The New Music Business with Ari Herstand This Music Publicist Has Upended the Entire PR Model
Oct 6, 2025
Mikel Corrente, founder of Purple Bite PR, revolutionizes music promotion with a transparent, zero-risk PR model. He discusses the shift from blog coverage to TikTok and playlists in artist discovery. Mikel shares insights on artists' dissatisfaction with traditional PR, revealing how his approach pays publications for genuine coverage while guaranteeing results. He also explores the evolving value of press in today's music industry, emphasizing the importance of realistic expectations and meaningful placements.
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Discovery Shifted From Blogs To Playlists
- Blogs and Hype Machine once drove discovery and label interest.
- By 2018–2019 Spotify playlists and DSPs began to replace blogs as the primary discovery engine.
Publications Shrunk Their New-Music Roles
- Publications cut new-music staff as ad dollars moved to influencers and social.
- That contraction made placements for emerging artists far harder and more competitive.
Buying Time For LadyGunn
- Mikel invested in LadyGunn to keep it alive and learned publication economics firsthand.
- He paid writers to preserve editorial standards and understand journalists' financial struggles.
