No matter what type of music you make, as a musician, if you want to increase your number of fans, get more exposure, and have higher sales, then you need to make sure you have a well-thought out music marketing plan. Although you may just want to concentrate on making music, the truth is you’ll need to wear a variety of hats if you want to be successful in the crowded market of musicians. Not only do you have to create great music, but you have to successfully manage the business side of your music.
It’s never been easier to find new artists, however, the oversaturation means it’s even more difficult to make a living being a musician. In fact out of the 1.3 million artists added to the Chartmetric report in 2023, 87.6% fell into the undiscovered category. And that’s just tracking one year of artists!
It seems like it is incredibly hard to get a little exposure, and it may even seem insurmountable to make it at all. But that’s no reason to give up hope, because perhaps with the right marketing plan, you can take your music business to the next level. That’s why we’re discussing:
Most musicians want to focus on making music, writing lyrics, touring, and connecting with fans. However, there is another side to the music business. Not only do you have to do the music side, but you’ll need to learn how to basically run your own business. After all, you can’t just hope your music will get to those who want to hear it, or that they’ll just happen to come across your brand on sites like Spotify or Apple Music. Instead musicians today need to ensure they have a clear idea about how they want to get their music out there, and that involves having a music marketing plan.
This kind of business agenda can help you:
We know that marketing probably isn’t the reason you got into the music industry in the first place, you’re here because you want to share your music and your talent with the world. Unfortunately there are a lot of other musicians who feel just as strongly, which is why it’s not only the best musicians who get noticed, it’s those who are willing to do what it takes to make it. And that includes following some time-tested strategies that are specifically designed for musicians.
So where do you start? Take a look at our road map.
Oftentimes one of the hardest parts about getting started in the music industry is to determine what sets you apart from all the other fantastic artists out there. You no longer have to get “discovered” or have a record deal with a major label now in order to create amazing sounding professional music. While that is a great thing, it also means there’s almost an unlimited amount of other people out there doing the same thing as you. This is why the first step in any music marketing campaign is to determine what your selling point is and how you’ll present this image to your fans.
This will help you decide where you’re mostly likely to find your target audience, and how you should set up your website and socials.
Once you know what your brand is and where you’re likely to find new fans, it’s time to increase the traffic by building more awareness. And one of the best ways to do this in the modern age is with targeted ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. These ads don’t just spam all users, instead they’re curated to find potential fans based on their pre-existing interests that align with your brand. That way, they’re more likely to click to discover more.
These ads don’t need to be expensive either, because you definitely don’t have money to waste. Because they’re targeting the right audience, on the right platform, you’ll eventually see an uptick in awareness.
Once they click on the ad they’ll be directed to your site, that’s already been designed to showcase your brand and your unique selling point. This is where you can capture their email address in exchange for free music or other promotion. Now a potential fan has joined your email list, and a set of emails you’ve already designed will start to drip into their inbox. Through the next few days they’ll get to know you and your music more, and they can decide that they’re really ready to start this journey with you!
After they’ve gotten to know your music and brand more, you can start to engage with them more directly through the emails to potentially make that first purchase. A great way to do this is to present a deal or a special one-time purchase as only open to subscribers and for a limited time. That means your subscribers will need to make the decision to purchase the music (or other bonus items) before time runs out. Based on the numbers of conversions, you can continuously tweak these to increase the amount of subscribers that purchase.
These automated, targeted emails are designed for the long term, so that you can continue to engage with fans and they keep getting access to exclusive music, videos, sets, merchandise, etc. The sky is the limit with how you want to run your promotions, whether it’s weekly or monthly, and you’ll see your fanbase continue to feel connected to your music—and will see growth in the number of fans as well.
Sustained growth is key, as you always want to welcome new fans to the fold. Subscribers who become fans are much more willing to tell others about the impact your music has made, and will encourage other people to check you out. Then the whole process can begin again!
While marketing might not have been the first thing on your mind when you decided to become a musician, it doesn’t have to be a thorn in your side either. With a little planning, you can set yourself up for more success than you may have thought possible!
All musicians no matter what genre want to grow their audiences and increase their sales. Unfortunately, you can’t just rely on your music alone to do this! That’s why a music marketing plan is so essential, it gives you a blueprint to follow so you won’t have to worry about not knowing what to do. Follow the steps we discussed above, and see how your music career really starts to take off.
