Musicians Turning To TV To Promote Their Songs

Listeners who crave music without boundaries are often frustrated by today’s narrow radio formats that squeeze out far more artists than they play. These listeners, along with an increasing number of musicians and record label chiefs, are exploring other options.

The newly hip alternative is television. No, not MTV, which now has too much nonmusical, pseudo-hip lifestyle shows, but outlets such as VH1 and PBS, which have new concert series focused on acts young and old that radio has shunted aside.

Former radio favorites such as James Taylor, Paul McCartney, John Mellencamp, and the Bee Gees have received new life (and heightened record sales) from exposure on VH1, which plays much more music than MTV. Younger acts, such as Jewel, the Wallflowers, and Meredith Brooks, also appeared on VH1 first, before MTV discovered them. And hard-to-stereotype acts, such as Steve Earle, Richard Thompson, Patti Smith, and Sonic Youth - are benefiting from two new PBS shows, “Sessions at West 54th” and “On Tour,” which are luring new fans to the once-sedate public television channel.

“Television is opening up,” says Jeff Anderson, an executive with Interscope Records. “Labels are always looking for alternative ways to expose music, and television is becoming a big help.”

“Radio is not doing its job,” states Bill Flanagan, a VH1 vice president. “It’s ridiculous that McCartney’s new record wouldn’t be all over the radio.

“He and a lot of other artists are falling between the cracks. You have pop stations that won’t play rock, and rock stations that won’t play musicians over 35 or 40 years old.

“And you’ve got classic rock stations that won’t play new songs. It’s crazy.”

Radio may still be the backbone of the record industry, but television is no longer the unhip stepchild.

“Television is in all our marketing plans, and we sometimes act as if radio doesn’t exist,” says Allen Kovac, whose Left Bank Management handles Mellencamp, the Bee Gees, Meat Loaf, En Vogue, Deana Carter, and Tony! Toni! Tone!

Kovac is referring to extended TV exposure, not just quick-hit video clips. To set the stage for their new album “Still Waters,” the Bee Gees appeared on VH1’s “Storytellers” and “One to One,” on NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” and on ABC’s “American Music Awards.” Some of these visits were several months before the record came out.

Also, the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone! previewed its new single as a promotional clip for the prime-time show “New York Undercover” after a survey declared it the favorite show of the group’s fans.

“You work to get on TV outlets and hope that radio comes later,” says Kovac. “We work five to six months in advance and try to get awareness over a long period of time.”

In short, the rules of music marketing are changing.

Previously, an act waited for its album to come out, then hit radio hard in hopes of getting a single played. It also tried to get video clips aired on MTV or VH1.

Music analysts call this “generic” marketing.

But with so many consumers busy with jobs and other distractions, it is more important to plant seeds early that the album is coming, especially to reach the over-25 buyer. And, increasingly, the way to do that is television.