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Every Sunday, we’ll be answering your questions for a feature called the #PNPmailbag. We’ll pick a handful of submitted questions each week and different members of the P&P team will be providing answers.
Feel free to ask us anything about new music, the industry, the inner workings of P&P, or any random things that may be on your mind. Submit your questions on Twitter by using the hashtag #PNPmailbag, or email your question to submissions@pigeonsandplanes.com with #PNPmailbag as the subject.
What’s the most effective way to go about getting shows booked? I was also curious to know how to navigate PR. When in your career to seek PR? The best PR? Things that can be done to get a song to 200k first week with no PR?–Khiry Oviim
Artists early in their careers should focus on the music and crafting their own sound. PR, managers, all of that stuff will come to you when the timing is right. Young artists often worry about things outside of the art too much and it takes away from the natural development process. It’s good to be aware of the business of music, but make great music first. Once you’ve got a strong organic buzz, you’ll have more options and more opportunities—PR people, managers, and booking agents will want to offer their services.
While you’re working on music early on in your career, one of the most effective strategies we’ve seen is connecting with other artists. You’ll learn things from them, they’ll learn things from you, and eventually you’ll have a small team of like-minded people who are down to support you.
As far as getting a song to 200k plays in the first week with no PR, apart from the music: study algorithms, you never know what might happen.–Eric
What do you think of the new Drake album?–Heather F.
Personally, I am disappointed by it.
I really like “One Dance,” and even though borrowing from other cultures brings up some issues, I think Drake sounds great on that song as well as the Caribbean-inspired rhythm of “Too Good.” Drake can still rap well, but he’s developed into a star for his ability to make more pop-friendly hits, and these new inspirations work well for him to do that in a fresh way. I was looking forward to more of that influence on Views, and it’s not really there.
Instead, Views is packed with too much middle-of-the-road stuff with forgettable melodies and average Drake-style beats that we’ve heard before. The album has its moments, but I think it’s one of his least consistent projects yet, and I can’t imagine listening through it without skipping over half the songs. I always considered Thank Me Later my least favorite Drake album, but looking back on that, it’s got songs like “Up All Night,” “Light Up,” “Over,” and “Miss Me” that still sound good today. Views might be my new least favorite Drake album, but we’ll see how it sinks in with time.
I’m not giving up on Drake, though. In the past, each Drake album introduced something new and ran with it. On this one, he only hints at the possibilities, but the groundwork has been laid. Not saying that Drake should make a dancehall album with Rihanna or anything (although…), but I hope his next moves are more forward-thinking than Views.–Jacob
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What should someone do if they are very interested in writing about music, but has no way to begin to get involved and no experience?–Mitchell Rose
Anyone who is sincerely passionate about writing about music can start some kind of blog (for free!) using WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger. It’s how many music journalists (and myself) got into it, ultimately making careers out of their passion. That’s the key, though—are you passionate enough to spend the time honing your craft and getting the word out, even when that means going mostly unnoticed? It’s not easy, but if you love what you’re doing, it should be worth it.
All that said, Pigeons & Planes is always accepting pitches from writers. The best way to get involved is to spend some time practicing, building up a portfolio with some examples of your writing, and thinking of some good ideas. You can send pitches to pitches@pigeonsandplanes.com (please, don’t send music here. Music can go to submissions@pigeonsandplanes.com) and if we’re interested in your article, we’ll get back to you and go from there. We’re always open to working with new writers.–khal
There’s FADER Fort and Coachella, so will there be a Pigeons And Planes Festival?–Kelvin T.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: This is something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Over the past year or so, we’ve learned a lot about live events with our No Ceilings showcase in New York, London, and Austin, and we’re definitely looking to do that on a bigger scale. We’ve watched as a lot of the major music festivals have become more similar, and we think we could bring something really unique to the table with a Pigeons & Planes festival.
One of the bigger goals with P&P is establishing an offline presence. We want to try to translate what we do with the website into real-life endeavors (like open mic nights), and two of the most exciting ways we can think of to do that are a record label and a music festival. Those things take a lot of time, thought, resources, and effort, but we’re working on it. Stay tuned.–Jacob
How come you guys don’t do best EDM of the week anymore? Or cover EDM at all? I could always trust you guys to find some great alternative stuff and now I have nothing like that to listen to!–Sam Connell
Thanks for reading and I’m glad you enjoyed the feature! There’s a lot of great electronic music around, and, in my opinion, often it’s within electronic and dance music that you can find the most experimental and boundary-pushing sounds.
I feel like the EDM tag never really did justice to the type of music we were covering in the feature you mentioned. Since it exploded as the festival music of choice in America, EDM has come to represent a certain generic sound, whereas we were sharing everything from underground genres like footwork and grime to more mainstream dance music.
We still absolutely do cover the electronic music that we find to be interesting and exciting, but rather than throwing it in a list with a variety of other sounds we’re now taking the time to focus on one artist or release, hopefully giving you a bit more context and an explanation of why you should pay attention. Check out this wild release by this wild release but DJ Alina, this guy T_A_M, this Bushido premiere, and this interview with hnrk and drip-133 for a look at the breadth of interesting elctronic music that’s out there. And hit me up on Twitter anytime—I’m always down to give recommendations.
As it stands, EDM is stale and lacking in creativity—it’s become big business, and the music seems to be getting made in order to fill festivals and sell tickets, rather than for any artistic reason. The bubble will burst, however, but either way, we’re going to keep sharing music that excites and inspires us, whatever genre it is.–Constant Gardner
How does one go about interning with you guys?–Chelsea Felin
We hire interns each spring, summer, and fall. Summer’s next, and you can apply here. We want to work with people who are passionate about music and we love to see people who are self-motivated and already trying to get involved in the industry in some way.
Some of our previous interns (shout out Adrienne, Sydney, Jules, Eric, Lia) continue to contribute to P&P on a regular basis, so even though the internship is unpaid, we’ll do everything we can to make sure our interns get good experience and can work towards freelance work or whatever else they’re looking for. We’re always open to new ideas and love it when an intern comes in and hits the ground running, so don’t be afraid to speak up if you’ve got suggestions.–Graham
Hi guys, I’m French and I’m checking your website everyday, I love your work. I was wondering if you could promote more French stuff?–Steven Bergeron
We love good music regardless of where it’s from and what language it’s in, but even with the internet, it’s still definitely harder to discover music from other countries. Who would you recommend? Hit us up on Twitter and let us know who we should be listening to!
Since you’re asking, I’ve heard a few French albums this year that I’m comfortable recommending. First, there’s Demain est une autre nuit by Essaie Pas, a French-language electronic album from Montreal, Canada. This is actually the duo’s first release under DFA Records (LCD Soundsystem leader James Murphy’s label), so it’s definitely in line with that aesthetic, but more on the minimal dark techno side of things. L’amour Propre by Ephèbe is a similar record (although a bit lighter-sounding) out of Tours, France, so check that one out if you’re into Essaie Pas.
Toulouse-based group called My Jacket is Yours also put out a solid indie rock album titled Alone, although it’s sung in English, so it’s a little more accessible for English-speaking listeners. If you’re into groups like Best Coast, Cat Power, and slowcore stuff, this is worth a spin.
Merci pour la question, Steven, et pour lire Pigeons & Planes. I promise I didn’t Google Translate that: I was in Toronto for Riot Fest in September, and I was able to order from a few French-only restaurants without messing up once, so I know just enough French to not starve.—Derrick Rossignol
Have been loving your No Ceilings events in London (where I’m based) was just wondering when your next one will be?–Jack Lewin
Thanks for coming out! We’re planning the next London show right now, and have some exciting names in the mix. Can’t say the date yet, but keep an eye on the site–Constant Gardner
Any chance of a No Ceilings LA edition coming soon?–Jason Williamson
Yes! We’re focusing on the NY shows, but we’d love to hit LA for a one-off sometime this year. If it takes a while to happen, just know it’s because we’re taking the time to put together a lineup of artists we truly believe in.–Constant Gardner
Catch our next No Ceilings in New York on May 18. Tickets are on sale now.
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