There are a lot of artists out there with really great music but no fanbase, why? Because they don’t know or have failed to get the right way to promote their music. Getting your music out there, especially as an Independent artist may be a little more challenging compared to Artists signed to a record label as you may not have the same financial resources and the right team to grow your fan base as chart-topping musicians do. The whole point of making music is basically so that your target audience can listen to your music and you can’t have a hit song unless your audience and the broader community like your song. That’s why learning to promote your music is so important especially as an independent artist with no major record label backing you. First, realize and accept it’s a process, not some overnight magic trick but with consistency, you will see positive results. The modern digital landscape makes it easier than ever for up-and-comers to get their music heard. Follow this guide to learn how to promote your music.

1. Use Social Media

The power of social media in this day and age can’t be ignored since almost everyone has a smartphone, and Facebook alone has over 2.9 billion monthly users and sure enough, some if not most of them might be your fans. Be active on social media, engage with your fans through posts and comments and let them in on behind the scenes of the process of making music. Post pictures regularly with nice captions and links back to your music catalog. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok must be on your To-do list as its most suited for Music. There are a lot of challenges going on TikTok right now and most of those challenges have background music. That background music could be yours, capitalize on that. Artists like “Okay lay ” actually blew up cos of TikTok challenges. The way to start a TikTok challenge might be by asking your fans to send in challenges dancing to your song or paying a popular influencer to use your music in the videos.

2. Make Your Music Available For Streaming

Recall how back in the day someone who wanted music would go to a physical music store at the corner and select a record they might like. Well, that has changed as most of those music stores aren’t there anymore. The best way to listen to music now is on streaming platforms such as Spotify and sure enough why not put your music out there on the platform so your fans can be able to access it all in one place. Did you know that by 2022, over 524 million people use streaming platforms for their music? That’s a huge number and some of them might be your fans. First, you will need a Distributor like us (DistroBuddy) to upload music on your behalf since most of the streaming platforms don’t allow Direct Artist uploads. Another advantage of streaming platforms is you will have insights about your audience like their age, how long they listen to your music and where they are from.

3. Build A Website

Creating a slick, professional website as a base for your online presence is vital, but perhaps even more important is building a large & dedicated mailing list. Your mailing list should include playlist curators and music bloggers. Your site should obviously include links to your music, bios, images, and tour dates, but make sure to include a mailing list sign-up form. Email marketing offers direct access to the inboxes of people most likely to engage with your music. If a fan gives you their email address, it means they want to hear from you and why not use the chance to keep them posted.

4. Get Playlisted

You can’t afford to ignore streaming and playlisting. Playlists across streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer reach hundreds of millions of listeners across the globe, racking up billions of streams. Getting your track into a popular playlist can help you rack up thousands of streams. That’s not only great awareness but also royalties in your pocket. While getting your music placed on curated playlists is great for awareness and credibility, being placed on algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly can make a big difference to your stream count. So it’s worth pursuing all possibilities. The easiest and best way to get playlisted is to first log into your streaming platform Artist’s account (in this case Spotify), Go to “Upcoming” under the “Music” tab or “submit from the “Next Release” under “Home” tab. Select your single most high-potential song and fill out the recommendation metadata.

5. Local Radio

Radio AirPlay doesn’t just happen at least for most artists. It’s usually the product of months or years of work in developing an audience on other platforms, building up relationships in the industry, and growing your radio promotion network. During the start of your radio promotion push, you’ll mail out promo CDs to all the program directors of the stations that you’re targeting. After that, you’ll spend about a week confirming your packages were received, soliciting initial feedback, and re-sending any promos that didn’t make it to their intended recipient. The next few weeks will be spent soliciting feedback about the single while trying to get commitments from stations. Focus on the local radios as they are easier to get into and people like to support artists from their area.