Navigating the web in order to make a profit from your hard work can be challenging. This challenge increases when you have to work through unfamiliar channels and tap into skills that you have never developed in order to have a legit chance to succeed. When it comes to marketing and selling your music online, that is exactly what an aspiring musician must do. The good news, however, is that it is possible. Not only is it possible – it is probably simpler than you might think. Below is a quick guide to promoting your music and selling it online.
Legality
First things first – if you are serious about your music, then you want to make sure it is properly protected by law. You can find this topic covered more in detail here.
Once the legal business is taken care of, you can now leap into the wonderfully cryptic world of the music business. It is no secret that the music business has gone all but completely digital. From promoting all to selling, when it comes to music, almost everything can be done online.This means that dedicated individuals like yourself have the opportunity to do from home what labels spend a fortune to do from their expensive headquarters.
Distribution
To jump right into it, in order to get your music on major platforms such as Amazon, iTunes and Pandora, you would likely have to go through an online distribution service. This is because of the mounting requirements theses platforms ask artists to abide by if they were to submit music themselves.
Choosing an online distribution service to go through will be dependent on your personal goals and expectations for your music. For example, Loudr charges nothing to submit your music and takes about 15 percent of your earnings, while Tunecore charges yearly per song or album but takes no royalties. There are other benefits that each service offers. You will have to do your due diligence and pick the service that best suits your needs.
Marketing
Now that you have your music distributed to the major online platforms, making it accessible worldwide, you can focus your efforts on sales. That means marketing your music to a wide audience and getting new fans. If you already have a large fan base, this could be as simple as sharing your links through your social media accounts and getting your core fans to share them as well. Odds are, however, that you only have a few fans that you can share to, and even fewer that would re-share your links on their accounts. If this is the case for you, then you have to dig a little deeper to chalk up the sales necessary to reach your goals.
Music blogs and collaborations
Bloggers are always looking for new content to keep their readers (your future fans) interested. Linking up with smaller blogs and promoting your music through them can give you the exposure you need to expand your fan base and boost sales. Look for blogs that specialize in indie music in your genre so that your music is getting in front of people who are already genuinely interested. Collaborations can work in a similar way, as you will be tapping into the collaborator fan base, giving you the chance to create new fans from theirs. You will want to work with quality artists who are similar in style to you to increase your chances of gaining new followers.
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