Music is a fundamental aspect of our daily life. Though it might not be known to many, music has several psychological impacts on our brain. Some of the impacts include improving your memory and improving your mood. The music we listen to is just a small percentage of all the music made. So, what makes it stand out from the rest?
Like all forms of art, music is subject to the audience’s opinion. It is quite common to see musicians with years of practice and multiple album releases get little recognition, while some less experienced musicians rise to stardom overnight.
There is no dedicated music marketing path to becoming a famous artist and for some fame is a mirage. Through promoting your music, you can raise your chances of making it in the music industry and make a living off music.
Unlike in the past, where musicians had to rely on record label companies to build their audience, you can now do your promotion. This self-promotion has been made possible by platforms such as HUDL music. You simply make the music and they do the work of making sure it reaches the masses.
Ways to Promote Your Music
Techniques you can use to promote your music or band include:
Creating a Mailing list
As a musician beginning your music career creating a list is a great way to keep tabs on your possible fans and promote your Music. Your pool of fans will include people you studied with, colleagues, or even family. Before you venture out into the world, you will need your small circle of friends that will support you and offer feedback.
These people can be the first members of your mailing list. Aim to expand the mailing list to a couple of hundreds. As you interact with new people, casually mention that you are a musician and inquire if you can add them to your mailing list.
You are not guaranteed to captivate all the people on your mailing list, but you will have some genuine fans. These fans will always push you to release new content. You may even be lucky enough to get a promotion through your fans. The promotion may include opportunities to perform, contacts in the music industry, or referrals to new fans.
Using Music Streaming Services
Ever thought of global sound promotion? Well, the answer lies in streaming services. Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, and Apple music are some of the available platforms you can use to reach a global audience.
Most streaming platforms are subscription-based so if an artist meets the requirements, they are eligible to receive royalties. The services also come with analytics tools for musicians that can help them develop strategies and ways of increasing their audience. For example, if any musician chooses Spotify promotion service then it will be easy for him to figure out how the audience has reacted to his music and what are the possible improvements he may have in the future and so on.
You can also upload your music to free music promotion sites. They will get your music to a large population for free. This is a great way to quickly build a fanbase and promote your Music.
Perform at Gigs
Source: Pixabay
Live performances are a quick method to get an audience for you, and potentially your band. You can easily find a job performing live music at restaurants and pubs if you are good enough. Nothing lifts moods and promotes sales like live music. Restaurants are always ready to hire skilled musicians.
You can start by playing covers of famous songs and with time, incorporate your music. This will help you get a live reaction to your music and new fans. Gigging will also help you develop your confidence for live performance.
Interviews
Interviews are a great way to promote yourself and as well promote your Music. They give you a platform to market your music to a broad audience. Some interviews include a live or pre-recorded sample of your work to tease and intrigue the public into looking for your music.
Do not limit yourself to just radio and television interviews, blogs and podcasts also count as fast ways to promote your Music. Take advantage of every free song promotion opportunity that comes your way.
Using Social Media
Social media has become a part of our daily life. On average, humans spend 32 minutes on TikTok alone. People are constantly on their phones checking out the newest trending video. TikTok has seen the rise of stars such as Lil Nax and Meghan Thee Stallion, among others. The stars rose when their music went viral and got adopted as trend audio.
Facebook and Instagram have also acted as music promotion apps. They offer paid marketing, by increasing the number of accounts your posts reach.
Doing Live Streams
You can use live streams to do free music promotion on platforms such Twitch and YouTube. Social media platforms also have the option of doing a live broadcast. Live streams are a great way to market your songs and entertain your fans by releasing teasers of what you are working on.
Live streams also help you connect with your audience since your fans can comment as you play and they can make song requests. Most streaming platforms have systems that allow fans to donate money to artists. Such acts often boost morale among streamers.
Writing a Music Blog
Try writing a music blog if you are a good writer. Take time to write about your experience as a musician. Writing a blog will help you connect with your audience as they take time to read what you go through and what fuels the music they listen to.
Your blog should include your experiences, creative process, and things that you have discovered along your journey to stardom. Note that you should not sound promotional. If you are too promotional, people will lose interest. We all agree on how annoying constant advertisements are, right?
On the other hand, if you are not a skilled writer, you can try getting featured in a famous blog. This will go a long way in boosting your reach and marketing your music. This exercise can also help you generate material to use in interviews.
Final Words on Music Marketing
When it comes to independent music marketing, you have to be proactive. Making good music is only part of the process, the marketing bit may even be more important. Do your research then and find out what works for you.
Take time to invest in growing your social interaction skills. This will help you improve your networking ability and help you constantly advertise your music. It will eventually pay off when you make it in the music industry.
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