Chad Cornies of No Rules PR started sending me information about bands he represents late last year, and I was immediately struck by his dedication. Curious about the services his company offers, I reached out for his rate card, and that led to a longer conversation about what I’m (ideally) looking for when artists reach out to me for interviews and radio play on AMS Radio. Of course, I was still curious about the services his company offers, so our conversation naturally evolved into a full-blown interview…

No Rules PR touts itself as a full-service artist-development company. What’s involved in artist development?

We’re a PR agency that helps get artists’ music in front of press and radio at the core. But everyone involved has extensive experience in the music industry, either in management, booking, or playing in bands that have toured internationally. So when we get working with an artist, we’re always available to help them build their own team that can cover all of those various pieces that help build a career, or at least help with momentum and trajectory. It’s kind of like free consulting when you work with us. There’s a lot of artists who’ve just never gone through stuff like royalty collections, merchandising logistics, finding a label, or securing good distribution. 

How did you get into the business, and how did you learn to do everything No Rules PR offers?

I actually can’t thank Mavis Harris at Nice Marmot PR enough. When we were mid-pandemic she took me on as an apprentice. I had done most of the PR work for my bands in the past, it was just always the role I kind of fell into. I actually thought I was pretty good at it, but there was never an opportunity to give it a more serious go. The pandemic offered a lot of free time and reflection, and so I approached Mavis, who took me on and helped show me the ropes for a couple of years. Then she let me spread my wings and start my own thing. 

You mentioned that you got into the business to help out friends’ bands and your own band — and that you’ve been ripped off by PR people in the past. How were you ripped off, and are there any scams you think artists need to watch out for?

It’s true, but I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus directly. I’ll just say that some folks take on extremely large rosters, and don’t really get very invested in the people they’re representing. I’ve spent large sums of money in the past, to get extremely poor results. Unfortunately I come across a lot of  bands, especially more indie/DIY bands, that are skeptical of PR people for the same reason. It’s tough parting with your money, and if you do, you want to see some results. Now that I’ve been in the biz a little while, I see that there are so many variables that you just can’t control, but I still think it’s my job to produce a solid final report. As an artist, I think it’s really important to ask around for pricing, check social media, and talk to former clients to get a good picture of who you’re working with before you spend your money. 

What are some examples of successful campaigns you’ve run, and what made them successful?

It’s all relative really. Some bigger bands might land a spot in Stereogum or Pitchfork, other smaller bands might get dozens of press hits at punk blogs and radio. I feel like it’s a successful campaign when the client is happy, but also when I’m happy. I put a lot of effort into it, and probably too much pressure. Haha. If I had to pick one, probably Wine Lips. I did their second album and we landed something like 300 press hits over the album campaign. It kept me busy!

What kinds of artists can benefit from your services, and what should they expect?

I’d say I’m from an indie/punk/garage sort of background myself, so I feel like I can talk the talk best in those circles, but I’ve done everything from Americana, to Sea Shanties. I communicate well with artists, and always make sure their input is heard. I like to work on the press releases to best suit their style, I give weekly progress reports, and I tailor campaign outreach for each artist uniquely. But in the end, I hope to make friends out of all of this. I started this to help friends from my international community, and I’m really still mostly doing that. I’m big on travel and I love the idea of knowing someone in every city I visit. 

I imagine there’s some give-and-take involved in a campaign. What does the artist need to bring to the table, and what do you bring in return?

I think the best campaigns happen when the artist comes in with a clear vision and is willing to stay engaged during the process. They don’t need to have a giant plan or anything, but knowing what they want to say, how they want to present themselves, and being responsive when we need assets or approvals really helps move things along.

What I bring is the strategy and the heavy lifting. I shape the campaign, write the press materials, and figure out the best way to get their music in front of the right people. I keep them updated every week, adjust things based on what’s working, and make sure we’re always moving toward something. It’s collaborative, but I try to take as much off their plate as possible so they can focus on being an artist.

Do you ever have to engage in any kind of expectations-management?

I wouldn’t say I deal with expectations-management in a heavy way, but there are definitely generational differences in how artists approach the work. Musicians who built their careers before the 90s often came up in a very different industry. Not everyone wanted to be a musician, and those who did treated it more like a job. There were clearer systems around getting paid, contracts and royalties were more straightforward, and press was more centralized. What you said or did appeared in a handful of outlets that people actually read, so your image and reputation carried a different weight.

With some legacy artists, that older model can still shape how they see things. They can sometimes be a bit more protective of their art, or they might expect PR to function like traditional publicity, which is more about image management than running targeted campaigns. I don’t fault them for that at all. It’s usually just a matter of aligning expectations and explaining how modern campaigns work so we’re all on the same page.

Are there any projects you’re excited to be working on right now?

YES!!! 

This one is out:

American Lips: Los Angeles art-punk trio featuring Sebastien from Death From Above 1979: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/americanlips/on-strike

These are for 2026:

The Darts: Seattle garage vixens with worldwide touring and a ferocious live show

The Fake Friends: Montreal dance-punk and post-punk energy for fans of Parquet Courts, Culture Abuse and Yard Act

Spencer Krug: Solo album from the celebrated Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown member

I’m also curious about your own music. You play in a band called Autogramm. Can you share a short history of the band? Are you still playing?

It’s a new wave power pop band with members in Vancouver, Seattle and Chicago. We’re not super active, as you can probably guess, being in 3 cities, but we do manage to do a few North American shows every year, and most years a short European tour. We’re between album and in the “writing phase” right now. 

We have a synth-heavy sound that pulls from bands like Devo, The Cars and Gary Numan, with a bit of punk and modern pop mixed in. We all came up through art, punk and skate communities and we keep things pretty DIY. The band includes folks from groups like Black Mountain, Destroyer, The Catheters and The Black Halos. We’ve toured a bunch in North America, the UK and Europe, and our last record did well on campus radio and Sirius XM. Our most recent album has a little Bowie and Prince energy in the mix too! 

I love the video for you song “Born Losers.” What inspired it?

Well, honestly, we were given a video budget and we said “let’s take a vacation!” Obviously we weren’t going to be able to afford an all inclusive resort. The best we could do for 4 people and a camera guy was a cheap ski resort in British Columbia. So we decided to make a tacky 80’s style, hotdoggin’ themed rock video. I think we nailed it, with terrible edits of a fake backflip and lots of cameos by everyone’s favorite pacific northwest celeb, Sasquatch! 

Any plans for the future?

I have a wonderful three-year-old daughter, so she’s the main focus for the future. Beyond that, I just want to keep the PR momentum going and still sneak in some touring with my best buds in Autogramm whenever life allows.