Let’s face it, the wildfire spread of web-based portals designed to introduce independent music to the world has created a bewildering array of opportunities and costs. So where do they all balance out? When does the cost of signing up to yet another music promotion service yield results? What results are all of us looking for anyway?
The key is to make your Internet promotion targeted, systematic and rich.
What’s the central drive for independent performers encourage their music on the web? The fundamental incentive for Web promotion is the opening to get your music heard by individuals who might otherwise never know that you exist! If individuals know you exist they can be come fans and repeat- fans. Which of those fans buy CD’s and downloads? Targeted fans.
The the majority necessary goal of Web promotion is to attract targeted fans.
Any independent performer who demonstrates they use the Web to sell their music has missed the primary target – attracting targeted fans. Attracting targeted fans should be every independent musician’s 1st priority. Don’t forget, you don’t sell your music – fans BUY your music. It is a buyers market. The more targeted fans you have, the more sales you make – offer d you are systematic in getting your targeted fans.
The optimum way to get targeted listeners is to be systematic.
many artists tend to approach their Internet promotion thinking that since they have a web site and have signed up to a couple of performer showcase web site s, that the listeners will just come pouring in. Yes you have managed to target some potential listeners, but you still have to shout, “Hey, over here… you will prefer the sound of this!” A systematic approach to getting listeners to hear your music will attract and maintain their interest. But remember to make sure you have the content ready for the listener to enjoy.
Sites rich in content will retain your targeted listener.
In the independent artist’s case, the rich content is the music. This might seem like old news, but look at the amount of independent artist web sites that give the visitor loads of info about the performer but remarkably little (or hidden) ear candy. Music should be the 1st thing a visitor gets. At the remarkably least they need an undeniable link to where they might listen to your music. And not just one or two tracks but a variety of your music. Independent artists have to recall they haven’t had the radio exposure to model the presentation of their music following more well established acts. Listeners need to be convinced they like your independent music before they will buy it.
So the question is how to make your Internet promotion targeted, systematic and rich?
Tips for Targeting.
The perfect targeted audiences on the Web will be those that make it to your website. Locate a way to know who they are. set up a newsletter and make it easy to sign up to it. people interested enough to want to receive news about you are your hardcore Web audiences, keep them happy.
The next perfect group of targeted audiences are those that hear your music on other web site s. Try to choose web sites that allow audiences to link to your web site. Assuming that they like your music they can click on that link to visit your web site. You can then find out where these visitors are coming from. Find a good Web statistics package that lets you know which web sites your visitors are being referred from. Take note of those web sites and focus your efforts with them accordingly.
When choosing websites on which to encourage your music, check to see If they provide any individual stats relating to your music. prefer how many track plays or page views you and your music receive on their website. This way you could check in periodically and monitor your gig with these website s.
Systematic Steps.
The key to being systematic is organization. Keep a note of all the web sites you use to encourage your music, a brief description of what they do and how much it costs. Try to get into the practice of monitoring all of them regularly. Take note of which web sites are getting better results than others and focus your resolutions accordingly. You could pay for minimal promotion on one web site, while another gets you loads of fans for free. Naturally you will want to put more resolution into updating the web sites that are getting better results.
offer a link on your website and newsletters to all of the websites you use to promote your music. Do not forget your website visitors are your hardcore Web fans and are the the majority like ly to check out and spread the word about your spot on other website s. So promote them to visit your profile on other website s. At the unusually least it raises your stats on those websites – making your music look more popular!
Try to produce a ring of web sites that link to each other though the content you supply. By way of example, you may have your music on your own web site and two other showcase web sites – web site A and web site B. Your web site should without a doubt link with web site A and web site B. web site A should link with your web site and web site B, web site B should link with your web site and web site A and so on. What If the se web sites do not allow you to set up links to other web site s? Put a Web address in the areas where they do allow you to supply content. prefer biogs or descriptions.
The best aim of linking all your web sites is to offer your listeners with a variety of access points to your music, as well as access to the varying ways many web sites may deliver your music. Remember to link to your specific page on the web site and not just the web site itself. Your web site linked with a web site that performance your tracks on Internet radio, linked with a web site that sells your downloads, linked with a web site that sells your compact disc’s offers for a commanding combination of exposure.
Be Rich
without resources ! That is the challenge that the majority independent artists face. The conventional approach to selling music is that it should not be too easily available to listen to, should the incentive for audiences to actually buy albums be undermined. This has persuaded independent artists that they should limit Web audiences to low-quality snippets of streaming audio.
Independent artists have to recall they don’t have the sources and finances to help the “shotgun approach” of spraying their music across radio and music television. Big artists have large organizations behind them that need to recoup the costs of mass media exposure, and as a result try to limit the extent to which fans could sample their music on the web. Listeners have already heard the music and are trying to find a copy of their personal.
Conversely, listeners haven’t had a opportunity to listen to independent artist through conventional media. Therefore independent performers can’t assume that people will buy their music off of a web site If they don’t get a opportunity to really listen to it. If people have already heard an musician’s music, and prefer it, the benefit they pay for is in owning a copy they might performance whenever they prefer. If people haven’t already heard an musician’s music, the benefit is in being able to sample as much of the music as possible.
So being rich is providing your fans with as much of your music as they want to listen to before they buy it. Now you do not have to make all your tracks available for free download, but you might provide nice quality, full-length streams that impress the listener and boost your sound. Not tight-fisted snippets that lose the listener because they are lo-fi and over before they attract the listener’s interest.
Being rich is furthermore making your music available in a variety of formats for divergent audiences s. Telling audiences that your music can be heard via Internet radio, on-demand streams, mp3 downloads and mail order CD means you could appeal to audiences who like more than one kind of media. You could furthermore use your Web promotion to go beyond efficiently plays and sales – think about licensing.
Licensing your music for use with TV, film, advertising, website s, video games and other multimedia will open up your listening fans, offer re Club and introduce a degree of professionalism to your career that attracts the notice of industry reps and A&R. Adding this depth to your Internet promotion stimulates to enrich the presentation of your music and retain targeted fans.
So recall : a) maximise your targeted audiences, b) be systematic in gain ing them, and c) retain them by making sure your own web site and other web sites are rich in content.
