There is almost no corner of our lives that hasn’t been touched by advancements in technology. From the way we work to the way we recreate, from the medical clinic to the classroom, tech has changed everything. Even the music industry has changed profoundly as a result of new technology and an increasingly digital landscape.
Today, musicians aiming to make a name for themselves must be as capable at navigating the digital world as they are at making music. Nearly every aspect of the industry has moved online in some way or another. From marketing for the band to putting your music out for the world to hear, digital platforms are involved.
Marketing Yourself
Marketing can be one of the most significant challenges for musicians that are trying to get out there. A successful marketing strategy is what propels someone to stardom. However, it isn’t necessarily easy to market yourself; numerous people make whole careers out of just marketing goods and services. And any professional marketing expert can tell you that if you’re not going big in digital sectors, you’re probably not connecting with your target audience at all.
A strong marketing strategy can be the difference between building a small buzz and turning that into a raving fandom. It is about figuring out who your target audience is and finding the best way to get your product — your music — in front of them. Beyond that, it is about converting your target audience into loyal consumers.
Social media is just one platform that can serve as an example. Marketing through this type of platform is a bit different than any other because it provides a very real opportunity for fans to actually interact with their favorite musicians. Many popular artists regularly use social media to provide updates and connect with fans. It can be one of the most cost-effective means of building a buzz about your music and spreading your sound organically.
The rise of digital platforms has also created a number of big opportunities for a more home-grown approach to marketing your music. Nearly anyone can record themselves performing and put it online these days. Even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, artists were still able to connect with fans in intimate ways such as through tiny at-home concerts or live performances from the living room. These provide a real insight into people’s lives and may make fans feel more connected to you and your story.
Getting Discovered Online
Beyond marketing yourself and your music, the next step is actually getting the music out there. This, of course, isn’t the same as it used to be either. Today, there are multiple different digital platforms available that have made it ridiculously easy for anyone to share their music across a broad spectrum of potential listeners. Granted, that doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to get discovered. Once again, there is a necessary strategy to getting your music in the right place to really thrive in a digital setting.
One tip to remember is that different streaming platforms are going to give you different results. Finding the right one for you is critical. For example, a platform like Bandcamp might be a good way to release your music if you are looking to encourage people to purchase, whereas something like SoundCloud can be a great space for building a loyal following and giving them special perks or sneak peeks into what you’re working on. On the other hand, a platform like Spotify might be great for getting greater exposure, but without any of the control really in your hands.
Another strategy to getting discovered is to work hard to point people directly to your music. Send some of your tracks to people that will listen to it and might have a bit of influence. If they like your sound and talk about you to their followers, you’re in it! Even if you don’t have people to send your music to, you can still point people directly to it by using things like hashtags and other handles that will draw people searching for something specific in.
Being Seen
Of course, all of this digital landscape activity doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll hole up in a studio and never play in public again. Contrarily, live music is still one of the main ways that real music aficionados find their new favorite bands. Never giving up playing live music in small coffee shops, local hangouts, or for events in the region is key to really, truly getting your name out there. Having everything else in place so your music is easy to find in a digital setting after the show is where all your hard work will really pay off.
There is still a chance that even while outperforming live you’ll need to be ready to interact in a digital landscape though. For instance, if you are signing a contract to play regularly at a local bar, chances are you’re going to need to be ready to do that digitally in this day and age. Uploading all of your documents into a digital sphere using things like optical character recognition software can make the whole process a lot simpler for everyone involved.
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The digital age means doing things a bit differently and hopefully reaping much larger rewards. As a musician, working in a digital setting to market yourself and get your music out there and shared with the world can open a lot of doors. Good luck!
By Indiana Lee.
