The Rise Of Social Media For Musicians

With the rise of the Internet, a lot of the marketing power has been put back into the hands of independent artists. Today, a lot of artists can promote themselves to fans for the cost of essentially nothing. Tons of online social platforms have started to pop up, and a lot of them have become hotspots for both music marketing efforts and fans seeking new talent. This makes self-promotion a lot easier, and almost entirely cuts out the need for a big promotion budget. The important part is the artist or band taking advantage of these many free opportunities, and utilizing all of them properly and consistently.

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most well known online platforms currently. Here, artists can interact directly with current and potential fans alike, and link to different media, whether that is their music, videos, blog, etc. They also have the biggest membership base, which gives the greatest potential of growth to artists. Presence on these social media platforms is almost mandatory for any aspiring artist. Artists must also stay on top of these because lack of use could mislead potential fans into thinking the artist is no longer actively making music. Plus, it keeps your fans engaged and excited.

Another great resource is MySpace. Probably the most overlooked due to its fall a few years ago, but it is very useful as an electronic press kit (EPK). It brings all different aspects of your music, band information, fans, and tour dates into one simple webpage. It serves less as a medium to interact with fans, and more of an outlet to feature new material.

Other online platforms every band should utilize are YouTube, Tumblr and MusicClout. All three of these serve different purposes, but they all can be used to further any artist’s career if used properly. YouTube allows artists to upload live shows and music videos, and then post them to your various pages. Tumblr allows artists to write stories while adding in other multi-media, which can allow fans see a more personal side of the artist. MusicClout allows your EPK to be seen by tons of different music industry related opportunities, and lets you make connections with a variety of different professionals.

Social media is essential to any artist. It allows you to effectively engage with fans and directly interact with them, as well as get noticed by big industry professionals.