Get Back in Front with a Re-Release

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Usually when I’m asked to cite one of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten or lessons learned in business, I’ll point to someone I used to work for who lived out combating “out of sight, out of mind.”  He would travel halfway around the world, sit in a meeting for three hours, and then fly all the way back.  “If you’re not there, they forget about you,” he would tell us in staff meetings, reporting on his latest trip.

So, what happens when you’re someone whose business is making music?  How do you make sure that people don’t forget about you, especially now at a time when many performers don’t have any live shows that they can do in-person?  And what if there is no new music on the horizon for you?

Meet your new best friend, the re-release.

There are three examples I can point you towards for ideas and inspiration.

One that’s really clever is singer, songwriter, guitar player Frankie Raye – who you heard as the guest back on “Now Hear This Entertainment” Episode 279 – and the official music video that she just released ten days ago.  What’s noteworthy here is the fact that she did a video for a song that had been on her album that came out in March of last year!  Brilliant.  Thanks to the video’s release, the song has found new life, as evidenced by the already more than 600 views it has gotten on her official YouTube channel.  Mind you, the angle here was that the song is relevant to current times because it’s about social issues, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, humanity, and standing together in tough times.  So, there is an element of timing involved that you should consider in evaluating your back catalog.

Next is recording artist Ana Cristina Cash (pictured above), who you will hear on Episode 354 of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” being released on Wednesday (November 18^th).  Interestingly, while she is currently promoting the rendition of the holiday song “Mele Kalikimaka” that she recently released, I’m not qualifying that as a re-release in the “Oh, covering someone else’s song?” sense.  It’s another song of hers that we talk about that raises a curious eyebrow.  Back in April her new album came out, with one of the songs on it being, “Brand New Pair of Shoes.”  You’ll hear during the interview that she explains the unique story behind the song as it relates to involvement by the late Johnny Cash, her husband’s father.  But it was Sony Music coming in and releasing a (Johnny Cash) collection that “Brand New Pair of Shoes” was featured on that suddenly brought Ana Cristina’s song back to the forefront.

This is especially significant as it relates to a past guest on NHTE who had told me about putting out an entire album and fans possibly overlooking a song or two or three, as opposed to when you just release singles and all their attention gets focused on that one song.  In this case, listeners will give all their attention to “Brand New Pair of Shoes,” yet, as you’ll hear me say on NHTE 354, that, in turn, might send people looking for more music by Ana Cristina Cash!  It all comes full circle and can only result in a big win.

The last example is at the A-list level, but there’s still a teaching moment in it.  Rush has been doing re-releases of albums on the 40^th anniversary (year) of when those first came out.  For example, arguably their best-known album of all-time, “Moving Pictures,” came out in 1981.  So, next year there will obviously be a 40^th anniversary edition, likely with extras to incentivize the buyer and make it a true collectible.  As an indie artist, why not look back on when your releases came out and find an album that you feel has stood the test of time and do a commemorative re-release of your own with some type of add-on to make it more special?

Hopefully, the wheels are turning in your head on this.  I’m excited for you.

Tweet at me with a successful re-release story – or maybe plans you’ll make after reading the above – via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, share with me over Facebook or LinkedIn, or even just good old-fashioned email.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Taylor’s Two Most Recent Moves Weren’t Real Swift

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

If Taylor Swift were a baseball player, she’d quickly find herself behind in the count, 0-2.  As quickly – and in the same timing – as the Major League Baseball season started, so has the songstress initiated a new campaign that, like the proverbial boys of summer and their bizarre 2020 season, seemingly will require an asterisk also.

I’ve been publishing a weekly blog here every week for what will be six years come the end of September.  While my content is always centered around the entertainment industry, I don’t write about songs, EPs, or full albums.  So, my offering this week is not a commentary on one (or more) of Taylor Swift’s songs.  I’ll leave that for the critics.

Instead, I am very bothered by two missteps she has taken in the span of just a few days.  It’s just not good business.

First is, I am not a One Direction fan.  To clarify, that doesn’t mean I don’t like their music, it just means that I don’t follow them.  However, you didn’t have to be a One Direction fan to know that last Thursday was the ten-year anniversary of the band.  I bumped into the news that day on Twitter, among other countless places it was being reported.

Notice the day that I said that occasion was.  Last Thursday.  As in, the same day that Taylor Swift decided to do an album release that no one knew was coming.

In a time when there is nothing going on thanks to the darn Coronavirus, there’s not a lot of entertainment news to compete with.  So – again, speaking as an uninterested third party who, as admitted above, isn’t a fan – did it have to be on the same day as One Direction’s milestone?  Am I supposed to believe that no one on the Swift camp saw it coming?  There wasn’t a single person around her who could’ve said, “Hey, that’s the same day as the One Direction ten-year anniversary.  Maybe we should wait until the following Thursday”?

The guys in One Direction will get over it, I’m sure.  But what about Tim Halperin?  Is he just supposed to get over Taylor Swift now putting out a music video that is an exact duplicate of one that he had put out nine years ago?  This, my friends, cannot be a coincidence, and again, she must be the one to accept responsibility, even if someone on her team did have prior knowledge.  And don’t just take my word on it.  Watch the side by side comparison of the twovideos yourself.  I dare you to tell me that you don’t see the similarities.  If you do, I’ll ask you to watch it again without your rose-colored glasses.

Tim Halperin has done great things.  Back when I interviewed him for Episode 70 of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” he had been on Season 10 of “American Idol.”  Fast forward to 2020 and he was on NBC’s “Songland.”  He has built up a nice following, while not being quite the household name that Taylor Swift is.  Hopefully, their names will be in the same sentence, though, when she takes ownership of this situation and addresses him.

She needs to bear down on this test, though.  We’re all sitting in our home bleacher seats waiting for the next pitch to see if she strikes out.

Can I get an “Amen”?  Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets on this.  Alternatively, use Facebook, LinkedIn, or even email to continue the conversation.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.