If a 15-year-old Conor with long, curly hair and a sweaty Minor Threat t-shirt were here, he’d probably argue that marketing isn’t very punk rock. He might have a point. After all, I’ve never heard a Dead Kennedys song about music keywords.
However, that viewpoint is a bit simplistic. The music scene is incredibly competitive, and anyone who wants to make a career out of their art needs to market it well. Consider that artists can expect to make pays a measly fraction of a cent per play, and Spotify pays even less. A million streams will earn you less than $10,000, and that’s before touring is expensive. That’s why we’ve put together this straightforward music marketing guide—to help you reach as many (understandably) angsty teenagers as you can. Let’s get started!
#1. Don’t Forget the Classics.
We might live in a digital world where streaming rules and CDs are museum relics, but there will always be music lovers who cherish the tangible. It’s worth noting that, in the past 12 years, U.S. vinyl record sales have surged by 15 times! Visit record stores and promote your band—posters, stickers, buttons, you name it! You can even ask if they’d be willing to play your music. I discovered the Australian prog rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at a record store, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since!
#2. Social Media is Key…
Americans spend approximately 24 hours per week online, with 33% of that time dedicated to dedicated to social media. That’s over an hour a day on social media! So, is social media important for your strategy? Is Radiohead’s In Rainbows tragically underrated because everyone feels cool saying Kid A is their favorite? Twitter is perfect for casually promoting new music. Take a look at this tweet from Car Seat Headrest, posted the day their newest album came out:
Facebook is ideal for setting up and promoting upcoming gigs. Every month, countless people use Facebook Events to find things to do locally. In fact, the Facebook Local app specifically points users to nearby Events. And, as of August 2018, you can sell concert tickets right on Facebook. You used to have to hope someone seeing your Event would then remember to buy tickets online. You no longer have to worry about losing those potential concertgoers.
#3. …and Build a Killer Online Community.
People often dismiss hashtags as annoying spam, but they can be a great way for your band to unite fans and build a fun online community. The best part is, your fans want to share your music with new listeners. When you create a hashtag for your latest single, EP, or album, your loyal followers will definitely use it. And each time they share it, tons of people who’ve never heard of you before will get introduced to your band.
Here, a fan of the group BROCKHAMPTON shares their newest single via hashtag. Hashtags also let you see who’s talking about you online and connect with them. Every music fan dreams of chatting with their favorite artists. Be the band that thanks fans for listening and answers their questions! This does wonders for your image.
#4. Host Contests to Boost Concert Attendance.
Music—especially live music—is all about shared experiences. Part of the fun of seeing your favorite band live is discussing it with friends afterwards.
Your band can capitalize on this by holding a contest! When creating your next Seattle show’s Facebook Event, tell fans how to participate. Whoever invites the most new people to the Event wins a prize of their choice—backstage pass, free merch, whatever! Running a contest like this are fun, engaging ways to attract more people to your shows. You can do it for as many (or as few) shows as you like!
#5. Give a Free Show
What’s better than live music? Free live music! Sure, it means missing out on a night of paid gigs. But if you can swing it, playing free shows in parks, town squares, and coffee shops can be a fantastic way to get heard and win new fans. Plus, with ticket companies charging ridiculous fees these days, offering free music brands you as cool and approachable.
#6. Get Your New Music on the Radio.
Like vinyl, good radio will never truly die. Maybe I’m in denial, but I firmly believe people will always appreciate local (often college) stations that play stuff you won’t hear anywhere else.
Sunshine Brothers Inc. promoting their upcoming appearance on UMass Amherst’s radio station. If there’s a cool independent station where you live (or are playing), reach out about scheduling an album release appearance. Playing live in the studio is ideal, but even just spinning a few tracks and chatting is valuable. Either way, local radio lets your band build hype and reach an attentive audience who’ll likely enjoy your music.
#7. Tour with Other Bands.
What better way to gain exposure than to play for a whole new audience? Opening for a more established band—ideally one with a similar sound—guarantees you’ll be heard by people who are already receptive to your style. One incredible set is all it takes to send hundreds, maybe even thousands, of listeners to your Spotify page before the headliner even takes the stage. If you can consistently win over new fans at every show, you’ll soon be the ones needing openers.
#8. Play Genre-Specific Festivals.
When it comes to music festivals, the big names come to mind: Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball. While playing these festivals is a huge achievement, it might not generate the buzz you’d expect. Your band could be amazing, but if most attendees are just there to party and see Travis Scott, they might not care about your dream pop set. Instead, focus on festivals catering to your specific genre. For folk artists, there’s the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. For the literary-minded, there’s Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City, IA. Indie artists have MAHA Festival in Omaha, NE.
By choosing niche festivals, you play for people who actually want to hear you. You know they’re not just there for the food and drinks; they’re there for the love of the genre and to discover new artists.
#9. Document Your Journey
For some reason, we’re obsessed with the personal lives of artists we like. Sorry to break it to you, but your biggest fans probably wonder what you eat for breakfast and what you watch on Netflix. A little weird? Sure. Something to take advantage of? Absolutely! A blog can be used for all sorts of things. Offer glimpses into your songwriting process, share funny tour stories, or recommend other artists you like. Content like this makes you more relatable and helps new listeners discover your website through search engines. Not a writer? Vlogging is another great option. It lets you give fans the behind-the-scenes content they crave and helps you find new listeners through YouTube and Facebook. Californian surf-punk band SWMRS does this well with their tour diaries:
#10. Include Your Fans
Yeah, they’re curious about your breakfast choices and favorite TV shows. But their connection to you and your music runs much deeper. As we mentioned before, they want to see you succeed. An email newsletter is a great way to include them in certain decisions, like naming songs, designing album covers, even writing liner notes.
The iconic cover art for Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. Give them an incentive to sign up. Maybe the first 100 people who download your new single get added to the list. Or maybe you’re pushing live shows, and the first 100 people to buy tickets to your next local gig get newsletter access. Whatever you choose, it’s a great way to boost downloads and ticket sales. Involving your fans in the album release process is guaranteed to keep them invested.
#11. Create Amazing Music Videos
We might as well tell you to make good music while we’re at it, right? But bear with us. Almost a third of all internet users watch videos on YouTube. Every single day, over half a billion people watch videos on Facebook. Combined, 45% of people watch at least an hour of online video content each week. Video is increasingly becoming people’s preferred content. Making captivating music videos is a stellar way to grab attention and introduce people to your sound. Plus, people love sharing videos with their friends and family. Best of all, you don’t need a Hollywood budget for a great music video. The video for “Someday,” one of the biggest hits from The Strokes’ debut album, is literally just the band and their friends hanging out and smoking a truly impressive number of cigarettes.
(Note: nexus-security does not endorse smoking, even if Julian Casablancas makes it look incredibly cool and fun and artistic.)
#12. Connect with Music Critics and Writers…
People might joke about music critics being pretentious, but they wield considerable influence over which artists and albums gain recognition. For instance, Anthony Fantano has a YouTube channel, theneedledrop, where he posts tons of album reviews. Earlier this year, he surpassed 1.5 million subscribers. The exposure an artist gets from one of his reviews is huge.
Getting featured on a channel that popular might not be realistic for your band just yet. However, you should reach out to bloggers and magazine writers and ask if they’d review your work. Much like opening for larger acts, a positive review on a reputable site will definitely drive traffic to your streaming profiles. Plus, if they link to your website, your blog posts will climb the Google search results.
#13. …or Write Freelance Reviews Yourself
Of course, if you’re busy trying to make your band a success, you probably don’t have time for a full-time writing job. But writing the occasional guest review for music magazines could really increase your visibility. If there’s an EP or album you feel qualified to review, contact publications like Pitchfork, The Wire, HipHopDX, and XXL. Write a bio, and casually mention that, when you’re not crafting insightful reviews, you’re single-handedly saving indie rock. The obvious perk is directing music fans to your profiles. But freelancing also lets you network with editors who decide what gets reviewed, which could help you get your own music reviewed later.
#14. Showcase Your Music on Your Website
Remember how we mentioned that Facebook is encouraging artists to sell tickets directly through Events? This is a game-changer because it makes buying tickets so much easier. Nobody wants to hear about a cool concert and then have to jump between websites just to find tickets. The takeaway? Make things as easy as possible for the consumer. The same applies to your website design. Burying your music under a “Music” tab forces visitors to click at least once to hear your stuff. It doesn’t seem like much, but it matters. Regardless of which platforms you’re on—Bandcamp, SoundCloud, Spotify—embed your latest music right on your homepage. That way, visitors can hear you immediately.
#15. Do Interviews
Let’s face it, people will listen to anything that sounds good. Unfortunately, we also tend to support artists who do bad things in their personal lives if their music is catchy enough. That said, music lovers truly connect with artists who make amazing music and have a good moral compass. Interviews—whether on camera at a festival or in print online—are your chance to show people how genuine and relatable you are.
Even if someone’s never heard of you, one fantastic interview could be all it takes to convince them to check out your new single. And speaking of singles…
#16. Don’t Rush It
Justin Mares and Gabriel Weinberg wrote a book called Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth. They argue that most startups fail because they focus solely on product development and neglect their distribution channels. These companies launch amazing products but have no way to reach customers. The music equivalent is a band releasing an album before anyone knows who they are. It’s understandable. Your creative juices are flowing, you’re making your best music yet—that’s fantastic! But unless you create some real buzz with strong lead singles (and maybe an EP), that debut album will be a letdown. Take your time and build a catalog of incredible songs that could fill three albums. Release songs gradually, maintain the momentum, and let the anticipation build organically.