Top 10 Uncommon Secrets For Uploading, Marketing & Releasing Your Music
Today, we are all educating ourselves on how best to strategize and schedule your releases and how best to market your music as an artist. In this article, you will learn more about the 8 Uncommon Secrets For Uploading, Marketing & Releasing Your Music. 1. Have a Plan! Repeat after me: “Let’s just put this out ASAP and see what happens” is not a plan! Having done this process countless times, I realized – “I need a real written process and one that I can share with my team, so everything is practically self-automated.” After writing everything down, I realized that we had over 70 different process items for independent label releases taking place in the 6 weeks leading up to the release date! Now, this is different if you’re a major label. For a major label, you might start 3-6 months before your release. To summarize the Top Uncommon Secret #1 – Have a Plan! 2. Give Yourself the Gift of Time This one ties into #1 above. I can’t tell you how many people will say “I want my song to come out next week, because it’s my birthday” or some “random” reason for a release date. NOPE. You really need 5-6 weeks upfront to your release. That’s what is consistently recommended by the DSP’s. You’ll want to have enough “upfront” time for several reasons- most importantly, to be able to pitch your music to those editorial and creative playlisters that can help support! Also, you’ll want to absolutely fill out your Spotify for Artists pitch forms so that you’ll be sure to show up in your fans “Release Radar” playlist, and as – or more – importantly, make sure your music gets to the right Spotify editorial teams. The other reason why “let’s get it out next week” isn’t a good idea is sometimes things go wrong! For instance, maybe there’s a mistake in the master, the artwork isn’t high resolution enough, there’s an issue in Apple policy on the artwork – all of this and more has happened to artists who often do rush releases. So do you want to have 6 weeks to correct the problem, or have zero time? I think you know the answer. 3. YouTube Promoted Videos YouTube Promoted Videos (i.e. pre-roll before a video) are the biggest bang for your buck in my opinion. If you do this correctly, you should be able to get a CPV (cost per view) down to .02-.03 cents (or less). And not just a “view,” but a “targeted” view, someone who is bound to be a new fan, based on the interests and other qualifications you’ve set up in the campaign. I’d especially jump on this if you have a killer video! 4. Hiring a TikTok Influencer Company This one is a little pricey, but if you get it right, these can be homeruns. Now, I’ll be the first to say that “let’s do a #TikTok challenge” is the cringe equivalent to saying “let’s make a viral video.” Meaning – anyone who set out to make a viral video usually never succeeded. LOL. However, for about $5,000 (starting price), you can hire one of the best TikTok influencer companies, who will outsource and hire their network of influencers to “seed” your #challenge or your original sound. From there, it’s off to the races. This is the primary marketing tool I see the major labels using today, where they’ll easily spend $30,000 + on a campaign. Here’s the thing: it’s just not about having a great #challenge or TikTok concept. You need connectors to spread the idea. You need the right influencers to carry those sonic frequencies and spark the fire. 5. Hiring a PR Company / Publicist Here’s what you need in order to make your publicist valuable: 1. Amazing music. 2. Your culture – meaning is there “weight” to your project? 3. A visual identity (that’s right – people respond to that). 4) Is what you’re doing actually cool? 5) Do you have an awesome story? If you don’t have all 5 of those elements, and you’re a new artist – I would seriously reconsider hiring a publicist. For now. Alternatively, if you have at least 4 of the above 5 factors, then get to it! 6. Don’t Pay for Spammy Playlisting Directories and Fake Streams Here’s a shortcut for Playlisting and Building Fans: There is no shortcut! A common mistake I often see is paying for DSP, Spotify, Apple playlisting directories and hiring playlist marketing services. Or even worse – “pay for play” streams. Basically, those just don’t work. The best shortcut to getting your music the right attention is to put in the work, have a long term objective, and a plan which allows you to consistently release high quality music. 7. Collaborate with Featured Artists Here’s one that’s obvious, but often underutilized. You see this a lot in the Hip Hop and EDM space (and somewhat in pop), but not as much in the other genres. The idea here is super simple. Identify an artist in your genre (or even a cross genre collaboration!) that you’d love to work with. Maybe you’ve been on tour with them, Maybe you’re a fan, Maybe this artist is in your Spotify “Fans Also Like” section. Reach out to them with an interesting collaboration idea and release the song so that your collaborative efforts will impact the attention on your song (engaging both your fanbase and your collaborator’s) with all the streams counting towards your Spotify Monthly Listeners. HINT: Are you limited to just 1 featured artist? Nope! No doubt there are upwards of 3 and 4 total featured artists these days on one song. You should try it as well! 8. Who Not How? Aka Ask for Help The question is not “how are you going to have success launching your music? You see, the great movers and shakers of the world are not necessarily great “how-ers,’ but great “who-ers.” Who can help you and who can you graciously ask for
Tribute To Reeze : Aka Mr Izzorait
Full name Nkemchor Emmanuel Azuka also known as Reeze was an Afrobeat/Afrorap artist how hailed from Delta state, Nigeria. He started music professionally in 2013 in University of Benin. He did a song about his school titled “Uniben shout out” in 2015 which trended in university of benin and other schools and soon the song became an anthem in the school, he further went on and did other songs that trended but notably he did one of the biggest song out of Benin titled “Hunger never catch you” which trended all over Edo state and beyond. After that Reeze kept on dishing nice rap freestyles on instagram which caught the attention of OAKY sound label ,which so far he has released 2 singles titled “Ojoro’ and ” 4U ft Vidaaar “. Reeze dropped his EP titled REEZE ISSA VIBE which consist of 6 tracks. Lead single “Are you worth it” . Reeze was signed under his own Template, Reeze’s and Diana’s. His Latest EP ” VIBRATOR ” Gained Almost a Million streams cumulatively. Reeze was the 2nd of 5 Children . He was involved in a fatal accident on the 8th of August on Lekki Epe Express Road injuries sustained later claimed his life on 23rd of August. REST IN PEACE REEZE Stream his music HERE
Joeboy Is Back With New Single Titled, ‘Contour‘ (LISTEN)
Joeboy makes a comeback with a more remarkable record, with this new single, ‘Contour‘ Weeks after making his guest appearance on a COLORS SHOW with the mellow song “Spiritual Gbedu.”Listeners will find it difficult to get “Contour” out of their brains, much like the heartbreaking conclusion to a complicated relationship.Produced by Tempoe, we are sure you’d love this new sound! Stream Below ; Get your latest music updates HERE UPLOAD AND STREAM FOR FREE ON HAFRIKPLAY
Whip Music & Hafrikplay Africa Partner To Promote Underground Talent In Africa
Nigerian music has been taking the world by storm in recent years. From Burna Boy filling up New York’s Madison Square Garden with over 20K attendees to Tems making history as the first Nigerian to have a No.1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Many artists dream of following in these artists’ footsteps and Whip Music Africa and Hafrikplay have joined hands to support them. Whip Music Africa is a digital talent marketplace that connects African music professionals to music opportunities, services and networks. They leverage AI to help organisations scout & vet high potential talent. Hafrikplay is a Nigerian founded artist-first afrobeat inspired music streaming platform focused on underground and African talents. It allows creators to share unlimited music and podcast content through its mobile apps and website for free. Through this collaboration, upcoming artists can access a variety of offers that will help them accelerate their music careers. The first offer will enable selected artists to have their songs featured on Hafrikplay’s playlists and receive financial and strategic music promotion support from both brands. Whip Music Africa will leverage its AI technology to scout, vet and select high potential music artists who will most benefit from this offering. Hafrikplay will leverage its promotion and distribution expertise to guide the artists on growing their fanbase. This is the first of many more initiatives the brands will collaborate on to promote upcoming talent in Africa. “This partnership brings unlimited and endless opportunities for underground talents. The magnitude of artists who would benefit from this is uncountable because we intend to phantom as many programs and projects as possible”, says Hafrikplay Head Of Administrative, Karimat Alaka. The integration of these brands leads to a broad promotion of underground African talents including artists , producers , DJs , sound engineers and podcasters. Hafrikplay and Whip Music Africa have similar structural DNA for globalisation and exportation of African talents to the world by putting Afrobeats as a genre at the forefront. . “We intend to make both of our platforms a gateway for independent and underground artists to have a voice loud enough to help them achieve growth and development on their journey to stardom. We know how difficult it can be to make it as an upcoming artist, irrespective of your talent, and our vision is to make their journey easier,” says Melissa Kariuki, Whip Music Africa Founder & CEO. This partnership creates an environment for upcoming talent to groom their fanbase, collaborate with other talent and strategically position themselves for further opportunities to bolster their music careers. “In addition to offering these opportunities, we intend to educate the artists on the importance of understanding the business of music which includes learning how to position yourself in the industry and market your music. Artist education is a key pillar of Whip’s value as we quickly learned that there are many talented artists but there’s a huge knowledge gap. With each opportunity we put forward, we ensure to provide the necessary education around so we do our part in filling that gap,” Kariuki explained. Artists can benefit greatly from joining the Hafrikplay community which features both listeners and artists. Hafrikplay offers unique benefits such as song importation enabling artists to easily upload their songs from streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Deezer, SoundCloud and Youtube. They also offer a points system enabling artists to earn incentives to further support their careers. Artists can leverage their platform to connect with their fanbase in unique ways from selling merchandise and listing events to blogging. Evidently, both Hafrikplay and Whip Music Africa have so much value to offer upcoming talent. Interested artists should follow both brands on social media here and here to stay up-to-date with the latest offerings. Contact Us For Music Promotions HERE
M.I Abaga Is Out With His Sixth Studio Album Titled, ‘The Guy‘ (LISTEN)
Nigerian rapper, producer, and businessman M.I. Abaga has released his 12th studio body of work (Album & EP) titled, ‘The Guy’. The project blends hip-hop with Afropop, Amapiano, and highlife while addressing issues including legacy, mental health, masculinity, and romance. The Guy is supported by smooth bars and melodious soundbeds, and is a cry to arms for everyone to maintain their spirits. According to M.I, the album is a declaration that, despite the circumstances, you can overcome obstacles and achieve great things. “In my opinion, this stage is all about having the audacity to do the seemingly impossible. It’s your ability to feel at comfortable with yourself and express yourself freely. That energy is present. The project houses 12 songs and features some of the industry’s heavyweight like Olamide, Duncan Mighty, Wande Coal, Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz, Phyno, The Cavemen, international star NAS and others. Listen Here