Summary

The website provides a comprehensive guide on marketing strategies for musicians, emphasizing the importance of self-promotion through various channels to build a successful music career.

Abstract

The article "9 Ways to Market Your Music Career" outlines essential marketing techniques tailored for musicians. It underscores the value of traditional methods like word-of-mouth and flyers, alongside modern approaches such as maintaining a website and active social media presence. The piece also highlights the significance of professional tools like business cards and managers, and encourages musicians to actively perform, audition, and record their music to gain visibility and recognition in the industry. The author emphasizes that while marketing one's music requires effort, it is a crucial step towards achieving success and connecting with a wider audience.

Opinions

The author believes that word-of-mouth marketing is still effective, even in the age of social media, and can be enhanced by surprise releases, as exemplified by Beyonce.
A professional website is considered vital for showcasing news, concert schedules, and personal projects, providing a central hub for fan engagement.
Social media is seen as a platform for both professional updates and personal insights, fostering a deeper connection with fans.
Flyers, both physical and digital, are regarded as a reliable method to increase awareness of concerts and personal branding.
Business cards are suggested as a tangible means for musicians to present themselves as serious professionals in the music industry.
Performing live, whether in small venues or at local events, is viewed as a critical step in building a reputation and attracting a dedicated following.
Having a dedicated manager is considered essential for handling business aspects and navigating career opportunities.
Auditioning for orchestras and bands is recommended as a way to gain industry recognition and network within the music community.
Recording music is highlighted as a key strategy for demonstrating musical style and repertoire, allowing for broader distribution and potential virality.

9 Ways to Market Your Music Career

From auditions to flyers to good old business cards

You are a musician who loves to make music and give this joy to others. When you’re promoting your music, people will let you know they appreciate your marketing your music. People think you make an effort to be seen.

It gives you a lot of confidence.

Music is fun to make, and it is fun to make other people happy with the music you love to make. When your audience is having fun, it will be fun for you to make more music.

I have nine ways for you to market your music career. If you love being a musician, you definitely should consider these ways to promote your work and believe that your music is worth promoting.

Process to Success

It takes a lot of time to promote your work. That hard work of yours will pay off someday. You have so much passion for music and you want to show it off. It’s amazing when you take the first step to go into the music scene.

Marketing with word-of-mouth

Nothing is better than telling others that you are giving concerts as a soloist or as an orchestra musician, or that you are playing with your band or you have written ten songs to make an album.

This marketing tool is old-fashioned, but it works when you mention it in conversation with friends, family, and otherwise. People will remember you mentioned it. They will love to get to know you. In conversations, people will ask if you have a website.

You wouldn’t think about using word-of-mouth these days with social media, but they can coexist. How? Look how Beyonce did it in 2013. The magic word “surprise!” did all the work.

Website

It is important to have a website that will promote your work. Think about writing news about your work and posting updates about the music you play.

Put in your concert schedule, photos of you, press releases, and news stories. Every piece of news about you is important to show on your website. This is visibility. Write about the projects you’re doing. Your fans love to know what you’re doing. It could be on a page, about every project, or just a single blog post.

Compare the websites of rock star Bon Jovi and Kirill Troussov. You see, two completely different musicians. But they have traffic to their site, as they are well-known musicians. People know them because of their website.

Social media

Post on social media when you’re in the press, and post private things, too. Your fans love that. Switch private and work occasionally on social media. Your fans want to know the real you and what you love in your life.

Have an account on almost every social media channel. Your fans want to see you post regularly. Also, when you post on social media, you are visible for others who do not know you yet.

Lady Gaga sends her love to the Black community in one tweet. In another tweet, she mentions that an event has been rescheduled and her fans can find more information in their inbox if they had purchased tickets already.

Flyers

Flyers are a good way to promote you and your concerts. It is an old-fashioned one, but it is guaranteed that people will know you. These days you also can make physical flyers and digital flyers. Both must contain high-quality images. General flyers are a good way to let people know who you are. Use separate, concert-specific flyers to let fans know when and where you are playing.

Opera singer Cecilia Bartoli sings Mozart. Here is the image of her flyer:

This a concert flyer of opera singer Cecilia Bartoli. It is a flyer of her DVD recording.

This is a flyer (in Dutch) of the Kromme Rijnconcerts in the church near me. They are professional musicians.

Concert flyer of a concert in the church of my village.

Business cards

Having a business card is maybe for businesses, but can be for personal projects, too. When you can hand over business cards to people, they know you are taking your music business very seriously.

You can hand over those business cards when you are conversing with people who are interested in the music you are making. Let people know you are the musician they are looking for.

Giving concerts

The most important thing is just giving the concerts you want to give. It seems difficult. But when you ask to play in local churches, local clubs, or venues in the nearest cities and villages, then your name is out there.

Even weddings will work. Play at local festivals. Always start slow and start small, then the success will come eventually.

These days, you will find concerts by the artist on their websites. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma has his concert schedule on his website.

Screenshot by author. Concert schedule from cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Live concerts are recorded, too.

I went to this concert by Bon Jovi in 2011 in London:

And this is Saxophone player Candy Dulfer:

Use a manager

It is very important to have a manager who handles all the business with you. Choose one that fits with your personality, who fits with your business thoughts, and who also stands by you when things happen.

There are so many managers out there. While not every manager is a good one or has good intentions with you, they usually want to succeed just to get their name out there as well.

Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren has a manager who you can ask for bookings:

Violinist Kirill Troussov has several managers throughout Europe:

Doing auditions for orchestras and bands

Another option is to do auditions for orchestras and bands. They know your name, they know how you play, and they will ask you back when you’re the right fit.

The other thing is that they know your name, and they give your name to other music groups because they think you are also a great fit for others. That’s how it works.

Flutist Katie speaks about her audition for an orchestra:

Record your music

Last, but not least, is recording your music. You can show people what you are making and how you are playing, what your style is, and what your repertoire is.

In this way, people know what you love to play. They can pass it on if they like it. This a great way to show off your best self.

This orchestra records their music. You see, they are in a recording studio or other hall where they record their music. They wear headphones to listen to each other and the instructions of the producers.

And here is a clip from Michael Jackson:

Here are some more gentlemen recording:

Getting your name out there is so important to get into the music business.