So, you’ve got a great recording project together, and now you’re wondering how to make THE MOST impact. Do you want to skimp on this? Of course not, it’s your ART we are talking about here. But, the most important part of any project (in my opinion) is planning ahead to make sure you can follow up on that success! (I don’t use the motto: “Create, Connect, Repeat” for nothing!) You want your awareness to continue to thrive for years to come.
What’s the secret to garnering the media attention you deserve for your projects? Marketing. I know, it’s a dirty word within our artistic circles. With no marketing plan? You’ve almost assuredly got no marketing strategy, which means you haven’t thought about how to tell the story of you and your music, how to connect the dots between the abstract and the literal, the aural to the visual. Marketing can be broken down very simply - it’s the story we tell, how we tell those stories, and sharing ideas with people to get them interested in our product/service/ideas.
'There's no such thing as bad publicity' - Phineas T. Barnum
Publicity is essential to the success of your album on paper. It’s the reviews, the articles, the placement on lists, the writing of articles for online and print magazines, blogs, newspapers, etc. It’s garnering reviews of your project, maybe the assigning of a “star rating” for your project… Publicity is also securing appearances on radio shows, podcasts, and videos, and interviews on social media. You can rack up 2, or 10, or 15... Having them to show the “worthiness” of your project… which don’t get me wrong, is important. It’s external validation. But it’s not the end of the road, it is the beginning. I always want to know: what is it that would make this project feel successful to YOU, the artist? To me, what you DO with that publicity is just as important as being able to get it in the first place. You don’t want an industry leader to say “Whatever happened to [insert your name here]?”
That’s where I turn from the industry contacts to the audience! Without an audience, you’re dead in the water as a performer. What’s the best way to be able to guarantee that you’ll be covered in a magazine? Bring them value. How do you do that? At this time in the media landscape, that means bringing them attention and eyeballs to their articles/site. Clicks is one of the few metrics that the media has that can help determine the return on the cost of the article they wrote about you. Just think…. is it going to generate them MORE value to cover your project? Or is it just a one-way street? At different points in your career, it will be different. If you’re at the beginning, one way to hack this is to go straight to the source. Build. Your. Audience.
I know that sounds overly dramatic and simple, but the fact of the matter is, I talk with MANY artists who have absolutely no strategy for reaching out to new audiences either online or offline. Many live in a fantasy world where they will be plucked from obscurity and into the limelight. This might be true for some (there are always outliers). But the days of being a student at the trade school of Miles Davis or The Jazz Messengers, are long gone. It’s up to you to develop a consistent strategy of how to reach out to new audiences, all the time.
So what strategies can we take to develop our audience, share the story of our artistry, and build awareness? Publicity is a part of this, getting your story out to the world, but again it’s just the beginning. We need to share your story, your art, and YOU with the world. It starts one person at a time. At this point, I advocate for Social Media channels as one of your primary ways of getting in front of new people. However, many make the mistake of just posting about things that have already happened, gigs that are coming up, and just generally random stuff. It’s important to develop a lens for your social media presence. Think about the story that you’re trying to tell, the audience you are seeking, and the type of things they want to see, hear, and read. I always push our artists to develop a content and posting strategy, one that also fits in with your beliefs, lifestyle and personality.
Secondly - you have to develop a touring strategy. The most common story you hear of bands is years of playing crappy venues, living in a van, persevering through trials and tribulations, and really developing, on the road. It’s no different for artists today. You have to find ways to get in front of people, and share your art. That could be in an educational setting, a speaking engagement, a jazz club, a random coffee shop, or a jazz festival... You need to have a strategy around this, too!
Sometimes (at least I feel, and have heard) musicians aren’t willing to put in this time to develop. To build their audience. I often hear the excuse “this gig doesn’t pay enough” - but if it’s serving to build your platform as an artist? Are you willing to make that investment? Sometimes that investment is a big gamble, sometimes it’s obvious. If you have a plan and strategy in place, that will make the decision obvious to you.
If you can do anything with the extra time you might have right now, I implore you to take the time to think about and develop a strategy about the topics we’ve touched on in this article. A little bit of thought goes a long way here, and I also point out that not making these decisions for yourself is going to allow others (the industry, other musicians, audiences) to make them for you. It’s up to you to decide the direction and amplitude of your career trajectory. If thinking about all of this seems a bit overwhelming, I encourage you to reach out, and we can start a dialog around working together on this. I’m passionate about growing awareness for artists in our industry - our collective efforts help raise the tide for everyone! If you want to learn more about what my company Outside in Music and myself do for artists you can click here.
