{"id":30652,"date":"2024-05-08T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberprmusic.com\/?p=13203"},"modified":"2024-12-13T03:03:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T03:03:09","slug":"music-release-the-musicians-guide-to-marketing-plans-part-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyberprmusic.com\/music-release-the-musicians-guide-to-marketing-plans-part-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Musician\u2019s Guide to Marketing Plans: Planning Your Music Release – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
These Musician Marketing Plan posts are the most popular series on this site. They are fully updated for 2024.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Do you have a plan for your next music release? This can be a single, a music video, an EP, or an album. In our most popular series, The Musician\u2019s Guide to Marketing Plans, which we call Total Tuneups, we address the overlooked importance of having a marketing plan and go through the first five of fifteen elements to keep in mind when building a long-term strategy.<\/p>\n

Here in Part 2, we break down the next five elements for your music release so you don’t miss a single opportunity.<\/p>\n

If you didn\u2019t get the chance to read through Part 1<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>– The Nuts & Bolts, please<\/strong> do so before reading this. This series comes from years of collaborating with record labels and brilliant managers.\u00a0 What we noticed separates the best artists and teams who get results vs. those who are floundering during their music release is planning<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Cyber<\/p>\n

Musician Marketing Plan Guide Part 2 – Music Releases<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Look at the Part 2 VENN diagram above, which visualizes your Musician Marketing Plan. For each part, we have highlighted the sections we are covering in red<\/strong><\/span> so you can see how all of these parts work in concert with one another for your music release.<\/p>\n

The Second Five: Planning Your Music Release, AKA Ordering the Chaos<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Music<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, labels were more focused on artist development. They had entire departments dedicated to planning and growth. In today’s climate, artists are expected already to have a fanbase, numbers, and revenue before they even think about contacting a record label. Even if getting signed isn’t on your to-do list, these tips will help keep your career going steadily in the years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

A music marketing plan is comprised of 15 elements. Five of these elements are specific to getting squared away before announcing a release<\/span>. To check off all of the 89 elements, we have broken them down for you in our Music Marketing Plan Checksheet<\/a><\/strong><\/span> as a companion to this series.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Timeline<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

7. Music Release Day\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

8. Publicity & Marketing<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

9. Playing Live \/ Streaming <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

10. Real Life Networking<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"musicians<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/b>6. Timeline – Your 12-Week Music Release Tasks<\/b><\/h3>\n

Planning is everything, as you can’t stuff the genie back in the bottle after the release is out! If you struggle with managing your time, this<\/a><\/strong><\/span> will help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Months Before Music Releases<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Register With A Performing Rights Organization.<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

You probably already know this, but just in case\u2014to collect your royalties, you\u2019ll need to sign with a Performing Rights Organization (\u201cPRO\u201d for short) and<\/strong> SoundExchange. The two options in the U.S. for PROs are <\/span>ASCAP and BMI<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For live royalties, BMI and ASCAP both offer <\/span>portals to collect royalties<\/span> from playing live. Once your songs are registered on the PRO database, you log in and enter any dates you have performed them, where they were performed, and which songs. The PRO companies payout quarterly so be sure to enter the performances soon after they are through, otherwise, you could miss a deadline!<\/span><\/p>\n

You must also register with SoundExchange<\/a><\/span>, <\/b><\/span>which\u00a0<\/b>focuses on royalties for your recording (mechanical rights), while your Performing Rights Organization focuses on royalties for your song (performance rights). Try to do this before the music is released.<\/span><\/p>\n

Document the Recording & Creation Journey For Your Fans<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/h6>\n

What may feel mundane to you – writing, recording, mixing, mastering, being in the studio, etc. can be really exciting for your fans.\u00a0 Taking them on a behind-the-scenes journey of this music release is a great way to form a stronger bond with your current and growing base.<\/span><\/p>\n

Send updates on how the recording, mixing, and mastering is going using videos and photos via your social media, plus capture longer-form stories for Instagram Stories and your newsletter. <\/span><\/p>\n

Engage with your following on milestones like artwork and song titles by polling your fans<\/span> and holding contests to select what cover or title to go with, have your fans weigh in on photos, graphics and get them involved with the process. All this activity aims<\/span>\u00a0to get people excited so they are engaging and sharing your updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choose Your PR\u00a0 & Marketing Plan<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/h6>\n

A big component of music release is getting PR. You can accomplish this by hiring a team or by doing it yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n

When hiring a PR team, ensure you do your homework and that your music fits\u00a0that firm\u2019s approach and philosophy. Be sure that the team talks to you about their well-thought-out plan for your campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

A PR company should work with you to ensure you are fully prepared before being introduced to the press. <\/span>This is the first part of their job when you engage a firm.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going with a do-it-yourself approach, here are some tips for an effective music PR campaign:<\/p>\n

Choose Your Playlisting Plan – <\/span><\/strong>Submit Your Music Directly to Spotify<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign in to your artist account and you will see the prompts. When submitting, take extra care to give a detailed description of the song, supplying any relevant information about the song to easily guide editors to the best place for your music. Here are 2 examples of submissions and a full post packed with tips<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a> where the track ended up being featured on Spotify editorial playlists.<\/p>\n

Build Your Playlisting Initiatives<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know all the steps to set up a playlist, follow this <\/span>step-by-step guide<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Start building and sharing playlists. You need to build up plays, as this impacts the current song you promote and any forthcoming singles. Use interesting titles and themes to grab people\u2019s attention and aid with your search.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find Playlist Curators & Pitch<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, this is easier said than done! It is not easy to find curators, but it is possible with some dedication. Google and all the Socials are great places to start. <\/span>Reddit has an active Spotify Playlists Page<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span> There are also quite a few on <\/span>SubmitHub<\/a><\/strong><\/span> that you can access for a small fee.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also use a site called Playlist Supply<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. It’s essentially a search engine for Spotify playlists. It’s meant to be an easier and more streamlined way to contact playlisters rather than hunting around Spotify to find them manually.<\/p>\n

Two Months Before Music Release<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Get Great Photos<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure you have at least 3-4 great images, and variety is important. Most music blogs feature square or horizontal photos. When getting photos taken, think through your brand and consider variety to keep your images fresh as time goes by.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finalize your Single \/ Album \/ EP Artwork<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Musicians<\/a><\/p>\n

Your artwork should be ready and look on-brand and amazing! Ask your designer to animate it for Reels and TikTok, break it up into tiles for Instagram, and of course, resize it for all your social posts (use Canva, <\/strong>it rocks).<\/p>\n

Consider FOREVER or Evergreen Pre-Saves<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Forever Saves is a feature on Symphony<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong> that makes it easier for fans to access new music from their favorite artists. Once a fan subscribes, they automatically receive new songs in their library as soon as they’re released. This tool boosts streaming numbers and collects useful fan data like emails and locations, helping artists connect more directly with their audience. It simplifies the music release process and enhances fan engagement without the need for repetitive pre-saves.<\/p>\n

Pre-saves are a smart addition to any music release strategy, especially with the flexibility offered by a Feature.fm Evergreen Pre-Save campaign. This type of campaign allows artists to plan for releases without a set song or date, adapting easily as plans evolve. Pre-saves are quite beneficial, boosting early saves and growing artist followers while collecting valuable fan emails. The Evergreen Pre-Save works just like a regular pre-save but without a fixed release date, making it ideal for capturing attention from viral moments on platforms like TikTok. Setting up an Evergreen Pre-Save is straightforward and keeps fans engaged by promising early access to future releases.<\/p>\n

TIP:<\/strong> <\/span>I don’t recommend going crazy on Presave campaigns asking everyone you know to click unless you have a very active community on Spotify, but you should always create a presave for those who like and use them.<\/p>\n

Focus on Increasing Your Audience<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have been recording new music, you may have neglected the constant grind of keeping your social media and email list growing. This requires a lot of heavy lifting, and your whole band or team should be helping. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you have not kept up consistently, find friends and people you admire (bloggers, other artists, venues, local spots you like to hang out in, etc.) on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook, and friend away!\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This will increase your audience because as many of the people you follow will follow you back.\u00a0<\/span>Also, start reaching out to people in your inbox and outbox and getting them on your list (remember it\u2019s illegal just to sign people up, so do this with integrity and ask each person). Your newsletter is the place where you will be able to monetize, so<\/span>\u00a0don\u2019t skip this step. <\/span><\/p>\n

Prep Your Content Calendar<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your content calendar outlines all the assets you need for your release and dates for each asset\/action needed. Countdowns, art reveals, listening parties of live release party announcements, ticket links, and calls to action (like Spotify pre-saves) are all fodder to add to your content calendar.<\/p>\n

Use my SMM Organizer <\/a><\/strong><\/span>to capture all of your posts and your VIPS. This will help you keep track of all the content that you will post. You can see there is a tab for each platform. If there are several of you in a team or a band, assign one platform per person. You will also see a VIP tab <\/span>here where you will add industry people you need to connect with in real life (more on that below).<\/span><\/p>\n

Six Weeks Before Music Release<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Submit Your Music to Your Distributor<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

If you are leading this music release with a single (or many), make sure to let them know you are releasing a single(s) FIRST before the EP (if this is the case). You must have your single artwork ready at this time! Tunecore, DistroKid, CD Baby, and other aggregators can take 4-5 weeks to pitch your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon Music, and other digital service providers (DSPs).<\/p>\n

Launch a Facebook Like Campaign and Instagram Ads to Get More Followers on Your Pages<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you haven’t done so in a long time, go through your personal Facebook page and ask all of your friends to like it. I know this may seem crazy to do during a time when Facebook is catching a lot of heat, but promoters, venues, and music bloggers still look at social numbers, so make sure yours are consistently growing (and don’t buy fake fans ever!).<\/p>\n

Releasing Singles\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a great way to build buzz, get fans excited, and get some music bloggers and playlists interested. Any reviews you can place will help build your overall online profile.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the press side of the house, aim for appropriate blogs. If you are a brand new artist, Pitchfork is probably <\/span>NOT <\/span><\/i>appropriate. Go for smaller, more targeted music blogs! <\/span><\/p>\n

That said, reach out to your \u201cwithin reason\u201d dream targets with your single(s).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Album reviews take a considerable amount of time, and if you look, most music sites are reserving these full album review slots for the most anticipated albums, so don’t feel disappointed if you don’t get full album \/ EP reviews (they are not en vogue these days)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Announce a Music Release Event: Live Show or Listening Party<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you play live, book a release show and do something to make this show more special than the others. Decorate the venue, work with the bar to create a special cocktail, pre-sell a merch pack, hire a party bus, ask a food truck to pull outside the venue, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t play out, create a listening party at a small bar, create an after-work happy hour, or choose a local favorite coffee shop. If you are just starting and don\u2019t think you can draw a large crowd, hold a listening house party with wine tasting, cupcake bake-off, fondue party, etc.\u00a0<\/span>Think about your fans and make this special for them. And, of course, the key is to announce that tickets are on sale and share links!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Launch Your Music PR and Playlisting Campaign\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a great way to build buzz. If you are hiring a PR team, this will be the time they\u00a0launch.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Two Weeks Before Music Release<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Build the Momentum!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep the excitement up on your socials by scheduling countdowns across your socials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Write your ‘Day Of’ email so it’s ready to go out.<\/p>\n

Hold a contest to win the new music or give away tickets to your show or listening party.<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 Music Release Day – Be Ready For It<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Prep Your Website:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n