The large labels and music websites (and their greed according to the artists) have forced the independent musicians to go rogue and to utilize as much free resources as possible to promote themselves and their music.
But are musicians marketing the right way? According to a recent article by CNN, they’re not. The article, How Rockers (and you) Should Promote Online, listed ten common mistakes that musicians make in marketing. I think the number of ten was generously low. I think there are a lot more than ten issues but in most cases, I don’t think it is the artists’ fault.
The music industry was once a place of creativity and expression. This world of pitch, rhythm, and sound has morphed into a world of independence where artists can produce music without labels and where marketing and self-promotion is within the reach of every artist. Artists are now free to boycott major brands, interact with fans via Twitter, and promote their gigs via Facebook. The negative side of this new found independence is the old misperception of “what you don’t know can’t hurt you”. There is a large group of musicians that believe they can market themselves solely via word or mouth, flyers, and Facebook. And while the word of mouth and flyer route would have worked a decade or so ago, it doesn’t fly now. Musicians and bands now have an ability to reach into our lives at every possible point of our daily digital routines. From Twitter and Facebook to email and merch sales, bands and musicians are taking over the internet. And since this industry is huge, this take over isn’t just a trend – it is a literal movement.
I reached out to a number of experts to get their feedback on the good, bad, and ugly of music marketing. I asked their opinion and advice on best practices associated with music marketing. The feedback was impressive and very consistent. With the exception of a few outliers, virtually every expert had the same core beliefs.
Every Musician or Band Website Should Include
Imagery – A picture is worth a thousand words. When you’re an artist, it is worth a thousand music downloads. Gia Joliee, a dancer, actress, and up and coming pop singer, put this concept into very simplistic and powerful words by saying “Websites must have a bio page that allows fans to see the girl behind the voice. I’m also a big fan of choosing candid pictures and pictures of yourself before fame so people see you’re a real person just like everyone else.” Whether you include these images in your bio page or you add them into an elaborate photo gallery, although the word to see the real you in both past and present form. Let fans connect with the geeky child or the gangly teenager so they can fully relate to the lovable you.
About Section or Biography – Connecting with fans means allowing them to connect with you the musician. Tell your story and let the fans relate to the real you. If you grew up in the projects, say that you did. You’ll not only connect emotionally with a young fan, you might even inspire them to do more than they previously thought they could. If you went to The Juilliard School, mention this in your biography or about page.
Interactive Media – Music is personal. Make your website personal by allowing visitors to easily listen to your music and watch your videos. WordPress does a great job of making this super easy. There are discography plugins and multiple ways to display videos – especially if these are on YouTube.
Email Capture – You need to have an ability for fans to follow up and you can’t expect them to automatically check your website for updates. Let them sign up for updates via an RSS feed like Feedburner or an email newsletter like Constant Contact or MailChimp.
No Flash – Musicans like eye candy. It is just part of their creative side. Unfortunately much of this eye candy is created with flash, which is not viewable with iPads and iPhones. Flash can create creative beauty, but it won’t matter if a large part of your target audience can’t view it.
Fresh Content – Nothing screams run away like a website that hasn’t been updated in two years. Don’t hire someone to build your website and leave it as is for five years. Nurture it and add fresh content to it often and you will capture the love of your fans and search engines alike.
Solid Design Because it Does Matter – While you can buy off the self music themes (we sell two ourselves), nothing will set you apart like a custom designed website.
What’s Holding Musicians Back?
Don’t think all of this is outside of your reach. It isn’t. WordPress, Facebook, and free information (like this blog post) all make internet marketing within the reach of every artist. Whether you’re on a budget or have a fat marketing budget, you can do a quality job of marketing on the internet. It just needs a plan, a good website, and some ongoing attention.
Hubert is right. Remember the door-to-door salesmen from the 70s? If they got their foot in the door, they had a much greater chance of landing that sale. If today’s recording artists can get people to their website, they have a much better chance of selling music downloads, concert ticket, and merchandise. The door-to-door salesman is similar to today’s musician. The artist might have a lot better clothing, but the core principle is the same. Get personal and you can get revenue.
Check Out Our New Music Themes for WordPress
This month we released two premium WordPress themes designed specifically for musicians. The music themes include everything mentioned above and more. From music listening and video watching to merch sales and email captures, our Lillian and Dagmar themes have an out of the box solution for a variety of musicians and bands. We built these templates as child themes for the Genesis Framework, so they are SEO friendly, robust, and they have a great music look and feel. They also come with a variety of color options to they can be matched to your style and genre
