Competition for striking success as a musician is at an all-time high.
Yes, in the past you had to go through the traditional channels like sending your demos to as many producers, labels, and artists as you could muster. You’d tour the dive bars and venues for years on end trying to get your music played. You may have even tried slipping your music into a retail store when no one was noticing.
If it was hard back then, it’s doubly so today. But in an odd way.
The Web lets anyone build (or leverage) a platform (e.g. website, social media, paid services) to share their talents, opinions, and expertise. Because so many platforms are free, it’s getting to the point where we’re simply becoming too saturated with choices.
We smirk at the radio, charts, and music magazine selections but it’s there because someone has to curate all the content, otherwise you’re stuck wading through thousands of mediocre pieces in hopes of finding the one gem.
If you’re a budding musician and feel you’re about to get your big break – here are some ways you can use the Web to promote and distribute your music (and not get lost in all the noise).
Your Efforts, TuneCore, and the Grind
I want to start you off by sharing what you can do with the Web (even with a limited set of tech skills) and things you could do locally. Then I’d like to explain how a service like TuneCore can step up the distribution efforts. And finally, I’ll share some of those grinding moments you may face down the road to success.
Let’s start with the basics …
- The Website – This is where you can do a whole lot of good. On your personal website you can release updates to your community through blog posts. You can post samples of your music and garnish feedback from loyal listeners. You can use it as a platform to share videos of your performance. It’s also a great place to begin selling music through digital downloads or even live performances you’ve shot when you’re out at a gig.
- Social – People are going to talk about your music. Social sites like Facebook and Twitter are where they’ll go. Every artist should have a Facebook fan page they’re constantly updating the page with news, samples, full songs, touring dates, and more. Keep them actively entertained and informed and they’ll help build a buzz around your releases and shows.
- Video – YouTube is going to be one of your best forms of promotion. Set up an area where you can record yourself playing tunes. Alternatively, if you have professionally produced tunes, work with a videographer to create music videos. You can earn a bit of money by partnering with YouTube but also use it as a form of exposure (and content for your website).
- Sound Sites – Sites like Mixcloud and Soundcloud (among others) are generally free and can be used to put up samples, rehearsals, live gigs, and full songs (if you wish). This is an easy way to gain some exposure within the sites but also use as fuel for your personal site and social feeds.
Now let’s examine TuneCore …
If you want to step up your promotion and truly learn how to distribute music like a professional, a good model to look at is the TuneCore service.
TuneCore brings a lot to the table for musicians:
- They work with you to put your music on most digital stores like iTunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play, and Spotify.
- You keep 100% of the rights and revenue
- You can download and read reports on the performance of your music on these channels
- They have services that will push you toward gaining a publishing deal
The service comes at a small premium ($29.99 a year for an album, $9.99 a year for a song, and $19.99 a year for a ringtone) while publishing options start at $75 (one-time fee), but in terms of getting your music out there you can’t really beat it since they do the leg work for you.
Trying to do this on your own would take hundreds of hours having to manually submit and wait for approval from the platforms.
And here’s where the grind starts …
Once you have your personal space setup on the Web and you’re running your music through a service like TuneCore you still need to do the rounds:
- Push digital sales of your work when you’re playing gigs by sharing promo CDs along with download links. You could also set up a tablet so listeners can input their emails (so you can build an email list) and you send them a song later on.
- Merchandise should be on the radar when you’re playing shows. Work with designers and printing companies to create shirts and other apparel.
- Depending on your stance you could always look into endorsements and sponsorships as a form of bringing in revenue which will allow you to fund your career in music and invest in additional promotion options.
All in all there are a lot of options for musicians who need to learn how to distribute music. The Web presents a wealth of opportunity for those willing to explore the options. If the music is good – it’ll be found.
Featured Image Credit: ShutterStock/Kid With Headphone
