0

Music Marketing Blog

A Resource for Independent Artists
Jul 02
Love16

Different Ways to Get Exposure for Your Music as an Independent Artist

By Marketing Basics, Music Business One Comment

Exposure for Artists

EXPOSURE. It’s what all artists want right?

After investing so much time into creating the music, you want to make sure it gets in front of people. How can you get your music in front of new potential fans? Maybe you’re unsure of the options you have.

A few people have reached out to me and asked about how to get more exposure. To me, there’s really no big secret.

The goal of this blog is to simplify the most practical routes to get more exposure for your music. It’s less about secret tactics or hacks, and more so about an overview of all your options you have to get your music in front of new people. Read More

Jun 11
Love3

Going Viral: 6 Important Lessons Artists can Learn from the Rise of Hobo Johnson

By Branding, Going Viral, Motivation, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Hobo Johnson
 
With all the events that have recently transpired for this young artist, the name of his latest album, “The Rise of Hobo Johnson,” couldn’t be more appropriate.

In the last 3 months, Hobo Johnson has:

  • Reached 700k+ Facebook followers (up from a few thousand)
  • Gained 256k+ Youtube Subscribers
  • Sold out shows all over the U.S. and U.K.
  • Reached #11 on Billboards Heatseeker’s Chart
  • Had at least 4 of his songs at the same time on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 Playlist
  • Booked his first big festivals – Bumbershoot in Seattle and Outside Lands in San Francisco

In the world of virality and mainstream artists, this is relatively impressive. But to the average independent artist, this is an astronomical feat for a 20 something-year-old adult from Sacramento.

How did he do it? Read More

May 03
Love3
Bond Conference in San Francisco

10 Quick Reminders for Musicians From Successful Creatives [Bond Conference]

By Motivation No Comments

Back in March of 2018, I attended a new, intimate conference hosted in San Francisco that focused on how creators / creatives make a living through the internet. Music artists and musicians are included in this bunch. For a blog recap, click here.

There was a lot of great stuff discussed, so I took some notes on specific points and reminders that I think will help all creatives, including music artists like yourself. Also, I want to emphasize the importance of community and the value of attending conferences like this. Read More

Apr 11
Love3
EPK

Everything Artists Need to Know about Electronic Press Kits (EPK)

By Music Business One Comment

Some of the most important things you need to grow your career as an artist, new gigs and press coverage, will require an EPK.

For those who don’t know, an Electronic Press Kit – or EPK – is a professional document that contains relevant information and assets about you as an artist. In a way, it’s like a music resume.

As the name implies, an EPK is generally intended for press, journalists, media or bloggers, but it can also be used for other types of industry people, like talent buyers and promoters.

EPKs serve 2 general purposes – selling yourself and making it easier for the other party to do what you want them to do.

Just like with a job resume, your EPK should be structured around educating the reader on your previous accomplishments. So, if you want publicity or press, your EPK should provide all the information that someone would need to write about you. Read More

Mar 05
Love2
Facebook

Major Facebook News Feed Change in 2018: Here’s How Musicians Should Adapt

By Facebook, Social Media No Comments

A drastic change has taken place on Facebook, and it is bad news for all brands, including musicians and music artists.

As many know, the Facebook newsfeed has been controlled by complex algorithms to determine what posts and content will show up in your feed based on a number of variables including: who you follow, what you post and your past interactions on the platform.

Back in 2016, Facebook announced a change to their news feed algorithm that would prioritize posts from friends and family and bring them to the top of your feed. Personally, I haven’t notice much of a difference since then, but it looks like they’re not done yet. Read More

Jan 10
Love4
Gary Vee Music Artist

Who is Gary Vee and Why Music Artists Should Follow Him

By Motivation, Strategy 2 Comments

There are two people that ultimately inspired me to start D4 Music Marketing. Gary Vaynerchuk (or Gary Vee) is one of them.

For those who don’t know, Gary Vaynerchuk is a successful American entrepreneur, marketing expert and online personality. When it comes to entrepreneurship and the current climate of attention, Gary’s rhetoric and outlook are spot on.

As a music marketer, my core approach to my blog content and developing my personal brand is heavily influenced by Gary Vee. Although his marketing strategies and approach to business are not unique to him, Gary does an excellent job of communicating it in such a clear and practical way that I believe all artists should listen to what he has to say if they want a good chance at making it in the music business.

In a way, this post is a tribute to him and acknowledgment of his role in the creation of my blog, but also to convince artists like yourself why you should listen to what he says.
Read More

Dec 05
Love1
Online Stalker

7 Ways Musicians Can Protect Themselves Online from Stalkers

By Security One Comment

You don’t have to be a celebrity to have stalkers. As an artist, especially if you’re a woman, putting yourself out there on stage or even behind the screen on social media, generates a lot of attention, making you a potential target of identity theft or a victim of stalking or harassment.

As you become more established as an independent artist, it’s very important for you to think about your safety and security. Stalking can happen to anyone and the tools available on the internet make it easier than ever for someone to find out personal information about you and track what you are doing. Even if you aren’t celebrity famous, someone who may not be the most mentally or emotionally stable might take an unhealthy interest in you. Read More

Nov 01
Love6
Apps for Musicians

33 Mobile Apps to Help Make Musician Life Easier and Productive

By Apps No Comments

Last updated on 3/2/2020.

As an artist, it may actually be easier to maximize productivity now when you’re not in front of your laptop or home computer. This is because the apps we have on our smartphones now allow us to get so much done on the go.

I put this list of apps together I felt would be very useful for musicians to manage their day-to-day tasks, create new content, and promote their music. My suggestions are based on apps I have used as well as some of the artists I work with. For this blog, I want to stay away from the painfully obvious ones like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Mailchimp. Read More

Oct 03
Love13
More Spotify Followers

How to Get More Spotify Followers (Tips for Musicians)

By Music Streaming, Social Media, Spotify 3 Comments

Looking for more Spotify followers? As of 2018, Spotify is the top music streaming subscription platform right now worldwide with over 207 million active users (96 million are paying subscribers). As Spotify continues to grow and offer new tools to help you succeed as an independent artist, it makes sense to devote time and effort to increase your number of followers on this platform.

One of the biggest benefits of having Spotify followers is that fans receive email notifications when you put new music on Spotify or announce new shows (if you use Songkick.com). Your songs also show up in their Release Radar playlist and possibly other algorithmic playlists from Spotify. Read More

Sep 06
Love2
Super Fans Isaiah Rashad

4 Easy Communication Tweaks To Help Convert Fans Into Super Fans

By Branding, Music Business, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Since 2008, there’s been a popular hypothesis floating around the internet about how artists can make a sustainable living if they are able to earn roughly 1,000 super fans.

Unfortunately with so much competition for attention now, that number may be more. However, the idea behind this is to help dispel this notion that you need thousands or millions of fans to make it as an independent and that living off music is more attainable than it seems. Read More