Make It As An Independent

Helping musicians maximize their potential by using online marketing tools, insights and strategies to increase music exposure and attract life-long fans.

About
Music Marketing Blog

MUSIC MARKETING FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS

With so much competition for attention out there, it’s harder for artists to stand out of the clutter. The aim of this site is to guide you through the online marketing space to improve your chances of making a living off music and continue making a positive impact in people’s lives.

My 4 Principles for Music Marketing Success

Online Foundation

Establish a solid home base (plan, website, email, social media) for your online presence so marketing efforts run smoothly

Branding

Grow your fan base effectively when you understand the importance of branding and how to appeal to your target market

Efficiency

Save time to focus on creating music by leveraging online tools and strategies to maximize your time and effort

Amplify

Get your message and story out to the right people, learn to increase online reach with the best online practices and strategies

Jan 21
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Smartest Music Investments

12 Smartest Investments Musicians Can Make Towards a Full-Time Music Career

By | Music Business | No Comments

Many musicians want to make music a full time gig, but many of them aren’t taking music seriously enough. More specifically, they’re not willing to invest their money back into their business to grow their music career properly.

To be fair, it’s not easy. It can be overwhelming at times. The decline in record sales and rise in streaming has made it more difficult for emerging musicians to earn a stable income off physical music.

Even with consistent income, it takes smart investments in yourself to increase your chances of making it in this industry. In general, there are two things you can use to invest – time and money. Time will always be your most valuable asset, and what you have the most control over, so use it wisely. Read More

Dec 25
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Ordering Merch

Bulk Ordering or Print On-Demand? What’s the Best Way for Musicians to Order Merch

By | Merch, Music Business | No Comments

This is part 2 of 3 about merch.

It’s no surprise that one of the key components to making a living off music is selling merch. Not only is merch an income stream, it’s also a marketing / advertising tool to raise brand awareness.

At this point, you should have some designs on hand in the proper graphic file format. If you don’t have your designs yet, before sure to read this first.

You have merch designs ready to go. Now you need to find out what’s the best way to get it made, and into the hands of your fans. There are some factors to consider when getting merch made. Read More

Nov 18
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Promoting Your Music

How To Promote Your Music: The Best and Worst Strategies and Tactics

By | Music Business, Music Distribution | No Comments

You made your songs available on every digital platform. You have a presence on every popular social media channel. Yet, no one’s listening to your songs.

One of the biggest questions I get, a very common problem for new musicians, is how do I promote my music?

It can be a frustrating experience, but there’s a lot more that goes into music promotion than just making it widely accessible… which I believe you should.

Sometimes, musicians who have this problem are looking for free exposure or shortcuts to build up vanity metrics like views or followers. This type of mindset leads to bad habits and tactics that just don’t work.

In this blog, I will go over the best and worst ways you can promote your music. If you haven’t seen much engagement or traction with your songs, maybe you’re guilty of one of these bad promotion tactics. Read More

Oct 24
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Identify Your Niche

4 Steps to Find Your Target Audience or Niche as a Musician to Grow a Fanbase

By | Branding, Marketing Basics, Music Business | No Comments

Have you struggled with getting new fans? Does it seem like no one is listening whenever you promote your music on social media? Although there can be a number of reasons for this, have you thought about who exactly your target audience is?

Just like a business needs customers, musicians and music artists need fans. To build a fanbase, one of the most fundamental steps is to identify who your target audience is. If you want to make music for a living, you have to know who to “market” or promote your music to.

How do you do all that? In this blog, I will share my perspective, and approach in detail on growing a fan base by identifying your target audience first. Read More

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Working with David has definitely added the needed boost to my career. He has helped with every aspect of creating content for my social media pages, as well as website. His eye for photography and videography and work ethic are things you can’t teach, but only appreciate how much they enhance my brand. David is a team player and as reliable as they come!

ButterscotchOne Woman Symphony
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D4 is a Swiss Army Knife man who can do just about anything. A one stop shop, if you will. He was very helpful in multiple areas from website designer, photography, filming editing show recaps to helping on the marketing side with Facebook Ads and more. I really appreciate that he seems to always be accessible when I need his help. He’s fun to talk to and is an inspiration to be around. David has a fountain of knowledge, focusing on ways to stay healthy and create longevity as an artist. I’m so thankful to have crossed paths with him and to have him in my circle.

Pure PowersHip Hop Artist
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Working with D4 Music Marketing has been one of the best choices we've made to give our band's purpose and outreach a complete recharge. David really takes his time to understand who our band is, what we sound like and how we want to represent ourselves to the listeners. Then, he goes deep into understanding how we are doing with our current branding presentation, and works closely with us to curate different ways that can refine and boost its effectiveness. He's consistent and good with following up with us, which is great because sometimes I forget to follow up from having to wear so many hats in the band. On top of that, he has been great with negotiating a budget that will work well for a small independent band such as ourselves. I highly recommend him for any band that wants to maximize the reach of their music to the public.

AstraLogikMusic Duo
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D4 Music Marketing has been an extremely supportive resource! As a jazz, soul, and R&B vocalist, I've had great success as a performer and a musician. However, I was continually challenged in managing and following through on brand development and marketing strategies. My main goal was to create a professional and attractive website. David was proactive in getting together to brainstorm, and he immediately took action to create a polished website. As edits have come up, David responds and makes updates almost immediately. I can rely on him to be in communication, and to support the establishment of my brand. David took initiative in coming out to shows to take photos, and get a better idea of my sound and artistry. I highly recommend David's services and expertise to support growth for musicians and creatives alike.

Amy DabalosJazz & Soul Vocalist
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David has been utterly instrumental in growing our brand as Eko Zu. From web design, execution and updates to social media management, guidance and feedback, David's involvement with the project comes from the ground up. During shows, he helps shoot our Snapchat, Instagram stories, and Facebook Live feeds. He also shoots photo/video with his camera, and can manage a team when we're covering multiple social channels simultaneously. Outside of shows, he helps with our social media and online presence, especially from a web design standpoint. David is an amazing resource and addition to any musician's project, we love and highly recommend his work!

Eko ZuZu'Ian (Producer)