Strategies for Self-Promotion
With the extended globalisation and digitalisation of society, it is becoming evident that using previously working promotion schemes no longer makes sense. As a contemporary artist, it is not enough to be able to play the guitar well and perform on the street to become famous. In other words, the skill set of the 21st-century freelance artist has dramatically expanded due to the emergence of new platforms and information sharing channels (Kealey, 2021). The main focus is now on self-promotion skills, as it is the only thing that determines whether a performer can become more recognisable and known. However, it is a mistake to assume that a young artist who does not know how to develop their brand and increase their online presence is doomed to professional failure. It is impossible to give an unequivocal answer, as all kinds of scenarios are possible; however, it is true to say that out of two performers, the one who implements a self-promotional strategy and engages in marketing activities is the most likely to succeed.
One of the significant trends in modern society is the mass technologisation of life. It is reported that approximately 6.6 billion people — or 84% of the world’s population — use smartphones today (Ericsson & The Radicati Group, 2022). This number will continue to grow over the next few years, which means many new users are joining the global network, including news portals, video hosting and social media. This trend can be used for self-promotion strategies. For example, I could create a community in a social network where I will post my announcements, communicate with the audience and publish future singles. Such a platform would be one of the essential tools for communicating with subscribers. Meanwhile, I should also consider that through social media, people tend not only to express appreciation but also to become haters (Malecki et al., 2021). Haters are the type of audience that expresses their hatred and disgust for a product they may not have even listened to in its entirety. When I decide to create a virtual social networking community, I have to be prepared for the fact that my audience will not only be loyal but will also be represented by haters. Ultimately, it has to be recognised that not all performers tend to be critical of the hater, so many may be mentally broken and end their careers prematurely. In addition, large-scale technologisation affects all musicians by providing them with ample new opportunities to develop their products. This includes promoting their brand and opportunities to monetise content digitally, differentiate audiences across social networks, and participate in online concerts and music conferences to increase social presence in the information field.
An alternative but not exclusive option is to post video works on the video hosting site YouTube. With YouTube, anyone can post their videos to the public domain and promote them with in-built advertising features. For example, specific videos can include either announcements of future singles and albums, music videos, or even interviews in which the artist answers questions from the audience and shares their thoughts (MI, 2021). This route seems extremely effective as I have a degree in filmmaking, so I can edit attention-grabbing videos. It is important to understand that any published video will eventually find its audience, but such works need to be discussable and provocative in terms of rapid promotion. For example, in order for a video to go viral, the video could include an unorthodox, non-linear script, atypical costumes and a song presentation, as Oliver Tree does in his catchy music videos (Tree, 2022). Such a video certainly also has the potential to get a lot of followers and dislikes, but it will increase its presence in the social field.
Meanwhile, an excellent strategy for young artists is to create their own profiles on streaming services. Streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music are widely used by many users to find new songs and faces in the music industry (Ingham, 2019). For an aspiring artist, streaming placement is an integral feature of social promotion, as it qualitatively increases the number of channels through which audiences can find the artist. When we hear about an artist somewhere, we often try to find their profile on Apple Music or Spotify to listen to their songs. Concerning me as a freelance artist, this kind of promotion will be crucial, allowing people to find out more about me. However, such profiles need to be constantly updated to keep me relevant as an artist. I need to publish new singles and albums on these platforms and create announcements to keep my audience informed.
Notably, streaming platforms have curated playlists that include works by different artists. Curators are usually already well-known people who share their playlists with the streaming community, so getting on such playlists qualitatively increases the likelihood of promotion (Scalco, 2022). I should invest in finding such curators and collaborating with them to increase the chances of popularity. In the same way curators work, my acquaintances and friends can also work. In particular, I can ask them to publish my songs on my social media page to share them with their audiences — this also qualitatively increases the chances of career advancement. In terms of technological change, radio broadcasting, which is still popular, should also be taken into account. Many radio stations offer aspiring musicians the chance to send in their tracks for auditions — if the song meets the requirements of the radio station and can, in their opinion, be successful, it will be published in the broadcasting grid, which will also increase the chances of a young artist’s popularity.
The online marketing strategies discussed above are not a one-size-fits-all route to success. It is unlikely that even having a presence on all social platforms and radio will give me the desired success, as it is not an acceptable solution to increase popularity. Social media is indeed a good tool, but it is time-consuming to promote it, and the lack of results can morally crush an inexperienced artist. The same is true of video hostings, where editing and publishing videos require considerable time and skill. Streaming platforms are a relatively safe route, but their limited functionality is a disadvantage for the realisation of career success. Thus, an aspiring artist should have as many popular social channels in their arsenal as possible, but in addition, the artist should possess several critically valuable skills.
Many of the online strategies described are excellent for promotion, but a young performer should not ignore the importance of offline representation either. This applies to any form of performing music in public places where the audience physically observes the artist (Wiebe, 2020). This form of self-promotion requires excellent public speaking skills, so it may not be suitable for every performer. However, the balance of the two strategies qualitatively improves the chances of success for the aspiring artist.
Emerging Performer Skills
A musician’s critical skills should definitely include talent, which guarantees long-term unspoken engagement with audiences. Listeners love particular artists and are willing to keep their songs in their playlists for years if the artist proves to be genuinely talented and their songs inspiring. However, talent alone is not enough, as there are many genuinely talented artists in the music industry, not all of whom eventually gain fame. Hence, a musician has to be relevant and contemporary for his songs to touch common feelings in the hearts of listeners. It is unlikely that songs about the Middle Ages will be as popular as songs about love, loneliness and fear since it is the latter that is reflected in the perception of the mass audience. From this point of view, it is an appropriate skill to create songs on a current agenda — for example, COVID-19, wars or crises. In this context, climate change plays a unique role as a tangible problem for all humanity. If a performer touches on such environmental issues in their songs, it is likely to become a solid rationale for development. Such works can go viral because they sing about what the audience really cares about right now.
An aspiring performer also needs to be multi-potential to be able to develop on social media, edit videos and attract listeners. In fact, in the early years, such a performer is also a producer, so marketing and self-promotion skills are critical. The need to be an uninhibited, uninhibited performer cannot be overlooked. It is important for young artists to be able to perform in public, and singing in parks, bars and city venues is a good ladder to develop not only online but also offline. It also helps to earn money, which can be invested in new music equipment or advertising on social media.
One significant trend in today’s society is environmental awareness, and more artists and companies are striving to reduce their carbon footprint. Moving away from physical media, digitalising content and adopting an environmentally conscious lifestyle are steps the music industry takes to help reduce its overall carbon footprint (Kamiya, 2020). Commitment to such an idea is also a necessary skill for the modern musician who expects to be famous (ASCAP, 2022). For example, I can refuse to participate in those festivals where environmental regulations are violated. I can also promote a conscious lifestyle, including reducing waste as part of my musical image. Refusing to produce physical media, be it CDs or vinyl records, can also build perceptions of me as a ‘green’ artist who is environmentally conscious. Conversely, I can actively talk in my virtual communities about why I prefer digital releases, which will also give audiences an understanding of my vision. Hence, as a modern aspiring guitarist and songwriter, I have to have social promotion skills if I want to gain popularity. I need not only to be talented in composing music but also to be aware of new trends and developments in the world, as this will allow me to increase my representation in the social field.
Reference List
ASCAP (2022) Greening the music industry resources sheet. Web.
Ingham, T. (2019) Apple Music for artists launches, rivalling Spotify’s analytics tools. Web.
Malecki, W.P., Kowal, M., Dobrowolska, M. and Sorokowski, P. (2021) ‘Defining online hating and online Haters,’ Frontiers in Psychology, 12, pp. 1-4.
Tree, O. (2022) Cowboys don’t cry [music video]. Web.
Kealey, M. (2021) 7 top marketing strategies for musicians. Web.
MI (2021) The complete musician’s guide to YouTube. Web.
Scalco, J. (2022) Spotify playlist curators (that have listeners) you can submit to for free. Web.
Wiebe, A. (2020) How to start busking and street performing. Web.
Kamiya, G. (2020) Factcheck: what is the carbon footprint of streaming video on Netflix? Web.
Ericsson & The Radicati Group. April 2022 mobile user statistics: discover the number of phones in the world & smartphone penetration by country or region. Web.