Where Artists Should Focus Their Promotional Efforts In 2022

New data on consumer behavior reveals the four digital platforms that musicians should focus their promotional efforts around in 2022.

The hardest part of building an audience today is finding where your potential fans spend their time. Consumers have never had more options for spending time and money between the numerous social media platforms, countless music publications, radio stations, streaming services, and various other choices. That’s a good thing if you’re a listener because it means you can find what works best for you, but for artists, the modern age presents a new set of obstacles that all artists must learn to overcome.

You probably don’t want to hear this, but paid advertising is one of the best ways to gain traction online right now. Targeting ads can help you reach your audience on the platforms they love the most for a relatively low cost. But again, you first need to know where your audience spends their time.

We’ve made videos and blogs about finding your audience in the past, but recently a new set of data has provided some unique insight into consumer behavior as a whole. First posted by Bruce Houghton of Hypebot from a report by Morgan Stanley, US adults over 65 spend 57% of their listening time on broadcast radio, but listeners aged 18-29 spend just 14% of their time there.

Legacy outlets (otherwise known as mass media that existed before the digital age) are also losing influence online. In fact, Morgan Stanley’s report found that 48% of all music consumption can be attributed to just four platforms—SiriusXM, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. 

Your fans are not populating one corner of the internet. It is most likely that your fans exist on all platforms, but knowing which four dominate consumption should help refine your marketing and targeted advertising. You can create a marketing funnel for your fans through experimentation with ads and content that directs them to one—or all—of the platforms above. 

Good ads can convince people to shift their behavior. But what about everyone else? If fans see you promoting Spotify more than any other platform, for example, they are more likely to consider Spotify when choosing—or switching—a music streaming service.

You will never wrangle everyone together, but by focusing your efforts, you can make a greater impact on the platforms that matter most while also better serving your community. Everyone wins!