As for self-promotion for indie artists, online video platforms are still a force in the music business, and they can be an excellent avenue to get your music out there. Other social media platforms are also good places where artists can promote new music. The fast pace of technology has effectively given artists a lot more outlets to promote their music and communicate with fans. Technologies such as file-sharing, streaming, social media, and eCommerce are giving artists multiple opportunities to get their music in front of larger audiences and grow fan bases.
While some methods might not be available now, artists should take note of the many opportunities that still exist to promote their music. Do not forget about the traditional methods of music promotion, which still work extremely well for a song or band promotion. Instead of carelessly uploading your songs and hoping for the best, make a plan on how you will promote your new music release.
If you have no strategy to create consistent content around your music, then you need to take some time out and make a plan to help you bring your A-game. It is best to never skip a beat when it comes to your music content, but every strategy is different, so sit down and brainstorm which approaches might work best for you as an artist. You should regularly be creating newsworthy stories, engaging with media, and building awareness around your music, tours, special events, releases, awards, etc. If you are going to put effort into performing live in order to promote your music and build a buzz, then your live shows should be more than just good…they should be incredible.
You are going to be using your website to help you market your music online, sharing new releases, adding to your complete discography, and gathering interest for your live shows. You can always add additional options once you have settled into the groove of online promoting your music authentically.
Moreover, videos can also be added to your website, the site that promotes your music (such as an online press outlet, blog, or venue site), or linked to and shared across other platforms. You could even put up the behind-the-scenes production behind videos, topic posts, or other content related to the music to let viewers get to know you better.
Videos on social media platforms can be a mixture of non-musical content and musical content, simply document each step of your journey through a video record. You can create official music videos, live recordings, behind-the-scenes content, or whatever helps you express yourself as an artist. Social media offers the most direct method of staying engaged with fans and advertising your music.
Always keep in mind that to create interesting short videos, you would have to learn to create engaging content on online platforms to get in front of new listeners and potential fans of your music. You also want to engage new audiences and convert them into fans, and music blogs are a great way to do this. You can also use a combination of some online platforms to promote and sell your music, receive feedback, and see how fans respond to your songs.
To get the most out of your promotional efforts, approach blogs and video channels that your music would be well-suited to, and make sure you craft a pitch that stands out from the pack. Similar to blogs, podcasts can help grow your fanbase and are a growing trending way of engaging fans. You could even start your own podcast and use it as a tool to promote yourself to listeners. Always look to leverage any great opportunities, tools, and services that are available in your budget for getting your music out there, so you are making the most out of every new project.
Music Collaborations are an awesome way to promote your music but also work with other musicians, which is going to be helpful in a lot of ways, especially if you are looking to learn new things and broaden your perspective. It is a great way to put your music in front of a different crowd of people and make some new fans. Moreover, you can collaborate on just about anything. Even if it is just friends because working together with multiple artists allows for cross-promotion on a smaller scale, being featured on each other’s platforms, and taking advantage of each other’s communities. You could split the work amongst yourselves if you are making music with others, but if you are a solo musician, then you can look into different methods to reduce your workload. For instance, try to do some research on music cryptocurrency and how it works, or look more into how the music blockchain technology is affecting the world of music and whether you can benefit from it. Always remember that there are new and better ways to do your stuff, and finding the technique that works best for you can make a big difference.
In addition to the above, you can reach out to as many industry contacts as you like, but if they do not think your music is up to their standards, there is no incentive for them to help you promote it. Even if you are making high-quality music and have a good fanbase, the artists’ apathy may cost you many opportunities. Trying to get press is difficult, and getting tastemakers excited about your music is a daunting task.
Coverage by even one small music outlet can go a long way to getting your music out in front of a wider audience. You absolutely can submit your new releases or stories to music blogs and journalists within your genre to get broader press coverage. If you are looking to promote your music for free, one of the best things you can do is to pitch to music blogs and websites.
Artists looking to promote their music should research ways they can get their songs on as many playlists that match their genre as possible. What it means is that you should devote a significant amount of time reaching out to event organisers, radio stations, websites that somehow feature your music genre, TV channels, DJs, musicians more established than you, etc. While many musicians spend lots of time grinding away trying to build up one-by-one new fans, the most successful, full-time musicians will usually invest a good amount of their time building relationships with the people that are better at getting their music out there than they are. Live performances are not usually a path to immediate stardom, but it is obviously an extremely important way of developing a local following and spreading your music.
We hope that you find these ways useful to help advance your music career by creating good quality music and growing your fandom.