5 Things To Keep In Mind When Promoting Your Music Online
With the near-collapse of the major record labels, you have never been in a better position to sell your music online.
You no longer have to deal with waiting for a record contract, or face unbelievable release schedules. You can now do everything on your own terms: you are the record business owner, distributor and promotions department. And, initially at least, you don’t even need to hire anyone.
Here are five simple rules to always keep in mind, to energize your career. They may seem self-evident at first, and therefore all too easily overlooked or dismissed. Forget or ignore them at your peril. Sadly, most artists do.
1. Take Your Career Seriously
Take your Music Career as seriously as you would a normal 9-to-5 day job. Do you wish you could quit your day job? – then taking your music seriously is the first step. Let the people around you know that you are very serious about this mission. You are taking the step to move out of one area of your life and into another. Make this the most important thing you have ever done. Organize yourself, eliminate distractions, feed yourself inspiration, but don’t loose of the business side while you’re developing the creative. Mindset is everything.
2. Run it like a Businessman Would
If you want music to be a “career” for you, then remember: this is a business! If you handle your career like a business everyone around you will realize that they need to give you the time and space you need to make things move forward. Set it up properly. Get a DBA or an LLC . Get up at the same time every morning and follow your own system!
3. Total Focus
Always Stay Focused. When you promote your music online set aside time to consistently follow a system – daily. A system you will have researched and believe is valid. If you want to move forward anything less than this is a recipe for failure. Set aside time for work and for play every day. When it is time to work, work like there is no tomorrow. When it is time to play. Play Hard!
4. Use Social Networking.
Harness the tools around you: MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter – they’re all free and all can seriously help you move forward. Take ideas from your favorite bands, DJs, musicians and use them as yours. Send out meaningful content to your friends. Give away things such as mp3s, CDs , and T-Shirts.
5. Don’t Quit Your Day Job
It may end up costing you a bit of money to promote your music. A place to stay, gigs, food – all cost money. When you start making incomes from your music, make sure they’re no lower than those you get from your day-job before you consider doing music full time. Sensible musicians KEEP their day jobs until they’re seriously ahead on their independent income front.
I think focus is super important, It can be easy to get pulled all over the place with other bands an other projects.
Nothing like a little bit of focus to get things moving faster.
- Chris
I agree with your post. It reminded me of this band called Town. THey are students and musicians and totally awesome!
Town’s YouTube
Give away Mp3′s..T Shirts..Merchandise??And make money….How?? The very things you strive to make at great cost..you give away?? That’ll certainly make the day job a thing of the past.Not. Its time to get real, start small..stream small clips of your music..set up your website, use payloadz for selling mp3′s from your site..budget for small vinyl runs and cd runs..if a fan GENUINELY likes what they hear from the stream they’ll buy..Otherwise they are not true fans..just freeloaders.. If you sell them cheap enopugh and are wise enough to shop around for your manufacturing costs..Budget budget budget..and plan a business plan. Otherwise, say goodbye to ever selling a single song.
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