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How to Gain More Fans, Sell More Music, and Book More Shows in 2015

So, it’s about that time again – the new year is approaching, and all throughout social media there are artists from all over the world talking about how they want to really take their careers to the next level in 2015 – but how do they plan on doing this? Most artists miss the key factors that are involved in accomplishing these goals, so I’ve decided to compile a checklist of things that you need in order to go into the new year on the right track.

Now, in order to gain more fans, sell more music, and book more shows in 2015, you must make sure that you have the tools to do so! “But what are the tools?” you ask. Here’s a checklist to help you:

1. You need to have a WEBSITE. Imagine, you just submitted your music to a blog that you’ve wanted to get on for a long time. When they open your email, can they click a link that shows them everything they need to know about you in order to decide if they want to post your music? Having your own website (www.YOURARTISTNAME.com) will definitely make you stand out AND be easily searchable. EVERY professional artist has a website; there’s just no getting around it. Your website is your personal domain that is designed specifically to represent your brand. It is the backbone to your business. It allows you to sell music, showcase your music, collect email addresses via your mailing list, sell tickets to shows, plus keep everyone in the loop about the happenings in your music career. If you want to be taken seriously in 2015, you NEED to have your own website. (Need help with this? Learn about our branding, design, and content services.)

 2. You need to have a place for fans to purchase from you, and it needs to be an easy process. I want to buy your album, a t-shirt, and a ticket to your next show, right now. Do you have a way for me to do this? If not, you’re missing out on a major part of your career, which is actually making money with your music. You know what will solve this problem? A website! Need our help with this? No problem, learn about our design packages.

 3. You need to have a MAILING LIST! Why? Well for a few reasons. In order for your fans to continue to buy tickets to your shows and check out your new music, you need a way to keep all of them in the loop. Having an email newsletter is the perfect way to do so. Plus, instead of going on Facebook or Twitter and tagging everyone you know with a link to your new music video, imagine creating one email and sending it out to EVERYONE at one time. How awesome would that be? It’s all possible with your own list of subscribers. Do you have a place where I can sign up to your newsletter? If not, let us help you. Learn about our PR services.

Last but not least, you need to be CONSISTENT with everything you do. I know that sounds like common sense, right? But you wouldn’t believe how many new artists have a hard time with this! People will gravitate towards artists that show that they are the real deal. The more you’re in people’s faces, the better results you’ll get. This means keeping your social media accounts updated with new content daily, releasing consistent content such as behind the scenes videos, music videos, in studio vlogs, entertaining articles, and everything in between. You say that you want to take your career to the next level in 2015, so you MUST have these tools. We know that you just want to create music, however, the music is only 10-20%. The business takes up that other 80%. So, now it’s time to get your business in order. I wish you all the best of luck in the new year! And remember, if you need any help, I’m always here! (contact me at @BreezyB215, or @ExclusivePublic or email: brianna@exclusivepublic.com)

By the way, if you’re an artist that needs ALL of the above, we have a range of services to help make sure you start the year off right.

What Makes Music Great? (A Fan’s Perspective)
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  • On September 7, 2014
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Any good song can make you tap your foot. Only great songs tap into your emotions. Do you want to write great songs? I’d love to share the little I’ve observed about creating art that appeals to people’s senses, and why it is important to us, your fans.

Easily, the difference between an artist and an Artist is the ability to be vulnerable. An Artist is a creator. Have you ever thought about what it means to create something? Think about the iPod! Apple could have kept on making computers, but there would always be Toshiba, Sony, Dell or Acer competing right beside them. Apple chose to create something that didn’t yet exist. That is where the art truly lies! Songs about partying, sex, drugs and clothes already exist. Yes, they’re fun and catchy and serve their purpose. But without vulnerability, there’s nothing you can say that hasn’t already been said. No one thought about being the “Man In The Mirror” before Michael Jackson painted that picture. No one had the words “Ghetto Gospel” in their head before Tupac rapped it. “Popping bottles”, however, is not new.

Now more than ever, the pressure is on to have a hit. (And really, it’s our fault. We’re so demanding!) Not only must you create a song that is widely appreciated, but you must do it over and over, or face the real threat of irrelevance. There’s pretty much a formula for creating songs we’ll hear on the radio, but sometimes what you want to say doesn’t fit the formula…right? Consider McDonald’s. When you buy a meal from McDonald’s you know exactly what you’ll get and it tastes the same every time. They slap that burger on the bread for order #253 and that’s it. You eat lots of it and you get fat and sluggish. Now think about Thanksgiving at home. There’s a variety of dishes, made from scratch, with care and love. You aren’t an order number. You’re “sweetheart”. You eat it and feel nourished and you bond over this meal. Music can be thought of in the same way. People can’t live off fast food hits. We all need those home cooked lyrics and melodies. When I’m fed up with my circumstances, as all of us get, I don’t reach for the latest single from Chris Brown. Though it is debatable whether or not these hoes are loyal, it all becomes irrelevant when the water bill is due and I’m broke. It’s certainly not relevant when my heart is broken, and offers little solace or inspiration when I feel insecure or rejected. And don’t we all feel these things at some point? There’s a place for everything and I’ll hesitantly admit that “Loyal” is my guilty pleasure. That beat is just sick, really. But imagine if Chris Brown never sang “Don’t Judge Me”, or Rihanna never sang “What Now”. Imagine if Eminem never bothered to reflect and write “Headlights”, or Kanye never wrote “Jesus Walks.” These are just a few examples from the 2000’s. We can go further back and see the trend. The songs your fans tend to cling to are the ones that serve as soundtracks to our lives – the breakup, the crazy summer, the new love, the new job, the rough patch! Gandhi said “Speak only if it improves upon the silence”. If you’re not adding your voice and experiences to your music, reflecting and presenting your take on various themes and topics, then nothing you say matters in the grand scheme of things. Sorry.

To those artists who are simply too afraid to “go there”, I’ll say this: I imagine it’s difficult to dig into the heart of what you’re feeling and seeing around you, but just imagine the reward of knowing I heard it, and felt less alone! Just like dogs smell fear, people sense realness, and we’ll back you till the end if we sense that you’re being real with us. You’re holding back, and you know it! Remember what it’s like to be one of us! Think about the music you go to when your soul is worn out. Remember what it feels like to find a song you connect with, and put on repeat for a week. Those songs that describe how much you love him/her – write one of them. Those songs you play in the gym to get you going – write one of them. Those songs you play right before an exam or interview – write one of them. Those songs you cry listening to – by all means, write one of them. That thing you’re afraid to say – say it, because there is someone afraid that they’re the only one who feels it. If you find yourself in a moment that lacks that perfect song to go with it, write it! Someone is waiting on that song, to add to the soundtrack of their life.

The world will never run out of club bangers and baby making music, but if you bow to the pressure of popularity and forget to be vulnerable, we will run out of art.

p.s Adele won a Grammy for Album of the Year, with 21. So I guess mastering the Art of Vulnerability has its benefits!

Article written by: Camille “Adaeze” Evelyn (@Adaezelyrics)

How To Properly Market Your Music

The main goal is to get your single out to as many people/blogs as possible  (in your target audience) in the quickest amount of time. The way to do that is by going after the bigger blogs, plus the people that you know will listen to and share your music. Think about it, it’s more influential when someone else says your hot than if you say it (of course you think your music is hot!). Here are a few steps that will help you properly utilize the network that you already have and I threw in a few tips to help when launching music:

  • Put together a list of all the music blogs that you are in contact with. You might want to put this information into an excel spreadsheet that has ‘name of blog’ ‘web address’ ‘point of contact’ (name + phone if applicable) and ‘submission email.’ Once you’re done you will have a clear picture of all the music blogs that you can send your music to, and you can add to this list as often as possible.

  • Use Tune-core to post your single/EP to itunes, cdbaby, amazon.com etc. Just go to (www.tunecore.com) and they will walk you through it.

  • EMAIL BLAST – Prepare a press release and send to everyone relevant on your contacts list (You should organize your contacts into categories like ‘music blogs’ ‘DJ’s’ ‘music execs’ ‘artists’). Be sure to include your music  video, links to your websites, link to itunes download, photo of you, and a small bio.

  • Gather up ALL write ups about your music and post them daily.

  • Go through your twitter followers and create private lists: categorize followers into ‘blogs’, ‘producers’ ‘artists’ ‘fans’ (consider fans people that you KNOW will RT your video). I don’t suggest that you sit there and tweet every person on your list, especially if you already sent them an email, but a tiny twitter blast to a select few relevant people is fine.

  • PERFORMANCES! – All of your online marketing is not going to matter unless you combine it with performances and appearances. You have to bring your online buzz offline. Line up as many shows as possible in your hometown and the surrounding areas.

  • Contact your local media outlets and look into scheduling a few interviews. Use those interviews to promote your new music and performances.

  • Find a few DJ’s that would be willing to spin your single at their venues or on their radio show.

  • Get a few dozen shirts made with your logo and give them out at your performances. Also get a few hundred hard copies of your EP to give away.

Before you release any music you need to get people hype about it. Come up with something creative to get people excited to hear it. Get your immediate circle talking, get their associates talking, etc. You don’t create a buzz by reaching out to a whole bunch of people who don’t even know who you are, you create one by starting small and building out. Word of mouth buzz is a beautiful thing. Think of the ‘share’ button on Facebook and Youtube and the Retweet button on twitter as the modern day ‘word of mouth’. Your goal should be to get as many people to share your music as possible, not just listen.