THE TREND BLOG

Sharing our music marketing promotion thoughts and latest trends.

How to Promote Your Music Independently

From social media to streaming platforms, here’s how to promote your music independently and grow your fan base with effective promotional tactics.

Introduction

For many musicians, it may seem like there’s no simple formula to follow to promote their music as an independent artist. You may be asking “how do I promote my music if I don’t know where to start?”

Luckily, we here at TREND, a seasoned music PR firm with over 17 years in the business, are here with music promotion ideas and tips to market yourself as an independent artist to make it a less daunting and intimidating task.

Here are the best ways to promote your music independently while reducing stress.

TLDR – How to Market Your Music Independently

Here are the key steps for getting media coverage, which will be explained in depth later on:

Build your brand and strategy: Develop a strong personal brand by setting clear goals, treating every release as its own personalized campaign, and having consistent content, visuals, and social media engagement.
Use the right platforms: Utilize the social platforms that are popping off the most, like TikTok and Instagram, to share authentic, interactive content, and engage with your audience through teasers, behind-the-scenes exclusives, and stories.
Be consistent and informed: Release your music every six to eight weeks, avoid common mistakes like neglecting a release schedule, or poor branding, and learn the business side (royalties, distribution, etc.) to grow your career without a label.

Curious how TREND can help you with all of these? Visit our services page for more information.

The Rise of DIY Music Marketing

In recent years, there’s been a steady increase in DIY music marketing thanks to the expansion of various tools to promote music. Now more than ever it’s easier for aspiring artists to produce and promote their music from the comfort of their home. This means Independent musicians can strengthen their visibility by leveraging digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, and TikTok, gaining revenue and engaging with their fan base all without having to be signed to a label.

Pros and Cons of Promoting Your Music Independently
Here are some of the most common pros and cons to promoting your music independently.

Pros	Cons
Having complete creative control of your music, vision, and branding.	Limited to a smaller network and not having access to the vast majority of industry professionals.
Building an authentic and personal relationship with your fan base.	No label support to help with budget, promotion, touring, etc.
Complete ownership of the rights and royalties of your music.	Learning curve of how to run effective marketing plans, social media, and release rollouts without the help of professionals.
Releasing on your own terms, meaning no one is looming over you, controlling every decision you are making in how you choose to promote each release.	Burning out faster, having to manage and run every aspect of your career and vision.

How to Promote Your Music Independently – A Guide From TREND

Marketing yourself as a musician on social media requires authentic and original content:

First, it’s about knowing yourself and what you want to share with your audience.
Ask yourself two questions:
- Why am I creating music?
- How would I explain the music I make?
To effectively promote your ideas, it is good to know the ins and outs of each social media platform. For example, TikTok is different from Instagram, so adjust to each platform.
Pick the platforms you think will get the most visibility and traction you are looking for in achieving your goals.
You can use others as an example, but give your content that unique edge that sets it apart.

How to Promote Your Music on TikTok

TikTok is a great platform to market yourself as a musician. Here are some tricks to cracking the code to gain more traction:

Posting consistently on TikTok trains the algorithm to push your videos to people who they think will like it.
Sharing your songs allows for your music to have the potential to reach an endless number of people, gaining you more visibility.
The best way to promote your song is by teasing it in snippets, leaving the viewer wanting more, ultimately building traction and anticipation for upcoming releases.
Other ways to promote yourself on the platform:
- Posting covers.
- Keeping up with trends.
- Dueting/collaborating with others
- Doing day-in-the-life videos.
Create a community with other creatives and your audience by responding and liking their posts as well.

How to Promote Your Music on Instagram

The best steps to follow to promote your music via Instagram’s unique opportunities to stand out as an independent artist:

Curate authentic content that is interactive, getting audiences to notice and respond to what you are making.
Some great tips to follow:
- Use relevant hashtags.
- Longer, thoughtful captions
- Producing interactive content
  - Polls, questions, or BTS moments
- Posting one story a day, meaning either sharing updates from your day, snippets of new music, or even a song recommendation.

Best Practices for Independent Music Promotion

There are great practices as an independent musician to develop your unique brand and sound: There’s one major rule: Treat each release with equal attention, energy, and dedication. Steps to effectively promote your music:

Pitch to music blogs.
Submit to playlists that align with your genre.
Maintain a social media presence.
Build a website.
Have a mailing list.
Signing up for artist services such as Spotify for Artists.

Other ways to promote your music as an independent musician:

Performing live, whether it be locally or nationally.
Building a network with other creatives.
Polished and aligned with your brand visual content, such as single artwork and social media posts.

Overall, let your authenticity shine!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s answer some frequently asked questions about promoting your music independently.

What is the Best Time to Release New Music?

The best time to release new music depends on timing, your audience, and industry trends at the time of your release. Typically, January, February, April–July, and September – October are the sweet spot for emerging artists, while March, November, and December tend to be more competitive. We all know Friday is the industry standard for major releases, but independent artists may benefit from launching new music between Tuesday and Thursday to avoid crowded release days. If you need help crafting a release plan, contact us for a consultation.

How Often Should I Release New Songs?

At TREND, we recommend that our clients release new music every six to eight weeks, or to release something new within 3 months, at the very least, to maintain momentum and audience engagement. However, consistency should never come at the expense of quality, so take the time needed to craft a release you’re proud of, ensuring each song reflects your best work. Check out our essential tips for navigating each new release.

Do I Need a Music Manager to Succeed Independently?

Yes and no. Having a manager can be beneficial for many different reasons, such as offering support, connections, and guidance, but it’s not essential for independent success. Many artists build successful careers on their own by putting in the effort, learning the business side of things, and staying focused on their goals. A manager can help, but the drive and commitment of the artist are the true determining factors.

Can I Make Money from My Music Without a Record Label?

Yes, you can absolutely earn money from your music without a record label by releasing your music on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, and even Bandcamp to start generating royalties. As your fan base grows, so will your income, especially with the help of additional revenue streams like selling merch (even on a budget), teaching music, and writing songs for other artists. Most TREND artists make a living off their music from live shows and merch sales at those shows.

Conclusion

It’s not impossible to be successful as an independent musician; in fact, now more than ever, we are seeing the steady rise of the indie artist in the industry. Take full advantage of the tools, strategies, goals, and branding mentioned above and design a unique approach for your next release. The path might be challenging, but understanding the business side and staying consistent with promotion and your integrity as an artist will fuel long-term success. Interested in how TREND can help you promote your music? Visit our services page for more.