Being Social Is A Big Part Of Being An Indie Musician
(By Mike Post)
Being an independent musician this day and age is a bit of a dichotomy – while it’s never been easier to share your music, it’s also never been harder to cut through the heavily saturated world wide web we’ve all come to know and love. Anyone with a computer knows how easy it is to share something with your friends through the ever-changing popular social networks, but we’re also bombarded with more information and misinformation on the Internet today than ever before. Getting something to stick proves to be just as hard as it ever was, maybe even harder. Managing your online presence effectively can make a world of difference when it comes to the end goal of people buying your music and seeing your perform.
In addition to writing, recording, and playing (and doing these things well I must add), an artist must find their place in this world of tweets, status updates, and blog rolls. It’s hard to underplay the importance of an online fan base. Mostly gone are the stars and one hit wonders of yesteryear, and success as an artist in 2015 is measured quite differently than it was even just a few years ago. Today there are many successful musicians that are not at all household names. They are artists who have found their niche audience and stuck with promoting and catering to them, to those who are truly interested. Artists now rely on this crafted network of devoted fans who are waiting hand and foot for that next tweet, show announcement and single release. The easiest way to keep track of this is to build your network through a steady and spread out online presence.
I’ve found that when posting to social networks, content rather than promotional material will win out almost every time. It’s important to cultivate this artist to fan relationship and let the world know who you are. People don’t want to be peddled to; there is enough of that in advertisements out there already. Posting a photo of what you’re doing, or a funny update or tweet is a good way for your followers to get to know you as an artist or band. You’ll probably even get more attention when you do post something to promote since people won’t be expecting it.
While it’s not easy to cultivate the type of network we’re talking about, it helps to remember that no one is an overnight success. Even if they seem like they came out of nowhere, usually it is years in the making, going back to the artist starting their craft and learning over time. Just like honing your musical craft, it takes time and energy to use and learn social media tools that can become your partner over time instead of an enemy that you battle for likes.
There is of course, the true “secret ingredient” when it comes to building a fan base, and really it all comes down to being great at whatever it is you do. No matter what style of music you play, having great songs that connect and a great singer is usually the best way to stick out! You really need to have something unique to offer the musical world as most of us have heard it all before. If you’re finding you do all this work on social media and don’t get much back in return, it may be necessary to focus back on your craft for a while – there’s nothing wrong with taking the time to improve your work.
From the biggest artists down to those just starting out, finding those people who are interested in what you do and fueling them to keep coming back for more can be extremely tricky and time consuming. This is where Soundudes comes in and frees up more of your time to make music. At some point in your career you will probably need professional help with this, and it’s good to always keep that in the back of your mind as you go forward. Sure there are those who manage everything on their own but for most there simply isn’t enough time in the day. For the rest of us that aren’t at that point yet, just keep on releasing that content and building your fan base over time, and you may find yourself someday exactly where you want to be!