September 11, 2018

  • In Memoriam: Beth Krakower

    This past week, I received sad news that one of the many music publicists I have worked with over nearly a decade, Beth Krakower, lost her battle with breast cancer.  The past two years she has kept many of us in her Facebook circle up to date with the progress, or lack thereof, of this horrible disease.  It seemed as Spring appeared that things were turning for the better, but as is the case with cancer, this turned out to be but a momentary reprieve.

    Beth worked diligently to connect reviewers and others in the industry to projects coming our way.  She represents some of the finest established composers in the industry, as well as a host of budding composers whose work she triumphed.  What made her unique I think is that she did not just write up the press releases of the music, but you got a sense that she also listened to whatever she was promoting as well.  That's a pretty rare thing.

    Here's just a bit of the announcement for her company, The Krakower Group:

    Beth was an innovator with a brilliant mind for marketing and business, and an unrivaled passion for music and helping music creators. She built the Krakower Group to serve composers, music supervisors, record labels and music festivals around the world. Today, the global music community, as well as her family and many friends and colleagues mourn her loss. Beth was generous, kind, and fearless in the pursuit of publicity and recognition for clients. Her wit, kindness and compassion were some of her most enduring traits, as any who knew her will attest. As a boss, mentor, and friend, she was second to none.

    So many of the composer she worked with have offered there own memories this past week on FB.  For me, it has been a rather emotional time to log on and see her face and the many thoughts and ways she touched others lives.  I know it seems a little unusual, but the truth is, Beth was genuine, the sort of quality often missed these days.  Her humor and joy for life and just the many little communications we had will be greatly missed.  As she had such an impact on just a professionally "casual" relationship, my heart goes out to all those who had the privilege of knowing her more.