Tag: diy music marketing

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How To Make The Most Of Spotify’s Canvas Tool

Canvas on Spotify

There are going to be a lot more looping videos on Spotify in the near future, and that’s good news for everyone.

Spotify is taking further steps to empower artists on its platform. This week, the streaming giant is expanding its Canvas visualization beta program to more of the ‘most active Spotify for Artists’ users. The company claims that adding a ‘high-quality [clip] to a track can increase streams, saves, artist profile visits, and shares.’

Canvas allows artists to create and feature looping visuals in the “Now Playing” area, which Spotify says is the most-viewed location in the Spotify mobile app. The clips last 3-8 seconds and can be updated as often as the artist desires. Here’s a Canvas clip in action for reference:

According to Spotify, “adding a high-quality Canvas to a track has increased streams by up to 120% and saves by up to 114%, in addition to lifts in artist profile visits and shares.”

The company adds, “It’s a way to get noticed and build a vision — and an excellent way to share more of who you are with your listeners, hopefully turning them into fans.”

But what makes a Canvas good, and how can artists on tight budgets compete with stylized visuals major labels can provide? Here are some tips to get you started:

Vertical video is king

Canvas uploads will be viewed by people holding their devices as they use the Spotify app. With this in mind, make sure the clips you upload are formatted for a vertical video presentation. 

Do not use your song title or artist name

That information is already present on the screen. There is something to be said for emphasizing your branding, of course, but Canvas is not the place to make that a priority. Canvas uploads should reflect the aesthetic of your music. Think of it as an extension of the music itself. It’s an expression of who you are as an artist, and you shouldn’t waste the limited space available to you with restating information that is already clearly available on the screen.

Avoid footage with talking, singing, or rapping.

Canvas clips are 3-8 seconds in length. If your clip features mouths moving they will rarely, if ever, sync up with the music. That could distract people, which in turn will make them lose interest in the song. 

Keep rapid cuts and flashing graphics to a minimum.

There are a number of people with sensitivities to strobe lights, as well as people who feel overwhelmed by quick edits. You want your Canvas to be as appealing as possible to as many people as possible, so try to avoid anything that might make people sick or otherwise uncomfortable.

Try telling a (very short) story.

3-8 seconds is not very long, but there are many ways to make something that grabs and holds listeners’ attention in that amount of time. After all, .gifs are equally as short and they’re widely considered currency in internet culture. Take up the challenge of creating content that seamlessly loops, or perhaps string together all the Canvas clips for your album to tell a single story. Think outside the box. Be weird. 

People love a theme.

If storytelling is not your strength, try using canvas to tie your music together with a theme. Pull from your artwork or branding to create visuals that leave a lasting impression on viewers. For example, if you have flowers on your cover art, try using flowers throughout the Canvas loops created for the individual tracks.

Focus on the middle.

What people see at the edge of your Canvas clip will depend on the device they are using to view the loop. With this in mind, keep the most important content of your video centered in the frame. That way, everyone who views the clip is guaranteed to see what you created in full.

Update often.

Canvas loops should not be considered a one and done scenario. Some artists have found success by changing their loops every week, while others rotate visuals on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Keep listeners on their toes by giving them new content to discover on a regular basis.

Don’t be an idiot.

People of all ages, genders, and ethnicities use Spotify to discover music. Creating Canvas clips containing violence, sex, or anything insensitive will get your content pulled and limit the potential reach of your music. In certain cases, Spotify may even delete your account. 

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A Step-By-Step Guide To Making The Most of Your Next Single Release

Your next single release should be the biggest moment of your career to date. Whether or not that turns out to be the case is entirely up to you.

In the streaming era, singles matter as much — if not more — than albums. A single song can determine whether or not someone gives the rest of your music a chance, if they see you on tour, or if they ever think of you again. You have one chance to convert listeners, and most of the time that chance is the first thirty-seconds (or less) of any song you choose to promote.

With this in mind, it is very important that you treat each single release as if it is the biggest thing to ever happen. Your singles should be events that are promoted heavily and celebrated thoroughly. Everyone should know you have a new song, even if they don’t get around to streaming the track themselves. 

Thanks to our pal Jesea Lee from High Road Publicity, we now have a seven-step guide to maximizing the value of a single release. Check it out:

Set a release date with enough lead time!

Most artists don’t have enough content to fill two months of promotion for a single song. Maybe you’re the exception, but generally speaking, four to six weeks is an ideal timeframe to promote new music. That allows you time to make sure everyone who cares about your career and many who don’t are made aware of your plans. 

Create a Spotify pre-save campaign.

Streaming is king, so you might as well bow down and acknowledge the reign Spotify has over the music business. Pre-saves ensure people don’t forget your new music is released, and they only take a few minutes to create. SmartURL is a tool which allows you to create different geo-redirect links for music & more. It is completely free, although some features are restricted to registered users only (registration is free!). SmartURL has a tool called ‘Pivot’, which will allow you to put all of your URL links into one landing page, such as iTunes/ Google/Amazon/Spotify, etc, and your fans can then choose their favorite service and be redirected to it. If you’re looking to only set up a pre-save, there is a specific ‘Pre-Save’ tool. This is open to registered users. To set up a pre-save on Spotify you’ll need the URI of your release.

Other pre-save link generators exist. Find the service that best meets your needs and use it.

Update your Spotify profile.

When your new single comes out, and the world is finally paying attention, how will people know who you are and what you’re all about? Spotify profiles can feel sparse at first, but you can make the most of them by adding thoughtful bios, tour dates, and plenty of pictures for your fans to enjoy. If you have the budget, please consider hiring someone to help create a bio and other content for your page.

Submit for Official Spotify Playlist Consideration and Release Radar.

Playlists are the new mixtapes. Placement on popular playlists can turn unknown musicians into viral sensations overnight, sell tickets, and get people talking about your music. Spotify has a great tool for playlist submission that will get your song in front of curators who oversee some of the platform’s most popular playlists. Here’s how it works:

  1. Log in or sign up to Spotify for Artists using a desktop computer.
  2. On the ‘Home’ section, click ‘Get Started’ next to the music you’d like to submit.
  3. If it’s an album or EP, choose one release to submit.
  4. Complete the playlist submission form, giving as much information as possible about the track.

Reach Out to Press and Independent Playlists

You know what is louder than you screaming into the void known as internet about your new material? Dozens of people screaming into the void about your new material.

Haulix is used by thousands of artists to reach tastemakers in all corners of the world with fully-customizable promo pages that compliment the music being shared. You can sign up today for a one-month trial, upload your contacts, and immediately begin promoting your music to people in positions of influence throughout the industry.

If you need help finding independent playlist curators, try this post or this one.

Tease on socials. 

Your creativity outside of writing and recording will likely determine how much traction your new single receives online, especially from people unfamiliar with your work. Create and share teaser clips, video clips, memes, song lyrics, behind the track information, and anything else you can think of to promote the song’s upcoming release. If you need help coming up with content ideas, especially if you have a limited budget, we recommend learning from artists like Heart Attack Man and Hot Mulligan. Both bands keep their names circulating throughout their music scene without needing to constantly release polished music videos or studio tracks. Just be yourself (in the most creative way possible).

Prepare your release day social posts

The last thing you want to happen on release day is to find yourself scrambling for content. At least five days in advance of your single release, take time to craft a series of social media posts that are unique to each of your channels. Know what you’re going to post to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as when you’re going to post it. That way, when the day comes, you can focus all your energy on engaging with listeners in real time. 

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What Artists Can Learn From Lizzo’s Success [VIDEO]

Lizzo is perhaps the most successful artist of 2019. Achieving that feat did not happen overnight, but her approach can work for anyone’s career.

No one is having a year like the one Lizzo is experiencing right now. From a successful album to sold-out tour dates, festival appearances, song placements, and more, no one has done a better job of being a constant figure in pop culture this year. Lizzo has the kind of career every musician hopes for, and today we’re exploring how she made it happen (before a label was involved).

Lizzo is not an overnight sensation or some flash in the pan talent. The success Lizzo is experiencing in 2019 is the result of a decade spent working hard in the shadows of mainstream music. Her biggest hits, “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell,” have been available online for years. Critics have been predicting her stardom since 2016, but convincing the masses took time and commitment to a message that has become the talk of every conversation in pop music.

You cannot duplicate Lizzo’s success by copying her style or sound. People will no doubt attempt this, but in doing so they are revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of her career. Lizzo is a leader. She is giving people something they cannot get anywhere else, and she is doing so in a way that is undeniably authentic.

In this episode of Music Biz, host James Shotwell breaks down four key lessons artists should learn from watching Lizzo succeed. These points can improve your career by setting you on a path for success that will develop in time. Check it out:

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Two Big Mistakes Musicians Make When Contacting Tastemakers

Overcoming the biggest hurdle in DIY music promotion requires a little thing called human decency. 

Music tastemakers are some of the busiest people in the entertainment industry. Even the smallest publications receive dozens of requests per day for coverage. Bigger outlets, as well as widely-recognized writers, may receive more than one-thousand emails any given week. The majority of the time, outlets and writers are busy dealing with established talent and music that is quickly gaining momentum online. Those able and willing to cover lesser-known acts only have a finite amount of time for discovery, which is why making a positive and immediate impact on anyone you pitch is essential for your success.

We write a lot of blogs offering advice for reaching tastemakers. We have even gone so far as to create contact lists to help people reach playlist curators. However, no matter how much we write and discuss music promotion, industry influencers continue to complain about up and coming artists’ lack of preparation and respect. People at all level of the industry often contact us with concerns that people are nowhere near as passionate about professionalism as they are becoming successful, and that — for most — is a huge red flag. 

With that in mind, here are the two complaints we receive most often, as well as advice on how to avoid further frustrating music writers, podcasters, and YouTubers in the future.

Know your audience.

Very few tastemakers have influence over every area of music. There are exceptions, such as The Needle Drop, but most critics and influences earn their positions in the industry by specializing in certain areas of music. 

The same goes for publications. Pitchfork may cover more music than anyone has time to listen to, but there isn’t one person doing all the work behind the scenes. Pitchforks, as well as most music publications, rely on teams of people — each with their own specialties — to curate content people should experience. 

Few things will get your pitch for coverage denied or overlooked faster than failing to understand what the person you’re contacting covers. This is especially with playlists, which can be extremely specific in terms of the music they’re looking to features. When artists begin flooding tastemakers with material outside their coverage area it only serves to frustrate influencers and lower their interest in music discovery altogether. 

It’s hard enough for up and coming artists to get attention today without having to compete with people who spam critics because they were too lazy to research the people they were contacting. Don’t contribute to the problem of over-saturation. Research every person and publication before reaching out. Be sure your email is going to someone or someplace that values the type of music you create. Otherwise, you’re just wasting everyone’s time, including your own.

Make it personal.

There is no Mr. Pitchfork or Ms. Rolling Stone. However, without fail, artists constantly spam inboxes of publications and writers without addressing the people on the receiving end. 

Worse still is the large number of artists who write a single draft of a pitch letter that they then copy and paste to all press contacts with zero personalization. 

A good rule of thumb for promoting your music is to make every piece of outreach as personal as the music you’re trying to share. Your songs mean everything to you. They are a representation of who you are what you wish to share with the world. Your promotional materials are an extension of that representation. 

It’s perfectly acceptable to create a pitch template for promoting your music that shares the same basic information with everyone you contact. However, that template should be a starting point for messages and not the entire message. Your outreach should aspire to make everyone feel as if you want them to hear your music more than anyone else in the world. Let them know you admire their work and that you understand what they are passionate about in music. Talk to them as if you’re trying to make a new best friend. 

Nobody wants to feel like they’re being asked for a favor by a stranger who has no interest in who they are, how they’re feeling, or what they’re trying to do with their own career. Make people feel special. 

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How to Throw Multiple Listening Parties for $100 or Less [VIDEO]

Listening parties can engage fans, grow your community, and raise awareness about your next release like nothing else in music.

There is no promotional event as incredible as a listening party. For an hour or more, fans gather together to experience the latest release from their favorite artist. The energy and excitement in these gatherings are electric. Everyone there is present because the artist’s catalog does something for them that nothing else in music or beyond can duplicate. Listening parties are a celebration of music’s power to move people, and you deserve to have them for your next release.

But there is a problem. Historically speaking, listening parties are often considered an expensive affair. You have to rent a space, be it a bar or venue, promote the event, create and distribute marketing materials, and perhaps pay for refreshments. Fans have often had to pay for the experience as well, be it through tickets or drinks.

We have a solution. For less than $100, you can plan and execute numerous listening parties all over the world on the same night. We can walk you through everything you need, but it’s up to you to find an audience. The plan below will only work if you have devoted fans who want to see you succeed. If you have those, then follow these steps to create an event no one will forget:

First off, you need to communicate with your fans. Whether this is accomplished through a newsletter or private Facebook group for key followers doesn’t really matter. Tell your audience you are seeking devoted fans willing and able to host small get together for your upcoming release. The only requirements they need to meet are a location for the event, the ability to host the event when you plan for it to take place, a computer, and speakers capable of playing music loud enough for everyone to hear your music. Be selective with your choices. The fans you choose will be representing you and your music for the duration of the event.

Haulix is the platform you will use to share your music with party hosts.

Next, you need a Haulix account. Haulix is the industry standard for music promotion, and right now they are offering one month of service free to everyone who signs up. Visit the Haulix website, pick a plan that works for you (we recommend Beast Mode to begin), and complete your registration. Haulix is the platform you will use to discreetly share your new music with listening party hosts. The service also allows you to control the number of times the music can be played, when people have access to music, and more.

The Promos screen is where you upload your music.

Once your Haulix account is activated, you will need to add your music to the service. Log in to your account and click the Promos tab at the top of the screen. Create a new promo with the music you plan to share through your listening parties. Be sure to add artwork, release information, and any other details you feel fans should know.

After your music is uploaded, begin creating introduction clips for your listening parties. Audio or video introductions are acceptable, but video content adds a personal touch. You may even want to make different videos for each event. That allows you the opportunity to specifically address each crowd by mentioning their cities or states, which again, helps create a connection with those in attendance. You can add the videos to your Haulix promo or upload them to YouTube (leaving them unlisted).

Promo invitations grant party hosts access to your music.

With all your materials complete, deliver the videos and event details to each listening party host with personalized messaging that reinforces dates, times, and any other particulars. Then you need to use Haulix to invite your hosts to engage with the materials you uploaded. You can find a step-by-step guide for sharing music on Haulix using the company’s help site.

After the event, be sure to send thank you notes to the hosts and any attendees. Personalize the messages to ensure people know you appreciate the work and time they dedicated to promoting your work. You should also consider revoking access to the materials through Haulix to ensure the album or single does not leak in advance of its release.

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The Importance of Merch Sales in Music Today [VIDEO]

With streaming music replacing physical media sales more and more, artists are increasingly dependant on merch sales to stay afloat.

It is no secret that streaming royalties pay artists far less than traditional album sales. The top-paying music services give artists about $0.006 per song stream. Spotify, which is the most popular subscription service, pays roughly half that amount.

Last week, UK metalcore group While She Sleeps made headlines around the world by releasing merchandise that explicitly aired their frustrations with streaming royalties. The shirt in question reads, “One t-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music in 2019 is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting an artist.”

While She Sleeps is not wrong. In today’s music business, merchandise sales matter more than ever. An artist who is capable of moving huge volumes of merch can turn industry heads faster than an artist with a viral single because executives know merchandise sales are where the most money is being made in 2019.

But how does an artist sell merchandise? There is more competition than ever for listeners’ attention, which means there is increased competition for their financial support. There are also no shortcuts to selling large amounts of merchandise. That said, there are ways artists can position themselves for success, which is what we’re going to discuss today.

In this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell details the increasing importance of merchandising in artists’ careers. He also offers advice for creating merch your fans will want to buy, complete with examples from artists with immensely dedicated followers.

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How To Reach Music Critics and Influencers [VIDEO]

Sharing music has never been easier, but reaching people in positions of influence is harder than ever before.

Despite reports that claim otherwise, music criticism is alive and well. There are more musicians than ever making and releasing more music than ever at a rate never anticipated, which is why people continue to turn to influencers and people they view as having authority for help with new music discovery. Most people do not have the time to constantly listen to artists they don’t know, but many are willing to listen to those that do. That is why influencers continue to matter, and it is why they will always have a role in music.

But there is a problem. The increased competition for attention has made reaching tastemakers in positions of influence difficult. For every new artist that receive a bit of recognition, there are dozens whose emails and DMs go unanswered. Having a great song doesn’t matter unless you can make people care about it, and sadly, most artists are incapable of accomplishing that task.

In the latest episode of Music Biz 101, our ongoing web series, host James Shotwell breaks down four tricks for engaging with tastemakers every artist needs to know. These tips are easy to follow, and they can be applied in every genre of music, but you will still need great music as well. Success in the music business today requires both business and creative skills. One without the other may get you far, but it won’t build a lasting career.

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Four Simple Tricks For Reaching Tastemakers

Everyone wants to discover the next superstar artist, and every young artist wants to be the next big thing. We’ll help you stand out in four steps or less. Just make sure the music is good.

It has never been easier to share your music than it is right now. At the same time, however, it has never been more challenging to reach the people in positions of influence. With the barrier to entry into the music marketplace at an all-time low, aspiring talent has flooded the industry with music they believe could change the world. No one has time to listen to everything, but everyone who is anyone receives constant requests for their attention.

As a music critic and journalist myself, it is not unusual to receive more than one-hundred emails per day. During busier times of the year, such as October, that number can quickly rise above the two-hundred email mark. I want to claim that I find time to listen to everything, but that would be a lie. I look at what I know first, and then I try new things, but only if there is enough time (and there is rarely enough time).

When I speak at conferences and colleges, musicians and aspiring music professionals ask how they can cut through the noise. They yearn for a simple, secret solution that the public doesn’t know about, but no such tool or trick exists. What I tell them instead is what works for me, which is not unlike what works on everyone else. The advice may seem simple, but it is useful.

First impressions matter

You would not believe the number of artists who blindly send their music to tastemakers every single day without as much as an introductory email. These releases, by and large, go unheard. Why should I spend time listening to someone I don’t know who shows no interest in knowing me? People prefer to work with people they know and believe in, so make yourself known and give them a reason to believe in you.

Email is an excellent place to start, but social media might be even better. Engage with posts from tastemakers you hope to reach and let them know you appreciate their work. Don’t worry about selling yourself as much as making a good impression. If you can do that you will be miles ahead of the competition.

Send links, not files

As I said before, most tastemakers receive over one-hundred emails a day, and those explicitly working in artist discovery tend to receive countless more. As a result, everyone’s inbox space is limited. The only thing attaching song files to an email will accomplish is earning your letter a one-way ticket to the recipient’s trash can.

Comparisons can be enticing

Artists like to believe they are the only person/group on the planet capable of making the kind of music they create. There may be some truth to that, but you probably have more in common with other artists than you realize. Everyone is writing about either themselves versus the world, themselves versus nature, or themselves versus themselves. There are only so many stories to tell. You are likely influenced by many who have written songs about the same things you now hope to discuss. By using smart comparisons, you make it quicker for industry professionals to understand the type of music you’re creating. The faster they can understand you and your sound, the better.

Use a promotional distribution platform

The concept of “faking it til you make it” is a good approach to the music business. Industry professionals want to work with artists who know how to sell their music and how to manage the business of music.

There are numerous ways to send music to industry professionals. You can use file-sharing services or streaming platforms, but most don’t make a great lasting impression on listeners. If you want to present your art in a manner that reflects who you are as a creator, then you need a promotional distribution service.

Haulix offers a secure way to share streams and downloads of your latest release through email invitations and promotional web pages customized to reflect your talent. Not only will you be sharing your music using a service that the industry recognizes, but you will be doing so in a way that places the focus on you. Your promotional page will have no third-party ads and minimal Haulix branding. Your pages will represent you, and they can be customized to do that in many ways (cover art, background images, videos, bio, tour dates, etc.).

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Music Marketing 101: Work The Line

Clever digital marketing will get you far in the music business, but creative real-world marketing still matters.

Waiting in lines is an essential part of the live music experience. Be it a club show or an arena gig; music fans stand in lines to enter virtually every show they attend. The most dedicated followers often line up hours before anyone else to ensure they get to stand as close to their musical heroes as possible. That kind of devotion is an essential part of fandom, and it provides up and coming musicians a great opportunity to build their following.

When tours come through your region with lineups that relate to the music you perform, you should be working the line. In the simplest terms, working the line refers to a face-to-face promotional effort where musicians engage with music fans waiting to attend a show. It’s simple, effectively free, and can yield new followers of your career.

Many musicians work the line in three simple ways:

  1. The performers carry signs or wear shirts promoting their music. That way, everyone who sees them also sees their logo.
  2. Musicians will often carry a phone or portable MP3 player with high quality (over the ear) headphones. With each person they encounter, the musician will ask them to give their music a chance. They will also have CDs and download cards available for anyone who may feel compelled to make a purchase on the spot.
  3. After sharing their music, artists will ask consumers to sign up for their mailing list or to follow them on social media. That way, everyone who takes an interest in their music is contacted at least one additional time in the future. 

Some musicians think outside the box. Recently, I was walking by a venue in Grand Rapids, MI, when I spotted the following message written in chalk under an overpass:

Grand Rapids’ rapper Beatrat has the right idea when it comes to music promotion.

When fans line up for shows at that venue, the crowd often stretches under that same overpass. Considering there are no billboards or businesses in that space, this message from Beatrat is likely to garner some attention. It may not be pretty and it may not be the best possible representation of the music, but it is effective.

If you’re not working the lines outside venues in your area to promote your music then you letting dozens or more potential fans slip through your fingers. Step outside your comfort zone, learn how to talk about your music, and put yourself out there.

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PSA: Your band does not belong on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the place where professionals from every industry connect, but the platform has nothing to offer groups trying to promote their new release.

Social media plays an essential role in music today. Every artist has at least one account. Most have several, and if they’re smart, they create unique content for each. 

Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the web’s most prolific business strategists, says people should share 100 pieces of content per day on social media. That is a lot of work, especially if you are creating content for platforms with nothing to offer your career.

LinkedIn is no place for bands. Musicians balancing their passion for performance with the need to work a day job may find it useful for networking, but it is no place for music promotion.

That should be obvious. No aspect of LinkedIn or its marketing is meant to engage musicians. Some could argue it barely engages the music industry at large. Still, not a week goes by without musicians — or worse, bands — send invitations to industry professionals at all levels of the business.

This does not convey “I understand the internet.”

Using LinkedIn to promote your music with a profile could even be detrimental to your career. Label executives and A&R reps are seeking talent that knows how to leverage social media for success. A profile on LinkedIn for your music career reveals a lack of understanding. It says, “Hey world, I’m flailing. Please give me attention because I don’t know how to capture your eyes and ears.”

Instead of adding more social media profiles to your brand, focus your efforts on the platforms where people are already engaging with your music and similar artists. Specifically, work on maximizing your presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram before going anywhere else. That is where the online masses are engaging with content, and that is where the chance of discovery is highest. 

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