Lets be real. Being an artist, in 2024 comes with its challenges. The music scene is more crowded than ever and getting your tunes heard by the audience can seem like a task.. Don’t lose hope! There are still ways to showcase your music and grow a fanbase even without the backing of a major record label.
In this handbook we will explore some of the strategies that self sufficient artists are employing in 2024 to stand out amidst the competition. From utilizing playlists and collaborating with figures to engaging with music enthusiasts running focused advertisements you’ll gain valuable insights, on how to increase your listenership, engagement and supporters. Lets get started!
The Playlist Promotion Playbook
Playlists are everything in 2024. Yeah, you heard that right – those little curated song collections are a huge driving force behind music discovery and fandom. Getting featured on the right playlists can expose your tracks to millions of new potential listeners. It’s a total gamechanger.
So how do you get your songs added to playlists? For the major streaming platforms like Spotify, there are actually services that allow you to submit your music for playlist consideration. The basic idea is that Spotify’s editorial team (and influencer playlist curators) use these submission platforms to easily discover new artists to feature.
One of the biggest music promotion platforms in 2024 is One Submit. On this service, you can upload your tracks, add custom artist branding and links, and choose from a huge selection of playlists to submit to based on genre, mood, and more. The pricing varies, but you’re generally looking at a few bucks per submission. The platform also offers TikTok music promotion, YouTube music submission to music channels, blogs and more.
Read more about Spotify playlist submission on their blog, and also check out the best music promotion services available.
Does this guarantee you’ll get added? Unfortunately not – the curators still have to vibe with your music. But it gets your songs directly in front of their ears, which is more than half the battle. Services like these have helped tons of indie artists get their first big playlist placements and take off. Spotify playlist streams can also generate a small revenue stream generated from streams.
Find out more about how much does Spotify pays per stream in 2024
Tapping Into TikTok Music Marketing
Look, you can’t really talk about promoting music in 2024 without mentioning TikTok’s total domination. This byte-sized video app has evolved into a powerful music marketing machine that no artist can afford to ignore.
The key? Working with influencers to create trends around your new releases. When influencers use your songs in their vids, their millions of dedicated followers hear that snippet and immediately get curious about the full track. It’s a silly concept, but it works like a charm for driving streams and its enormously valuable earned exposure.
There are a bunch of platforms like Fourvid and PlayCaptain that connect artists with TikTok influencers directly. You can browse creators, view their rates for sponsored vids using your songs, and even run influencer marketing campaigns all in one place. Getting an influencer with a million-plus fans to make just a couple vids with your latest single could easily rack up millions of views!
The key is not just working with influencers that have a massive fanbase, but ones that are engaging that specific audience you want to reach. TikTok influencers are hyper-niche these days, with micro-communities around extremely particular subgenres and aesthetics. Luckily these platforms make it easy to get granular with the search!
This influencer marketing stuff isn’t free, but rates can be surprisingly affordable depending on the creator’s level. For $200-500, you could get a mid-tier niche influencer to create some fire vids featuring your music. Well worth it if it racks up millions of views and translates to streaming numbers!
Working With Respected Music Blogs
Back in the old days, music bloggers were among the elite tastemakers that could make or break an artist’s success. And you know what? Their influence hasn’t gone away one bit – it’s just shifted formats in 2024.
While fewer people may be reading traditional music blog websites and reviews, these bloggers and their audiences have migrated in full force over to social media platforms.The esteemed music tastemakers have transitioned into figures, with followings on platforms, like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and various other social networks.
Being featured by one of these impactful music bloggers presents an opportunity to have your music shared among their audience of passionate music enthusiasts.
These people eat, sleep, and breathe new music – getting their stamp of approval means reaching a ton of potential new listeners and supporters.
So how do you get their attention? Some key tips:
1. Search for active music bloggers/influencers that cover your specific genre or sound. Don’t bother reaching out to someone who exclusively shares heavy metal if you’re a bedroom pop artist – it’s just not going to vibe with their audience.
2. Once you’ve identified the right bloggers to connect with, find their dedicated email for submissions or DM them to politely introduce yourself and let them know about your new release. Always include a streamlined press pack with high-res photos, bio, and streaming links.
3. Don’t treat the bloggers as disposable, only hitting them up when you’re promoting something new. Instead, consistently engage with their content, share it, and start building a friendly relationship. That way when you have a new release to share, they’ll already be familiar with your music and vibes.
4. Offer exclusives or early access to get their attention. Many bloggers these days are all about being the first to break new tracks and create buzz around fresh talent. “You heard it here first!” is huge.
While it takes some work to build productive blogger relationships, their coverage can provide an enormous organic boost for streaming numbers and paid opportunities down the line. It’s worth the effort!
Running Targeted Social Ads to Promote Music
When it comes to straight-up paid promotion for new music, one of the most efficient approaches for independent artists in 2024 is running targeted ads on social media platforms. The big names like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube all have powerful advertising tools that can get super granular with your target audience.
The key advantage of social ads is the incredible depth of interest and demographic targeting capabilities. You can get ridiculously specific with who sees your ads based on factors like:
– Precise location (city/region level)
– Age and gender
– Interests and hobbies
– Musical tastes and listening habits
– Pages/accounts they follow
– Online shopping behaviors
– Income levels and education
– …and much more
So instead of just blindly boosting posts and hoping some of your desired audience sees your music, the ad platforms allow you to dial in with laser-sharp precision and only show your budget to the most relevant potential fans. No wasted time!
Some of the most effective social ads for music promotion include:
– Driving streams for new singles by sending paid traffic straight to the Spotify/Apple Music/etc link
– Building video view campaigns to get eyes on your latest music videos and behind-the-scenes footage
– Collecting new email newsletter signups to start building a direct fan relationship
– Simply boosting posts announcing new releases or tour dates to increase awareness
– Offering special promotions like free downloads or merch bundles
One of the best parts is that the social ad platforms are constantly expanding their music marketing capabilities. Newer formats like audio ads that play actual song previews, influencer-promoted posts, and ads that let fans pre-save releases directly are making it easier than ever to generate hype and move the needle.
Many popular independent artists allocate a huge chunk of their marketing budget towards paid social media campaigns when rolling out major new releases or tours. And they make those ad dollars go farther by hitting hyper-specific interest groups. It’s worth testing some paid promotion experiments yourself!
In Closing
Promoting your music as an indie artist in 2024 still takes serious strategy and hustle, but there are more powerful tools at your disposal than ever before. Modern playlist promotion services, influencer marketing, blogger outreach, and data-driven ads can open up tons of new growth opportunities.
Don’t limit yourself to just one of these channels, either. An effective music marketing campaign needs to hit from multiple angles. Create a cohesive plan that leverages the strengths of several promotion tactics. Continually test out new approaches. And always create dope content that naturally generates buzz and gets people hooked.
Sending you massive good vibes on your journey! Keep grinding and get that music out to the world.
