Nic Kelly Calls Out 'Lazy' Music Publicists, Urges Acts To 'Come Straight To Me'

Radio host and Aussie music-lover Nic Kelly is feeling fed up with the way that some artists are finding themselves “taken for a ride” by publicists, urging them to cut out the middleman and go directly to their desired destination.

Kelly, who is best known for his role as a presenter on The Hot Hits With Nic & Loren, took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday night to vent his frustrations, explaining that after receiving multiple irrelevant pitches from the same PR agency within the space of an hour, he felt a need to speak out in order to help empower artists to let their music have the maximum impact.

“I’m annoyed about the amount of artists I’ve been speaking to who have had bad experiences in this space, spending heaps of money on PR that’s got them no results,” Kelly explained, stressing he didn’t want this to be a “call-out thing” or to start naming names.

“I want this to be positive for artists and for artists to a chance to get the maximum exposure out of the minimum spend and I think there are heaps of ways to do that. Especially now,” he added. “PR is an attractive idea and there are amazing PR people.”

As Kelly continued, he offered a number of tips from his 13-year experience of being pitched to, noting that often, one of the best things that an artist can do is reach out personally and tell their own story.

“I think if you’re a natural communicator, that should be something you prioritise to do yourself,” he added, conceding that while artists having a team alongside them is a great idea, natural storytellers may benefit more from pitching personally and using their money for “other important things.”

“All I want to do is see artists win, and storytelling (which is at the core of the art that you make) can extend to the way that you tell your story to prospective outlets that will expend the audience you reach,” he explains.

“I think this is really important and I really want to help in that space, and I really really want these PR companies to stop cold spamming everyone they find on Unearthed, saying they’re obsessed with them, then doing a cookie cutter job of pitching their music,” he added. “And there are plenty that do it brilliantly.”

“I’m happy to talk to you if you are an artist about whether the person you’re thinking about working with can actually help.”

“Emerging artists and younger artists are done with being taken advantage of and taken for a ride,” Kelly tells The Music. “I also think artists who are naturally good communicators should have a crack at pitching their music themselves.

“Personally, I like hearing from artists directly and hearing them tell their own stories. And if I am the only one who thinks that, I think more media outlets and more journalists should be open to it,” he explains. “And there's so many people out there that want to help artists genuinely, and want to really make a difference, and are adapting to new ways of working and new media.”

“Connect with people and do your research and be wary of things that feel a little bit too good to be true,” he advises young acts.

Kelly also urged many aspiring artists who are seeking a platform and coverage in the music world to “come straight to [him],” going so far as to say his inbox is always open for acts to send him DMs with their music.