Music Promotion isn’t easy but that doesn’t mean your song still can’t be profitable and reach millions of listeners. The keys to creating a good music promotion campaign similar to weight loss, managing and monitoring your steps, and doing the work.
Music Management and Promotion
Let’s assume you have all the pieces gathered for promotion and your music is ready to be released or already in stores. (Companies like DistroKid are among the top aggregators to get your music into stores. Click here to save $ on your first release). Assets include song files, cover art, photos, and more. Once you have all your materials it’s time to promote.
But what tools are you using for Music management and promotion? Are you monitoring artist stats? Tools like Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, Amazon for Artists, Deezer for Creators are great starts. We also use platforms like Toneden and Hypeddit to create smartlinks. The reason we use those 2 platforms specifically is because of the added promotion and ad features they offer that general music smart links don’t offer.
Once you have this data, what are you doing with it? Make sure to be observant of what cities and countries are listening to your music. Then target your ads and promotion to those regions and demographics.
Music Promotion
There are many platforms to promote your music and well over 200 DSPs (Digital Service Provider) so it may be hard to know which one(s) to focus on. That’s why managing your stats is so important. If you think Spotify is best but all of your streams are coming from Europe on Deezer then it will be easier to pivot your promotion. We’re going to focus on the 2 biggest platforms at the time and 2 other techniques.
Spotify Playlist Promotion
Even though times are changing, because of Spotify’s free tier it’s easier to access more listeners than platforms like Apple that only host paid accounts. When thinking about Spotify playlists there are multiple kinds: Algorithmic Playlists, Editorial Playlists, and User-Generated Playlists.
Spotify Algorithmic playlists are created based on the user’s listening habits. You’ve seen them on your page listed as Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Daily Mix, and more.
Editorial playlists are created by Spotify, and you can submit to them right from your Spotify for Artists Dashboard after you schedule your release. (Heads up, they prefer about 4 weeks lead-time).
User-generated playlists are the ones we all can create. It’s made by fans and playlist curators. Some have a fee they charge for submissions, but many are open to submissions for free!
Click here for more information on playlist promotion.
More of a DIYer? Get the most in-depth Spotify Playlist Curator directory here.
Promoting Music on YouTube
YouTube promotion is similar in that there are big playlist curators and pages you can submit to. However, things like having the right title, thumbnail, and description are key. YouTube titles work much like blog posts or website titles as far as SEO and showing up on google is concerned. Make sure you make it easy to find your video by including your artist name, song title, and any other identifying info, but keep it shorter.
Next, is ads! We’ve generated millions of real video views for our clients with YouTube advertising campaigns. The ad platform is run by their parent company, Google. You can run your campaigns on Google Ads. Like other ad platforms, you can target specific fans, regions, and more.
Get the most in-depth YouTube Playlist Curator directory here.
Musician PR
PR, short for public relations, is crucial for music promotion. This is how media outlets (blogs, magazines, tv shows, radio, etc.) learn about who you are. There are many great PR companies but if you’re willing to do the work this is something you can do yourself or in-house with your team.
Want to know everything you need to start submitting to blogs? Click here to download our Free Blog Checklist.
Let us help your reach with one of our media campaigns. You provide the content but we’ll do the heavy lifting for guaranteed placements.
Prefer to reach out on your own? The IndieBible has the most comprehensive list of blogs, magazines, radio stations, labels, and more! Click here to check it out.
Free Music Promo
We all know the phrase ‘it takes money to make money’ and this industry is expensive. $50 here and there won’t cut it. But don’t get discouraged, there are always things you can do for cheap or Free!
Social media is free. So is the internet at the local library. There are no excuses now. If you got access to this article you can make something happen. With graphic design platforms like Canva with free templates then it’s easy to design your own graphics for free. With Google Docs you can write your bio and keep track of who you reached out to on Sheets. Send links to your friends, join groups, discords, and forums to network and share links. Create pay-gate content with platforms like Patreon where fans pay a monthly subscription fee to get access to your content. Shoot a video on your phone and upload it to YouTube. Do pop-up concerts in your neighborhood or at a community festival. Next time you’re in your barbershop see if you can play your song or leave CDs, download cards, or merch on consignment to sell. Many times local boutiques have DJs there, talk to them or store managers about where they get their music from and how your music can be added to the playlist.
Sometimes you need to be creative. But we’re creators, right? That part comes naturally. Music promotion takes work and time. But it’s necessary if you want to be heard and stand out.