Social networking sites are extremely important in establishing a strong following from fans as well as interacting with music promoters, record labels, radio stations & DJs and events organisers.
It is open to debate as to which sites are the most important for an artist to regularly update but Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are a good place to start.
Youtube – arguably the best site for budding musicians. Use Youtube correctly and it will work wonders for you. Acoustic covers with a good accompanying video are an excellent way of building up views, likes and subscribers. You can also post teasers, full songs, official videos, blogs, video diaries, live performances – whatever will create a buzz around you and your music. Remember not to upload a few videos and then leave it for 6 months before adding anything new – people won’t just assume you’re working on new material so let them know if this is the case.
Facebook – creating a public page for your band gives you a great platform for posting videos, events, new music, announcements, photos, ticket links etc. Start by getting your friends and family to ‘like’ and ‘share’ the page, as well as posting the link on other networking sites you use. Run competitions encouraging fans to get their friends to ‘like’ the page too and perhaps give the incentive of free tickets or rare merchandise. Creating a personal Facebook specifically for accepting fans is also an excellent way of informally interacting and promoting your music. However, if you are going to do this, do not then constantly create band-related events and invite everyone in your friends list. Too many notifications is very annoying!
Twitter – without spamming, send your latest Youtube clip to people who follow bands who influence you or are similar to you/your band. Don’t just expect followers to grow – follow any music-related accounts who may promote you and politely ask to be ‘retweeted’. Also think about following general music fans – many people will follow back if they’re attracted by your video, bio and picture. Make sure it is clear who you are as well as where you are based, your genre/style of music and any relevant links.
MySpace – although it appears very few people use the site nowadays, having a MySpace account that has your gigs listed and music posted on, is a great help to music moguls. As it was created especially for artists to share music on, they will appreciate it if you have taken the time to set up a MySpace page for them to look at.
Soundcloud – quite simply, use Soundcloud to upload audio clips of songs and send them via Twitter and/or email to as many radio stations and promoters as possible. If they have immediate and easy access to your music, they are far more likely to consider playing it.
Instagram – you may not consider Instagram especially important but given that it is an app specifically designed for communicating photos you have taken in your day-to-day life, it can be very good. It allows fans to see what you are up to – whether music-related or not – and this will make them feel more involved with you/the band’s life.
Of course, there are many more social networking sites that may be useful but use these (particularly the first three) well and you have a good basis for promoting your music to a diverse range of people.
If you have any comments regarding the blog or suggestions for future articles, it would be great to hear them.
HD Music Promotion UK 