Can an artist surive without a publicist? Say it with me: NO

When thinking of public relations and entertainment I can’t help but compare the following to the infamous relationship between Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. Whitney and Bobby had a captivating relationship that you loved to watch and hear about but hated to hear about at the same time. Their relationship eventually became a destructive union that only affected the people surrounding them. Their relationship in relation to public relations and artist management is the same problem applies to this union as well. As a publicist you love working and fixing problems for your artist but hate fixing the same problems for the same artist. This particular issue only makes it hard on everyone working on the project.

Several publicists working within the music business representing various artists not only have a lot of work cut out for them but also have to develop a solid relationship with their clients. Publicist and artist relationship is a union that is intricate to separate unless the time is right but easy to build when handled correctly. Countless publicists have worked in the industry and have an understanding of what public relations entails. Don’t worry! We will cover the various issues of an artist image within the public, the relationship between artist/publicist and how they go hand in hand. Ready? Here we go…

As an artist within the entertainment industry it is a must to have a publicist working on your team. The role of the publicist entails a great deal of functions that a self-managing artist wouldn’t be able to successfully fulfill. Aren’t quite sure what a publicist is or what they do? No worries! Here is a brief explanation:

According to Webster dictionary: 


A publicist is a person who generates and manages publicity for a public figure. Publicist main function is to generate press coverage on behalf of clients, build a relationship between clients and create a positive image within the media.

The most important idea of public relations is any press is good press. The most successful artist within the music industry such as Jay Z, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas and Christina Aguilera are all artists that have been in the media, which required their publicist to step in and fix the problem.

Of the following artist the most provocative and controversial artist is our good girl gone bad Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Not only does she grab your attention, but is also distracting at the same time. I say this because her music is decent and catchy, but her drama,lifestyle and image is far more distracting than anything else that you don’t pay attention to her as an artist. Let's admit it, instead of listening to her music fans are most interested in how she will look and what she will do next. Rihanna's most recent controversy resulted from her 2011 Grammy performance where she performed live with rapper Drake “What’s My Name” and “Rude Boy”. A week after her performance, Minister Farrakhan allegedly speaks at conference in front of 18,000+ people and states “Rihanna is Filthy, whose music is SWINE”, says Minister Farrakhan. (necolebitchie.com/) 

How does she respond?

TWITTER:

Here is her response:

                                       

 

Now as for her publicist, when do they step in? IMMEDIATELY! Her response was completely uncalled for and unnecessary. As her publicist, a statement should have been released stating she apologizes for how he feels but will continue to make music for her fan Etc. Unfortunately, it was too late. This situation causes issues for publicists because, you can explain the importance of reputation and image to an artist all day long but cannot control your artist 24 hours a day. The best solution is using the bad press for something good. Someone who did this well was Kim Kardashian (not really).  Kim Kardashian took a scandal and turned into million-dollar empire. This is very hard thing to do especially if you were in her shoes. 

For those who missed her performance: catch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OFmfa_kmm4

Lastly, as sad as it may sound, you hate to hear about the same drama about artist but can’t get enough of it. Just accept it people. All this means is publicists are doing their job and doing it well. They keep artist in the limelight and keep them being talked about whether good or bad. If a publicist doesn’t do anything, they must keep their artist being talked about but in a tasteful way. So what should you take from this post:

1.     If you are going to become a publicist for a thriving artist: keep them fresh, keep them talked about

2.     Build a relationship with your artist

3.     Develop a bond that can’t be broken

4.     Understand good and bad press

5.     Make money no matter what you do