Music Marketing

There was a time when every musician had a blog. Even five or six years ago blogging was the vogue form of music marketing. Lately however, I’ve been noticing that fewer musicians are doing it. There are a few reasons for this – I think many musicians who felt forced to do it but never…

It’s hard to know what your brand should look like, what your next single should be, what promo shots you should use. In fact, it’s just hard to know what to do in general. I also feel like musicians and artists are worse at making these decisions than most people. Self-doubt and self-consciousness can cripple…

If you’ve been learning about promoting your music for any length of time, then you probably know how important it is to get your music reviewed by influential bloggers. Reviews don’t just bolster exposure, streams, or sales. If that’s all you’re looking for, you should probably focus on selling to your fans instead of getting…

So, you want to dominate YouTube rankings. Be forewarned: This will take work. And if you’re timid at heart, or shy, or lazy, or nervous about getting the word out about your videos, these methods aren’t for you. But if you want to hedge your bets on video marketing – and I think this is…

When it comes to marketing your music on the internet, you must take a long-term perspective. At first, it might seem like getting coverage or reviews from bloggers has a low return on investment. But if you keep growing, and they keep growing, you’ll see huge benefits over time. It’s worth the initial effort you…

Have you ever come across some indie band making fantastic music without anyone listening? The reasons for this phenomenon are diverse, ranging from location to branding. However, it is almost a certainty that this band does not spend as much time as they should on marketing. Fair enough! Marketing seems like a big, complicated job…

Making predictions is always risky business. Nobody really knows what to expect in a year (or 10), but we all like to guess. I would like to forewarn you that I could be completely wrong with these predictions, but they represent my best guesses. According to MIDiA Research, 2016 was the year of the video….

Shazam – an app that allows users to identify a song they don’t recognize by letting their phone “listen” to it – is no longer a newcomer to the digital music scene. Shazam was so successful right from the get-go that they have literally become a verb. Fans will say they “Shazamed” a song, and…

We live in exciting times. There have never been more ways to market your music for free, and every day there are new tools, resources, apps, and websites popping up! The key to your success, then, is to figure out what works for you, and then keep doing that. Pursuing every single avenue could be…

If you’re at all involved with the music industry, you know how fast everything changes and evolves. One year everyone is illegally downloading music, and the next everyone you know is streaming it legally. The examples of rapid change are too many to name, but the point is that the only thing consistent about the…

Artists don’t always find themselves with a bit of extra cash lying around. But if you do, it’s important to invest some of it back into your career – namely, for promotion. This is particularly beneficial leading up to a release, tour, or new video. Whether you spend it on ad buys, promotion services, or…

There are a variety of different channels you can use to market your music, from traditional methods like radio and TV, to modern digital marketing tools like Snapchat and Periscope. Some are free. Others cost a bit of money. And still others cost a lot of money. The old idiom, “nothing ventured, nothing gained” certainly…

If you want your music to be heard, you have no choice but to promote it. But not all promotional plans are effective, and unless you have some experience in marketing, putting together a winning strategy can be difficult. Fortunately, if you’re committed to the cause, you will find a way. And if you’re reading…

Do you pay attention to news and world events? Are you fascinated by what’s happening across the globe, and do you have strong opinions about it? If so, your attention on the media could actually be benefiting your music career. Not in a sleazy, manipulative kind of way, but more in a relevant, timely and…

Snapchat has quickly risen through the ranks as a popular social media app, and its user base is growing so fast that it may even exceed that of Twitter and Pinterest by the end of the year. More than just a communication tool, marketers and musicians everywhere have been experimenting with the platform to start…