Music Promotion, Marketing and Distribution Newsletter

April 2017

The contacts listed are sorted into FIVE sections:

1. Publications, Review Websites and Music Blogs that will REVIEW your music
2. Radio Stations, Shows and Podcasts that will PLAY your songs
3. Labels, Vendors, Distributors and Promotional Services that will help you to SELL your CD
4. Websites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3s or videos
5. Helpful Resources for recording artists

SECTION ONE: SITES/PUBLICATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED

Your EDM
dropbox@youredm.com
www.youredm.com
Your EDM has developed and established its online media property, YourEDM.com, as the most reputable, visited and recognized publication in the world of Electronic Dance Music. With over 4 million monthly visitors, YourEDM.com has continuously sought to deliver the most up to date, accurate and poignant news related to the EDM scene. Based out of Seattle, Washington with an ever-growing staff of journalists, photographers, and videographers from around the country YourEDM.com has been capable of creating and maintaining unparalleled coverage of this ever-growing industry. For track submissions or if you simply want to share good music (NO MASH UPS PLEASE), make sure to shoot an e-mail. Personal Demos can be sent using our online submission form. facebook.com/YourEdm @YourEDM

Alphabet Bands
Adam alphabetbands@gmail.com
alphabetbands.wordpress.com
Here at Alphabet Bands, we love new music and are always on the look out for some great new sounds to enjoy and share. We listen to and write about pretty much anything as long as we like it. Genre means little to us as our focus is on the quality of the music being made by new and emerging artists, signed or unsigned. We will post reviews of albums, EPs, tracks, videos and will only cover news when it is relevant to the track etc. One thing we really like doing when we talk to artists is, well, talk to them. It sounds flippant but we feel that by having an actual conversation with someone we are likely to learn a little more and get open and honest answers, mostly. It also gives us a small insight into what they are like as a person rather than how well they can write an answer to a question when given a few days to think about it. That's why we don't and won't do email interviews. What you get from us will be prose interviews, conducted either face to face or on the phone (preferably face to face though) to give you as much insight and as good a read as possible. If you would like your band to be featured as an Alphabet Band, we are always happy to take submissions. Just drop us a line an e-mail with details of who you are and LINKS to your music. Physical submissions, CD or vinyl are welcome, please e-mail for our postal address.

Chicago Blues Guide
www.chicagobluesguide.com
We're on a "mission from God" to help support Chicago's Blues music. We strive to unite Chicago's Blues community and to connect with Blues fans all over the world who share our enthusiasm for the city's great Blues music and heritage. We are an all volunteer fanzine staffed by people who love the Blues. Our webzine features plenty of photos, news and features on what's happening in the home of the Blues, including interviews, events, DVD and CD reviews and live Blues reviews. facebook.com/chicagobluesguide

IndieHipHop.net
www.indiehiphop.net
Provides information about the music business and profiles independent artists who continue to shape Hip Hop culture. facebook.com/Indiehiphop @IndieHipHop

American Pride Magazine
Jacqueline Jax info@avaliveradio.com
www.americanpridemagazine.com
American writers on indie music, fashion, photography, travel, food and culture. Submit your music via our ONLINE FORM. facebook.com/AvaLiveRadio @Americanpridemg @JacquelineJax

EarToTheGround Music
Greg Jones eartothegroundmusicblog@gmail.com
www.eartothegroundmusic.co
Features emerging artists primarily in the Folk, Indie Rock and Roots music scenes. The site has album reviews, artist interviews, and artist spotlights featuring a number of lesser-known musicians. It is the purpose of the site to curate the digital music world, helping artists find an audience and music fans find exceptional, high-quality music. Due to the incredible number of submissions we've been receiving, we now require all submissions come through our ONLINE FORM. Once you fill out the form, we will try to get back to you within 1-2 weeks. @EarToThe_Ground

The Noise Boston
28 Goodhue St. #406, Salem, MA 01970
PH: 617-331-9637
T Maxwell tmax@thenoise-boston.com
www.thenoise-boston.com
Covering music in New England since '81. facebook.com/TheNoiseBoston

SECTION TWO: RADIO STATIONS, SHOWS AND PROMOTERS

2.1 RADIO - STATIONS AND SHOWS

Vocalo
848 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60611
PH: 888-635-1112
info@vocalo.org
www.vocalo.org
Vocalo is what commercial radio isn't: independent music and real voices that represent the soul of Chicago. Join the movement. Submit your music or short story, commentary or poem via our DROPBOX and we'll consider it for broadcast. Make sure your tracks are CLEAN, meaning radio friendly. Also, make sure that your track is leveled at -12db. Here's a tip: listen to our station before you submit. Music preferences are Hip Hop, Dance, Latin and Indie Rock. facebook.com/vocalo @vocalo

Alrealon Musique Radio Show - Little Water Radio
2 Fulton St., New York, NY 10038
Philippe Gerber alrealonmusique@gmail.com
www.alrealon.com
We present 2 hours of Experimental music at its best. A full blend of Electronics, Jazz, Ambient, Avant-Garde, Drone, Psychedelic, Classical and vibes from outer space. Hosts: Philippe Gerber, Michael Durek & Robert L. Pepper. facebook.com/alrealonmusique @Alrealon

Native Trailblazers - BlogTalkRadio
PH: 757-333-6868
Vincent Schilling NativeTrailblazers@gmail.com
www.NativeTrailblazers.com
Specializing in Native American and First Nations artists - submit a bio, photo, website and MP3s to be considered as a guest on this award-winning Aboriginal People's Choice Award nominated show. @VinceSchilling @Nativetrailblaz

Little Water Radio
2 Fulton St., New York, NY 10038
info@littlewaterproductions.com
www.littlewaterradio.org
A free-form community radio station located in the Seaport District of New York City. Our mission is to broadcast adventurous music and art as well as provide a voice for our local community. Please visit our Friends & Family page to learn more about our neighbors. Visit our Shows Page to hear our eclectic DJs with a wide variety of passions. facebook.com/littlewaterradio @LittleWaterNYC

Behind the Music - A.V.A Live Radio
Jacqueline Jax info@avaliveradio.com
www.avaliveradio.com
An indie radio station solely dedicated to helping struggling independent artists in a new and innovative way. Our station not only provides new artists with a platform to tell their story, we get their music heard by finding just the right people to get the music in front of. From movies to management, we don't only play the best independent artists from around the world, we are working hard behind the scenes to get their music heard by industry professionals who are already searching for movie sound tracks, indie artist tours, commercials, events, and recording contracts. In addition, A.V.A Live Radio also provides a mentoring program where artists give back to other artists, educational resources on the music industry as well as personal and business branding from industry professionals in our community to those who need help thru our Game Changers Series interviews. We are committed to staying a 100% Commercial FREE Radio station, free from censorship just like the independent artists we support. Submit your music via our ONLINE FORM. facebook.com/AvaLiveRadio @avaliveradio @JacquelineJax

Blues Radio International
261 W. Alexander Palm Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33432
Jesse A. Finkelstein bluesradiointernational@gmail.com
www.bluesradiointernational.net
Broadcasts the healing power of live Blues on shortwave radio and the internet to a worldwide audience on six continents. Artists wishing to provide music for review and possible airplay on Blues Radio International should submit two (2) copies of your CD. @BluesBRI

Folks Like Us - Little Water Radio
2 Fulton St., New York, NY 10038
Rachel Utz rachel.utz87@gmail.com
www.littlewaterradio.org
Welcome in the weekend to the tune of southern drawls that'll melt your heart, quick pickers that get your toes tapping, and the warm and sunny sound of wide open spaces. Folks Like Us is dedicated to Folk, Bluegrass, Americana, and Alt-Country music that'll make your mouth water for fried green tomatoes, apple pie, and ice cold lemonade. facebook.com/RachUtz @Rachel_Utz

WHML Gospel Radio
PH: 901-679-4601
Jazzii Anderson jazziientertainment@gmail.com
www.whmlradio.com
Praise, Gospel, Inspirational and Christian Music at its best! facebook.com/whmlgospelradio

Fuego Beats Radio
Fuego info@fuegobeats.com
www.fuegobeats.com
Broadcasts a distinctive blend of talk radio interviews with a mix of Hip Hop, Pop and R&B music from emerging musicians. Topics range from celebrity gossip to controversial issues relevant to a modern society, as well as pop culture. Submit your music via our ONLINE FORM. Send us an e-mail if you would like to be considered for an interview. @WFBS981

2.2 RADIO PROMOTERS

Howard Rosen Promotion
521 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #15, Port Hueneme, CA 93041
PH: 805-382-2200 FX: 805-201-7816
info@howiewood.com
www.howiewood.com
Since 1985 We have been helping artists reach their goals of obtaining radio airplay, expanding their fan base, and creating awareness throughout the industry. @Howiewoodpromo

National Record Promotion
137 N. Larchmont #500, Los Angeles, CA 90004
PH: 323-658-7449
Larry Weir larry_weir@sbcglobal.net
www.larryweir.com
We promote artists and groups at radio with an emphasis on independent labels and recording artists. Over the last five years NRP has worked with many major acts. NRP will assist you in weekly tracking reports...national chart activity & radio interviews. facebook.com/National.Record.Promotion

CIMG, LLC
119 Bowling Ave. Nashville, TN 37205-2357
Tony Bates contact@cimgllc.com
www.cimgllc.com
Our Radio Promotion work focuses on relevant radio stations (terrestrial and online), especially college radio stations, in the U.S., Canada and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Our staff works daily to build relationships with radio stations, regional promoters, music/entertainment publications and websites, and media outlets throughout North America as well as in eastern and central Europe. We work mostly with Rock, Pop-Rock, Americana and Alt-Country artists. facebook.com/cimgllc

SECTION THREE: SERVICES/VENDORS/LABELS THAT WILL HELP SELL YOUR MUSIC

3.1 SERVICES - PROMOTION/PUBLICITY

Stop The Breaks
Antwan Wiggins stopthebreaks@gmail.com
www.stopthebreaks.com
A digital marketing and promotion platform focused on showcasing independent Hip Hop artists. Whether you're an independent rapper, producer or manager grinding your way to the top of the rap game, promoting your music is another task that needs to be done but one you never have time for. Let us help you with your online marketing and promotion so you can spend the time doing what you do best - making music! facebook.com/stopthebreaks @StopTheBreaks

A Badge of Friendship
Earlsfield Business Ctr. 9 Lydden Rd. London, SW18 4LT UK
PH: 0203-846-7010
Claire Lim and Paul McCallum info@abadgeoffriendship.com
www.abadgeoffriendship.com
We offer online, print and radio services for musicians, comedians and labels. ABoF prides itself on being an independent company that's honest, passionate and offers a personal and friendly service. When you join ABoF's roster, you become part of the ABoF 'family' and each individual is treated with care and attention. ABoF's speciality is working with unsigned and independent artists and labels from the ground up, helping them raise their profile and find their voice. If you are sending us music to consider, we accept Soundcloud or Bandcamp links only. No MP3 attachments or physical promos please. @abof

Brace Yourself PR
PH: +44 (0)20-3222-0036
howdy@braceyourselfpr.com
www.braceyourselfpr.com
A London based PR firm formed under a simple ethos: to only work with the bands that we feel connected to on a musical and cultural level. Ivano was quickly joined by an inner circle of equally passionate musical cohorts, and with all of us coming from backgrounds playing in bands, we not only understand the hunger of musicians to get their music heard, but are also driven by the desire to play a part in building their careers and placing them in the spotlight. At Brace Yourself, we don't simply believe in ticking boxes. Instead, we aim to tailor every campaign to a particular artist's individual needs: whether that be the building of hype online around a debut single or re-introducing a musician of worldwide notoriety on a global scale. facebook.com/BraceYourselfPR @BraceYourselfPR

Miles High Productions
PO Box 93157, Hollywood, CA 90093
PH: 323-806-0400 FX: 323-462-0829
mhpmanagement@mileshighproductions.com
www.mileshighproductions.com
Created to bridge the gap of companies working directly with music artists and entertainment based projects who are in need of additional marketing support. MHP also focuses on non-music ventures such as corporate brand building, cosmetics, gaming, sports and other industries. MHP's goal is to elevate your product or artist to a higher ground in an expedient timeframe by exposing them to new and existing online audiences. MHP also focuses on taking our campaigns one step further by cross-promoting all traditional methods of marketing with online opportunities for further outreach. @MilesHigh

CIMG, LLC
119 Bowling Ave. Nashville, TN 37205-2357
Tony Bates contact@cimgllc.com
www.cimgllc.com
We provide Social Media Marketing and Social Commerce Solutions for our clients, in addition to Artist Management and Record Label Services. We work with artists, record labels, agencies, events, and brands of all kinds that want to effectively engage their supporters and fans via social media. Considering the global marketplace and international appeal, we offer our services in several languages as well, when appropriate to meet your goals. We work mostly with Rock, Pop-Rock, Americana and Alt-Country artists. facebook.com/cimgllc

3.2 SERVICES - LABELS, DISTRIBUTORS AND ONLINE VENDORS

JazzVillage
Mas de Vert - BP 20150 - 13631 Arles cedex, France
international@harmoniamundi.com
www.jazzvillagemusic.com
Harmonia Mundi's Jazz label. Created to allow audiences to experience the best of current Jazz music, from Europe to the Americas, from traditional to modern through Urban Soul and new sound crossbreeds. On the menu: a dozen yearly releases featuring musical veterans, young idols and bright emerging talents. And one motto: body-shaking, brain-food music that rhymes with quality and diversity.Please do not contact us through Facebook regarding artist submissions - visit our main website. facebook.com/jazzvillagemusic @Jazz_Village

Alrealon Musique
Philippe Gerber alrealonmusique@gmail.com
www.alrealon.com
An independent label dedicated to Experimental music. Noise, Drone, Avant-Garde etc. facebook.com/alrealonmusique @Alrealon

SECTION FOUR: SITES WHERE YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR BAND'S MP3s OR VIDEOS

The Standing O Project
5500 San Mateo Blvd. NE #114, Albuquerque, NM 87109
PH: 505-850-2674
Katie Mitchell support@standingoproject.com
www.standingoproject.com
A new business model for music. A fun way to enjoy and discover Roots/Indie/Folk music that helps musicians earn a living & keeps a great radio show on air. Just like a rousing standing ovation at the end of a great concert, the STANDING 'O' PROJECT is a mutual show of appreciation--a complete circle of life-affirming energy that leaves everyone feeling exhilarated. As a FAN MEMBER, you show your appreciation with a monthly contribution that fits your budget. In return, you get a ton of great MUSIC, exclusive INTERVIEWS, unusual content, and the opportunity to get to know ARTISTS on a personal level. Every month, 50% of the membership revenue goes directly back to the ARTIST MEMBERS (not to big stars, record labels or publishing companies). The rest supports this site and the listener-supported radio program that inspired it. ARTISTS join for FREE. They contribute music videos, interviews, photos, blog posts, and other content, and build the community by inviting friends, fans, and fellow artists. In a time when streaming services pay artists a micro-fraction of a penny per play, STANDING 'O' is a much needed new business model. ARTIST MEMBERS are paid for building the COMMUNITY, not for how many streams their songs get. Those who put in a little effort have the opportunity to build a substantial monthly revenue stream. facebook.com/StandingOProject @StandingOProj

Music World Cup
Dubai Media City, PO Box 213217, Dubai, UAE
registrations@musicworldcup.com
www.musicworldcup.com
Empowered by the digital revolution we champion and harness local talent in every country and genre by accelerating discovery at a scale and speed never realized before. Brands that have a social conscience and that love the music space are also welcome to participate by supporting the artist's journey and the world's biggest music movement through activations and sponsorship opportunities in music. Create, Upload, Share, Promote, Promote, Promote. As an artist that's your basic process on your journey to MUSIC WORLD CUP success. We will liberate the power of a global community by connecting people through their own personal passions. MUSIC WORLD CUP is perfectly positioned to elevate a perceptive audience of unsigned talent to disrupt the music industry model by creating a sustainable community of artists and fans. Register today and begin collecting votes for your chance to engage a global audience and win a place at the Live Finals in the Host City, to be mentored by celebrity artists and perform live on stage, while the world watches you online or on TV. facebook.com/musicworldcup @musicworldcup

JukeBoxAlive
311 Montford Ave. Asheville, NC 28801
PH: 828-232-0016
Will Cumberland cumberland@jukeboxalive.com
jukeboxalive.com
Our Advanced Jukebox Player protects your music from being digitally downloaded, yet allows fans to hear your music online. This creates exciting possibilities for you to present yourself to new audiences without being ripped off.

SECTION FIVE: SOCIAL NETWORKS AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES

StudioTraxx
www.studiotraxx.com
Provides instant access to a vast global network of musicians-for-hire that are ready to work and collaborate via the web. StudioTraxx aims to reduce recording costs while increasing song quality. Private collaboration areas are also available to those who don't need to find and hire musicians but simply need an efficient way to manage files across partners.

SECTION SIX: HELPFUL TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR YOUR BAND

6.1 RESOURCES - GENERAL

BandVista
PH: 877-875-4470
support@bandvista.com
www.bandvista.com
Offers a leading web presence to local talent for an affordable price. By using industry leading BandVista tools, musicians can broadcast their sound and image within minutes and for a fraction of the cost and time others invest in similar websites! Hundreds of layouts and designs to choose from! Our system is designed to understand your look and feel, which means your website will look like yours and not like everyone else's. Truly build a unique web presence without being an expert developer. Our tools make this usable by anyone. @bandvista

Dewey Beach Music Conference
113 Dickinson St., Dewey Beach, DE 19971
PH: 302-448-5650
Vikki Walls vwalls@deweybeachfest.com
www.deweybeachfest.com
DBMC may not be the biggest music conference in the northeast, but it has garnered more than its fair share of critical acclaim, rave reviews and enthusiastic return participants. This is due in no small part to the consistent quality of talent and its location. Dewey Beach sits on a narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Rehoboth Bay. The result is a casual, laid-back vibe that almost seems like a beach vacation. All performance venues are within a few blocks walking distance of the main conference area. No cabs, no hassle, no venues that are hopelessly disconnected from the center of activity. With three nights of showcases and two days of demo & mentoring sessions, tradeshow and industry meet & greet events, there are plenty of opportunites to work at furthering your music career...or just experience some great performances. Industry meet & greets provide you with the opportunity to hear industry professionals discuss the issues of the day in an informal setting. Mentoring sessions and demo listening sessions allow you to get valuable one-on-one advice about your music and your career path. The charm of DBMC lies in its intimate and friendly atmosphere as registrants interact with panelists, speakers, exhibitors, musicians and professionals from all aspects of the music industry. DBMC also offers unique events such as industry cruises on the bay and VIP parties at outdoor beach clubs.

The Real Songwriters of Melbourne
Jena Marino info@realsongwritersofmelbourne.com
www.realsongwritersofmelbourne.com
A Melbourne, Australia music initiative designed to give artists the opportunity to share their story and their music. Whether it be a feature profile on our website, an episode on our web series Real Songwriters TV, or in one of our live shows called Real Songwriters Live, RSOM always puts the best interests of the musicians at heart. We are always taking in submissions so please e-mail us LINKS to original music and websites. facebook.com/realsongwritersofmelbourne @RealSongWriters @jenamarino

Festival Network Online
PO Box 18839, Asheville, NC 28814
PH: 828-658-2779 FX: 828-645-3374
Julie Cochrane julie@festivalnet.com
www.festivalnet.com
Lists more than 10,000 events throughout the U.S. and Canada seeking performers, from local & regional to national & international. @_festivalnet

6.2 RESOURCES - EDUCATIONAL

SongU.com
Sara Light songu@songu.com
www.songu.com
Provides multi-level song writing courses developed by award-winning songwriters, song feedback, mentoring, one-on-one song coaching, co-writing, unscreened pitching opportunities and more. You will find all the tools you need to succeed as a songwriter -- all online. Wherever you are, we'll bring the music industry to you. facebook.com/SongUNews @SongU_dotcom

CD Baby Podcast
13909 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97230
Kevin Breuner podcast@cdbabypodcast.com
www.cdbabypodcast.com
Join CD Baby's Kevin and Chris as they discuss current music news, interview artists and industry professionals, offer tips and tricks to help today's independent musician move their career forward and much more! Interviews about how to be a successful musician without compromising your art. It's a perfect time to take advantage of the many opportunities for Do-It-Yourself artists that are springing up everywhere. @cdbaby @kbreuner

6.3 RESOURCES - TOOLS AND APPS

GigCave
gigcave@gmail.com
www.gigcave.com
We know the music industry. We know what potential hirers want to see, and what they don't want to see. Social media outlets, like Facebook pages and YouTube channels, are great for growing a fan base, but they aren't going to get you hired. Most industry executives and potential hirers want to see your press kit. In the past, this has been a real hassle for musicians. Instead of spending their time and financial resources on creating music, they had to write up and print bios and other material and compile CDs, then send everything off to hiring agents, where it might easily end up in a pile of other press kits, if it didn't get thrown in the garbage. We take away all of that hassle, wasted effort, and expense, and help you stand out from the crowd. No need to create and send a physical press kit, or even an email with multiple files attached. Our site lets you create a professional, attractive electronic press kit. With our online electronic press kits, all you need to do is send out a single URL to instantly bring potential hirers to your individual web page, containing your bio, music, photos, videos, and other materials. And it's easy to create; we've streamlined the process by having the layout already designed for you on the site. All you have to do is post your information into the template and your electronic press kit is ready to use with no further fuss. Nice, easy, and professional. @gigcave

CreatorStats
contact@creatorstats.com
www.creatorstats.com
The app for YouTubers. All your channel stats in one place, integrating growth and optimization tools you'll love from day one. CreatorStats is free to use with an unlimited number of YouTube channels. @CreatorStats

MyNewsletterBuilder
comments@mynewsletterbuilder.com
www.mynewsletterbuilder.com
A user-friendly, feature-rich, online newsletter management program for novices and professionals alike. facebook.com/MyNewsletterBuilder1

6.4 RESOURCES - AUDIO

Peerless Mastering
1085 Commonwealth Ave. #322, Boston, MA 02215
PH: 617-527-2200
info@peerlessmastering.com
www.peerlessmastering.com
Dedicated to providing the highest quality restoration. We offer the highest quality stereo and 5.1 pre-mastering, CD, CD Enhanced, and DVD-A authoring and full audio restoration. Our staff is exceptional at giving our clients the best quality and service, guiding them through the final phase of their sonic process with ease and expertise. We are uniquely equipped to provide the highest quality mastering available anywhere. We have the expertise, equipment, and skills to achieve the full sound potential of your album. As more and more artists are choosing to record in project and home studios, high-quality professional mastering in an acoustically accurate room has never been more important. Working at Peerless' state-of-the-art studios with our highly trained engineers, you can realize your sonic vision and make your recording sound as full, warm, punchy, and clear as possible. We will guide you through every step of this final phase of your project, and you will be truly amazed when you hear how incredible your music can sound. @PeerlessMaster

6.5 RESOURCES - ORGANIZATIONS

Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA)
Coudenberg, 70, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
PH: +32-2-503-31-38
info@impalamusic.org
www.impalamusic.org
Our mission is to grow the independent music sector, promote cultural diversity and cultural entrepreneurship, improve political access and modernise the perception of the music industry. @IMPALAMusic

SECTION SEVEN: THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE

Six Ways to Promote Your Music
by Dave Kusek
© 2017 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission

There's no one strategy to promote your music and grow your fan base. Your music promotion should resemble a gearbox with different strategies working together to raise awareness.

The Internet has opened up countless promotion possibilities for indie musicians. It can certainly seem overwhelming and daunting at times, but all these options really allow you to experiment and let your creativity run wild! If you want to be successful, make sure you learn from the promotions you run, make changes, and tweak them to fit your unique music career.

To give you some ideas, let's go through some basic strategies and approaches you can use to promote your music right now. These strategies are taken from the Musician Power Tools online music promotion course.

1. Promoting your music with social media

At this point, if you're not on social media in some way, shape, or form, you're probably living under a rock. But, there's a difference between using social media and using it to its full potential to promote your music. Rather than a straight-up marketing platform, social media is more of a catalyst for conversation and word-of-mouth marketing. In fact, most of your posts should be conversational, funny, and interesting, rather than in-your-face promotional material.

Conversational posts work wonders for spreading the word about your music and developing your relationship with your fans ??? you just need to learn how to frame your content in interesting ways.

It's pretty easy to just post something on Facebook saying, "We're in the studio! New album coming out next month. Pre-order here." If you want to power-drive your social promo, tell a story about your studio experience that day, share a photo of the mix, or post a short teaser Vine of a song. If you're out on tour, take photos at the venues or share short videos or photos of the audiences. These things aren't obviously promotional, but they still let fans know what's going on.

If you want more strategies for promoting your music via social media, check out this free video lesson series. free video lesson series.

2. Using your website to promote your music

If you have a website but haven't updated it recently, you're missing out on a huge promotional opportunity! Ultimately, you want your fans stopping by your site as often as possible, and if there's no new content, they have no incentive to visit. The more your fans are on your site, the more chances they have to buy your music, merch, and tickets.

There are plenty ways to update your website apart from big announcements like new albums and tours. Try starting a blog to share the daily or weekly happenings in your music career. It's pretty easy to set up a blog and most website tools like Bandzoogle or WordPress have blog capabilities.

Try to keep your posts fairly consistent, whether that be daily, weekly, or monthly, and share anything you think your fans would find interesting. As a rule of thumb, use your blog to go a little deeper and share more insider information than you do on social media. Some ideas could be to share the inspirations behind certain songs, new lyrical ideas you're working on, a funny story from the last band practice, or even a run-down of the gear you use.

3. E-mail promotion

We're moving down the funnel! Only your most serious fans will sign up for your e-mail list, so give them more exclusive access and personal connection. The easiest thing you can do is to just write the e-mail in your own voice. Use "I" or "we" instead of referring to yourself in the third person and don't be afraid to let your personality and humor shine through!

As far as the content goes, early access to videos, songs, and other information is a great idea, but you can also do fan spotlights, let them vote on merch designs, or give them special discounts.

Your e-mail strategy is something that will evolve and grow with you, so take note of the open rate and click through rates on the e-mails you send and experiment to find the best time, subject lines, format and content.

To help you get started, you can download these 10 free E-mail Templates.

Just plug them into your email service, change some links, and press send.

4. Promoting with the live show

These days, it can feel like we can do everything online. After all, you can create great quality music, release it, distribute it, promote it, and even stream live without ever leaving your room. But just because you can do things entirely online doesn't mean you should! Personal, face-to-face interactions are still very important for developing a relationship with your fans.

A lot of times, we'll think of gigging as something completely separate from promotion, but every time you play a show new people are being exposed to your music, and nothing gets fans talking more than a killer show!

You can also use gigs to promote your music, new album, or song. Use your gigs as a chance to premier a new song or even a whole new album before they're released. Tell your fans that you'll be premiering a new song, or, if you want to go all out, tell them you'll be playing the whole album at one show over the next month or two. The trick is not to tell anyone which is the lucky show ??? if your fans really want to hear the album early, they'll have to come to all the shows. You get bonus points if you have the CDs available at your merch table for fans to purchase before it's officially released.

Gigging also presents an incredible opportunity to grow a fan base in new cities, states, or even countries! I like to call this the "headliner swap strategy." Find a local band in the area you want to play and swap headlines with them ??? you'll open for them in their hometown and they'll open for you in yours. It gets you in bigger clubs than you'd be able to book on your own, and after a few times, you'll be able to book a headline show on your own!

5. Promoting on music blogs

So far, we've talked about a lot of internal promotion, but if you want to grow your fan base, you also want to reach out to new audiences and convert them to fans, and music blogs are a great way to do that. Blogs tend to have a pretty niche following, and that means coverage on a music blog will guarantee your music will be seen by people who are already predisposed to like your music!

Some blog coverage will happen organically, but most of the time it will require work on your part. Do your research to find blogs that cover your type of music and send some personal emails to the bloggers. (That means being familiar with their blog, treating them like real people, and using their name instead of just "dear blogger." Remember, it's all about establishing a relationship.)

Keep in mind that a lot of bloggers look for a story. Is there anything interesting about your new album or song? Having a unique story will help you stand out from the thousands of other musicians releasing an album.

6. Collaborating with other musicians

Collaboration is definitely an overlooked approach to music promotion, but it's an incredible way to get your music in front of a new group of people and make new fans.

With collaboration, the sky's the limit! The key is to collaborate with musicians and bands whose fans would appreciate your music ??? so, similar genre or fan base demographics.

In addition to the headline trade strategy we looked at earlier, you could also collaborate with other musicians on a song, cover, cover video, or album. To make the most of your collaboration, make sure you both drive your fans to each other. If you create a cover video, link to each other's websites, YouTube channel, and social pages in the description of the video. If you create an original song, make sure you share it and link to the other person's pages.

Dave Kusek's Musician Power Tools is a comprehensive social media and online promotion program designed for musicians. Most programs will show you how to grow your following on social media, or even start building up engagement, but that's where they stop. The truth is, if you want to be successful online, you need to know how to turn those followers and that engagement into sales. This article originally appeared in the April 1, 2017 DISC MAKERS blog

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