Tedeschi Trucks Band "Bound For Glory"

Nothing can screw up the best laid plans for an artist . . . like an artist.

Here's how the process works for a Major Label Artist:

An artist records an album and turns it in to their record label. While the artist takes a breather, maybe plans a summer tour, the label folks gear up.

A marketing plan is crafted. Interviews with major magazines are booked. Copies of the new album are sent to taste-makers and reviewers. And the folks who'll be promoting the record to radio, listen to the album and choose a single.

The radio folks have promotional singles printed up and shipped to stations. Ads are taken out in the trades. Phone calls are made to Program Directors ("Be on the lookout for that new single!"). Videos shot for that song. An "Add Date" picked as a target date that will be suggested to the stations to put the song into rotation.

The date is marked on the calendar, and the radio folks work with an eye toward that date. And then . . .

The artist posts a free MP3 of a completely different song.

Oops.

I have sympathy for the folks who were preparing to make the new Tedeschi Trucks Band CD a strong selling and widely listened-to record. They had a single all picked out and were preparing to release it at the end of April. But the band---clearly excited about the record---wanted to share with the fans. So they made an MP3 of the song "Bound For Glory"---not the single---available to folks who signed up for their newsletter.

You know who's a fan of The Tedeschi Trucks Band? Just about every Program Director in our music format.

So, despite the best laid plans of mice and major labels, radio stations started downloading and adding a song the label wasn't prepare to promote.

It's not the worst problem to have---radio stations playing your song without you asking---but now gears have to be shifted, if you want everybody on the same page.

Next label marketing meeting? Awkward!


See the video on Youtube.