Branding Tips I Learned From Guerilla Music Marketing

13 #OutsideWork

songs were streamed in the U.S. last year

317.2 BILLION

A large portion of those streams

were from independent

artists breaking projects on their own.

A large portion of those streams

were from independent

artists breaking projects on their own.

Because it’s so easy

to share, musicians

MUST be creative

with their marketing

to stand out among the

competition.

So what can Brands learn from guerilla music promotion in 2016?

So what can Brands learn from guerilla music promotion in 2016?

A ton.

Here are 13 Marketing Tips Every Brand Can Learn

From Music Self-promotion

The Band is the brand

Musicians and their music are no longer separate. The successful musician is reachable and engaged with their audience through social media and mailing lists.

1

The need for approachability has never been more

important than right now...

in any sector.

2

Promoting music isn’t just about releasing songs.

Just like promoting a brand isn’t simply about pushing a product.

3

If you make something, share something.

Growing a following for music comes down to artists telling their story in a transparent and engaging way. Don’t simply state your brand.

Grow a community by telling your brand story.

4

Chance the Rapper has never sold an album.

Everything he has released has been shared for free…

Chance leveraged the success of his free downloadable albums into

lucrative live dates and appearances.

Yet he was still #7 on the Forbes 2015 30 under 30 list.

Chance’s carreer shows us that value can no longer be defined in just dollars and cents.

The new currency is trust and awareness.

5

Be a human first and an aspiring artist second

No matter how wide your reach is, nothing is more important than a 1-on-1 interaction.

Build bridges, not walls, between you and your community.

6

Social media and streaming platforms are a no-brainer for any artist. But the truth is, most

artists (and brands) fail to use them properly.

Social media is a tool. You have to use it properly to make it work.

7

DON’T BE HUMAN

SPAM

8

DON’T BE HUMAN

SPAM

There’s so much content

online these days that

people have a strong

‘Bullshit Radar.’

Stay off it.

8

The common sentiment is that people are no longer willing to pay for music.

But people are still interested in supporting artists they care about. Albums outsell tracks 5 to 1 on Bandcamp, one of the most popular

platforms for independent music sharing.

See opportunity where others see roadblocks.

9

The big number for us – our core metric – is how much fans are paying artists through

the platform. We’re up to $3.1m every 30 days, and our total to date is now $70m.

Ethan Diamond | CEO of Bandcamp

Nothing says ‘look at me’ quite like a well made press kit. Your brand (or band) should be pitchable in a concise amount

of space and time.

The digestible brand is the successful brand.

10

Debuting new music is no different than launching a new product.

They both need a united front and solid promotional strategy that includes cross-promotion, media outreach

and grassroots targeting.

11

In the face of online streaming, t-shirts and other alternative music merchandise are an

increasingly viable revenue stream.

Are you leveraging the power of your brand in every way that you can?

12

Self-promotion is important for musicians, but making good music is the bottom line.

Your brand is only as good as the product. So budget your time accordingly.

13

Authored by Scott Parsons. Full-time music enthusiast and editor at LANDR.