Cutting through the noise has always been a problem when trying to promote and market your music. The questions has always been how to influence the public and get your music out there and seen by them. When it comes to marketing in the streaming age, we have to re-evaluate how we market music.
Let’s Fix Music Marketing
The biggest problem with marketing now is that what we have always considered to be the best practices for marketing music no longer apply to streaming.
The way unit sales and fans work together has drastically changed. We never had to understand fans in the way that we do now.
Before streaming, 1 fan meant 1 sale / one-off transaction. The economic value of each fan was the same.
After streaming, 1 fan can mean multiple plays over a long period of time. The economic value of each fan is variable.
With this in mind, our marketing objectives need to change. Previously, the objective was to simply “get more fans”. Now the objective needs to be “get more fans and keep them engaged.”
The best way to do this is to create long term commitments that are focused on audience development and engagement. You can create different engagement points for fans that build interest over time. This can be anything from single releases, live sessions, videos, appearances, album releases etc. Remember that varied content is key in driving engagement.
Don’t write off traditional marketing strategies altogether though, it still works as a great tool for discovery, but try to place more emphasis on engagement.
Artist Marketing in the Streaming Age
Playlisting is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal when marketing in the streaming age. Adding a song to a playlist will help others to discover it and could persuade them to add it to their own playlists. Music needs to be nurtured if it is to survive and this works even better if you can create a narrative around a playlist.
Take the time to understand yourself as an artist. This may sound strange, but once you fully understand what you stand for and what you are trying to achieve you will find it easier to know where to promote yourself. Get to know your fans too, know your demographic and what they’re into and move forward from there.
Think long term. Always think about what you can do next once you are done with your current release / event etc. What will you do after your album has been released? You can create interactive videos that come months after the album has been released etc. Look at each project individually and come up with creative ways to communicate what you have to offer. You need to have the building blocks that create a story for your fans to follow, but don’t bombard them. Do you best to plan ahead and have a trick up your sleeve, think of what you can be doing in 6 months time.
Traditional media and printed press always want to focus around a release and this thinking needs to change. We can already see this taking place with digital media with this article discussing Shakira’s new music video. Don’t get me wrong, traditional plans that are built around a release are still needed. After all, the major labels have helped to build a hit-based society, and so that is what audiences expect.
Content needs to feed on to each other. If you announce a tour without any new material you will get much less engagement and press coverage than you would if you also had new music to accompany it.
Streaming provides a wealth of data and a sizeable audience that cannot be ignored. Data allows you to discover new fan bases and what they are in to. You can also find where they are located what other artist they are into. This can be very useful information when looking to plan a tour. Everyone, no matter how big or small, has something to gain from understanding data. Be prepared to change your approach based on what you see in your data too. Spotify Artists can be a great place to start.
Traditional vs New Marketing
Traditional marketing tactics are not completely dead, you simply need to incorporate them with new ideas. Marketing in the streaming age has changed and the objective has shifted. Learn to adapt to stay ahead and cut through the noise above your competitors.
To do this, communicate better with your audience and learn to work as a team. Focus on serving your fans for a long term reward, it is an investment in your future. Don’t stand in the way of your releases, share them when they’re ready and plan what you can do to maximise them and to follow up. Don’t lose the momentum you build.
