Stephanie G. Mathis Indie musicians invest significant time and resources into music releases. When done correctly, albums, EPs, and singles can be huge undertakings. They can attract new fans, generate excitement, and provide multiple income streams.
Many pitfalls can cause lost sales, missed chances, and regrets. There is no foolproof formula for releasing your music flawlessly, but you can avoid some mistakes.
Here are three of the biggest mistakes that I see artists make during the release process. Avoid them to ensure your release is fruitful, rewarding, and enjoyable.
You may think that the fan base is built after the release of a movie, but not during.
The old Music Industry model required labels to consider album marketing to be one long event, with the album launch as the start of the promotional cycle. Labels would select one single to promote on the radio. Radio airplay introduced new listeners. Listeners who liked the song would buy it, and, in some cases, if the listener became a big fan, they might even purchase the album.
If the first single is at least moderately successful, the label will release additional singles on the radio. This will attract new fans to the album and increase sales. The release of singles aimed to increase album revenue. All PR was centered on the album.
The old model is now completely different because streaming has become a major part of the music industry.
Indie artists have unprecedented direct access to their fans, and there is little need for intermediaries to have connections across generations on radio and the media. Social media and streaming have leveled the playing field.
Release of singles on streaming platforms is a great way to get your album to “take off.” Each single, which will be placed before the album or EP, can attract new fans and also generate publicity leading up to its release.
The digital landscape offers fans more opportunities to “stick” with music. This is possible through analytics, social media channel following, newsletters, and targeted advertising campaigns. Artists can now reach their fans directly and deliver announcements to them in a continuous stream.
It would be foolish not to take advantage of these free tools. Creating multiple singles prior to the album or EP allows for more discovery points for new fans, more opportunities for playlists and podcast features, and more content to be created for social media. When the album or EP is released, you will have more fans who will buy, share, and attend concerts to support it.
Concentrating on one aspect of your release strategy at a given time
It is both a blessing and a curse that musicians can easily release their music.
Above, we discussed the blessing that new artists are able to independently handle their distribution and PR without the assistance of a record label. How can this be both a blessing and a curse?
Without a label, an artist has to manage all aspects of their release on their own, tasks that were previously handled by several specialized departments. We’re talking about a period of 12 months plus 2-3 additional months for production, manufacturing, and proofing.
The worst thing is that the artist has to do all of these things, and each task has its deadline. The artist will have to do a lot of things at once. This means they’ll need to stay organized and maybe even put together a team to ensure that they don’t forget important deadlines.
If an artist spends all their time recording and marketing their work but fails to book shows to support the release of their album, momentum will soon fizzle. Booking individual shows or even an entire tour can take months. By the time the artist has time to prioritize it, it is too late.
To avoid making this mistake, artists must create a timeline that clearly outlines each of their eight primary focus areas for the release season. (See the following section).
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It is not necessary to create a complete release schedule.
It is impossible to keep eight different areas on track without a plan. To multitask successfully and to bring this project to fruition, the artist must constantly reflect on where each subproject is in its timeline.
Eight areas should be focused on during a 15-month release period for an artist:
Because there are many different areas of focus and multiple people involved, artists must create a comprehensive timeline so they can stay on top of everything. This timeline will help clarify who needs to be involved and when, and it will also show how to manage each person’s progress.
A 15-month timetable will ensure that an artist meets all important deadlines and steps. The satisfaction of crossing items off a weekly list will reduce anxiety and overwhelm throughout the project. You only have one shot at every new music release, so you should make the most of it.
