With the rise of streaming on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and others, selling music online is no longer limited to major artists who can afford expensive recording contracts. Now, new artists, songwriters, and performers have more opportunities than ever to make a living selling their music.However, promoting your music can be a difficult task for independent musicians. By the end of this post, you should have a better idea of what you need to do to connect with your fans and promote your music to the most people.
Importance Of Promoting Your Music As A New Musician
As a new musician, it is vital to promote your music and get it out into the wild as soon as possible. However, promoting your music as a new musician can be challenging, and for musicians of all kinds, it is not easy to get their name out there and get people to listen to their music. All musicians need to promote their music to gain traction and reach a wider audience. Fortunately, technology has made it easier for musicians to promote their music online.
The first step in promoting yourself is to understand the type of audience you want to reach. There are many ways you can promote your music, including social media, live shows, and more. If you’re looking for ways to promote your music without spending a lot of money, consider creating an event or giveaway that will draw people in and help them share your content with their friends. So let’s look at the steps in more detail.
Market Yourself Via Your Own Site
A website is an essential tool for musicians to promote their music, as it helps the musician create a professional image and gain more exposure. A website can help you build an audience and get people to listen to your music in a way that is not possible with other platforms. It also enables you to reach out to fans who might be interested in your music but don’t know where to find it. Moreover, you will need a site as a kind of calling card that you direct all other traffic towards. For example, later on, you will see how powerful social media can be to promote your music. You will, however, need a website to place in your bio to take full advantage of your social media channels.
Create A SoundCloud Account
SoundCloud is a platform for recording, editing, mixing, and sharing sounds. SoundCloud enables artists to share their work and find like-minded people who share the same interests. It is also a place where artists can get feedback from their listeners, which can prove extremely valuable to refine your sound and provide you with inspiration for new tracks and albums. It provides users with an easy way to share their sounds with the world. Although SoundCloud is free to use when you are starting, you can also pay for premium accounts that offer additional features that can be hugely beneficial for aspiring artists. Some of these premium advantages include:
- Upload time is unlimited.
- You can access advanced insights.
- If you need to replace a track, you won’t lose any valuable data.
- You can pin your favorite tracks, resulting in more playtime.
Surround Yourself With The Right Team
As a musician, you are always on the lookout for someone who can help you with your project. You need to make sure that the person you’re working with is talented and has the right personality. It is vital to surround yourself with people who have similar work ethics and goals as yours, which will help you avoid any conflicts and increase productivity. If you can only stretch to one person, you should look for a quality manager who can guide you in the right direction and set up gigs to increase exposure. Hiring a good manager as a musician can benefit musicians in many ways. It helps you focus on what you do best instead of worrying about administrative tasks like booking gigs or managing budgets. The role of managers is not just limited to administrative tasks; they are also responsible for making sure that artists stay focused on their work and don’t burn out.
Make Prolific Use Of Social Media
Social media has become the new way of marketing for musicians, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. If you want to increase your audience, you need to be active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. You also have to build a community around your band. Therefore, you must create compelling content, be active on social media, and promote your music. Social media also offers a platform for musicians to build relationships with their audience. You can interact with them and get feedback on what they like about the music and what they don’t like about it. Some of the top channels include:
- Facebook: Facebook continues to be a very effective way of promoting yourself, even though many people believe that it is irrelevant for younger audiences. It is easy to set up a page, and you can make use of the incredible advertising features integrated into the platform.
- Twitter: This is a brilliant tool to remain relevant. You can post all manner of things that might interest your audience. While you are free to post what you want, it is best to avoid too much controversy, as this could negatively impact your reputation.
- Instagram: In order to be successful on Instagram, you should have an active presence on the platform and make sure that you are posting regularly. You can post images of gigs, preparation, practice sessions, and anything else that might be relevant.
- YouTube: This video-sharing site is fantastic for showcasing any videos you might create to accompany your music.
- TikTok: If you want to appeal to a younger audience, TikTok is a vital tool in your arsenal. TikTok is the perfect platform since it allows you to reach your audience on a global scale. It also provides an easy way for you to get noticed by influencers and fans willing to listen to new musicians.
Whether you are just getting your music heard for the first time or have been in the game for years, take the time and put in the effort to promote your music properly, connect with your fans, and establish yourself as a leader in the industry or scene you wish to be a part of.
Photo via Unsplash
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