As we all know the call to write record and record music can be something entirely impossible to ignore. So much so, you may even find your self in the regular position of having to choose between recording time and paying rent. And while I certainly don’t encourage anyone from running the risk of going homeless; I do intend to acknowledge just how driven that having this particular bug can be. This guide to Independent artist music release will be a strategic tool going forward.
So, In order for you to maximize on your financial and time investment into your project, We want to make sure as artists we can find both a path and trajectory that bests puts our work towards monetization.
The first milestone would be earning at least one single dollar. Milestone two would be breaking breaking even and recouping your expense. The third one would be putting a little coin away for the next effort, whether that be more recording, promotion or whatever. The forth milestone would be paying yourself.
This is a game akin to an enduro race, so dig deep and get ready for the long haul. We will do our very best to inform you of all of the working components that go into releasing music as an independent artist.
It is important that when your music is ready to be released that you do maximize every effort in order to best lean into the task of building an audience of supporters whom will hold you up and eventually keep you solvent. Let’s get to the plan.
Defining Your Goals
So in order to better get our head around what it is we are doing let’s start buy answering a couple of questions.
- What is your budget?
- Do you intend to release the music all at once or some at a time?
- Will you produce a physical medium as well as digital streaming release?
- When would you like the release to be?
What is your budget?
This is important to assess because it is going to quickly inform you of what you will actually be able to do. With reasonable expectations established, You can now work to hash out ideas to better stretch your money while researching the cost that will go into production and promotion. This will maximize an Independent artist music release.
Do you intend to release the music all at once or some at a time?
Make a decision ahead of time if you are releasing an entire album all at the launch or if you will be releasing one or two singles before releasing the full length work a little way further down the road. Having a plan is the first step before you can flush out the plan. When you’ve determined at least roughly how you intend this to go, you can turn your focus on how you might embellish upon it.
It should be advised that in todays marketplace it is almost an unsaid expectation that an artist should be releasing one new song every month in order to stay relevant and in the minds of their audience.
Will you produce a physical medium as well as digital streaming release?
Releasing digitally is really a no brainer especially for an Independent artist music release. The distribution company will take care of all of the heavy lifting for you. additionally the cost for digital release is nominal.
You should also release and sell your album on your own website. Here is a link to why and how. Read it!
A physical release whether that be vinyl or compact disc will take a bigger dip into your budget, so plan accordingly. If you intend on doing any touring and you know that you will be able to sell this merchandise then by all means don’t leave money on the table.
When would you like the release to be?
By answering this question we start to shape our timelines and once we have locked in and committed to a hard deadline than we have something concrete to work toward. Make a list of every task necessary to accomplish between here and there, and be sure that you have left your self ample time to having those tasks completed.
Don’t forget to plan an album launch party. And don’t forget to bookmark and save a link to our guide for planning your album launch party. It’s All Yours!
Start With Good Recordings
It all starts and stops with the Music. So, while there are different strokes for different folks and thusly an audience for any variety of music. Seeing to the presentation of that music regardless the genre is the very first order of business.
It is imperative to put your best foot forward and present yourself in the most positive and professional light. Even If you are going for a LoFi Indie sound that still won’t preclude you from having to have a professionally recorded album. It should be recorded and presented with the best quality and production possible
In doing so you have offered the listener something that stands out at best and hopefully at worst stands head to head with the best that people are creating at the scale and budget with which you are currently working.
Work On Your Fanbase
Whether you are planning to release soon and you are just starting out and haven’t an audience or you’re doing your best to grow an established audience further. Fan support is certainly a must for an independent artist music release to be a success. That said, you are going to want to do whatever you can to help put more ears on your music.
There are a lot of ways to connect with and build your fanbase and you should be employing each one. Here are four to name a few.
- Social Media
- Website
- Live Shows
- YouTube Documentary
Social Media
It goes without saying that your Social Media Accounts are great places for you to connect with your audiences. From the Social Media account you can promote what you have going on as well as interact with people whom may be compelled to follow along. These sites also have opportunities to buy adds to introduce your music and what you are doing to a wider reach.
Website
Your website is your very own plot of land. It is the perfect resource for an independent artist music release. If the social media app company folds or changes its’ policy in any way it may be that all of your effort building there is upended. What’s worse is you may loose access to the audience you built with no retribution. This is not the case with a website. Your website is your own. No one can kick you out of it.
If you provide one or two exclusive songs in exchange for an email address you can build a data base of fans who subscribe to your updates directly on your own page. No one can take that away from you. And once people are use to checking in to your site for new content, your site will have become the best platform to promote.
Additionally your site could also include a fan club page with a patronage feature to collect financial support from those in your audience compelled to help you in that way. If you’re interested in setting that up we have an article that covers what you need to know. Here is the link!
Live Shows
Live shows are also another great way to make new fans and build your audience. Especially if you are able to do any regional tour buy-ons where you are brought on to open for a more established artist. It gives you the chance for greater exposer and another opportunity to promote your upcoming release.
YouTube Documentary
This doesn’t necessarily have to be something that is exclusive to YouTube, but YouTube has been the go to platform for media of this nature. That said, so much goes into the process of finishing a record and putting together its release that why not take advantage of all of your hard work by seizing the opportunity to video document each step of the process for the purpose of promotion.
Documenting the ins and outs of what you are doing, including all of the hurdles and ups and downs will go a very long way to cementing your relationship with at least a few of those people whom follow. You can also easily record and video yourself as a singer performing covers on Youtube to increase your following; Here’s How!
Building your audience is important because if you are truly independent then you are going to have to rely on your audience for everything. Eventually if you build your fan base enough you may be able to rely on crowd sourcing to help you put together your budget for any future release. If you already have a following then you may want to look into doing so if you haven’t already.
We have a published guide that is a really good resource of information about increasing views on YouTube as an independent Musician. If this is the step you are on Its a highly suggested read. If not; Bookmark and Save!
Distribution
This process is simply going through the major Distributors and Deciding which one best appeals to what you are doing. After some careful research you will be able to make good decision for your self. All in all most of the services provided for by these distributors are similar enough. They will distribute and release your music to all of the Major Digital Streaming Platforms and retailers.
If It is that you decide to press physical copies of your album CD Baby may be the right choice for you. In addition to Digital Release service they can also fill orders for compact discs.
Distributors List
Album Art
Now that you have your distribution all tide up it is important to see to having everything branded well. You want to deliver a product that is cohesive and memorable. When your songs streams anywhere it will be coupled with the artwork of your choosing when the next song in your series is released it should also feature a thematic visual work in keeping with the theme.
If you have graphic artist skills you can cost yourself some extra time and work and do it for your self but if you don you can hire out. A cheap resource for hiring out would be Fiverr.com, This link will take you to a random example.
Registering Your Work
While you do hold the copyright to any work you have created and haven’t granted away, Your ability to defend that right in court becomes significantly greater after you have filed to register your copyright with the United States Copyright Office. It costs 35 dollars to register a work. To keep your costs down you can file copyright on a collection of songs all at once for 35 dollars.
After you have everything squared away with your copyright registrations you can sign up with a Performing Rights Society they will collect royalties on your behalf anytime your music is played anywhere.
Promotion
Now that we have all that behind us we are ready to start making our project known. All of the hardwork prior will be for not if we are without an audience to receive our effort. So the process of promotion is using a number of strategies to bring recognition interest and focus unto your upcoming release.
- Get in the blogs
- Get in with influencers
- Get in with brands
- Get on playlists
Another great way to promote your new song is with a music and lyric video. If you are tight on cash you could consider producing your own DIY music video for yourself. We recently posted an article that explains why and how to get started. Its a short read; You can find it here!
Get in the blogs
Having your music featured on some reputable blogs will go a long way towards gaining the credibility and leverage to open greater opportunities. If you focus on reaching out to the blogs that are covering artists within your same genre and If you manage to have your music featured on one of those blogs you’ll gain both exposure and clout.
Get in with influencers
Another way is to create a relationship with an influencer online and find a way to determine if there is any agreement that can be made to have your music featured by the influencer. This is a great way to have your music introduced to audience whom you may not have reached otherwise. In this case it may be appropriate for you to pay for the feature.
Get in with brands
This is a good opportunity if you can arrange it. A brand will have an objective about their own promotion of product. They will have a budget with which to implement that promotion and connecting with an up and coming artist may indeed be the alternative means of promotion they are looking for. This can be a great opportunity for a music artist as well especially when the goals are aligned. Both the artist and the brand stand to benefit from the joint promotion. The artist earns some fee from the brand for their service and the promotion has pushed additional revenue and exposure to the brand.
Get on playlists
Now that you have all of these other steps worked out, you can strive toward having your music on to some Spotify playlists. This is the fast lane for bringing credibility and awareness to your music. But there is a lot that goes into it so focus on curators who have playlists of artists that are representative of the genre that you best fit. Be sure to be thorough when setting up your artist profile and be sure to work through the process of having your account verified. After that it is one step at a time.
Lastly
In wrapping up, this independent artist music release guide equips you for the journey ahead. From budgeting wisely to effective distribution, you’re set to go.
Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Leverage these insights, stay persistent, and build the growth you want. It’s your chance to something you can look back on fondly. So do it with the focus and determination it requires. Good luck!