Marketing Music
On Social Sites seems like a great idea but there are ever growing problems with doing so. Here is an outline of problems and solutions for the Indie Artist...
At the Height of its Popularity Myspace was an amazing place to promote your Music. Using a bot like the now Defunct Spyder, you could send up to 100 messages and 300 friend request in one day.
Sending Messages containing anything from pictures, videos, and even Music widgets, you could easily market your brand. The problem was that Myspace was too good for its own good. The Regular Myspace users were Bombarded and oversaturated with Marketing from indie artist. It became...well, annoying. By the time Facebook became popular, there was a quick and massive Exodus from Myspace to Facebook. Facebook till this day won't let you do more than Half of what you could've with myspace.
The Problem is Social Sites have a shelf life. When a site becomes popular you need to act quickly. It is only a matter of time before the site sells out its users to paid advertisements. Youtube used to be equally awesome but now its integration to Google plus, its elimination of "Adding Contacts" or "Friend Request" has really put a Damper on users looking to go "Viral".
The Solution is to be quick about knowing what the next big site is and act quickly. Develop a relationship with the sites users, instead of just throwing your next project at them...Continued below
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Create a bond with users to make them feel you are accessible and human. Believe it or not people are more open to listen to your music if your not beating them over the head telling them to. The Independent market is oversaturated especially when it comes to the digital domain.
Cheat. Be smart about Cheating! Find out if there is an existing bot, crawler, etc. Lets face it good guys finish last. Cheating however is an artform. If your "Target" knows you are sending Bulk Messages, likes, etc, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. The best way is to reach out in Bulk but respond personally. Take the time to take an interest in the persons profile and say something you could've only known by doing so. Remember to follow up!
If this seems like alot of work its because it is. You have to earn your money so to speak. Doing it the lazy way will cost you potential clients.
Create a Memorable Brand. Logos and Branding are Key to letting people know what to expect from you. A professional Logo Lets them know you have a quality product. On the other Hand a Logo you and your buddies made in Photoshop using Copyrighted material, etc. Drives people away. Your music might be amazing but first you have to get people to want to hear it. A professional Logo, Motion Graphics, Graphic Design, all go along way in getting your Audience.
Be Generous. Sometimes to make some you have to spend some. Giving out Posters (Professionally Designed Posters people will actually want to keep), T-shirts, and so forth will get the word out on you. Alternatively you can give out "Digital" Material at no cost. Such as Album artwork, free promotional songs, or even wallpapers. Find Viral Scripts online for having Visitors "Like" or "Tweet" to unlock free songs.
Final Thoughts. Find out what works for you. Try Payola radio plays on sites like Jango. Try adwords. Find alternatives to Digital Distribution. Be realistic, if your not pushing enough sales a year Distributors like Tunecore may not be for you! If you have a Website try to get the most that you can on that first page. Statics show most people will not go past a Landing page. Social sites are great but have a sense of when a certain site starts to lose steam and act quickly to get those same friends you have, on as many social sites as possible to prevent losing those contacts for good!
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