10 Free Music Marketing Tips for Musicians or Artists
1. Create an engaging online presence with effective social media and utilization of streaming platforms.
It should go without saying that having an online presence is essential for musicians regarding marketing. But one of the biggest mistakes new and emerging artists make is playing the numbers game online without meaningfully cultivating an engaging online presence. What is the way to combat this? Stop looking at your follower count on Instagram and start looking at how many of your followers are continually viewing, liking, and commenting on your posts. Similarly, stop relying on incremental increases in your streams on Spotify (or worse, throwing out new music constantly to up the numbers). Instead, look at your monthly listener base, what songs they listen to most, and who your fanbase might be.
2. Decide what kind of live performer(s) you want to be.
Live performance is an integral part of music and is still the best tried-and-tested way of building a fanbase. But from a marketing point of view, artists need to decide precisely what type of live performers they want to be – otherwise; they risk being pigeonholed. For example, if you’re an ambitious rock band with new material but take a gig in your local bar playing covers every Friday night, don’t be surprised if you quickly get labeled a cover band. Conversely, please don’t be too picky about gig offers; otherwise, bookers and venue managers will start ignoring you. Being discerning about live performance is a good marketing strategy.
3. Use email marketing to reach the media.
This one is straightforward: Compile a list of media figures you think might want to share your music with the broader world. Hire a copywriter to make killer content. Attach all relevant video and photo assets. And fire off exciting emails about your new music and upcoming shows.
4. Use email marketing to reach your fanbase.
Social media is an excellent way to reach fans, but email can offer a personal touch. Using email, artists can share exclusive news with their dedicated fanbase and show them ways of exploring premium content.
5. Employ an effective video strategy.
Video content can massively increase your reach and viewership and serve as an auxiliary to your music. As well as the obvious example of creating music videos, artists can use video content to tease new releases, share live videos, and offer BTS insight – all of which fans love.
6. Carefully devise your branding, logo, and other design assets
Some artists treat branding and graphic design as an afterthought. We recommend that you don’t find yourself in this category! Your designs are essential and will be everywhere – from festival line-ups to album sleeves to social media display pics. Please think very carefully before you share them with the world.
7. Understand your genre and where you might fit on streaming platforms.
Most artists hate reducing their music to simple genre categories – and we fully understand that – but it can sometimes be beneficial. For example, understanding your genre can help you seek out playlist placements on streaming platforms, dramatically increasing your reach.
Don’t ignore the power of physical album sales.
With Taylor Swift almost single-handedly taking vinyl back to a dominant position, it’s clear that the death of physical music products has been greatly exaggerated. Artists should consider adding vinyl and CD products to their market strategy before releasing music. For one thing, it can help them gain revenue in ways that streaming doesn’t allow. For another thing, dedicated fans often covet these physical products.
9. Don’t ignore the power of merch.
The same logic as the above: your merchandise is essential for marketing, increasing revenue, and building relationships with fans. Make sure you’re creating effective merchandise.
10. Build relationships within your local community.
This final point is less ‘market-y’ than the previous points but no less critical. Artists don’t live in a bubble. Most artists are sustained by relationships within their community – including local businesses, arts organizations, and small venues – in their early stages. By building relationships within your community, artists can secure their reputations as they grow bigger. (Think of Bruce Springsteen’s relationship with New Jersey or Drake’s relationship with Toronto, and you’ll get a sense of how much community matters to successful artists.)
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@c4n2agency
Media Contact
Company Name: C4n2
Contact Person: Sidon Farris
Email: Send Email
Phone: (424) 303.1101
City: Los Angeles
State: CA
Country: United States
Website: https://c4n2.com
