Anne Leighton Music Services “because it’s still about the Music”
Have a free download of Anne’s E-book, GET THE GIG. Her philosophy is “our work–be we an artist or a business person or politician or teacher, coach, police officer, writer, musician–is a service.” This book will help you evolve into helping your customers. Everyone around you will achieve more joy and find work in their fields because of your positive influences, and you will be working till the day you die! Money back guarantee!!!!
GET THE GIG book
Anne Leighton Media * Music Services * Motivation is a multi-faceted company that helps artists who need development, marketing and/or promotional services in their careers.
Some artists just need help with developing media strategies, including web presence. Others have special needs to find support with industry relations, project development (including event production), touring. Anne’s rolodex encompasses colleagues who have hundreds of years’ experience-combined in marketing, promotions, outreach, and the development of product for audio, video, print, internet and mobile mediums.
Her contacts include those in entertainment, government, charity, education, and commercial industries, and can be used in accordance with her artists’ needs. For that reason, she also consults Bronx industry of all sizes on how they can better promote themselves and use the media.
The combination of all these dynamics create opportunities for artists–of all career levels–to reach consumers (music fans).
Anne’s Music Services gig sprouted up through developing Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius and Jann Klose over the years. As her belief has always been that anyone can create their own opportunities as opposed to waiting for “the music business” to back them, she helped both these artists. “It’s important to note that Joe was proactive in creating work and knowing what to do, so we have great collaborations. In addition to creating music, both of them found gigs, ways to contribute to movies, and were involved in planning tour accommodations…”
Understanding music services also helps with various media needs. For instance, when filmmakers or authors contact her to use one of her artist’s music or album cover, she knows that other people (publishers or record companies) would probably be the ones who could authorize usages.
Though she has helped various friends through the years, Anne started her gig in publicity while she was working at Hit Parader magazine around 1992 and ’93. First Glenn Hughes contacted her to see about doing tour press for a reunited Trapeze. Then Warrant’s manager Obi Steinman asked Anne to publicize their tour after they left SONY Records.
She made the leap from being a music editor and journalist to servicing the writers, starting with helping the New York-based progressive rock band Ten Ton Tide. She and the group created the First Tuesday music series with help from a variety of progressive rock media. Loving the community, Anne vowed that someday she’d be the best progressive rock publicist around! In some ways she did, working with classic acts Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull/Martin Barre, Patrick Moraz, Gentle Giant, Allan Holdsworth, Renaissance/Jim McCarty/Annie Haslam, Gong, Magna Carta Records, Billy Sherwood, as well as plenty of indie acts including Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius, whom she also manages.
Now Anne focuses on Indie Music in an artist development framework. Joe, Phoebe Legere, Sharon Katz, John Hall, Jann Klose, and the Indie Collaborative are her main clients. She’s building relationships with many other indie artists, and helping to spread the word to the media, music supervisors, and other clients.
One of the top tour publicists in North America, some of the extraordinary artists and projects Anne’s serviced through the years include:
*eclectic guitarist Gary Lucas
*Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson
*urban folk jazz singer-songwriter/guitarist Kj Denhert
*Off-Broadway show The Gong Show Live
*Rock Hall of Famers the Yardbirds
*singer-songwriter/keyboardist Dean Friedman
*Legendary keyboardists Patrick Moraz (Yes, Moody Blues) AND Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge, Carl Palmer, Dave Mason)
*singer-songwriter/guitarist and keyboard phenomenon Mike Keneally
*The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
*blues rockers The Fabulous Thunderbirds
*soul r&b greats Tower of Power
*singer-songwriter/drummer/genius promoter extraordinaire Carmine Appice (SLAMM, Vanilla Fudge)
*guitarist/songwriter/teacher Alex Skolnick
*The Entertainment Continuing Ed program at Baruch College
*drummer/clinician/music teacher for deaf and blind students Carl Palmer (of Asia, ELP fame)
*classic rock and rollers Jay and the Americans
*innovative “A-metal-cana” artist (also Firehouse’s guitarist) Bill Leverty
*record company Fuel 2000
*Cevin Soling (the movie: THE WAR ON KIDS and the band: The Love Kills Theory),
*Rock band: the Smithereens
*baroque/chamber pop pioneers The Left Banke
*rock/pop/world/dance/prog/folk/singer-songwriter Jann Klose
*Rock Troubadour and writer Elliott Murphy
*folk singer/teacher/songwriter/guitarist Dan Berggren
*singer-songwriter/keyboardist/philosopher Vonda Shepard!
*flautist Wouter Kellerman
*Progressive rockers Druckfarben
*Musician/writer/lecturer Dean Madonia
Strategies for Joe Deninzon
Responsibilities include building collaborative live events on the road and in the media. Capitalizing on Joe’s musicianship as a leader in alternative violin technique.
http://www.stratospheerius.com
Strategies for Phoebe Legere
My mission is to help Phoebe as she lives her destiny as a trans-genre artist.
www.phoebelegere.com
Strategy for Jann Klose
My mission is to reconnect Jann with his American fans, and help take him to the next level.
http://www.GaryLucas.com
Strategy for Sharon Katz
My mission is to repave familiar territory, and connect Sharon to new organizations so she can fulfill more missions to help build bridges and break down walls.
http://www.SharonKatz.com
Strategy for John Hall
Spreading the word on John’s message of Science, music, hard work, and optimism. The Orleans member/former leader of Congress/co-founder of Musicians United Against UnSafe Energy. http://www.JohnHallMusic.com.
Strategies for Anne Leighton
A writer coming of age in a career that has had lucky traction. https://anneleighton.com/writings/
Strategies for Indie Collaborative
Focusing on events, while connecting with master musicians on missions.
About Anne
Having taught the Entertainment Publicity program at Baruch College’s Continuing Education Department for 10 years as an Adjunct Lecturer, Anne is also in demand as a source for news–having appeared on the Great American Talkdown, WBAI, the Reporters, and spoken and/or been part of panels at conferences and conventions including The Cat Writers Conference, The Millennium Music Conference, Empire State Music Conference, IBS, CMJ, The DIY Convention. She has also worked in commercial radio and as a researcher and talent acquisitions person in Television, and for a number of internet companies through the years.
Anne is a working writer, with plays, articles, books. Her first play REACH FOR THE SUN was performed by Poet’s Repertory Theater of Long Island in 1976. 2005 she presented a staged reading of her play, ONE WAY TO HEAVEN at the Howl Festival in New York City and as part of the Bronx-based series, HIDDEN TREASURE. The play was also performed by the River City Living Church in San Antonio, Texas and won the Jacob C. Hammer playwriting award at Lehman College in the Bronx. Her most recent play, THE PASSION OF MARY was read at Kingsbridge Library Center in the Bronx.
Some of the magazines she’s written for are ELEPHANT JOURNAL, PATCH, CREEM, BUFFALO BACKSTAGE, THE NORWOOD NEWS, BILLBOARD, GOLDMINE, THE MUSIC PAPER, INSIDE CONNECTION, MUSIC LIFE-JAPAN, ROCK HARD-FRANCE, MUSCLEMAG INTERNATIONAL, CATFANCY, INSIDE KARATE/KUNG FU, FELINE WELLNESS. Anne’s books USING YOUR ART AND THE MEDIA TO COMFORT PEOPLE (published by Free to Run, West Hills, CA) and PAWS FOR THOUGHT: HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR CAT IS THINKING (UK’s Rockwell Books) and now available in the States through mail order for $15 total at http://pawsforthoughtandyourcat.blogspot.com/.
Out now are two books: her self-published e-book, GET THE GIGS AND BE YOURSELF (Common Sense Career Creating) and her poetry book, THE LEIGHTON EXPLOSION (Soul Asylum, Canada). Anne is planning more works, a crowdfunding campaign, and has created a new video blog, THE LEIGHTON INCLUSION which is about her and what she sees!
Articles By or About Anne
I’ve always wanted to be on Music Business Radio. In 2021 that dream came true. The interview went nothing like I had imagined, but it was great. There’s a story about me interviewing Slayer as I ran tapes for a Music of Your Life Station. lightning100.com/musicbusinessradio/music-business-radio-anne-leighton/
Music Biz Weekly Interview on Hypebot: “How to get tour press with Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert. michaelbrandvold.com/blog/2019/12/ep-396-tour-press-with-anne-leighton/
The Set Up Podcast with Sydney & Sam: How I’ve been building Joe Deninzon’s career all these years. I’m emphasizing my publicity work for an artist that is the world’s leading expert on alternative violin technique. www.thesetupseries.com/podcast/episode/2ae6effa/joe-deninzon-pr-with-anne-leighton-or-ep-65
Bagel Logic: Talking about communication and why it’s important to speak up with Buffalo’s Thom Jennings, who writes for the Niagara Gazette. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-chat-with-anne-leighton-pauper-poet-and-publicist/id1606182187?i=1000554108222
My sistersinsong and I talk about working together to create awareness on needs for the disabled. shesaid-so.medium.com/meet-the-women-behind-recording-artists-and-music-professionals-with-disabilities-rampd-61fafe6b13a
Interview with Jim Gibson, Big Jim’s Records. Big Jim got me a job with the Slambovians, and we haven’t looked back since. Jim has left this Mortal Coil, but he was a friend. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3k01Q_N_vw
I wrote for Michael Brandvold’s music promotion blog about what publicists (and really consultants, in general) expect from the clients, whose careers they’re working to build. http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/what-publicists-need-from-musicians-guest-post-by-anne-leigh.html?lastPage=true&postSubmitted=true
Interview with Lou Lombardi on how we service our clients and our audiences.
Build The Bronx Business By Business, my media service for independent businesses in my borough.