You probably already know this as an independent musician. If you don’t, it is time to learn. Online marketing and promotion is the best way to market your music today. This is a route that even major artists are taking. Some major players have gone so far as to release a digital version of their new album.
A telephone conversation was had with a friend and associate of the president of an independent record label. He reported that digital music sales, or digital music downloadings, has now reached 50% of all music sold. This means that there might not be any need for physical products in the near future. It will increase the budget of independent artists by reducing the need to purchase CD pressing and manufacturing. It will also make music distribution much more efficient.
Let’s cut to the chase. My point is that your music and projects should be promoted online. Internet publicity should be more prominent than traditional print publicity. Look at all the magazines and newspapers that are going out of business or moving to an entirely online format. We have to admit it. If you don’t already use the Internet for marketing and promotion of your music, you need to do so quickly. It is important to keep in touch with your fans as often as possible. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Reach out to them.
Let’s summarize briefly: Here are some methods independent artists should use to promote their music and keep in touch with their fans in today’s digital age.
Para Social Relationships online
It is important to establish a presence on as many social media sites as possible for your band or yourself. You may have a myspace site, which is great, but it is not enough. Social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Squidoo are all great ways to keep your potential and current fans updated. Another thing to do is to socialize in music forums that are specific for your music genre. It is becoming increasingly popular to host meet and greets on these Internet portals in order to stay connected with your fans.
Official Website of Artists or Bands and Blog
It is also important to have a website for your band or artist. Your artist image should also be consistent with the website’s professional design. It is your web home and should be kept up-to-date. You should also have a news and press page. The audio page should be updated with new music, clips, and news. Your home page should have interactive functionality so that fans can interact with you, leave comments and make suggestions. If you want to keep your fans informed, a blog is a great option. Fans can subscribe to your blog via RSS Feed and all of the posts will be instantly delivered to their desktops. Very powerful.
Online Press Kit & Publicity
An electronic press kit (or an EPK, Electronic Press Kit) is a tool every band or artist should have. It can be used to promote their music, regardless of whether they have a printed or digital press kit. An online EPK lets you quickly send music samples and information to promote your band’s music to labels, agents, fans, and other venues.
Widgets — A Big One
While widgets are relatively new in online music promotion Fakaza , they can be a powerful tool for viral Internet marketing if used correctly. A widget is basically a digital snapshot of your profile. It can include streaming or downloadable music, publicity, and so on. You can also gather email addresses of your fans with the widget code. You should place the widget code on every website, from the official to as many social media sites as you can, including myspace. Widgets are great because they allow fans to grab the widget code from your website and put it on their own site, thus spreading the word to thousands. Sign up on reverbnation.com to get your widgets for free. Is Viral Music Marketing something you are beginning to understand?
Digital Mailing List
It shouldn’t be mentioned, but many new artists in the early stages of their development that I work with still don’t get it. This is why it is so important to have a digital sign up option on all websites. It is essential to gather your potential and existing fans’ email addresses and store it in a database that can be used for distribution. It’s amazing what you can do with this mailing list. You can announce all show details, thus bringing in more fans. An artist should have a digital mailing list.