I wrote about the best PR people a couple of years ago. When you run a very, very content heavy music blog like rock nyc, a good PR person makes your life ten times easier.
But not everybody can be good at their job.
So at least, don’t do any harm.
And then there is Jamie Espinoza of Epitaph Records. A woman so rude and lazy, she must be in constant damage control.
Let me start by saying that in two years, I have been turned down by precisely one musician I’ve requested face time with: Conor Oberst. And his handler contacted me personally to do so.
Just last week Helen Bach set up an interview (occurring today) with Henry Rollins. We have been treated with the utmost respect by everybody from majors like Island and Universal to indies like Bridgetown and Odessa. Why? Because we are serious, we do what we say we will, and we do it fast. We’re not wasting their time.
It took Jamie Espinoza and Epitaph Records to teach us we were not worth responding to.
My co-editor, Helen Bach, first contacted Epitaph records on November 18th regarding an interview with Alesana. We emailed. I personally called. Jamie Espinosa,the laughingly dubbed Tour PR woman, ignored us until Helen cc the owner of Epitaph Records, Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Jamie finally responded yesterday, February 3rd, as follows:
“‘Helen, As you can imagine we get a lot of requests and it may take us some time to get back to everyone. As of now we will be passing on this but thanks for reaching out. Jamie Espinosa Tour Publicist ANTI- / Epitaph Records”
Here we go. 1. All Jamie had to do was her job. Get back and say: The band doesn’t like you or you are too small or whatever… in a timely manner. The case would be closed.
2. The essence of good manners is treating everybody the same. If Jamie believes we don’t think, if she thought rock nyc of the slightest importance, she would have gotten back within, say, a week, instead of FOUR MONTHS (which she only did ON THE DAY WE CCD HER BOSS), she is wrong.
3. If Jamie thinks anybody in their right minds believe the drummer for Alesana is too busy in Hartford to perform a 20 minute phoner, she is gravely mistaken.
Arrogant, discourteous, and down right lazy, Espinoza is a disgrace to her profession.
Any comments Jamie or Brett? I can’t wait to hear how the leader of a punk band and the PR person of a screamo band want to explain why it took four months to respond to a request for an interview.
Let me help: rock nyc isn’t big enough.
Bad manners, not bad religion.
Comments are closed.