“LET’S TALK ABOUT…. pitching… promoting and placing your music…”
WEDNESDAY September 5 , 2012, 7:30-10pm
The Coffee Gallery, 2021 N. Lake Avenue, Altadena, CA
Toni Koch
Seminar! Song Critique! We will also be on SKYPE live with Toni so friends around the world are invited too! SKYPE ID: TONIKOCH92853
Log on around 7:30pm and we should get started soon after.
THIS EVENT AND SEMINAR IS FREE!!!
Toni Koch is a native of Phoenix, AZ now based in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in Artist Development & Management. For the past 20 years, Toni’s work and passion has focused on break out marketing and guerilla marketing for all styles of music, visual art and authors. She is known for her work as a street team pioneer (Evening Star Productions, Clear Channel), earning a few awards, Indie Promoter of the Year for local shows, a platinum record from Columbia Records for club and radio promotion in 1986 (The Hooters “And We Danced”) and has continued to be on the cutting edge in showcasing and connecting music industry forces with emerging talent. She is the owner/director of TK Promotions and the music placement vehicle Pitch-A-Song with bring music placement pro’s together with the music makers!
In the early 80′s Toni worked as the first woman manager for popular Zia Records Exchange – one of the first of its kind in the world that took in and traded “used” lp’s, 8 tracks and cassettes. CD’s hadn’t been introduced to the market yet. Trusted by most local musicians in Phoenix to help “get the word out”, Toni because more of an “artist activist” and continues to be one of the “voices” on the side of the entrepreneur helping major labels with breaking out a lot of now famous performers including: Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, K.D. Lang, Pat Benatar, Berlin, Missing Persons, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts as well as local bands who went on to join the majors including the Gin Blossoms, Jimmy Eat World and yes, The Tubes (originally the Beans.)
In the 90′s and early 2000′s Toni continued to learn by working at Tower Records (Phoenix 40th Street) as a buyer and also creating street teams for major labels needing to promote “out of stores and into the hands of real people.”
By 2001, Toni had earned a wonderful reputation for booking indie artists in Phoenix (thanks to her contacts) in quality venues as long as they would get people to the shows. Some of the early talent Toni met passing through Phoenix and booked them for early gigs include: Kristy Kruger, Velvet Janes, Martina Locke, Christie McCarthy, Roberta Donnay, gilli moon and yes, James Hurley.
(here with John Gannon & Paul McCarty of Wicked Saints)
Since moving here to Los Angeles in 2003, Toni has become one of the more popular bookers for “NOT” promoting in pay to play clubs and spends a lot of her own cash to help market, promote and pay for gigs.
Toni is known for bringing people together (communicator connector) and helping a lot of young producers, studio managers and others to get more exposure by placing them on COSMO State of the Industry panels to give them an opportunity to shine at various music conferences looking for new music industry reps coming up the ranks.
Toni is interested all styles of music especially when it is able to create a positive empowering energy to help others. In 2011, Toni became co-founder of Sister Soulstice with artist/vocalist Gina Thompson Venturini. They are working in association with COSMO and plan an end of year event (12/22/2012 tentatively) to bring together musicians, healing artists and small businesses catering to the empowerment of the feminine energy on this planet. Sister Soulstice hopes to also tour to various communities and build a network for anyone interested in expanding their own health awareness, alternative healing for various diseases and generating a family of those in service to helping others, not just themselves.
Although busy with various projects, Toni will make time to sit and listen if you have questions and may want direct answers. So bring your music, cd’s or live, lyric sheets if you have words to the songs, and questions you may want answered.
Toni is a member of ASCAP, and also supports various other organizations when called upon. Recently Toni and COSMO formed several pro panels for a recent indie entertainment summit. There she met more songwriters and composers who hopefully will make this SongNet event and meet some of our other friends.
DJ Spin panel at IES… photo by Judy Lamppu
If you would like to have a meeting or private consultation with Toni, please email her at pitchasong@gmail.com with your contact info, as well as website info and where to hear some of your music.
Lyric sheets are a plus when having someone review music, so please have your copyright info as well as P.R.O. (BMI, ASCAP or SESAC) also included so I know more about who may be best to also help you in the future.
You can also find Toni currently active on Facebook (Toni Koch, Toni K Pitchasong, and Kat-a-ToniK Music Discussion Group.) Toni is also on Twitter, www.twitter.com/tonikoch1.
