Hybrid Campaigns | A New Wave in Music Promotions

By Charles Kirby-Welch, Kartel Music Group’s Founder and CEO.

Kartel Agency launches new Hybrid Promotions campaign format: fusing traditional music PR, radio promotions and social media marketing. Kartel Agency team offers a hybrid-promotions mix tailor made to fit individual artist campaigns and budgets to provide a dynamic and comprehensive approach to music promotions.

At Kartel we’ve spent the last twenty years engaging music PR to help us develop artists, market records and promote songs.  During this time we’ve both questioned and defended the value of music PR with differing perspectives from affordability to effectiveness.  The question “does it move the needle?” being one that our marketing managers wrestle with every day.

In 2024, the value of music PR is perhaps more significant than ever due to the fast-changing landscape of the music and media industries. Traditional music media's decline, with publications reducing arts journalism or shutting down entirely has meant audience attention shifting to social media and streaming services as primary sources for music discovery. 

The importance of narrative across these platforms cannot be overstated.  A compelling narrative that resonates with an audience on social media will create more engagement and can lead to a song being shared or even going viral.  A well-defined narrative encourages UGC.  When users relate to an artist's story, they are more likely to create their own content, incorporating the music, thus extending its reach and fostering a sense of community around the narrative.

The role of a Music Publicist in this evolving landscape involves adapting strategies to leverage new platforms effectively. The evolution of a music publicist's role means it is not only about securing traditional media coverage but also about becoming a multifaceted promotions manager across diverse forms of media, focusing as heavily on digital and social platforms. By effectively leveraging these newer mediums, a music publicist can amplify an artist's reach, engagement, and overall value in the modern media landscape.

Crafting compelling narratives is crucial for an artist's branding, establishing a connection with their audience, and sustaining long-term interest in their music.  A music publicist can play a vital role in helping an artist to articulate their narrative across all media platforms.  On TikTok or YouTube Shorts it is important to forge a concise yet impactful narrative that can quickly engage viewers, encouraging them to explore more about the artist. 

Where in the past a good press quote became valued currency to use across advertising campaigns to market a record release, todays social content utilises the same idea in video and caption form, becoming as crucial a part of the marketing mix. Joining the dots from traditional media tastemakers to influencers is key to success in the current environment.  Word of mouth success, i.e. virality, is built from a well-conceived narrative. 

At Kartel our Music PR professionals adapt their strategies to fit different artists on different platforms from traditional and online media, TV and radio, to social media and DSPs.  Using creative storytelling techniques like visual narratives, storytelling through short bursts of text, or utilising quick, attention-grabbing hooks to convey the essence of the artist's story within seconds.  A well written biography or press release is often still the foundation of what follows across social or digital platforms.

The challenges artists face in navigating social media and digital platforms are considerable.  It is a significant part of any artist's job and it can be all consuming.  For many, the world of social media doesn't come naturally, and there's no one-size-fits-all formula. It's often a gradual journey of trial and error.  Building a supportive team around this activity can help to provide guidance, strategy and the development of a clear narrative across the many platforms that require attention.  

The Kartel Agency teams’ expertise across traditional publicity, radio plugging, social media and content creation means we are well poised to support the challenges artists face in navigating today's media landscape.  Our Hybrid Promotions campaigns are designed to enable artists across the media landscape providing affordable and sustainable promotions campaigns that understand the importance of sequencing a compelling narrative. We merge social media skills with traditional music publicity and journalism expertise to create a comprehensive and adaptable approach to music promotion.

For more info about Kartel Agency visit our website: https://kartelmusicgroup.agency