Potomac Flacks: Firm Arranges "Strangest Press Conference Ever" for Russian Music Site

October 18, 2006

Allofmp3_3 A tipster alerts us to this tale:

Russian music downloading site AllofMP3.com faces heat from recording industry and U.S. government for selling unauthorized digital music. AllofMP3 hires local firm Qorvis Communications to tell its side of the story.
Yesterday, Qorvis arranges an online press conference for AllofMP3. Company Director General Vadim Momotin answers questions via Russian translator Ilya Levitov. Press conference attracts an impressive 59 journalists (including 4 separate BBC reporters)
USA Today's Kevin Maney calls it the "Strangest 'press conference' ever. Online, text only, not even via IM but essentially a constantly updated Web site with answers to journalists' questions. So the AllofMP3 folks basically stonewalled, not answering much of anything thoroughly."
Though Qorvis advisory says that a trancript will not be available (strange given that this is an online press conference and no one would need to "transcribe" it), Maney goes ahead and posts the whole exchange to his blog anyway, perhaps out of pique.

Posted by Matt Mackowiak on October 18, 2006 in Corporate PR , PR Firms | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Matt Mackowiak - Site Manager
Since 2003, Matt Mackowiak has been a communications professional in the U.S. Senate, at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, at a leading international PR firm, and has also worked on a presidential campaign in Iowa and in presidential advance. Follow him on Twitter - www.twitter.com/MattMackowiak

Laura Gross - Contributor
Laura Gross is currently president of Scott Circle Communications. She has served as deputy director of communications at the DNC, was Gov. Howard Dean's Communications Director and she worked in the press office at USAID during the Clinton administration. Her experience also includes time in the PR department of National Public Radio and she was part of Vice President Gore's advance team when he was in The White House.

Blain K. Rethmeier - Contributor
Blain K. Rethmeier is currently the Senior Vice President for Public Affairs for the American Insurance Association (AIA). Rethmeier joined AIA from the White House where he served as Special Assistant to the President for Communications and directed communications for the National Economic Council and Homeland Security Council. Prior to joining the White House, Rethmeier served as Press Secretary for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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