The internet is the key to fame in the 21st century; from YouTube celebrities to Instagram influencers, the internet and social media are the new television. The same applies to music; why should you rely on word of mouth when you can harness the power of the web to expand your fanbase? You shouldn’t! This article will tell you how to grow your fanbase and promote your music on the internet.
Get on Spotify
Spotify is one of the biggest online music streaming services; the platform has about 381 million users as of 2022. So, think of how many new listeners could be drawn to your music. It’s a lot!
Anyone can make an account and verify themselves as an artist. After doing this, artists can upload their music to the platform, and Spotify will even pay them based on the number of times their songs are streamed.
You can even reach out to “playlist curators”. Playlist curators manage popular Spotify playlists by adding and removing songs. There are playlists for almost every genre, so you should reach out to one that fits your music and request to have songs added to it. This dramatically increases the chances of new listeners discovering your work, and your fanbase should start to swell. Additionally, you can also acquire additional Spotify followers via Spotify Marketing services.
You should consider getting on other popular music streaming services like Deezer and SoundCloud.
Reach Out to Music Blogs and Podcasts
In recent years, there has been a growing trend to promote music for free. This is great for young artists that are initially looking for awareness and visibility of their creative pursuits. According to experts, a great way to do the same should be to release your music on torrenting platforms. When people discover a new artist, they would prefer to first listen to the music and pick up whether they like it or not. Promoting the music on platforms like The Pirate Bay should be a top priority for young artists looking for a break.
Music blogs and podcasts are popular and varied; some write opinion pieces while others focus on reviews and interviews. Whatever the case, you should reach out to some about your music and see what sort of coverage they can give you. So many of these platforms exist that I’m sure you will find one perfect for your music, no matter how niche you are. Some examples are Pitchfork, Song Exploder and Rap-Up.
Create a Website
There’s a saying that goes, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have”. You should apply this logic to your professional online presence. It doesn’t matter if your fanbase is small; create a brand as if it is big. A band or artist dedicated website gives you legitimacy and your fanbase a place to go to keep up to date with what you are doing. They may also share it with their friends and spread your content. Your website should become the centre of your online operations and include links to your other internet presences like Twitter, Spotify and YouTube accounts but more on those in a moment.
Get on Social Media
The more social media platforms you are on, the better your chances of going viral are. The more viral you become, the more fans you attract. Most successful artists and bands have a presence on multiple social media platforms, and each platform can promote your content slightly differently. I will give you two examples to get you started.
Artists use YouTube to upload EP’s (extended play records), single tracks and new albums. Twitter fulfills two purposes; the first is to notify fans when new content is available on other platforms and the second is to build a brand/personality.
That’s four substantial ways to grow your fanbase and promote your music online. I hope they help. Good luck!
