How do you listen to your music in 2024? The chances are that you use one of the main music streaming platforms, like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or Tidal etc.
That’s why I’m pleased to announce that my two recent CommsBreakdown albums are now available on most of the major music streaming platforms.
It’s a big move for me to switch over to the main streaming platforms. But it’s a move that I think most independent music artists will need to consider at some point.
Here are a few thoughts on why streaming is an important tool, along with some key ideas for promoting your music and growing your following as an artist.
Why put your music on Spotify and Apple Music?
“If you want people to listen to your music, discover it and love it, you need to be on at least one of the major streaming platforms.”
Music streaming platforms make it incredibly easy to listen to your favourite musical artists, discover new artists and create playlists of all your favourite tracks. Ultimately, they’re super convenient – and humans LOVE convenience.
There is a flipside to this convenience though. As I’ve pointed out in previous blog posts, streaming is VERY bad at supporting and reimbursing smaller independent artists. That’s why I started my music journey by releasing my music through Bandcamp and making use of their Bandcamp Fridays to share my albums and engage with my new audience.
However, the reality is that most casual music lovers don’t use Bandcamp as their primary source of music. It’s a great platform for independent artists, with a community of ambitious and determined singers, musicians, producers and DJs, all doing their best to release their music, find their followers and get their tracks out into the world.
But with Spotify now the most popular music streaming platform in the world (with over 350 million users and 150 million subscribers), if you’re not releasing your music on streaming platforms, is anyone actually going to listen to it?
In short, if you want people to listen to your music, discover it and love it, you need to be on at least one of the major streaming platforms.
How can you promote your music as an artist?
“There are plenty of ways to improve people’s awareness of your music and to make them fall in love with what you do creatively.”
So, is streaming really the silver bullet for small, independent musical artists that want to make music a viable career? I think the answer to that is a big, fat, NO!
But streaming is one tool (among many) that you can use to find a following and get people actually listening to your music. You may have written 50 amazing pop songs, or finished 10 potential club bangers, but if the master files are just sitting on your hard drive doing nothing you’re never going to find that all-important audience.
There are plenty of other ways to improve people’s awareness of your music and to make them fall in love with what you do creatively.
For example:
1. Get busy on social media
At base (or maybe bass) level, you’re a musician. But in 2024 you have also got to embrace the technology and social media tools that we all have at our disposal.
Social media platforms are a simple, free way to talk about your music, share clips and videos and gradually build up a following. In my experience, Threads and Instagram have been the most productive platforms to use as a music producer, with both having a growing community of like-minded artists, musicians and fans to network with.
2. Play live and perform
Playing live is a major way to get your music and your artist/band name out there and on people’s lips.
Live performance isn’t an option for all recording artists – I for one am not a natural performer and much prefer the studio environment to the stage. But if you’re a singer, band or live performing act, book some gigs and start doing the groundwork.
Aside from getting your music heard by a new audience, live performance also earns you some money from the gig. It won’t be a lot (and if you’re an 8 piece ska band, none of you is going to get rich this way), but it is one way to get paid for your art. After all, we’ve all got to pay the bills and put food on the table if we’re going to have the time and space to make music.
3. Make your own merchandise
Band merchandise is a double whammy when it comes to raising awareness of your music as a band or solo artist.
First off, you get to see people wearing your band tshirts, or taking home your latest album on vinyl. That’s great for getting your name in front of new eyes and slowly increasing the amount of fans and social media followers you have as an act.
Secondly, revenue from your merch can help you cover your travel costs for gigs, pay for new instruments and gear or (if you’re lucky) put some actual money in your pocket.
4. Use physical formats
Streaming is the convenient way to listen to music, especially when people are out and about and only have their phone to listen to music. But the good news is that there are other ways for your fans to listen to your music.
Sales of both vinyl and CDs are on the rise in 2024. There’s even a boost in sales of music on cassette (not something any of us would have predicted back in the eighties!). Yep, some people actually love the ‘wow and flutter’ of a loose cassette tape, and the background hiss that, just like the crackles and pops of vinyl, tell you that you’re listening to a physical format.
Releasing your music to vinyl, CD or cassette isn’t cheap, and it’s likely that you’ll need to order them in larger numbers to get any kind of economy of scale. But by selling physical formats online, or at your gigs, you can generate more interest and create some more revenue.
5. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself
For many of us, talking about our music can be a bit…cringe? You might have 100% belief in the music you’re making, but talking about it to family, friends and work colleagues can often feel unnatural and a bit like ‘blowing your own trumpet’.
My advice is, get over that shyness and reticence. Talk to anyone who’s interested about the tunes you’re working on, what they mean to you and why someone might want to listen to your new single or album. I’ve discovered that most people are keen to hear what you’ve been up to, even if they have no intention of buying your album.
Contact your local radio stations, specialist online radio stations, music venues and music publications. Tell them why your music is different and worth listening to.
Even if 80% of them ignore you, 20% may well give your tracks a listen. And who knows where that could lead in the future, right?
Stop obsessing and release your music NOW!
“Stop worrying about the details and just release your music!”
If there’s one piece of advice I would give to any aspiring songwriter, musician, producer or DJ, it’s this: “Stop worrying about the details and just release your music!”
You will never ever achieve your dreams if you don’t let your musical babies out into the world. You could spend six months obsessing over the mix of your latest tune. Or you achieve a decent-sounding mix and just release it. Music is very much about capturing a mood, an emotional or a vibe – THAT’s the important thing to capture.
Of course, you don’t want your recordings to be full of unwanted distortion, or your bottom end to be so weedy that the woofers barely move. It needs to sound like a finished mix. But don’t second guess the arrangement, parts and overall mix too much.
If your tune captures the idea and the vibe you set out to capture, release it!
I used Distrokid to release my instrumental electronica and downtempo albums, Music For A Civilised World and Dystopia For Soundtrack Lovers. But there are other aggregator sites out there that can help you upload your tracks to Spotify, Apple Music and the big platforms.
Landr, Ditto and CD Baby are all alternative providers you could explore.
Listen to CommsBreakdown via your favourite platform
“Dive into both albums and lose yourself in the world of CommsBreakdown!”
Now that both albums are available on both streaming sites and Bandcamp, there’s really no excuse for not listening to Music For A Civilised World or Dystopia For Soundtrack Lovers.
Both albums are a mix of moody electronica, downtempo grooves, ambient soundscapes, retro synthwave and chilled out beats. There’s even a smattering of live guitar and bass in there, adding some organic textures and human playing to the electronics.
Dive into both albums and lose yourself in the world of CommsBreakdown! Click the links below to listen to previews of the tracks and to choose your fav music platform.
You can also listen to both albums, and more of my recent releases, through my Bandcamp page. If you’re thinking of buying the album, this is the place to do it!
CommsBreakdown 