7 Music Marketing Strategies for Your Next Album Release Campaign

Marketing is always changing. It’s a moving target. One of the ways I help you stay ahead is by watching what works with my other clients, what I learn from the consulting I do with marketing professionals for my own business, and partnering with other marketing partners for my clients record releases. I am continually learning the latest methods and techniques.

The marketing frontier is kind of the wild west. Everyone has a different approach and in all due respect, many marketers can’t really make predictions with how well your campaign will do in the marketplace because each brand is so different – and the market and algorithms change so much. So it’s not only hard to run an effective marketing campaign, but hard to find companies that are a match for you. Let alone having the right message and materials to market your own music on your own. It’s a lot of trial and error.

Having the right marketing message and visuals is 98% of the battle once you have a good marketing strategy or partner. The image gets people to click, the copy converts.

The absolute truth is – no matter how good your marketing is, if you don’t have the product that people want (or message or visuals that relay it), your campaigns will fall flat.

These strategies are hot off the presses. I hope they help you in your marketing efforts.

1. The 3 Golden Keys of Marketing 

The most important part before you start marketing is making sure that you have the right product, the right message and are speaking to the right audience or your campaigns will fall flat. 

Before you start marketing, build: 

1.  The right product
2.  The right message
3.  The right audience 

Marketing is always changing. It’s a moving target and requires a good amount of research + experience to keep up. One of the ways I help my clients stay ahead is by watching what works with other clients, what I learn from working with marketing professionals for my own business, and working with marketing partners for my clients record releases. I am constantly learning the latest methods + techniques. It’s a lot of trial and error. These strategies are hot off the presses. I hope they help you in your marketing efforts.

2. Your Marketing Timeline

Build your timeline.

Release dates

Single 1: Set your release date MM-DD-YYYY

Single 2: 6 weeks after Single 1. 

Don’t push your singles too close together and lose the umph on Single 1! Independents need more time to get the word out. 

EP or LP: at least 6 weeks after Single 2.

Everything works backwards from there. Give yourself ample time to create all of the content, the posts, the bio, press release, refresh your website, your free offer, nurture your mailing list getting them ready for release.

Then all the business stuff: submitting to Spotify editorial playlist, blogs for premier, etc.

Write it all out in a project management software to plan it out step-by-step.

3. Your Marketing Message

Now that you have your music ready, your marketing message and copy is what helps to hook your potential listener. They say your message is what makes people “convert” or listen to your music, opt-in to your offer, come to your livestream etc.

Use your writing skills to write copy that speaks to them. It starts with identifying your listener. The easiest way to identify your listener is to profile you. Your listener is going to be a person that is very similar to you in values, taste and aesthetic.

I start with a mission statement for the artist. A mission statement is what you want your music to do for people in the world – followed by your “why”. Why you wrote the record and what was happening while you were writing the record. All of this informs the marketing message.

Now, build your marketing message based on the message in your songs, the record and target the type of person that is YOU. Work with a copywriter or music business coach who can help you write a compelling message.

4. Creating Compelling Visuals

This is actually a marketing strategy all unto itself. Your visuals are your music at “first glance”. Visuals are what make people click to listen or find out more about you. Super important to do this right.

Having strong compelling visuals that look like your music sounds is key. What is a strong visual? Research and analyze visuals of other artists you like. Pay attention to the details. Composition, lighting, wardrobe, backdrop. The “divine is in the details”. 

Your image should match your music and your artist message and mission on the record.

Spend time on your visuals. Get into the details. It will be worth it.

5. Your Ideal Listener Avatar

Knowing your ideal listener avatar is important to reach the right audience. The last thing you want is to attract anyone who is not really the person you want in your audience.

The easiest way to identify your target listener – look in the mirror. Your target audience is first based on people that share similar interests and values. It makes it so much easier when you think of it that way. Makes it way easier for marketing campaigns because you know exactly who to target. 

You will always reach an expanded audience, but targeting makes your marketing so much more successful.

6. Pre-release List Growth 

Many artists wait to market until they put their music out. This is a huge mistake. Your music alone won’t grow your audience. You won’t want to have spent all of that time and money creating your amazing music to release to the same size audience you’ve had for awhile.

Create a 6 month pre-release campaign prior to your release to engage with your audience and connect with new people to grow listeners before your music comes out. Share demos of songs that won’t make it on the record to talk about the record coming. 

Livestream on YouTube or Twitch and share excerpts of your new songs to get them excited about the release! Share a private Soundcloud of your new record with your Patreon followers to get them singing the words at your release livestream and concert!

7. Marketing Every Song

Every song on your record is its own marketing campaign, not just your singles. Most artists put out 2 singles, release the record and then they stop. But every song on your record deserves its own release campaign.

If you are just starting to release music, it’s best to start with a small organic campaign. Don’t hire a PR company your first time releasing music.

If you plan out a long release executed on a high level of quality you will continue to spread the word about your record and grow your audience more. Artists typically release and then support that release with shows over a year. 

To find out more about planning your next release or about marketing in-between releases come to my marketing workshop this Thursday, March 23, 2023! Sign up here.