What is the best way for a music producer to promote his tracks? 

par Hannah Rees
What is the best way to get your music heard?

As a music producer, you’ve worked on other people’s tracks, overseen the recording, mixing and mastering, and now you want to promote your own. The good thing is that being a producer means wearing a lot of different hats and so you probably already have a pretty good idea of how things work in the competitive music industry and are aware of the importance of promotion when it comes to the business side of things.

So here are some strategies and tactics you can use to increase your visibility and reach a wider audience, and ultimately promote your own tracks as a music producer

1. Develop a strong online presence

As with any artist, the most important thing for a producer is to get exposure. But how? Easy, don’t be afraid to take up space in the digital realm and to do that you need to create a strong online presence. 

Chances are, if you’re a music producer, you’re already somewhat active online, but if you don’t have one yet, you need a professional website and you need to showcase your own music, as well as any collaborations you’ve done in the past (we’ll look at collaborations in more detail later). On your official artist website, you should also write a professional biography and include your discography and any upcoming shows you have planned. And don’t forget to include your contact details! After all, you want to make it easy for people to get in touch with you. 

The next step is to develop a proper social media marketing strategy that encompasses various social media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You should regularly update these channels with content related to your own music, including behind-the-scenes footage, studio sessions, samples of your tracks, live performances, interviews, tutorials and high-quality professional photos. 

And don’t forget that a strong online presence is an active presence, so make sure you interact with your audience by responding to comments, messages and mentions from your fans on all social media channels. Not only does this signal to the world that you’re active and serious about promoting your tracks, it helps build a loyal fanbase and fosters a sense of community around your music.

2. Know your niche

If you’re a producer, you probably have an idea of where you stand in relation to your own musical genre (hip-hop, rap, country…). This can help you get to know your niche, which can save you a lot of money and time when it comes to promoting your tracks as it’s better to concentrate your efforts on the group of people you think are most likely to consume your music, rather than shooting blind and trying to promote your music without having a clear vision. And knowing your niche will also help you when it comes to collaborating with the right people (again, more on that later). 

The more precise you are in defining your target audience, the better, because you want to build a loyal and devoted fanbase who can then share your music themselves (don’t underestimate word-of-mouth).

Knowing your niche will also allow you to run targeted ads on social media platforms. Bear in mind that most platforms allow you to target specific demographics, so make the most of this feature to reach the people most likely to be interested in your music. 

3. Develop a release strategy

Now you’re ready to get out there and release your own material. The best way forward is to distribute new music, whether EPs, singles or albums, consistently and at regular intervals to build momentum. 

The first step, of course, is to create the songs, and the good news is that you have a head start because you’re already familiar with the various aspects of the music-making process, including writing, arranging, recording, mixing and mastering

Now you need to take the time to build up a song list and expand your musical catalogue

Once you have a decent amount of tracks ready to share with the world, the next step is to put them on online streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud or even Bandcamp, via online music distributors such as TuneCore, DistroKid or CD Baby. 

Then, you need to put your marketing plan in place. This can and should include: contacting music blogs and podcasts, running targeted adverts on all social media platforms, submitting your music to Spotify playlists and radio stations (you can use Groover to make the process quick and easy – and ensure feedback!). 

A good practice would be to create visual content for the tracks you release. If you can make a video clip, that’s great, but even a simple lyric video, live performance or behind-the-scenes footage would benefit your promotion strategy. All of these elements can enhance the listening experience, attract more viewers and increase engagement on social media platforms.

4. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate

Let’s take a look at how collaborations can help you promote your tracks. As a music producer, chances are you’ve spent time working with and getting to know talented artists while doing the behind-the-scenes work of producing tracks for them. This is a huge advantage as networking is one of the most important factors for success in the music industry, so make sure you tap into this goldmine to, in turn, tap into a bigger fanbase. And remember when we talked about getting to know your niche, the information you gather about it is important when it comes to choosing fellow artists to collaborate with. 

Pharrell Williams is an excellent example of a music producer who has collaborated with other artists, helping his solo career considerably. He began his career as a music producer (he teamed up with Chad Hugo to form the production duo known as The Neptunes) before releasing his own material as a solo artist. Since then, he’s collaborated with big names and Grammy winning artists like Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, and thanks to them, has been able to reach out to their fans and leverage their popularity to promote his own tracks (and vice versa, because this is Pharell William we’re talking about after all). But let’s look at when he started, because that’s what we’re interested in here. He was already a big name in the music industry, but he wasn’t yet well known as a solo artist. However, one collaboration that helped his solo career considerably was his work with Robin Thicke and T.I. on the hit single ‘Blurred Lines’, released in 2013. 

Collaborations with singers can also help producers reach new audiences and broaden their fanbase, who can discover and engage with the producer’s work. In addition, the presence of a singer on a track can add depth and emotion to the music, enhancing its appeal and making it more accessible to listeners

The collaboration between Nicola Cruz and Huaira is a good example of this. Huaira, a talented singer-songwriter from Argentina, provided the vocals on one of the Ecuadorian producer’s tracks. 

A quick word about remixes. Remixing involves a producer taking an existing song and altering or manipulating its elements to create a new version of the original track (by changing the tempo, adding new instrumentation or vocals, rearranging sections or applying various effects). This is common practice in the music industry and, as a producer, you may be commissioned to make remixes by the original artist, or you may choose to remix a track independently. It will then be up to you to promote it, but this will be easier as the original track has probably already attracted attention. 

5. Perform your tracks live

Now that you have songs to promote, you need to perform them live for people to hear. Not only is this a great way to connect with your audience in a more authentic way and make money, it can help build your fanbase by encouraging word of mouth and engagement on social media, which in turn can help you build brand awareness. It’s also a great way to network with industry professionals, including other artists, promoters and music journalists, which can lead to increased exposure and potential collaborations (see the previous section again to see how important these collaborations can be! ) 

When it comes to venues, you’re spoilt for choice, much more so than the average artist. 

You can follow the example of many music producers and play your tracks in clubs and nightclubs. Music festivals are another great choice as they showcase a diverse range of musical styles and genres. You can also play your music virtually through livestreaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Instagram Live from the comfort of your home studio. And don’t hesitate to perform in more unusual venues, such as art exhibitions or formal events. You can even collaborate with visual artists to create an immersive multimedia experience.

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