Setting an intention for the new year should be your first step. Why do you want to practice more if you already do? What does it entail to "become a better musician" if you wish to do so? Whatever it is, let's pretend that your basic New Year's resolutions this year is to take greater pleasure in creating music.
There is no wrong answer, however here are some pointers: Being a better musician can involve improving your technique to play more closely to what's in your ears, honing your ear to hear more complexity and precision, being a better collaborator or listener, and many other skills.
To increase your appreciation of music, try the following New Year’s Resolutions!
New Year’s Resolution #1: Improvise
By improvising, you can tap into your inherent creativity and let go of the need to "get it right." Make it a point to set out some of your practice time for improv, and enjoy it! Choose a key and a steady rhythm, then continue. If you have experience improvising, challenge yourself by experimenting with other rhythms and genres.
New Year’s Resolution #2: Practice With A Metronome
Whatever your theoretical beliefs about Truth, it's very obvious that proper intonation, rhythm, and timing are essential components of effective musicianship. It's never too late to start using certain "truth-seeking" techniques in your practice if you don't already do so regularly.
Here are some steps on how to level up your metronome practice:
Take off the beats to increase accuracy.
Tap tempo can be used to determine rhythms for practice.
Practice gradually.
Make changes to your subdivisions to reduce the click's frequency.
Use drum loops to practice.
New Year’s Resolution #3: Expand Your Musical Horizons
Now and again, change the focus of your practice. The aim is to experiment with different maneuvers that your muscles aren't accustomed to making and noises that your ears aren't familiar with hearing.
New Year’s Resolution #4: Explore New Genres
Producing sound is only one aspect of being a musician. Simply by listening, you can learn a lot and get inspiration. Your New Year's resolution can be to double the number of artists you found this year and to completely redesign your 2022 Spotify Wrapped from your 2021 version.
New Year’s Resolution #5: Exercise
We frequently overlook the physical nature of music production. Be aware of any potential physical stresses that your profession can cause. Learn which exercises can help you build essential muscular strength and include those in your workout regimen. Of course, warm up your body before playing, and remember to stretch frequently.
New Year’s Resolution #6: Collaborate
By exchanging ideas, you not only improve as a listener and creator, but you may also create magic.
Here are multiple different ways to collaborate:
Casual jam
Co-write a song
Remix a track together
Swap gigs
Share a tour
New Year’s Resolution #7: Find An Accountability Partner
Having an accountability partner is beneficial for giving your objectives guidance and assistance. Establish certain milestones you want to reach by a specific date with a buddy who shares your aims. Their goals don't have to be the same as yours. Put it on your calendars, remind one another, and encourage one another.
New Year’s Resolution #8: Experiment With DAWs
In 2022, if you're not familiar with digital music creation, you should begin exploring the world of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). There is undoubtedly a learning curve, but computer music offers a wealth of opportunities that are all worth investigating. Set it a mission to produce your tracks regularly, and you'll acquire the knowledge and sounds as you go.
Here are the best DAWs for producing music in 2023:
We hope that these musical New Year's Resolutions have energized and inspired you for 2023! MusicPromoToday is a marketing agency that is committed to assisting musicians in maintaining their attention on what is most important: their music. Follow us on Instagram for relevant information on music marketing, and check our blog frequently for insights on other services that can help you advance your musical career.
Join our weekly newsletter
Music related articles every week in your inbox
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Posted on December 14, 2022
How To Master A Christmas Marketing Campaign: Part 2
By Shawn Spence
If you’re coming from “How To Master A Christmas Marketing Campaign: Part 1,” welcome back! If you still haven’t checked part 1 out, head to our blog to check it out!
Below, we will offer insightful guidance from marketing professionals in this guide to assist you in developing a successful Christmas marketing campaign for 2022.
Excited? Let's begin.
5 Tips For Planning Your Next Christmas Marketing Campaign
Personalized Emails
You should take advantage of the eager chances presented by your fans and followers of your content. Segment your current audience and mailings promoting your holiday merch to each segment. Never forget to customize them and add a dash of warmth.
Measure Your KPIs
You must specify the important marketing KPIs in terms of reaching a specific percentage increase in audience. To provide exceptional holiday content, you must decide the customer engagement tools and procedures you need to communicate with your fans instantaneously across their preferred channels.
Decorate Your Online Store On Your Website
Your website is one of the primary platforms via which the audience engages with you directly. Thus, you must establish a theme or include "holiday spirit" components on your website where your audience can engage with your brand.
What to do…? What to do...?
Modify the website's components.
Create landing pages for certain content components.
Create trigger pop-up windows for different pages.
Include a cover photo with a Christmas theme that promotes deals and sales on your website.
Why Decorate Your Landing Page?
Content, design, and landing page setup are all you need.
The audience can get the information they were seeking with the aid of appealing landing pages. If your messaging is consistent throughout the consumer journey, it will enhance the convenience of the purchase process.
Another strategy for encouraging the customer to buy is to use trigger pop-ups. Introduce time-limited deals, larger discounts, and bundled items while your fan is conducting research. This helps your fan make a decision right away rather than putting it off.
Spread The Christmas Cheer Across Social Media
Fans, followers, and brand ambassadors are some of your biggest allies and elves because they can spread the word about you like wildfire. They are familiar with your brand, your music, and the target market you serve, or one that closely resembles it.
How To Spread The Christmas Cheer Across Social Media
Locate your superfans and get in touch with them.
Request their assistance in spreading the word.
Thank them for their support.
Collaborate with them to create social media content.
Start a #hashtag thread.
Employ Christmas marketing catchphrases.
Develop a trend to increase audience engagement.
Speaking of social media marketing…
Run A Christmas-Themed Giveaway
Giveaways are a fairly affordable way to interact with your followers, gain new ones, and generate excitement for a forthcoming event. Typically, encouraging followers to share, like, and comment is an excellent approach to increase interaction on your giveaway.
Why? Well, giveaways have been used by brands in the hopes of increasing interest in and sales of their goods and services. You can simply get your target audience enthusiastic about the approaching holidays and your brand by employing merch freebies and promotional events.
Takeaway On Acing A Christmas Marketing Campaign
After reading this article, you should have identified some Christmas marketing strategies that you are already utilizing, some that are in the works, and others that require replacing in order to support your holiday goal of increasing sales.
Your plan for developing a killer Christmas marketing campaign is clearly laid out. Even if it is the last day, last week, or last second, don't stress.
Having MPT Agency's support allows well-known musicians from all over the world to concentrate on their work each day while we generate traffic to their accounts. To learn about more services that can assist promote your musical career, be sure to constantly check our blog and follow us on Instagram for more information on music marketing.
Join our weekly newsletter
Music related articles every week in your inbox
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Posted on December 12, 2022
How To Master A Christmas Marketing Campaign: Part 1
By Shawn Spence
Is it December already? The trees were still shedding when you last checked. You thought that you still had to go through Halloween, but Black Friday has already passed, leaving you with little time to prepare a Christmas marketing campaign. But for you, it's still not too late. Read this article, then get started on implementing your holiday-themed Christmas marketing campaign into action.
If, however, the calendar shows that Christmas is still far off, don't just do nothing since your audience won't… Our team at MusicPromoToday has put together a variety of easy tips, methods, and professional advice for managing a prosperous Christmas marketing campaign.
Let’s dive into it:
5 Tips For Planning Your Next Christmas Marketing Campaign
Analyze Last Year’s Christmas Campaign
Early in the year, while campaigns are still fresh in your mind, is the optimum time to analyze Christmas campaigns. It's still not too late to estimate the efficiency of this year's campaign though. Set aside some time today to review your prior Christmas accomplishments and see what worked, what didn't, and why. The sooner, the better, so you can move on to the next important steps in organizing your Christmas marketing...
Create A Timeline Including All Crucial Elements
Christmas is only one aspect of the holiday season. You should schedule your marketing around a few other occasions as well. Your campaign's chronology will be informed by the timeline you create.
Below are some of the other holidays included in the month of December:
Winter Solstice — Thursday 22nd December 2022
Christmas Eve — Saturday 24th December 2022
Christmas Day — Sunday 25th December 2022
Boxing Day — Monday 26th December 2022
New Year’s Eve — Saturday 31st December 2022
New Year’s Day — Sunday 1st January 2022
Consider Your Social Media Platforms
Review the social media platforms you'll be utilizing to market your Christmas campaign next. The continuous delivery of your campaign across all pertinent social media platforms is crucial. This aids in the development of a new fan base and a seamless audience.
Plan Your Christmas Marketing Message
Make a plan for your holiday marketing messaging.
Planning your Christmas marketing message is very critical. To hone your message, take into account:
What your audience wants
Your objective
How you stand out from other musicians
How you give value to your audience
What do you want your audience to believe, feel, and act
It is your responsibility to develop a unified message that conveys these components and encourages your audience and potential fans.
Create Your Campaign’s Content
You've now established the foundation for your campaign, so it's time to start creating content. Determine the materials you need to develop by mapping out every campaign touchpoint across each platform. Make sure your language and design convey your message consistently throughout each item, reflecting your theme.
Final Thoughts On Mastering A Christmas Marketing Campaign In 2022
Christmas 2022 will be distinct from previous years owing to Covid-19's long-lasting effects, just like the previous two Christmas seasons. People still enjoy holidays, though, so that is one thing that hasn't changed.
Take a cue from the advice we've provided above as you develop your Christmas marketing strategy this year to determine what will perform best for your brand. Furthermore, don't limit yourself to only the Christmas season; you can use this guide to advance all of your seasonal marketing initiatives and enhance your future success.
Well-known artists from all around the world can concentrate on their work every day because MPT Agency drives traffic to their accounts. For more information about music marketing and to find out about more services that can help you progress your musical career, be sure to check out our blog often and follow us on Instagram.
Join our weekly newsletter
Music related articles every week in your inbox
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Posted on October 6, 2022
How Playlist Promotions work and Calculating The Results
By John Reynolds
You get a lot of insights from social platforms but how to calculate playlist promo and results is still tricky.
A performing, recording, or independent musician has a 5% chance to live solely off their music. This includes musicians who live with their family unit. Those who are a part of a large music label, and finally the ones who spend at least 30% of their working hours performing in venues, bars, and everything in between.
The stereotype of the starving artist has seldom changed over the last century. However, the hope digital outlets generate has given musicians of this generation a leg up on their senior counterparts.
CD sales and demo tapes dominated the revenue stream only 30 years ago. Today the individual track, the stream, the view, and finally the live show, are inescapable reaching one's fans and monetizing a career.
In light of this new form of digital dominion, the industry of playlist curators exploded and is the main gateway for artists to get their music out.
Riddled with bot accounts the market is difficult to navigate. Yet, there is hope if you find the right agency to rummage through the fraudulent accounts.
Playlist marketplaces are important to engage in Playlist Promotion
Playlist marketplaces are a jungle of questions for most artists. Will the streams count, will they lead to more, and is it really worth it? Usually composed of a shadowy SEO-jammed website with user-friendly buy buttons, playlist marketplaces are in the grey zone of the music promotions tool kit.
As buying views is pretty controversial on account of bot accounts and automation, the proper way of addressing playlist curators is the classic pitch, which an artist can do via submission portals or directly by finding the owner of the playlist in question.
Not always the simplest method, nor does it usually garner a lot of response, but if your music is fly, your pitch is clean and your timing on when you sent the message was properly throughout, you should expect at least a 15% positive response rate. Which is not bad, considering it's a question of numbers. The more playlists you are on, the more views or streams you get.
The Reality of Streaming Royalties
Despite streaming making up over 60% of all redistributed revenue in the music industry, the average artist will be making under 1000$ a year from streaming. In the case of Spotify, arguably the largest streaming platform in the world, a recent study by Forbes demonstrated that from their 7 billion dollars of royalty payouts, 28% of the artists received over 10 000$.
Now, that might seem like a lot, but consider that the 28% includes label artists, superstars, film scores, and legacy artists that have spent decades making a career. This essentially means that they are most likely equipped with a promotional or marketing team, that monitors, tracks, and adjusts their reach metrics to maintain a steady flow of listeners and onboard new fans.
How to Calculate Playlist Promo and Results
Calculating Playlist Promotion Campaigns
So, let’s do some calculations. At an average market payout of 0.006325 $ / stream, 159 000 streams would gross roughly 1000 USD, which means to reach that 10k revenue milestone an artist would need to generate close to 1,59 million views in the first year of their Spotify career.
With Spotify advertising starting at 250 USD per ad campaign, and pseudo-view marketplaces selling 10k views for an average of 50 USD, an artist would be able to hit 100k views with roughly 750 USD. Assuming that they would make an extra 30% viewership count due to the ad push, 130k views would have an average cost of 0.005769 $, at a margin of roughly 8% grossing 822.25 USD a profit of 72.25 USD. Following the numbers, the average value of your first batch of streams is 0.000556 $. That's right, dollars, not satoshi’s.
Streamlining your work and pushing with paid advertising is an option. But at an 8% margin, not counting the risk, the time, the constant monitoring, and the artists' scalable popularity, which needs to break through the industry's saturated market, it is not a good business case and does not offer a livable wage for anyone.
Creative Time
Firstly it is important to realize that your chances of reaching monetization amounts with a laissez-faire attitude on streaming platforms like Spotify are slim to none. All streaming platforms are marketing or promo dependent if you want to use them as a source of revenue, rather than just another profile. According to Spotify, 57 000 of its nearly 10 million creators represent over 90% of the streams, and therefore its royalty redistribution
Marketing Time
The rule of thumb for most professional artists is 50 / 50, 50% of the time you market and build your brand, and 50% of the time you make your art; fair enough. But this means your learning curve, the trial, and error of target markets, the engagement analysis, and of course the adaptation of your strategy can only be done during 50% of your waking & working hours.
If algorithms were that simple to adapt to, there wouldn't be a 50 billion $ market cap in music marketing technology. The reality of the situation is that without professional help or some type of technological literacy, you are basically shooting in the dark hoping to hit a fly on the nose. Reliant on fan 2 fan engagement, the artist without a team nor the digital know-how is setting themselves up for failure and is unfortunately caught in the blaze of hopium offered by most platforms.
Taking into account that a salary of 10 - 30k USD may be an upper or middle-class income for the developing world, but in all major North American and European cities, where the average rent is between 1000 - 1800 USD, an annual income under 30k means you are spending over 50% of your net on basic housing before taxes and food are even brought into the mix.
Needless to say, if this is your only income, you are stuck in a literal poverty cycle and will most likely be going through serious financial stress as life is far from being a predictable path.
To stream or not to stream why it matters when you calculate playlist promo?
For MPT Agency, all industries throughout history have demonstrated, you cannot challenge technological innovation. All artists should be present on all streaming platforms, be it only for the visibility or convenience factor for fans. The one they ultimately choose to use in their conversion funnel is dependent on the artists' budget, their time metrics, and of course, their understanding of the algorithmic ecosystem that governs the how's and why’s of visibility.
Paying for streams can be a part of larger campaigns the artist adopts in their path to success, but in no way, shape or form should it be the be-all and end-all of their exposure strategy.
Make sure you check our blog about influencers who can be a huge help to your playlist campaign. We regularly post key artist content so make sure to follow us on Instagram for more music marketing-related updates.
Join our weekly newsletter
Music related articles every week in your inbox
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Posted on September 12, 2022
The Ultimate Guide To Influencer Marketing For Musicians
By Yvonne Martin
How does one define the ultimate guide to influencer marketing? To level the playing field in the music business today is more of an architectural development than anything. It is simpler than ever to produce an album or a single in your bedroom, submit it to the internet, and encourage interaction on social media.
It also enables musicians to use influencer marketing. Not only the internet, but all technology is to blame for this.
Naturally, the internet allows influencers to advertise music to millions of prospective followers worldwide through their social media platforms.
The disadvantage of the simplicity of recording and sharing music is that everyone will be able to do it. How can you make your song stand out from all the others and be heard in the crowd?
That is indeed a difficulty, but there are tools available to assist you. For musicians, one such method is Influencer Marketing.
Does it seem interesting to you? So, consider this your formal invitation to join the influencer marketing renaissance.
All aboard!
What Does Influencer Marketing For Music Look Like?
One of the largest emerging trends that independent musicians may currently include in their social media marketing plan is influencer marketing.
A so-called "influencer" is used to promote a good, service, or brand in influencer marketing, a kind of social media advertising. When employing influencer marketing, it's important to consider the influencer's account's emphasis and how their audience's interests relate to your brand.
It's not surprising that influencers have a significant effect on what music is popular and, by extension, what isn't in a world where social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are the primary tastemakers for new music.
Particularly in the music industry, the development of influencer marketing has helped new musicians gain massive fan bases, generate buzz for their songs, and become overnight sensations.
Influencers may share your music with their audience in several different ways. They could come up to you and want to listen to your music. Influencer marketing, on the other hand, usually emphasizes organized collaborations in which you've had some input. They might:
Review or get live feedback on your music
Incorporate your music into a video's backdrop.
Put a caption about your music.
How To Use Influencer Marketing As A Musician?
If done properly, influencer marketing is a terrific tool in a musician's marketing toolbox. It's better to get started by learning how to utilize it to create the greatest campaign you can.
Do Extensive Research
The most crucial phase of any marketing plan is research. You need to understand how to locate affiliates and how to recognize the top affiliates for your brand at the start of your influencer marketing journey.
For instance:
Select your influencers
Know the influencer’s content
Know their services
Know their values
And most importantly, know your goals
Broaden Your Platforms
Instagram is sometimes referred to be the influencers' social media network, and it is undoubtedly well-liked by some groups of individuals. Influencers are not just present on one site, though!
Depending on your objectives, you may find that the increasingly popular video influencer platforms Youtube and Tiktok are more suited for artists. For instance, a well-known TikTok creator may include your music in a video to make it a trend, which might be more successful than a silent Instagram post.
Plan Your Budget
Influencer marketing often entails payment in exchange for your influencer's services, just like any other marketing campaign.
Relevance to your niche or genre is more crucial than audience growth. This should be reflected in your budget, which should be based on the influencer's price which is most likely to have an impact rather than their popularity.
Your team finance strategy must be effective and include a backup plan for extra services that can be useful to you, such as giveaways.
Stay In Control
There are occasions when marketing campaigns don't go as expected. This is just the way business works; it doesn't mean your campaign was a failure; it just means you may use it to your advantage moving forward.
You must determine the cause if your campaign doesn't seem to be benefiting your brand.
Regression testing is one method you may use to do that. Define regression testing then.
Regression testing allows you to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of particular campaign components without changing the elements of your campaign that are already successful.
Make sure to have a positive working relationship, and never forget to consult your affiliate partners before making significant changes to your campaign.
Which Platforms Work Best For Music Influencer Marketing?
TikTok
For creators of any size, becoming viral on TikTok is now a feasible goal thanks to the platform's algorithm. The music industry may target a younger audience that favors music influencers over all other types of influencers at this center for Gen Z.
The great majority of TikTok's viral moments originate from its Commercial Music Library, which is a collection of more than 150,000 pre-cleared, royalty-free tunes gathered from up-and-coming musicians and prestigious record labels. Each track may be used for advertisements and promotions, and the collection is accessible worldwide.
Instagram
Instagram offers a decent collection of tracks that users can use for their Stories and Reels, similar to TikTok. This has shown to be an effective strategy for artists to engage audiences and introduce them to fresh talent. In addition, short videos with music might help your content be noticed given Instagram's new focus on Reel content.
Youtube
YouTube developed YouTube Shorts in 2021 as its own short-form vertical format to keep pace with TikTok and Instagram Reels. Users may utilize Shorts to be able to produce content that resembles the viral trends on TikTok and Instagram by selecting music snippets from among the millions of videos posted on the platform.
Although Reels and TikTok videos are more well-known than Shorts, YouTube remains the best option for people who want access to a wider variety of music.
Twitch
Twitch is typically associated with live gaming broadcasts, but it's also a platform where musicians can share their work, grow a fanbase, and interact with their followers.
As all live performances and events were put on hold due to the pandemic, Twitch's popularity among musicians skyrocketed. To organize virtual shows, conduct Q&As, and showcase their most recent albums, many musicians turned to the streaming site as a consequence.
However, those who work in the music industry also utilize Twitch as a method to play video games after work. Regular users of the platform, artists like Post Malone and T-Pain have taken advantage of it to reach a larger audience.
Key Takeaway
Use music influencer marketing to capitalize on the biggest trends on social media.
The simplest method to add personality to your content on social media is to include music in your posts. And in the music industry, collaborating with creators might be the secret to expanding your audience and propelling your brand and merchandise to the top of the charts.
Final Thoughts
MPT Agency strives to develop your brand's online presence and can help you spread the word about your music and increase your fan base.
To find out what other services can enhance your musical career, make sure you check our blog regularly and follow us on Instagram for more music marketing-related updates.
Join our weekly newsletter
Music related articles every week in your inbox
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
