The Importance of Influencer Marketing for Musicians
Thanks to the many advances in technology nowadays, it is possible for anyone to make music and put it out there on the internet to get people to engage with it. And the best thing is, all this can be done right from the comfort of your home!
Gone are the days when musicians had to be signed by record labels to be heard by the public. These record labels, apart from taking care of other things, also handled the marketing part, such as booking shows, concerts, interviews, etc.
Of course, record labels still exist today, and working under one has its own advantages. However, artists nowadays no longer have to be tied to a label to be successful.
There are a lot of streaming sites, new tech changing the music industry that also let independent musicians explore music on their own terms and release their music. But with recording and releasing music becoming so easy, chances are, everybody will want to do it.
And with so much new music being released every day, how do you get yours noticed and heard by people? This is where influencer marketing fits in.
Who is an Influencer?
An influencer is a person that has a huge fan following on social media platforms. Their followers trust them for their knowledge and opinion on the services and products that they promote.
When it comes to the music scene, an influencer is someone that helps up-and-coming musicians by introducing their music to a bigger audience. This helps them to gain more popularity and increases their sales. Influencers do this by:
1. creating viral videos using a musician’s music
2. reviewing their music
3. by boosting streaming of an artist’s music
4. by increasing their followers on social media outlets
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing involves collaborating with an influencer to advertise your brand. The marketing is mostly done via social media channels such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and so on.
It is very easy to confuse Influencer marketing with celebrity endorsements, but these two are totally different.
When celebrities promote a product, it is not necessary for them to have knowledge about it. On the other hand, influencers have experience with the type of product that they advertise.
Such as a beauty blogger promoting a makeup brand or a health vlogger promoting a health supplement.
Influencer Marketing for Musicians
The music industry has changed so much in recent years. The way people make and listen to music has changed a lot, so why not change the way music is promoted?
Influencer marketing for music involves collaboration between a musician and an influencer who then markets their music to their followers. Influencers have a huge fan following on social media outlets through which they promote various products, music, and services.
For musicians partnering with an influencer is advantageous as this way much of the burden of marketing is shifted on the shoulders of the influencer. Influencers, given the huge number of followers they possess, have the leverage to compel them to use the services and the products that they are promoting.
5 Best Social Media Channels for Marketing Music
With the current changing trends in the music industry, musicians need to stay up to date with them.
Although influencers are available on all types of social media outlets, unfortunately, not all such outlets are ideal for music marketing.
If you are thinking of partnering with an influencer to promote your music, you need to make sure that they are active on platforms such as:
1. TikTok
With monthly active users surpassing 689 million, TikTok is currently one of the most popular apps for sharing videos in the world.
Influencers that have a huge following on TikTok have the power to grow an artist’s following and make their music heard by millions of people. They can do this by using their music to create viral dance or lip sync videos. However with new platforms like Tiktok that get used by millions of users where artists can very well promote their original work it is also important to consider not avoiding TikTok music copyright issues to protect their work from getting plagiarized and stolen.
2. Instagram
Second to TikTok in popularity, Instagram is another platform that has the potential to amp up a musician’s popularity.
Instagram is also a great tool for cross-channel marketing, which comes in handy, especially if the influencer that you are collaborating with has a huge following on other platforms as well. Similar to Tik-Tok understanding to manage copyright and music licensing for your original work should be of priority for the musicians
3. YouTube
Despite being on the scene for longer than TikTok and Instagram, YouTube still holds an important position when it comes to marketing music.
The biggest reason for this is content posted on Youtube stays for longer than the ephemeral nature of other platforms. This helps the video garner views and likes, which can go on for as long as the content is there.
Recently YouTube came up with their new feature, YouTube Shorts which is again a great way for musicians to promote their music through.
4. Snapchat
While Snapchat may not seem that popular when compared to other channels, it is still used by close to 280 million users. They have some cool features, such as Snapchat Spotlight and Snapchat Sounds, used for sharing music.
5. Twitch
This is a platform that is mainly used by gamers for live streaming their gaming sessions. Influencer marketing for music doesn’t always have to be through viral videos and trends; sometimes, something as simple as playing an artist’s track in the background while live streaming can also do the trick.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing for musicians definitely has the edge over other older forms of marketing, including signing with a record label, blogs, playlists, etc. For new musicians, the biggest challenge is to find a firm footing in the sea of new musicians.
With almost everyone making music, it is getting harder for musicians to get their music heard by their audience. Influencer marketing for music is a new form of promotion that so far has mostly positive results.
The key is to find the best influencer that suits your needs, and for that, doing a bit of research is ideal.
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