When Music Industry Publicity Goes Wrong

Where there is fame, fortune and publicity, there will also be ample rumor and controversy. Clive Davis and Kelly Clarkson are no exception to this rule. One would assume that an artist's recording label would be among the people who are most invested in bettering their client's career and public reputation. However, that was clearly not the case in the situation of Clarkson and her long-time record producer, Clive Davis. Considerable controversy has swirled around the release of the American Idol alum's third album "My December," which was allegedly the culmination of Davis and Clarkson's creative differences. 

In Davis' recently released memoir "The Soundtrack of My Life," he publicly ousted Clarkson's songwriting abilities and overall mental stability. Regardless of whether or not the aforementioned accusations were even accurate, the sheer fact that an accomplished, well-respected music industry executive would be willing to publicly defame one of his very own clients is utterly appalling to me. I am not going to delve any deeper into this Davis/Clarkson debacle because I am not in a position to say whose accusations were, in fact, truthful. 

This post was not meant to perpetuate rumors surrounding Davis and Clarkson's creative parting, it is, however, meant to suggest an alternative producer-client relationship that the recording industry should pattern their publicity efforts after. It would not be fitting of me to have a blog dedicated to recording industry promotion and publicity techniques if I did not address the issues of crisis communication and reputation management within the music industry. As I mentioned before, it would be very difficult to manage the careers of famous singers and musicians, who are constantly subjected to public scrutiny, without incurring any minimal reputational damages along the way. 

Armed with this knowledge, music industry professionals should prepare themselves for negative publicity surrounding their clients, all the while hoping for consistently positive publicity. Music publicists do not, however, have to fall victim to these "publicity stunts." Addressing the issues of crisis communication and reputation management is, in fact, one of the many pivotal moments where public relations is absolutely essential to the success of the music and recording industry. 

In order to avoid incurring any unnecessary reputational damages in the case of their clients, music industry public relations professionals should, first and foremost, keep a watchful eye on social media platforms and industry-related Internet publications. With all of its benefits and opportunities, the Internet can also be one of the most negative and quickly spreading rumor generators within the mass media sphere. However, if public relations practitioners are consistently monitoring client media mentions, they can respond quickly and quell any defamatory rumors before they begin. 

In the event that controversies do in fact take wings, there are steps to be taken to minimize exposure and diminish reputational damage. The key to addressing client misrepresentations and untruths is to address them head on, and with complete honesty. Public relations professionals should never "spin" or misrepresent the truth, even if it is in the best interests of their clients. Many times, the only "leg" that a public relations practitioner has to stand on, in the event of a crisis, is his or her professional reputation and, as a result, there is no client or crisis that is worth compromising such a valuable professional reputation. 

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What Music Industry?

As a rookie blogger, it has taken me a little while to get accustomed to this whole concept of broadcasting my thoughts to the entire world. Although I sincerely doubt the majority of the blogosphere is even remotely interested in this blog's topical content, the idea of my personal opinions being etched in virtual “hyperlinked stone” is quite intimidating to a writer/journalist by trade. All apprehension and personal constraint aside, I determined that the best plan of action would be to simply rip the proverbial “cyber Band-Aid” right off.

If you have had a chance to read my introductory post or check out my About Me section, you have probably already gathered that I am a public relations practitioner by trade, and a music industry enthusiast by choice. Although my specialty is crisis communication and reputation management, very little of my educational background has anything to do with the music or entertainment industry, aside from a minor in Vocal Performance during my undergraduate work. My fascination with the music and recording industry stems from a childhood devoted to mastering every musical instrument in sight, honing my vocal chops and developing a deeply-rooted appreciation for timeless, traditional music that was far beyond my adolescent years.

It was that same devotion to music and the preservation of the traditional recording industry that prodded me to attend graduate school. I already knew that southern Mississippi’s educational opportunities would lend me nowhere near the master’s degree in music business that I had always desired. However, I determined that I would settle for a degree that was closest to music business and would, hopefully, one-day get my “foot in the door” down on Music Row. The next best degree, in my mind, that would help me to advance my career in the music industry was public relations and communication. Bare with me, I promise I’m getting to the point…

As I started to form and mold my research interests while attending graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi, I began to realize the significant lack of research dedicated to the unidentified and unexplored research chasm, more commonly known as the music and recording industry. Sure, there were stacks upon stacks of hardbound books in the library covering the ins-and-outs of the recording industry, but they were all dated back to the 70s and 80s when the music industry was booming. With the occasional exception from 1990, there was virtually no substantial recent research to be found on the music and recording industry. Where were the peer-reviewed journal articles and trade publications that can be found, at the touch of a keystroke, for almost every other legitimate profession?

The answer was simple. They did not exist. While I was writing my first formal graduate research paper concerning public relations and its impact on the music industry, I literally thought I was going to pull out my hair when trying to compile academic sources for a proper literature review. Why? There simply were not any appropriate sources available. There may have been an occasional journal article written concerning music, but they rarely addressed the inner-workings of the recording industry or its methods of artist publicity and record promotion.

Why is there such a lack of current academic sources concerning the music and recording industry? I believe that the recording industry, as a whole, has grown silent in light of a daunting new digital music age that has granted consumers unlimited access to music through digital online libraries, like Apple’s iTunes for example. These so-called “digital music libraries” have, one-by-one, silenced traditional recording labels by threatening the very legitimacy of the recording label itself and, as a result, virtually silencing their professional voices. As a result, the music and recording industry has amounted to nothing more than a tribute and faint reminder of a once powerful and influential industry mogul.

The good news: the music industry does not HAVE to remain silent. Instead, the music and recording industry must learn how to empower itself by reinventing its traditional methods of distribution and promotion in light of an increasingly digital music market that is, most definitely, here to stay. In my next post, I will elaborate more on this eminent crisis within the recording industry and offer a few suggestions that will help the music industry learn to embrace, instead of fear, this new digital music revolution.

Welcome!

My name is Ashley Cockerham, and I am the creator and moderator of the "PR Spin" on Records. A graduate of Mississippi College's Communication Department, I am currently a public relations graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi. As an aspiring public relations practitioner specializing in crisis communication and reputation management, I developed the idea to create a blog tailored to developing innovative new public relations tactics that are relevant to the entertainment and music industry. 

This blog will feature effective advertising and public relations methods that are applicable to both the music industry and the public relations profession in general. The purpose of this blog is to reinvent the traditional, marketing-based promotional methods currently employed within the music industry by providing alternative, and often more effective, public relations tactics. The thoughts and ideas displayed within this blog are my own personal opinions, and not the opinions of my employer. Please stay tuned for more posts!