If you want to be successful in your music career, you need to know how to create an effective marketing plan. A marketing plan is a tool that can help you organize all of your promotional activities, set goals, and measure your progress as time goes on. It also helps keep you focused so that you don’t get overwhelmed by everything that needs doing.
Before you can create a marketing plan, you need to know who your audience is and what they like. This will help you determine how best to reach them and keep them engaged with your music. It’s also important that you understand their age group, gender, location, and more so that when it comes time for the actual execution of this plan (step 4), everything runs smoothly.
Most importantly though: don’t forget about their emotional state! The music industry is always changing so having empathy for where people are emotional helps us stay relevant as creators in today’s world of constant change.
The second step to creating an effective music marketing plan is to plan for the long term.
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t be thinking solely about what you need to do this month or even this year. You should also consider your goals for next year, and maybe even further down the line–as far as five years from now!
For example: If you have a new album coming out in 2020 and want it to be successful enough that people still talk about it in 2025 (and beyond), then planning how best to market that album now will be crucial when those dates roll around.
In order to know whether or not your marketing efforts are working, it’s important to keep track of where you’re at. You should know how much money has been spent on each campaign and what kind of results have come from those campaigns. This will help determine if a given strategy is working or not so that future strategies can be tweaked accordingly based on what has already been tried.
Keep track of the following:
The next step is to set a goal for your music marketing plan. A goal is something you want to achieve, so it’s important that you have one in mind before beginning the process of creating your plan. For example:
Step 5: Create a list of marketing tactics to use.
You should have everything you need the order to create your own music marketing plan by this point, but if not, here’s what you should do next:
A music marketing plan is an essential part of creating a successful career in music, particularly if you are just starting out and don’t have much money to spend on ads and promotions.
It’s important to note that there is no one right way to create a plan; every artist has their own unique situation and will need to approach their marketing differently. That said, here are five steps that can help guide your strategy:
A music marketing plan is an essential part of creating a successful career in music, particularly if you are just starting out and don’t have much money to spend on ads and promotions. It may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff will be worth it in the long run!
Planning content in advance is important for musicians because it gives them the time to write and record their next album. In this article, you will get 5 tips on how to plan content in advance.
The music industry is an ever-changing landscape. With new artists coming onto the scene and established artists releasing new albums every year, it’s important for musicians to stay on top of their marketing and social media efforts. But this can be challenging when you’re busy with rehearsals, recording sessions, and live performances. In order to keep up with your fans’ expectations and stand out from the pack you’ll need to find time in your busy schedule to plan out your content ahead of time. Here are some tips on how to do just that:
Brainstorming is a great way to develop ideas before you actually create the content. This can mean everything from sketching out a plan for your new album cover on paper or creating a list of topics that you want to cover in a podcast episode. Set aside some time each week (or every day) to brainstorm new ideas and concepts that could be included in your upcoming pieces.
The first thing you need to do is compile your ideas in a document or spreadsheet. This will help you stay organized and keep track of what content you want to create and when.
In another section, we mentioned the importance of using a calendar for planning out your time, but when it comes to creating blog posts and social media content, it’s even more helpful! You can use the calendar feature on your smartphone or computer as well as third-party apps like Google Calendar or Todoist (my personal favorite).
Once you have created this document with all of your ideas listed out by topic and date, go through each one individually and decide how much time each one will take from start to finish—including writing the post itself, editing it once finished (which should be done first), proofreading it one last time before publishing on social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, etc., posting on those sites with hashtags if necessary so people can find them easily in search engines such as Google or Bing, etc., monitoring how many likes/comments/shares there are on each post after it goes live so that any changes needed can be made swiftly without waiting too long between updates.
Setting up social media and blog calendars is an essential step for musicians to plan content in advance and increase the consistency of their output. This can be done through a spreadsheet, or with apps like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social. A calendar helps you to track your progress, as well as easily see when there are gaps in the schedule that need filling with new posts or tweets.
Scheduling posts in advance is an easy way to stay on top of your social media game. It also helps you avoid being late, which could make people think less of your brand—or even worse, leave a negative impression.
If you don’t have the time or patience to craft engaging content on a daily basis (which is understandable), scheduling can help fill in gaps and reduce stress. In fact, scheduling tools like Hootsuite are designed specifically with musicians in mind you can schedule tweets or Facebook posts from anywhere at any time!
Planning content in advance is key if you want to stay on top of your marketing and social media efforts. If you’re planning content in advance, you will know what to post and when and thus be able to focus on other aspects of your business.
If you’re a musician looking to plan your content in advance, these tips will help. They give you a good idea of how to brainstorm ideas, compile them into documents and spreadsheets, create a marketing calendar, schedule social media posts in advance, and more! As always when it comes to making music, remember that the only way to succeed is by practicing hard work (and maybe some luck).
If you’re a musician and you want search engine traffic, it can be tough to figure out where to start. There are so many moving parts that it’s easy for even the most competent people to get overwhelmed. That’s why I’ve put together this exhaustive checklist of every step you need to take to make sure that your site is optimized for search engines like Google and Bing. This way, whether you’re an experienced SEO specialist or just getting started with e-commerce, there will be no question as to how well your site ranks on search engines:
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO factor. It should be visible on your website’s homepage, and Google will use it to determine what your site is about
The title tag should be between 60 -70 characters long, but I recommend keeping it to 70 characters if possible, as this can help with rankings in search engines. In this space, you want to include one or two of your most important keyword phrases (e.g., “music lessons for adults” or “piano lessons for kids”). You also want to make sure that these keywords are descriptive and informative; remember that people visiting your site have questions that need to be answered!
Metadata is important because it helps search engines understand what your content is about, and they use that information to determine where it should be ranked. If you don’t provide metadata, then search engines will use whatever text is on the page itself instead. This means that if you’re not careful about what words are visible on your site, then those words could become important in determining where you rank for certain searches.
Meta descriptions are one of the most powerful tools in an SEO’s arsenal. They’re short summaries that appear below some listings in search results; Google even uses them to help inform its Knowledge Graph (where it displays facts about topics people search for). The good news here is that musicians can write their meta descriptions! This can be a great opportunity to include keywords relevant to your music or band just make sure not to go overboard with keyword stuffing; Google doesn’t like when websites overuse specific terms just because they think it’ll help them rank higher.
There are two main types of metadata: HTML and XML/RDFa (Extensible Resource Description Framework). Both allow us to provide information about our resources so they’re easier for anyone trying to find them through different channels; however, there are subtle differences between these standards which we’ll discuss later on in this article…
Image ALT text is the text that appears when you hover over an image. It’s used for accessibility and SEO, as it helps search engines understand what your images are about.
The first thing to remember is that an image’s ALT text should be descriptive and include keywords. For example, if you have a photo of yourself playing the guitar on stage at a show, your image ALT text might say something like “Tom Jones performing at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California” or “Tom Jones performing on stage at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California while wearing his signature glasses.”
Additionally, the maximum length of any given piece of content including alt tags should be 160 characters (including spaces).
Copy is the text on the page that is visible to the user. You should always write your copy to be read by humans, not search engines.
This means that you should avoid repetition and long blocks of text where possible – if a reader can’t get through it all in one go, they won’t bother reading it at all. Remember: people don’t spend hours at a time searching for content; they usually have something specific they need help with, so keep it short and sweet!
It’s also important that your copy is unique and original don’t just copy from elsewhere on the internet! Search engines penalize sites for duplicate content, so make sure yours stands out from other sites by keeping things fresh (and avoiding plagiarism at all costs). Keep in mind that Google will only index about half of what’s published online as part of its algorithm; if you want both search engines AND visitors themselves coming back again and again then go ahead and write something brilliant every single time – even if no one else does!
When it comes to your online presence, Google My Business is an incredibly useful tool. You can use photos, videos, and more on your business page. You can also claim your listing on Google Maps (this will help people find you).
If you haven’t already, create a Google My Business page for yourself or your band. Then add links to that page from all of the different places on the web where people might look for you online: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc…
Social media is a great way to build your brand, reach fans and potential fans, and share your music. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms have all kinds of features that can help you strengthen your relationship with listeners and fans.
Reviews and ratings are important for SEO, and you should be getting as many as possible.
But how do you get reviews?
You can ask for them on your website, or use a service like Yelp to collect reviews there. You can also offer free products in exchange for an honest review (be sure the product is useful for musicians!). If someone writes a good review about your music online, don’t forget to thank them!
How do I get more reviews? How do I get more ratings? How do I get more stars? How do I get more than five stars?
Link building is one of the most important parts of your SEO strategy, and it should be a major part of your overall marketing plan. Here’s what you need to know about link building for musicians:
It’s important to understand that SEO is a complicated subject with many moving parts. You should use this checklist to stay organized and make sure you’re working on the right things in the right order.
It’s also worth noting that most of the tasks on this checklist should not be performed by musicians themselves, but rather by an experienced web developer or agency with whom they can partner.
SEO is a complicated subject with many moving parts. Use this checklist to stay organized.
The music business is complicated and everyone who works in it must earn money. While there are many ways to get paid, the most common method is through royalties. This article will explain how royalties work and how they can impact your earnings as an artist or manager.
Royalties are the money paid to songwriters and artists for the use of their work. They’re paid by record labels, radio stations, and live venues, who typically pay a percentage of their gross revenue on each song.
Your earnings as a musician can come from a number of sources. The most obvious is record sales, but there are many other ways to make money as an artist.
Labels also earn money through sales of physical products, such as CDs and vinyl records. In addition to the royalties they receive from artists (more on that below), labels receive royalties from each sale of an artist’s physical release.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in 2017 consumers bought 1.22 billion albums in the United States alone. Based on the average price point per album (which is around $10 these days), that amounts to more than $12 billion worth of music sold by record companies and artists alike—money that goes straight into their pockets! Labels also make money by selling digital downloads and streaming subscriptions for individual songs or albums, licensing out music for commercials or movies, merchandising clothing lines affiliated with artists’ names…the list goes on!
The publishing company’s earnings are based on the number of streams, downloads, and physical copies sold. For example, if you write a song that someone else records and sells 100,000 albums, then your publishing company will be entitled to 10% of those sales (10% being standard for top-line writers).
These numbers can add up quickly. But what about other ways artists get paid?
Your manager is a professional who works with you to improve your career. They are paid from the money you make, so they only get paid if you’re making money.
They negotiate contracts and help book gigs, and keep an eye on what’s going on in the business. In some cases, they help with songwriting (in exchange for a cut of course!).
A good manager knows how to get things done and can help you get out there and succeed as an artist!
Lawyers are an essential part of the music business. They help negotiate contracts, make sure everyone gets paid, and mediate disputes between artists and managers, labels, and publishers.
There are two main types of lawyers in the music industry: corporate lawyers (who work for record labels or publishing companies), and litigation attorneys (who represent artists). Litigation attorneys range from general practice to specialists like entertainment lawyers or intellectual property lawyers.
Corporate law firms can earn anywhere from $150 per hour to over $1000 per hour for their services; it depends on their level of specialization as well as their experience with major clients such as record labels and publishers. Litigation attorneys usually charge a flat fee based on the amount of time they think your case will take them for example, if you have a simple dispute with your manager over money owed from touring revenue then you might pay only a few hundred dollars in legal fees while any case involving copyright infringement could cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands!
The music business is complicated and everyone who works in it must earn money. The first part of this statement is obvious, but it’s also worth repeating: the music business is complicated. It involves a lot of people and there are lots of ways to make money as a musician or producer. This truth leads us to the second point: everyone must earn money.
The music business is a dream for many. After all, it’s an industry full of talented people who love what they do. But getting into the music business can be tricky if you don’t know what to expect or where to start. First, you need to understand what the music industry is: how it works and how artists get noticed by record labels and managers. Then we’ll talk about how you can break into this exciting world with your own career as an artist or producer!
The music industry is a business. It’s made up of many different parts and it’s a complex ecosystem, but at its core, it’s a network of people who have created businesses that serve the industry.
The music industry is also a collection of many different businesses: record labels, publishers, managers, producers, artists on tour and in the studio, songwriters, agents, and promoters are all part of this ecosystem.
Before you begin, you should have a good handle on the following:
You’ll also want an understanding of how to build a fan base, as well as how to use digital platforms and social media to promote yourself and your brand effectively.
The music business is full of talented people. To break in, you need to be persistent and willing to take risks and work hard. You need to be willing to learn new things and to take criticism.
To get started, you could try self-releasing an album or EP on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or iTunes; these platforms make it easy for newcomers to get their music out there without the help of a record label or other gatekeeper.
Creating high-quality music is the first step to getting noticed by the right people. This sounds obvious, but it’s something that you need to keep in mind throughout the entire process of starting your career as a musician.
The next step is making sure that your music is heard by the right people.
You can do this through various channels:
Negotiating a win-win is often a process that takes place over multiple meetings. It’s important to be professional and prepared for the negotiation process, including knowing the value of your product and what the other party wants. Keep in mind what the industry standard is and what you know about your competition’s deal terms. Make sure you know who your audience is and where they are located geographically. To get into the music business, you need to be able to walk away from a deal if it doesn’t work for you but always stays open to new opportunities!
The next step is to find a manager. A good manager can help you develop your career and negotiate with record labels, music publishers, film studios, and other businesses that may want to use your music in their projects. The manager knows how to get your music heard by the right people and should also be able to answer any questions you have about what they do or how they can help you succeed as an artist.
The next thing you will probably need is a lawyer who specializes in representing musicians. It’s important that you choose someone who has experience working with artists because this person will be your gatekeeper when it comes down to negotiating contracts for things like publishing deals (which gives them permission to use your songs), endorsements (where companies pay artists for using their likenesses on products) or touring agreements (this gives them permission access venues so they can perform live).
A publicist helps artists create buzz by pitching stories about them to magazines or radio stations without being paid directly by those outlets because these professionals have relationships built over time where they know exactly what types of stories will appeal most effectively to their audience demographic. A stylist works on fashion so if this isn’t something currently part of your interests then perhaps consider hiring one anyway because having clothing fit properly really makes a difference when trying out something new! Finally, the booking agent handles getting shows booked at venues throughout town which means introducing yourself face-to-face and then selling tickets through websites like Ticketmaster or StubHub while also handling transportation arrangements such as travel expenses plus hotel stays if applicable.”
The music industry is a big umbrella term for many different jobs, from artists to songwriters to producers and engineers. It’s a business, but it’s also a lifestyle: some people are only in it for the money, and others love their job so much that they would do it for free if they could just afford to live off their passion. The music industry is made up of artists, songwriters, producers, engineers managers publishers record labels, etc
I hope this article has given you a better understanding of what it means to be part of the music industry. You’ll need to know how your skills and talents can help you succeed in this competitive field, as well as how best to present yourself during an interview process or when negotiating with other people in the business. Your career is yours alone one else will make it happen except for you!
In the music industry, A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. An A&R executive is your ultimate guide in approaching someone from the record label. This guide will help you prepare for an A&R meeting and get your music to market.
It’s hard to get noticed when everyone is clamoring to get noticed. There are a lot of artists in the industry and they’re all competing for the attention of A&Rs and music executives. In this article, we’ll go over how to prepare for an A&R meeting so that you stand out amongst the crowd.
A&R stands for “artists and repertoire.” In this case, “repertoire” means your music, the songs you write. A&R is the department at a record label that finds new talent, signs them to the label, and works with them to polish their artistry and release music.
When you meet with an A&R person, they want to hear your best songs the ones that demonstrate what makes you special as an artist. If you’re just starting in your career as a songwriter or musician (or if someone else is pitching on behalf of your band), it’s important to prepare yourself for this meeting ahead of time so that no matter what happens during those first few minutes together (and there will be some inevitable awkward silence), it’ll go smoothly enough that everyone leaves thinking good things about each other and looking forward to working together again soon!
A&R executives are busy people. They have a lot on their plate and aren’t going to waste their time with anyone who doesn’t follow the guidelines for booking a meeting. But if you do manage to get that meeting, then you must know what to expect from an A&R exec and how best to prepare for it.
A good way to think about this is like going on a date. You don’t just show up empty-handed and hope for the best you prep! So before booking any meetings, take some time and make sure your music has been mastered by someone who knows what they’re doing. Then make sure all of your social media accounts are up-to-date and active; including links where they can find more of your work online. And finally, have some great photos taken by professionals at least three months in advance so they will be ready when they need them.
To make the most of your A&R meeting, you should be prepared to discuss how a record deal would help you. You should know precisely what you want from the recording process and how it will benefit your career. For example, if you’re an up-and-coming new artist, perhaps having more creative control over your work will allow for a greater chance at success than releasing an album through an independent label or self-publishing on SoundCloud. Or perhaps staying away from major labels is important because they may hinder your ability to pursue other interests (like touring). If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, it might be time for some serious soul-searching about where and how being signed would fit into your plans.
If becoming famous isn’t necessarily one of them (and let’s face it: not everyone wants that), then consider where else this could lead in terms of exposure and publicity many artists who don’t aim for chart-topping hits still find success through touring or licensing their music; these things don’t require any kind of contract with a major record label!
Once again: before meeting with anyone in person about anything related to the music business or entertainment industry careers in general–even if they say they are just interested in helping out to make sure everything feels right!
It’s also likely that you’ll be asked how many followers you have across various social media platforms, and how well your music has been received in the press. The more coverage you can demonstrate, the better. Social media metrics (number of followers across various platforms), press mentions, and streams on various services such as SoundCloud or Spotify are likely to come up.
The best thing you can do to prepare for an A&R meeting is work on your artistry your live performance and recorded music and make yourself a unique presence on social media. You should have a clear idea of where you want to go next in your career and what that would look like. Social media metrics (number of followers across various platforms), press mentions, and number of streams on various services are important factors that A&Rs consider when deciding whether or not to sign an artist.
You can only control how much you are prepared for the meeting; everything else, like the person’s feelings about your music or whether it has potential in the market, is entirely out of your control. This is why it’s so important to be ready for an A&R meeting—your preparation will show that you’re serious about getting signed and will give you something else to discuss with the label representative besides just what they think of your songs.
Royalties are the lifeblood of music publishing. They’re what you get paid for when someone uses your song in their project—like a movie, TV show, or commercial. But there’s more than one type of royalty involved in music publishing, and each one is based on the use of your music. In this post we’ll go over three types of royalties you should know about:
Mechanical royalties are paid to songwriters and music publishers when their songs are recorded and sold on a CD, vinyl record, or digital download. Mechanical royalties are shared with the artist who performed the song (if applicable), as well as record companies who invest in producing and distributing it.
Songwriter royalties are paid when you write your own music, while publisher royalties go to whoever owns the publishing company that controls your work (often your manager).
Performance royalties are paid to songwriters and publishers when their songs are played on the radio, in restaurants, bars, or other public places.
Performance royalties are collected by ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers) BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) SESAC (Society Of European Stage Authors & Composers) SoundExchange.
Synchronization (or “blanket”) licenses are a type of music publishing royalty that allows an artist to be paid for their songs being used in the film, television shows, and commercials.
A synchronization license is typically bought by a music supervisor who works for the producer of a movie or TV show. They’ll listen to several songs before deciding which ones fit best with their project’s storyline and theme. When they select one song from an artist’s catalog and decide to use it in their project, they contact that artist’s publisher requesting permission to use their song(s) under license terms agreed upon beforehand by both parties (the publisher and artist).
Understanding the different types of royalties in music publishing is key to getting paid.
Royalty is the money or percent of the amount being earned from a published work, that is allotted to the publisher once a sale is made. The percentages will vary based upon several different factors, but suffice it to say, they are a very good way of making additional income, provided that you have established rights to your music through publishing.
I hope that in reading this article you have gained a better understanding of the many different types of royalties involved with music publishing. This is just a basic explanation but they are quite complex, and many things can occur when you are talking about publishing. I urge any individual who is considering entering the world of music publishing to seek out more information before doing any deals with publishers because it could cost you thousands later on down the road. Have fun writing your songs, and remember these important points!
Since we started back in 2006, we’ve always made artists our first priority. This new feature helps artists, managers, and indie labels track measurable success on TikTok, and we’re stoked to be able to offer it before anyone else.
“How people are consuming and interacting with music is evolving at such a rapid pace. As a distributor, it’s critical that we move quickly to get this data into the hands of our clients so they can maximize their reach. Our team is laser-focused on delivering value and we’re excited to be the first distributor to offer this level of insight into TikTok data,” says Symphonic VP of Product, Ali Lieberman.
This tool makes it easier for creators to understand the TikTok metrics that really matter and helps maximize the impact of their future TikTok marketing campaigns. Importantly, Symphonic’s proprietary TikTok analytics makes the distinction between views and creations. While view counts get a lot of attention, it is creations that actually drive royalties on the platform.
The new tool delivers comprehensive and easy-to-read metrics on how many videos have been created using an artist’s music as well as how many views, likes, comments, and shares the video generated.
Navigate to this feature by clicking on Analytics -> TikTok
The landing page provides a catalog-level view of performance across the entire catalog on a given date range that you can change. The page is broken down into the following cards:
Activity counts are displayed for Videos and Views. The video count is the metric that generates royalties. Hovering over any bar will show you the detail of a specific day.
Activity counts are displayed for each time the video using your music receives a Favorite, Comment, Share, and Like during the time period selected across your entire catalog.
Each section shows the top 5 entries sorted by Videos (created) in descending order (e.g., the Territory section shows the top 5 countries where videos were created on TikTok using your songs). Click the ‘View All’ button to see more data if available.
Source symphonic distribution
If you are trying to beat the Spotify shuffle algorithm, you need to remember their 30-second rule. Your song should grab the listener immediately and make them stay for more than 30 seconds. Otherwise, regardless of how many listeners initially listen to your song, it won’t count if they don’t pass that first 30 seconds. Also, remember that timing is everything on Spotify. For example, the first 12-24 hours after your track drops are crucial to your success or to gaining momentum.
One of the better ways to get the algorithm to notice you in this timeframe is by getting a pre-saves boost before your release date. Besides that, you have to pay attention to the competition, such as similar artists who may also be applying the same strategy. For example, you want to avoid dropping a track on the same day as famous artists. By avoiding this, you can naturally increase your chances of beating the algorithm. If you want to know more about how important connecting is, then feel free to read our blog post-ON
Independent musicians are always looking to establish a fan base and promote their original songs/tracks. To do this, they must first become familiar with branding and marketing.
This is because for the business to grow, establishing the specific areas within your business that include things such as colour schemes, logos, and consistent posts across social media platforms are important when making music your full-time career.
Another aspect of marketing your music that should be a top priority is to get yourself an established email list set up. This is owned by you and gives you direct contact with your fanbase so that you can keep your audience up-to-date with upcoming gigs or live performances, or when new music is going to be launched.
The end goal for musicians is to create a solid fan base that you (the musician) can keep in touch with regularly so that they (the fans) know what you’re up to.
This helps you as an artist because you can keep track of your fans by monitoring the lists. It also allows you to reach out to them easily. There are free resources online you can use to do this, but this can also become a lot of work on your part that you might not have the time (or expertise) to do.
Musicians tend to want to focus on their craft – making and performing music – and not on all that goes along with it.
With digital platforms in the online world becoming more of a means to distribute and get noticed, there are multiple opportunities with companies that will allow music submissions by independent music artists. Many of these can take the guesswork out of how to get your music shared and noticed, without you having to do much of the leg work.
Utilizing online music submission software is a way to get your music directly in the thick of things. This site, in particular, called Share Pro, will immediately allow your original music submission to be viewed within a 48-hour window and get back to you if they are going to share your music on their platforms, maybe even work with you or offer a record deal.
It’s a fast-track way of getting your music heard by professionals and can be helpful when you want some feedback to see if your music can truly make “the cut.”
If you’re confident that your music is mixed and mastered and ready for the big leagues, this is a great step for you to take as a musician – you never know who might be looking for your specific sound.
A music licensing company is ultimately one of the best platforms for you to submit your music to, and Marmoset is a great licensing company to start with that cares about giving indie artists new opportunities.
The music licensing process is taken care of by the company, so you don’t have to worry about all of the legalities, allowing you to be more focused on making the music rather than selling it.
The company not only accepts your original music and tracks, but they have a wide range of networks that have already utilized their services to find music. This means that you don’t have to do any networking or submitting directly to professionals, since the consensus is that many music supervisors, filmmakers, or other creatives don’t tend to “try out” new music if they are unfamiliar.
But, when a musician is accepted and part of a bigger library of tracks that creatives already go to find their perfect fit, your chances of being noticed (even on a larger platform) are much better. Plus, when your music is chosen there is an even bigger chance that you may be contacted from that point forward to produce more music for specific projects.
Believe it or not, many music-centred blogs and websites out there want your music to be promoted. One of the main reasons for this is that a lot of times with independent musicians you want your music to be heard in any capacity. There are also no royalty fees necessary as long as your music is copyrighted.
There are multiple music blogs like Indiepulse and Emerging Indie Bands blogs and articles where you can submit to have your music featured. They tend to prefer it to be unsigned and unknown, so newer and emerging music artists should consider this route.
This may now seem almost like a very old-school way of doing things, but this is always an option as a musician. You would simply send out demos of your music to multiple record labels through the mail and/or email.
This method can be a long, uphill battle, and many times your music probably won’t even be listened to (or might be listened to by a lowly intern who doesn’t push it up the chain of command).
One thing you should keep in mind if you submit directly to a record label is that many of them do not accept any unsolicited materials. This can mean two different things: the main one being that the record label themselves is not inviting you to send – which means, unless you were asked to send a demo, don’t do it.
The second thing is almost the same as the first – you have to have had some sort of business association with the record label for them to accept your music submission.
Whether you decide to submit your music is up to you. Still, the insight you gain here points to the idea that as an independent musician, you need to be sure to network and establish relations within the industry as much as possible. There are some easier and more difficult ways to do so, depending on how hard you want to work for it.
After creating the music you’re wanting to share with the public, your next priority should be marketing that music and gaining more visibility. Once you can start establishing relations with others in the business and they start to approach you for new music demos, then you have a shot at an actual record label.