Produce, Promote and PLAN AHEAD

Recently, I received an email from an artist trying to get his holiday song out. This would be all fine and dandy except for two things:

1. It’s already December.
2. People hearing music for the first time these days aren’t even considering PAYING for it.

Number one probably isn’t shocking to you – most people know they’d be hard pressed to release a seasonal song within weeks of an actual holiday. But perhaps number two made you do a double-take.

As in, “Cari – you mean to tell me people don’t want to BUY my music?”

Yes – that is PRECISELY what I’m saying. The music industry rules have changed and you have to be willing to change your paradigms to match if you want to see success. Even if your favorite artists and role models “made it big” by selling records, that’s no longer the name of the game.

In 2012 (and on into 2013 here very soon), live shows, merchandise and other income sources are the end – your recorded songs are merely MEANS to an end.

With that said, it is totally fine to promote your new single – just don’t put all your eggs in that basket and expect a quick return.

If you do decide to promote your single as a way of generating fans who’ll be loyal and purchase things from you in the future – go with a lean budget. My top three money saving tips for doing this are:

1. Allocate just a little bit of money to social media advertising. Run a Facebook ad or two and use a copy of your single as a freebie people can get for subscribing to your email list.
2. Use a low budget publicity assistant or intern – You’ll be surprised what kind of inexpensive marketing talent you can find out there if you just LOOK. Check out a service like eLance or look into finding a student at a local college. Brainstorm creative ways to get the word out with your newfound marketing brain trust.
3. Hit Twitter HARD. This is such an important method for building a fan base – it literally cannot be understated. Follow back, retweet, interact – basically just go nuts immersing yourself as engaging and available on this important medium. You can always have your assistant/intern stand in on Twitter as well for times you’re not available – just to keep the flow going.

This is such an enormous topic, but I hope you got a lot out of this quick look. For much more in-depth info, check out my Fast Forward to Fame program here.

©2012 Cari Cole, Vocal Mag, Inc. All Rights Reserved.