A 4 minute read to help you get noticed by the music blogosphere…
Getting the attention of record labels and blogs can be difficult. I have been running a popular music blog for several years now and we receive hundreds of promos for the website every week. Here are my top five tips for getting noticed by (and featured on) music blogs.
1. Send Music in the right format.
Most blogs and record labels will publicly state the way they prefer to receive music. This may be a dedicated email address for music submissions, a form on their website, Soundcloud dropbox or through SubmitHub (See point 2). At Soundplate we have a music submission system on our website where anyone can add music to the user-submitted section of our website and we also accept music via SubmitHub.
Don’t email huge WAV files as attachments, send streaming links (Soundcloud is perfect) where the writers can listen to your music online, they will ask for a download link if they want one.
2. Use SubmitHub.
Submithub is an online system for submitting music to blogs and record labels. It’s free to use or there is a premium credits system where you can get feedback on your track within 48 hours (guarenteed, or your money back).
SubmitHub is the fastest and easiest way to get feedback on your music from relevant record labels and blogs, there are currently more than 280 blogs and record labels using the system. It’s also a great way to get a measure of how your music stacks up against other artists. The feedback can feel harsh at times and you are much more likely to get rejected than accepted but at least this way you will know why, and how you can improve for next time.
3. Do your Research & Get Personal.
It’s not what you know…
Find out everything you can about the people you are sending your music to. A personal email which starts with a “Hey Matt” is far more likely to get my attention than a generic group email to all of your press contacts.
It is also very important that you are only sending your music to people who might appreciate it. A heavy metal blogger does not want to hear about your disco track. Make sure you are only contacting people who cover the style of music that you make.
4. Get Your visual branding up to scratch.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words..
Your artist branding, album artwork and press shots make a big difference. An artist with great visuals is much more likely to be listened to. Click here to read an article on the importance of good branding for music artists.
5. Quality Control.
Before sending your music to any record label or blog take a listen to the last few releases they have featured. Your music will need to be at least as good as all of these tracks if it is going to be accepted. Be honest and ask others opinions. Is your music ready for that feature or that label?
5. Consider How You Can Improve.
“How Can I Improve?”
The most important question. Always keep it in mind.
If you have been rejected by several blogs and your music isn’t getting the attention you hoped it might don’t be disheartened, go away and consider how you can improve. It can take a long time to cut through the noise and to get noticed, be patient and keep improving.
This article was based on the following video from The Soundplate Video Diary:
Please share this article with anyone who may find it useful and subscribe to the Soundplate YouTube channel for more music marketing tips.
Post Tags: