We caught up with CEO of Tale PR & Communications, Publicist, Artist Manager and an entrepreneur Manyike Nicolas who broke down how can an artist get their music and brand more exposure.

At the age of 24, he's one of the youngest people to own a successful and reputable media company, growing at a rapid pace. The award-winning young PR Guru is a passionate storyteller and brand strategist with over 4 years of experience working with major media houses and has successfully launched numerous campaigns, from start-up companies, Artist to well-established businesses and Artist. 

“Talent is a wonderful thing and should never be taken for granted but talent alone is not enough, artist need to start to invest in their brand, in the entertainment industry getting your music on television is the best way to increase your exposure because you will reach those who aren’t listening to the radio,” explained Manyike

Steps to getting your music into the hands of the labels – and, perhaps more importantly, listened to.

Market your brand using social media. 

Social media has become a vital tool for an artist, it is a powerful tool and it is very useful for promoting yourself as an artist. When an artist decided to approach a label, Artist should be able to show results, like how many plays and downloads have your tracks had on Soundcloud (a popular music hosting platform) or YouTube? Are you building a following on Facebook? This creates the impression that you work hard and aren’t waiting for someone else to build your brand.

Hire a Publicist.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Publicist, or Public Relation for music, is the strategic promotion of a news release, tour or other music-related news to the public via the media.  People who work in PR liaise between labels and/or musicians and the media to try and get album reviews, profiles of the brand and so on. The publicist will make your brand relevant to the Music business.

Packaging matters,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                as an artist you need to package yourself as a brand, how you lookit is extremely important, your demo must look good enough to listen to, record labels receive a higher volume of demos, it must look professional to get the attention.

Make sure your contact information is clear, and the links to your profiles, fan pages, and music are included.

The International Standard Recording Code is most important

The ISRC is the international standard for identifying songs and music videos. 
According to isrc.ifpi.org the code is permanent and, it remains a fixed point of reference when the recording is used across different services, across borders, or under different licensing deals.Keep your music video simple, but in the right format

The music video is a tool to sell your music. Don’t pour funds into producing wow video, if your track isn’t that good. Be realistic.

Start booking shows locally. 

When you have a solid set of material together, start booking local shows at coffee shops, bars, or other venues that host music. Before booking a gig, check out some shows at potential venues. Make sure the "regular" crowd will enjoy the style of music you play.

• Play 1-2 shows a month at first until you've built up a steady local following. Then, you can start playing weekly in local venues and branch out into more regional shows.
• Don't plan a larger tour until you know you can play your set weekly without any hiccups.

Make yourself stand out from the rest, whether it be in your look, your sound or even develop a signature performance style.

Get In touch with Manyike Nicolas, Facebook; Manyike Nicolas, Instagram 7 twitter @manyikenicolas or call 071 234 6701