Making Music Marketing Work For You

Within my career within the entertainment industry, and as well as with my personal ambitions, one question always is posed and that is how do I strategically market my music as an independent artist the proper way. Well, thanks to some of the industries most insightful individuals have met at the California Music Industry Summit , this past weekend at the Marriott Hotel in Oakland, California. According to sources at All Hip Hop Dot Com that attended, One of the standout panels featured experienced music marketers sharing knowledge of a crowd of indie artist an eager future entrepreneurs and here are some of their key points:

Michael Fiebach of Fame House asserts that while one doesn’t necessarily have to be a fan of their client’s music, it’s hugely important for marketers to understand what their artists stand for and what their music represents in order to understand their audience. In addition, Steffen Franz of Independent Distribution Collective suggested that bands need to think regionally and conquer their own domain first.

Simply put, small success is real success, and once you begin making even just small amounts of money from your music, you'll be more inclined to invest in your art and your business. He goes on to mention that the more niche the music is, the better. As a marketer, the key is to take whatever you know will stand out and make that the focal point of what you’re selling.

Hannah Wagner of ConsuMusic mentions that many artists assume that the personal branding process merely includes artist logos, the website, or CD covers. To be truthful, it’s how they interact with people; the emotions, qualities, and thoughts that are associated with them. That is far more reflective of their brand than anything else.She believes the biggest challenge in working with independent artists is that they tend to lack structure.

Another focus point is that the marketers and publicist need to openly receive feedback from the artist in regards to the campaign to which is being marketed.

Michael Brandvold of Michael Brandvold Marketing agrees that the artist needs to be involved in the marketing process. He finds that the most fulfilling artists are the ones who desire to be involved with him as a marketer.

Hannah Wagner cleverly analogized marketing to dating strategies.

"The mindsets are similar (marketing and dating),” she said. “You don’t just ask someone for their number right away, do you? You treat it with a little more tact than that. When communicating with your audience, 80% of what you’re talking about should be about you as a real person and 20% should be about selling.“

The Point Is...

We’re ALL marketers - artists and business personnel alike. If an artist gets to the point where they feel the aid of outsourced and professional music marketing services are necessary to grow their businesses, they still can't afford to sit back and not take part in marketing.

In other words, artists today need to come to terms with the fact that they're salespeople as well.

In essence, you're selling yourself to your fans and the music acts as the medium in which you reach and engage with them at the most intimate of levels. Make sure that's on point first before even thinking about any marketing details. Otherwise, you'll be lost in a sea of mediocrity that exists in today's heavily saturated music space.