Want to fast track your music promotion and make as many fans as possible?
You don’t have to be a marketing expert. You don’t even have to know the basics of marketing.
There are ways to promote your music that feel natural and more human-centric.
So in this post, I want to share an approach to music promotion that may change your view of it. Also, I’ll cover some practical ways you can promote your music organically.
Want to Make Music for a Living?
Understanding the Music Business is important, but no one will take you seriously if your music doesn’t sound professional.
That’s why Musician on a Mission has created this new free masterclass for people who want the entire framework for making radio-ready music at home.
Inside are the only 7 steps you need to go through if you want your mixes to sound professional.
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But if you just want to learn about Music Promotion specifically, keep reading.
How to Approach Music Promotion
Here’s what I would love:
I make some music, send it to Spotify, Apple Music, etc., and someone else promotes the heck out of it.
You see, I’m not a huge fan of promoting myself. It doesn’t come naturally to me.
If you’re like me, you may be wondering how to even start. A great first step is to change the way we think about it.
Instead of “promoting,” I try to think of it as just me sharing something I created. It’s something I’m excited about.
Regardless of how you feel about self-promotion, it’s vital to your success as a musician.
You may have heard that old marketing idea:
Someone needs to see or hear your message at least seven times before they take action on it. This is called the Rule of Seven.
There’s one main reason this is true.
People need time to get to know you. And you need time to earn their trust.
That’s why you’ve got to play the long game. Whatever type of marketing and promotion you choose, plan for it to take a while to catch on.
If you don’t give people time to trust you, you won’t earn any super fans. And without super fans, you probably won’t reach the success you want.
Is Your Music Ready for Promotion?
Before you start sharing your music with the world, it has to be ready.
What do I mean by that? It needs to be “radio ready.”
It has to sound like what you’d hear on the radio, Spotify editorial playlists, and TV commercials.
To get your song radio ready, you need to be a good engineer. Learn how to mix well and master your tracks (or hire a mastering engineer).
Engineering is the first crucial step. Musician On A Mission is all about GIRATS—get it right at the source.
Everything will flow when you know what you’re doing during the recording process.
Your song has to be mixed properly, which you can do with stock plugins, the right knowledge, and a good reference track. This stage is what makes your song sound professional.
And to get your tracks to the same loudness level as the songs on the radio, you need to master your music. This is the final stage you need before releasing your music.
So make sure you understand the mastering process and the mastering chain before doing it yourself.
Once you have these elements completed, you’re ready to promote the heck out of it.
Ways to Promote Your Music Naturally
Now let’s talk about some ways you can promote your music naturally. These are methods for gaining fans who will stick with you for a long time.
Engage with your fans
Your fans are the foundation of your music career. Without their support, you won’t get anywhere as a musician.
So you need to encourage them to interact with you!
When you post on social media or email your subscribers, ask people to respond. “Likes” are great, but you should be to posting stuff that people want to reply to.
Here are a few of prompts you can use to interact with your fans:
- Ask them what songs you should cover
- Ask for votes on which original song you should record or release next
- Make 10 second “theme songs” for your followers.
The point is to encourage engagement by offering fans something they want. Pique their interest, deliver on your promise.
This’ll help you turn casual listeners into lasting fans. And your followers will likely share anything you make for them!
Create a themed Spotify playlist
A Spotify playlist that fits a certain mood, season, or situation is a great way to promote your music. You get to share the music you love, including your own.
Look at the moods and topics of your songs.
Then make a Spotify playlist with that mood or topic. Include your favorite artists’ songs, and put one or two of your songs near the beginning of the playlist.
For example, if you have songs about traveling, create a playlist called “Road Trip Songs.”
Put your road-trip-feeling songs at the beginning. Then fill the rest of the spots with your favorite road-tripping songs from other artists.
This is a natural and effective way to spread your music for two reasons…
First, when people search for road trip songs, there’s a chance they’ll find your playlist.
Plus, your current fans will appreciate the killer playlist of songs for their next trip.
If you have friends who make great music, include them as well! Helping your fellow musicians is in everyone’s best interest.
Connect with a local business you love
Any business that cares about its community will at least consider working with local musicians. Not only does it strengthen a local tie, but it’s a smart business move for both parties.
It’s organic cross-promotion.
Here’s how you can partner with a local business you love:
- Approach a local retail store, coffee shop, art gallery, etc. that you already frequent
- Ask them to add your song(s) to their in-store playlist
- Give the business a playlist of songs that also includes other local musicians
- Ask your fans to visit the business so they can hear your song spinning
Collaborate with others
Since we’re talking about cross-promotion, let’s talk about collaboration. This is a natural and fun way to get and give promotion…..read more………..
