Coldwave Blog - Music Tips For Independent Artists

Blog post originally from the   SymphonicBlog . By Concert Window . Whether you’re an emerging artist or a seasoned professional, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of online resources out there these days, all claiming to be the best way to either engage with your fan base, reach new audiences, or make money. The virtual concert is a relatively new concept, but one that is growing rapidly and is proving hugely successful on every level. A virtual concert is basically a show you broadcast online, allowing people to tune in from anywhere by mobile device or computer. It’s as easy as opening up your laptop and performing from your own home. Music fans around the globe can tune into the live show, pay for tickets, give tips, buy merch and chat with you, all in real time. Best thing about it is you only need to get dressed from the waist up.. . . . we’re joking…. No really, please cover up! Below is a guide to help you create the best experience for fans and cash ...

Blog post originally from the   SymphonicBlog . By John Waltmann. So you’ve created your Twitter page for your artist or band, that’s great! Now what? Here’s How to Promote and Utilize Your Band or Artist Page on Twitter. It can be a scary and intimidating situation starting a social media page from ground zero and these tips may help you grow your network of followers and help promote your music for the future. First and foremost, the Twitter page you’ve created should have an association with the rest of your musician or band social media pages. Google and other search engines will prioritize your pages if it can recognize multiple pages for your band. In a perfect scenario, all of your slug URLs would be properly streamlined to look like, for example: Facebook.com/mybandname Twitter.com/mybandname Soundcloud.com/mybandname If you can’t get these perfect, it’s not the end of the world, but try small variations like adding ‘music’ or ‘band’ or your local ‘city’ af...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Guest Post by Camille Evelyn. “As social media marketers, we tend to sweat the details. Am I posting at the most ideal times? Are my posts formatted to perfection? Do my updates have the right tone and brand personality? But while these things are important, there’s one thing that is most critical. And it’s something that is often overlooked by many marketers. That thing is consistency.” – Kelvin Claveria Welp! Mr. Claveria said it quite well! This article has one purpose, and that is to give you ideas on how to keep your social media buzzing and creating consistent content. Here we go! Have a weekly show/release Having a weekly show is one of the most common ways to keep your fanbase entertained on a regular basis. You can do a vlog (video blog) of your activity for the past week, release a cover or freestyle. If doing a cover or freestyle, have a download link in the description of the video. Also, be sure to give the segment a cat...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Written by Janette Berrios . Your website is one of the most valuable marketing tools you have as an indie musician today. Even considering all the hype and glorification around social media and crowd funding platforms, the website is still your number one way to get new fans, connect with your fans, and sell your music. Of course, a poorly made website probably won’t get you the results you’re looking for, but with a few basic strategies you can turn your website into an awesome marketing tool. An effective online marketing plan uses your website to create a ladder of interest from casual fan to super fan. With this is mind, your website needs to address different fans’ needs. Someone who has just discovered your music may want to hear your most popular song or read a bio to learn more about you and your music, while a super fan will want exclusive content. 1. Free Content The first step of the process is using social media t...

Blog post originally from the  SymphonicBlog . As a textbook Gemini, I struggled with branding for a long time. It was frustrating to me because I would see beginning artists nail this aspect without realizing it simply by being who they are (matching their inner self with their outer self). But when you feel like two (or more) different people, it’s tough to reconcile these pieces. The trick is finding cohesive elements within yourself that are slow to change. I have broken down the topic into elements I feel are important when branding yourself. Message (or Mission Statement) What do you sing about? What do you strongly believe? What are you trying to tell the world? Can you incorporate your other interests? Personality Are you a hoot? Melancholy? What’s your default state? (Note: Your persona does not necessarily have to be your real personality. You can create a “character”, but it has to be solid.) How do you get your point across? Through shouting, pondering...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Writen by  Ta'Rikah Jones . Join Shazam’s community of artists on the blue carpet! Getting verified on this platform is simple and can help you to connect with more fans. Shazam is the place where the world discovers music…and often where artists can engage with fans long before other social networks. Join the likes of Armin van Buren, Major Lazer, and more! Here are our tips for getting verified on Shazam: To become a Verified Shazam Artist, click here . If you have a verified Twitter account, you music follow Shazam on the social network to be considered. Once you visit the verification page, Shazam will ask you a few questions. It is helpful that you have your contact details, email address, high-quality photo, and details about your artist page on Twitter, Facebook, or SoundCloud. By becoming a Verified Shazam Artist, you also get access to Shazam Connect. This will help you to understand how your music is perf...

Blog post originally from the MusicClout . With today’s technological advances, musicians have an unlimited amount of choices for furthering their music career. The rise of social media in the last ten years has made it easier than ever to attract and reach out to your fans. With each one of today’s social media platforms having its advantages and disadvantages, it is important to have an understanding of what works and what doesn’t on each particular platform. In this article, we will focus on Twitter. Twitter is an online social media networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called, tweets. Users can access Twitter through the website interface, SMS, or the mobile device app. In 2013 Twitter was one of the ten most visited websites. It has been described as, “the SMS of the internet.” Twitter, more than any other platform,  makes it easy to find new fans of your music. Below I’ve outlined a list of nine things every musician m...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Written by  Joe Pacheco . Most artists often think of Spotify as a place where fans listen to music, but it is more than that these days. Yes, fans rely on streaming services such as Spotify more and more every day but need the same interaction from social media platforms such as Facebook to stay updated and continue being listeners. Here are some reasons why Spotify is important for artists to maintain their fans! Spotify playlists Curated playlists on Spotify are a really big deal in staying relevant and continuing to be discovered. Here are some reasons why playlists are important for musicians to maintain: •    Creating playlists as an artist will show fans what songs and artists you enjoy listening to and be something fans can follow and interact with you through. •    Update your playlists often so you always stay active on follower’s feeds. •    Following and listening to your Discov...

Blog post originally from MusicClout . If new artists are akin to California fires, the intensity is still the same as it was 20 years ago. It's just that more people now have matches. Sadly, they're all choosing to light up in the same spot. Everybody wants a major deal. It makes you wonder how many more crooked deals will be dealt before newcomers finally decide to promote their art independent of the strings of majors. Aligning with a major label offers few benefits beyond the spoils of fame and the facade of a panoramic lifestyle. Let's examine the merits and demerits of being on a major label, shall we? Fame Sure, having the long-reaching tentacles of majors will help deliver your product to the masses and bring you ample exposure. The problem is that new artists often get peanuts on their percentages in exchange for fame. Who wants to be a broke but famous star? Advances It's true that you're likely to get large advances from majors. That said, just ...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Managing an online presence doesn’t come easily to everyone. As a DIY musician, though, you don’t have much choice in the matter. Keeping your pages active and updated is hugely important to the maintenance and growth of your fanbase, as well as key in getting press and booking gigs . That said, you don’t have to use every single platform out there. Unless you’re a natural social media expert, consider streamlining your online presence by focusing only on the profiles that matter most. We believe these four are at the top of the totem pole of potential. We’re not saying the ones we’ve left out aren’t useful; they certainly can be. But spreading yourself too thin in your online efforts isn’t hard to do, so zoning in on mastering this lot will likely do you the most good. Here are the top four online profiles every musician must have! 1. Facebook The latest reports continue to show that, in terms of popularity, Facebook remain...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Written by Ta'Rikah Jones . If you’re an artist or a band that’s new to the world of social media, hashtags may seem confusing or pointless. These little symbols are a vital way for way people communicate and digest information online. Not only are they important but they can also increase your engagement rate and followers. What is a Hashtag? A hashtag is social media’s way of categorizing something, whether it is a Tweet, an image, or video. It allows web surfers (who can be fans or potential fans) find your content related to the keyword you use that can be related to a specific topic, music genre, upcoming show, or new music. For example, let’s say you want to promote your latest song on Twitter: ♬ Check out my latest song | “Lean On”(insert link) | #NewMusic #ElectronicMusic Anyone who comes across your tweet can click #NewMusic and immediately be directed to a Twitter database full of Tweets with that hashtag. ...

Blog post originally from MusicClout . A Guest Post by  Sahpreem A. King . @sahpreemking I get sick and tired of artists telling me that they are already doing the things necessary for success, when in fact; most of them haven’t the foggiest idea what music business success looks like. When you don’t know, then your objective should be humility, and within that state of humility you will allow yourself to be open to not only constructive criticism, but also opportunity. Nowadays, a lot of artists have grown accustomed to writing checks with their mouths that their asses can’t cash. Moreover, artist arrogance is not a new phenomenon it has existed ever since the people who cut the checks told average musicians that they were superstars. Nevertheless, artists like Kanye “I am Michelangelo, I am Walt Disney, I am Steve Jobs” West have gotten more and more famous for being high off their own supply (rants) rather than their music.  Sure it is arguable that Kanye ...

Blog post originally from MusicClout.com A guest post by Janette Berrios of Symphonic Distribution Being a musician these days is tough! Back in the good ‘ol days, artists just had to worry about learning their craft and booking shows, hoping to get radio support along the way that could eventually get you signed to a label. But today things have gotten a bit more complicated. But with every challenge there always lies opportunity. This opportunity is that we now have more access to information than ever before–information is knowledge. Now all the barriers of entry only large record labels knew about are out there in the open. With a bit of research and time, we know the industry works and we know how musicians can make money in it. Artists today are lucky to have a window of opportunity literally at their fingertips for thousands of music fans to discover them. These music promotion tips will help you to bring your music into the digital age. Hopefully this post will sh...

Blog post originally from MusicClout . A Guest Post by Rowen Bridler . The good thing to note about realising you’ve made a few mis-steps in your career is that this is a perfectly valid entrepreneurial business tactic – it’s called ‘testing’. If something didn’t work, you know not to do it again and that way, you learn what does work. However, far too many musicians spend too long doing things that aren’t working without realising it, and that adds up to tedium, frustration and a major lack of progress. So, stop for a moment and check if you’ve been doing any of these things: 1) Being inconsistent Do you only work on your songs when you feel like it? Do you only play gigs when a friend mentions there’s a free slot one evening? If you can’t say when you practise and when you’re next gigging, you are probably projecting a kind of ‘hit and miss’ approach to your career. You can fix your inconsistent behaviour by setting aside certain non-negotiable times when you’ll defi...

This article originally appeared on   PowerPublicity . Publicity is a powerful tool to increase awareness of your music, build your image, and grow your brand. While many emerging artists know they need publicity, they have misconceptions about how publicity works and how it fits into their overall marketing plan. Some even think that publicity is the magic component to catapult their career into mainstream success. We hate to tell you, but it does not work that way…at all. These misconceptions can prevent you from running a campaign on your own or with your publicist. Here are seven music publicity myths that musicians believe. Myth: Publicity will boost my albums sales There is no direct correlation between publicity and album sales. The main purpose of publicity is to generate awareness for your music and brand. While publicity does not directly lead to sales, no one will listen or purchase your music if they do not know it exists, right? Myth: Publicity is going to make me fa...

Blog post originally from the SymphonicBlog . Written by Ta'Rikah Jones . So you’ve created an awesome electronic music track but you’re not sure where it should be featured? No worries, we’ve created the infographic below to help you out! Here are the online music stores for your music by genre! If you want to increase the probability of your music getting featured, click here . If you’re not sure how feature placements in stores work, click here . Ta'Rikah Jones Symphonic's Marketing Coordinator, love discovering new music, shopping, yoga and reading!