If you want to build a career in the music industry, knowing how to promote yourself as an artist is critical to your success. Until you hit the big time, you won’t have access to teams of experienced promoters and publicists, which means you’ll need to undertake this role yourself.
So, how do you go about promoting your music, attracting fans and getting signed by a label? To get started, take a look at these seven ways to promote your music now:
1. Create a Website
The internet is a primary source of information for most people, which is why it’s vital to create a website if you want to promote your music. As well as featuring visual and text-based content, your website can also give users the opportunity to listen to your tracks and even buy them via downloads.
If you don’t have experience in web design and you don’t want to hire a professional developer, there’s no need to panic. Many platforms make it easy to create, launch and host a site, even if you have limited tech knowledge. With user-friendly interfaces and ‘drag and drop’ editors, creating a website can be easier than you think.
2. Lay Down Some Tracks
When you’re promoting your music, you’ll want to ensure that people have an opportunity to listen to high quality audio tracks. By booking some time in a Dallas music studio, you can record music in a professional environment and use the audio to generate publicity. With fully equipped recording studios all over the world, Pirate makes it easy for up-and-coming artists to access the resources they need. Hire a studio for an hour, a day, or as long as you need, and you’ll benefit from high-quality equipment and the chance to edit and enhance your tracks.
3. Start a YouTube Channel
As the second-largest website in the world, YouTube is a great place to generate publicity. However, YouTube isn’t only one of the most popular sites on the internet; it’s also the biggest music streaming platform. More than 2 billion logged-in users play music on YouTube every month, which highlights just how vast your reach could be when you use the platform to promote your music.
From pre-recorded clips to live streams, you can share your music in any way you choose when you create your own YouTube channel. As well as giving people the chance to listen to your tracks, you can also give fans the opportunity to get to know you, which can be an important part of building a fanbase.
What’s more – uploading content and acquiring subscribers can also enable you to generate income from your budding music career. With advertising options and sponsorships, many people make a significant amount of money via YouTube alone, which is why it’s a must-use platform for aspiring artists.
4. Perform at Open Mic Nights
Open mic nights are designed to give up-and-coming vocalists, instrumentalists or bands the opportunity to play in front of a live audience. Venues, such as bars, clubs and cafes, often hold open mic nights on ‘off nights’, so don’t expect a prime spot on a Friday or Saturday night. As you get started, you’ll probably be playing midweek but there’s no doubt that the experience of playing live is a great way to hone your talent, enhance your stage presence and promote your music.
Additionally, playing at open mic nights gives you a chance to build a network and get to know people who work in your local music scene. Often, this leads to more lucrative opportunities, such as paid gigs or more popular slots at upcoming events. As a result, you can build on your success at open mic nights and gain subsequent publicity.
5. Add Your Music to Audio Streaming Services
Audio streaming services, like Spotify and iTunes, are growing in popularity all the time. In fact, there are now 400 million users worldwide who regularly stream audio content. When you sign up with audio streaming sites, you can often make your music available to other users without incurring any fees. This makes it a great way to attract listeners and ensure that your target demographic is familiar with your sound.
But you don’t have to stop there. As well as uploading your music, be sure to submit it for playlist consideration. When your songs are featured on playlists, you’ll increase your reach and gain much more publicity.
6. Get Press Coverage
When newspapers, magazines or websites feature your name or information about your music, the publicity can have an exceptionally positive impact on your music career. After all, the more people who know your name, the more likely it is that they’ll listen to your music.
People often assume that securing press coverage is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. You can draft your own press releases and submit them to publications or make them available to industry websites. If you’re recording a new track or playing at an event, for example, reach out to relevant publishers or local media and secure coverage in advance.
7. Be Active on Social Media
To date, 53.6% of the world’s population is active on social media. If you want to promote anything, including your music, social media is a great place to start. However, creating a profile isn’t going to be enough to generate the publicity you’re looking for. Instead, you’ll need to post engaging and valuable content on a regular basis and connect with other users.
By contributing to relevant discussions, sharing interesting blog posts or news and posting about topical issues and trends, you can attract followers and build up your presence on popular social media platforms. In doing so, you’ll also have the chance to share your music, drive users to your website and promote your content.
Building Brand Awareness in the Music Industry
Promoting your music is a top priority if you want to break into the music industry, and the internet makes it easier than ever before. Once you’ve recorded some tracks, you’ll have the high-quality content you need to compete in a challenging market and, with the right online marketing, you can generate the publicity you need to grow as an artist.