Tips to Market Your Music

Even if an artist has an outstanding talent, record deals do not fall out of the sky and land in your lap without music marketing. In this Internet age, A&R, at most record labels, is not what it once was, so those reps are looking for artists with CD sales, a great fan base, and already have the look and feel of being made even more marketable.

We started a list of marketing tips in 100 Tips To Market Your Music and continue more great ideas here, so tweak any of them as you will! Promo Tip #55 Tag your MP3s with your name or brand name, not just the song name. They need to know WHO did this material when they happened across it months later. Promo Tip #56: Know who you are! Get into an appropriate category so that you can be found. People must be able to identify your sound into a class they can identify with. You may want to portray a new edgy sound, which is fine, but there are still general categories that people search on in record stores or online, and you must be found in one of them.

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Promo Tip #57 Throw a listen-in. Contact record stores, coffee shops, bookstores, malls, recreational areas, galleries, cool clothing stores, or nightclubs willing to support local music. The free listen-in could have talk sessions and discounted CDs with coupons.

Promo Tip #58: Keep it simple, silly. Sites that take a long time to load, are not easy to navigate, and are not interesting will not keep the viewer’s attention long enough for them to get to know you. So please don’t make your website or any site customized so frilly that it turns a potential opportunity away.

Promo Tip #59 Join local communities and organizations, go to meetings periodically, and pay attention. Listen for opportunities in what they are saying and perhaps volunteer. Help them, and they will help you. Nonprofit organizations will likely have access to media outlets that may give you some exposure.

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Promo Tip #60 Check your public and local radio stations that play your type of music and try to get some air time. Promo Tip #61: You will hear many no’s and negativity. That is to be expected as everyone’s taste is different. Hopefully, someone will give you some constructive criticism. Learn from it what you can, but keep moving forward.

Promo Tip #62 Develop yourself as a complete package. Record labels do not spend the money on A&R as they do during the day. Educate yourself as a well-rounded music artist and present yourself as such.

Promo Tip #63 Elevator Pitch – If you only have one shot at making an impression in 30 seconds or less, can you do it? You will need to practice it!

Promo Tip #64 Post your gigs on your website(s), class ads, Craigslist, Backpage, and other sites for your location.

Promo Tip #65: Submit your music to songwriting competitions, musician competitions, and singing contests – try out for American Idol, for goodness’ sake!

Promo Tip #66: Do a free conference call to chat with fans using your website. Record the call and follow up by posting the MP3 on your site. Promote it for all its worth.

Promo Tip #67 Never release an inferior product; send out professional and only your best demos and new releases.

Promo Tip #68: Get testimonials and reviews from people who matter, starting locally if necessary. Add them to your press kit.

Promo Tip #69: Make it easy for potential sales to happen on your site or at a show. Make the payment process safe, secure, and easy.

Promo Tip #70: Have a house concert. Invite the neighborhood to your backyard. Promo Tip #71 Give your fans insider, behind-the-scenes, backstage with the band info and videos. This is great info to include in newsletters – people whosigned up to learn more about you

Promo Tip #72: Take the good and the bad graciously. You must keep your image clean or at least maintain the image above.

Promo Tip #73: Don’t waste time; prioritize and go with the best bets. Put your energy into the correct market for YOUR music.

Promo Tip #74: If you can write about a music subject well, write and distribute articles. Always source the piece back to your website. Redistribute it with the bottom author source info to spread your message and link.

Promo Tip #75 Gig swap with other bands from another area to widen your fan base.

Promo Tip #76: A music profile or bio, press kit, and press releases should all be well written, free of misspellings, kept current, and to the point. Schedule updates on your various online activities.

Promo Tip #77: Find a business in your area that you can partner with for mutual benefit. If something about a song, style, or image would boost a local business, develop a cross-promotional relationship.

Promo Tip #78: Respond to all your correspondence in a timely, businesslike, and correct manner that is appropriate to the sender. Be considerate of your audience.

Promo Tip #79: Give people what they want. It’s all about the fans. If they visit your website, give them information that makes THEM feel good. If they come to your show, entertain them, thank them, and thank the venue for the experience.

Promo Tip #80: Don’t disappear. Once you have started building your momentum, it is a continuous onslaught.

Promo Tip #81 Attend music conferences, indie showcases, and festivals. Gain exposure and network.

Promo Tip #82: Be easy to work with and flexible. A good reputation carries a lot of weight. Flexibility can also mean adjusting areas of your work or image to get your foot in the door if needed.

Promo Tip #83: Have a cause. Create an event to promote that cause. Team up with other like-minded bands and make a newsworthy event out of it.

Promo Tip #84: Hand out Business Cards when talking to anyone. Your website link must be included. Consider your link your online business card.

Promo Tip #85 Rolodex your contact list (some sites have contact managers in their member consoles). Would you please make a list and keep it current of all the online and offline places you need to post to when you need to send out reoccurring press releases of news and events? Be aware that many sites have limits in number and time frames; be careful not to exceed them.

Promo Tip #86: Infuse your personality into your writing to make your invitations, announcements, and introductions fun and effective.

Promo Tip #87 Clearly define what you are about – quickly, online or offline. People have short attention spans and are short on time – not just in the music industry but most people. This is very important! Don’t waste words. Do anything you must say about yourself or band enough to give the necessary information and cut out the nonsense.

Promo Tip #88: Create a band calendar with humorous photos of the various band members at various events.

Promo Tip #89: You heard about it through the grapevine. Share “some” inside knowledge with other bands and songwriters in your area. Start your information highway.

Promo Tip #90: Create an automated email template. Add the person’s name with a personal tidbit, but save time with a ready-made email guide. Respond to unsolicited emails with your personalized marketing message and a link to your website.

Promo Tip #91 Play for free if you have to, anywhere, anytime. Create an event, an event with a cause, and donate the proceeds to a charity. This can open up some interesting contacts and opportunities. Sponsor an event.

Promo Tip #92: Reach out and touch your fans. Whether someone else maintains your online presence, occasionally chat with fans personally.

Promo Tip #93: Include every ounce of contact info needed on every surface.

Promo Tip #94: Borrow an idea from other sources, even outside the music industry. If it works for that company, you can also adapt the idea to market your music. Find a way to put a new twist or slant on a successful band’s tactics.

Promo Tip #95: Send birthday cards to your fans…of course, you need to get their birthday info when they sign up for mailing lists.

Promo Tip #96 Get involved in the music forums and message boards that target your music segment, and ALWAYS include your signature URL (aka weblink)!!

Promo Tip #97: Start a well-written and kept-current Music or Band Blog. Could you submit it to music Blog directories?

Promo Tip #98: Create a novelty song about a holiday, a hot news item, your city or town, a sports team, a political event, or another idea and promote it.

Promo Tip #99: Listen to your fans and learn what brought them to your show. This is very effective for getting feedback on which promotional tool worked.

Promo Tip #100 Success does not happen to those who wait. A record label, music deal, stardom, or just creating a website “and they will come” does not just land in your lap with you doing nothing. You have to make success come to you. Be persistent, be confident, and roll up your sleeves; it will take some serious work.

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Alcohol scholar. Bacon fan. Internetaholic. Beer geek. Thinker. Coffee advocate. Reader. Have a strong interest in consulting about teddy bears in Nigeria. Spent 2001-2004 promoting glue in Pensacola, FL. My current pet project is testing the market for salsa in Las Vegas, NV. In 2008 I was getting to know birdhouses worldwide. Spent 2002-2008 buying and selling easy-bake-ovens in Bethesda, MD. Spent 2002-2009 marketing country music in the financial sector.