Anyone have advice on getting album reviews?

[xx3479327]

Mods: not sure if this is the correct forum for this topic.. if not, move it around at will.

So my band's had a CD out since September, we've been playing shows, selling copies, amassing a decent library of press photos, video, and so forth. Now all we need are some album reviews, positive or negative. Where do I even start with this? Magazines? Non-maga-zines? Any tips on how I can get people to listen to 45 minutes of my music and get a paragraph of criticism, be it positive or negative?

[chris harris]

most good blogs and magazines won't want to review your album if it's been out that long.

but, I'd shoot for music blogs. if you don't read any, you'll just have to search around and find some that cover the kind of music you make.

[austin]

I'd go so far as to say that most good magazines (print or web) won't want to review any album that is out at all -- that is, when the CD arrives in their mailbox, they are expecting its release date to be in the future. Particularly in the case of print magazines, you should be sending several months before your release date.

I agree with subatomic, you should be looking at blogs -- maybe start with any locally-based ones that you know of, since they're more likely to have heard your name.

And then start amassing a list of places to send your next record to, so that when the time comes, you'll have a running start.

Also, don't overlook your own friends/fans -- nothing wrong with putting out the call to people who've bought your record to write a paragraph about it, which you can post on your website. Lots of people are happy to do that sort of thing.

[bunny]

1. send it out a few months BEFORE it's released.
2. write the review FOR the reviewer, they'll prefer to just paraphrase your one-sheet instead of actually LISTEN to the material.
3. buy an advertisement, and your shit will magically be reviewed. buy an EXPENSIVE advertisement, and your review will be moved from the "one-liner blurb" reviews section to the real reviews section.

[fossiltooth]

1. send it out a few months BEFORE it's released.
2. write the review FOR the reviewer, they'll prefer to just paraphrase your one-sheet instead of actually LISTEN to the material.
3. buy an advertisement, and your shit will magically be reviewed. buy an EXPENSIVE advertisement, and your review will be moved from the "one-liner blurb" reviews section to the real reviews section.

1) Yes! Definitely!
2) Kind of! Lame reviewers love that! People you actually want to be reviewed by don't want to paraphrase anyone's press release!
3) Maybe! But I've seen this fail for people more often than I've seen it work!

[swelle]

"2. write the review FOR the reviewer, they'll prefer to just paraphrase your one-sheet instead of actually LISTEN to the material...."

This is unfortunately too true. Paraphrased press-releases are very common, so write a really good one sheet and they'll probably just lift the verbiage, "Imagine Edith Piaf and Donovan babysitting Glen Danzig in 1967 Memphis and you'll have some idea of Thee Handtrucks' sound!"

But yeah, you should have sent out advance copies in July for a Sept. release... and start a fake promotions company rather than having the band's name on the return address.