The mobile age has only made the music production industry a much more promising land for music enthusiasts, with IBISWorld’s Independent Label Music Production report pointing to a monumental industry revenue of $456 million between 2008 and 2018. Unfortunately, not every music lover has what it takes to make it as an artist. As with the rest of the entertainment industry, music production is, by nature, a cutthroat endeavor. Only the most passionate, most talented, most clever and most willing to sacrifice are able to make it big. But if you do make a name for yourself, the payoff could be incredible, both in terms of finances and personal satisfaction. A successful launch is an absolute necessity, so make the appropriate music production investments and networking decisions before you venture into this competitive arena.
Invest In Quality Music Production
While it’s true that the artists holds far more responsibility for delivering catchy tracks than the studio equipment, a poorly recorded song mixed with the wrong set of plugins will prevent an otherwise amazing single from reaching its true potential. Ideally, investing in quality music production from Kingston Elite will make your life as an artist less challenging— and will also dramatically improve the quality of your final product.
Be Consistent with your Release Schedule.
As the laws of physics suggest, you’ll see things before you hear them. That’s no different when it comes to listening to an album or a song, as more often than not, before you press play, the first thing that will catch your attention, is the accompanying cover art. The artwork serves as a portal into what the listener can expect from an album or single, and even what kind of musician lies behind the creativity. Strong album covers make a statement, because after all, this imagery is an opportunity to make the right first impression.
1. Release a video single
With this approach, you would post your song first to YouTube, perhaps first as an album art track and then followed up later with an official music video (and then even later with live videos or lyric videos), and use YouTube cards to drive engagement. Be sure to link your fans via cards, end screens, annotations, or in the video description to a place where they can purchase the download. Video, of course, is one of the most sharable forms of online content, so if both the song and video are great, releasing the music this way can be a smart move
2. Release a radio single
Effective radio promotion can be pretty expensive nowadays, but if the song is right and the producer has a record of success, it might be worth the cost. When you release a radio single (think “hit song” usually between 2.5 — 4 minutes long), the idea is to create sustained exposure to the song over a short period of time. That’s what it takes to get a critical mass of people to take notice — repeated listens. Even if it’s a great song.
Is the radio route sounding like a fairytale? If so, concentrate on getting your single added to as many Spotify playlists as possible. The biggest indicator of a song’s success on Spotify is the number of times it’s been added to playlists on the platform. In some cases, a song placement on a prominent Spotify playlist can net you more listeners than a whole radio promotion campaign
4. Release your single as the instant-gratification track on iTunes
Did you know you can run an iTunes pre-sale for a month before your album comes out? One of the features of the pre-sale on iTunes is that they allow customers to download one track right away (and then they get the full album download on the day of release). So think about what song will be most enticing. The radio single? The street single? Something else?
5. Release your new song on a compilation
If the song only comes out on a compilation, I suppose it’s not technically a single — BUT it might be a smart way to put a new track to work for you. You’ll benefit from the song being featured alongside tunes by a bunch of other artists, and you can always use it again later on your own album.
6. Release a remix
Remixes let you breathe new life into a song whose energy might be waning, collaborate with artists who might work in another genre, and benefit from all the cross-promotion that ensues.
7. Release a series of singles to build an album
One practice that’s become common for an artist to set a release schedule, for instance: putting out one new song a month for a year, and then letting your fans decide what songs to include on the next album. This is a great strategy for staying motivated, stirring fan anticipation, and giving yourself multiple chances to connect with a new audience throughout the year.
Networking Is Fundamental
As in pretty much any entertainment-related line of work, the cliché “it’s not what you know, but who you know” definitely applies to being an artist. You can learn a lot by searching on Google, but it’s not until you get to hang out with the pros that you’ll really understand the ins and outs of this competitive industry. Much of the value in enrolling in a school for music production comes from your ability to connect with other producers, not to mention musicians with whom you can collaborate with musically and help perfect your respective crafts.
Market Yourself with a Professional Website
LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all great additions to any music producer networking initiative, but in the end, a personal website will cement the vast majority of your professional leads. No producer, record label or agent will view you as a serious artist until you’ve shown off your skills through your own professional website. If creating a site is beyond your expertise, consider investing in assistance from a professional. Keep in mind that launching your personal website serves as only the first step in the never-ending process of internet marketing. Once your website’s up, you’ll need to keep it updated with your latest shows, contact details and other important developments. Experts also recommend keeping the site reflective of your target market.
Target Markets
An artist's target market is the group of people it targets with advertising. These people are the consumers who are most likely to like the artist’s music and products. Marketers use different variables when determining their target markets, including demographics, personal interests and the times in which consumers shop. Target markets can vary by size. But an artiste's target market generally must be large enough to earn a profit.