Thoughts On Marketing Your Music (For The Emerging Artist)

SSo, you’ve put in the time studying your instrument for many years and even have a brand new shiny record to show for all that hard work. Or perhaps you are a young film composer that just graduated from a top school with a killer online demo reel and portfolio ready to show the world. Within the next few minutes of finishing these projects many questions will pop in your head, but two will arise above all else…

1. What Now?
2. Who Cares?

These two questions can either hold you back or (when answered and action is consistently taken to “solve” them) can help you reach your goals and make a living off of what you love to do. So, let’s attack each one of these questions…

1. What now?

You’re ready to show the world how awesome and needed you and your music are, but where to begin? Well, assuming we don’t have an endless stream of financial flow that could allow us to buy out huge ads, we have to get a little more creative so that we can work effectively within our budget. How about trying the following…

Photo credit: neon-headlights.blogspot.com

1a. If you don’t already have a well designed personal website, it is mandatory that you finish it as soon as possible at this point. You’ll instantly be perceived as “the real deal” rather than “just another band/musician/composer with a MySpace page”. You can buy hosting for a year and a domain name for under $100 from many places, but that doesn’t get the site made now does it? Well, how about contacting your local college’s media/graphic design program? I can guarantee that there will be more than a few willing and talented students that would love to include your site on their portfolio and work for something as low as $10-$20 an hour.

1b. Attend all of the industry events you can afford and always think of it as an investment. If you’re a media composer check out the GDC for games, Local Film Festivals for film, etc. If you’re an artist promoting your album check out TAXI events for licensing opportunities and ASCAP/BMI events for networking. Some of these events can be a little pricey, but many times they also need volunteers who either get a discount or can attend the event for free.

1c. If you’re having trouble selling your album (all new artists run into this problem), how about increasing the value rather than lowering the price? Add in a t-shirt or a free lesson if they buy your album. Sure, you may only make a few $ in profit now, but if you gain a fan for life then it’s guaranteed that not only they, but their friends, will continue to buy whatever you release in the future.

1d. For the beginning composer I recommend opening your mind to all of the possibilities outside of what we typically consider media (film/TV/games). Sure it would be great to work on an Epic Film right after graduation, but that’s something you earn and unfortunately doesn’t fall into everyone’s lap. Know a friend who designs websites? Get in good with him/her and see if some of his clients would like “theme” songs playing in the background. Honestly, the possibilities are endless and if you make one person happy it’s sure to lead to work elsewhere.

2. Who Cares?

It’s time to attack the next question “Who Cares?,” but this information is only available to those who truly want it. If you’re the kind of artist with drive and determination to reach your goals, then follow the link below and submit some info (a link will be instantly sent to you w/ the remainder of the article).

Click Here for the answer to “Who Cares?”

Now, for those of you who are paying close attention you’ll notice that I just gave away part 1 of the answer to “Who Cares?”. If you just read the previous sentence and are thinking “WTF, is he talking about?” I recommend re-reading the previous paragraph.

Until next time, take care and keep composing fellow artists!

Kole is a Composer for Media, Guitarist, and Instructor living in Los Angeles, CA. For more information about him, his music, articles, and lessons… visit his main site at www.KoleMusician.com