4 Tips On Social Media Marketing For Musicians

IIn the 1960s, everyone gathered around their televisions to watch Elvis or the Beatles perform live. And the next day at work or at school, everyone was talking about the same event. Today, our attention is shattered into thousands of different channels and media. You don’t have to watch Lil’ Wayne perform on SNL, because there are 500 other channels to watch and countless other websites, DVDs, MP3s, and more to entertain you.

As a musician, this is both exhilarating and frustrating. At the same time that today’s technology allows for new, independent bands to publish their music effortlessly online, if every other band is doing the same thing, there is more competition and you are just more noise. But some bands are better at building a fan base than others, and it’s not necessarily because they have better music. They simply know how to use social media to market to the people who want to hear their music. If you’re looking to build a better fan base, try these tools to get you started on the right path.

Image credit: dirty.ru

MySpace

Every band has a MySpace page, and you probably already have one too. Although it’s a great way to create a simple band website with an easy streaming player, MySpace’s popularity is waning. This is probably your first step into a larger marketing world, but it’s only a first step. Don’t stop at MySpace. Take the next step to build you own band website.

Facebook And ReverbNation’s MyBand

Just like every band has a MySpace, every band has a Facebook page as well. But you don’t have to settle for Facebook’s standard profile layout and tools. Get ReverbNation’s MyBand app and optimize your band experience on Facebook. With MyBand, you can upload, host, and stream your music, create mailing lists, showcase videos, and more. A definite plus for letting the public know more about you and your music.

Bandcamp

Who needs CDs anymore? When you create a Bandcamp page, you can create virtual albums, not just individual songs. And Bandcamp gives you great tools for managing album/song artwork, downloads, selling music online, and more. You can host your page with Bandcamp, or host your own page for maximum control. This is a fantastic marketing and distribution tool for any musician.

Twitter And Twiturm

You may think Twitter is silly, but there are millions of people who use it everyday and could be looking for bands like yours. Get out there. Interact with other bands on Twitter. Follow popular music blogs and journalists. And then sign up for Twiturm. Twiturm lets you easily host and share your music on Twitter, so you can broadcast it across the twitterverse. The best part? Anyone who likes your music can share it with their followers with the simple click of a button.

These tools are nice, but they won’t gain you a following by themselves. You have to be out there using these technologies, interacting with fans online, and bringing people to your band website. If you’re doing those things, you’ll be building a relationship with your fan base, and they’ll be more likely to tell their friends about your cool new song.

About the author: Diane Johnson graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in political science. When she’s not traveling she enjoys writing articles about online courses, reading books, and shopping.