Cody Patrick, an A&R executive at Warner Brothers’ Asylum Records and the founder of Organic Music Marketing, discovered his passion for the music business when he was in high school in Atlanta. But while his friends were creating music, Patrick found himself far more interested in creating careers. “My goal since the age of 16 has been to have a successful career in the music marketing and promotions industry,” he recalls. “It took about ten years, but I can now say that I have achieved my goal.”
After high school, Patrick moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where he picked up a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eckerd College. When he moved back to Atlanta to put his education to work, he found that most PR agencies made big promises but failed to deliver. Patrick decided that he would open his own marketing agency and, more important, that he would always over-deliver for his clients.
He spent what he calls “a lot of time and money” on music promotions, learning what would stick and what wouldn’t, and soon found himself getting better results than the professionals. With the launch of Organic Music Marketing, Patrick immediately gained a reputation in the industry for both consistency and loyalty. He has since planned and executed hundreds of digital campaigns of all types and sizes.
“The most important part of my business journey so far has been my passion for what I do,” Patrick says. “When I first started to try to get into the music industry, I had to put in a lot of sweat equity. It has taken years, many sleepless nights, and a lot of sacrifices for me to create a successful career for myself in this industry. If I did not truly love music and what it does for people, I wouldn’t have been able to weather the storm.”
Today, Patrick’s company can develop and execute marketing campaigns for any artist and on any budget. He’s also directed and produced music videos in collaboration with Atlanta’s Resolve Media Group, including “Bad and Boujee” by Migos, while collaborating with dozens of hitmakers from T-Pain to Mac Miller. Patrick attributes Organic’s success to providing authentic marketing services that work and that provide a superior return on investment. The company’s two major principles, he says, are honesty and realness. As such, he and his team work exclusively with artists they believe they can promote effectively, passing on those that don’t meet their standards.
Organic Music Marketing now offers playlist promotion, public relations (PR), social media influencer marketing, online advertising, music video promotion, web design, and graphic design across all genres: hip-hop, pop, country, EDM, rock, and classical. “If the music gets into your ears and stays there, it has a home at OMM!” Patrick says.
Long-term, he aims to continue helping artists avoid the promotion scams that are endemic to the music industry. He wants to educate artists about what is possible, showcase how he runs his campaigns, and break down the value of capital, high-quality records, and hard work. In other words, transparency. Having witnessed early on what a negative and enduring impact bad marketing can have on artists, Patrick has made it his mission to always be better.
“We offer the same services and promotional techniques that are used by everyone from major record labels to indie artists,” Patrick says. “We deliver real results. OMM is basically a one-stop shop, as we work in every aspect of the music industry.”
Organic’s services are in such high demand now that Patrick typically juggles anywhere from 30-50+ clients at a time, from a desk he calls “my spaceship” because of its three large monitors. “I do digital marketing that requires a lot of constant multitasking,” he explains. “My clients are all releasing new content pretty consistently; just keeping up with all of them takes up most of my day.”
It’s a lot of work, but Patrick says that, like his artists, he’s inspired by seeing fans respond well to the music he promotes. He’s particularly proud of clients Tommie King, Hero The Band, and Marcel Alexander. “Their music always regenerates my spirits when I get low,” he says. Patrick tells those who want to break into the business to invest in themselves and their education, take advantage of the Internet and always be building a network.
As for Organic’s future and his own, Patrick is optimistic, to say the least. “I believe we will be considered the best music promotion company in the world within the next three years,” he says. “I also hope to have produced multiple awards winning music videos by then.”
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