Best Marketing Strategies For Musicians in 2023

Best Marketing Strategies For Musicians in 2023 are listed below.

The music business is overextended. There are several bands and musicians out there who aspire to become the next great thing. How is it possible for someone to stand out when there is so much competition?

Everything hinges on having a strategy for promoting music.

In light of this, we’ve put together a list of the Best Marketing Strategies For Musicians in 2023 that artists may utilise to gain traction and advance in the music industry.

Don’t worry; we won’t just restate advice you’ve already read a thousand times.

We’ll start with the fundamentals, but if you stick with us, we’ll also share a tonne of obscure music marketing tactics that record labels don’t want you to know about.

Ready? Let’s get started!

1. Establish a personal artist website

You should start by building your own band or artist webpage. The focal point of all your attempts to advertise your music is your website. It serves as both the foundation for your online identity and the place where you create it.

Additionally, all of the new followers you acquire as a result of your music marketing efforts will be directed to your website. By selling music and merchandise directly to fans, you may utilise it to host your community and earn money from your audience.

Fortunately, building your own artist website is now simple. Without any coding knowledge, anyone can create a website in a matter of minutes utilising templates and user-friendly design tools thanks to website builders like Squarespace.

But we suggest utilising Sellfy for musicians. It is a very simple to use ecommerce store builder designed exclusively for creators. It allows you to create your own website or online storefront and sell your fans subscription services and digital goods like albums, songs, and memberships.

Additionally, Sellfy also offers a print-on-demand product catalogue so you may market to your audience without using any outside platforms by selling band t-shirts and other branded merchandise.

You may add your designs to Sellfy’s print-on-demand items and add them to your store without having to buy any stock. Once the consumer has paid for the item, Sellfy will print and fulfil orders on-demand by sending them directly to the customer (s).

Due to the fact that you can start selling right away, this is particularly useful. There is no upfront investment required. No squandering money on inventory you can’t sell, and no difficulties with inventory storage or shipment.

Also Read: 7 effective digital marketing techniques for small business

2. Share interesting material on social media

In terms of marketing, social media is your mainstay. When it comes to spreading the word about new releases and shows, it’s undoubtedly the most successful internet marketing medium for musicians.

Ideally, you ought to be active on all of the major social media networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and so on. However, you might choose to concentrate the majority of your marketing efforts on a single social networking site at first.

The goal is to regularly create engaging social media material that expands your organic audience and draws new listeners back to your music or website. To reach additional potential music enthusiasts, you might also wish to spend money on paid social media advertisements.

You should first develop a social media marketing strategy. Discover the social media platforms where your fans are most likely to be active and how to connect with them there.

Put together a content plan defining the types of content you’re going to post, such as behind-the-scenes videos, song excerpts, viral content, themed articles, gig announcements, etc. Create a posting schedule and stick to it.

To organise your social media strategy, we advise using a scheduling tool for social media like Pallyy or SocialBee. To make sure your campaigns function like a well-oiled machine, use these tools to construct a “content calendar” and schedule social media postings months in advance.

3. Run social contests & giveaways

One of the most effective and underappreciated methods for selling music on social media is contests and giveaways. The nice thing about contests is that they have a tonne of viral potential; with very little work or expense, you can use them to reach thousands of new listeners.

The concept is straightforward: You hold a social media giveaway contest and provide a prize (such as concert tickets, free merchandise, a signed album, etc.).

You then configure it so that users must engage in some form of activity that supports your promotion as an artist in order to enter.

For instance, you might demand that users join your mailing list in order to enter (that way, you can email them whenever you release a new track). You might even demand that participants follow you on Spotify or on social media. In order to encourage participants to spread the word about the contest to their friends, you might even give them bonus entries.

You choose the winner at random once the contest has ended. They win the award, and you gain a tonne of new email subscribers, fans, and other admirers. Win-win situation.

You may develop, launch, and manage your giveaways using one of these social media tools. SweepWidget is what we suggest. It supports a tonne of entry options and is incredibly beginner-friendly, especially for Spotify and SoundCloud.

You can configure the following entrance methods with Spotify:

• Track the artist
• Observe Playlist
• Consider a song

You can configure the following entrance methods on SoundCloud:

• Follow artist
• Like Song
• Repost Song
• Submit song
• Listen to song

In addition to these registration options, there are also the more common entry options for well-known social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and others.

Also Read: How to Create Leads For Your Recruitment Agencies in 2023

4. Create an email database

Another crucial marketing avenue for musicians is email marketing. By adding an opt-in box and encouraging website visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, you can utilise your website as a tool to grow your email list.

Then, you can send emails to your list of subscribers to strengthen your bond with them and win them over as lifelong supporters. To get traction, you can also send out email blasts whenever a new song or album is released.

An email newsletter platform may be used to design and send newsletters, construct email opt-in forms and landing pages, and plan, automate, and oversee your complete email marketing campaign from beginning to end.

We suggest MailerLite or Moosend. Both are low-cost email marketing options that provide all the resources you require. Particularly with MailerLite, a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers is available.

5. Make use of a music delivery service

Distributing your music as widely as you can makes sense if you want to connect with more listeners. The greater the number of platforms where your music is accessible, the greater the chance that listeners will find it.

Utilizing a music distribution provider is the simplest way to make your music accessible on the web. To boost your discoverability and gain greater exposure, they will post your music to well-known internet streaming platforms and marketplaces like Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, etc.

Simply join up for a music distribution platform and upload your music to get started. These platforms are widely available.

My study suggests that Distrokid is currently your best bet. When my next release is complete, I’ll be using that platform.

6. Create a YouTube channel

One of the best things you can do as a musician to spread the word about yourself is to launch a YouTube account. When it comes to discoverability, YouTube is unmatched; it can help you connect with millions of listeners and begin to grow your own following.

In fact, Justin Bieber was one of the biggest artists to emerge from YouTube today. When he was barely 12 years old, the celebrity began by uploading his own recordings to YouTube. He’s one of the most popular musicians of all time a decade later.

Create a YouTube channel for yourself first, then upload some channel art, a great profile photo, and complete your profile.

Start releasing music videos after that. We advise posting covers initially to increase your following (popular songs by existing artists will already get millions of searches per month, which makes it easier for listeners to discover your channel). Ideally, you should concentrate on currently popular songs that are trending.

Start releasing original recordings if you’ve established your fan base and have a large number of subscribers, and consider making a few music videos.

Also Read: How to Do Content Marketing to Promote Your Business in 2023

7. Begin a public relations effort

Outreach campaigns involve contacting important people in your community to spread the word about your music. For example, you may ask a well-known music critic to evaluate your song by email or get in touch with bloggers who cover your genre.

You might even wish to contact music channels on YouTube and request that they promote your song to their viewers. Anybody that can help you get more viewers to your tracks is worth contacting.

You can identify leads and contact them with the use of outreach tools. They frequently include a variety of tools for prospecting, compiling contact information, sending emails, and automating outreach campaigns.

To begin, we advise registering for BuzzStream. It’s a tool that PR experts frequently utilise. Use it to locate individuals to contact, send emails, plan follow-up emails, and maintain organisation with a CRM.

You may also do it the old-fashioned way by manually searching the web for significant blogs, journalists, YouTubers, and creators in your field, then compiling a spreadsheet with their contact information. Send them an email or enter into their DMs with your pitch once you have your outreach list.

8. Go bonkers on TikTok

What do CKay, Bella Poarch, and Olivia Rodrigo all have in common? In response, they all became viral on TikTok.

TikTok has developed into one of the most well-known and important social media sites in recent years. Numerous new music superstars have been created as a result, and it has had a significant influence on mainstream culture. So it should go without saying that TikTok is the place to blow up if you want to.

This one is easy: Simply create a TikTok account and begin posting little videos with your music.

Aim for high levels of interaction because the algorithm will show more people films that have been viewed all the way through (i.e., those with a high completion rate and high watch time) and that have received more likes, comments, and shares.

If you’re lucky, one of your videos could go viral and expose your music to millions of new fans.

Also Read: The Best Ultimate Guide to Business Transformation in 2023

9. Execute paid advertising

Too many amateur musicians just think about organic audience growth. However, the reality is that you will need to make a financial investment in your success if you want to see the finest outcomes.

The major record labels invest thousands of dollars to launch and promote a new talent. Typically, the marketing spend is dispersed throughout a number of media, including influencer marketing, YouTube advertisements, Spotify playlist placement, radio promotion, etc.

YouTube Ads are a good place to start your research. In order to test the waters and determine what works and what doesn’t, set up your campaign through Google Ads and start with a modest budget. You can scale up and raise your ad budget if you obtain a strong return on your investment.

10. Use Spotify playlists as a tool

The most popular music streaming service worldwide is Spotify. So it goes without saying that it’s a terrific location to promote your music and get new fans. And Spotify playlists are the ideal tool for doing that.

When it comes to playlisting, you can attempt a few different tactics. Making your own Spotify playlist of well-known songs in a genre or topic that fits the music you make is one possibility. Then, scatter a few of your own songs around the playlist so that people will find them.

An even better choice is to look for popular playlists in your specialty on Spotify, then get in touch with the playlist curator and request that they include your music. The algorithm may start to notice your tracks and suggest them to Spotify editors if you can add your music to hundreds of playlists.

And if that occurs, there’s a possibility that you’ll be included in an editorial playlist. If you succeed in making it this far, it might give you a significant boost because these playlists have millions of followers.

However, keep in mind additional music streaming services. Even while Spotify has the highest market share, you might discover that smaller platforms make it simpler for you to get your music into playlists.

11. Request that artists use your music

Another underutilised method of music promotion that not many musicians are using.

The idea is to get in touch with YouTubers, Twitch streamers, TikTok stars, and other video creators and influencers and offer to let them utilise your music for free in their works.

You’ll be astonished by how many individuals accept your offer: Video producers are continuously looking for high-quality, copyright-free music for their projects and intros. Furthermore, finding good royalty-free music is difficult.

Although you won’t be compensated, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with their audience and attract thousands of new listeners. Additionally, as part of the agreement, you can request that the creator you collaborate with add a link to your artist’s website in the caption or description.

Make a list of content providers whose work you believe would benefit from your music, then get in touch with them. Targeting artists with tens of thousands of followers or more is ideal, but you can probably ignore the major influencers with millions of followers because they’re not as likely to respond.

Also Read: Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy for Photographers in 2023

12. Launch your live broadcast

Right now, live streaming is huge. In actuality, live content makes up close to 25% of all viewing time worldwide. By live streaming your music, you can reach that enormous potential audience and get thousands of new followers.

Live streaming can be started in a variety of ways. For instance, you could set up a Twitch channel to live stream music production and allow spectators to peek “behind the curtain” or you might live stream a concert.

Yejuniverse operates just in this manner. In the process, she has gathered over 80K followers.

The main singer and guitarist of Trivium, Matt Heafy, who frequently streams on his Twitch channel, is another excellent example. Heafy streams his video game play, guitar practise, and other behind-the-scenes activities. Even Trivium’s band rehearsals can be seen.

13. Get your music played on the radio

Even though fast streaming and music on demand are commonplace today, millions of listeners still tune in to their preferred radio stations every day. It can be a terrific approach to contact the general public and will greatly increase your credibility if you can get your music broadcast on the radio.

Make an EPK (electronic press kit) and choose 1-3 of your greatest tunes before approaching a radio station. You’ll then need to decide who to get in touch with.

Contacting a particular DJ, the station’s producer, or the programme director might be appropriate. Usually, you can find the station’s contact information on its website or social media page, but if not, you can try calling and requesting an email address.

Do your research before you contact out because certain stations might only accept entries through specific methods or in a specific format. Additionally, I’d advise going after smaller stations rather than larger ones because they might be more receptive to uninvited inquiries.

14. Pull a crazy PR stunt

If you can pull it off, this is possibly the most effective marketing tactic of all. Make a crazy PR stunt with some sort of gimmick that gets you a lot of news coverage and catapults you to fame and money.

Take inspiration from well-known artists who have already achieved success in this area. The Beatles gave their legendary act from a roof in the heart of London as Lady Gaga was decked out in a meat outfit. What actions can you take to create noise?

Also Read: How Successful Small Business Uses Facebook Retargeting in 2023

15. Create a neighbourhood

Consider creating a following for your music. This entails establishing relationships with people who are enthusiastic about the genre of music you enjoy creating.

You can interact with others by joining music communities on forums like Discord, Subreddits, etc. If you play drum and bass, for instance, you might join the r/dnb subreddit and start participating in the discussions there. Post comments on threads and request feedback.

You might even want to start your own Discord community at some point. As an alternative, you could use a platform like Podia to build a paid community site and charge your best superfans for subscriptions.

You might even establish a community centred on the genres, instruments, or elements of music production that you find most interesting.

Also Read: Which marketing strategy is the most cost-effective in 2023?

16. Make contacts and work with artists

Never undervalue the importance of networking. You can expand your audience and fan base by working together with other musicians and artists in your field.

To reach their audience, you can grant free features to other well-known musicians who have a larger fanbase than you. Move to a music city like LA or Nashville if you want to take networking seriously because there are more networking chances there.

Regardless, you may always start off small by establishing internet connections with other musicians. For this, subreddits are excellent.

17. Do not disregard offline marketing avenues.

However, there are many offline music marketing tactics that are worthwhile investigating as well. Up to this point, we have mostly discussed digital marketing strategies. You may, for instance, try hanging posters in nearby record shops or setting up a merch table at your live performances.

To print all of your flyers, cards, and posters to promote yourself, choose a printing service like Vistaprint.

Consider busking as a further offline promotion strategy for your music. Choose an area where there is a lot of foot traffic and play your music for onlookers. Give people a flier or business card with information about your music website and upcoming releases if they pause to listen.

Also Read: Affiliate Marketing: What It Is and How to Begin Easy in 2023

Final thoughts

This finishes our compilation of the top music industry marketing tactics at the moment.

There is one more extra tip we want to highlight, though, before we wrap up.

The most crucial thing a musician can do is continuously create excellent music that listeners want to hear.

You can use the aforementioned music marketing techniques to stand out and attract attention. But in the end, your career will be most significantly impacted by the calibre of your music.

Oh, and while you’re here, be sure to look over our introduction to online music sales guide.

Good Luck!