The independent music landscape is more saturated than ever, and role of marketing and promotion has fallen onto the independent artist and label.
There’s a gigantic range of marketing tools available for independent musicians nowadays. These resources will aid you in pushing your music further, and help your digital content shine through the masses.
Fan Links
Fan links are customisable landing pages, that contain all of your links to your releases, socials and more in one place. You can use them for any purpose, whether you want to promote a new release, bundle up some links for your Instagram bio, or show off a new tour announcement with new merch to show too.
Free PUSH users can make up to 30 Fan Links totally free of charge; all of which can be customised and tailored to your heart’s content.
Unfold
Unfold is a fantastic way of pimping out your Instagram stories; use layouts, add stickers and choose your images and colour schemes to sit perfectly within your music’s visual aesthetics.
The app is free of charge but offers paid extras, such as access to more layouts, stickers or themes.
Pexels
Pexels is a royalty free image website with over 1 million images ready to use in your projects and campaigns. All images can be used for both commercial and non-commercial projects, with or without attribution, under the Pexels License
Pexels is perfect for gaining access to professional, top-quality imagery without needing to pay-out for a professional photographer. The mass variety of images means you’ll find what you’re looking for.
SubmitHub
SubmitHub is a website where you can pitch your music to influential blogs, channels and curators, with chances to be reviewed, featured or playlisted.
You can submit your music to blogs, sites, and playlists of your choosing using credits (both free and paid, although paid credits give certain perks). Blogs/sites/playlisters will listen to your song and depending on the type of credit used, will either offer to feature it or will give feedback as to why they didn’t decide to feature it.
If you’ve got the time to research the people and sites you’re submitting to, it can definitely provide positive results.
Pre-saves
Don’t sleep on Pre-saves! They’re one of the easiest and most valuable tools you have in your reach. Pre-saves are the digital, streaming equivalent of a pre-order; Pre-saved songs will appear in listeners’ libraries on release day ready to be streamed, shared and added to playlists.
Stores’ playlist curators increasingly look for strong performances on release day, and Pre-saves are perfect to set yourself up for success. You can find out how to make a free Pre-save campaign here.
Spotify for Artists
If you haven’t yet signed up for Spotify for Artists and claimed your artist profile you can find out how, here.
Along with a handful of other features, this tool gives you the abilities to:
- Customise your profile – add your own profile image, header image, bio and social links.
- Pitch to playlists – perfect for increasing your chances of being heard by playlist curators.
- Add your own events – list any upcoming gigs on your profile
Other streaming platforms like Apple Music and Amazon have equivalent tools available to artists.
Bandsintown
Bandsintown notifies it’s users of artists and gigs that are playing gigs in their local area. Artists can add their own gigs and manage tour dates, which in turn, will be sent to Bandsintown’s user base. A win-win for both musicians and avid concert-goers.
Pixabay
As well as supplying royalty free images, Pixabay also hosts entirely free video footage. Now you no longer have an excuse for not making a fancy EP visualiser or teaser video.
All footage can be used both commercially and non-commercially, and can be edited and modified to your hearts’ content under the Pixabay License.
Content Unlocks
Content Unlocks allow you to reward fans with content of your choice, in exchange for social actions (such as subscribes, connects or shares). Using PUSH, you can offer anything you want, either in the form of a downloadable file or a secret message or link.
By incentivizing social actions, or even just rewarding loyal fans, you can help form lasting relationships and increase your content’s exposure in the process.
Free PUSH users can make up to 10 Content Unlocks with a total of 1GB storage.
Photomosh
Our favourite on the list has to be Photomosh; a tool that allows you to glitch out your imagery or videos. There are a huge array of filters and effects to suit any music maker and aesthetic which are perfect for using in your promotional posts or music videos.
