Is PR Evil? And What Exactly Does It Do? I Asked a Publicist.
a.k.a. An interview with electronic music publicist Chanel Kadir, who lays out not only what her job entails, but the fraught media landscape in which she's operating.
PR is quite possibly the most vilified sector of the entire music industry. Although only the most naive of observers would think of music as a business in which success is solely based on the quality of the work being presented, the mere existence of publicists is enough to get many people’s blood boiling. Often described in an almost cartoonish fashion, PR reps are routinely portrayed as a shadowy cabal, one that’s actively pulling strings, manipulating the press and ginning up the hype machine—and getting paid handsomely to do it. When critics and fans call into question the credibility of the press, the pop charts and even who’s getting playlisted by major streaming platforms, the pervasive influence of PR is frequently cited as evidence that the entire system is rigged, prompting claims that pretty much anyone who’s getting attention from the industry has bought their way into the spotlight, either directly or indirectly.
These assertions aren’t wholly without merit. Even at platforms ostensibly focused on independent and “underground” music (including this one), the majority of the artists being featured usually have some sort of PR backing. Clearly there are benefits to hiring a publicist, but how exactly does PR work? What kinds of relationships do publicists have with the music press, and how do they convince journalists and editors to pay attention to their clients? How much does PR cost, and are there limits to what it can and can’t do?
For most people (including folks in the music industry), the answers to these questions are often hazy at best, and while that makes it easy to assume the worst and cast publicists in the villain role, doing so also obscures wider problems in the media—and the journalistically questionable practices many press outlets have adopted to stay afloat. Moreover, the general lack of transparency about PR leaves artists at a disadvantage, as many not only don’t know how to promote their own work effectively, but don’t understand that paying a publicist doesn’t necessarily guarantee them anything.
Looking to shed a bit of much-needed light on the situation, I reached out to Chanel Kadir, a publicist who’s also the Director of Dawn., one of electronic music’s most in-demand PR agencies. Based in London, she actually got her start in fashion PR—which she left due to what she describes as that industry’s “toxic” nature—but made the switch to music several years ago, and has since worked with prominent artists like Batu, Nick León, Octo Octa, Eris Drew, Marcel Dettmann, Anthony Naples, Modeselektor, Matías Aguayo and others too numerous to list, along with such festivals / platforms / labels as Dekmantel, Boiler Room, Hooversound, Rhythm Section, Banoffee Pies, 3024 and Future Bounce.
As someone who’s not only well connected, but well versed in both sides of the publicist-press divide—aside from PR, she also heads up the long-running Untitled 909 blog—Kadir is perfectly placed to discuss the ins and outs of contemporary electronic music PR, and was happy to dive into the topic with me here in the newsletter. Over the course of a few conversations, she happily lifted the curtain on her work, addressing the many charges leveled at her chosen field while spelling out what her job entails, how much she charges for her services and what clients can realistically expect in terms of results. She also provided some eye-opening context about the unstable media landscape in which she’s operating, and explained how PR practices have evolved during a time when many press outlets are grappling with staff shortages, reduced income and an utter deluge of artists looking for coverage.