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Music Marketing Blog

A Resource for Independent Artists
Feb 21
Love2
Chance the Rapper

Stop Thinking Transactionally: 7 Reasons Musicians Need to Adopt a Branding Mindset

By Branding, Strategy No Comments

Photo Credit: Rob Loud

The music industry is not the same as it was 20 years ago. You no longer need to be signed by a record label to actually have a legitimate career in music. Now, it is much easier to be an independent musician, but at the same time, growing a fan base and making a decent living from music is a challenge.

One of the problems in an evolving music economy is that selling records has become an unsustainable source of income for music artists. Buying music is becoming a thing of the past… at least as a form of music discovery. This romanticized idea of musicians selling music as a product is, strangely, fading. Read More

Feb 07
Love4
Rebecca Black Friday

Going Viral: 6 Research Based-Principles to Increase Music Exposure

By Going Viral, Strategy No Comments

“Compelling content hinges on one key detail: its sharability. It’s not enough to have a Facebook page or tweet every once in a while. Facebook and Twitter are technologies, not strategies in and of themselves. You have to understand why people share some things rather than others in order to use social media to your advantage.” – Jonah Berger

Have you ever wondered why certain artists or songs go viral and achieve a cult-like following? What separates them from the millions of other songs and video uploads flooding the internet? Just imagine what the dramatic increase in exposure could do for your music career.

If you’ve ever questioned why certain content spreads faster than others, this blog will offer insights to answer the questions of why we love to share and how to get more people to talk about your music. Read More

Jan 24
Love1
Give away free music

Should Musicians Give Away Their Music for Free?

By Music Business, Music Distribution, Strategy 6 Comments

Musicians and artists always want more exposure and fans. After all, that’s what you need to build a fan base that will help financially sustain your career in music.

One of the fundamental ways of getting more exposure is making your music easily accessible in the right places. The more people who hear your music, the quicker they can decide if they like it, and hopefully, convert into a fan down the road. Also, it makes it easier for fans to tell their friends about your music through word of mouth.

The biggest barrier to this process is poor marketing and limiting access to your music, which usually happens if people have to pay to discover your music or you only provide snippets of songs. Read More

Jan 10
Love7
Musician website

11 Things Musicians Need On Their Website (Plus Bonus Tips)

By Marketing Basics, Websites No Comments

Last Updated on 8/13/20

Having a website is an important step towards becoming a professional musician. Depending solely on social media is just not going to cut it for most artists out there. You need a piece of online property that you can call your own and have full control over.

If you’re creating your own website or having someone else doing it for you, this blog will provide a complete run-through of what should be on your website. If you already have one, this will help to make sure your site is optimized for a positive user experience so fans, writers and bookers find what they need. Read More

Dec 27
Love118
Choosing Stage Name

How to Choose the Best Stage Name For Musicians

By Branding, Marketing Basics 16 Comments

This blog was updated February 11, 2020.

Are you a new musician still trying to decide on a stage name? If you’ve been having trouble, then hopefully this blog can help.

Unless you want to perform under your given name, you should devote a considerable amount of time researching and strategizing what your stage, artist or band name should be. For a new musician, choosing a name to perform under may not seem like that big of a deal. However, you can avoid a lot of potential headaches down the line if you invest the time to research your preferred stage name. Read More

Dec 13
Love2
How NOT to get booked for shows

10 Ways for Independent Artists to NOT Get Booked for Shows

By Music Business No Comments

It is safe to say that if you want to make a living off of music, you need to book gigs. Lots of them. Not only does it put money in your pocket, but gigs are a great way to get exposure and reach new fans.

Performing live is the biggest source of income for most independent artists. Unfortunately, many artists inadvertently sabotage their chances of getting booked. To avoid this, here’s a list of ten things you should NOT do, brought to you by the Super Duty Tough Work podcast created by underground hip-hop pioneer Blueprint.. Read More

Nov 15
Love1
time saving tips for musicians

8 Time Saving Tips For Musicians

By Email, Music Business, Social Media No Comments

Do you ever find yourself wishing you had more time to focus on the creative aspects of music?

Probably the biggest challenge of being an independent artist is juggling all the business-related tasks, while also squeezing in the necessary time to work on music and hone your creative abilities. Besides music, everyone has external responsibilities – work, family, pets, etc – preventing them from dedicating more time to writing and performing music. Understandably, it can be an overwhelming and frustrating struggle to balance. Read More

Nov 01
Love0
Streaming spells doom

Does the Rise in Music Streaming Services Spell Doom for Independent Artists?

By Music Distribution, Music Streaming, Spotify No Comments

In the past few years, there have been a number of big name artists who have spoken out against music streaming services for not fairly compensating musicians. One of them was Taylor Swift. Here’s what she had to say about why she didn’t want her songs available on Apple Music:

“I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music,” she told Yahoo. “And I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.“

Likewise, Aloe Blacc stated that “…a system that allows digital streaming services to enjoy enormous profits while music creators struggle is imbalanced and broken.”

Even though these artists are clearly more popular than your average musician, the question is what does it really mean for smaller, independent artists? Read More

Oct 18
Love1
Stop obsessing over social media followers

Stop obsessing over social media follower numbers! Focus on this instead

By Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter No Comments

Having a bunch of social media followers is a good feeling. The more, the better right? I get it. A high number feeds the ego. It gives you something to measure your career progress and validates you as an artist. Drive-up the follows, likes and subscribes. It’s the digital instant gratification we crave.

Having a large fan base may help you sleep better at night as you anticipate your fans turning into buying machines. But before you purchase a money counting machine, stop, and think: how many are actually your true fans?

Just as important is the question, how can you tell if they are loyal fans that can support you financially for the long haul? Read More