Marketing Music is Hard… Until You Learn the Keys
If you've been struggling to promote your music, it may be because you're trying to do everything without a clear marketing strategy. Marketing is the foundation that makes promotion work. Without it, your music may get lost in the noise, no matter how hard you push. But here’s the good news: once you understand the keys to marketing your music, you can reach your audience, grow your fanbase, and build a sustainable music career.
Step 1: Select the Marketplace
The marketplace is simply the platform, store, or venue where your music will be consumed. Think of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music, and even physical record stores as different markets. Each platform offers you a new opportunity to present your music to potential fans. Every time you place your music in a new marketplace, you're giving your audience another way to discover you.
Step 2: Define Your Audience (Interest Group)
Inside each marketplace, there is a specific audience or interest group that’s looking for the kind of music you create. But not all audiences are the same. The marketplace itself can help you define who your audience is. For instance, different social media platforms cater to different groups of people. By understanding the platform, you’re better able to pinpoint the type of audience that will appreciate your music.
Step 3: Understand Your Age Group
Another filter to define your audience is age. While people of all ages enjoy music, it's essential to focus on a key age range that resonates most with your music. Generally, that range tends to be within 10 years above or below your current age. This is because the subject matter of your music and the emotions it evokes tend to align with listeners in that age group.
Step 4: Identify the Interest Group
The interest group goes beyond just the age or marketplace; it connects to the emotional response your music creates. What feeling does your music evoke? Does it fulfill a need or solve an emotional desire for your listeners? Defining this aspect of your audience helps you cater to a group that will truly connect with your work on a deeper level.
Step 5: Tailor Fit Your Marketing Approach
Once you’ve defined your marketplace and audience, it’s time to tailor-fit your music for that specific market. This means adapting your content, visuals, and music formats to fit the platform’s best practices. For example, creating square videos for Instagram or ensuring your downloadable tracks include high-quality file formats with metadata. The goal is to make consuming your music as easy as possible for the audience you’ve identified.
Step 6: Provide Value to Your Audience
Now that your audience is consuming your music, you need to increase the value you offer. This could mean adding benefits like offering high-quality downloads with exclusive content, hosting memorable live events, or even providing small perks such as discounted merchandise or free drinks at a concert. By enhancing the overall experience, you give your audience more reasons to engage with your brand, increasing loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.
Step 7: Promotion vs. Marketing
While marketing is about defining your audience and positioning your music, promotion focuses on increasing awareness. Think of promotion as a way to amplify the marketing foundation you’ve built by increasing the frequency of your content. Whether it’s through more song releases or creating new engaging posts on social media, promotion ensures you stay top of mind with your audience.
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Conclusion: The Transformation
If you were previously overwhelmed by music marketing, this process will help you simplify and streamline your efforts. Instead of trying to reach everyone, you now know how to focus on the right marketplace, target the right audience, and tailor your music to fit their preferences. By following these steps, you’ll not only double your fanbase, but you’ll also see long-term growth in opportunities, income, and influence. You’ll move from feeling lost and frustrated to confident and in control, ready to take your music career to the next level.
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