Course
Title: Public Relations in the Music Industry
Class Location MC 103 Meeting
Times: M-W-F
Final Exam Tuesday, December 14 @
Office
Hours: M-W-F
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The
course deals with press releases, press kits press parties, artist kits, news
for radio and T.V., and other areas which relate to the printed page as public
relations support for the artist, company and product.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
As
a result of this course the student should be able to explain those activities
conducted by a music business publicist.
A major portion of this course will involve the student researching and
writing an artist bio.
GOALS OF THE
To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasized leadership, innovation, private enterprise, and entrepreneurship.
To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work environments.
To emphasize quality classroom instructions within the parameters of ethical Christian principles.
HONOR CODE:
As members of the Belmont Community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors which compromise value. In order to uphold academic integrity, the University has adopted an Honor System. Students and faculty will work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work. Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1.
ATTENDANCE:
It
is my recommendation that you attend all of the class meetings for the best
learning experience. Absence is
permitted only in cases of family illness, family emergencies, or other
legitimate causes. For a complete
explanation of the attendance policy see
The
2.
MATERIALS
GUERRILLA PUBLICITY by Levinson, Frishman & Lublin,
The PUBLICITY HANDBOOK by David R. Hale, McGraw
Hill – Optional
3.
PREPARED ASSIGNMENTS
Artist Bio:
Each student is required to write a bio on an aspiring
musical artist following the six-step outline presented in class. This is a major portion of your grade and you
are encouraged to research many other bios to compare structure and
presentation styles. The quality of your bio will have a direct correlation to
the research and preparation you do before writing the bio. You are encouraged
to utilize the services of the
Speech:
Each
student is required to read a book about a musical artist and prepare a speech
with specific attention given to the role of public relations in their career. The
name of the book and artist must be emailed to the Professor on or before
Monday, October 11th. If another student has already chosen
that artist you will receive a return email notifying you that you will need to
submit another book or artist. The focus
of the speech should be on the imaging of the artist and the role of the media
in building the career of the artist. The 3 – 5 minute speech should be
delivered in an extemporaneous style following the INFORMATIVE SPEECH
MODEL. Note cards may be used by the
student while giving the speech. The speech will be graded on both content and
presentation. A copy of the critique
grading sheet used for the speech is available from the Professor. Students are required to submit a speech outline
on the date in the Class Schedule. A
copy of a sample outline is included in the Syllabus.
Publicity Research:
Each
student is required to explore 3 artist websites and rate each site. You are required to
email your findings to the Professor on Friday, October 8th.
Your email should include: 1.The web address of each site. 2. Your overall
impression of the site. 3. How effective the site is for publicity. 4. What
links are provided such as record labels, booking agents, etc. We will discuss your findings in class.
Concert Review:
Each
student is required to attend a live musical performance and write a review of
the show. The review should address the
three areas of 1. the artist performance, 2. the venue and 3. the audience
reaction to the performance. It is
recommended that you take notes during the performance to assist you in writing
the review. The review should be 500-600
words, typed, double-spaced and include the date and location of the show.
Additional
The
Professor may choose to assign additional reading. Articles may be placed on reserve in the
Library or web articles assigned and each student will be responsible for the
reading. Test questions may be taken
from the assigned reading.
4.
GRADING
Mid-Term 20 %
Final
Exam 20 %
Artist
Bio 20 %
Research
Speech 20 %
Web
Research 10 %
Concert
Review 10 %
100 %
Grading
Scale:
(97-100)
= A+ (93-96) = A (92-90) = A-
(87-89) = B+ (83-86)
= B (80-82) = B-
(77-79) = C+ (73-76)
= C (70-72) = C-
(67-69) = D+ (63-66)
= D (60-62) = D-
(59
and below) = F
5. Class
Schedule
Week Date Topics Assignments
1. Aug. 25 – 27 Class
Introduction
Defining the Role of
a Publicist
2. Aug. 30 – Sept. 5 Imaging
of an artist Chapters
1-6
Guerrilla Publicity
3. Sept. 6 – 10 Monday,
Sept. 6th –Labor Day
Creating a press
kit/press clips
Preparing the bio
4. Sept. 13 - 17 Media
Planning Chapters
7 - 8
Media Relations Chapters 13,14
Understanding the
Media Chapter
22
5. Sept
20 - 24 Creating
Newsworthy Publicity
Guest Speaker
6. Sept. 27 – Oct. 1 Writing
for the Print Media Chapters
9-13 Newspaper and Magazine Publicity
Press
Releases
7. Oct. 4 – 8 Publicity
and the Internet Chapters 27-31 Online Publicity Strategies
Discuss Artist Web
sites Research Due
October
8
8. Oct. 11 - 17 MID
TERM on Monday, October 11 Speech Topic due Oct. 11
The Art of the
Publicity Photograph
FALL BREAK on Friday
Oct. 15
9. Oct. 18 - 22 Publicity
and the Broadcast Media Chapters 15-19 Working Effectively with
Broadcasters
Media Training
10. Oct. 25 - 29 Tour
Press Artist BioDue
Created Events October 27
Guest Speaker Chapters
20-21
11. Nov. 1
– 5 SPEECHES Speech Outlines
Due
Nov. 1
12. Nov. 8 - 12 Nov. 8 – Speeches continued if needed
Press Conferences
Current Issues
13. Nov. 15 - 19 Crisis
Control Chapters
25-26
Handling
Controversy
Solving Problems
14. Nov. 22 - 26 Sources
and Services for Publicists THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 26
15. Nov. 29 – Dec.3 Electronic
Press Kits
Discuss
Concert Reviews Concert Review
Due
– Dec. 1
16. Dec. 6 Last day of class
Review for Final
ACCOMMODATION OF DISABILITES
Accommodation of Disabilities: In compliance with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
Sample of a Sentence Outline
I. Introduction
A.
About
1450 A.D., a new industry was founded.
B.
Johannes
Gutenberg, with his movable type, laid the foundation for modern printing.
C.
A
new process with old beginnings is encroaching on “type’s” dominance.
II. Key idea: Lithography is coming into
its own
III. Body:
A.
Lithography
or “offset” is not so new as some believe.
1. Its name comes from the Greek words lithos
and graphein
meaning
“stone writing.”
2. Grease and water were used on stone to
transfer drawings to
paper.
B.
Modern
offset uses zinc plates and photographic images.
1. Plates are first treated
2. The developing is similar to stone-based
lithography.
3. Offset press uses ink and water, with the
images being transferred to paper via a rubber-covered cylinder.
IV. Conclusion:
A.
Lithography
is cheaper.
B.
It
is faster.
C.
It
is more accurate; a camera is better than an engraver.
Sources of
material used in this speech:
Anderson,
Staats, and Robert Bostrom. Communication
in Everyday Use.