For a long time, marketing in the music industry was restricted to sending out mixtapes to club DJs and press channels. However, the world has moved online, and so has music marketing.
The music industry has evolved to be a billion-dollar industry, with its value in 2015 estimated at around $15 billion. Effective digital marketing strategies and resources have made it possible for artists and producers to promote their own music and not remain at the mercy of big music labels.
Let’s dive into why digital marketing is a must-know for budding music producers and what kind of digital marketing techniques they can employ to promote their music.
Do music producers need to be aware of digital marketing strategies?
The music industry is one of the most competitive domains in the world. As a music producer, you will be competing with thousands of music labels and companies with high marketing budgets.
With such intense levels of competition, your music might not even reach your target audience unless you project your brand to make it stand out.
Comprehensive knowledge of digital marketing can help you increase your music’s visibility and awareness. At the same time, a sound digital marketing strategy can help you engage with a growing audience and turn their adulation into a constant revenue stream.
With so many independent artists creating brands around themselves, the need for digital marketing expertise is not restricted to just music producers and marketing executives. As a musician, you should also be familiar with online marketing techniques to promote your own music.
What kind of marketing strategies should you employ as a music producer?
Whether you plan to release your music independently or work as a music producer for a big brand, your promotion efforts can get a boost from effective digital marketing.
Here are some useful digital marketing strategies that are being used by popular music brands in 2022.
- Be acutely aware of your fan base and target audience: To be able to create an effective marketing strategy, you should have a clear picture of what your online and offline target audiences look like. Knowing your fanbase can help you customise your marketing efforts to build a more lasting connection with your followers.
- Set up accounts for your music brands on multiple social media platforms: It’s 2022, and there are more than 523.9 million people who listen to music online and share it with their friends on social media. Therefore, it’s essential to be present on as many social media channels as possible to maximise your reach as a music producer.
- Collaborate with digital influencers to promote your music brand: Convincing potential fans that your music is worth listening to can be easy if you convince the people they follow. Collaborating with digital and social media influencers is a great way to reach out to new audience bases and get them to like your music.
- Design merchandise around your music: Creating theme-based merchandise that speaks for your music is another way of diversifying your income streams. Additionally, it’s a great way to foster a community of people who love your music and want to support you.
- Review your marketing strategies from time to time: Digital marketing is always evolving—digital advancements are constantly bringing in new industry practices and making the old ones obsolete. Therefore, it’s important to review your marketing strategies from time to time for their efficiency and impact.
- Engage with different press outlets like blogs and magazines and send your music to them: Passing your music to different media and press channels can be a great way to build momentum around your work. If you have your own website, it can also be an excellent way to build some backlinks and gain significant SEO advantage.
Here are a few more digital marketing tips that can help you promote your music.
- Create your own website and optimise it to capitalise on monetising opportunities.
- Invest in a PR campaign for your music brand on radio or TV.
- Partner with a music streaming service like Spotify.
- Provide regular content for your followers via different streams like YouTube videos or blogs.
What else can help you promote your music as a music producer?
Effective digital marketing aside, the quality of your music will be an important factor in deciding whether it will wow your audience or not.
There are several factors that can impact the quality of the music you’re producing, such as the mic placement, acoustics of the recording studio, and amplification quality.
You will also have to learn about other aspects of music production, such as audio mixing and recording, which can impact the quality of your work.
A comprehensive music production course can help you adapt to the competition in the music industry and improve on the relevant music production skills.
The London College of Creative Media (LCCM) offers a great MMus in Music Production that can provide you with a specialist understanding of music production. This master’s in music production can also introduce you to the latest trends in music composition and production.
The USP of the music production degree is a relevant module in digital distribution and marketing that covers essential digital marketing elements such as content planning and social media optimisation.
Upon completing the programme, you will be eligible for a wide range of music production roles, such as studio manager and music marketing executive.
Click here to sign up for this music production programme at LCCM today!