose to work with.

Exposed Vocals: What is the best way for your clients to communicate with you?

I.M.P:  Email is usually best. I find that publicists who are always on the phone tend to get terrible results. It’s important to uni-task on artist campaigns in order to maximize results.

Exposed Vocals: What will you require from your clients to get started?

I.M.P:  We require everything that journalists and bloggers require so that no Googling is needed. Artist bio, streaming links, release info and artist basic details, artwork, promo photos and high quality mp3’s. From there we can create a media pitch.

Exposed Vocals: I know some musicians like to see how well their campaign is going. How do you show their ROI (Return on Investment)? In what form do you provide progress reports?

I.M.P:  We send them press every week in our reports. What they pay for with us is the press itself. You can’t guarantee or even predict what happens from the press, just like you can’t predict what will happen with a band’s merchandise either. Artists pay for t-shirts and they then use them; artists pay for press with us, and ideally, they use it to their advantage to land further opportunities.

Exposed Vocals: No one wants to be considered as just another number. Who will be handling your clients promotional campaign, calls, and emails?

I.M.P:  I handle them all myself, as I personally manage all our campaigns. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Exposed Vocals: How do you provide an end goal for your clients and how do you let them know that they have reached that goal after they hire your company?

I.M.P:  We have particular press numbers in mind for every campaign, and if fail to reach those we would simply provide a refund. Once they have the press itself, it’s a permanent boon to the artist.