The fact that the internet has permanently altered the music business is not exactly breaking news. The use of technologies like file sharing, streaming, social networking, and eCommerce is allowing musicians to reach wider audiences and grow their fan bases. The drawback of having so many alternatives is that picking the optimal strategies for online music promotion can be difficult.
So, in order to guide your decision-making, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 online communities you should join in order to promote your music. Here are 10 strategies for online music promotion:
- With Wix Music, you can create your own music website.
- Promote your events on Songkick and Bandsintown
- Create a YouTube channel.
- Put your music on iTunes or Apple Music.
- Music uploads to Last.fm
- Become familiar with Reddit Music
- Put your tunes to Spotify.
- Use Twitter hashtags (@TwitterMusic)
- Look up music blogs
- Use Dozmia to Share Your Music
1. Use Wix Music to create a music website.
Wix Music is unflappable when it comes to internet music promotion. With all the tools you need to market, sell, and distribute your music online, Wix Music is an all-inclusive online marketing solution for building a music website. Why is Wix Music so beloved by us? Some of our favorite liner notes are listed below:
- Direct sales of your music from your website are 100% commission-free. Simple music sales result in greater financial gain.
- Without leaving your Wix account, share your music with over 120 of the most popular music channels online. Send your music to prominent online retailers and streaming platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Rdio, and others (distribution is a premium feature).
- To promote your events? No issue! BandsInTown or Songkick can be seamlessly integrated with Wix Music so you can advertise your events and take ticket orders from your website.
- Add an online store to your website to sell your merchandise.
- Include industry necessities on your Wix Music website, such as an EPK (electronic press kit). Giving labels, press, and other power players in the business the most essential information about your band is simple with this password-protected page.
- Beautiful themes that are pre-made and include everything you need for a website that looks professional. Were we to also explain that they are completely customizable?
2. Publicize your performances on Bandsintown and Songkick
You probably got into music in the first place mostly for the purpose of performing in front of an audience. Promote your events on sites that sell tickets, such as Bandsintown and Songkick, to help guarantee that your upcoming performance will be attended by a large audience. Bandsintown’s location-based targeting enables site visitors to find the greatest shows in their neighbourhood.
Adding your Bandsintown or Songkick accounts to your Wix Music website has the extra benefit of instantly updating any updated tour dates and enabling ticket purchases directly from your website.
3. Create a YouTube channel.
musicians that are probably unknown to you… They all have one thing in common, just like Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Karmin (Wix musicians! ): they were all found on YouTube. You best believe that you need a YouTube channel to get started if you’re eager to spread the word about your music.
4. Store your music on iTunes or Apple Music
Apple Music & iTunes, the default music services for all Apple products, are renowned for housing the biggest online music catalog in the world. The goal of the new Apple Music service is to assist customers in finding new music depending on what they are currently listening to. It goes beyond simply serving as the internet home for your digital music library. Is it your band, maybe?
5. Add your music to Last
One of the simplest ways for new followers to make your music their current passion is through Last.fm. When you upload your music to Last.fm, they’ll put it in playlists with bands that already have a following of your fans (making you extra cool by association).
Did we mention that if you use Wix Music’s distribution service, whatever music you post to your website will also be distributed instantly across Last.fm? Talk about clever radio streaming online.
6. Become familiar with Reddit Music
Reddit, which serves as the underground’s home page, is undoubtedly the most popular website. You might not be aware of this, but a lot of the viral items you see online originated on Reddit, which is why musicians should become familiar with the Reddit Music thread. Musicians can gain a true sense of how their music is being received by audiences through the grassroots-style community for content sharing, but be careful—the dedicated users can be nasty with noobs. Simply act with decency and authenticity, and everything will work out perfectly.
7. Put your tunes to Spotify.
Spotify elevates the listening experience to a whole new level and is one of the most popular mobile and desktop programmes in the world. Since Spotify has the music of practically every recorded musician, you should definitely join them. Your channel might connect with bigger celebrities who play related music thanks to their incredible Discover function for discovering new artists.
8. Use Twitter hashtags (@TwitterMusic)
Twitter is the ideal site for music enthusiasts to discover their next favourite band because it serves as the front page of all breaking news. When tweeting out new songs, use trending hashtags like #music, #rap, #jazz, or the music genre of your choice to help people find you first. When managing your band’s twitter account, keep an eye out for popular music hashtags like #MusicMonday and #NewMusicFriday to gain more exposure.
9. Look up music blogs
As the leading sources for the finest of what’s coming up in the music industry, music blogs long since surpassed publications like Melobeam in importance. Finding the greatest artist websites or well-known music blogs to promote your YouTube video, talk about your most recent album, or even review it will help you gain some real new followers.
Try contacting bloggers with a brief introduction and a link to one of your tracks as many of them disclose their email addresses or social media accounts on their postings. Start by looking up popular local music blogs, then give the bloggers your EPK and a well-written email introduction; a blog post in your town or city can help you build a loyal local following. The greatest blog for your music can vary depending on the genre, but some of our faves from the “music blog major league” are Pitchfork, Stereogum, DatPiff, and The A.V. Club.
10. Use Dozmia to Share Your Music
A commute without music is for many people the definition of a horror situation. It goes without saying that because music and mobile go together like the internet and the internet itself, it’s just as crucial to promote your music on mobile apps as it is on well-known websites. The smartphone app Dozmia works similarly to the websites we mentioned before by suggesting new music based on songs and artists that users already enjoy. Why, then, Dozmia? Musicians who are new to the scene have the extra benefit of joining in on the activity first by leveraging Dozmia’s targeted music pairings in a music market that is not yet oversaturated.
