Hello, how are you?

I am well. I am writting this letter from home. I have finally almost two months without flights. My next flight will be to Paris, for the concert by Ali Doğan Gönültaş in Au Fil des Voix.

One of my latest trips was to Skopje, for PIN Conference, where this picture with Antonis Antoniou (Monsieur Doumani, Trio Tekke, Buzz’Ayaz) was done. We met after many years, first in Skopje and the following week, in Limassol, in Cyprus, for the Cyprus Showcase of Jazz and World Music.

Today, 22nd of December, is the day of the Christmas lottery in Spain. I hear the TV of the neighbours. There, the kids from the school of San Ildefonso take the little balls from the lottery drum and sing the numbers. Every year on 22nd of December. It’s kind of the official opening of Christmas time. But I never buy tickets. I think I’ve already won the lottery.

On the 27th of December Mapamundi Música will be 16 years old. Every year there has been progress. In the year of the pandemic I lost my assistant Sherazade, whom I never got back. But I was able to keep the company alive. After that, other new people have arrived and with others we have strengthened ties and I have faced more and more demanding challenges.

2024 is going to require the best of me and I will be accompanied along the way.

I hope this last newsletter of the year will be of interest to you. My last protagonist has shown great generosity in her answers. Indeed, like all of them. This year I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and share their reflections, struggles and missions. I believe that over the years this newsletter has become more useful and deeper. I hope you share my feeling. If you do, you can forward it to anyone you like. And remember that if you have content or news of interest to the international community working in one way or another in relation to world, roots, traditional or heritage music… contact me.

Arlette Hovinga: I’m Arlette Hovinga, I am from the Netherlands, I’m 32 years old and I am a PR manager and publicist in jazz and World music. I serve a number of festivals, mostly in Summer, and artists for their tour promotions and new releases as well.

I work in all of Europe, which is kind of special for a publicist normally; I guess many of us work in like, for example, the GAS territory, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or only in their own country. For the Netherlands unfortunately that doesn’t really make a lot of sense, we’re really small and while we have a couple of good publications for jazz and world music there aren’t enough to really justify invoicing someone. And because in the Netherlands we get taught multiple languages in school, I speak reasonable German, I understand Spanish and speak a little bit of French, I understand that too, and English is my second language. So it’s relatively easy for me to converse and to communicate with journalists in other territories across Europe. And I think it keeps my job really interesting and really versatile.

MM: And you are specialized in jazz and also in world music. And there are not so many people specialize in world music. You work with these two different styles. I feel there are a big differences between world music and the other styles. Which are the particularities that you have to face when you work for something of world music or traditional music?

AH: At the end of the day, promoting an artist or a tour or a release or a festival… it’s about the story, you know. And world music is such a broad term that I’m not sure it really covers what it is. Because Africa is a continent, not a country, so what people call African music, as far as I’m concerned, is like a container of different things, but it’s not a thing in itself. It’s kind of saying, “well, okay, you know the Dutch and then the East Germans are the same people”, which is also not true, and we should grant the same privilege, I think, to people from other countries. It’s much like world music could also be from Latin America or it could be from Spain as like incorporating flamenco, or it could be from the Balkans too. I think it’s more important to tell an artist’s story than it is to focus on whatever world music actually means. And, honestly, also as a Western European white woman I’m not really sure if I am the one to redefine the genre in itself, because I don’t come from such a background and I think that those who created and those who are part of this diaspora should be the first to redefine that story if if that’s what they want and if that’s what they need.

For us as publicists, it’s our job to tell the story, the individual stories, and place it in a in a context that is understandable for journalists without really saying “well, this is world music”, for example, or ethnic music, or global music or however you want to call it. I mean I work in jazz and world music because this music resonates with me because I really feel it. And it’s something that that makes me feel something and that makes me explore new worlds and new ideas and I love that. I love these these genres and I love these artists and I love the way that it makes you learn new things. And it changes your perspective on a lot of different cultures and different ideas. And that’s beautiful.But I don’t think that the main thing is to present world music as world music. It’s the same as with jazz. If I say “hey, this is jazz” to someone who doesn’t normally write about jazz, oftentimes the first association will be “oh, this is like, you know, bebop or something”. And jazz is so much more than that, just like world music is so much more than… you know, the pamplets that a lot of cultural journalists that don’t really engage in these genres would immediately associate it with. So, that direct association stands in a different place, not necessarily higher or lower, but in a different place. Then is my role as a publicist to sell this music and enlarge my artists or my festival’s audience, I think.

MM: I totally agree with you in this because for instance, I think, in Spain, if I say something is world music they imagine some black people jumping. There are like different prejudices or preconception of what it is, so I feel, as I also work with world music, I feel that the difference with the other genres is that you need to explain also the historical background, the social background, the cultural specifications… of this artist. I think, that’s the key, maybe, to explain and it gives us also the opportunity of having a a storytelling about this, that other styles of music don’t have. So you have to focus on these ideas too, when you have to make this storytelling.

AH: Absolutely.

MM: And how do you make this comparing with jazz? Because I think jazz is like more abstract.

AH: Why is it more abstract, you think?

MM: Because jazz is not so imbued with the traditions and world music comes very from the traditions of the people.

AH: I think that in the minds of a lot of people, especially people who don’t really listen to jazz, it is definitely traditional music. And it’s elitist music in the minds of a lot of people. I don’t think that, I think that jazz is freedom. And jazz is a a genre that is very much alive and that changes and grows and expands, which is what makes it so interesting, because there’s a lot of different ways to make jazz, just like there’s a million different ways to make something that could be perceived as world music music.

I think that these different perceptions that we get, especially when you’re promoting a tour and you’re relying on, well… I mean, regional or local media, you don’t always have the luxury of working with journalists who are really into the type of music that you’re presenting and I think that, like you said, world music and also jazz give us opportunities for storytelling. And I think it’s our professional duty to do that properly. And if we can master that, that makes us better at our jobs. But it also really gives artists a better chance at telling the story. That also means that an artist really needs to think about who they are and they really need to think about where they come from and what their music stands for, what they stand for as an artist. Especially now in times where, you know, inclusivity and diversity are basically keywords for every snazzy funding campaign that you can have, we have to think about this a little bit differently. Because, on one hand, of course everybody should be in favor of inclusivity and everybody should be in favor of diversity. But I do notice that a lot of times, for example, for artists from the Balkans where I work a lot, Eastern Europe, where I work a lot, it doesn’t do them any favors. They have to find other ways to explain themselves, because there’s a discrepancy there. that, I think, doesn’t always swing East, if that’s the politest way I can put that, probably.

MM: So, when an artist or a record label or a manager asks you to work for them, what do you need from them? What do do you ask them to give you?

AH: It depends on if it’s a tour or an album but, definitely, music, obviously, preferably also a live video… Something recent. All materials always need to be recent because I’ve seen artists been announced through potos, for example, that have lineups from seven years ago on it and that’s usually not the promoter’s fault, because they’re really busy. I do marketing for festivals as well and there were years where I wrote and translated up to like 300 bios for one festival, like 150 artists in Dutch and English. And we don’t have time to rewrite and research every artista, so everything that you deliver has to be up to date, it has to be current.

I need a biography that tells me what your music sounds like and what your story is. I don’t care if you went to Juilliard, to be honest, because the fact that you’re professional enough to reach out to a publicist or to build your team to have a manager, for me says that, at least, there is something good about your music. But I what I want to know is what it sounds like and what I can expect to feel when I listen to it. And I think that that’s one thing that musicians often overlook. I know that you know it’s great that you got into this prestigious school and you worked like… you studied under these famous people. But that really doesn’t tell me much about who you are.

So I need music, I need live videos, I need a good biography. Previous press really helps, although I always do my own research. As well, tour dates, obviously, if there is any street date that’s 3 to six months in the future, preferably. If there are single releases, as well, it’s helpful to know who’s in charge of digital distribution, so we can communicate about pitches and I can time my pitches together with single releases.

I think all of these, like, basically, an electronic press kit plus plus plus… It’s also because, you know, we talk about storytelling and we talk about visual materials and about videos and all of that… I think that in today’s day and age, there’s so much music out there, there are so many artists and it’s really hard to stand out. But if you build a consistent brand, that is relatable to people, people can be very loyal to this brand because… It’s the same reason for me to work with someone: if it makes me feel something, then I will sign up to work with you and I will probably stay with you until you decide not to be. It’s a better look for both of us if an artist stays with the same publicist and the same team for a number of years, because journalists will notice if you change teams regularly. And, if you don’t, that means that you’re probably a nice person. And to have a consistent team and to be with the same people and to build something together helps you to build your brand. And, the longer you work together, the better you get to know each other as well. So you can sort of design this brand, I guess.For a lot of artists branding is like like commercialism, it’s a dirty word, “I don’t want to sell out, it’s all about the music…”. Yeah, sure it’s all about the music. We’re assuming that the music is great and you’re a superstar but, how are you going to tell people that you’re a superstar? How are you going to actually build your way there? I think social media, you know, Facebook advertising and stuff, they are great tools to help you put butts in seats. And at the end of the day, that’s what everybody wants: we all want you to sell out a room, we all want you to be come back in a bigger room in the same city next time. We all want the same thing.

So, I think that, as someone who has a background in marketing, I think that’s the most important thing for artists before they hire PR is to have a solid online presence that is consistent and that is personal. I don’t only want to see “Hi, I’m playing here…”. That’s great but, how do you feel about playing there? And I think that that’s a part of your journey as an artist that I rarely see on social media but I’d be really interested in that. If you’re like playing like this beautiful venue, take me backstage, give me a video, give me a tour, give me something that makes me feel something. Don’t just send me information that I don’t know what to do with. Give me something that I can relate to, because I will never be on stage at this amazing concert hall. I’m not a professional musician. I play for fun, but… it’s really easy, in my opinión, to make relatable content and to, really, tell a story and… I know that I am guilty of not doing that enough myself but… this is like, you know, going to a painter’s house and seeing that you know, his window sills are blading. It’s a lot harder to do it yourself and I understand that I have it too. I said it in a panel a few days ago, like my social media presence on Instagram is like a crime against marketing, I think. But at the same time, I do understand how it works and I’m so busy doing it for other people… You see this with my first book, as well. I ended up finally hiring someone to help me book a book tour, because I just I I can’t fucking do it myself.I really prefer to spend my time on artists rather than on myself.

But still, seriously, making relatable content is the most important thing and it’s the biggest thing that I am really missing with artists. In the same vein, I meet artists at conferences, I met one yesterday who just said “Well, I hear you’re a publicist and I make pop and rock music. I’m like great”. And before I could tell him that that’s not what I do at all and I cannot be of any help, he spent 5 minutes basically pitching himself but also saying “Nobody wants to work with me” and “Nobody’s hearing what I have to say” and I just thought “hang on, breathe for a moment and if I can give you one piece of advice, always ask questions, don’t just barge in and start like blabbering about how… again, you’re a superstar. I’m sure you’re a superstar. You’re serious enough about your career to come to a conference and to be open enough to talk to people, but ask them questions”. Because he would have known 30 seconds in, that like, okay, I wrote a book about networking and visibility in the music industry, so okay, we can talk about that. But I cannot help you build your career because I have zero connections in. Well, I mean, not zero but not very many relevant connections when it comes to pop music PR. There are people here and in all over Europe who are fantastic at it and I would love to recommend them. But now he just wasted 15 minutes of both of our time, just because he’s so frustrated that there’s no career progress for him. And I I told him “All you do is put out frustration and information about yourself and not necessarily positive information or positive energy and we want this positive energy”.

I want to work with people, like I said, who make me feel something, but also who’s personality makes me feel something because, at the end of the day, audiences are going to be drawn to your energy as well and they’re not going to be drawn to you basically bitching about how nobody wants you. Nobody wants that. No audience member is going to be like “You know what? This guy says all the right things, like, he says everybody sucks”. Nobody in the history of promoting music has ever wanted to do something like that and yet so many musicians… I mean, I understand that it’s hard, okay, I’ve been in the music industry for like 15 years now. I started my first band 20 years ago when I was 13 years old. I get it’s hard. I volunteered for years, I had shitty jobs on the side, I worked my ass off. I really have. I get it’s the same for us behind the scenes. It’s not like we make like tons of money compared to, like, starving artists. We really don’t. But we are also in it for the love of music and we are also in it with an optimistic and positive attitude. And we want the same from the people that we work with.

Some people that, like some of my favorite people actually that I work with, I didn’t start working with until two or three or four years after meeting them and we became friends. We know that we’re on the same wavelength, we really resonate with each other. Peter Dimitrov (editor’s note: see the previous interview with Peter Dimitrov, here) is a really good example of that, like whenever, whatever it is that he asks me to do, the answer is always yes. Because no matter how busy I am, we have such a positive and hardworking and amazing vibe, it’s a fucking party. I can work 14 hours a day with that guy and still feel like I’m having the time of my life. And ideally you have a similar connection with artists, I think. An artist should want the same thing, you should expect me to really work my ass off for you. And  I really want to want to do that, if that makes sense.

So… I’m sorry this is a very long answer but I have a lot of opinions on this.

• Fira Mediterrània de Manresa
  The call for proposals is open 

• Babel Music XP. Marseille, France. 28-30 March