We are all aware of how much the internet has changed access to music. Different kinds of technologies have given artists more power to control how their music is promoted and the audience reach of their music.
We have technologies like file sharing, streaming platforms, social media, eCommerce, and others. These technologies shift the power balance from the record label to the artist and allow them to have more control of their music. The artist is now able to release their music at their own time instead of waiting for approval from the record labels, they can also remain true to themselves by making authentic music instead of music tailored to popular demands and controlled by profit-focused music executives.
This is also a win for the audience because they can go on these platforms and discover new music that wasn’t accessible before. You have people in countries thousands of kilometers apart connecting because of music. This in turn is great for music collaboration as artists can discover each other and create genre-bending types of music, pushing the boundaries and discovering new audiences.
As much as this is a great tool for the artist, it can also get overwhelming leading to wrong strategic moves. So, this guide will help budding musicians pick the best options to advertise their music online and reach more people.
Create A Website For Your Music
This is a great start for every artist that wants to have an online presence. You can get a domain name for a cheap amount of money or you can sign up with a website hosting platform. A website is a great starting point for music distribution as the artist can put up all of their music on this site for easy access by the audience.
It is also a great place to sell merchandise made by the artist. These can be t-shirts, tote bags, baseball caps, etc.
The artist can also update their fans about their personal lives, upcoming events, or just random musings. This will help build a personality around their music, making listening more intimate and drawing new fans to their music.
Create A YouTube Channel
A good number of successful artists were discovered on YouTube which offers a free platform to share videos to a large audience from all around the world. Music content is one of the major sellers on YouTube and you can generate ad revenue if your video is popular enough. You can upload videos of your original songs or covers of other songs, you can also post behind-the-scenes content about how you create your music. This will give you access to a large audience and also revenue for your music.
Host Your Music On Streaming Platforms
Streaming platforms, like Spotify and Apple Music, are not huge moneymakers at the moment but they can be game-changers for promoting your music. These streaming platforms will host your music allowing access to a huge market that will translate to some revenue based on how many streams you have.
You can also have your songs featured on playlists curated by the streaming platforms which helps your music reach a new audience.
Develop An Online Presence
This is a great and organic way to promote your music. Music is usually tied to artists’ personal experiences and stories so developing an online presence always helps to push your music to more people.
You can join Twitter or Instagram and share your thoughts about things ranging from your favorite food to the stories behind your favorite songs you have made. You should keep your username across platforms consistent to allow people to find you easily.
Focus On Your Niche
It is important to find new audiences as an artist but it is equally important to not forget about your niche audience. These are most times the people that have been with your music since day one and have grown with you and while you have no mandatory commitment to them, you should consider their feedback.
If your music is a very unique sub-genre, you should play in venues that are patterned to that genre so that your audience can find you. This also applies to online communities, you can find people who listen to your kind of music on places like Reddit or even Facebook.
These are a few tips to getting your music out there in a world that is increasingly moving online, follow them and your music will reach new places and even generate money for you.