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How to get your music heard
As a singer it’s likely you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get your music heard as a singer. An online presence is essential as your music is worthless unless there are people who can hear it! Here are eleven ways that will be the most effective way of getting your act known to the general public!
Your own website
This is where the traffic from all your social media sites should be directed. It is your main hub of activity. It will be where all news stories, photos, videos etc. will be located. It will also be a place where you can sell merchandise and create mailing lists to keep your fans up-to-date with your goings-on via newsletters. Keep all the information organised and keep it updated.
Creating a Facebook page is essential for any act to get their music heard. It is the central hub of online activity and social networking. It is where all your photos, gig listings, news etc. should be going first. You can link it to your main website and all your other social media platforms too!
Another tip on how to get your music heard as a singer is to create a Twitter account. Twitter has many ways of helping promote your act. Using hashtags is a great way to get your act ‘trending’, which increases your visibility to fans by the keywords you have hash-tagged. You can send tweets to like-minded professionals, who in return can re-tweet you to all their followers. It’s a great way of getting widespread exposure and making contacts in the industry.
YouTube
YouTube has helped many unknown singers become household names. It’s how Justin Bieber got his big break! Anything can be uploaded on YouTube: music videos, songs without videos, press interviews etc. If you have something recorded, it can be promoted to millions on YouTube and that’s a simple way to get your music heard.
Local radio
Local radio is a great way of getting your music heard to people in your local area. This is where your initial fan base will be located until you can start hitting gigs in other areas of the country. Getting interviews on here is a great way to spread your news about any new gig dates or EP releases. It will also give you the opportunity to play your music to the listeners. If it all goes well, you could get interviews on there more frequently!
Universities and colleges
Universities and colleges have people who listen to all kinds of music. They are your best bet for trying to get your music heard. Students are more likely to go along to gigs for unknown acts if they are local. Head to the student unions to distribute flyers and promote the gigs verbally to the students. Universities tend to have radio stations too, so approaching these would be a good idea to get on their airwaves.
Word of mouth
The more people who you get to your gigs, the more likely they will be to talk about you to their friends. Put on a good show and engage with your fans and it will only enhance your reputation with them and the likelihood they will bring more friends with them to your next show. Keep the audience happy by interacting with them in person and online as often as you can! Word of mouth is an important tip on how to get your music heard.
Local press
Giving the local newspapers or magazines your press releases for your new EP or gigs is a good way to get exposure. Universities tend to have student papers as well, so approach these to try and get any interviews or reviews of your gigs and EP’s. Making good connections with the local media could lead to larger publications taking notice!
SoundCloud
Sound Cloud allows unsigned musicians to share their music across all social media platforms. It can be embedded into your profiles so people can hear your music on your page and share the links on their own. It’s a free service and it widely used by singers, so it’s a great way to get your music heard.
Music videos
One of our last tips on how to get your music heard as a singer is to shoot a video to accompany your songs can then be placed on all your social media sites. The more professional and interesting the video, the more likely it is to capture the viewer’s imagination. This will increase the number of comments and shares the video receives. It could prompt interest from the local press and may even spread far and wide across the Internet.
Give your demo to fans
Handing out your demos at gigs is a surefire way to get your music heard. It worked for the Arctic Monkeys, so it can work for you. Fans love new music, especially when it is free as they are more inclined to give it a listen. They can then pass it on to friends who can get a chance to hear your music.