The career of an emerging artist can be summed up in two parts. Create and defend his creations. So yes, said like that, it sounds simple. But while the creation part is already hard, the second side is even harder. Promoting your music is not an easy task, so let’s list together the different means available to an emerging musician to gain visibility.
We have identified 4 essential pillars to boost the visibility of your music: streaming platforms, social networks, media, and concerts. Each one of these pillars is a lot of work on its own, which is why we advise you to quickly put together a team to help you develop your musical project.
1. Distributing your music on streaming platforms: a door to the world
Making your music easily accessible to as many people as possible is your primary goal once your musical projects are completed. You might say, that streaming platforms are not mandatory, that you can break through by uploading on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and YouTube. Honestly, it’s not enough, even if the power of these streaming platforms is undeniable.
Soundcloud and Bandcamp are not the most popular platforms available to you. It’s a good way to reach a niche audience, but it will remain in the niche stage. It’s interesting to do it to test yourself before you’re ready to publish your music on streaming platforms, why not, but very quickly to move on, you’ll have to move to Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music etc.
YouTube is another story. Indeed, it is essential to be present there to promote your music online. Except that here, for the video part accessible for free by its users, we are talking about a complementary support rather than an alternative solution to streaming platforms. We release our clip to promote our music to come or already released. And concerning the premium part, it is finally a streaming platform in its own right, most distributors send your music on YouTube Premium in the same way as on Spotify and Deezer, so if you choose YouTube Premium, you might as well send it on the others too.
| Check out: How to master your musical stats in a streaming era
The millions of users of streaming platforms offer you a door to the world, essential to launching your career. But that’s not all they offer. In their “for artist” side, basically the tip of the iceberg, you’ll find interfaces full of data that are very useful to understand your fans. What is this data used for? To communicate better of course! When you know who you’re talking to, you know how to talk to them, and therefore the message reaches its target better.
➡️ Connect with Spotify playlist curators
2. Promote your music on social networks
What is the first thing you think of when you talk about gaining visibility? The suspense is pretty thin since you have it in the subheading right above: social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok… not all are equal in terms of reach for your music, but all are useful depending on who you want to reach.
You define your target. Who do you want to talk to, and what networks do they use? You have to think strategically here, because social networks are very time consuming. If you deploy yourself on all the networks, two things can happen: either you are assiduous on each of the networks in question and it will take 110% of your time (yes, 110%, you read that right), or you will create the same content that you will share on all these different networks, which will not be adapted and will not reach its target.
| Also read: 5 key tips to boost your release on social media
Focus on one or two social networks, and do things according to their uses. They are a great asset to promote your music, because you are targeting future fans and music pros. You’ll need them to help your career go well and they watch a lot of startups’ social networks. They are able to quickly understand the potential and the margin of evolution of an up-and-coming artist. They look at your music, an EP no more, and your artistic direction, your image. So if you don’t put forward your artistic direction on social media, they’ll miss an element in their diagnosis and may pass you by.
As for the fans, you offer yourself a way to talk to them directly, other than through music. You will be able to show the different facets of your personality, and create a strong affect around your musical project.
Obviously, it is not mandatory to be present on social media. Cultivating mystery to create envy is a bold move but one that can pay off. So, do it according to your sensibility.
3. Media to boost the visibility of your musical project
It’s very interesting to use the media for the simple reason that you absolutely need external relays of your music. You create, you distribute on platforms and you share on social networks. For now, the only source is you. Except that for the sake of efficiency, you need to multiply the sources of information.
Let’s look at the problem in reverse to understand the subject. You are a seasoned listener looking for news. You see a headline on Twitter, the first time, you don’t necessarily click. However, if you see the same track several times from different sources, you are instinctively more likely to click, thinking that there might be something going on with this artist.
| Check out: How to boost your visibility
So using media allows you to multiply your sources, making your online presence stronger. On the other hand, it’s true, it’s not easy to access, especially for emerging musicians. A word of advice: take the time to identify media outlets that have an editorial line that fits your music. Don’t go for the most popular media right away, but look for a more modest audience. They will be easier to access and will give you credibility with the bigger media when you approach them.
Before you start looking for media, prepare a nice EPK (Electronic Press Kit). Fill in your bio, your concert dates if you have them, and some excerpts of your music. All nicely formatted and ready to go. And boost your chances to get answers to your requests thanks to Groover!
Looking to promote your music? Groover allows you to contact the best media and music industry professionals, with a guaranteed response time of less than 7 days.
4. Promote your music through live performances
What better way to introduce your music than to play it directly to your future fans? There is a closeness with the listeners that is unmatched. You can present your project live, create affect by passing much more emotions than during a more classical listening at home in your corner.
Yes, finding concert dates is not easy, especially when you are not yet known. But there are many ways to get started. The first is to get closer to the local cultural microcosm. Besides, it is often said that you have to be in Paris to get the best opportunities, but it is not necessarily true. The cultural fabric is very dense there, it’s true, but also more difficult to access. When you’re in the regions, it’s often easier to get your music heard by associations of enthusiasts who put on concerts.
| Check out: Music Springboards Guide 2022
You also have at your disposal organization subsidized by the State. Organization whose mission is to boost the local cultural offer, and they are therefore very open to proposals from emerging artists.
A lot of artists set up their own event organization association. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a very interesting way to promote your music. The effective technique is to set up an event with a more famous artist who will gather fans, and to program yourself as the opening act. You need to have a bit of a budget though, and time, but if it works – as with everything it’s a gamble – it can be self-financing thanks to the receipts from the tickets.
Distributing your music on streaming platforms, promoting it on social networks, managing press relations and getting your music known through concerts are the 4 essential tools to promote your music. One last piece of advice: don’t force yourself to do anything, it has to be natural, otherwise the audience will feel it. Authenticity will always take precedence over everything else.
Get in touch with music industry pros on Groover now!
