Michael J Media Group

Michael J Media Group Madison based PR company About the Michael J. And who doesn’t want to be heard? That’s why Mike Farley started his PR company, Michael J. Media Group, in 2002.

Media Group

Getting the word out about your band is hard work, but it’s vital for any musical artist who wants to be heard. Mike had achieved quite a bit of regional success as an artist in Cleveland, Ohio, and decided to put his strong networking skills to good use by helping other acts achieve maximum exposure regionally, nationally and online. After building up his business while living in Cle

veland, and then in Nashville for seven years, Mike now lives in Madison, Wisconsin and has become one of the most sought-after indie publicists in the business. Current and former clients include Kate Voegele, David Mayfield Parade, JD Souther, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Will Kimbrough, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Jason & the Scorchers, Monte Montgomery, Kim Richey, Flyleaf, Todd Snider, Al Di Meola, Poco, Pure Prairie League, The Samples, Kentucky Headhunters, Badfish (Tribute to Sublime), Guy Clark, The Greencards, Ludo, Firefall, and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk. The Mike Farley Band released four independent albums and was voted Best Rock Band by the Cleveland Free Times two years in a row. Mike and his band opened for such artists as Dave Matthews, Tori Amos, Edwin McCain and the Pretenders. His songs have been placed on ABC-TV’s All My Children, as well as on various MTV show and ESPN’s X-Games. In addition, the Houston Astros baseball team licensed Mike’s song “Play Ball” for their team video, which was shown in Minute Maid Park for every home game during the 2003 season. Mike also released an acoustic album, Moments and Memories, in 2007, and The Mike Farley Band played a reunion show in 2010 with plans to record again soon.

Check out the May newsletter on our website!Happy May, everyone. So, for some strange reason I wanted to look at the pa...
05/01/2026

Check out the May newsletter on our website!
Happy May, everyone. So, for some strange reason I wanted to look at the past few years of May newsletters. And I landed on 2020. You all remember that as the year the music stopped. Well, not literally of course. But the entire global population had to hit pause-- then we were forced to assess our lives and our futures that were suddenly in serious question.

Six years later, COVID-19 is still here, but the world has ways to fight it and to heal those of us that have had it. It's no longer life-threatening to us all,, no matter how healthy or unhealthy we are. But it still sucks, and we lost too many lives (1.2 million in the U.S. alone), and over 7 million worldwide.
And here we are in 2026,and there are some words terms that you may remember, that now sound quaint:
Social distancing
PPE (personal protective equipment)
Quarantine
Pandemic (duh)
Six feet away
Front-liners (hospital staff that were literally at war with this thing)
Zoom (the way we had to have meetings)
Karen (my personal favorite)
Livestream

Thankfully we all had TV, music and internet, For those of us who missed live music, there were the aforementioned livestreams of concerts. Well, it was more like people putting on shows from the comfort of their homes. Or, for some, from a venue in front of no in-person fans. Live sporting events were on hold for at least several months (I felt guilty that that one bothered me as much as it did, when so many families were dealing with losing loved ones).

But humans are resilient.. And six years later, most of us came away unscathed and went on with our lives. Personally, I'm thankful for me and my immediate family, and of course, all of you as we were able to keep Michael J. Media afloat.
Have a great month everyone, and thanks for listening!--Mike @ MJM

"Nostalgia. It's a twinge. In your heart. More powerful than memory alone......" Jen and I were watching something re...
04/01/2026

"Nostalgia. It's a twinge. In your heart. More powerful than memory alone......"
Jen and I were watching something recently on one of those "free" streaming networks, and those were the words from Don Draper (Jon Hamm) on the AMC show Mad Men. We were not watching that show, but Draper's monologue was utilized in a commercial which aired at literally every single break during the show we were watching. It got to the point where we were able to recite the monologue word for word.

My point here isn't about commercials on streaming platforms, but rather about the message, because one of the best things about music is that element of nostalgia--it brings to mind where we were upon hearing a particular song; or where and when we were listening to the track/artist on repeat almost as much as that commercial aired. I have a playlist simply called "My favorite songs of all-time," and in it you will find songs by artists such as Toad the Wet Sprocket, Iron Maiden, Robbie Dupree, Scandal, Michael McDonald, Pinegrove, Lisa Loeb, Lee Ritenour, and Led Zeppelin.

It also applies to remembering when we listened to a particular album (remember when we played records start to finish?). Each one is from a different part of my life such as going through a breakup, driving to visit friends out of state, sitting on an airplane, seeing the artist in concert, playing wiffleball in the driveway as a kid, etc.

So here's hoping that the music of the artists we promote gives you that nostalgic feeling. I know that people have told me stories to that effect. Folks have even said this to me about Mike Farley Band songs, something that is awesome yet hard to wrap my head around.

So Happy Spring, Happy April Fool's Day, Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and Happy 4/20. Have a great month, and thanks for listening!--Mike @ MJM

Check out our client on our website!

Check out our full March newsletter on our website.Hey all....so as many of you are still experiencing the six weeks of ...
03/03/2026

Check out our full March newsletter on our website.

Hey all....so as many of you are still experiencing the six weeks of winter that Punxsutawney Phil promised a month ago today, there have been signs of thawing and of a somewhat early spring in some areas. It's kind of odd that here in Wisconsin we have had far less snow than the northeast and lower midwest has experienced. But we have seen extreme cold and wind chills as low as -45 degrees. And then a few weeks later, we hit 64 degrees......in February!

This is all to say that spring, a universal symbol of rebirth and renewal, is upon us; and as part of that, things start heating up in the music business. In particular, many bands and artists begin touring in March and April. Festival season begins in spring and kicks into high gear around June.

I also wanted to share something that a bandmate of mine from way back in the day just told me in a group text. We were all discussing our current music projects, he said, "It never leaves us"....and this is such a true statement. If you are a musician at any level, you are likely reading this and nodding your head in agreement. We may take some time off when a project reaches the end of its life cycle, but we usually can't not start a new one--even if it's years down the road.

As a publicist, I see these cycles happen a lot. And they always give off satisfied, happy vibes. So here's to spring, and new beginnings!. Thanks for listening!--Mike @ MJM

Lots to say this month.... but really, the clients are shining ⭐️Check out the newsletter this month on michaeljmedia.co...
02/02/2026

Lots to say this month....

but really, the clients are shining ⭐️

Check out the newsletter this month on michaeljmedia.com

Happy New Year, everyone! I know you don't need me to tell you that it feels like we just rang in 2025. But to put thi...
01/05/2026

Happy New Year, everyone!
I know you don't need me to tell you that it feels like we just rang in 2025. But to put things in context, it's been SIX YEARS since we went through a global pandemic.

Anyway, a colleague told me recently that the years whizzing by as you get older is an actual scientific truth--that if you divide 1 year by every year you've been on the planet, the percentage gets smaller and smaller as we age. It means that this coming year will be shorter than last year to all of us, based on our overall individual lives.

To me, it's just another reminder that our time on earth is relatively short, and it's important to make the best of it. Of course, this is something I think about with the start of each new year, but when you factor in that bit of age science, it's another kick in the pants to "do" rather than just "say".

And so I'm going to repeat one of the best mantras I heard in 2025, from one of my clients who based an entire album on it--"Aging is inevitable; getting old is optional."

With that, I wish you all a 2026 filled with all the things that make you happy and/or successful. Thanks for reading and listening!--Mike @ MJM

Check out the rest of our newsletter on our website michaeljmedia.com

Sharing some holiday music from our clients. Enjoy “Echos of Evergreen”. 🎄
12/03/2025

Sharing some holiday music from our clients. Enjoy “Echos of Evergreen”. 🎄

Hi everyone.....we have come to that part of the year again--the holiday season. The other day, I was explaining to som...
12/01/2025

Hi everyone.....we have come to that part of the year again--the holiday season. The other day, I was explaining to someone I had just met what I do for a living. The response is almost universally the same--"wow, that sounds like a cool gig!" And my reply is always the same--"yes, yes it is." And it's true--I've been doing this for 23 years now and still love it. I feel lucky and blessed.

So thanks to folks like you that are either fans of the artists and record labels we represent, members of the media who cover those acts, or colleagues in the industry that I work with every day or maybe just every once in a while. You all keep me and Michael J. Media going, and I will always appreciate that.

So I hope you have a great holiday season. Remember to be kind to others, stay safe, and enjoy every moment you can during the next month or so. Thanks for reading and listening, and happy holidays!--Mike @ MJM

Check out what clients are up to at our website.
michaeljmedia.com

New Newsletter up on our website! Here is a sneak peek: Hey everyone, hope you're having a good start to your November...
11/03/2025

New Newsletter up on our website! Here is a sneak peek:

Hey everyone, hope you're having a good start to your November. I can't believe I just typed out that it's November. Didn't I just write something about New Year's resolutions?

Anyway, I am dealing with a computer virus on my laptop, so I'm currently writing this from my son's laptop while mine gets basically wiped out and rebooted. Be careful what you click on, folks; especially when you are working very early in the morning, just a few sips of coffee in. Ugg.
I've also written about my sports fandom here, so I hope you'll indulge me with another sports take. The World Series this year was the most exciting one I've seen in a very long time. The two teams were very evenly matched, had some of the game's biggest stars, went 7 games; and despite the fact that I was pulling hard for the Blue Jays, the mighty freaking Dodgers found a way to flip the script and pull it out in 11 innings on Saturday.

But watching that game made me consider something. Is there any aspect of sports other than a title-clinching game where a fan, player, coach, or anyone affiliated with a team can go from the highest high to the lowest low and back to the highest high and back to the lowest low again--sometimes in the span of a minute? It was gut-wrenching for me just watching the fans in Toronto. The stakes were as high as it gets and every pitch, every swing, every catch and every decision was critical in real time.

As excruciating as that is, I do remember the Mets and Giants doing this to me several times in my life. So I've been there, and the process of watching the action--while technically awesome and exciting--is a test of faith and emotional endurance that always makes me wonder why I do this to myself. I guess all I can say is that through ups and downs, I just love being a diehard fan and everything that goes along with that.

Well, except for the mood swings of mine that my poor wife has to endure. Sorry, babe!

Anyway, I hope you all have a great month and a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for listening, and here is what we have on tap this month.......

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