Music Row Hasn't Quite Figured Out Media 2010

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

Who has figured out media in 2010? The White House even seems to fumble on a very frequent basis.

The press is like sleeping with a snake ... never understood people who had pet pythons. At some time they are liable to eat the family dog. Or worse, the kids.

The media can turn against you. The media is also like listing the species in the Pacific Ocean.

Just Jared today have pictures of Keith Urban's child getting out of daycare. That is SOOOOO out of bounds. And it happened in Nashville, too. There seems to be no rules.

Check out the Brett Favre stories this week ... not spreading that here, but I am sure some of the media will run with the story..

The speed of a story is beyond the grasp of traditional PR people. Twitter and Facebook can put a story around the world in an instant. YouTube a video just as fast. It is scary. You can not unring a bell.

I have noticed how a few Country stars are so boring in there interviews with print they are almost unreadable. Same old crap questions and same old crap answers. That just isn't going to get it done in 2010. Bore factor is off the scale with new media users.

I was with a half-dozen TV media people the other night. We were put in a bare hallway with blank white walls near the Men's restroom. It was boring. I guess it didn't matter, but you could tell NO ONE thought of how to and where to deal with the media.

Water the dogs, PR people ... help them do their job. It is your connection with the world. Be honest. Be fair. Try not to play favorites and the children will stay happy.

Music Row publicists seem to be obsessed with People Magazine. Probably the same reason Hollywood likes it ... it can be controlled. It's basically a show biz mouthpiece.

That's fine. Control your message. There is damn little real reporting going on, so that plan works until you get in trouble or your act makes a boo-boo. Then you will wish you had those relationships you skipped over.

The bore factor is what I see the most. These artists are not as boring as they seem. See Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins. They have great PR and know how to handle the media old and new. Never boring. Good old boys who have it figured out.

The ladies seem to be more image-afraid than the men. Not sure why. Check the Top 10. Most of the women keep a very tight rein on what the say and when they say it. Not ONE gal did media at the "All for The Hall" event the other night. Again, not sure why ... they are all well-spoken people.

Bottom line: Watch how they get the word out on Taylor Swift. They do use all the tools.

The biggest problem is the same old answers to the same old questions. It is getting boring. Try some new questioners or just go silent all together. Great visuals with Glamour this week. Fantastic. Interview was in a rut.

Tim McGraw's recent Australia trip. One paparazzi picture and a few sent out of him on stage, which could have come from anywhere on Earth. A few reviews but a missed opportunity. Never saw a big real-time story. Real-time is the key now. Canned stuff seen weeks later is mostly not going to interest the new media consumers.

LIVE is cool ... interaction is cool. Events. The unusal ... be creative..

Image creators and keepers of the image have lost control. See paparazzi gone mad stories on Mel Gibson. What a PR disaster. The best defense is a good offense. That is never been more true than now.

Per my new media watching ... Zac Brown and The Band Perry getting good PR pushes. Taylor is hot and still gets a lot of good PR and immediacy. Some of the top artists just seem to get lost. It's a big ocean and you have to scream loud to get rescued. Some folks on Music Row better start pushing their artists better or the new kids on the block are going to push them OUT!