If you are one of those artists who believe they never should pay for interviews, you should reconsider. When a publication interviews you for free, you answer questions that serve the interests of their target market. You do not control the content. I agree that free publicity and fresh internet real estate are all good things. However, there are many advantages to paying a professional to produce a featured interview or post, because you can control the questions, answers and many aspects of promotion. Get Asked the Right Interview Questions First, decide why you want to be interviewed. There are many reasons why artists want to be interviewed and tell their stories. Do you want to be interviewed because you just released a new song or film or book? Are you going on tour? Are you launching a crowdsourcing campaign? Are you looking for management or to beef up your electronic press kit (EPK)? Answering the why not only influences what questions you want to be asked, but also what order you want the interviewer to ask them. People have short attention spans, so make sure the interviewer asks you the most important questions first. Next, decide who you want to target. How you choose to answer your interview questions can vary widely, depending on your target audience. For example, you may want to provide short answers if you are talking to new fans, but go more in-depth if you are talking to die-hard fans. You may want to use different language and behave more professionally if you are answering questions to for potential managers. Because you know the questions you’ll be asked in advance, you can prepare your answers, rehearse for your interview and give your audience a fabulous performance. Take Charge of Interview Promotion...

Hip hop and rap recording artist A.J. Martin aka A Dot is a rising star on a worldwide scale. He’s currently balancing a music career with his career in the U.S. Military. Thanks to modern technology and Google+ Hangouts on Air, I was fortunate to interview view A.J. from where he is stationed in Bahrain in the Middle East. A.J. Martin has a new hit single titled Missionary, which talks about his plans for the rap game and his life: “I think rap should be more than a dope beat without substance. I feel that the rap game is missing the substance nowadays. The other side to Missionary is my personal experiences. One of my favorite lines is Doin’ this til the end of me, friends yeah they pretend to be, down til you make it then they forget the memories. This is talking about my friends saying that I’ve changed, when all that really happened is that I’ve grown up. With my music, I only write what I know. It’s an outlet and how I express myself. Missionary really captures that for me.” The single Missionary has an interesting back story. A.J. admits: “Missionary really started with a beat playing for 15-20 seconds and me saying My mission is to get recognition. Then, last year, I actually finished it. And two years later, Missionary becomes a hit. The song shows my growth as a rapper and a lyricist.” I love A.J. Martin’s single Take Over, so I had to learn more about this song: “That was the first song that I recorded professionally, about a year ago. I wasn’t sure about the beat, but I can take any beat and turn it into a hit. The song talks about how I want to...

Tell Your Story  and Sell More Art We know that fans support and buy from artists they know and like. Video interviews are a great way to let your fans see you when you are not performing and to hear you talk about your background and your art. They are also a great way to introduce yourself to new fans. Since most of us cannot get booked on The Tonight Show or David Letterman, find websites like Amused Now that provide opportunities to be interviewed and post those interviews on your own website and social media sites. Imagine how much more you could sell if right next to that Buy button, you had an interview where you shared the back story about your song or film or book. Remember when you were younger how much fun it was to learn all about your idols and what your favorite song or movie or book was really about? Artists who tell their stories have a competitive advantage over those who don’t. Artists who film a great interview have an advantage over those who film a crappy interview, because fans are more likely to watch the whole thing. Booking the interview is only the first step. So, how do you prepare for a great interview? Here are some tips I’ve learned from interviewing hundreds of artists. Set the Stage Get yourself a good webcam, so the film quality of your interview is maximized. Webcams cost less than $100, and the film quality they record are much better than if you used the default webcam in your Mac or laptop. Do not conduct interviews from your phone or tablet. The aspect ratio is not right. Before the interview, sit down in the same place you plan to record...