By Mitch Rice
Breaking into today’s music scene is pretty much like shouting in a hurricane. Many indie artists might feel so when they’re starting out. And it’s sad that a lot of the talented ones never get the visibility they deserve.
With over 60,000 tracks uploaded to Spotify daily, millions of music-related content on the internet from various cultures, algorithm-based digital feeds diluted by misinformation and irrelevant promotions… catching anyone’s attention might seem impossible in such a scenario. But the truth is you don’t need everyone’s attention. You need only the right people’s attention.
Let’s discuss how you can make that happen and stand a better chance of making a name for yourself in the indie music scene.
Change Your Social Media Strategy
If you keep posting your Spotify link over and over again, your “content” eventually fades out in the saturated market. Instead you can focus on making your content engaging enough to highlight the music in it. Ideally, your work must go along with the memories you have while making it. You can share your experience making this song, film behind-the-scenes of production, post reels that breakdown the song, talk about failures etc. This adds to the value of your work. Instead of using every social media available to gain visibility, focus on two or three platforms.
Turn The Sound Into A Brand
Easier said than done. But it’s possible. Creating distinctive music alone may not cut it, unless it goes viral. And that’s not in your hands. What is in your hands is your capacity to create a sensory experience that viewers will find unique.
- Conceive a signature visual style
- Design a memorable logo
- Establish a distinctive aesthetic
Once you work on the distinctive traits, promote them. Indie musicians may find guerilla marketing tactics effective in the beginning. You can share QR codes to your music at local hangout spots, host living room concerts or collaborate with local artists for a free show. Because you’re just starting out, investing in merchandise is not a great move. But you can still get some attention with a few customized promo apparel. Get a great blank crewneck sweatshirt customized with your logo, channel name and an impactful quote about your music for starters. Wear it wherever you go so you can get some viewers. Personally take the feedback from these viewers and leverage them for further guerilla marketing. These tactics won’t strain your wallet much either.
Go Live With Content Between Releases
Pre and post-release content is important to build a little hype and anticipation. You can share a few lyrics of the song or film a walkthrough of your workspace. Live stream sessions may or may not work depending on the visibility of your channel, and how you promote the stream. If you’re appearing in the content, make sure to use promo items to further emphasize the message. You can go for
Invest In Building A Community
A good portion of your time and energy should be invested in building a community. A few followers can only take you so far. One of the best digital platforms to do that is by creating a Discord server where you can host monthly hangouts, discuss ideas, gather feedback, and personally communicate with your first followers. You can share exclusive content with your biggest supporters through Discord as well. While building a community, you can also do a lot of networking. With luck, you may even get partnership offers from locally popular artists. Communities make cross-promotions easier.
Collaborative Promotions
Speaking of cross-promotions, collaboration is how you get a competitive edge in the market. Team up with other artists for split shows, to create mashup covers, and promote each other.
Use Data To Your Advantage
Data is how the digital economy is turned to your favor. You need to be tech savvy enough to gather and analyze data on your online promotions. For example, if you are aware that the skip rate for a track is too high, you may be able to rectify that on your next track. Data is how you know your music is reaching the right audience. You can analyze stream attendance patterns, donation rates, and even playlist add ratios.
Success rarely happens overnight. So you are going to have to play the long game.
- Create systems, not just content
- Develop multiple income streams
- Plan long-term growth with the data you have
- Keep networking to open up new opportunities
Focus on creating genuine connections and delivering value consistently. And it will really make things a lot easier, as long as you have passion and perseverance.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.
