By Cassandra Jess
The music industry generates approximately USD 57 billion annually. Of this, USD 10 billion is solely from hip hop music. For many artists, rapper Bryson Tiller and Kehlani for example, the internet has been the dawn of their very successful music careers.
Sure,going on tours and roadshows and performing at live concerts are great ways to get publicity. Managing and promotion companies also go a long way in helping upcoming independent artists find their way to the top. Still, the internet reigns supreme.
It avails your content to a much larger audience, it is very affordable and it enables you better yourself through the feedback you get. It also happens to be one of the easiest ways to get scouted.
Your fan base
While rap music is gaining popularity by the minute, hip hop is still the dominant music genre in the US. Your success is measured by how huge a fan base you have and how much your music is listened to.
Songwriting, singing and producing is not the end of it. How you promote your music determines its success. This makes it the most challenging phase.
The internet is a very broad platform but for you to amass a large fan base that will listen to, download, stream and share your content, knowing how to promote your music online is crucial. As an artist, you need to choose the best and most suitable online platform to use in sharing and uploading your music.
Tools Of The Trade
To promote your music, you will need to equip yourself a number of tools. The most popular online hangouts are your trade tools. Join as many so long as you can manage them altogether. Hang out with the rest of the online community and as the rest are sharing and marketing their products, get word of your name and your music out for all to hear and see.
These same hangouts will help you gauge your popularity and that of your music. Those who love your music will like, share and follow you. The most popular of these hangouts include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, mailing list, Indie on the Move, Websites, Noisetrade and BandCamp.
People want a one-stop platform where they can listen to your music and know about you, get newsletters, see photos of their favourite artists, sample, legally download music fast and easy, keep track of your live performances, access sign offs with fellow musicians and buy your music. All these tools will offer all the above opportunities.
Almost every member of the online community has heard of or has access to majority, if not all, of these online platforms. Be they in middle school or working. This is an indicator that by using them, you can reach the billions of people.
Posting your content on social media, running a website and creating a mailing list are the best techniques to promote your music online. The internet is a free online resource at your disposal.
The internet helps you as a hip hop artist, stay relevant and tap into the pool of over 45 million hip hop consumers. However in order to not be forgotten , you need to create catchy original content and be consistent.
