Music to My Ears

Go Viral

Every musician longs to know how to go viral with their music.  It’s a completely creative process that is different every time.  The “magic” process is hard work.  It’s all about you, and the vital energy you put into your promotional outreach should be of the same intensity as the passion that you are putting into your music.  With that, there are a few core principles that can significantly help independent musicians.

Live in The "Now"

Rather than cripple yourself by thinking of how much you have to do before you can be successful  in the future, focus on the now.  What can you start doing TODAY, right now, that will push you further towards your goal of success.  It’s great to be a dreamer.  I am one myself, but, when you think too far into the future it can become much like your same dream of winning the lottery.  The practical details get lost and we end up discouraged, defeated, and far more likely to quit. 

I get it, you want to get in Rolling Stone but, do you ignore the hundreds of independent publications who would be more willing to help you?  Also, do you want to be signed to a label when you haven't even played outside of your circle of friends and family, advertised your social media, or made any press noise? 

While it’s completely fine to have an end goal, your primary focus should be on the steps to getting there and not the outcome.  Do you really want to get noticed in Rolling Stone?  Well, then look at all of the very small tasks you need to be taking care of to make that happen from advertising to search engine optimization to PR outreach, to radio, to licensing, and more.  Do all of this one step at a time and suddenly your path to success isn’t so overwhelming.  Don’t forget the reason you started this journey in the first place.  So yes, it takes a lot of work, but don’t become so overwhelmed with the final destination that you forget to enjoy the journey.  

Personalize, Ask for Advice

When you reach out to anyone, whether it be an industry professional, a company, a blogger, or anyone you respect, it is important to personalize your messages with genuine opinions on their work.  Save a draft e-mail as a template and adjust a few sentences every time.  Ask for their advice or expertise rather than asking for help.  Often with the advice will come a helping hand.

Always stay humble. Don’t be needy.  Nothing is worse to someone who is busy with a million other offers on their table than a desperate beggar.  Be confident and show that you can stand on your own two feet. Mention that you want to learn and let your music speak for itself.  Not everyone has to love your music.  With time and effort the right people will want to lend a helping hand on your project.  

Music Scene

When you release your music professionally, you are a business owner.  You’re not just an artist.  Its critical that you get your mind out of the music scene by constantly keeping up with the business aspect of the music industry.  Remember that this is always changing so keep up with it by either hiring help or research, read books, etc.  This will give you ideas that you will never find within the indie artists sphere, and many more of them are more applicable than you’d realize. Think outside the box. 

Get popular, Not Instantly Rich

Be everywhere for everyone, regardless of income. Music listeners have become increasingly segregated. Some only discover new music through Rdio, Spotify, etc. Some people browse iTunes or CDBaby. Others look to underground music websites, music discovery platforms and torrent blogs.

Do not horde your music waiting for 99 cents. Popularity is the most critical goal for independent artists. Money follows popularity. Remember that.  

Music Artists as Entrepreneurs: Building Your Empire

Until recently, the only way to "make it" was to be picked by an A&R rep at a major record label, and even that didn’t guarantee success if the label dropped your record or cut your marketing budget. Today, your success is primarily up to you. You are your own CEO and your product is your music. Identifying multiple sources of revenue and having a team is the first step in thinking like an entrepreneur and forming your thriving business 

Develop Your Product & Identify an Audience

Think about exactly what it is you are making and how it is different from existing music. What genre do you mow identify with? Your personality and image are significant aspects of your business, too. Understanding how to develop your brand in the market is invaluable.

Next, find out who your customers or fans are. Use internet tools like Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels to see who is listening, watching and commenting. Talking to fans after shows will allow you to figure out who your key demographic is. 

Get Your Music Out There

You'll need to get your product to the market as quickly as possible, so release small and often on easily accessible digital platforms. If you don’t have the money to release a full length album, start with distributing singles every few months or EP’s. Cover Songs for your YouTube channel can keep fans interested without forcing you to spend thousands of dollars. Another good method is releasing a song to social media and telling fans you’ll release the next once you get a certain number of comments or likes. Promotions are key to building your fan base. Most importantly, get feedback as soon as you can and adjust your business accordingly. 

Network

Take tips from outgoing and energetic entrepreneurs and don’t be afraid to talk about your music, your band, and what you are trying to achieve. When you play gigs, Introduce yourself to the other bands playing or the guys behind the scenes running lights or sound. You never know who you can meet and you may find a way to collaborate! In the music industry, your success will come from your connections.

Build a Team

Think about who you know who would be willing and able to work with you to develop your career. Hiring professionals, like those at Pro Music Records, to carry out your website, marketing, promotions, and submissions to labels or radio stations can ease your stress and keep you organized. Delegating tasks to your team can also give you more time to hone your craft and create more music. There’s a reason most successful businesses are more than one person! 

The Importance of Understanding Web Analytics [For Musicians]

In today's world, any musician striving for success needs to have a basic understanding of technology. While your music should be mastered first, knowing the basics of website statistics can take your career to another level. Understanding who is visiting your website and listening to your music as well as how often, for how long, and from where, is key to honing your target market and accessing a potential fan base. 

Several sites offer web stats that show you what's happening. They can tell you how many unique visits there were to your site in addition to how many visits were made total. This then translates to your page views so you can see which pages are most or least popular. The average time spent on your site can represent how engaging your content is. The longer a visitor spends on your music page, the more they like what they hear. Or, if your videos page is lacking views, however, perhaps your videos need to be more interesting or of higher quality. 

Referrers explain where visitors came from, whether it was a link you posted on Facebook or a search result on Google. The better you recognize the origins of your site traffic, the better you can find more fans. Finally, search terms that fans use to search and then find your site are displayed so that you can optimize what keywords are included your content. 

Of course, the most important step in this entire process is creating a visually appealing, high-quality website to showcase your talent and work. Then, you'll need to make sure to market your music to a targeted fan base using web analytics. You'll want as much time as possible to perfect your music, so getting help from marketing experts and web design professionals will allow you to gain the online presence you need without compromising your time. 

Pro Music Records & Entertainment Media can design custom search-engine friendly websites the are complete with industry specific photos and functionality. Pro Music Records clients are also guaranteed to dominate the 1st page of all the major search engines given reasonable time, driving traffic to your site. Please visit us online at www.promusicrecords.com or call 818.971.9301 for a free quote today!