6 Types of Online Music Marketing Platforms Musicians Should Know About
6 Types of Online Music Marketing Platforms Musicians Should Know About
There is a lot of marketing terminology thrown around in the music industry. It’s pretty confusing for musicians, and if you are trying to find information about your options, it might be hard to discern all the different types of music marketing platforms out there for musicians. Six main forms of music marketing platforms are available to musicians. And those are:
Marketing platforms of the music industry can be divided into the following types:
1. Social Media
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for customer engagement and building brand awareness. However, to build a following on social media, you need to understand the demographics of your target audience and set goals in terms of web mentions or content engagement metrics. In the digital sharing age, your fans are the media itself, one that can sometimes be much more powerful than conventional communication channels. However, don’t forget about other channels. Social media marketing should be just a part of your overall communication strategy.
Social media has become an integral part of modern marketing strategies for small businesses. As this trend continues to grow with each passing year, social media marketers continue to refine their methods and focus on new strategies.
2. Advertising
When you’re looking to reach out to a specific audience, digital advertising is a great way to go. Digital advertising allows you to choose not only the time and place of your communication but also the type of people you engage with. Advertising through social media (e.g. Facebook ads), search engines (e.g. Google AdWords), digital displays, or even digital audio platforms of Spotify/Pandora allows you to target people based on demographics (age, location, income, etc), musical preferences, and interests.
This is different from physical space advertising like OOH (out of home) advertising — although it remains reserved for more popular acts, targeting wider audiences — because it allows us to target people based on their interests and preferences rather than just their location or age range.
Paid advertising is a great way to get in front of the audience, but it should be approached with caution — the acquired traffic won’t stick around for long if you’re not able to spark an organic interest across other channels and platforms.
3. CRM: Direct-to-Fan Communication
When it comes to cultivating a loyal fan base, direct-to-fan communication is crucial. First and foremost, music is a passion and part of people’s identity. Direct engagement helps to build a deeper connection with your audience — and that is something that can come a long way in the music business.
Emails, text messages, or direct messages over social media — whether manual or via bots — will help you build a tight-knit ring of fans that will stick with you (and consistently support you).
4. Digital Service Providers
Digital Service Providers (DSPs) play a crucial role in the digital music consumption landscape. They help artists reach their fans and grow their careers, by distributing their music to the various platforms that host playlists.
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud: the digital music consumption landscape is made up of dozens of DSPs. Getting in front of the audience of these platforms is key to expanding your fan base and growing your career.
One of the most prominent channels to reach the audience of the various streaming platforms are playlist placement. That’s why the playlist strategy is now at the heart of any music marketing campaign.
Playlists are a powerful tool for digital service providers to connect with their listeners, but they can also be dangerous if you’re not careful. There are five types of playlists on DSPs:
Generally, playlists on the DSPs can be divided into five types:
- Official playlists curated by a corresponding streaming platform’s team
- Major-owned playlists curated by major brands
- Third-party playlists curated by independent influencers
- Personalized playlists created by the algorithms of the DSP
- User-generated playlists created by fans
Today’s most successful artists are building their brands on multiple platforms. And one of the best ways to do that is through a playlist.
Playlists can offer a vast opportunity to reach new fans, but at the same time, they put the artist at risk of being reduced to just another name in a long list — so you have to build your story on other platforms first and turn the streaming audiences into fans who will go out to your shows.
5. Media and Publications
In the music industry, there are few things as important as publicity. It’s a good thing, then, that there are so many ways to get your name out there:
- Online blogs and publications are some of the best places to reach a niche audience and generate local excitement.
- Appearances on TV and radio allow you to reach more mainstream audiences.
- Newspapers and magazines don’t have the heft they once did, but remain the mainstays of the music industry’s “old guard.”
- Sync licensing gets your music out there AND generates royalties.
Promotion of this kind of free advertisement — except that it never comes for free. It would help if you had a PR strategy, a network of connections across different mediums, a press event, and a solid (and preferably data-based) pitch. News doesn’t create itself, so musicians have to work with journalists and media pros to make it happen.
6. User-Generated Content Platforms & Word-of-Mouth
The world is more connected than ever. And while music was always a social phenomenon, the digital space has made the world even more connected than ever. Digital Word-of-Mouth can now travel around the globe overnight and turn an unknown artist into an international sensation.
Right now, TikTok is the user-generated content platform on top of everybody’s mind — but the fan-driven content can live on several platforms: from Twitter to YouTube to Spotify (remember those user-generated playlists?). However, you have to remember that virality doesn’t just happen — it’s always driven by a solid strategy.
No matter what kind of music marketing service you need, there’s a platform out there for you. But the world of music promotion is incredibly complex, and it can be not easy to know where to start. These six music marketing platforms offer a variety of services, so no matter what your needs are, you’ll find something that meets your criteria. click here to hire a professional