The Future of Music Marketing Doors are Opened and Here Is a Key
Picture this: you're a musician in the Middle Ages and your only music marketing strategy is playing it live in the streets. The people walking by are busy, hungry, and slightly interested in your serenade. If you are outstanding you may strike a chord in a passerby's heart who stops and listens to what you have to play and sing.
Imagine this newfound fan reluctant to leave, knowing they may never hear your song again. That’s how music marketing started.
Musicians had to be passionate and sure that music was a path to see them through life. Music wasn’t very profitable because it didn’t reach many people and when people did hear the music it was short-lived. There was nothing to hold on to.
Ewout van der Linden explains only the best, hard-working musicians who were versatile and knowledgeable in their craft were hired by Kings, Church leaders, cities, or the occasional rich person.
If only a copywriter existed during those times.
However, the good thing about being recognized by a prestigious figure is that the musician had the honor of being introduced to other Kings, Queens, Church leaders, and rich people worldwide. A marketing strategy coined “word of mouth”.
A musician's marketing strategy and talent had to be bold and consistent to reach the ears of the elite. When the elite heard the musician's music, the musician had to remain in their good graces because their music careers depended on it. It was the only effective marketing available to be recognized as a good musician.
It must have been stressful for a musician to stay in the good graces of an elite few who had the power to make or break their musical careers.
In a nick of time the world is introduced to a new royalty in town, the radio.
Hello, 1920’s!
Voice and sound merged not only for the ears of royalty and the wealthy but for everyone who owned a radio. Music marketing now transitions from word of mouth to a broadcast that can reach millions of ears in a few seconds.
Welcome to fame.
It was important for a musician to be heard on the radio because, between the 1920s and the early 1950s, this was the only way to reach millions of listeners (PBS).
Radio was the perfect marketing strategy. When you turned the dial to FM radio you gained access to the top 40 popular songs. It was important to be on the list because once on the list your music was heard periodically, and continuously, throughout the day for weeks on end.
When first heard, your song may have been disliked, but after listening to it again and maybe again, the listener may find a nice ring to it after all. Record Labels used a “pay-to-play” strategy to get their musicians' songs played on the radio to benefit from continuous periodic songplay.
Record labels would often pay radio stations to play songs. The “pay to play” method limited the exposure of artists whose music was just as good but lacked the resources to pay to play. (Word Press)
In addition to radio, DJs often received records of new releases to play (Word Press). Getting your music to one of the best local DJs helped musicians grow their audience.
Having your music heard in an entertaining, lively, and supportive environment increases fan engagement. Your music in a DJ's hands helps listeners understand your music, making you relatable and attractive to new followers.
Next, music marketing transitioned into TV through the launch of MTV in 1981. Visuals for songs were created to attract a young generation. It attracted listeners who responded well to visuals. Marketing music with music videos allowed the audience to see the artist in action. Music videos gave excitement to fans. Viewers saw things in the videos they could relate to or be a part of through dance moves and fashion. Music videos were and still are an effective marketing tool to communicate with fans about the motivation behind a song. Music videos prepare fans for concerts and merchandise sales.
The pain about music videos is that they cost a lot of money and there was no guarantee your videos would’ve played on MTV. Music advertisement was based on who had more money to give radio stations and MTV to guarantee a spot on the show.
Fans got cheated out of airtime with their favorite artist if the artist did not have enough money.
Then BOOM!
The internet.
How the Internet is Changing Music Marketing
Musicians can now market directly to their fans because of the internet. Royalty is no longer the audience you must impress, the pressure of being on a radio station’s top 40 is reduced, and pay-to-play marketing with radio and MTV is no longer a big chunk of your music marketing budget. Your fans and followers just need to search or follow you to get what's new.
This is good news for you, but good news doesn’t come without a challenge. The good thing about appealing to Kings, radio stations, and MTV is that the focus is on you. Exclusivity and repetition of your music block the sounds of other musicians. Competition was limited. Your competition had no access to Elite ears or the money to pay and play.
Today’s Music Marketing Challenge
The internet truly is your friend, but it is a friend to everyone. You will not be known on the internet if you don’t post enough, and the internet will not introduce you to a broader audience if you are unclear. Your fans and followers are given a lot of content to consume daily. Is your online marketing getting you above your fans' clutter? Is your marketing communicating the value of your content?
How Copywriting Uses the Internet to Create Effective Music Marketing.
Copywriting is like radio broadcasting through different channels such as blogs, emails, ads, and websites. You’ll be able to communicate with various types of audiences who like to receive news of your projects on certain broadcasting channels.
For example, your bookworm listener may prefer blogs discussing background information about your music, merch, or Record Label.
Busy on-the-go listeners may appreciate email correspondence with catchy subject lines and engaging content.
Social media fans will light up at a welcomed interruption of their scrolling to see your new project.
New curious fans may want to explore who you are as an artist by visiting your website.
A copywriter can use the statistics you can gather from these different broadcasting channels to help you understand where most of your fans are located, how they prefer to engage with your content, and what motivated them to complete a purchase. Knowing what your fans and followers need to feel confident interacting with your content gives you ideas on what to create and how to market it effectively.
The goal of a copywriter is to understand your music and your audience and deliver updates about projects, which will keep followers and fans aware of opportunities to watch you perform their favorite jams live! Or listen and purchase a song, album, or merch to keep the fun going.
The best part about this is that Copywriting won’t change your image or voice. Your image and your voice are exactly what a copywriter needs to connect you directly to the fans and followers who benefit most.
As your listeners bump into your serenade on the virtual streets you will give them a lot to hold on to through copywriting.
Copywriting is for all of your audiences, Royalty, Church leaders, the rich worldwide, and people quietly making impacts in everyday life. No one gets left behind in copywriting, just the limited marketing strategy used to hold musicians back.
Marketing your music will forever be an evolving challenge. A challenge copywriting has evolved to face.
Are you ready to take your fans and followers on a music marketing journey surpassing time?
Yes?
The next step is booking a consultation with a copywriter…
Do you need a copywriter?
Yes?
There are a lot of excellent copywriters out there…
Do you need a copywriter who loves music?
Yes!
Click the Book Consultation button and let’s get started.
