Every musician out there wishes they could snap their fingers and acquire thousands of new followers and fans of their music. No matter how good your music is, if no one hears it, you can’t make a living! That’s why it’s absolutely essential to properly market your music—so you can gain more fans. There are all kinds of new artists popping up everyday in the music industry, and with the rise of social media and technology, it’s easier than ever to actually engage with fans and have a lot of control over your music creation process.
This means that the methods to market your music have changed, and you’ve got to know what strategies will work, and which ones will just fall flat. If you’ve ever heard of organic music marketing but weren’t sure what it was or how to do it, you’ve come to the right article because we’re covering:
🎵 What organic music market its (and what it isn’t)
🎵 The top tips for organic music marketing
🎵 Ways to ensure you’re putting your authentic self forward
So you want to be a successful musician? Unless you have a lot of money saved up, chances are you’re going to need to learn how to take on various roles to market and support yourself and your music. And you’re not alone! In fact most artists out there are working hard to market themselves in order to spread awareness about their craft and grow their legions of fans. You’re in the music industry, so you know the facts when it comes to chances of “making it big.” Over 99% of musicians struggle to even make it to the mid-level tier, let alone become household names.
But don’t let any of this frighten you into giving up your craft. There are all kinds of things you can be doing daily to grow your audience and get your music out there. One of the best ways to do this that doesn’t require hiring a marketing firm is with organic music marketing. This is when artists take a more natural approach to engaging with their fans and getting their name, music, and likeness out there into the world. This is a long-term approach that aims to create awareness about your music and your brand, but it’s not paid and it can take some time to build traction.
Organic music marketing is what artists use to promote themselves for free (basically), as it is not the type of paid marketing campaign you would find by hiring a marketing firm. Instead of paid ads or paid playlist bumps, you’re following more “organic” ways to build your fanbase. Want to know how you can get started today? We have 8 tips that you can start incorporating into your routine.
Ready to unleash the power of marketing your music in an organic way? This is one of the tried and true ways to use marketing to your advantage and it offers musicians a variety of benefits including:
As a musician, behind creating music, engaging with fans and growing your base is one of the most important ways you can market your music in an organic way. People who are already fans will love being able to connect with you to discuss your music, upcoming events, albums, or get to know you better.
Social media is one of the easiest (and best) ways to do this. You can share information about yourself, your influences, and where you think your music is going next. Ask your followers questions as well! You can’t answer all their questions, but making a genuine effort to engage does not go unappreciated.
Social media is one of the best ways to engage with your fans, but it’s also a fantastic platform to let fans and everyone else know what you’re up to. There are so many social media venues, and we recommend just concentrating on a few that your fan base uses most. For a lot of artists, this is Instagram and TikTok, but you may also find it beneficial to use Facebook or YouTube as well.
Create visually appealing content that’s just asking to be shared, as this is one of the main goals behind any organic social media marketing. Consider using your stories to show behind the scenes footage, or to really connect with your fans. Doing a livestream is another way you can hype up excitement behind your brand and engage with fans in real time.
Another great way to expand your reach is to collaborate with another artist either at the same level as you, or those more experienced. You’ll want to reach out to musicians that are in the same genre, or one that’s complimentary, and see if they’re interested. When you decide to collaborate, your music is exposed to an entirely new fanbase as well as social media followers.
As a musician, you’re always learning, and what better way to pick up a few new tricks than with a fellow artist? It shows your fans you’re open to trying new things, and building bridges with different artists. Not to mention once your collab is through, you’ll have twice the amount of people to promote your songs or album to!
Who doesn’t love creating a playlist? Whether it’s for a cozy winter night, going out with friends, or celebrating a birthday, there’s music for every aspect of our lives. A great idea for engaging with fans is sharing some of your own curated Spotify or Apple playlists. Make sure to include a few of your own songs as well as some by artists that really fit the vibe you’re going with. This encourages followers to save your playlists and keep coming back to listen to them.
Who doesn’t love a giveaway? Your fans certainly do! You can offer something such as free downloads or merch from your brand if people are willing to leave their email address with you. Growing your email subscriber list is a great way to let people who may not always be on social media to still keep up to date with what you’re doing and aware of what’s coming up.
Another great idea for a giveaway is to try giving away tickets to a show or other event to those who share or like your social media posts. While you can’t give everyone tickets, you can put those who do share your posts into a pool and draw a winner of the giveaway from there.
Content marketing is still one of the best (and least costly) ways to grow your brand. Keeping an up to date blog and engaging in SEO best practices is a great way to help new listeners find you, and let fans know what you’re working on and what direction you’re headed in. There are an endless amount of topics you (or another writer) can create content about. And the best part is once you have a blog post, you have content you can easily share on your social media platforms if you ever get stuck wondering what to write.
While these can be exhausting, live performances are a fantastic way to grow your brand, meet other artists, and get new fans. When you take the time to craft the best set list, book the right venue, and make use of professional lighting and sound, you’ll be surprised how many more gigs you’ll start booking. Nothing beats being on stage for a performance, where you can really make a lasting impression on the audience.
Often overlooked in the music business is networking, which is a great way to gain exposure and meet other people besides musicians in the business. You can meet producers, promoters, managers, and other people in the industry at events like conferences or at the shows of other artists. Reaching out to them or expressing an interest in their opinion of your music is a great way to start a conversation—and perhaps get a new collaboration started.
You can definitely market your music organically if you follow these top tips. It may seem daunting at first, but know that organic music marketing is a long-term approach to marketing your music and expanding your fan base—and it’s one that can be very successful for those with the patience to stick with it!
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