Tis the season for indie album releases (perhaps the Grammy submission timelines are driving some of this).
As some of you know, we recently mastered our second Solveig & Stevie CD, Fire and Other Playthings. Before we release it, of course, I am writing up my promotional plan. In the midst of my best practices research process, it occurred to me, wait…
What about consulting the collective brainpower surrounding me in the virtual online cocktail party that is the Internet of All Things, those brilliant music industry people (some of whom I am now honored to call Friend and many of whom I have met In Real Life over the past several years)?
Then came another Lightbulb Moment: I should compile these tips into a blog post to share with you, my faithful readers!
All of these folks are people I have interacted with on social media or in person in some way or another, so they are real people with real experience in music marketing. Many have written entire books (or at least ebooks) on the subject, which I have downloaded or purchased and read.
The links below are not affiliate links, they’ll just take you to the author’s website or blog. All I ask is that if you do visit my friends, please let them know I sent you.
Don’t forget to read all the way to the end – there are some real gems here. Some are a bit more, ahem, detailed than others. Some are practical lists, and some more philosophical. I didn’t want you to miss anything, so I edited just a bit for obvious redundancies. There are some recurring themes.
[By the way, if you’d prefer this post as a PDF, I am thinking of creating an ebook from this blog post. Let me know in the comments or email me via the contact form to let me know.]
So with no further ado, in no particular order, except as they came in to me, here they are:
Greg Savage (@DIYMusicBiz)
[Tweet “Put more time into building the fan base.”]
The only thing I’d make sure to have in place is a buzz before the release. You work on the buzz months before the release, release a few teaser vids and coordinate with huge bloggers. I’d put more time into building the fan base and release the project on my site (short run) then out to CD Baby/iTunes etc. I guess it’s all depends on the end goal. My main concern is covering the cost and profiting. Which is why I would release it on my own site first.
Ari Herstand (@ArisTake)
[Tweet “Bandcamp can embed to your website with player.”]
Check out Bandcamp. Beautiful interface, “name your price,” they only take 15%. Someone paid $200 for my album. Bandcamp can embed to your website with player.
Michael Brandvold (@MichaelSB)
[Tweet “Create a Facebook Event for the CD release. “]
Two bits of wisdom… first might seem so obvious, but I still encounter it all too often.
- Be sure you submit all your release meta data to Grace Note. This can be done within iTunes, select Submit CD Track Names. Once this is done be sure to insert one of your CDs into iTunes import the tracks and verify that all the data looks correct. You don’t want your CD to come back in iTunes as Untitled by Unknown Artist.
- A fun tip for creating an event around your release is to create a Facebook Event for the CD release. This will give you a single point of focus to share. Think of it as a old school release party, but everyone can attend since it happens online. Be sure to post updates, photos and videos in the Event leading up to the release. Once the CD is available remember to go back to the Event and the various buy links of might have available.
Don Harrison (@Wicked_D)
[Tweet “Identify a potential problem and explain how your music is the solution.”]
Most consumers don’t buy products – they buy solutions. More so, they buy solutions from trusted sources. Drop the hard sales pitch and redundant self-promotion. Identify a potential problem and explain how your music is the solution. Summed up, “Solutions not Sales” & “Interactions not Transactions.”
Instead of this: “We’ve done this, we’ve done that, our music kicks so much ass you would be stupid not to buy the CD for only $4.95,” your solutions pitch could focus on the therapeutic benefits of your music, quoting studies that have shown music increases a positive state of mind. From there you can point out how much more productive and/or happy they might be if they were in that positive state of mind. Or, what about educational benefits? Do the lyrics in your Norwegian Black Metal song raise awareness of lost Pagan cultures? If so, explain how many of those pagan beliefs are mainstays of our modern way of life. The names of the days of the week come to mind, as well as do many holidays.
Cari Cole (@CariCole)
[Tweet “First: create your masterpiece and nothing less. “]
You can market until you are blue in the face – hire the best PR or radio promotion company in the world but unless you have what people want you have nothing. First: create your masterpiece and nothing less. Make it the music you want to hear. News of great music travels fast. Second: Make your brand match your record’s message visually. It should be uniquely distinct, conceptual, clearly identify what the music sounds like and exceptionally visually appealing. Your brand is your music at “first glance.”
Neil Kristianson (@OnlySkyArtist)
[Tweet “You do have an email list, right?”]
Don’t wait until the CD is finished to start promoting. Ford and Chevy don’t wait until their new cars are 100% ready to start promoting them. You shouldn’t either. Use the process of creating the EP as a promotional tool.
Allowing your fans to see behind the curtain makes them feel special and gives them a sense of ownership. Send out emails (you do have an email list, right?) to ask for their input on cover art, song titles, etc. The more they participate the more invested they are and the more they will buy and promote your CD.
Christine Infanger (@NoraBarnacle and @ThirtyRoses)
[Tweet “The upside is creativity is limitless.”]
I don’t think it’s as simple as focusing on the release day itself anymore. With respect to Noughts and Exes, when they released their latest record, they knew that as an indie band, the impetus was on them to drive traffic and create interest in the project. They created a lot of interest in a big release day concert, which sold out well in advance, but they also organized a flashmob for their song ‘Hearts,’ which was the first single off the record. The flashmob was the first ever in Hong Kong’s Times Square and they worked with the top indie artists in Hong Kong on it. They filmed it for the video, which went viral, and with that, the show, and the internet buzz about the video, the band had a #1 single. There’s so much more involved in a release now and bands have to be more well organized than ever before. The upside is creativity is limitless and bands should channel that creativity to maximize the potential of their CD release.
Aaron Bethune (@PlayItLoudMusic)
[Tweet “Do you have an audience for your music?”]
- Have you made alternate mixes without vocals and a mix with just bgv’s (background vocals) for licensing and karaoke?
- Does the artwork have a story that could interest media?
- Are elements of technology incorporated in the album design as means of data collection and marketing tools? These could include QR codes and short links.
- Have you considered releasing your album as singles over a period time and the full album with the final track? This is a great way to build and develop contacts and relationships with press,blogs, radio, etc… It gives you multiple reasons to talk about your music. By the time your album is released you have an audience and media ready and waiting.
- If you are Canadian have you indicated the MAPL (CanCon) on the back cover?
- As a means of music discovery, is your distribution company affiliated with a company like Shazam and able to register your tracks automatically or do you need to submit your songs directly to Shazam or similar?
- Have you indicated who the copyright owners are with the proper copyright symbols to the master and publishing elements of each song?
- Do you have an audience for your music?
- Do you have a website?
Corey Koehler (@MusicGoat)
[Tweet “Offer one or two tracks from the CD for free in exchange for an email. “]
Make sure you have an email capture system in place to maximize any buzz you will be generating. Then offer one or two tracks from the CD for free in exchange for an email. Many times bands and musicians run a huge PR campaign surrounding a CD release and immediately ask for the sale. That’s like meeting a girl and then asking her to jump in bed with you 5 minutes after an introduction (ok, that may work for Bieber or Luke Bryan but for the rest of… not so much. But anyway….).Offering a free track or two is much more effective approach to build trust with someone interested in your music before asking for support. After you’ve initiated captured their email a conversation you can use a “soft sell.” Basically it would be something in your email saying something along the lines of, “Here is your free song from my new album [name of new album with a link where to buy]. Thank you so much for checking my music out. If you have any questions or comments about the track, I’d love to hear them. Just reply to this email… etc.” And really, that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Chris Seth Jackson (@HowToRunABand and @BamDing)
[Tweet “Don’t buy 1,000 CDs unless 1,000 people have pre-ordered them.”]
- Start promoting your new album at least 6 months before release. That includes contacting press, radio, bloggers, and internet radio stations.
- Never book your album release show until you have the album in your hands. I can’t count the number of album release shows where the band didn’t get their CDs in time.
- Don’t buy 1,000 CDs unless 1,000 people have pre-ordered them.
- Use Kunaki.com to buy CDs on demand. Only $1 per CD. Buy 10 CDs for your merch booth. Re-order when you sell out. Profit! (This was advice from Mr. Billy Grisack)
- Have your music submitted to CDBaby and Tunecore before your album release.
- Make sure to have digital versions of your album available for sale at your show. Sell some download cards right next to your CD.
- Submit your music to Pandora. They now allow you to submit MP3s directly to them.
- Don’t forget to also have your album pressed to vinyl. Limited edition vinyl releases are hot items.
- Copyright your songs. Then, register them with a PRO (like ASCAP or BMI). Every time you (or someone else) plays those songs live, you are owed a royalty. So after every show, submit your set list to your PRO rep.
- Get paid for your music on YouTube. Register your songs with Audiam. If anyone else uses your music in a video on YouTube, you will get ad revenue. (Encourage your fans to make their own music videos of your music!)
- Sign up for Square so you can take credit card payments from your cell phone at shows.
Bob Baker (@MrBuzzFactor)
[Tweet “Share the creative process with your fans.”]
One of the biggest mistakes indie artists make is waiting till their new album is manufactured and available on iTunes before they even start to promote it at all. Ideally you want to build buzz prior to the official release date.
For me, the most effective way to promote a new album release is to share the creative process with your fans – no matter how small or large your current fan base is. That’s right, share the journey of recording your music and get people engaged. That means showing photos and video of you in the studio, letting people hear early demo samples of songs, and honestly reporting the joys and frustrations of the process.
In addition to that, ask for your fans’ feedback and direct input: Ask them to vote on album cover artwork or even submit artwork of their own. Ask them for their ideas on how to spread the word and how they can help. Yes, this takes a little bit of extra work as you create your new album. But when the official release date arrives, you will already have momentum on your side. And that will be a lot more empowering than asking, “So, what do I do now to promote this thing?”
Randi Reed (@MusicBizAdvice)
[Tweet “Find themes in your song titles or band name.”]
- Understand your audience and dig into their demographics rather than blindly marketing to everyone and learn basic SEO practices. Know where they hang out in real life, and create tie-ins with those places on- and offline. By focusing on the “sure thing” fans first and building momentum with them, they’ll eagerly help you. Always remember there are people behind those numbers.
- Find themes in your song titles or band name to create tie-ins. Publicity teams in the 70’s and 80’s were masters at this. One band had an album called Nine Lives, and they did cat adoptions on the radio in each city on tour and donated cases of cat food and cool cat products to shelters. That sort of thing was unheard of then, and it created a lot of buzz. Find your own modern version of that, and work it.
Chris Knab (@ChrisKnab)
[Tweet “Will your music help them do/ keep their job?”]
The ‘decision makers’ at radio, distributors, bloggers, press, retail, music venues all make their decisions based on “how will my acceptance of this music affect my job?. Every business person you deal with just wants to keep their job. Will your music help them do/ keep their job?
[Tweet “Assign tasks and MAKE IT HAPPEN!”]
You have to make a plan. Too many bands have a bunch of ideas about about marketing their new album with no real execution strategy. Whether your plan is to use Noisetrade, review blogs, YouTube or anything else, sit down with a calendar, assign tasks and MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Praverb (@PTheWyse)
[Tweet “Treat your album release like your baby.”]
Make sure you have a post release strategy. Think beyond your album release. Have visuals, singles, interviews, reviews and other promotional content on deck. Treat your album release like your baby.
Tommy Darker (@TommyDarker)
[Tweet “Always simplify things”]
Use tools to build your business, don’t hope that tools will be the saviour of your career. Tools are just tools, they come and go. What tools could you focus on? At this very moment, a musician needs tools that will accommodate their artistic world (a website and streaming services), ways to communicate their art with their fans (social media channels, a blog and an autoresponder) and tools for conducting business (e-commerce platforms, DTF services, analytics).
As you see, I don’t mention names of specific tools. Today’s tools are created by private companies that may cease existing anytime (see MySpace) or change their field of interest (Google has changed too many times) and become irrelevant. But the notion is there, musicians should use what best serves their current needs. A final side-note: most artists see this plethora of tools and get overwhelmed. My advice is: always simplify things, know what you want and use the tools that directly serve your goals.
Alison Lamb (@Alison_Lamb)
[Tweet “It may just be as simple as creating a playlist on Spotify.”]
Speak to your distributor and make sure that they are aware of your release and anything that’s going on around it. For example: gigs you are playing, any local press you are receiving and how you are going to make your fanbase on social media aware of your upcoming release. When you speak to them, be proactive and see what opportunities might be available with different digital retailers and make sure to take advantage – it may just be as simple as creating a playlist on Spotify, but it shows that you are actively working to promote your band and release.
Madalyn Sklar (@MadalynSklar)
[Tweet “Share your “swipe file” with your fans.”]
When releasing your new CD, use the power of your “super fans” to promote your music on social media. Put together a list of pre-written Facebook posts and Twitter tweets to promote your new release. We call this a “swipe file.” Share your “swipe file” with your fans to make it super easy for them to promote you and your music. When done collectively, you’ll see amazing results.
Wade Sutton (@Rockettothesta1)
[Tweet “Try to find a way to engage those people on a personal level. “]
I think it is important to remember that the people spending money to purchase your CD are probably going to be your “Super Fans”. That is a very special group of people and should be treated as such. Try to find a way to engage those people on a personal level. If they comment on the CD on social media, it is vital that you take the time to respond to every one of them. Or e-mail them. It keeps them in that inner-circle of fandom that helps pay your bills.
Billy Griseck (@MusicMarketingMind)
[Tweet “Know exactly who is going to buy your music.”]
Typically most albums that are released only sell 100 copies total. Seriously! however I believe that this can be avoided by planning ahead of time. Before you release a CD a song and album or even plan a tour it is a great idea to know exactly what your target audience is most inclined to want to purchase. What kind of songs, album artwork, or titles are they most likely to find interesting? Do they buy CDs, vinyl sheet music singles or full albums? Do they stream or purchase downloads? If you’re planning on selling online where do they buy? What websites do they visit, what blogs do they read? So in my opinion (from personal experience) don’t just record whatever you want all willy nilly, know exactly who is going to buy your music…who’s going to get excited by you music….and who can’t live without your music and you will sell way more than 100 copies.
Ryan Lucht (@RyanLucht)
[Tweet “Build anticipation in your fanbase. “]
Ready, set, wait.
As musicians, one of the most exciting things we get to do is share our music with the world. Once your masters are delivered or the CDs are pressed and in your hands, it can be tempting to immediately tell the world “HERE I AM! HERE IT IS!”. My advice is to wait. At least 60 days. This will seem like an eternity. But if you put a lot of time and effort into carefully crafting your music, you should do the same thing with your promotional plan. Build anticipation in your fan base. It will take a lot longer for them to remember that you have an album coming out than you think- a handful of social media posts won’t do it (if there’s only a 10% chance of any particular follower seeing any particular post, think about how many posts it will take to get everyone on the same page and salivating for your album!) Don’t be disappointed if you just release a CD without a plan and watch it fizzle out. Plan, promote, maybe book a release show, but keep telling people that it’s coming out and don’t shut up about it. This is your baby.
Ariel Hyatt (@CyberPR)
[Tweet “Having a Newsletter is STILL the most important part of your album release strategy!”]
Every artist I know who has an engaged newsletter list tells me it’s where they make the most money in the long haul so if you don’t have one GET ON IT! This is a critical part of your release strategy.
Here are 5 critical things to keep in mind as you are building your list and sending your newsletter for your new release…
1. It Takes Time to Build a Proper Newsletter List and thats okay! Only have 25 names to start? That’s alright! Just start with that. Many artists tell me they don’t want to have a newsletter because they are already way too behind. Its never too late to start.
2. Use Your Newsletter For A Pre-Sale. Since this article is all about an album release, it’s time to use it for a pre-sale! Create 2-3 tiers of special albums
- Signed copes
- Bundled copies with lyrics sheets or merch items (t-shirts)
- Pre-sale digital copies
If you feel like this is too “salesy” and you are scared that your fans will judge you, add a charity aspect – say that as part of your pre-sale you will give a portion to a charity that you support, a charity that benefits other musician. Sweet Relief or animal rescue groups like the ASPCA are great choices.
3. You Don’t Have To Have Shows or Regular Events To Send A Great Newsletter. How about just inviting everyone on your newsletter out for a listening party for your new release in an unconventional venue? Or have friends and fans join you for a show of another artist you support. Or just talk about your favorite new TV shows, books, travel adventures or other albums you are listening to and inspired by!
4. Get Personal & Keep Your Subject Line to 55 Characters. Yes of course you will be announcing your new album and having a presale etc BUT… Never just “sell.” Saying something personal brings you closer to your fan base. So share a photo of something you love (your pet, your kids, your friends), or something fun and non-music related you did recently like a vacation. Most e-mail programs cut off the subject line after 55 and 60 characters, so keep your subject line short, sweet, and to the point; five to six words max.
5. Add An Unsubscribe Link & Your Mailing Address (For Legal Reasons). Know that by law you need to put your mailing address and an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each of your newsletters. If you are uncomfortable adding your home address, then open up a P.O. Box and use that.
Debra Russell (@ArtistsEdge)
[Tweet “Create a blog and talk about who you are.”]
Don’t wait until you have product to sell to begin to develop your tribe. Start using social media to develop relationships with people well in advance of dropping your CD. If you can, play out live and collect emails and twitter addresses. Create a blog and talk about who you are, what’s important to you, and why you’re passionate about your music. And invite your Tweeple to read your blog posts.
If you wait until you drop your CD to build your tribe – your CD will drop onto an empty concrete floor – splat. If you already have a connected, interested tribe, your CD will drop into a feather bed – each feather is an interested person who can become a fan when they hear your music. And because you have relationships with them, they are more likely to share you with their tribe.
Carlos Schwilly (@CaptainSchwilly)
[Tweet “Don’t be afraid to start building your email list before you have any music ready to sell.”]
The time to start building your email list is 12 months before your release. Not 30 days.
One of the most consistent sources of frustration I see among independent musicians is that they will spend a ton of money, time, and resources developing and recording an album. Then when it finally drops, there’s no one to buy it.
Don’t be afraid to start building your email list before you have any music ready to sell. You’ll be very glad that you did once you finally release something.
And last of all, here’s my own tip:
Solveig Whittle (@shadesofsolveig)
[Tweet “Twice as much brain power brings us opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have had.”]
Collaborate to both create your music and market it. I co-wrote a song on my latest album with my friend, south Texas singer-songwriter Elizabeth Butler Paternostro. She released our song as a bonus track on her new album, Love, Loss and Stuff Like That. We are exploring ways to co-promote our two new releases together, focusing one of the PR pitches on the story of our long-distance collaboration. We share promotional ideas, best practices and contacts. Twice as much brain power brings us opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have had, and we help keep each other on track and accountable.
What a treasure trove of information from great group of music marketing experts. I hope you learned something, let me know in the comments what you think!
90 comments
Wow. Honored to be included in this list of marketing brain power! There is so much great info in here. You SHOULD turn it into a book, Solveig.
Thanks, Neil. I am likewise so impressed with all the great information given by all of you! Working on the PDF right now… Stay tuned! Thanks again for contributing.
Thanks for including me, Solveig! I’m honored to be a part of the article!
Thanks for participating, Wade! Great stuff.
Great read! Super helpful! Thanks for all you, its appreciated.
Thanks Luis! Glad you liked it!
Kudos for compiling such a great list of ideas from a stellar lineup of people. Happy to be among them!
You are an inspiration to me and so many others, Bob, and such a multi-faceted creator yourself. Thanks for participating!
Wow. I am such a huge fan of all these people…even me! lol. Thanks for including me…what should we do next?
LOL Thanks for contributing, Billy! I’m a huge fan of all of you, too. What should you do next? Go forth, make great music, do great marketing, and spread the love 🙂
It’s such a pleasure to be amongst this list of people! There are so many great tips – I think this will be of great benefit to a lot of artists.
Thanks for including me Solveig!
You are most welcome, thank YOU Alison!
Thank you for including me Solveig!! I’m honored to be listed here with such a fine group of people.
Thanks for being part of it, Madalyn. You know I’m a big fan of yours 🙂 and it it a great group of people!
Hey Solveig, this was a great idea, thanks for allowing me to be a part of it. You should definitely turn it into a shareable PDF.
Hey Don – you rock (literally)! Thanks for contributing!
What a wealth of information! Thanks for taking the time to gather this stellar line up and compile their thoughts to share.
Thanks, Stacey! Glad you found it useful.
Wow! What an honor to have been included on this list; thanks again, Solveig! Such great advice- I’m definitely keeping this handy!!
Thanks for being a part of it all, Christine! I like your discussion of Naughts and Exes, very helpful case study!
What a great post! Thanks for sharing all these great tips!
Thanks, Mario. Glad you liked it.
Wow thank you for taking the time to included my insight. Being in the company of this music marketing experts means a lot. Be blessed.
Being an independent artist just getting ready for my next album release, this whole post was pure gold to find! Thank you, and all the people who contributed 🙂
Thanks for the feedback, Charlotte! I’m so glad you found it useful. Best of luck with your release.
Excellent post idea, Solveig. I think every musician should take a look at this before putting out a new release. Every tip is worthy of consideration, and there are some real marketing gems hidden in there too.
I also linked up to this post in my August roundup: http://dawcast.com/getting-back-basics-music-entrepreneurship-august-2014-roundup/
Thanks David, I appreciate the comment and the ping back! I agree, this is a great list of tips from my friends and colleagues. PS Would love to have you contribute next time! 🙂
I’m all about it. Hit me up with a question any time. 🙂
This post is helpful and timely for me! Thanks for compiling this and thanks to all the advice givers! Time to plan. 🙂
Glad you found it helpful, Damon! Best of luck with your new release 🙂
What a wonderful resource! Thanks to everyone who contributed and special thanks to Solveig for making this available to the masses. I’m excited to begin implementing what I’ve learned!
Thanks, Tony! I’m glad you found it helpful.
Totally excited there are many good things I can do to work towards releasing album that I don’t have to waits for my $250 mic to do
This was exactly what I needed I have started the process of recording professionally with pro production I am working with Kt on the track whom has recorded with too short lazy bone kid ink I am JFOS I will b following thru to the max in preperation of my traks to be released please look out for me send email or search jimmybrinser@hotmail.com if u would like to start finding interest in my Just For Ones’ Success thanku blessings be well
Thanks for the feedback, Jimmy. Best of luck with your new release!
Thank you very much , this is helping a lot for us as musicians . Thank you.
You are welcome! I’m glad you found it useful and thanks for the comment!
for new music cd’s release and albums they all are given a nice strategy for music marketing….
Thank you very much for tis article. Just in March I was that artist that spent tons of money, time, and efforts into putting out an album. Needless to say, it flopped….I can’t have that happen again. Thank you. Please send more information if possible. I need all the help I can get.
Hi Desmond – Thanks for your comment, I’m glad you found my post helpful. If you subscribe to my blog, you will get all my new articles sent to your email automatically! You can also browse through my other articles, there may be more that you find useful.
Love the information! Awesome
I become proud to be a musician whenever I see generous musicians who are out there to help other musicians get better by freely sharing knowledge and giving tips. Stay that way.
Thank you, Andrew. I plan on that route 🙂 It’s a tough business, like every industry – but there are a lot of generous people too. I have benefitted from learning so much from others, freely given. I appreciate your recognition of my mission to pass it along.
A wealth of information and very much appreciated!
Thank you Kenya!
Chart on Billboard week of release by setting up a presale campaign and reporting online and live show sales should be part of any release strategy as well! #makeitcount
Thanks a lot !! very interest thing, soms difficult to get it als musician !!
Thank you! this was very helpful! Releasing an acoustic promo for an album release. I needed to be reminded of all of these things!
Thanks for commenting, Keely. I’m glad you found it helpful!
In a few weeks I’m releasing my free online beattape called ‘Lycaenidae’! Check me out! Akhi Soufyan Beats. Peace and thnx for the article it really helped me out.
I really enjoyed this article! Every piece of advice is super helpful for my band’s upcoming album release. Thanks, Solveig!
Took a lot of great notes from this. Great job! And thank you.
I am 21 years old and just about to record my first album. Just finished a small tour and getting the music tight and now as the winter comes through as fast as a blink it’s time to work more then ever. On my business! Thanks for the kick in the button!!
yo! this article so helpful,Am a hip hop rapper currently working on my first album.Keep the good work
Thanks, Big Marc!
Thankss a lot for this wonderful and educating piece . I learned a lot from it.
Awesome article and plenty of good advice! Consequently, I went through the Twitter profiles of every writer and only ended up following 3 or 4. Why? Because the signal to noise ratio was in most cases terrible! I know it was said multiple times – in this article as well – to not only talk business but use cats, babies and what-have-you to make your profile more appealing. But going through these profiles I felt like wasting time trying to wade through all irrelevant posts to find the interesting ones.
Good feedback, Marko! Thank you for commenting, and for taking the time to look everyone up on Twitter. Not everyone who is good at music marketing is tip top on Twitter, for sure (I’m sure my Twitter profile can use some improvement too). You make some great points here.
Hey its a beautiful write up. Got so many ideas. Since i hv started recording my new folk album i am thinking about the promotion. Need active guidance from you.
Regards.
Thanks for commenting, you can reach me through the Contact Form on this website, Sushmita.
So many good ideas! I have to bookmark this page, so I can share it with others. I have a question. Bands want to sell posters. Do you think it is a good approach for them to advertise their album by showing the album art with words on the side like (example: [Album Title] coming this summer 2016! They have some of their main social/music links to Soundcloud & Facebook under their band picture. Advertising takes up quarter of the poster.
How much space should advertising take up if they want to sell it? Zero space or very little? I don’t think people would like to buy a poster with advertising on it. What are your thoughts?
Hello Nikki – Thanks for reading the post and for your question. If you look historically at why fans buy a band poster, they usually buy it for one of a few reasons: 1. They buy the poster at a concert event, essentially as a memento of the show or tour, in which case what matters is that somewhere on the poster it says the date and maybe the city and certainly the band name 2. They buy the poster because it is signed by the artist and thus possibly collectible, in which case what matters more than the art or words is the signature on the poster 3. They buy the poster from the artist’s website for the collectible artistic value of the poster – for example, perhaps the poster is limited edition, numbered, lithographed, etc. You could also combine some of the above reasons. However, I think as a band you need to decide what your goal is with the poster. Is it to create a collectible work of art? A collectible souvenir or memento? Or is it meant to advertise the the album, in which case it is advertising, and something you would be printing up and distributing to your fans for free to advertise the release. I don’t recommend trying to combine advertising with collectible art, unless you do a really really great job with designing the poster and/or it is signed or has something about it that makes it worth paying money for.
Okay. Thank you for answering back.
This is a great article for new musicians to read.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for commenting Wyatt! Glad you liked it.
This is a great article wish I had it as a PDF though.
Hey Michael – Thanks for the comment. Did you try downloading the article PDF via the home page of my site? Let me know if you couldn’t get it. – Solveig
I have come across several articles like this and the one thing they never offer advice is how to really get a fan base started at the very beginning. In other words when you are new and unknown how to get people interested. I will use myself as an example. I recently released an EP under my fictitious band name, Terrestrial Shackles on Bandcamp. I alerted all the people on my personal Facebook page. I did a boost from the T S Facebook page that reached almost 1300 people but only 25 or 2% actually went to either Facebook and or Bandcamp. I wasn’t really surprised because statistics show that’s the common rate when one does an invite or similar. So my question/dilemma is when a gazillion people are trying to get you to notice their music how to do you even get any traction in the beginning? How do you go beyond friends, family and co workers? Yeah you can put a video on Youtube as was suggested above but again there a gazillion of those. I don’t plan to actually assemble a Terrestrial Shackles band and play live which I guess would be another obvious bite of advice. I wish someone would write something about practical strategies on how to gain fans if you are completely, utterly unknown.
Thanks for your comment, Rory. One thing I’ve found talking to the folks who contributed to this article is that all of them stress that there is no silver bullet single marketing tactic to growing a fan base rapidly. It’s a long and slow process for most artists, employing multiple incremental marketing efforts, many of which are mentioned in here, in a smart way so they build on top of each other. It’s hard work, requires consistency, and doesn’t happen overnight. There are always exceptions, of course, such as those unknown artists who get discovered and promoted by influentials already in the business, such as artists like Rachel Platten, who was helped greatly by Taylor Swift, or Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” which was given exposure in the US by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. But Platten had worked incrementally for a decade or more to be in a position to take advantage of her break, and Carly Rae already had had exposure on Candian Idol and had charted twice on the Canadian Top 40 before her American success with Call Me Maybe. I think playing live is critical to getting reviews for your band and attention in a local music scene, which can then move into regional and even national attention. But it’s a process. Gathering fan emails is the way to go, whether you play online somewhere like Concert Window on a regular basis, do Facebook advertising, or play shows. It’s all about collecting and working an existing small fan email list and growing it incrementally through social media, word of mouth, and any exposure and reviews you can get.
Solveig,my dear. I am just surprised and delighted to discover you on my evening Google search! I’m almost done with my gypsy jazz album and wondering what tips I should know about in the social media world of music and here is the wonderful lady I had dinner with along with our some of our fun and inspiring Seattle indie musicians the other night! You have put together an amazing blog here that has tons of great suggestions and practical ideas, I have booked marked your page and after reading tonight changed my strategy before I release my album.
Thank you for your efforts to tap on other people’s hard work and experience to share.
Sorry I am just replying, Rondi! Such a pleasure to hear from you, and to meet with you last month in person. Thank you for the kind words, and best of luck with all your new work!
Great article. I will be using this information to craft a successful e.p release. Cheers.
Dear Sir,
I would love to receive the pdf version of this brilliant piece. Thanks
Really cool piece, thanks so much! Thumbs up.
Dear Sir,
I would love to receive the pdf version of this brilliant piece. Thanks
Agbebaku – You should be able to find a link on the right side of my website to download the PDF version. You’ll need to submit your email address to do so, but then it will be mailed directly to you! Let me know if you have any further problems with acquiring the PDF version. And thanks for stopping by!
Can anyone suggest if it is better to release teaser clips of songs or full songs streams on my website. Which way better converts people to buy songs? Full songs or 30 second Teaser clips? Anyone have any experience with both?
Thanks for a very good article,
I am for the moment ready with a new CD and I am looking for
someone to make a marketing plan and strategy and someone to do all the work,
Any offer or suggestions would be much appreciated,
Best Wishes,
hc
Hello HC – Apologies for the late reply. I would suggest if you are outside the US, you get in touch with other local musicians or a local musician group and ask for a referral for someone who can help with your specific release goals.
What a gem to find.
Thank you for compiling and sharing this.
Thank you, Jon!
Hi! thank you for the usefull recopilation,
I´d like tho share with you a music marketing blog for hispanic people. I hope help you and your hispanic audience!
http://promocionmusical.es/
Hey guys !
this article inspired me a lot! Didn´t understand it 100% before how everything works on spotify.
Thanks for the great insights and tips, I’ll def include this in my new strategy and hope for
even greater results with my spotify indie tracks
I also found this here the other day, covering different topics than you did.
http://thegentlefox.com/spo…
Just thought it could be helpful.
Thank you again for the tips and advices !
Frederik
What an incredible article! You’re amazing, I am so glad I read this before I started promoting my debut album release 9.1.17…yes I know it’s close to the deadline but this isn’t my first time promoting it’s just my most successful 🙂 http://www.voicenationofficial.com for more if you want to hear my music #VoiceNation One Love! Again thank you to the wonderful author! I’m going to follow your social media platforms now 🙂