Stephen James Moore Interview on Music PR and Artist Marketing

In this 2023 interview, Stephen James Moore of Independent Music Promotions talked about music PR, artist marketing, authenticity, streaming, video and why he approaches promotion from a musician’s point of view.

A Musician Running a PR Company

Moore described himself first as a musician and creative. He said that background shaped the way he worked with artists because he understood the self-doubt, attachment and personal investment that can come with releasing music.

He was especially interested in what he called “music with depth” and in artists who did not fit neatly into obvious commercial categories. For him, the goal was not to flatten unusual music into whatever trend happened to be popular at the time.

Why He Started Independent Music Promotions

Moore founded Independent Music Promotions in 2011 after being disappointed by PR services he had encountered as an artist.

He said one of his priorities was building reliable media relationships and creating campaigns with clearer expectations around coverage. The larger idea was to give independent artists a more structured approach to publicity instead of selling vague promises of exposure.

Your Band Is a Virus and Long-Term Artist Marketing

Moore also wrote the Your Band Is a Virus book series about music promotion. His advice centered on practical, repeatable steps rather than expecting one campaign, one post or one placement to suddenly create a career.

He argued that artists should think in terms of a long creative legacy. That means continuing to make strong work while also building the promotional habits needed to help people discover it.

Streaming, Video and Holistic Marketing

By 2023, Moore saw video as increasingly important to music promotion. At the same time, he did not think artists should let format trends distract them from the music itself.

His preferred approach was what he called “holistic marketing”: using multiple promotional channels while keeping the artist’s identity and music at the center of the campaign.

That balance between creativity and strategy was a recurring theme in the interview. Moore believed artists needed to understand the business side of releasing music without letting the business side dictate what the art should become.

What He Wanted Artists to Remember

Moore’s main point was that sustainable promotion takes both patience and genuine enthusiasm for the work. He did not view music as simply another product category, and that perspective shaped the way he talked about PR, marketing and artist development.

For independent musicians, his advice was less about chasing one breakthrough moment and more about building a body of work, a promotional system and an audience over time.

For another creator-focused conversation, read our Alexandra Murrietta interview.