Music promotion without social media?

Kaiwan_NI

@BIF said:

If you don’t want to go the full-tilt social media route, then just have yourself a simple website created.

Highly agree with this. I have my own website as well though I'm not looking for gigs or anything. Just feel like I can express myself more on a blank slate. Great way to move away from the restrictive, cookie cutter profiles that all social apps have, especially LinkedIn.

Violet

Hey there!

First off, a huge congratulations on completing your debut instrumental album! That's an amazing accomplishment! 😊 It's totally normal to feel a bit uneasy about self-promotion on social media, and you're definitely not the only one who feels this way. But worry not, because there are plenty of other fantastic ways to spread the word about your music without relying on social media alone.

1. Email marketing: Why not create a super-cool mailing list to share exciting news about your music, events, and other happenings with your fans? Services like MailChimp (https://mailchimp.com/) can help you keep in touch and grow your fan base in a more personal way. To build a list, you may consider starting a blog about yourself, your musical journey, and more! And that brings us to ...
2. Content creation: Start a blog or website to document your musical journey, and let your fans join in on the fun! This can help your audience connect with you on a deeper level and improve your online presence. WordPress (https://wordpress.com/) makes it a breeze to create a beautiful website.
3. Collaborate with others: Team up with other musicians, artists, and content creators in your genre for some amazing collaborations or cross-promotions. This way, you'll introduce your music to new audiences and create exciting opportunities to grow.
4. Music distribution platforms: Get your tunes out there on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud to reach even more listeners. Services like DistroKid (https://distrokid.com/) and TuneCore (https://www.tunecore.com/) can help get your music on major streaming platforms.
5. Press coverage: How about reaching out to music blogs, online magazines, and local newspapers for features, interviews, or reviews? This can boost your visibility and credibility in the music world.
6. Radio promotion: Give local and internet radio stations a shout to see if they'll play your music on-air. This can introduce your tunes to new fans and help build your following.

If you ever decide to dip your toes into the world of social media but still want to keep some distance, a social media manager could be the perfect solution! They can handle your accounts, create content, and engage with your audience for you. Use a tool like Famium (https://famium.co/) to gather content for reposting, allowing you to showcase your music and connect with fans without getting too involved in the social media process.

Remember, promoting your music doesn't have to feel vain or inauthentic. There are so many ways to share your passion with the world, and by exploring different promotion methods, you'll find the perfect balance that suits you and your music.

Best of luck with your album release, and here's to a fantastic promotional journey ahead! 🎉

Warmest regards,

Danny Weatherly

That's kind of like wanting to be a successful artist without performing. You have to put yourself out there in order to build a fan base.

ricksanderson

Have you considered exploring other avenues like music blogs, online forums, or sharing your music on platforms like YouTube or Spotify? These platforms can help you reach a wider audience without the pressure of likes and follows. Additionally, collaborating with local radio stations could also be a great way to attract more listeners and get your music out there. Building a personal connection with your listeners can go a long way, and there are definitely alternatives to the traditional social media route. It's all about finding what suits you and your music video.

phillipevans

Just wanted to jump in and share my two cents. Since you're looking for alternatives, have you thought about reaching out to music blogs or websites that specialize in your genre? Getting featured on platforms like that could help spread the word organically. Collaborating with local events or even doing small gigs can create a buzz too. 

Laidbach Media

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/89911#Comment_89911

Retin Wins Again doesn't get much attention.

May be worth a look

Uwe303

Hello,

in my town we have old shops where now artists are in, even living there, and use them as presentation room (cause now we buy online and in big shops), maybe you have the same in your area. I would go there and connect to some people.

Milos

I would rather market myself with social media instead, and through social media make my own site where my music lies.

irongiant

How about playing out at open mics, festivals, parties, open jams? Make posters/flyers and stick 'em to the telephone poles or community boards in your town's grocery stores, music shops.

Milos

Old school way, I see.

Well, in some ways it is good, but nowadays record labels and even people who organize festivals and similar events are now much more careful and more selective when it comes to picking up new musicians for promotion.

Bradley Hall (british youtube guitarist) made a video on this topic.

Search 'bradley hall I hate rockstars'

He is basically comparing old rockstars with new ones, as well as the way of music promotion.

D-One

I'd start by stopping with the anonymity, no real profile pic and no links no anything doesn't help, If I am curious about you and your music theres nothing to be found, this is basics so I'd fix that first. If you cant handle showing your face how will you handle everything else? If you're really that shy then pull a daft punk and put a mask on or something.

I think theres really just 3 main categories, traditional media, social media and live/personal interactions.

Traditional media: means paying - PR companies handle outreach to press, secure interviews, and garner media coverage (radio, tv, magazines, blogs etc...) where I'm from this can be bought for as little as 1.5k with no ceiling limit really but you better have some really interesting things to say about yourself or your music in those interviews for it to spread, traditional media likes headlines, concepts and such. If you're the kind of person who anwsers questions with "yes/no" traditional media is not for you, especially with zero fan base.

Social Media: Theres a lot more than just instagram out there, people have made careers on soundcloud, youtube, facebook, etc... Theres also websites to submit music to Spotify playlists managers, if one song ends up in a playlist that's a lot of plays guaranteed but to turn those plays into 'fans' you better have a backcatalog of music people can listen too. Theres also beat contests, remix competitions, and that sort of stuff which can help get your name out there, if you win or are at least well placed. You can seek out collabs, vocalists, join producer discord communities, etc... it's all really endless when it comes to social media.

Live/personal interactions - This requires your genre/target to have some sort of a tangible community which often depends on your geo location, if you're a jazz musician go to jams, participate, talk to people, if you make beats go to beat battles, heck go to a club that has a night where they play your genre and talk to people... all this means you cant really be super shy tho. Heres an exmaple: I went to a small jam recently, filmed a bit of it and posted tagging the venue, the dummer found it, reposted it and added me on IG, 3 weeks later while doing a show to open for a bigger band he was part of the bigger band and came to talk to me, turns out he is friends with friends so if i need a drummer for a project or something the door is a bit more open now... I didnt post it with this intention, i was just "around" and when you are, things happen... eventually.

Often all it takes to get started is to impress one person, who introduces you to another, and so on...