Marketing Music for the Little Band

Making money as an indie artist today is summed up with it's not getting easier - it's more technical and global. Challenges for independent artists are surfacing as 1) facing a larger pool of competition; 2) learning how to best use online services; 3) shifting mindset to a global-market. Consider each a silo requiring special attention.

"How do you rise above the other bands? Which service(s) do you use, and to what degree do you understand each?"

A larger pool of competition is in facing equally qualified artists. Their ability to market themselves online may be as strong or weak as yours.

Getting a consumer to spend time with your song is an unspoken competition: Where you'd once try to get play on a local radio station (an almost unheard of proposition today), consumer attention in 2013 is given so many more options.

How do you rise above the other bands? Which service(s) do you use, and to what degree do you understand each? Both questions have only recently been requiring an answer, if you want to make a living as an indie act. To help you see the amount of choice in services for exposing music, and show the depth of this pool, this is a list of companies I track. (Of course I urge you to start at Audio Graphics' RRadio Music.)

ADEDistribution Audio Rokit audiosocket Bandcamp Bandzoogle Canadian Blast Cash Music CD Register cuesong CyberMusic.com East Coast Digital Radio Greenhitz.com GumRoad Hale Promotions Headliner Hype Machine IACMusic.com Indie Charts Indie Music Indie Music Bus Indie Music Channel Kobalt Music LaunchandRelease MondoTunes Music Business Marketplace Music Metrics

Music Page Music United Musicbrainz musicgoat Musicians Contact MusicXray muzicnotez.com Next Big Sound NoiseTrade Our Stage PledgeMusic PrescriptionPR Radio Airplay RadioDirectX RadioSubmit Reverbnation RouteNote Soniqplay Soundreef Talent Watch Texas International Music Association The Music Bed Tokkers TopSpin Tune Core Underground Music Unsigned Only

Shifting mindset to serving a global market is, IMO, the most difficult item an independent artist deals with. Understanding that your audience can now come from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia is a mind expanding exercise. Identify how to communicate with them as a group, or target each area's unique consumers.

The town where you reside or ride in your club circuit is extremely small when compared to global reach.

To close, if ever there was an area to focus on it is analytics and metrics in your online exposure. Mostly, it's not done because of the difficulty setting it up (and understanding how it's used). This is the dry stuff a band member must wrap their mind around. It is at the center of helping you improve.

Google analytics is relatively easy to install and comprehend but it's like chess, taking moments to learn and a lifetime to master. Start by dabbling in the analytics portion of your online activities. In twelve months, analytics will become an indispensable part of marketing your music. It gives you ways to increase fan response.









Today's indie artist introduction is to...

Rock artist Nick Gill

sample song

How It Feels Download Song Tweet

We listen for songs that evoke emotion; fast, slow, female, male, group, it doesn't matter. When an artist has the power to please, they should be given a chance to be heard.

Give Nick Gill's "How It Feels" a listen.

Add it to your playlist, free! Such is the new world of music distribution.

It's time internet radio programmers reach into a huge pile of untapped talent.
It is here where new hit songs will increasingly be found.





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