I mention to Jem her
fortunate (or fate led) tale of her demo getting heard by the
important people in America that led to the album deal. She
personally dropped it off at a radio station - very rock 'n'
roll. Although the DJ wasn’t present when the CD was delivered,
it was eventually listened to by Nic Harcourt of KCRW - that's
89.9 FM incase you're in the area.
"Nic's got good ears and I don't mean for that to sound
arrogant." His show in America is called 'Morning Becomes
Eclectic' and the DJ also appears weekly on Steve Lamacq's Radio
1 show. "I'm so grateful because I got off my arse and
dropped off the demo. He listens to all the stuff and what's
fantastic is that he plays stuff whether you're signed or not,
which is huge. You wouldn't get that over in the UK. I couldn't
walk into any radio station here and have that significant effect.
I presumed it would be a small radio station because the music
was so eclectic and it was only after that I hear 40,000 people
maybe listen to it, the whole of the Hollywood film industry
so it's just amazing."
Promoting an artist in the US is different compared to the UK.
With airplay being vital in reaching out to that potential mass
audience, getting a song played by key stations can do wonders
for an artist's reputation and consequent success. There's less
emphasis on singles there and so getting a song played on the
airwaves is priceless and that's exactly what happened to Jem.
So did she agree that there is a difference in the two markets?
"It's just different I think. But that's not to dis anything
over here, But it is a nice way to do it! When I was here trying
to get a record deal I used to think, 'I'm sure people would
like this,' but I didn't have any know how. How was I gonna
get people to hear it? I mean usually you could do a gig, but
I'm a solo artist, I haven't got a band. But y'know what you
were talking about earlier? That thing about attitude, just
never give up and that's kind of it. Eventually you'll do it."
>> |
