Everyone has their own opinion about music promotion, but at Groover, we believe that the impact that it has for emerging musicians is too important to be overlooked. With a good music promo strategy, the different levels of an artistic career can almost all be reached. So to all the people who are skeptical of music promotion, let us convince you of the benefits it can have for your artistic project.
We know that promotion can have a bad reputation. We are inundated with people advertising their projects to us all the time, and it can often feel like spam: we want to listen to music, not be overwhelmed with people trying to sell us something. Some people even go so far as to say that a musical work should speak for itself and that it doesn’t need promotional support. However, just putting music on Youtube is not enough to stand out from the crowd, so here are some preconceived ideas to get out of your head.
Misconception #1: Promoting your music is just a way to hide your artistic shortcomings
What if promoting your music was a smokescreen to hide your lack of creativity? Who knows, it’s probably true for some people. But not for you. New artists who make good music need to get it heard by as many people as possible. Unfortunately, radio stations are hard to get your music on and let’s face it, you’re not Jay Z and you don’t have millions of subscribers yet, so you have to find other solutions.
If I’m distributing my music on streaming services, I need to communicate about it. Communication is just a way of putting a spotlight on your work. Think of it as a partnership: you can’t have one without the other. Composers need to get noticed among the millions of tracks or albums that are released every day on streaming platforms. Creating and not sharing your music is almost like leaving it to die on a hard drive. What a shame that would be! Throughout your career, promoting your music will bring a little boost to your creations. Unfortunately, it is not enough to simply distribute your work on a streaming platform and leave it there.
Take this example: a composer who promotes a musical project with flaws will not fool anyone. A lousy track with a lot of promotion might get attention, but the listeners will remain simple listeners. They will never become fans because they will have only listened to the music without really committing themselves to the project. The next track that comes out is likely to flop- even if it’s a potential hit- if there’s not as much promotion behind it. Surely the music industry would see right through this and not be fooled by this fake following.
Misconception #2: Music promotion is a waste of time
Is promoting your music a waste of time? Does it leave you less time to perfect your art? Music promotion does take time, but it is essential to stand out from all the other tracks available online.
You could argue that the feedback you get is too little compared to the time you spent on promoting your music. Social network algorithms are too hard to coax. Tell yourself that even if you reach one person it will be beneficial to your progress. As an emerging musician, even just one fan is a victory because they become a new spokesperson for your music. A listener who takes the time to discover your music and appreciate it becomes a fan who will share your work with others.
Moreover, getting a lot of people to listen to your music just to boost your stats is not necessarily a good thing. It is better to reach a few listeners who will be more likely to engage with your music on the internet. The long term impact will be much more interesting and labels know this, so if you’re looking to sign a record deal, focus on having a solid fanbase, not just stats.
Misconception #3: Promoting your music is too hard
Let’s be honest, promoting your music is not an easy task. Nonetheless, there are simple actions that everyone can take to promote their project. Using Groover is one of them! In a few clicks, you can set up an efficient press relations campaign, get guaranteed feedback on your music, gain visibility by getting your music into Spotify playlists and become the boss of streaming.
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You could also set up a newsletter to keep a committed fan base easily informed. We admit that it’s not super common, but you need to find different ways to get people to listen to your music because some communication channels are overloaded.
Podcasts are also, in our opinion, a good way to promote your music! For the most part, they leave room for promoting your music either through jingles or the sound design. You could also find a music podcast whose subscribers are potential fans. It’s not impossible to get invited to collaborate on a podcast!
All you need to do to succeed in your music promotion, without the help of a label, is to think about your actions in advance and coordinate them to stay organized. As long as you have that in mind, nothing is too hard.
When you see a competitor in the industry break through, tell yourself that there is no reason why you can’t be the next one. Potential listeners ready to discover new music are everywhere, you just need to do the necessary promotion to make your music known to them, such as getting into popular playlists on streaming platforms.
Misconception #4: Music promotion is too expensive
The common notion that you have to have fancy equipment to produce high quality music must be forgotten. Limited options and constraint can actually spark creativity. Don’t have the money? Work around the problem by coming up with creative solutions. Don’t have a big enough following on social media? No problem. When you listen to new music, do you verify the number of likes on the artist’s latest insta-post to add it to your playlist? Of course not! All that matters is that you’ve heard about them.
The same goes for paid ad promotion on music streaming platforms like Spotify- it’s not necessarily the best thing to do. Users of Deezer premium or any other subscription-based streaming services like Apple music or YouTube Music don’t hear the ads anymore- unless you’re listening for free on a streaming music service, but then again, who isn’t going to subscribe these days? So do yourself a favor and save that budget for something else!
Imagine, you’re a curious listener. You enjoy the music you hear on Spotify or Soundcloud so much that you add the songs to your music library. What convinced you to do so? The fact that millions of users follow the artist you just heard? Or just the quality of the music? The quality of course. So think about that first before putting too much money into promos or different communication actions. Think about spending that money on the quality of the music, like the mixing or mastering for example, which is sometimes wrongly neglected. Later on in your career, you will have these kinds of means to increase your number of listeners. But by that time you will have the experience to use them properly, take it step by step, and you will end up hearing your music on the radio.
Misconception #5: Promoting my music will ruin my image- it’s counterproductive
Maybe the persona you have created for your project is full of mystery, so you prefer not to do anything at all- how could you possibly go against your artistic direction? Stop right there. Even PNL communicates via Instagram, even Daft Punk uses Twitch and broadcasts their music on streaming services like Youtube. Whatever musical genres you fit into- classical music, electro, folk, pop, rap, acoustic, hip-hop, blues– if you don’t use the communication tools at your disposal, no one will know how cool your artistic project is.
Again, the key is the strategy you put in place and record companies like Universal or Warner could spot you out of the crowd. As long as it’s done right, you won’t ruin your image. On the contrary, you’ll enhance it. Do you think that the artists who play on Radio France don’t promote their music? Of course they do and their image is not damaged.
Listening to music is also letting yourself be carried away by what’s new. That’s how those who actively look for new music can boast about having heard tomorrow’s hits before anyone else. On any music platform, the most streamed songs have been promoted in the age of unlimited streaming. It’s inevitable because you have to be able to stand out from a huge music catalog. Of course, your musical choices will obviously play a role in your track’s chances of success, but it’s impossible not to notice what’s being promoted.
As a listener when you see all the music available on the usual music services, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the choices. There are few, if any, listeners who can claim to have never discovered anything through any type of promotion. All artists promote their work and it has never tarnished anyone’s image. As long as it’s done correctly, it’s normal to want to stand out among the large musical choice offered to the public.
Come on, we’re sure you’re no longer thinking that only those who make cheap music promote their projects. Feeling tempted to launch a campaign for your next songs and videos and boost your career to the next level?
Users of Napster, Spotify or any other streaming platform have their favorite music at their fingertips, but they are not against music discovery. In the tech world, advertising has an important place, and when it’s well done, you’ll have your future fans Shazaming you and discovering your project. Your most exclusive releases will finally find their audience.
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Read more:
> 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Promoting Your Music (And Their Solutions)
> How to Promote Your Music and Boost Your Visibility?
> Music Promotion: How to Choose a Budget for Your Release?
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Need feedback on your music? Get in touch with music industry pros on Groover now!