Before you go ahead and pump your music out to the world, take a good look at what you are offering.
Is your website up to date?
Do you have your social media accounts looking good with links that work?
In less than three lines, can you explain who you are, or have your latest most relevant music linked to all your socials?
These are only the starting points, but think about first impressions.
Make sure that when you upload anything on your YouTube channel that your sound is exceptional, not confused with music production.
If you have made a live performance video sitting in your living room sharing your most loved latest piece of art, before you even begin, be sure you are set up correctly. Grab a laptop and plug in a microphone directly into your music program, (i.e. Logic, Protools, Cubase, Garageband) to enable you a clearer sound.
Learn how to import your video and sound into a video/movie-making platform and sync it correctly.(iMovie is fine) Make it be seen that you have at least gone to some effort to be considered and somewhat serious about your music career.
Whatever you do, when you are asked for links to your channels from blogs and music magazines, please make sure there is something to hear and available to see.
Do not send anything with a blank page. If you don’t have anything on your YouTube channel to show, do not send that link in. After all, blogs have asked for those links to see you and hear your music.
How hard is it to find your latest songs or any of your music for that matter?
If we are having to poke around your website trying to find some music, I guarantee you won’t have anyone else surfing around your site with frustration building and wanting to spend anymore time on your site trying to find what you most love doing. YOUR MUSIC
It’s extremely annoying and very unprofessional trying to get the attention of music blogs and radio when the artist is private messaging or has an automated message saying, ‘Yo, check out my music’. Not is it unprofessional, but it shows that you do not have the respect for others, including artists’ or place any effort into wanting to have your music really listened to as this is seen as being lazy.
What makes you think those who are running blogs and radio have the time to CHECK you out in amongst those artists who have taken the time and effort to actually email and submit anything. After all, consider the amount of time it takes to sort through all the music from submissions alone.
And you want the blogs and radio to poke around trying to find your music?
Please research the blog and radio station you are submitting to. This means find out the style and genre radio are playing, the format, special events etc. Each radio station is different too, and each blog and music website is also different. We all have our own ways of doing things which make us unique from each other. After all, artists don’t like to be placed in a box and neither do publicatons, radio and websites.
Go to the actual website or radio site/station and find out if they have a #NewMusicFriday, or as in the case of Music Talks, we have a set format and if you were to notice and simply check out the pages, you will find explanations on the top of the pages informing you what its all about.
Do the same for radio and follow their protocols and procedures for a chance to be played. If the station plays mainly country music then why are you sending your rap mixtape?
It is obvious to every station and blog site when an artist has not really had a look at the site or station to understand or know what it’s about and what the protocol is.
Never assume anything…
And now to shake things completely upside down…..
If you have a great production yet your singing and music is so off key to the point of where melody cannot be recognised, please don’t send that link as your proudest masterpiece.
Think about how to submit….
If blogs don’t have a sign up form where you only have to insert answers (as with Music Talks) read what is required. Send them exactly what they are asking, (but not the blank YouTube channels and pages) If you don’t have certain things that are required and/or asked of, send something that shows you in the best possible light and let them know.
When sending press releases, bios, photo’s and tracks, word doc. files are fine, but for web, it is best to send jpg. files that are NOT huge!
For several reasons.
Large photo files slow down sites
Quite often they will not post on social media from the sites due to the enormous size.
There are many online sites which you can change the size of your photo’s.
http://webresizer.com/ and https://tinyjpg.com/ are just two of many.
Another really great way to send information is via Dropbox or Google Drive with links with your word doc. and photo’s.
Word documents are preferable to PDF.
All the information, which is placed on websites still have to be adjusted and this is much easier done with word documents.
Look at other really great avenues to help administer your package as well, such as LinkTree. https://linktr.ee/
This is a fantastic tool to use for many reasons, and I strongly suggest you take a look, as it does more than just provide your package to blogs, magazines and radio.
Last of all, see what other independent artists are doing and be honest with yourself. Be aware of what else is going on around you and what others are submitting.
Blogs and radio prefer not to play or have music placed on their sites that don’t cut the mustard.
Remember, this is also a reflection of the site and station playing and promoting music to people who want to find great music!
If you haven’t heard back from a blog or music magazine, don’t take it personally. They are either super busy trying to get back to those who sent music to them back a month ago.
If you’re music gets them super excited, you will hear from them very quickly.
I guess this also say’s two things which you need to keep in mind.
If you don’t hear from them straight away, then maybe your music or track that you submitted needs work. It doesn’t mean for you to give up. It simply means, be objective at your music. What’s so unique about YOUR music and WHY should everyone hear YOURS? Ask yourself these questions when you’re about to record your track first. And don’t try and fix it in the mix.
If you never hear from them, then your music needs work.
Keep in mind, music blogs, radio and magazines go through hundreds of emails a day with submissions. The one’s that stand out are the ones that are considered.
The emails that are friendly and professional with a howdy, how are you, and especially if our first name is in it, we think, cool, they know who runs this place, they have done their research or seen who interacts on social media. We then read them first. Funny about that. Why I hear you say???…it just shows us that you mean business and say’s a lot about who you are.
These tips among many more will be coming out shortly in our brand new ‘Essential Indie Guide’ with real tips to guide artists with what goes on and what it entails to get your music heard. This will be available within the next week in our store at https://thestore.musictalks.xyz/collections/services-and-digital-downloads