Worldwide Record Label-3 Marketing Tips for Independent Musicians

1.  You do have an email list, right?

Don’t wait until the CD is finished to start promoting. Ford and Chevy don’t wait until their new cars are 100% ready to start promoting them. You shouldn’t either. Use  the process of creating the EP as a promotional tool.

Allowing your fans to see behind the curtain makes them feel special and gives them a sense of ownership. Send out emails (you do have an email list, right?) to ask for their input on cover art, song titles, etc. The more they participate the more invested they are and the more they will buy and promote your CD.

2.   The upside is creativity is limitless.

I don’t think it’s as simple as focusing on the release day itself anymore. With respect to Noughts and Exes, when they released their latest record, they knew that as an indie band, the impetus was on them to drive traffic and create interest in the project. They created a lot of interest in a big release day concert, which sold out well in advance, but they also organized a flashmob for their song ‘Hearts,’ which was the first single off the record. The flashmob was the first ever in Hong Kong’s Times Square and they worked with the top indie artists in Hong Kong on it. They filmed it for the video, which went viral, and with that, the show, and the internet buzz about the video, the band had#1 single. There’s so much more involved in a release now and bands have to be more well organized than ever before. The upside is creativity is limitless and bands should channel that creativity to maximize the potential of their CD release.

3.  Do you have an audience for your music?

• Have you made alternate mixes without vocals and a mix with just bgv’s (background vocals) for licensing and karaoke?
• Does the artwork have a story that could interest media?
• Are elements of technology incorporated in the album design as means of data collection and marketing tools? These could include QR codes and short links.
• Have you considered releasing your album as singles over a period time and the full album with the final track? This is a great way to build and develop contacts and relationships with press,blogs, radio, etc… It gives you multiple reasons to talk about your music. By the time your album is released you have an audience and media ready and waiting.
• If you are Canadian have you indicated the MAPL (CanCon) on the back cover?
• As a means of music discovery, is your distribution company affiliated with a company like Shazam and able to register your tracks automatically or do you need to submit your songs directly to Shazam or similar?
• Have you indicated who the copyright owners are with the proper copyright symbols to the master and publishing elements of each song?
• Do you have an audience for your music?
• Do you have a website? 

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