The landscape of the music industry is ever-changing. It is important as a band or artist to be able to adapt your marketing and promotional strategies as trends as soon arrive and subsequently fall by the wayside. This means paying close attention to your own strategies – noticing any significant changes in the effectiveness of them, as well as keeping an eye on the wider music scene for developments that arise. It can be easy to fall into a pattern and stick with it as it feels comfortable, but moving with the times and being able to adapt is key to your success, especially in an industry that is so fast paced as the music world.
Social Media
It is well known that social media is essential in the modern age of music promotion. It is your virtual ‘shop window’. These are platforms on which to network with industry professionals and build up more meaningful connections with your fans.
Success on social media requires paying attention to the specific trends and algorithmic functions on each platform in order to get the best out of each one. For example, the type of content most likely to do well in terms of views and engagement on TikTok is not necessarily the same type of content that will perform on Instagram. Certain videos may be received well on YouTube shorts, but may not gain traction if shared to platforms such as Threads or Bluesky.
As well as differing forms of content, the audiences on each platform can also differ. The way in which you are best engaging with other musicians, fans and industry professionals may vary across your social media profiles. Taking the time to build up an awareness of what type of content performs well and which forms of interaction are most successful, will provide a huge benefit to your efforts in running social media accounts as a band or artist.
Additional factors to consider include the life span of these platforms and the external influences that can impact onto social media. The rise of Threads and Bluesky following changes to Twitter brought major change in the social media landscape. More recently, the political implications regarding TikTok in the US, while not permanent, did significantly affect users both in terms of content creators and content consumers. This is why it is crucial to be operating on multiple platforms, look out for changes with new or rising social media sites and the descent of others.
Marketing and PR
Marketing strategies and PR campaigns have evolved over the years as seen with print media lessening in favor of online blogs, and now with content creators and influencers becoming a key part of getting your news out there. Physical formats of music are now commonly viewed more as collectors items following the rise of streaming and therefore need to be marketing differently. Expectations have increased around merchandise quality in general, and ultimately, the quality of your main product – your music.
The importance and popularity of ‘behind the scenes’ content is also key. For example, social media provides a window into your world, as mentioned above. Further to this, platforms such as Patreon are driven by member perks built around enhancing personal interactions between fans and artists.
All of these aspects must be considered when promoting yourself as a band or artist and when marketing your music and merchandise. Traditional forms of PR and marketing still remain a significant part of music promotion, however they must be utilized in conjunction with up-to-date strategies that adapt to industry-wide changes. It is by maintaining an awareness of your own promotional activities, and developments across the music scene, that you can be best equipped to reach your goals and be ready to adapt where necessary.
Further reading:
Embracing a Holistic Approach to PR for Music Promotion
Understanding the Industry