A lot of the time, the main goal for an artist to for their music to be heard. I mean, that should always be the goal but just because someone listened to a song you just debuted, does that mean that they are hearing you? Listening and hearing can be distinguishable as someone can listen but when they hear you, they feel you.
Often, an independent artist’s main goal is to put out music, but they have no clear definitive on how they want to go about it. Sometimes they think that they can upload their music on a streaming service like Spotify for example, and they will just get hits. Maybe they think they can buy into a playlist, and they do but have no clear direction in a marketing strategy so their growing fanbase can get to know them as an artist. A rapport must be built, or your career will most likely fail before it can even start.
New Artist Model wrote a blog on how to get onto a Spotify Playlist and they state, “getting tens of thousands of plays on Spotify does not necessarily equate to getting more fans. There are plenty of artists who have gone viral on Spotify – who make a decent living from Spotify revenue – but can’t even fill their local venue.” That is an extremely valid point. You can do numbers on Spotify and make a decent profit but when it comes down to gigs and booking endorsements if no one knows who you are as an artist and just that one hit you made, will that be good enough? Probably not.
The start and key to a successful music career for an independent artist is promotion and marketing your music on your social media profiles. This explains who you are as an artist and what type of music you make. As I stated before, rapport is crucial to how you can develop your fanbase and get your music heard. Sometimes putting out one good song is not good enough. Your social media profiles should depict who you are as a person and as a brand. What do you want your listeners and potential fans to know about you as an artist?
Amanda Dudley wrote a great article on Hypebot on tips on how to promote your music through social media. She shared that “when it comes to music promotion, social media users want authenticity. They don’t want to get bombarded by several promotions. Rather, they’d be more likely to listen to your music if you connect with them on a deeper, more personal level.”
This shows your viewers the hard work that you have been dedicating and the process in which you work. If you take a glimpse at a lot of your favorite artist’s social media profiles such as Instagram, you see them posting pictures or videos of them in the studio or behind the scenes footage of some of the music videos they are shooting. This makes them feel like they are a part of the process and gives them the realism behind your craft.
It is essential to use your social media profile to showcase your talent and who you want to be known for as an artist. You want your audience and fanbase to feel you and once they can relate with you, they may very well stick with you forever.
Davie, O. (2021, October 13). 5 ways to compose social media posts that promote your music. Hypebot. https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2021/10/5-ways-to-compose-social-media-posts-that-promote-your-music.html
N. (2021, April 7). How to Get Your Music on Spotify Playlists. New Artist Model. https://newartistmodel.com/how-to-get-your-music-on-spotify-playlists/
AMANDA DARLING'S BLOG 