Oh Marlene! Music PR
ABOUT
Alex Southey is a musician and PR professional based in Toronto, Canada.
Southey grew up reading as many artist biographies and autobiographies as he could get his hands on, thinking that if he ever did develop a music career, knowing these stories would help him. Well, that remains to be seen, but one thing he felt was missing from almost every book he read was the period in the artist/band's career where they had their music together, but hadn't got their first few gigs. If a book did include this period in the artist's history, it was either too brief, or too antiquated (most of the available autobiographies and regular biographies focus on bands/artists 1990s and prior). The Internet has changed everything.
Oh Marlene! PR is meant for beginners and up and comers in the industry. Southey believes this is one of the hardest parts in a musician's career. There is no guideline. It's like fumbling around in a dark room, looking for the door. Each progressive room you enter is a little brighter, until you get a sense of where you are, where you've been, and where you're going. Think of this PR like training wheels. Not only will Southey first do the work for you, he will explain to you what he's doing on his end so that next time you have a project you are empowered to do it yourself (should you want to).
SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS
At Wintersong 2024 Southey co-hosted a public panel entitled "Make It Make Cents: A Candid Conversation on Success and Profitability in the Music Industry", alongside Kim Temple (Director of Licensing & Publishing at Six Shooter Records), Torquil Campbell from Canadian band Stars, and Brendan McCarney (Founder of Double Denim Management, and Label Director at Paper Bag Records).
Youtube clips to come.
Oh Marlene! Music PR welcomed its first intern in January 2024!
F.A.Q
Project Length:
Two to three months. All assets (music, artwork, bio, photos) must be sent to/in the hands of Oh Marlene! PR at least one month prior to desired release date. Oh Marlene! PR will continue to work until one month after the release date.
Pricing:
Pricing depends on the project: Song release or EP/Album release. A deposit of half the total amount must be sent to Oh Marlene! PR approximately 1.5 months prior to release. The remainder must be paid to Oh Marlene! PR at least 24 hours before release date.
Single Pricing: $400. This makes the deposit $200.
Album Pricing: $800. This makes the deposit $400.
Bio/"About" Writing: $100
Services Included for Single/Album Promotion:
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Composing client emails meant to be sent to: Music outlets, college radio stations,
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Send out client emails to Oh Marlene! PR contact list (based on contacts I, Alex Southey, have made throughout my career)
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Serve as go-between between client and email responders
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Release day send-outs, reminders, etc.
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Follow ups two weeks later and a month later.
Services Included for Writing Bio/About:
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Create impactful About/Bio so that when you send it out as part of a single or album release, or to a festival, it can do something for you (the client)
Do Your Services Include Festivals?
Unfortunately not.
What's Up with the Name?
Southey's grandmother's name is Marlene. Her voice mail recording on her home phone is a thing of legend amongst his family. At first, it sounds normal: "Hi you've reached Marlene at X phone number. I'm not in right now so leave..." She finishes, and attempts to end the recording. This is where trouble hits. She can't figure it out, and she complains to herself aloud, "Oh, Marlene..." Then the recording ends.
PAST + PRESENT CLIENTS
Oh Marlene! PR: For the hardest part.