May 28, 2014 How Cover Songs Can Take Your Music Career to the Next Level
If you’re a performer and songwriter, of course you want to record and perform your own songs…
But you might be missing out on a very effective and easy way to take your music career to the next level: Cover songs!
Here’s why cover songs are great if you want to:
1. Be More Liked
In psychology, there’s a phenomenon called the mere-exposure effect. What it means is simply this:
People prefer what they’re familiar with over what they don’t know.
So when you cover a popular song, people will like you and your performance more - just because they’re already familiar with the song.
It doesn’t mean your own songs aren’t as good.
It just means that with a cover, the hard work of popularizing the song is already done.
Why not use this to your advantage?
2. Make Fans Come To You
How do new fans find out about your music?
Maybe you’re playing shows, sending out press releases or spending money on radio promotion…
But rather than pushing your music in front of an audience, what if you could make them come to you?
Well, that’s exactly what the right cover song will do for you:
By pulling in lots of new listeners with your cover, you can easily close the gap between you and your potential new fans.
Now, you just have to pick the right song to pull in your ideal fans!
3. Be More Memorable
The best way to be memorable is to be different.
But different compared to what?
When you cover a song, the popular version of it acts as a reference - and gives you that opportunity to be different.
So by performing a cover song you’ll actually be more memorable than with your own original tune.
Plus, it’s relatively easy:
Pick a song and switch up the genre or instrumentation, create a mashup or choose a song that’s usually performed by the opposite sex.
4. Go Viral
Unfortunately no one cares about your music if they don’t know who you are…
But people are curious. And a cover song will pique that curiosity: What will your version sound like?
Now, if you can “wow” people with an unexpected performance of a song they know, it just might be your best chance to get lucky and go far beyond your usual reach.
To take your career to the next level, you need to focus on things that have the potential to actually make an impact.
Cover songs are a good strategy, because they have that potential to go viral.
Bonus Tip And Some Inspiration…
Remember, you need a license to use someone else’s song!
If you want to sell your version, check out Loudr.fm - an easy way to do it legally and with $0 upfront.
What’s your take on cover songs? Leave a comment - and for some inspiration - share your personal favorites below…
Author Bio:
Hi, I’m Lukas and I have two passions in life: music and marketing. If you’re a talented musician, I want to help you reach and engage more fans. Make sure to check out my free, step-by-step guide on how to find your audience (PLUS a ready-made Fan Profile template): Find My Audience Now!
Reader Comments (3)
Good stuff! I've seen how a cover song caused a ton of new visitors to my YouTube page!
For some inspiration; I love Sarah Winters' version of Swimming Pools (Kendrick Lamar Cover).
Sounds good, just have to put it to the test and see what potential I can give it.
Good read