Tuesday, September 5th, 2023.
Hey, it’s TJ Miller, “You want some game?” Let's #tipundathehat!
For the best indie music from indie artists, click, and follow Indie Artist Of The Week Unda The Hat. This week, La’Kea Stokes. Be sure to hit the like button and follow this amazing group of indie artists. They will be big time soon.
Promo tips - Let’s go -
So last week I talked to you about engaging with your audience. I’m going to stay in that lane for a minute as I give you a few tips on how to promote your music or as I like to say POAB (Promote On A Budget) and PUSH (Promote Until Something Happens). So, let’s be real: Every artist wants to be a big star, strike it rich, and be all things to almost everyone, right? Nah, not even. A lot just want to share their talents and live their life through the gifts God gave them. They don’t want to be broke, suffer, or even work a traditional 9 - 5 but all that other stuff can be a bit much. So how do you do that? Well, first you write good competitive content. I say competitive because you want your music to be heard, and maybe even played on the radio. There are only so many slots and let’s face it, you DIY musicians don’t have the resources these major labels have to get their music out there. But don’t sweat it, there are some things you can do to find your audience, engage with them, set aside a budget to put together a team, and work your social media, not just scroll and look for memes.
Now let’s be clear: You can follow many tips to get your new single, EP, or Album out there so that your audience can enjoy and love it. These are just a few to get you started. And these tips will be aimed at the new music that you have just released, not you as an overall artist. Remember you’ve got to do both. You’ve got to brand yourself and promote the music. Ok so check it out.
- First things first, get your social media sites right. Have a personal page and a business page. Talk about your favorite Football team or that you put salt on your grits instead of sugar on your personal page. Talk about your music on your business page. Both are important because people will get to know you on both, and you can sell your football family your music too.
- Bring them along for the ride. Take those selfies in the studio, and introduce the engineer, the producer, the beatmaker, the saxophone player, the background singers the tambourine shaker to your followers. Let them see the process. It’s never too early to start promoting.
- if you’ve read any of my blogs you know I’m going to say you have to have a website. Remember this is a business and you have just released a product into the marketplace. You must have your own platform to sell it on. You make 100% of the profit for everything you sell on your own website. You make 0.003% of what you sell on Spotify. Think about it.
- Create an EPK, electronic press kit, and start gathering names, email addresses, and social accounts to send it to once it’s ready. And for God’s sake if it ain’t ready stop asking people in positions of power to critique your music. That’s a good way to get your feelings hurt. If it’s not ready keep working on it. Ready means to have things like your bio, your promo pictures (a promo picture is not you standing in the hall looking different from your brand persona), and your metadata, all wound up and ready to go at the drop of a hat.
- Now don’t get it twisted, you need your music on Spotify and all the other hundred or so DSPs (Digital Service Providers like Spotify and ‘nem) and you want to promote the fact that it’s there. People stream and you want your music to be streamed.
- Do a pre-order sale. Before your music comes out, make sure your followers and fans know when it’s coming.
- Create a Press Release. This will make you more competitive in the market. Not just a bio, a press release. If you can afford it, hire a publicist. If you can’t start an email campaign to the people that matter. Especially to blogs like this one.
- Pitch Pitch Pitch to playlist curators,
- Send snippets to other musicians. If they like it they will talk about it.
- If you have a budget, go for radio. If you don’t, create that mailing list from Linkedin and other places and send it out before the release.
- Do a video of some sort. You older jazz and gospel artists create a video of you singing, playing doing something. Your fans will love it.
Remember it’s all about you, your fans, and your music. Treat them all good!!
This week's #IAOTW - Independent Artists Of The Week is - La’Kea Stokes. 
Raised in a strict COGIC household, La'Kea has been able to combine her love of R&B and Jesus as she strives to make her mark in the music world. Click on her name link, scroll down to her picture, and then click and support. You won’t believe how talented she is.
For more information on this or to hire Unda The Hat as your brand or label consultant send a message via undathehat.com. See you next week!!