Bad Press...Take It of Leave It (from BRASH! - A Music Marketing Blog)

“People gonna talk about you ’til the day you die; and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.” This is one of my favorite Madea movie quotes because this is true.  Especially in the entertainment industry where artists are constantly being watched, attacked, and ridiculed for making life’s mistakes or even for things that are blown out of the water by the press. A few artists escape the daily bashing by flying under the radar and keeping a simple private life.  While others feed on the bad press to stay relevant and/or capture attention towards their latest project.  But is exposure for your music REALLY worth the negative press?

Some say yes, because when a blog, interviewer, or new anchor highlights on a negative event in an artists’ life, the public pays more attention to that artist and in turn they pay more attention to the artist’s music.  This can be good for the artist some cases but the backlash from that can be damaging down the road. An artist can do one thing that isn’t pleasing to the public and that mistake will always follow no matter how many times good deeds are done to turn that around.

Being an artists, in this cruel industry, there are many things that you can’t control in the media realm. If the press wants to do a story on you and add a little negative fluff for readership, how can you turn that around for your good?

• Publicists practice this on the regular.  A good PR rep will take a negative story and turn it around to show you in a more positive light. Make sure that you and your publicist are on the same page with the type of imaging you want associated with your brand.
• If it isn’t 100% true, state that. No need to ride the wave of a lie just for the exposure.
• Keep it moving. The more you pay attention to rumors and gossip the more you are taken away from the things that made you famous in the first place….your talent. Try to stay away from the social media wars, ranting statements, and other ways that can be used to “lash” out at a particular media outlet and/or media personality.

These tips can help you access what to do when you find yourself attacked by the media. Allow it to gain you some exposure but if the rumor is too farfetched do what you can to clear your name. Some music lovers may fall for the hype but your true artistry will ALWAYS shine through.  Also, your TRUE fans will love you through the good and the bad. So as for bad press….LEAVE IT!