How Digital Marketing is Changing the Music Industry: Then And Now

When it comes to the music industry, things have certainly changed over the years. With the advent of digital marketing, bands and artists can now connect with their fans in ways that were once impossible.

In this blog post, we will take a look at how digital marketing is changing the music industry for the better!

The Impact of Digital Marketing on The Music Industry

Digital marketing has had a huge impact on the music industry, and for the better. With platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Tik Tok, and Apple Music, to name a few, artists can now directly make a living from their music.

Previously, artists would have to rely on record labels to promote their music and they would need to have some sort of 360 deal or distribution deal at the very least.

However, with digital marketing, artists can now reach out to their fans directly and build a fanbase without the help of a third party.

This is evident from the success of artists like Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, who got their start by posting covers on YouTube!

Both artists were able to build up a following on YouTube and then eventually release their own music. This would not have been possible in the pre-digital marketing era.

In the same way, Tik Tok is creating multi-millionaire creatives every day. Smart, creative musicians can use these tools in a way that the industry has never seen before to make money and connect with their fans.

How Artists Can Connect with Their Fans Using Digital Marketing

Every time an artist posts on their chosen platform, they invite an opportunity for fans and potential fans to engage with them.

For example, an artist might post a teaser for their new song on YouTube and then ask their fans to comment with what they think the song is about.

This gives the artist a chance to get feedback from their fans and see how well they are connecting with them. Additionally, it also creates a sense of community between the artist and their fans!

It is in this same fashion that some innovative artists ahead of their time will make use of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to directly incentivize their fans and followers.

The Benefits of Using Digital Marketing in The Music Industry

Some of the benefits of using digital marketing in the music industry include:

• The ability to directly connect with fans and build a fanbase without the help of a third party.
• Increased exposure for artists, as they can now reach a global audience.
• The ability to make money from their music through various platforms.
• Offering artists more control over their work, image, and brand.

But is this a benefit for everybody?

As we mentioned before, this allows artists to cut out the middle men. SO what does that mean for the middlemen? Do we still need record labels?

As it stands, record labels still play a vital role in an artist’s career. They provide the necessary resources to help artists succeed and make money from their craft. Every artist does not have the knowledge or desire to be their own marketing manager, salesperson, and accountant.

A record label can provide all of these services for the artist so that they can focus on creating their music. While digital marketing has changed how artists connect with their fans and how much money they make from their craft, it is important to remember how this new business model affects others in the industry as well!

And that a labels role is not simply being a “middle man”. Labels come with an entire team of personnel.

Some of these jobs include;

• Radio promoters who get the music played on radio.
• Publicists create publicity opportunities for their artists like magazine covers or interviews with popular blog sites and news outlets.
• Branding experts that help design album covers, merchandise, tour posters, etc.
• Legal teams to protect and defend copyrights of all new songs written by their artists.
• Finance teams that handle how much the artist gets paid for each album sold, how royalties work, etc.
• Marketing teams to help sell the music and build brand awareness through advertising campaigns (digital or traditional).

You see, all of this cannot simply be replaced by an Instagram account.

Digital Marketing Also Has Benefits For Larger Corporations And Labels

It isn't all doom and gloom. Digital marketing has allowed labels to profit in the same way and, in fact, has made their jobs a lot easier.

It is difficult to quantify how much money digital marketing has saved the music industry over the years, but it's safe to say that there are a lot of people who would be out of work without these new technologies!

Labels can now reach millions more potential customers with just one ad campaign on social media platforms like Facebook or Youtube than they could with an expensive billboard!

They can also digitally track how effective each campaign is and make necessary changes to ensure that they are getting the most ROI (return on investment).

Additionally, digital marketing has allowed labels to target their audience much more effectively. They can now specifically target fans of certain genres of music or those who live in a specific area using algorithms.

How To Use Digital Marketing to Promote Your Music

So, how can you as an independent artist or label get in on this action? How does it all affect you?

Well, you can start by learning how to market yourself and your brand!

• How To Promote Your Music On Twitter
• How To Promote Your Music On Instagram
• How To Promote Your Music On Tik Tok

The Wrapup

Most musicians try and fail, because they set out with no knowledge of how to market their brand and music and no strategy. It is important that if you are going to do it solo, you plan your strategy and focus on building a relationship with your fans online.

Really be creative about finding ways to bring value and make them feel more connected to you than any other artist on their Spotify playlist!

If you can do this, you will be well on your way to a successful music career!

Likewise, labels should also focus on how they can use digital marketing to connect with their fans in new and innovative ways. They should experiment with new technologies and platforms to see what works best for them.

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