music branding Archives

Branding is an important part of any career, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating or time-consuming.

Let’s be clear: You have a brand whether or not you embrace the idea of branding as an essential part of existing as an artist in the modern age. Your brand exists and evolves whether regardless of your participation in its progression. People will think what they will or worse—not think of you at all.

Brand marketing is the process of establishing and growing a relationship between a brand (that’s you) and consumers (your current and future audience).

Every aspect of your career, both online and in the real world, impacts your brand. Some artists spend their careers meticulously crafting personas and fictitious worlds that they use to establish a brand that audiences can lose themselves in. Others prefer a more natural approach, presenting and behaving as everyday people in incredible jobs. Both ideas can work, and both can backfire. Authenticity reigns supreme.

When learning about branding, many artists shy away from the idea because they feel it will become too time-consuming to maintain. Musicians are trying to make music, and that creative pursuit rarely adheres to a traditional business model, despite being a business nonetheless.

In our latest Music Biz video, host James Shotwell presents five unique ways artist develop their brands and explains easy ways to apply similar thinking to any career. The purpose of this discussion is not to finalize your brand but to generate new ways of thinking about your art and how you tell your story through the many elements of your career.

Your music is your business.

You might not rely on music to pay your bills, but I am willing to wager that a part of you hopes will one day provide for your needs. The fact you even consider this as a possibility should make it clear that your music is a business. Your name – be it your own or that of your group – is your brand, and your product is a mixture of music and live performance.

The term ‘brand consistency’ refers to any attempt to communicate messages in a way which doesn’t detract or wander away from the core brand strategy, values and foundation. In other words, brand consistency is all about being yourself in everything that you do so that consumers know who you are, what you produce, and what your work is all about.

To be clear, brand consistency is much deeper than remembering to use the same logo with proper Pantone color over and over again. These things are helpful, but brand consistency is an ever-evolving process that pulls consumers into your narrative and makes them feel as if they are a part of your personal journey. From your music to the photos you choose to promote your every move, and everything in between, your message and focus needs to be clear.

Without brand consistency, consumers will lose sight of the message you are trying to convey, which in turn will cause them to lose interest. If they cannot understand what you are trying to do, they will find it hard to trust your future output, thus making it increasingly hard to convert listeners to supporters.

The biggest acts of today, be it Drake or Twenty One Pilots, have impeccable brand consistency. Everything these artists release relates back to the messages they are trying to convey, and in many cases further, a narrative that the artist has been developing for the majority – if not all – of their career.

Every artist and band should establish a brand and a guideline for maintaining it as soon as possible. These efforts should include instructions on how to use all your branding tools (name, logo, typeface, photos, color palettes, etc.). Being specific is key. Know exactly how you want to be presented and find clear ways to communicate that to anyone who works with you moving forward. This includes publicists, booking agents, promoters, etc.

If you are unsure of what your brand is or what people expect from your music, do not be afraid to turn to your fans for answers. Their response may not be uniform, but it will shed light on what elements of your current output are resonating most with your audience. Embrace those things, further emphasize them, and plot your next moves with that knowledge in mind.

For help marketing your new and unreleased music to the industry at large while staying on brand, consider using Haulix for your promotional distribution needs. Haulix offers customizable promo pages and email invitations no competitor can rival. Sign up now for a free one-month trial.