In an ever-evolving musical landscape, independent musicians must stay adept with the latest tools and technologies to help push their careers forward. In this article, we discuss 3 must-have tools for independent artists.
At the beginning of an artist's career, it is not common for them to have a slew of mighty music industry giants behind them like (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, or Warner Music Group).
However, this does not mean that an artist can not reach significant heights by being or remaining independent. With the advancement of the internet - there are multiple ways in which an independent artist can market their music.
1. Website
A great way for a new or independent artist to market their music is an artist's website. Creating your website allows for personalization of who you are as an artist. It creates an extension of your artistry and allows for a direct connection to your fans. These connections can be established by creating an email subscriber list and informing these fans of any new or upcoming music, shows, merch, and more.
A great site for artists to use which is low cost and effective to allow a multitude of customizations is Bandzoogle.com.
2. Social Media
For the most part, everyone is on social media. Your "target audience" is on social media. This can be Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, etc. You should create your profiles and make sure your handle is standard across the board if possible, this helps create a cohesive and professional appearance of who you are as an artist and as a business (this is important).
Develop a content calendar to help you stay on track. This could include "behind-the-scenes, collaborations, music releases, video teasers, etc. Make sure to develop a brand identity by selecting fonts, brand colors, or a color scheme for each release. But have fun! It is social media and again, an extension of your artistry.
Canva is a great tool for designing social media pieces and can help keep you on top of your posting.
3. Press Kits (EPK)
Creating a press kit is important when you are looking for media placements as an artist. According to Kealey (2015), "One goal of any band press kit is that it’s professional, like a resume. So it should include highlights of your career to date. This is a great way to show your music or your live show in a positive context. It also helps industry visiting your EPK get to know you better through what you’ve done so far."
A great way to create an EPK is by utilizing one of our above resources (Bandzoogle). They make it easy to add your EPK directly to your artist's website.
EPKs are important when you want to generate buzz for your music in the media. It allows journalists, bloggers, magazines, and generally any media outlet interested in discussing your work to have access to how you want that work depicted or discussed, and gives them a set of photos, videos, or previous media mentioned to create exciting newsworthy content surrounding your project.
Reference:
Kealey, M. (05 February 2015). The Eight Things That Should Be in Every Bands EPK. Bandzoogle. https://bandzoogle.com/blog/the-8-things-that-should-be-in-every-band-s-digital-press-kit#:~:text=One%20goal%20of%20any%20band,you%27ve%20done%20so%20far.