New artists and indie label executives think marketing is hard, which is why they feel that whatever they're doing may never work and they'll keep going around in an endless loop. Now, it's taken me a while to understand the basic steps needed to get ahead of 99% of indie artists, but if you want to truly understand what you're doing wrong with marketing, I'll drop the top solutions right here on the Music Money Makeover Show!
Ads are for awareness not losing money.
The key to advertising for music artists is to advertise for awareness and convert to followers first. Money is lost on converting cold audiences to streams or sales. You’ve got to change your expectations. Focus on getting followers then convert them later. When you do this, you gain the followers more easily. Even though this may seem counterintuitive to what you’re doing, it would be best if you focused on awareness. Once this group is aware, then you can advertise to the warm group to sell. If you do it in reverse, you’ll find that the results will not be what you expected. Only emotionally impacted people impulse buy and this is a lottery ticket.
When they stand still you move!
The grimiest part about marketing is promotion. However, it's the most rewarding. Promotion is proactive movement in a marketplace, and all you have to do is move just a little bit more than the bedroom artists. That's it. Hang a poster up, slap up stickers, drop flyers on cars in club parking lots. You can even hire a promotions company to do this for you. What will begin to happen is your local influence will begin to rise all by putting in this effort. So it's best that you take action in this way, whether it be physical or digital, because movement trumps inaction any day. This is how you get ahead of 99% of artists out there. If you choose to stay in the bedroom, it will be way more difficult to get this type of growth—promotion is the king of marketing.
Cover Yourself! People are watching.
The sad part about new labels and artists is that they don't cover themselves. Most artists are so afraid of forward movement that if you simply got your story covered on one podcast a month, you'd be ahead of 60% of the artists in your region. Coverage is all about getting someone else to broadcast your story beyond your social media profile. The easiest way to do this is through podcasts when you're independent. Media coverage allows you to move through the market quicker than promotions because it handles all five aspects of marketing in one fell swoop. It's the queen of marketing. If you leave this part out, I guarantee you'll have trouble keeping people connected to you.
What if I wanna run Spotify ads?
Running Spotify ads isn't the problem—expecting cold traffic to convert to streams is. However, that's not a reason to completely avoid Spotify ads. Start with warm traffic (people who already know and follow you), use content that already worked organically for the ad, then direct them to your streaming links with that ad. If you target cold traffic first, you will get streams but, you'll struggle to convert costing you way more money in the long run. If you embrace this approach, you'll continue to build a sustainable fanbase that naturally streams your music and engages with future releases.
What if I can’t do any physical promotions in my city?
Physical promotion is not the problem, fear of looking amateur is. However, that's not a good reason to avoid promoting your music. You can get around physical limitations by focusing on digital promotions - use targeted social media ads, collaborate with online influencers, or create engaging content for music blogs and websites. You could also hire digital street teams or use guerrilla marketing tactics online. If you avoid all promotion, you'll remain unknown regardless of your talent. If you embrace creative promotion methods, you'll build a following that grows organically through word of mouth and online sharing.
What if my story is not interesting enough to be covered?
Your story being "not interesting enough" isn't really the issue - it's being afraid to open up and share who you really are. Look, every artist has doubts about their story, but that's no reason to shy away from coverage. Here's the thing - you can make any story interesting by focusing on what makes you unique. Maybe it's your unusual day job, your creative process, or the obstacles you've pushed through. Even sharing what music shaped you or what drives you to create can be fascinating to others. If you keep hiding your story, you'll miss out on connecting with fans who could really relate to your journey. But if you start opening up and sharing authentically, you'll build real connections with your audience and stand out from all the other artists trying to make it.
Here's how to level up your music marketing game
Start treating your ads as awareness builders first, not direct sales tools. Focus on growing your follower base first, then convert them to streams and sales once they're familiar with you.
Take consistent promotional action - both digital and physical. Even small efforts like putting up posters or running targeted social campaigns put you ahead of inactive artists.
Get your story covered through podcasts and media outlets. One podcast feature per month puts you ahead of 60% of artists in your region.
If you’ve got questions about this process join the Music Money Makers Community so we can all answer your questions quicker with multiple options.
The Grand Payoff
By following this marketing approach, you'll experience these powerful changes:
Your follower growth will accelerate naturally because you're focusing on awareness first, allowing you to build a sustainable fanbase that actually cares about your music
Your marketing budget will stretch further since you're not wasting money trying to convert cold traffic, enabling you to invest in more effective promotional strategies
Your story will gain more visibility through consistent media coverage, helping you stand out in a crowded market and build genuine connections with potential fans
Your promotional efforts will compound over time, creating a snowball effect that puts you leagues ahead of inactive artists in your space
If you continue doing it your way
You'll waste thousands of dollars on ineffective ads targeting cold traffic, draining your marketing budget with minimal returns
You'll feel increasingly frustrated and discouraged as your music reaches fewer people while watching other artists grow their following
You'll have to choose between remaining an unknown bedroom artist or completely starting over with your marketing strategy after wasting precious time and resources
At the End of the Day
Music Money Makers if you were struggling with ads, promotions, or media coverage then implement these strategies, you'll transform from a frustrated artist throwing money at ineffective marketing into a savvy music entrepreneur who knows exactly how to build and engage their audience.
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