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Music Marketing Blog

A Resource for Independent Artists
Nov 15
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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
Love1
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
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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

Oct 04
Love5
Stressed Musician

6 Must Learn Business Concepts for Musicians Who Hate the Business Side

By Marketing Basics, Music Business One Comment

In an ideal situation, your sole focus would be on making music and not having to worry about marketing, booking, promotion, accounting, or any other business functions. Unless you are signed by a label or have a large budget (let’s face it, most of us don’t), chances are you gotta do it all yourself.

You may hate the business side of things (or just would rather spend your time doing something you actually enjoy), but don’t let that discourage you from incorporating these fundamental business concepts that will improve your chances of making a living off music. Here are 6 must learn business and marketing concepts that you need to know: Read More

Sep 20
Love2
Engaged crowd

9 Social Media Engagement Tips so Musicians Don’t Lose Fans

By Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Did you know that it costs more money to acquire a new customer (or fan in your case) then it does to retain one you already have? In fact, acquiring a new customer is about five times more expensive than keeping an existing one.

Because of this fact, it is not the best use of your time or money to chase after new fans when you have a robust fan base already built. It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset of always wanting more new fans, but neglecting the fans you already have is a costly mistake. This is why social media engagement is so important for musicians. Read More

Sep 13
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Building an Email List

5 Most Effective Ways Music Artists Can Build an Email List

By Email No Comments

Last Updated 10/6/2023

By now, you should already understand how important it is to have an email list as an independent artist. Getting fans to volunteer their email address is not always easy, but it is worth the effort. Being able to own your fan relationship and communicate to them directly is a valuable asset for those who want to make a living off music.

Where do you start if you want to build your email list? Here are the 5 most practical methods for you to effectively build an email list: Read More

Sep 05
Love1
Social Media vs. Email

Social Media vs Email: 4 Stats Show Which is a Priority for Indie Artists

By Email, Social Media No Comments

The two online marketing channels indie artists use the most often are social media and email. Both channels allow artists to interact with fans, but email actually plays a more direct role in helping artists earn money.

I’m sure you already know that an email is better for reaching fans directly as opposed to social media. The way I like to think about it, social media is where your fans likes to hang out during lunch breaks or after work. Email is like having their home address, or even cell phone number.

Regardless of where you are in your music career or what your goals are, your priority should always be to build your email list. Why? Read More

Aug 16
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Online Marketing Mistakes Artists Make

How to Fix 10 Common Online Marketing Mistakes Indie Artists Make

By Marketing Basics No Comments

Your online presence plays a major role in promoting your music and cultivating a fanbase as an independent artist. It’s great that the Internet has leveled the playing field for musicians to be seen and heard by anyone in the world. The problem is that many artists out there are making the same online mistakes that limit their potential and make it harder to grow a fanbase. With so much competition for attention, you can’t afford to make these mistakes if you want to maximize your chances of making it as an independent. Read More

Aug 08
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Instagram Stories or Snapchat

Which is better for Indie Artists, Instagram Stories or Snapchat?

By Instagram, Snapchat, Social Media No Comments

First things first, I hate Instagram Stories. (Just kidding… sort of!) The day it went live, I did a little rant on both platforms to boycott the feature. The purist in me believed that each social media platform should have its own unique special thing. That’s not how it works in the real world, unfortunately. Romanticism aside, this is what big businesses do and the social media landscape is no exception. It’s not the first time a platform is copying a competitor’s feature and it won’t be the last. The allure of having content disappear after 24 hours is a powerful feature for engagement so you can’t hate Instagram for straight up biting Snapchat. Read More

Aug 03
Love2
Don't Buy Fake Fans

4 Reasons Why Not to Buy Fake Fans and How to Spot them

By Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter 2 Comments

What does the average person do when trying to evaluate a brand or get a quick sense if something is good or worthy of their time? Yup, we tend to look at the number of followers and fans on social media. That’s just how we validate things in our celebrity-driven, popularity contest of a society.

As you would imagine, this creates a lot of pressure for independent artists to bump up those like and follow numbers to influence a favorable perception. After all, you want people to have a good impression when they land on your Facebook or Instagram accounts.

Especially when starting out as an indie artist, I know it can be very tempting to boost your social media numbers when it can cost as little as $5 on some third party websites. Read More