Tag: Promotions

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Promoting Music and Making Money During Coronavirus [VIDEO]

Coronavirus Music Promotion

The live music industry is crumbling beneath musicians’ feet, but that does not mean the music business is in trouble. There are still many ways to maintain your creativity and generate revenue while touring is on hold.

The Coronavirus has turned the music industry upside down. In less than a month, virtually every tour and music festival have been canceled, with more postponed. These decisions have left countless artists without tour income they need to survive. That, coupled with the global closure or restriction of most service jobs, have left the global creative industry in dire straits. People are scared, and it’s hard to say when those fears will be alleviated.

No one can magically replace the revenue lost from live events, but the music business is still very much operational. The latest episode of Music Biz hosted by James Shotwell takes a look at what artists can do to maintain their sanity, continue creating, and — hopefully — generate additional revenue.

Don’t let the fear of the moment convince you that hope is lost. The music industry is incredibly resilient, and so is the human spirit. Throughout our history as a species, music has played a significant role in helping us through tough times and celebrations. Music keeps people believing in a better tomorrow, and when the time is right, people will flock to live music once more. Until then, do your best to apply the advice above, and try to take this unprecedented event one day at a time. You cannot control the world around you but you can control your influence on others.

For additional advice on sustaining your career during the Coronavirus outbreak of 2020, please click here and here. If you want examples of these ideas in action, we highly recommend individuals check out our stories on Code Orange and Dropkick Murphys. You should also follow Haulix on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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Artist Advice Editorials Industry News News

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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Artist Advice Editorials News

Want to be discovered? Be a conversation starter

Everyone is a critic, but not everyone cares enough to say something.

There is no way to understate how the music business has changed in the last ten to fifteen years. Previous generations of musicians would bend over backward to connect with key critics and genre gatekeepers to establish their presence in the industry, but that approach to marketing has largely vanished since the rise of streaming and social media. That isn’t to say critics don’t matter because they absolutely do, but these days critics are a dime a dozen, and only a select few have enough authority that labels, PR, and indie acts alike will go out of their way to get their attention.

The funny thing is, even though there are more critics than ever before, getting those with a voice to notice you remains difficult. Everyone has the power to comment on everything via their phone or laptop, but our current internet culture encourages us to discuss the same thing as everyone else through trending topics. Coverage of Ariana Grande has a higher likelihood of garnering attraction from the masses than a feature on the next unknown artist that might change lives despite the fact everyone and their mother is already talking about Ariana Grande. It’s a strange catch-22 that the people who need attention the least attract the most press coverage, but that’s the nature of the beast that is music journalism.

The only thing that disrupts the system anymore are artists that force people who otherwise wouldn’t post about their work to pay attention because they position themselves for viral popularity. That can be accomplished through branding, appearance, lyrics, or something else altogether that sets a performer or group apart from everyone else in their field. It doesn’t have to be controversial to spark controversy, it just has to be interesting enough to warrant discussion.

Take Lil Nas X, for example. The Atlanta artist was relatively unknown when he uploaded his now incredibly popular song “Old Town Road” to Soundcloud in late 2018. However, the track’s country-trap sound caught the attention of music fans hunting for something new, and even those who didn’t love the material would share it simply because they wanted to discuss the oddity they had discovered. Those conversations lead to viral videos on the platform TikTok, which then lead to additional conversation around the artist and song.

Another example is Triple Crown Records group Heart Attack Man. Before releasing as much as a song from their Sophomore effort, Fake Blood, the band began creating a discussion for their record by claiming publicists and managers deemed it too violent, too dark, and too controversial. The group then built upon those efforts by warning fans to avoid their singles and videos if they were sensitive to violence and violent themes, so even before people heard the material they thought it was something unique. Their push to appear controversial went so far that they started and ran their own anti-Heart Attack Man group called Mothers Against Heart Attack, which has a Twitter account. When users click the group’s link to their newsletter, they are sent to Heart Attack Man’s newsletter instead.

The shared trait between Lil Nas X and Heart Attack Man’s recent success is the absence of traditional album and single promotion. There are no promoted posts, no YouTube ad buys, or magazine placements. Both Heart Attack Man and Lil Nas X are becoming household names because they took it upon themselves to do something they knew would stir conversation. They accepted the old saying that any press is good press and let the internet do what it does best: run wild with vague understandings about the things that momentarily holds its collective attention. Did they make people mad? Yes. Did they make people happy? Yes. Are both things ultimately good for the artists? Yes.

Anyone can buy exposure. The price point is low, but so is the likelihood of becoming successful based on promoted posts and advertising alone. The true key to success in today’s culture is being someone or some group that is able to get people talking about their efforts. All the paid promotion in the world cannot compete with word of mouth, so save your money and focus all you have on creating something that gets people talking.

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Artist Advice Editorials Haulix

The best way to improve press coverage of your music

In an age of abundance, adding a personal touch to promotional efforts can go a long way toward securing coverage.

The world of music journalism is a bit of a mess. After years of major publications downsizing or going out of business entirely, blogs rising and falling in popularity, podcasts emerging, and influencers becoming a reliable source of promotion, it’s hard to know where to turn for coverage. Even if you can figure it out, there is another challenge in getting the outlets or personalities you want to cover your music to pay attention. 

The number of ways to promote your music has grown over the last decade, but the number of artists competing for the attention of those outlets has grown even more. The average music writer/influencer receives more than one-hundred emails a day, with many receiving several hundred more than that. Those messages contain everything from advance access to a record to news about tours, premiere requests, and countless ‘heads up’ emails about emerging talent.

Most music influencers are unpaid. A select few work full-time, with many more working freelance on a story-by-story basis, but the vast majority promote the music they care about to the people who trust their opinion without compensation. To say these individuals are stretched thin as far as time and attention are concerned is an understatement. The music press has been running themselves ragged for years, and it’s likely they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

With all this in mind, it’s important that publicists and independent artists alike take an interest in the outlets and influencers whose attention they hope to gain. Sending a pitch to an outlet unfamiliar with your work in 2019 is like tossing a coin in a wishing well. Even if it works, will you ever know if it’s because of your email or sheer luck?

The path to raising interest in your latest release lies in making members of the media feel seen and cultivating a friendship with them before asking for coverage. A few ways to do this include:

  • Following outlets and writers online.
  • Interacting with current content offerings (Like, reply, share, etc.).
  • Initiating contact by referencing specific articles or content.
  • Asking how they are before asking if they can help you.
  • Follow-up pitches with personal emails. Tell them why you think the material will matter to them, and tell them why it matters to you as well. 
  • Avoid copying and pasting the same email to everyone. Make each communication unique.

Just like making friends, not every attempt at engagement will immediately produce results. Everyone is trying to gain the affection of people who can help them, so even the more earnest messaging may be lost in the whirlwind that is someone’s daily activity online. The key is to not lose hope and remain persistent. Don’t be over-eager and absolutely do not get offended when replies do not happen as fast as you desire. Everyone is caught in the struggle, and everyone is doing their best. Remain calm and always be looking for an opportunity to help or otherwise show support. If you can do that — and if you write music fitting of what your target covers — results will come in time.

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Job Board News

New openings:

Marketing and Metadata Coordinator (Sounds True – Louisville, CO) 

Sounds True, a multimedia publisher specializing in spirituality and holistic living, is seeking a marketing and metadata coordinator to join our sales and marketing team. Our trade sales and marketing team connects Sounds True books, audios, and music to a vibrant community of readers and listeners. Our marketing and metadata coordinator balances a passion for accuracy and detail with a love for books, a genuine interest in our content, and an ability to coordinate multiple projects at once, including metadata distribution.

Support Stadd, Music (CAA – Nashville) 

CAA is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve in a support role within our Music Touring department, consisting of Country, CCM, Contemporary, and EDM music. The ideal candidates should be motivated, quick-thinking and open to working in a fast-paced environment while performing administrative tasks. The individual should be flexible, highly organized and have the ability to multi-task. This is a great opportunity to learn the music touring business, as the position can lead to other opportunities within the Music Touring department.

Marketing Specialist (Live Nation – NYC) 

This position’s primary role is to support venue & festival sales efforts within the Marketing Solutions group by developing sales materials and managing general information related to Live Nation venues & festivals.  Specific responsibilities include:

  • Maintain a list of all venues & festival nuances and serve as the “go to” person for general venue & festival information
  • Organize and manage Live Nation sales tools related to venues & festivals such as property marketing packages, one-sheets, etc.
  • Serve as liaison, reaching out to internal and externals stakeholders to ensure sales efforts are coordinated across all sales groups
  • Run, prepare and distribute weekly/bi-weekly venue & festival updates
  • Work with key constituents to gather venue & festival information pertinent to sales materials, brief designers on creative elements
  • Generally assist in the building of product and sales presentations including writing, copy editing, document formatting, and image sourcing
  • Participate in internal brainstorming sessions for new program/offering development
  • Monitor competing venues & festivals and competitive trends in business

US Marketing Manager (Spotify – NYC) 

We are looking for a US Marketing Manager to drive the regional strategy and execution of marketing efforts in line with the key brand and acquisition metrics outlined within the regional marketing strategy.  Experience in interpreting consumer trends, audience and data insights and translating into meaningful marketing initiatives is essential, as is the ability to translate highly strategic marketing bets into regional tactical executions.  This role will report to the US Marketing Lead.

Digital Marketing Assistant (TMG Austin – Austin, TX) 

This position may also be responsible for marketing administrative tasks including promotions, working festivals, event troubleshooting, general administrative tasks, and other tasks as assigned. The Marketing Assistant will curate social media sites and maintain venue/department websites.

Marketing Associate (The Chicago High School for the Arts) 

This position provides primary support for ChiArts marketing and communications activities. The Marketing Associate will assist the Director of Development and Executive and Artistic Director with building ChiArts’ visibility for the purposes of admissions and development, promoting ChiArts performances and showcases, designing marketing collateral, and managing ChiArts’ brand in printed and social media. The Marketing Associate reports directly to the Director of Development.

Administrative Assistant (Vulcan Inc – Seattle) 

Provide administrative and clerical support to the Music Events and Business Strategy groups. This position may perform a wide variety of activities in support of the teams as well as serve as primary resources for information about music events and other projects to both internal and external partners. This position provides general administrative support for the groups including invoice and contract assistance, external partner coordination of documents and meetings, as well as internal meetings and scheduling.  Assist in creating and recording the Music Events and Business Strategy groups organizational data, processes, and procedures.  Strong organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communications, and the ability to take initiative and exercise independent judgment within defined parameters required.

Marketing Assistant (Crowd Surf – Los Angeles)

Crowd Surf is a digital marketing firm in the entertainment industry. We are currently looking to hire a full-time marketing assistant to work in one of our Los Angeles offices.

Account Executive (Bandsintown – NYC) 

Bandsintown is seeking an inside sales / account executive to join the Bandsintown Promoter team in midtown Manhattan to aid in the development of new and existing b2b relationships. This role will report to the Director of Sales, and function as a primary contact point for concert promoters and venue marketers to engage directly with their target audience via email, mobile and other digital channels. 

Associate Event Producer (MKG – NYC) 

KG is looking for a passionate, driven Associate Event Producer to join the team overseeing individual agency projects and managing a variety of client relationships.  

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Supporting the planning and execution of multi-channel projects that include live events, content, social and digital driven initiatives.
  • Executing tasks as directed by supervising producers, including sourcing vendors, preparing key project/ production documents, tracking the budget and working on-site.
  • Balancing larger project support while owning individual smaller projects.
  • Scheduling, coordination and clear communication between internal team members, clients, and outside organizations/consultants.
  • Working with team to evaluate, develop and estimate costs and timelines against concepts, designs, goals etc.

Email Marketing Coordinator (AEG Live – Los Angeles)

The email marketing coordinator is a junior-to-mid level role. The incumbent will own, produce, and execute multiple email campaigns per week in a fast paced, rapid-growth environment dedicated to helping customers get to see their favorite performers at events across the country. If you are a detail-oriented person who can quickly master new tools and manage multiple deliverables at once with accuracy, we want to talk to you.

Day-to-Day Manager (Little Empire Music – Los Angeles)

Assist in day-to-day management for Little Empire artists, with an emphasis on in-house marketing, digital and publicity coordination. You will be working hand in hand with the executive management. Applicants should have prior experience in a similar position.

Sr. Marketing Manager, Social Impact (Spotify – NYC)

As a Senior Marketing Manager for Social Impact, you’ll be responsible for developing programs that change the world through music.  

You’ll have ownership over programs that aim to solve real social issues and contribute to brand and business goals.  You’ll be responsible for the development, execution, communication, and measurement of programs that align with our global strategy.  

You’ll source and evaluate public sector partners and work cross-functionally across all of Spotify to turn strategy into tangible programs.  We’re a small team, so come prepared to lead projects from research through optimization, and help us shape the future of Social Impact at Spotify.  

Senior Manager Marketing & Promotions (Staples Center -Los Angeles)

The Senior Manager of Marketing & Promotions is responsible for all marketing assets for shows at Microsoft Theater. This position will work closely with talent buyer(s) to develop, execute, manage and sustain marketing and promotional plans as well as identify venue and community strategies to advance new and current commerce. This position will work in conjunction with artist management, radio/TV, print, outdoor, digital and venue marketing team to create and develop an effective marketing plan that will reach the correct demographic and target customers appropriate for each show. This position will also be responsible for maintaining and tracking budgets to make sure funds are allocated correctly.

General Manager, Live Music Venue (Live Nation – Houston)

Full responsibility for all aspects of venue business operations.  Recruits, hires, trains and develops Department Heads and Managers;  resolves TeamMember and Guest conflicts/concerns;  complying to workplace standards;  communicates; ensures optimal guest experience and guest relations;  maintains and enforces all HOB standards and policies;  enhances revenues and controls costs.

Director of Marketing, Fender Digital (Fender – Los Angeles)

The Director of Marketing, Fender Digital is responsible for setting the strategy and leading the planning and execution of all marketing initiatives to drive global growth and consumer adoption of Fender Digital (FD) products and services. Fender Digital is focused on the development of digital products and services designed to compliment Fender’s core physical product experience and accompany players on their musical journey, from first-time player to lifetime musician.

Reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer, and dotted line to the GM Fender Digital, the head of marketing will build and lead a fast-moving, growth-oriented core Fender Digital marketing team, accountable for the development and execution of all marketing initiatives, branding strategies, content and marketing programs across all FD product platforms and channels, including .com, Ecomm, Fender Connect, Fender Applications and new Fender Products scheduled for release, starting in 2017.

Marketing and Publicity Assistant (Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) – New York)

Marketing assistant duties entail the creation of digital and print marketing collateral, the collection of sales data, and other tasks as needed to expand awareness of cinema at BAM and cultivate film audiences while helping to meet revenue and strategic goals.

Publicity assistant duties entail research on film programming, the creation of press materials, responding to journalist requests and inquiries, assisting the Publicity Manager at events and screenings, and other tasks as needed to help BAMcinématek – BAM’s repertory film program – garner press and publicity, enhance its reputation in the field, and reach its revenue goals.

Junior Designer (SFJAZZ – San Francisco)

Under the direction of the Director of Marketing, the Junior Designer is responsible for brand management for SFJAZZ, design, production of advertising (online, print, digital and broadcast), collateral development, and graphics. This is a hands-on position requiring a positive attitude, organizational and communication skills, clear understanding of and experience in branding, the ability to work in a collaborative team environment, the talent to create compelling and appropriate design solutions, and the discipline to manage multiple large projects responsibly. This person works collaboratively with another Graphic Designer within the Marketing Department.

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News

How To Take The First Step Towards Professional Success In 2016

Friday marks the end of 2015, and after what I can promise will feel like an all too short holiday weekend the vast majority of music professionals will be shaking off their Christmas break laziness in order to return to the endless grind that is entertainment promotion. If you’re a blog owner, or someone still doing everything in your power to make ends meet on a week to week basis, you are probably already working. For those individuals, and I include myself in that grouping, Christmas is a one or two day break at most. We can only survive if we have a steady flow of income, and most low to mid-level industry jobs do not come with two weeks paid vacation. Heck, I don’t receive paid vacation at all. If I take a day off I am also sacrificing a day’s pay, and I can only afford to do that a handful of times in any given year.

Let’s say you don’t get paid. Maybe you run a blog, or perhaps you intern for a label, but whatever the case you know this time of year to be a hard time to feel as if you’re still connected to the music business. When you see your peers posting updates from a beach or tweeting to proclaim they have no idea how to use all their free time you fight the urge to tweet something sardonic in response. It’s not that you hate those professionals, but you might envy them in some small way. As an up and comer, every break is more like a pause on your hustle towards the position you hope to attain. As writers, we can fight the lack of news and announcements that comes with every holiday break by crafting original content, but without anyone in a position of power to see/read/share the material you create there is a near-constant fear of having any hard work you do contribute going unnoticed.

I wish so very badly I could write to you with a creative way to expose yourself and your skill set within the industry during these slow times, but after a decade in this business I have found the best path to success is one that begins with a plan. I know that is not an innovative idea by any means, but having a plan has been proven to work time and time again in developing talent, both on stage and in professional circles. Plans make it possible to set realistic goals, as well as the steps needed to achieve them, and they help keep you on track while you’re trying to do anything or everything you can to establish yourself. I didn’t realize how much simpler my professional life could be with a calendar until I was over 25 years old. When I did, I immediately committed myself to using calendars in everything, from writing, to running a label, to simply staying in shape. Having a plan makes it possible to do more without inundating yourself with work, and as we head into the new year my hope for you is that you too learn to appreciate the possibilities the open up with a good plan is made.

With the time you have left before this year slips away I want to urge you to sit down and think real hard about everything you hope to accomplish in 2016. Once you have a few goals in mind, write them down, and follow those notes with a reasonable timeline for completion. Some tasks will take weeks, while others may take months Be honest with your abilities and build from there. Afterwards, take a hard look at each month in the coming year and begin plotting what you will accomplish on a week to week basis. If you’re running a blog, this means developing a content calendar. If you’re running a business, this means setting marketing and/or sales goals. Whatever the case, lay out as much of your future as you can think to piece together. If you don’t reach every goal or complete every task, that’s perfectly fine. What matters most is that you make a plan, stick to the plan, and wake every day knowing what must be completed to move closer to the position in life you desire.

I believe in you if you believe in me. Together, nothing can stop us.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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News

8 Steps to Creating an Effective Sales Promotion Strategy for Your Music

Hello, everyone! Thank you for finding a few minutes in your schedule to spend learning about the industry with us. We did not create the post you’re about to enjoy, but after reading it earlier this month we knew we had to make room in our content schedule to highlight what it has to share. Bobby Borg is an incredibly talented writer, and we’re honored to feature his work on our site.

This blog exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Sales promotions are short-term incentives intended to stimulate a quick buying response in your target customer. Coupons, one-time exclusive offers, customer loyalty programs, two-for-the-price-of-one discounts, and limited-time prizes with purchase are all examples of sales promotions in the consumer world. While it’s true you’ll have to give away your music for free to build awareness and help start a buzz, sales promotions can be applied to everything, including merchandise, studio time, music lessons, concert tickets, and more. From choosing the right type of sales promotion that fits your band, to executing your sales promotions tastefully, these eight tips will help you create a strategy that brings light to your products and services and generates healthy sales.

1. Decide on the type of sales promotion that fits your band

Whether you choose to utilize discount ticket coupons that you allow fans to print out from your website, or you announce a “one-time exclusive offer” to purchase your music at your record release party, remember that you must always stay in sync with the desired image you’d like to project into the marketplace. An anti-capitalistic punk band must obviously use sales promotions very subtly (or not at all), or they might otherwise come across as being phony.

2. Decide on the different media you’ll use to deliver your sales promotion

Remember that sales promotions can be delivered using internet techniques (email and your personal website), guerrilla marketing techniques (postcards and flyers you hand out to people on the street), direct marketing techniques (brochures you mail), and face-to-face selling techniques (pitches you make to music students and recording clients). The idea is to utilize a couple different mediums to ensure you thoroughly reach your intended audience.

3. Decide exactly when the sales promotion will begin and end

Sales promotions must have a clearly defined beginning and an end. Will it be just for the night of a show, for two weeks, or for the entire holiday season? Whatever it is, make it very clear. "Urgency" is a key ingredient in sales promotions and in getting your fans to ultimately respond.  

4. Test the sales promotion on a limited number of people

Before printing a few hundred coupons to send off to your fans, be sure to get some feedback on the words and graphics you use. The idea is to create the most effective promotion that will push your fans’ buttons and get them to take action. Test out your sales promotions on a small sample audience first and make any necessary adjustments. You’ll save time and money.

5. Keep the purpose of your sales promotion clearly in mind

Be clear on why you’re holding a sales promotion and what you’d like to achieve. Is your goal to sell a specific number of units so that you can take your musical act out on the road? Or is it to raise a certain amount of money for your Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign to produce a live concert that will benefit a charity? Whatever it is, state a very clear objective.    

6. Control the number of promotions you hold

Remember that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Sending out emails every other week telling people that they can record in your studio at a “one-time specially reduced price” just looks bad. Always be tasteful, truthful, and subtle.

7. Stick to the rules of the promotion

Don’t be tempted to make an offer that’s not in line with the rules of the promotion. Doing this can clearly compromise the integrity of the promotion and even your brand. Stick to your own rules! If you say the promotion ends on December 24, the promotion really needs to end on December 24.

8. Remember that “sales” is not a bad word

Some people think of marketing as sleazy or pushy. This reaction is usually due to bad past experiences with deceptive advertisements or pushy marketing tactics. But as media critic Douglas Rushkoff said in a PBS special entitled The Persuaders, "Don’t let your marketing show.“ If you can focus on the creation of products and services that uphold your vision, satisfy fans by giving them what they need, and present your offers in a non-intrusive manner that make fans feel like they’re part the process, people won’t even know you’re marketing to them. 

Unless you’re just a hobbyist, at some point you have to start generating some type of income from your music. Sales promotions cause fans to take action and help increase your sales. So make no mistake: if you want to make it, you have to market.

This post originally appeared on the SonicBids blog.

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