If An Album Drops with No Promotion...Did it Really Drop?



One of the biggest misconceptions out there about releasing music is that it will go viral on its own steam. Maybe for some it's happened like that but it's far from the norm from my experience. It would be nice if it was that simple but the reality is, once you make the music, it's also your job to promote it and generate some buzz, especially if you're independent and doing it yourself.

The thing about promoting is that it does make a difference. You can see it in your own numbers when you release a track with zero promotion versus a track that you are promoting. The interesting thing about music promotion is that the music itself is only part of the story.

People want to know the story of the track, along with the artist that created it. The package is what engages people to dig a little deeper. The major labels do a great job when it comes to developing that story. It's so seamless that unless you know that's whats going on, you might over look it.

Take that recent Eminem "controversy" with Donald Trump. That cypher blew up on the media and for days that Trump bash was mainstream news. Do you really think it was a coincidence that he did that a month before his new album dropped?

*Recommended Reading: Eminem's Cypher, It's Not About Politics, It's About Buzz

Every musician and producer has a story and so does every track. The problem is it's hard to see the story when your balls deep in it. If you are not able to see the story or put it in words, then bust out your wallet and get some help. There are plenty of writers on Fiverr that can put into words what you can not.

Once you have an interesting story along with a solid track, you should create a press kit. Basically a package of promotional material that you can send out for organic promotion. If you create a press kit that is engaging, many times the material will be lifted virtually word for word in press content.

Press content takes the form of magazines, blogs, vlogs, radio shows, or really any media in general. Their focus is engaging material for their established audience. That is what they need, besides just a killer track. They want musicians, producers, and music that gets there audience excited.

A great resource to research active music blogs is a website called Hype Machine. Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator. It scans through active music blogs and puts them in one place. You can browse blogs by genre and see the ones that are writing about music in the genre you work in.

A lot of the music blogs have options to submit new music, so make sure to follow the submission guidelines. There are some great articles out there for submitting music for consideration to blogs. Do your research, and make sure you're submission has the best chances possible for consideration.

Another great promotional tool is the email subscriber list. If you don't have one sign up at Mailchimp, it's free. This is one of the single best things you could have because basically this is a list of people that want to get your news, new music, ect. Start building buzz with your subscribers before you release the track.

Promotion and attracting attention is part of doing music. For indie or DIY musicians it can be a real struggle. If you are in that situation where you are creating solid music but it's going no where, then invest in your career and hire someone to help you or sign with a label.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to share, like and comment below!

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