 Music Connection's Bernard Baur
at L*A*M*P's "Essential Jobs
in the Music Industry" Series
by THE G-MAN, MusicDish Associate Writer
 Columnist, review editor, feature writer, and sometime artist developer Bernard Baur fielded questions for two hours as part of Leslie Waller's
"Essential Jobs in the Music Industry" series at the Music Connection Theater on Thursday night. A Los Angeles Music Productions (L*A*M*P) event, the
evening yielded a lot of information and opinion, and here are just some of the highlights:
How hard is it to get started as a music journalist?
"It's easy in L.A. if you're willing to take an entry-level assignment. Which generally means no money. But it can get you published and open doors to people in
the industry who might not otherwise want to talk to you." How can you move up to better assignments?
"Stick around, keep writing, pitch story ideas, and/or find a specialty. In my case, it was the legal and business side of
the music industry. If you can find a niche like that, you can become the 'go-to guy' for a publisher or editor."
What's the best way to construct a press release?
"It should start with a hook. There's a hook to a press release just like there's a hook to a song."
What's your interviewing technique? "I do as much research as possible beforehand, and then I like to get inside a person's head and rummage around." What are the drawbacks to being a journalist? "Transcribing interviews is one of the biggest drawbacks. And, let's face it, there are a lot of assholes in this business."
Do you alter people's answers in interviews?
"If their answers are in a style that is completely their own, I leave it, but we do correct grammar. I will make you sound smart." How many acts do you see per year? "About 650."
What is 'the industry standing ovation'?
"A bunch of guys standing and staring at the band with their arms folded." How would you approach a publicist?
"First, figure out what you want them to do. Think of publicity from the standpoint of the results and work backwards from there." How should an artist handle a bad review? "Let your fans know about it. Use it as a rallying cry, as if to say 'Let's show this guy!'" Have you managed or developed acts? "Yes, but not as much anymore." {I should point out that I saw an artist before and after Bernard took charge of career
development and the contrast was striking. Before, the singer was in a sloppy band that often played self-indulgent
solos and had tempo and pitch issues. I wrote a humorous put-down review, but didn't have the heart to publish it. A
few months later, Bernard invited me to come see this artist and suddenly, everything worked. Arrangements were
tight, the band was hot, and the singer shined. Hell, even the material was better. I happily wrote a rave review.}
What should go into a press kit?
"Not as much as most people think. And always, always, always include contact information. And if you can put your
bio, your airplay, a couple of quotes and your contact information on one page, do so." {Note: not a "1-sheet" as was
stated in the seminar. For the several people who wanted to see an actual 1-sheet, you can go here: http://www.delvianrecords.com/html/g-man_platinum.html
and click on "Download 1-sheet." Or, to go directly to the PDF: http://www.delvianrecords.com/onesheets/1S_Platinum_Radio.pdf}
The G-Man is on iTunes and at: http://www.gmanmusic.com.# # # |
