Music lovers and independent artists alike are increasingly flooded with a myriad of music sharing sites such as Spotify, Bandcamp, and Youtube Music, making the music promotion ecosystem overwhelmingly complex. Although there's an element of convenience in using these platforms, they frequently spotlight mainstream music, creating a bottleneck for indie musicians striving to reach their audiences. Despite resulting in lesser earnings per play, musicians persist in distributing their music through these channels; primarily due to the ease of reaching millions, however, the saturation on these platforms precipitates a need for innovative promotional strategies. Techniques mentioned include leveraging the viral nature of social media by sharing their music and integrating playable widgets on their personal websites for direct audience engagement. An expanded discussion of this can be read on our previous comprehensive comparison, Bandcamp vs Spotify. While mainstream platforms pose challenges, alternative solutions exist such as using free music promotion sites like Guitardoor, where indie musicians are provided a platform to be interviewed, actively promoted on various social media platforms, and even included in their curated YouTube playlist, offering a much-needed alternative to mainstream music promotion.
Choosing which Music sharing sites to upload music.
While there are many artists’ stories of making it big on Spotify playlists and being a big hit on Youtube Music for the masses this is not always the case and many talented artists get buried in these music discovery platforms quickly. This is because the sites will always push mainstream material on people who are listening to independent music as the sites tend to push these tracks and they are in the same bed as the record labels. So you need to play them at their own game and try to get on sites that promote more independent music so you have a better chance of your music being heard and hopefully bought and even get a few gigs and tours from it. But sometimes its a case of if you can’t beat them join them so unless you want to develop and promote your own site and go through the painstaking task of SEO optimization which is much based on trust factors and domain authority, Which you cant build without lots of inbound links and lots of content and positive brand awareness.
So most artists will upload their music to sites like Spotify, Bandcamp, and Youtube Music. There are some online services that will do all this for you and create the accounts where needed and give you a discounted rate but that also means earning less per play. Whatever you choose the next step is to get your music heard outside of those sites. And you also have to ask the question “Is the music artist platform Paid or Free” you can’t be paying $16 a month for a service that only brings in $1as you probably need that money for guitar strings and gear.
Strategic Steps for Indie Artists to Attract Listeners After Uploading Songs on Music Sharing Sites
For indie musicians seeking to share their artistry, navigating the digital terrain of music sharing platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube Music can be an uphill task. The underlying chutzpah is the algorithmic favoritism towards mainstream music acts, which inadvertently places independent artists in the periphery. Yet, in a bizarre twist of trade-offs, these platforms remain a beacon for indie music, primarily due to the level of convenience they provide, notwithstanding the stingy income-per-play model. Despite the quagmire, indie artists can indeed chart a different path that can ensure their music reaches intended audiences - devising a strategic approach for sharing music hence becomes indispensable for musicians in this category.
One ingenious approach involves utilizing the power of social media to promote one's music. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are fertile grounds where musicians can engage their followers, showcase their creativity, and potentially garner an influx of listeners. Weaving your music streams into posts with compelling visuals can make for an aesthetic listening experience for your audience. Alternatively, artists can exercise their creative abilities by producing engaging video content featuring their music, thereby making for an immersive audio-visual experience that can seize the attention of potential listeners.
Another cogent strategy lies in embedding a playable widget on personal websites. This doesn't necessarily have to occupy prime real estate on the site’s homepage, as too much content can slow down load times and reduce user satisfaction. Instead, consider conspicuous placement like sidebars or as links in the main menu, where visitors can easily spot and initiate playback. However, be aware that this may not provide large traction, as most musician websites attract low-volume traffic.
To truly tap into the power of numbers, venturing on to promotional platforms can be beneficial. For instance, Guitardoor, a free music promotion website, goes beyond mere promotion, extending services such as interviews, social media promotion, and inclusion in their YouTube playlists. Such platforms can expose your music to a myriad of music enthusiasts, thereby bootstrapping your reach. In conclusion, overcoming the saturation on mainstream music sharing platforms calls for creativity, resourcefulness, and a strategic mind.
Navigating the Complex Landscape of Free Music Promotion Websites
Emerging independent artists today are challenged by a music industry that increasingly gravitates towards rewarding mainstream acts on popular platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and Youtube Music. These platforms, although being convenient avenues for artists to upload their music, lean towards promoting mainstream compositions. This scenario often results in lesser exposure and income per play for independent talents straining to reach their audience. Despite these obstacles, tenacious indie artists continue to utilize these platforms, simultaneously adapting other innovative strategies such as social media sharing and utilizing playable widgets on personal websites. Navigating through the cluttered digital landscape of music, they increasingly turn to alternative solutions like Guitardoor. It is a free music promotion entity that works towards creating visibility for indie artists. Guitardoor offers promising artists an opportunity to engage with their potential audience through a Guitardoor Interview. This interview allows the promotion of up to four existing music videos or embedded Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or Youtube videos. Moreover, the interview is structured around compelling artist stories related to their tracks, tours, gigs, and their journey in the music world. This makes for engaging content that is shared across various social networks, widening the reach of the artists. Indie artists also have the option to use the contact page to submit a guest post that Guitardoor would then publish and share on their behalf. Besides, to ensure continued visibility for artists, they are included on Guitardoor's YouTube playlist. So, for indie artists looking for an opportunity to reach a wider audience, contact Guitardoor via Facebook or their email id listed on the contact page and kickstart your music promotion strategy today!
