This week, Kalli and Jenn chat with Josh, a PR pro who’s worked with some of the biggest names in music, like The Rolling Stones, Motley Crüe, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Josh shares how he got his start in the industry and what it takes to build a successful PR strategy for musicians. From dealing with high-pressure moments to staying ahead of the curve, he offers advice that’s perfect for both rising artists and anyone curious about the PR side of music. If you’re looking for some insider tips, this episode is full of them!
imPRessions Season 2 Episode #23 Transcript
Jenn: So, Kalli, we’re at the end of season two. Can you believe it?
Kalli: Nope. It flew by.
Jenn: It really did. And it was. It was so much fun, once again, to have this amazing journey with you and meet all of these really incredible, influential business minds. So for our finale, our season two finale, we’re going to end it with actually somebody I used to work with many moons ago in the music industry. Josh Vittek is he owns Vitteck PR, which he works with numerous musicians and artists. Really cool stuff. Bands. He is a living the epitome of the rock n roll dream. So I thought it would be really cool to bring him on for people who are interested in going down the music road in their PR career.
Kalli: That’s amazing. I am so excited to end season two with a little bit of a bang, and it’s just, again, another great opportunity for us to talk to someone who is, in this case literally a rock star in their field.
Jenn: He literally is. You love him. All right, so let’s get to it. Public relations is a dynamic and entertaining field, but it comes with its set of challenges, especially in one of the most fascinating industries: music. From the impact of award shows in major music events to the challenges of managing crises in the public eye. Today’s episode will cover the nuances that make PR in the music world both challenging and rewarding. Josh Vitek, President of Vitek PR, is a seasoned PR pro in the music industry who has worked with some of the most iconic bands and artists, including The Rolling Stones, Motley Crew, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the Eagles and many, many more. He has worked with top music brands such as Gibson, Fender, and Peavey, and has led keynotes at Nam, the largest music convention in the world. We have a lot of incredible ground to cover today, and we’re so, so excited to have you on today. Josh.
Josh: Thank you so much; I appreciate it.
Kalli: So, Josh, tell us how you got started working in the music industry, specifically alongside some of those prominent bands and artists?
Josh: Yeah. How I got started in this industry. I’m going to try and give you a brief backstory, because it kind of sets everything up for how I do end up dealing with these high-profile individuals. Right out of high school, the goal was to get a day job, go to school at night, and, you know, get an education degree and go do a career. And the reason behind that is my wife and I, she was a girlfriend at the time, we had already had a child. I had to hustle right out of the gates and kind of growing up. You know, I played guitar. I was in bands in school, but more importantly, I took apart my guitars and I took apart my amplifiers. I was notorious for taking things apart. I was just curious to see how things worked. Growing up my aunt worked at a guitar factory. They made guitars and electronics, and so she would bring me home parts, and I would tinker with them as a kid. So anyhow, high school is over. Within a couple of weeks I get a job working the assembly line setting at the Guitar Factory. It’s a company by the name of Carvin Corporation. And you know, they’re a decent size for the industry. 150 employees to 20 million in sales. So, you know, decent size. I’m working the assembly lines, building, taking apart, and testing guitar amplifiers. As a kid, I couldn’t be happier. We have a little one at home, so in order to make as much money as possible, I do that during the day. The shift started at 730 to to 3. Get home for a little while, help out with the child, the baby, and then go to school at night. And then after school, I’d had a graveyard shift that I’d work from midnight to 7:00 in the morning And, you know, so that made me late on occasion. And they had enough of me being late, and I was probably spending more time playing guitar than testing the amplifiers. So they fired me. And, uh, I didn’t want to ever be in that position again. So I wanted to make sure that whatever I end up studying was going to be something that I might have a little bit of control in and say. So I went and started studying law and accounting, figuring, you know, I could pretty much have a career in those fields for the rest of my life. And I got a chance to go sit and do my series seven and 63, you know, be a financial advisor. And so, right when I turned 21, I took those tests, passed them, not really knowing who the hell I was going to work for, but, you know, it was a boiler room. It was just like we see in Wall Street or the movie Boiler Room. Boy, did I learn a lot. And at the end of the day, what I learned is that is not what I want to do. If I’m going to work 12, 14 hours a day, that’s not how I want to spend my life. And so really, I just thought I was going to go back to the guitar factory, work the factories during the day, and gig at night. You know, that was going to be my lot for the rest of my life. And that was cool. And so did that. But working the assembly line, I just got bored, and I started sticking my nose in other departments. And so first one was a sales department, and eventually I end up working in the sales department and kind of, you know, climb the ranks there to where I was on top of the sales ladder for a little while, and then the international distribution department, the guy that runs that was on vacation, I stuck my nose in there, was kind of overseeing that. Ultimately, he retires, and I take over international distribution for them. And as that’s kind of growing and developing the company’s having issues with inventory and inventory management. Because I know numbers, I’ve studied accounting, and I can be detail-oriented with the accounting background and kind of the legal classes. They threw me in the back of the factory again, and I took over inventory management, and that led to me being a buyer for them and becoming their purchasing agent.
Then what gets us to where we are, or at least sets us up for where we are now is the guy in the marketing department leaves and they just figure, hey, you know, numbers kind of understand legal jargon. You can, you know, you got sales, you understand production, all this stuff, and you play, you get the marketing role. And so they threw me in there and I really had no clue what I was doing. And the first call that came in. Lo and behold, he was the editor of Guitar Player magazine. And then the guitar industry Guitar Player magazine is, you know, the publication. It is the Bible of the industry around the world. And, I took the call and told them I didn’t know what I what I was doing. And he laughed. And he told me how to write a press release. And he told me, more importantly, what not to put in a press release. And I’ve been writing press releases like that ever since they sent down the ad rep. Of course. There’s a new guy in the apartment, right? AD rep comes down. And I kind of confessed the same thing, and he kind of outlined how you do marketing and whatever. And so it kind of snowballs from there. And then, under that marketing umbrella comes the artists. And so it was just trial by fire, really. And, you know, ultimately I do that for a number of years, and it’s a family-run business. So there’s really not much more I can do job-wise and income-wise. Right. And so at that point, our daughter is now old enough. I think we’re like 28 now, and we decide that it’s safe enough for me to take the risk and go out and be a performing musician, right? I gotta take that chance, or else I’m gonna regret it later. And we felt comfortable doing it. So I did it. And I went out there, and I started gigging for a living, and it was cool. But that very same marketing rep and that editor kept referring me to other people, other smaller brands that were needing help in the marketing side of their business. And one thing leads to another, and I start representing a whole bunch of different, smaller guitar brands. And so that is how we get to Vittek PR. Eventually I’m doing that way more than I am gigging. Vittek PR just kind of falls from there. But within that is the artists, and for whatever reason, I’ve just been able to establish relationships with artists and the teams around the artists and maintain them. Right. And that’s, I think that’s been the tricky part, is being able to maintain those relationships. I can relate to the artists. I can relate to the management from a business standpoint. As far as the legal background, the numbers background, the accounting background, and I can talk shop with the, in this case, the guitar players tech, right? I can come down and take apart a guitar with the guitar tech and put it back together. And, you know, if they’re trying to learn how to use a product that I represent, I can actually get in there and work with them. So that’s how I get here. And, you know, that takes us up to about 2008. And then, since 2008, I’ve been on my own, and I manage the relationship between brands and artists for a handful of manufacturers in the industry.
Jenn: Quite a career, quite a, quite a lead up to the career. You know, it’s so interesting, like dabbling and potentially going to law school and being an accountant and like, it’s really cool that you stuck to your, your roots and your passion throughout all of like the different roads that you could have taken. You know, you always came back to music, which I love that.
Josh: I mean, I’ve tried relentlessly to get away, you know, from the side because I know there are bigger financial opportunities out there. But man, with all due respect to the rest of the world, there’s nothing cooler than this. At least, definitely, for me. Right? And don’t get me wrong, there is a business aspect, and business has to be made. Uh, but somehow, someway, I have figured out a way to walk that fine line, most times successfully, you know, make a career out of it, make a business and a living out of it. But, you know, having said that, you know, what kind of prompted the whole conversation, uh, with Jen was, you know, trying to grow the business outside the industry. But again, I know the fun stuff is talking about the celebrities and the artists.
Jenn: Yeah, yeah, it definitely is part of the compelling side of doing PR. And one thing we talked about a couple of weeks ago when we connected, we, you know, when you kind of dabbling, you know, maybe getting out of music and, and working PR with some other industries. And we said, you know, PR really is pretty straightforward across the board. The foundation of PR is the same in the music industry compared to, you know, fintech compared to health. But I want to ask, since you’re so immersed in the music side, how do you tailor PR strategies to cater specifically to the music industry? More so, you know, when you’re working awards shows and major music events like Nam, which I’ve worked with you for many years. How do those types of initiatives, what do they have on the PR strategy of an artist or a band?
Josh: The mechanics of public relations are one and the same. It doesn’t matter what industry we’re in; it’s no different than playing baseball. Baseball is a baseball. You play it a little different at Fenway Park than you do wherever. I don’t know any stadiums anymore. I don’t pay that much attention. But baseball is baseball. No matter where you play, you make some minor adjustments, and the game moves on. PR is no different. And the mechanics within the music industry and the musical instrument industry and dealing with artists. But I think, like I said, I sat and tried what really makes it different. And I think what all it is there’s that little element of an individual is at risk more so than a brand, right? Representing Ford Motor Company is one thing, but when you represent an artist like Marc Ford, there’s just another element of risk. It’s more intimate, I guess, you know. I mean, for someone to muster up the courage and get online and say, “Ford sucks” and direct that towards the Ford Motor Company. The impact that has on the board of directors and the employees of Ford, it just doesn’t hit as hard as if they had went online and said Ford sucks, in reference to Mark Ford’s latest album. So it’s that element, and I don’t know what it is, but it’s more personal, I guess. And you know, you take it even to a bigger entity where you’re talking about- maybe it’s not an individual. Say it’s Metallica or the Rolling Stones, where it’s a group of collective people, they’re still people. You know? I mean, when the general public thinks of a bigger brand, whether it be Nike, McDonald’s, GM, or whatever, they don’t think of the faces behind that logo. They see a logo, and there’s some sort of shield. But when you have musicians, musicians or actors or even athletes. It just hits different and you need to be mindful of that. When you’re bringing your client, your artist, your athlete, your celebrity to market, you know, to the media. So, like, I guess it’s a long-winded way of saying that’s really it. I still can’t put, you know, someone else maybe smarter than me has a name for it. But again, it’s that element of there’s something personal. It’s a little more intimate. It’s a little bit more personal when you’re taking an artist out to the public as opposed to a brand.
Kalli: Now, that’s really interesting, and it’s definitely true. You know, when you’re working with, a person or, for a band, a group of people rather than, you know, a brand or a product, something that’s not so personal. So, just curious, what tips would you suggest to an emerging artist or band that’s looking to build a name for themselves? And, you know, how do they gain media attention in a competitive landscape?
Josh: Basic rules still apply. You got to do the work. You got to get yourself out there. And now you know everyone. It’s easy to put your content, create your content, and put it out on social media. It’s a little more difficult to make your content stand out from everyone else’s, and that’s just a matter of consistency. Obviously, it has to be good. And if you’re not quite good yet, the only way to get better is to keep doing it. Within the last 15 years, we now have artists that have documented, you know, they’re beginning to where they are now. You know, Ed Sheeran is a great example, right? You can still go back and see the very first video that Ed posted. He’ll even admit, yeah, it’s kind of rough. You know, it’s not great. In order to get to where he is today, he’s had to be consistent, continually hone his craft, and work on his craft and improve his craft. And he’s part of that has been documented with video content, and that’s what every artist should be doing so you can be reviewing your content. But besides the social media stuff, I’m still adamant about when we’re talking artists, as far as musicians, you still got to get out of the bedroom and onto a stage. You know, if you’re a band, get it, get out there and play the bars. If you’re a DJ/producer of musician, you got to get in the clubs, and you got to spin tracks, and you got to get people jumping. If you’re a singer-songwriter, you got to get into those singer-songwriter circles, and you got to do it as often as possible. And no one likes it when I tell them this, but you got to be doing 250 gigs a year. That’s just reality. I mean, I don’t know if anyone who’s done it by doing less, but you got to get out there, and you got to get on the road, and you got to perform. And the reason you got to perform is not only are you going to build your audience, but you’re going to hone your craft. You are going to take your performance level to an entirely new level that you probably never imagined you can reach. And if you do that, what will happen is people will start noticing, right? And kind of the media inquiries will come. I mean, in the cliche, you know, build it and they will come. All that’s true. Now you can take your music and you can send it unsolicited to media outlets, and there’s a chance someone will listen to it. The odds are that probably won’t happen because you and a couple million other people are trying to do the same thing. Most media people I know still get inundated with unsolicited content, and they just don’t have the time to sift through it. So, it’s not that it can’t be done, and it’s not that it shouldn’t be a part of your campaign. But really, to me, you just gotta create the content and put yourself out there, and they will find you. If it’s good, they will find you.
It just means that you got to do the work, right? I mean, you can’t. There is no magic wand other than work that’ll make it happen. I mean, that’s just the way it is. I mean, I can’t think of anyone who kind of struck gold right off the bat by accident, and when they do, I can’t think of one whose career lasted. But if you’re looking to do a career, you got to do the work, and you got to be consistent.
Jenn: Yep. It’s like that famous quote: the harder I work, the luckier I get.
Josh: It’s amazing. It’s amazing how it works, you know? I mean, it’s I mean, because again, going back to kind of making fun of my long-winded intro in the beginning, you know, someone’s referred to me as being very lucky. And I, you know, again, I had to stop and think about that. You know, I don’t know. I don’t think so.
Jenn: Right.
Josh: Granted, as a kid, I never thought I would. This was unimaginable, right? I mean, the fact that I wish I could go back to my 12 year old me and tell me it really is the work. I appreciate the observation that I’m lucky, but again, that luck is the product of a lot of work.
Jenn: Definitely. And I want to bring up what happens in a crisis. So, you know, our agency, we don’t represent individuals at our agency. So, managing a crisis can be quite different. And back to what you were saying before, Josh, is, you know, McDonald’s has a crisis that sucks, right? But people go home at the end of the day, and they eat dinner with their families and, you know, they go to golf on Saturday or whatever. They deal with it during work hours, but it doesn’t impact their lives the same way. If, you know, a bandmate of yours does something really messed up, and now there’s this PR crisis behind the name of your band. That’s your livelihood. It’s your passion. It’s. It’s beyond just your career and what you get paid for. It’s your dream. And also, on the same front, it’s your personal name that can potentially be smeared. And we don’t have to talk about obviously specific bands or names. But can you tell us a little bit about how you’ve handled crisis? You know, when you’ve been managing or working with an artist that is in the public eye?
Josh: Yeah. It’s hard. It’s so hard. Somehow, someway that has become a part of what I do. It has become something that some of the artists, influencers, and actors have kind of known before is to help guide them and shepherd them through some of these circumstances. Again, you hit it on the head, and we kind of talked about it before. It just hits differently not only to the people involved but to the consumer. Right. Again, if there’s an E coli outbreak because some food is contaminated, right? It hits the news. You see it on your live stream, your news feed, and live stream, and it’s gone within 24 hours. But when you have an individual or band who has negative media attention, man, it just hits so hard. And so, how you handle it, the basic principles apply accountability and transparency. For the most part, it kind of depends on what the bad news is. You know, it’s one thing where you create an album, and it’s not received well. Yeah. Okay. Create more stuff, right? If an individual or a celebrity, whether it’s an artist, an actor, or whatever, is caught running around with another individual and they have a spouse at home, right? And in those cases, again, accountability is going to be your best solution.
As much as it hurts. And as much as it sucks, the reality is accountability because you already knew it was going on, it’s no surprise to you, and it’s going to be the fastest way for you to move forward and your fan base to move forward. You get pulled over, and you get a DUI…you gotta fess up to it. Be accountable for it. You know, the viewing public and you and your management team will be able to move on. Now, if someone is hurt physically, then things change because now we have some more severe legal implications coming into play. And your absolute best bet, I would say 99% of the time, is going to be silence. Silence cannot be misquoted. And if someone’s hurt, then there’s legal procedures that are going to occur. And so you don’t say anything. And that can be hard sometimes, right? I mean, even an executive who got hit with some very bad news and against their legal advice and my advice, I mean, the attorneys and I sat there adamantly, you know, “do not say…” they went to Twitter and boy.
Jenn: Yeah. Oh, no, you’re just cringing. You’re like, “you just made the mess.”
Josh: Oh yeah. I mean social media. It was amazing. I mean, it’s 11:00 in the evening. I’m not there. And they’re actually with the attorneys in the bar. And it was just insane. Nonetheless, how you handle it is as much as you can, just like anything else in your own private life, in your corporate life, and in anything else in life. Accountability and transparency will make your life so much easier. And again, if you’re concerned about your fan base, you know they will be able to move on just as well. That’s the best way to handle that. It sucks, but it is the best way to handle it.
Kalli: I always think it’s really interesting when you give advice to a client, especially in, you know, a touchy situation. They go against it what your advice is, and then they’re like, “wait, what happened? Why did this happen?” And you’re like, I kind of tried to warn you, but yeah, so hopefully, everything worked out with that, and your client was able to move forward with it.
Josh: Well, yeah. Well, in that case, yeah, I mean, it was remedied. I mean, that individual has paid the consequences. But you know, the corporation has moved on and whatever. But you know, again, with individuals as artists and celebrities, it just hits different because again, that relationship that a consumer, a fan has with that celebrity, whether it’s an artist, actor, athlete, whatever just feels different, right? I mean, you know, if you if you’ve ever worked with celebrities of any caliber and they have a fan base and you’re standing right there shoulder to shoulder with those celebrities, you can see in their eyes that fan base. And some of them just feel a far more intimate relationship with you. You have to be very patient and as best as you can calculate it. When you navigate bad news, but it’s inevitable. It happens to everybody. I mean, to some extent, you know, not necessarily the extremes, but especially in today’s world, if you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, the odds are it’s on camera. So if you’re a big enough celebrity, people are going to find it.
Kalli: I think it’s really interesting what you’re saying, you know, in terms of, you know, standing next to said celebrity and, you know, seeing the look in their fans eyes and getting a glimpse into the relationship that’s there. I haven’t worked in the music business, so I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on what trends you are witnessing in the music industry. And, you know, how do you adapt your strategies to stay ahead of that curve and to really keep that relationship between a fan and a musician or a band? Like, how do you keep that strong in this new world where you know, where there’s cameras everywhere and everything is online. You know, it’s very different than ten, 15 years ago.
Josh: And even more different than 15, 20 years ago. Right. Because if we go 30 years ago, the story of you as a celebrity was pretty much fabricated by whoever owned you, for lack of a better term, whether it was the record label or the production house doing your TV or movie content. Right. They pretty much fabricated your persona to the public. Now, not so much. I mean, on a on a on a very big on the big, big level. There’s still a little bit of that, but for the most part. Especially with musicians, you’re fabricating who you are on your social media platforms. Right? So what’s changed is the consolidation of not only media but the record labels, and they’re becoming fewer and fewer. As they become fewer and fewer, those that are surviving are becoming bigger and bigger and having more and more control. For the old industry in general, that’s bad. I think that allows a lot more artists opportunity.
To me, there’s more opportunity out there to become noticed. But again, because of social media, you know, we go back, let’s just say general, let’s go back 25 years to 2000. A successful television program was reaching 70 to 100 million people, and that was a success right? Now, a successful TV series or, you know, whether it be on television or Netflix or whatever, you know, a million people is a success. And the same thing with artists and records.
You know, you were kicking ass if you sold 10 million copies of an album, right? You go back to the 80s when we’re doing, you know, 20, 30, 40, 50 million in sales. But, you know, by 2000, if you sold 10 million albums, you’re on the top of the charts. You’re winning all your awards for the year. Nowadays, 100,000? Wow. Times have changed. Right? So again, the whole point is that consolidation has taken some things away because there’s only a few outlets for those big mass labels to distribute to, but it’s created niche markets, which I’m sure all of us have heard, and there’s plenty of conversation about it. But that has to me that’s advantageous because again, you don’t need to reach 70 million to 100 million people in order to sell, say, 100,000 units. You can literally have a fan base of 100 to 200,000 fans through your social media or newsletter, and when you come out with an album, you can easily sell 100,000 units that you’ve self-produced, and you are not having to share those profits with labels, managers, publicists, lawyers and distributors and everyone else in the food chain. So, while you’re selling smaller quantities, your margins have increased substantially, and in most cases, you’re actually making more money. Now, as an independent artist selling 100,000 units, than you were as a signed artist selling a million. So to me, that’s an advantage. It also means that, again, going back to the earlier questions, you have to do the work right. There isn’t any machine that the label can just drop you into that has their own internal PR department, their own marketing department, their own distribution department. You have to do that work.
Jenn: Yeah, and when we talk about music and stuff, are there any bands today that will be like iconic, timeless, like, you know, your Madonnas that people will still be going to see in 2070? I don’t know. I guess time will tell. But, one question I have for you that I really like asking people that work in a very niche industry, like beauty and fashion and, you know, music. What are some of the common misconceptions that you hear about PR in the music world? You know, we have a lot of our listeners who are new in their careers, and people might have this idea of, well, if I did music PR, my life would be like this, or my career would be like this. Are there any misconceptions that you have heard of that you’re like, “That definitely does not happen in music PR.”
Josh: I think the two that come to me are that you’re a spinster. You know, there is an element of publicity with artists because you have a tangible product that has a short shelf life for the most part when you’re talking about an album release or a single release or tour dates. But I’ve never liked that. And then the other thing is, you know that… It’s a non-stop party. All I’m doing is going out with rock stars and big-time record executives and just getting hammered all night and living it up. It couldn’t be any further from that. You know, there is some of that. Once in a while, we get to do that. But the reality is that the PR work that you need to do to generate media coverage and grow the brand needs to be done between traditional business hours of 9 to 5. Right. The unfortunate part is that my clients tend not to function until about 5 p.m. and they’re at their best at around 11 p.m. midnight. So, there is that element. I mean, you get to be a part of some unbelievable events and there are some unbelievable stories that you get to take home. But that’s not your everyday. You know, and I don’t ever want to sound like I’m complaining because it’s not. This has been the coolest gig in the world, but that’s what makes it really hard. And again, there are some other PR positions that it’s a 24-hour job no matter who you work for, right? And you are stressing about elements for your client that are beyond your control. And nowadays, with the 24-hour news cycle, it’s really hard to clock out. It’s just…I know I can’t do it. I don’t know if there is anybody who can successfully do it. But the misconception that it’s a party; it’s not. And I see a lot of people that come in participating in the parties every night. And like I said, you know, I’ve attended a few, but I also go to work, and you got to be mindful of that, I guess. You know, you just like anything else in life, right? You need to know your limits and what you can work with. I don’t know what the right answer is to that one. But if anything, I think that’s probably the biggest misconception.
Jenn: Yeah. Well, this has just been so fun today, Josh. Today’s topic has just been a little bit of a blast of the past for me, which obviously, I very much enjoyed. So thank you for coming on the expertise you provided for our listeners who are eager to break into the music scene, or maybe they’re just simply curious about the behind-the-scenes workings. Of artist representation that they have certainly learned a lot. This has been really informative. So, thank you.
Josh: Well, my pleasure. Hopefully I’ve given them some kind of useful information. I know I ramble and stagger a little bit. I don’t get to talk to fellow PR people a whole lot.
Jenn: The more, the better! Honestly. So seriously, thank you. And shout out to our listeners for the great feedback we’ve been receiving on social media. Continue to follow us and tune in every other Wednesday for our new episode of imPRessions as we continue to chat with some of the most influential minds in PR and marketing. Until next time.
