With DAWs set to outnumber people next year, okay slight exaggeration, but the home studio is more ubiquitous than ever before which means there’s a lot of competition out there to have your music stand out.
Here are some methods to help you get your music out there:
1. Give out free t-shirts to people you think represent what your band is all about. AKA, give them to cool people because whatever they think is cool, is cool. I didn’t write the rules. It’s better to have your band name out there on 100 people’s shirts than two people who paid the $15. Just make sure you do it on the down-low, you don’t want to show favoritism.
2. Save your professional live photo shoots for bigger gigs. Whether it’s a festival, an opening slot of a bigger band, or maybe you’ve got a good promoter, use this opportunity to get some pro shots of the band during these shows. When people are debating whether or not they should check out your band, seeing a lot of people having fun at your shows puts them in that situation, which makes it more appealing.
3. Playlists, playlists, and more playlists. For every streaming platform you are on, you should have an account and create a playlist of similar artists to your sound with your own tracks woven into it. It’s much easier to get someone to check out a playlist of a specific genre than it is to get them to listen to a band they’ve never heard of. Within those streaming platforms, the more people that listen to your music alongside bigger artists, the more chances you have of being discovered by the right fans. There are services out there that you can pay to have your tracks included on some playlists, but do not, I repeat do not pay money for fake plays. Not only is this a violation of every streaming platform’s TOS which puts you at risk of being banned forever, you’re also lumped in with everyone else paying for these plays which means you have almost no chance of being found by potential real fans.
4. Give out free tracks on Bandcamp in exchange for their email address for your mailing list. It doesn’t have to be your polished album, it can be a single, a live track, really anything FREE that will get people to click through. Once you have their email, you’re able to give them direct messages about upcoming shows and releases.
5. Lastly, the most important aspect of marketing anything, whether it’s a car or bubblegum, is to have a stellar product. It sounds like it should go without saying that having good songs is the key to success, but too many bands neglect the fact their band is a multi-dimensional product. Not only do you need great songs, you need to perform them well. Always be focusing on how you can outdo yourself, and your competition on stage. Make your shows events. Make people come time and again. Oh, and make it fun for yourself, too.
For help with music marketing and marketing ideas that you aren’t doing yet, check out our services tab or reach out to us directly