We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Sellick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

Prior to COVID-19, I ran an independent artist management company, called Scarlet River PR. I worked with one or two artists at a time, and was responsible for the everyday happenings of those artists, and it was a lot – I have a lot of respect for managers, that’s for sure! Once lockdown hit, I was fascinated by the transition to online promotion. I noticed the restrictions that artists were facing in terms of an inability to connect in-person with fans, perform live, and sell merchandise on tour but, there were also an incredible number of opportunities to reach a world-wide fanbase online. I also noticed that a lot of artist friends who I’d come to know in the music industry, didn’t feel that they could release music as they didn’t know how to promote themselves without touring.

I had been fortunate over the past few years to come to know a lot of people within the UK country music industry, specifically, and wanted to partner alongside artists in this ‘new era’ to help them adapt to a life online. I began working with artists on a project-by-project basis, promoting their releases, helping them to gain online exposure and build their fanbase in a new way. I realised that I had a passion for this specific area of the music industry and so, coming out of lockdown, decided that I would make the transition to PR, and so came ‘Scarlet River PR’.

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the industry.. well… by accident. I was an undergraduate student in Anatomy and Human Biology, but a lover of country music. Every year, I would make the journey down to The O2 Arena, London for Country2Country, a weekend that most UK country lovers spend their entire year saving for, me included! In 2017, I travelled down for the four-day weekend, and met a bunch of new people that were looking record country music. At the time, I must admit, I didn’t know there was a UK country music scene involving British artists. But, as a passionate individual, wanting to help friends, I began promoting them, sending emails to festivals all over the world, and nominating them for awards. I loved it. Quickly I realised that I had quite an ability to communicate in the industry, and scientists are very organised… Within two years, I’d worked with UK artists on touring building in the UK, and the United States, their music was being played on radio, and they were winning awards!

The country music industry suddenly became something that I was fascinated by, and wanted to take seriously. In 2019, I set up my own company, Scarlet River Management (now Scarlet River PR), and began working professionally in the industry. Since then, I’ve settled in public relations, working with passionate, motivated, and talented artists across the globe to promote their new releases, and their brand. We’ve also recently partnered with a number of artists on UK touring, which is incredibly exciting! We help artists to grow their fanbase, and expose their music to a worldwide audience, making sure that the music they create is being heard by the right people, with a PR campaign that is created just for you.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I think the best source of new clients, has incredibly, been past clients. I have been so incredibly blessed and fortunate that many of the clients I’ve worked with have told their fellow artists about the work I do, and their experiences. I have also worked really hard over the last few months to be more engaging on social media and optimise my SEO, but I do think that many new clients have also come from conversations over Instagram.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I often try to keep in touch with them in the way that is easiest for them. A lot of the time, it’s easier to keep track of conversations and media promotions through email however, a lot of the time, I’ll end up sending voice memo’s over WhatsApp. I really like to engage with my clients on a personal level, and pride my own company on being one that provides relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.scarletriverpr.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/scarletriverpr
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/scarletriverpr
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsellick
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/scarletriverpr
• Youtube: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCqdITzUp1JB-kynTCV6Ey2A?c=UCqdITzUp1JB-kynTCV6Ey2A

Image Credits
Erin Fliegel