Musicians Who Need Readers: Parents' Choice Awards (and others)

I got an e-mail a week or two ago from an artist who asked me:

"Do you know you if applying for the Parents' Choice Awards is worth the application fee?"

Well, as someone who spends a whole bunch of time thinking about the relative merits of hundreds of CDs suitable for kids and families, I'm probably not the best person to ask that particular question. I don't need the Parents' Choice Awards. It's like asking the staff of Film Comment if launching an Oscar campaign is worthwhile.

But lots of artists (and authors and manufacturers) do submit their stuff, paying the fee ($225 for CDs) to submit their product for consideration, even though you might end up not getting any recognition at all. (See this post from Amy for a not entirely complimentary view on the matter.)

So I have two questions, one for the artists out there, the other for the parents, librarians, and general consumers (which might just include some of the artists).

Artists: So is the Parents' Choice entry fee worth it? Is there some other award or recognition that's particularly useful in terms of driving sales?

Parents/librarians/consumers: Do you care about what type of Parents' Choice Award a CD or artist has won, if any? Is there some other award or recognition that's a really good guide for you?

Now, I'm perfectly happy if the artists just want to respond anonymously -- I understand if you'd rather not have your name attached to any comments. And I guess in general, anybody who's reading (and commenting) here probably isn't a typical family music consumer, but I think the comments would be valuable for the artists reading.

Finally, I'm not attacking Parents' Choice here -- I'm honestly curious as to the responses I hope you'll provide. There's an artist (and probably many more) who needs you.

Comments

[DoodleJames]

To me, it's not too different from the many businesses out there that earn a living preying on artists' need for praise or approval: Contests, "professional" evaluations, compilations, reviews, showcases and gigs that require musicians to pay a fee for consideration. Some gouge more or are shadier than others, but they can also be a helpful promotional tool. You need to weigh out the cost vs. the possible benefit. Bands can say they're great, along with a dozen other performers, but if you're the one in the bunch that can also say you are a Parent's Choice award winner, who do you suppose gets the second look? That confirmation is important to people. If the entry fee can equate to more shows or CD sales, perhaps it's something to look into. Have you always dreamed of becoming a Parent's Choice honoree? Shell out the bills. Take a chance to fulfill that dream!

Artists (or their labels or their studios) lobby for the chance to pay $15,000 for the honor of getting a star on the Walk of Fame. The press announces the ceremony, tourists walk on your name and you can add the "honor" to your resume. All kinds of honors, praise and exposure are paid for. It's part of the game. But who's to say you can't make your own rules? Personally, I've found nothing to be more effective than the recommendation of one friend to another friend. How do you get that kind of recommendation? Just follow your heart. That's what I do.

[Steve Lee]

This is a very valid point.

If the a gold medal were able to more exposure perhaps a few hundred bucks are worth it.

But when it boils down it to it I want to see where the exposure leads too.

Hmmmm.

[Stefan]

A musician e-mailed me these comments:

"I too had doubts about the process and elected not to submit my CD. I felt that the submission fee was extremely high. Also, I checked with another musician who submitted her music and who was given an "honorable mention". She felt that it was not worth it because once you have been given the approval or the award, that you have to pay somewhere around $500 for the rights to use their "recommendation" and then you have to pay for the stickers that you use to put on the CD. I would think you should get those as a "reward" and not have to pay for them."