UTM Music Group offers music publicity, press / media promotion, radio and DJ coverage, artist representation, live bookings, and a flexible range of related services for independent artists.

From emerging artists to industry veterans, UTM specialises in niche underground styles, genres, and markets including but not limited to post-punk, darkwave, punk, indie, synthpop, dreampop, shoegaze, ambient, drone, downtempo, electronic, industrial, noise, experimental, goth, alt. rock, metal, and more.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“Most promotions companies can manage a Seven – UTM goes up to Eleven.”
– David ‘Wolfie’ Wolfenden, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry / Voidant (Leeds, England, UK)

“UTM has provided us personalized services tailored to our specific and changing needs. In a landscape riddled with disappointment, UTM is the rare and pleasant surprise.”
– Troy Payne, The Wake (Columbus, Ohio, USA)

“‘Vamberator’ – Jem Tayle (Shelleyan Orphan, Babacar, Elephantine) and Boris Williams (The Cure, Shelleyan Orphan, Babacar) – have utilised the services of Michel and UTM to amazing effect. A personal professional and dedicated outfit with a big reach. Highly recommended.”
– Jem Tayle, Vamberator (Bath, England, UK)

“Michel’s thoughtful, thorough, and well-informed perspective has brought new dimension to how I think about promoting my brand. His ability to brainstorm and provide insight on different aspects of promotion and publicity have been indispensable to my campaigns.”
– Caroline Blind (solo artist), Voidant / Sunshine Blind (New Jersey, USA)

“Michel and I had worked together many years ago, and it was great to hook up again recently. He has done an excellent job as a PR agent, and now he has extended UTM’s service as far as booking the first ATTRITION tour of Australia, and second trip to New Zealand! I have always wanted to get to Australia and thanks to Michel we have 11 shows in Australia and New Zealand this October/November. He has worked tirelessly for this and I can’t recommend him enough!”
– Martin Bowes, ATTRITION (Coventry, England, UK)

“Working with UTM Music Group is like having another member in the band. Michel is someone who understands the business and promotional demands in today’s music scene and nails their part like a true professional. We had more eyes and ears, more contacts, more interviews, and more buzz with our latest material than we ever would have trying to do this on our own.”
– Jeff Leyda, Julie Plante & Neil McKay, Autumn (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)

“Schkeuditzer Kreuz has been working with Michel at UTM since early 2021. Over this time, Michel has worked with me in the preparation and promotion of both domestic and international tours, in the release of records, singles, and videos, as well as the general promotional maintenance of the band. He has gone way above and beyond what would be expected from a publicist/promoter. I would be nowhere near where I am today without the work that he has put into it. The way we work together is more like a partnership than contracted work, and he always seems to be right alongside me and sharing in the satisfaction of my musical world taking off.”
– Kieren Hills, Schkeuditzer Kreuz (New South Wales, Australia)

“Michel & UTM Music Group has become a highly valued ally for us ever since we started working together. He has helped us promote EPs, singles & video releases; promoted and booked two tours; and handled record label and agent outreach on our behalf. He always has our best interests in mind and he’s become a trusted sounding board for our ideas and plans. He’s helped us establish ourselves on a global scale. We are very pleased with what we have been able to achieve in partnership with UTM and we would highly recommend him to anyone!”
– Robert Hyman & Jax Allos, [melter] (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

“UTM Music Group helped us reaching a wide number of DJs, magazines, reviews and overall attention, and their promotion network keeps on expanding every day. I can’t recommend this enough. If you are serious about your music project, try this out.”
– Ariel Maniki, Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos / Proyecto Escapulario (San José, Costa Rica)

“I am really happy with what Michel has done for me at UTM. He has been with me from the start of Licorice Chamber, even contributing guitar tracks for 3 of the 4 songs off my debut release. We have now been working together for almost 3 years, and I couldn’t be happier with the response our campaigns have received.”
– Layla Reyna, Licorice Chamber / Strap On Halo (Seattle, Washington, USA)

“My relationship with UTM Music Group has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as an artist.”
– Trent Jeffries, Plasmata (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

“We came to UTM as a completely unknown band, and were pleased to be accepted alongside a lot of better known bands. Despite being unknown, with UTM we got airplay and articles on a global scale, massively increasing our reach.”
– 36663, 404 Error (Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK)

“Michel & UTM always have my best interests in mind. Whether getting the word out, offering advice or strategy, or just planning out a campaign calendar, I always feel like UTM is engaged. Not everyone understands ‘alternative’ culture, or the ways to promote within this unique community. Michel brings it.”
– Daniel C, alias Danny 2 Forks, 2 Forks / The Wake (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

“Michel from UTM Music Group has consistently exceeded all expectations. When tasked with promoting a comeback album after a 37-year break in activity, most Publicists would struggle to find a starting point. However, Michel set about capturing the detailed history of the band in the first instance, before masterfully crafting a cohesive and interesting backstory. His focused and targeted approach has meant that our music (and story) has reached all of the right people. The results have been astounding, and without him, we would likely have sunk without a trace. We highly recommend UTM Music Group – worth every bloody penny!”
– Adrian Workman, Vietnam (Wellington, New Zealand / Sydney, Australia)

“I’ve been lucky to work with Michel at UTM on a few diverse different projects, and each time he has stepped up and devised a unique promotional campaign targeted for greatest success. Great, honest communication as well as ideas and suggestions I’d never have thought of. He has become a valued and trusted member of our team, and worth every penny for getting music and projects out there.”
– Max Rael, History Of Guns (Hertfordshire, England, UK), Decommissioned Forests (London, England, UK)

“There is no other publicist that has the depth of knowledge and number of connections UTM has. They have opened doors previously closed to us for years. Nobody else comes close.”
– Ant Banister, Sounds Like Winter / Sequential Zero (Sydney, Australia)

“Michel’s extensive knowledge and innate understanding of what is needed when promoting music has exceeded my expectations. He is very dedicated, and should be charging extra for all his help navigating the fiddly “how to” aspects of being an artist. I’m so happy I chose to use UTM Music Group. Simply brilliant.”
– Justine Ó Gadhra-Sharp (solo artist) / DiS / Flinch / Pulchritude (Te Waipounamu, New Zealand)

“I can't speak highly enough of UTM Music Group. They provide a very personal and crafted promotion service, and helped step me through the whole process. Get on board if you're looking!”
– Peter Endall, Suburban Spell (Melbourne, Australia)

“If I based my expectations solely on what a PR agency should be, I would’ve sold myself short regarding the places Michel and UTM got my work heard and reviewed. Fantastic insight and great communication regarding my album’s campaign, every step of the way.”
– Paul Baker, Redwing Blackbird (Denver, Colorado, USA)

ABOUT ME & UTM

For as long as I’ve loved creating music myself, like any diehard music fan, I’ve been equally inspired by the talents of others, and passionate about supporting the music I love.

UTM was initially born from necessity, when a combination of family circumstances, Covid lockdowns, and chafing at “working for the man” forced a change in career. As a solo parent at the time, I needed to make a living working remotely from home, while doing something that I was not just capable of doing well, but ardently devoted to as a long-term calling. I needed to set my own creative, cultural, social, and professional goals and standards for my work – goals and standards that I could personally take pride in, rather than mindlessly checking boxes to the satisfaction of someone else’s meaningless, profit-driven criteria. And as a parent to a burgeoning young creative talent, for me it was also important to teach and demonstrate to my son that it is in fact viable to stay true to one’s creative goals and personal ideals, whilst carving out a sustainable career path doing the things you love most.

Drawing on 30+ years’ previous experience playing in DIY bands, promoting independent releases, writing about undiscovered music, developing community tools and resources, and booking and promoting live events and tours – from day one, the philosophy behind UTM has always been the same: to support, champion and foster the talents of independent, underground artists, and to ensure that UTM services remain accessible to precisely those who need and deserve them most.

Less than five years on, UTM now works directly with hundreds of publications and media platforms across more than 40 countries in multiple languages, ranging from some of the world’s biggest alternative / independent music sites and print zines, through to leading niche-genre specialists, to the most obscure little underground specialty blogs and social media platforms; while promoting our artists to a constantly expanding network of radio shows, club DJs, webcasts, livestreams and station programmers / music directors worldwide.

WHAT UTM IS NOT

UTM is not a corporate entity run by industry executives, whose profits and business models rely upon exploiting the creative talents and free labour of artists.

Just like my clients, I too am an independent, self-funded musician, who understands the need for every hard-earned penny spent on promotion to go as far as possible.

And likewise, as an artist, it’s also a priority for me that UTM should balance effective marketing and promotional considerations alongside the need for the artist’s own creative vision and ideals to remain intact, undiluted, and uncompromised.

Unlike record companies and similar music business models, UTM has no vested interest in moulding, shaping, and transforming your identity as an artist into a marketable brand. My priority is finding and growing a receptive and enthusiastic audience for what you are already doing.

UTM does not own and control a bunch of generic sock-puppet music blogs and review sites that I set up cheaply myself, masquerading as independent media, with no actual authentic readership or following between them, label them all as our “partners and affiliates”, and then charge you a small fortune for every one of those sites that features some AI-generated garbage about your music. Yes, sadly, that really is a thing that some “PR firms” do.

UTM is not a vanity project, an indulgence, or a part-time hobby; nor am I independently wealthy. This is my fulltime gig, and my sole source of income – it’s literally how I make rent from week-to-week (although my long-suffering landlord might beg to differ!).

As my fulltime occupation, you can therefore expect my work for UTM’s clients to command my undivided attention. Ensuring the best possible outcomes for your press campaign is every bit as essential to my survival as it is to your profile as an artist.

DIVERSITY & REPRESENTATION

Being deeply vested in my work at such a personal level, it is also important that UTM should represent and uphold certain core values, as a direct reflection on me. As such, UTM strongly supports diversity in music and the creative industries, and is deeply honoured to represent artists of diverse ancestral and cultural heritages, nationalities, genders, identities, sexualities, and socio-economic backgrounds.

UTM stands in direct, active opposition to discrimination, marginalisation, persecution, subjugation, oppression, and exploitation, and in firm support of the uplifting of underrepresented voices through music.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM UTM

Every artist and release project is different, and every UTM promo campaign is tailored accordingly, but some basic fundamentals of the service that you can expect from UTM include:

Naturally, UTM also makes use of mailing lists, however, this is just one of many steps taken along the road to getting your music in front of people. Usually, engaging the UTM mailing list is one of the final stages of launching your press campaign, after all other advance planning for your big release day has been taken care of.

In addition, every email campaign is tailored specifically to the artist and your latest release, so that we are always pitching your music directly to your target audience, and not just taking a scatter-gun approach to “one-and-done” email “blasts”.

Do we bulk email your press releases out to a trusted network of independent music websites, who routinely reproduce just about any presser we send their way? Yes, of course we do. Do we make that the primary focus of your press campaign, with only minimal one-to-one follow up? Absolutely not.

UTM services aren’t just limited to press and publicity either. Whether it’s artist development for industry newcomers; teaching old dogs new tricks for their online toolkits and resources; coordinating collaborative projects with other artists; introducing you to other industry folks who can help you with a project; or acting as your agent and representative for label outreach, brokering record deals, or booking your next tour – if it is within our means, UTM strives to remain adaptable to artists’ needs, providing a flexible, creative, and evolving range of artist services.

GETTING THE MOST FROM UTM

Whether you choose the services of UTM or not, a few of the pointers below will be just as valid if you work with another publicist, or even if you decide to handle all your own press and promotion yourself. Think of it therefore as a bit of free advice: just a few of the fundamental basics that every semi-professional independent musician should know about music press and promotion.

Don’t fall into the trap of making promotion for your music a last-minute afterthought. You might have just spent months or even years creating the defining work of your musical career, only for your magnum opus to go completely overlooked – not because it wasn’t deserving of widespread attention, but because nobody knew about it.

It is recommended that you engage UTM’s services at least 2-3 weeks before your planned release date. Ideally, however, you want to be reaching out to touch base long before that, in order to plan and prepare a well-coordinated campaign.

Remember that many of the people we’ll be pitching your music to are absolutely swamped with new music submissions, every single day. Those folks therefore need plenty of lead-in time to fit you into their already busy schedules. Showing them that you understand this, by doing your homework and getting your act together ahead of time, goes a long way towards convincing folks that, out of all the new music submissions in their inbox that day, they should take your submission seriously.

The majority of music media outlets also give priority to new releases, and will immediately discard submissions they receive for releases that came out weeks or months ago. Not because they are trying to make life difficult for you, but because they are trying to keep their own workloads manageable, and keep their content relevant and newsworthy. And again, because demonstrating that you take your craft seriously encourages others to do the same. Some of the most influential and therefore in-demand platforms UTM works with can even require submissions months in advance.

Can UTM still pull together a perfectly serviceable press campaign for you at the last minute, even if you didn’t plan in advance? Sure we can. But when you come away perfectly happy with that, just stop and remember how much better it will be next time, done properly. When you’ve laboured over your music and poured yourself into it, and the time finally comes to share it with the rest of the world, don’t just settle for a “that’ll do” approach.

Music promotion is often highly time-sensitive, and while securing good coverage requires decent planning in advance, many other opportunities can also arise at very short notice. If it takes you days or even weeks to answer an email, you can expect those opportunities to pass you by.

You will therefore get the best value from working with UTM if you are willing and able to engage in clear, prompt, reliable communication for the duration of your campaign.

Don’t make the mistake of handing everything over to your publicist and walking away, expecting things to magically happen without you. Your press campaign is about your music and your profile as an artist; you need to be a central part of it!

PRICING

UTM campaigns begin at $750 USD for minimum terms of six weeks, with discounted rates available on terms of three months or more. A flexible range of negotiable options are also available to suit different projects.

CONTACT

- If you are an editor, interviewer, reviewer, or blogger wishing to receive press kits or info from artists in the UTM roster
- If you are a DJ or broadcaster who would like to receive promo downloads from our artists
- or if you are an artist who would like to know more about joining the UTM roster yourselfThen please email us using the Contact form below.

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