The Most Effective Way To Release Music In 2024

If you want to learn how musicians are going viral and getting millions of streams on their music RIGHT NOW! Every week I do a stream where I break down how the artists blowing up in different music genres are doing it FOR $5 A MONTH. You get access to my full library of cheat codes and breakdowns of how musicians are going from no fans to millions in just months GO HERE AND SIGN UP! 

When I engage with DIY artists, their managers, and labels, a recurring theme emerges: they believe in their music but struggle to gain momentum. This sentiment is echoed in my Discord community as well. Despite having great songs, many artists find it challenging to capture the attention they deserve in a saturated market. While excellent music is a fundamental marketing tool, it’s no longer sufficient on its own. Today, effective music promotion requires strategic techniques to stand out amidst the noise.

Understanding the Current Landscape

Spotify and YouTube: Dominating Platforms for Discovery and Engagement Despite Spotify’s low payout rates, it remains the primary source of streaming royalties for most musicians, accounting for about 80% of their audio stream income. Spotify’s dominance in music streaming makes it a crucial platform for artists seeking exposure. Conversely, YouTube boasts the largest user base and serves as a primary gateway for fans, particularly younger ones, to discover new music. More importantly, YouTube is where deeper fan relationships are cultivated through diverse content like videos, interviews, vlogs, and live streams.

The Role of Algorithms Both Spotify and YouTube leverage algorithms to recommend new music, making it essential for artists to understand and cater to these systems. Performing well on these platforms can exploit algorithmic advantages, leading to substantial fan growth with minimal effort. Spotify’s editorial playlists are a prime example, where submitting songs 28 days in advance can significantly boost an artist’s reach. However, YouTube’s algorithm favors more frequent uploads, rewarding weekly or bi-weekly content.

Harnessing Human Psychology: Attention Propensity

Consistent Engagement Human nature plays a pivotal role in music promotion. Potential fans are naturally inclined to pay attention to artists who regularly remind them of their presence through exciting, different, or eventful content. This “attention propensity” means fans are drawn to artists who are consistently visible and engaging, reinforcing the need for regular updates and content.

Creating Eventful Content Fans are more likely to engage with artists who do things that are deemed important or necessary for social interactions. This involves creating striking images, compelling stories, and, of course, great songs. Artists must brainstorm and execute eventful activities that keep fans talking and sharing, thus maintaining a high level of visibility.

Strategies for Effective Music Promotion

The Importance of Consistent Sustained Promotion (CSP) Many musicians suffer from inconsistent promotion, leading to periods of obscurity that erode fan engagement. Consistent sustained promotion, involving regular updates and content releases, keeps fans engaged and prevents them from forgetting the artist. This approach is crucial for maintaining momentum and ensuring continuous fan interaction.

Optimal Release Schedule Artists often struggle with finding the right balance in their release schedules. Releasing music too frequently can overwhelm fans and reduce the perceived value of each song, while releasing too infrequently can lead to lost momentum. The optimal strategy is to release a song every 6-8 weeks, allowing for sufficient time to promote each release effectively while maintaining consistent engagement.

Building a Release Strategy

  1. Week 1: Release a single screen video featuring the album cover of the song.
  2. Weeks 2-3: Tell stories around the song through various content formats.
  3. Week 3: Release a lyric video or visualizer.
  4. Weeks 4-5: Continue storytelling and promotion.
  5. Week 5: Release the official music video.
  6. Weeks 6-7: Depending on the song’s reception, consider releasing an alternate version, such as an acoustic version, a remix, or a version with a featured artist.

Leveraging YouTube YouTube is invaluable for storytelling and building fan relationships. Regular content like playthroughs, vlogs, behind-the-scenes videos, and shorts can engage fans deeply and trigger the algorithm to promote the artist’s channel.

Full Stack Singles A full stack single involves synchronizing the music, merch, album cover, and video with common imagery. This synergy makes the release feel more eventful and cohesive, driving more attention and providing fans with multiple ways to engage.

The Waterfall Technique The waterfall technique involves releasing singles sequentially, with each new release forming part of an evolving album. This keeps streams and fan engagement high, as fans continuously revisit the artist’s catalog.

Maximizing Fan Engagement

Eventful Activities Planning and executing eventful activities are crucial for keeping fans engaged and talking about the artist. This can range from unique music videos to interesting social media posts that spark conversations.

Building Stories Around Music Creating stories around songs enhances their emotional impact and makes them more memorable. This storytelling can happen on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and most effectively, YouTube. Stories help deepen the relationship between the artist and the fans, making the music more meaningful and engaging.

Consistent Presence Maintaining a consistent presence on social media and streaming platforms ensures that fans are constantly reminded of the artist. This consistent presence is crucial for staying top-of-mind and preventing fans from drifting away to other artists.

Real-World Examples and Psychological Insights

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox An example of mastering the attention propensity is Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox, who regularly engage in publicized activities to stay in the conversation. Their strategy, though often cringe-worthy to some, ensures they remain relevant and top-of-mind for their audience.

Human Connection and Fan Relationships Fans often engage with music to deepen their relationships with others. By creating eventful, shareable content, artists can tap into this psychology, encouraging fans to talk about them and spread their music within their social circles.

Long-Term Commitment Building a fanbase and gaining momentum requires a long-term commitment. Artists should aim to sustain their promotional efforts for at least a year or two, consistently releasing high-quality content and engaging with fans.

The Psychological Basis of Music Promotion

Creating Emotional Connections Music is an emotional art form, and successful promotion hinges on creating strong emotional connections with fans. By sharing personal stories, behind-the-scenes content, and authentic moments, artists can make their music more relatable and impactful.

Utilizing Social Proof Social proof is a powerful psychological concept where people look to others to determine their own actions. When fans see others engaging with an artist, they’re more likely to check out their music. This can be achieved through strategic collaborations, influencer partnerships, and featuring fans’ content.

The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) FOMO is a significant driver of engagement. By creating limited-time events, exclusive releases, and unique experiences, artists can instill a sense of urgency and excitement among fans, encouraging them to participate and spread the word.

Advanced Promotion Techniques

Collaborations and Features Collaborating with other artists can expand an artist’s reach to new audiences. Features on tracks, joint projects, and live performances can introduce an artist to fans of the collaborator, leveraging their existing fanbase for mutual benefit.

Influencer Marketing Partnering with influencers who resonate with the artist’s brand can significantly amplify reach. Influencers can introduce the artist to their followers through sponsored posts, live sessions, and personal endorsements, creating a ripple effect in fan engagement.

User-Generated Content (UGC) Encouraging fans to create content around the artist’s music can foster a deeper sense of community and engagement. Contests, challenges, and calls for covers or remixes can generate a wealth of content that promotes the artist organically.

Utilizing Data and Analytics

Understanding Fan Demographics Using analytics tools available on platforms like Spotify for Artists and YouTube Analytics, artists can gain insights into their fan demographics. Understanding who their fans are, where they come from, and what content they engage with can inform more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

Tracking Engagement Metrics Monitoring engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and watch time can help artists understand what content resonates most with their audience. This data-driven approach allows for continuous optimization of content strategies.

Adapting to Trends The music industry is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging regularly. Staying updated on these trends and adapting strategies accordingly can keep an artist relevant and competitive. This might involve exploring new platforms, experimenting with different content formats, or adopting emerging technologies.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish’s rise to fame is a testament to the power of strategic music promotion. By leveraging platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube early in her career, she built a dedicated fanbase. Her unique aesthetic, combined with her authentic storytelling and consistent content release, kept fans engaged and curious about her next move.

Lil Nas X Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” became a viral sensation thanks to his savvy use of social media, particularly TikTok. By creating and sharing engaging content, he tapped into the platform’s algorithm and user base, turning a relatively unknown track into a global hit.

Doja Cat Doja Cat’s success with songs like “Say So” showcases the impact of TikTok challenges and user-generated content. Encouraging fans to create their own videos using her music significantly boosted her reach and engagement, leading to mainstream success.

Building a Long-Term Fanbase

Nurturing Relationships Long-term success in the music industry depends on nurturing relationships with fans. This involves engaging with them regularly, responding to comments, and showing appreciation for their support. Building a community around the artist’s brand can lead to a loyal fanbase that supports their career over time.

Offering Exclusive Experiences Providing fans with exclusive experiences can deepen their connection to the artist. This might include VIP meet-and-greets, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive merchandise, and private live streams. These experiences make fans feel valued and more invested in the artist’s journey.

Evolving with Fans As artists grow and evolve, so do their fans. It’s important for artists to stay true to their core identity while also evolving their sound and image to keep things fresh

If You Liked That Here's How To Go Deeper

Musformation (FREE)

Scour the Internet and you will see almost nothing that is unanimously agreed upon, but our content is an exception as it’s suggested across social media to anyone starting out trying to learn how to build a fanbase. This is the starting point, our YouTube Channel tells musicians everything they need to know to grow while being continuously praised as the best information in the business even by those who work with the biggest artists. We constantly hear that major label A&R and top managers tell musicians to study our channel and come back to them when they have traction. We cover how to start your project as well as how to how to get fans as you are releasing music on a regular basis. If you prefer reading a website I have that foundation built here as well. Just follow the arrows and read, watch or however you prefer taking it in. Some people even listen to this YouTube playlist on their morning drives. If you only watch this we are happy we helped you. Hit us up if you ever need more and get subscribed with notifications on since we drop new knowledge weekly for free.

Musformation Labs ($5 a month)

Every week you get an hour long video where Jesse Cannon shows you how musicians are changing their lives by getting people to finally hear their music. In each video we dissect an artist that has been suggested by the members who has recently blown up and break down exactly how they did it. We also break down the cheat codes for how artists in nice genres regularly break out and show you what to focus on and what not to focus on. We also recap new trends, or news that could help you break your music as apps, algorithms and platforms change. We end each installment with a Q&A every week where I answer your questions live on air and put a lot of effort into answering them thoroughly. 

Musformation Calls ($200/hour)

Many of you have heard so much advice its hard to know what YOU should do so you need to talk to someone who can talk you through it. Jesse personally does each call for an hour of undivided attention. Whether you just have questions, want to brainstorm ideas for content, discuss how you can find the best team or collaborators we are haeppy to talk. We have you fill out a quick form beforehand so we can make sure we are the right fit for a call. After doing calls with over 2500+ different musicians we have never been asked for a refund because we make sure everyone we take on is a good fit. After the call you get a transcript, notes and a video recording of it. Any time you don’t use during the first call is credited to your account and can be used in the future.

Musformation Growth ($999-$10,000)

Some of you need need a bi-weekly call to align strategy with growth. We only take on artists we feel we can be helpful in your growth and are ready for this stage of strategy. While you may have the money we try to only do this with people we feel we can help. We pride ourselves on these relationships as none have lasted less than 36 months.

If You Don’t Know What’s Right For You Email Us And We Will Help You 🤔