Music is mainly consumed online in this digital age and it makes sense for artists to focus on online music marketing to get the message out about their music. Engagement, however, is the central goal for a successful marketing approach, especially for music fans who often identify with artists in a very personal way. So while online marketing is a necessity for any artist producing music some old school techniques are still important.
Online music marketing must revolve around building engagement with fans. Word of mouth recommendations are still the most effective channel for music discovery for over 60% of consumers. The main elements that build engagement are consistency, authenticity and sustainability. To rise above the sea of music available on the internet artists need to be consistent in both the amount and quality of their music marketing. When communicating with fans they need to be real and authentic to maintain that relationship. Widespread awareness and large fan numbers are not achieved overnight and artists need to sustain their marketing efforts over the long term to keep fans engaged.
A website is a necessity in today’s online world. It should act as the central hub for information and news about an artist. It is the place anyone interested in finding out more about an artist should end up and for that reason it needs to well designed and stocked with information and music that fans want to find. It also enables an artist to control the environment in which their music is presented and have direct contact with fans (such as through email signups) for continuing marketing efforts.
A social media presence is second only to a website as a necessity for artist’s online marketing efforts simply because people spend so much time on social networking sites and often make recommendations to friends about music. Some sites, such as YouTube, are one of the main ways people consume music. In addition, it is an unparalleled method for getting news out about forthcoming releases or live shows. Maintaining a blog is another method for providing the latest news about and artist and their music.
Old school techniques are still valid and can be melded into online efforts. It’s still important to get new music head initially and to create a buzz. Artists should reach out to radio shows and influential reviewers, for example, to build awareness even though they are now on the internet. Also think about giveaways of releases. Posters buttons and t-shirts are still good old-school techniques even though fulfillment may be done digitally. Remember, too, that vinyl record sales have increased by over 1500% in the last twelve years.
