Music promo is an essential form of digital marketing executed by marketers for a long time now. Promoting music artists and music recording companies is a job that requires expertise and good communication.
Making money from promotions can never be easy, and the only way to get it done is with a good organization with the right contacts. Below are few things to note about music promotion.
The most important factor in promoting music is to know the markets you are trying to attract. For example, the radio may not be the most profitable way of promoting your music unless you’re one of the big stars.
Unless you understand the needs of your customers, you may not know how to go about it. Consider creating a campaign to meet the needs of your audience, like the test-run tactic.
A test run campaign aims to understand what the market wants before you make a big sale. Have a web presence with an online radio channel that can boost your music sales.
It’s been common for some small labels to promote artists using the same digital marketing method for a while. This, however, is risky, and if it’s not planned well, it can lead to bad business.
You need to know which marketing method will be more beneficial for your brand. The only way to get it right is to be well informed about all of your options.
The most important thing when running a music promotion business is to focus on details. Every time you make a communicate, you need to do so with meticulousness.
It’s easy to make a mistake, so be extremely careful when you send out emails, tweets, posts, or anything else. Have a clear communication method and stick to it.
It’s important that everyone, including yourself, respects the system you have set in place.
Know who you’re working with
While you may be a big artist in the US, it doesn’t mean that you should be allowed to promote music as you please, not in Nigeria.
You need to know the right people in the Nigerian music industry and help you in your business.
You also need to have some background information about your business to make effective business decisions.
Even if you don’t intend to promote the artist, send them a gift. Send them a gift because it may make them happy.
Don’t send them a gift because you think they need it; the artist may take it as a form of appreciation. Don’t send something you just bought in the store; send something unique that is in line with the artist's image.
For example, remember when the artist starred in a video? Please don’t send them a t-shirt; send a gift that you bought in their country with a portrait of the artist.
Promotion doesn’t have to be expensive; there are ways to promote your own artists without spending a lot of money. Remember that you need to know how to market your business to get the right results correctly.
So the question is, how do you promote a new artist? The most efficient way to do that is to bring the artist to a live audience and perform to him.
That is called public access/audience participation. It is the only way to see if the live audience response is genuine.
When an artist performs live, his vocals are full of expression and energy, and he plays to his abilities' full potential.
At a live performance, the audience will respond to the artist's artistry, and the audience is the best judge of the validity of the artist's artistry.
So if a new artist performs in front of his/her fans at a live audience, it shows he is not only a good performer, but he also puts into his performance everything he has learned about his craft.
Another way to promote a new artist is to upload his/her music online and then give people access to hear/see him/her, all through your social media accounts.
In this way, you will see the real impact a new artist is having in the business.
If your fan base is large enough, you will also be able to monetize some of them.
The cost to promote an artist is relatively low, compared to the huge potential profit that can be made.
On social media, a star is made, so stars are given millions of dollars and positions and not millions of fans.
If your fan base is large enough, then you could make thousands of dollars a month through monetizing and distributing your social media followers.
This is where many people get it wrong. Not all new artists are known or created by somebody. The way to find an artist is not to search for them online.
It would help if you focused your energy on local music artists.
Your own music, are you ready to leave the comfort of your bedroom studio to meet and work with an artist? If your answer is yes, find a known and promising local artist and work with him.
Making this journey is not easy. It requires a lot of time and energy, but it will be worth it when you finally see your talent manifested.
So don't jump at the first opportunity to work with an artist; wait for the right person with whom you can collaborate.
Once you have found that artist, you should consider every option to promote the artist.
Many companies will help you promote your artist; some are Creative Company (Deji Falana), Ariya Services, among others.
But you should also be ready to spend the money to promote your artist.
And remember, you are not just selling your new artist to a promoter or artist manager; you are also selling your music to the market.
Marketing is a massive part of the music business, both in traditional, digital, and social media.
Many digital marketing companies in Nigeria are willing to help you market your new artist.
To effectively market the artist, your job is not to get a digital marketing company to market your artist; you have to do it for yourself and hire the services of a good marketer that will work with you.
Once you hire a digital marketing company, they will use social media and other social media platforms for marketing your artist.
If the artist is not popular and well known in Nigeria, it won't be easy to market him/her.
If your artist is not popular and well known by Nigerians, you will not get a traditional marketer to market him/her, or at least, would have to go for a particular marketer who will advertise and market your artists.
Many people have a good idea of what they want to do with their lives, have passion and love for music, have a good knowledge of music and the industry, but don't know where to start.
And so, they think they can't do it, and they give up.
But they should not give up. Even if they give up, they will never know; the opportunity might be just around the corner.
They have to have a plan, but first, they have to have a passion for music.
A successful musician will not go out there and promote himself and his product if he/she does not believe in it.
It will be tough for you to market an artist if you don't believe in them.
