If you are an artist or musician, you may be wondering, “How Can I Promote My Music Without Social Media?” Let’s look at some different ways to effectively promote your music online and offline.
How Can I Promote My Music Without Social Media?
Playing live gigs is a great way to connect with people and start building a fan base. Having your own professional website is a must and an easy way for people to connect with you and your music. Music videos and real-life production videos are a very powerful tool. You can place your videos on your own website, YouTube and other platforms. Creating your own blog / vlog with great and helpful content is another very effective way to build a huge fan base and promote your music. When your music is ready, you must place your music with online streaming services like Spotify, BandCamp, SoundCloud, and other online streaming services.
21 Ways To Promote Your Music Without Social Media
Social media is a great way to stay connected with your fans, share stories, and provide your fans with information like upcoming events.
You may be looking for different ways to promote your music other than social media and I think this article will be helpful to you.
Let’s look at some different ways to promote your music without social media.
- Playing Live Gigs
Live gigs are what make music so great. Fans gather by the millions every year to listen to their favorite groups.
Every successful band has always started by playing local gigs and building a fan base.
If you are trying to promote your music, it is very important to do live performances.
2. Flyers
Putting up flyers in your local community may seem low impact to you but flyers really do work.
A colorful and unique flyer will catch people’s attention, build curiosity, and give people something to talk about.
If you have a gig coming up or maybe a release party, be sure and post flyers in relevant areas of your community.
3. Build Your Own Website
If you want to be seen as a professional, then you Must Have Your Own Website.
Your website is your home base where anyone in the world can find and connect with you.
Use your website as a platform to connect with fans, booking agents, venues, and let people know what is going on with your music.
You can use your website as a tool to promote your music, your merchandise, booking dates, upcoming events, electronic press kit (EPK), your portfolio or “Reel” of works and recordings.
You can also create a blog to share your stories and helpful information.
Over time you can easily build a fan base of thousands of people.
Relevant Article: If you want to learn more about how to properly build an effective website that will show up in the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing be sure and check out my Promote Page.
4. Write Content For Your Own Blog
The internet runs and thrives off of providing information to people.
Did you know that you can create your own blog that provides the information people are looking for.
Yes, you have some great music and are trying to build a fan base. Why not create a blog about music and provide great information to people who like what you like?
When done correctly, your blog articles will show up in the search engines and attract thousands of people directly to your website / blog.
When people visit your blog article they will be on your website and will be able to see all the great information, music, merchandise and other articles available to them.
creating a blog with great, useful, and helpful content is key.
5. E-Mail List
So, you have your own website and blog and are getting a lot of visitors to your website.
The people coming to your website are interested in what you have to offer.
Why not ask them to sign up to your free weekly or monthly newsletter?
This is a great way to build an e-mail list of people who are interested in your music, your articles, and information that you have to offer.
An e-mail list is a great way to get the word out and promote your latest music release, where people can go to listen to your music, and stay connected with your fan base.
6. Electronic Press Kit
Your electronic press kit is your bio that tells everyone all about you, your music, booking information, links to your music, band photos, videos, album art, and how to contact you.
An electronic press kit (EPK) is primarily for people in the music business but is a great promotional piece that can be sent to anyone.
You should place your EPK on your website for easy access.
7. Create Videos
Videos are a great way to promote your music.
You can create music videos and production videos showing how you recorded and produced your music.
People love watching videos and you can host your videos for free on YouTube and other video platforms.
If you set your videos up correct, they can get thousands or millions of views.
Videos are a great way to promote your music, your website / blog, and build a huge following.
8. Start Your Own YouTube Channel
YouTube is a great way to promote your music.
You can set up a free channel where you can upload and host your own videos.
Make your YouTube channel the name of your artist or band and start uploading videos.
You can create music videos, production videos, or learning videos that help others with certain topics.
Be sure and link your YouTube videos to your website.
YouTube videos along with your own website and blog are a very powerful tool to promote your own music and build a professional online business.
9. Get Featured On Music Blogs
Reach out to online music blogs. Content creators are always looking for great content.
Perhaps you will find some good music blogs that will do an article or video about you and your music.
If you are building a YouTube channel and have a good website, different music blogs may reach out to you and offer a spot on their music blog.
10. Get Featured On Music Podcast
Different artist and music professionals have their own podcast.
Podcast artist are always looking for others in the music business that they can feature on their podcast.
Reach out to different podcast artist and see if you can get featured on their podcast.
Again, if you are building content with your own website and YouTube channel, they may find you and offer you a spot on their podcast.
11. Online Streaming Platforms
Online streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Band Camp, Sound Cloud, etc. are great ways to promote your music online.
Make sure your music is properly mixed and mastered and place your music with many different online streaming platforms.
The more people you get your music in front of the more opportunity you have for exposure, sales, and contacts.
Link your website to your online streaming providers links so people can go directly to your downloadable music direct from your website or YouTube channel.
Relevant Article: Can I Sell My Beats On Spotify?
12. Online Music Collaboration Sites
Today it is easier than ever to find people online to help you write, produce, and record your music.
Online music collaboration sites like Landr, Splice, Procollabs, etc. are great places to find others who will be interested in your music.
Everyone you meet in the business of creating music are great contacts for you and your music.
13. Local Radio Stations
Local radio stations are also content creators.
Radio stations are easy to reach out to and are always interested in a local artist and their music.
You can call or stop by your local radio station and introduce yourself. Let them know you are a fan of their station and tell them who you are.
Give them your website / blog address, your YouTube channel, and a demo of some of your music.
This is where having your own website really pays off because it will tell them all about you, make sure you have your electronic press kit ready to present on your website.
When you reach out to other professionals in the music business it’s important that you can present yourself as being a professional too.
14. Local TV Stations
Local TV stations are also content creators.
They will be interested in a local artist or band as well.
Again, make sure your website, electronic press kit, videos, and YouTube channel are all up to par.
Make it easy for the local TV stations to want to choose to work with you.
15. Place Your Music With Music Libraries
Music libraries are known as places where film and TV producers go to find great music that can be featured in their film and video projects.
It could be that your music would work great in an upcoming film or TV project.
If you like to write music that is more cinematic or film oriented be sure that you are checking out some of the different music libraries that you can place your music with.
Some music libraries or music licensing companies you may want to check out are Taxi, Music Vine, Artlist, MusicBed, etc.
16. Create Your Own Merchandise
One way to get people talking about your music is with cool merchandise.
These days it’s easier than ever to create your own T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, or any kind of merchandise you want.
If you are going to talk to a local radio station or TV station how memorable would it be to leave behind some free coffee mugs or T-shirts?
If you are doing a live gig, you can sell your T-shirts and different merchandise to your fans.
You can also sell your merchandise on your own website or offer a free bumper sticker to those who sign up to your e-mail list.
17. Go To Live Events
If you want to be a professional artist or sound engineer, it is very important that you are going to live events.
You will meet other musicians, artist, and engineers at local events.
You may also run into A&R people depending on the events and venues you are attending.
Learn to mix and mingle with the other folks in the music industry. Make yourself useful and available.
This is a great place to hand out a business card with your website, and a way for other people to get in contact with you.
By the way your website should have your EPK (electronic press kit), your “Reel”, links to your YouTube channel and streaming services, and provide a good way for people to contact you.
18. A & R Professionals
Artists and repertoire professionals are out there looking for good talent for the record label that they represent.
If you are attending live events in the bigger cities, it is not unusual to run into an A&R rep.
If you are an artist with some good music, it’s going to be important that your music is ready to present.
This means your music is properly mixed and mastered and radio / streaming ready.
Again, this is where your website, YouTube channel, EPK are all ready to be presented.
Make it easy for them to say “Yes”.
If an A&R rep likes your music, it’s their job to introduce you to the record label that they work for.
19. PR Agencies
If you want to really fine tune your promotion process, you can look into working with a PR agency.
PR stands for promotion and a good PR agency knows how to put you on the map.
PR agencies will charge you a fee but are a great way to get the ball rolling.
20. Network With Businesses
Networking with businesses is a good way to get in front of a large group of influential people.
You may want to consider approaching businesses as a band or artist to play the company Christmas Party, trade shows, or other live events.
Once you play one live event with a business you will find that your phone starts to ring.
Attend a local rotary or chamber of commerce meeting and get to know other business owners.
You are a business person too. Start working with other businesses.
21. Direct Mailing List
Mailing list have always been a popular way to reach audiences.
We talked some about building an e-mail list but don’t forget you can build or purchase a regular mailing list as well.
You can create a nice flyer for an upcoming event that can be mailed out to whomever you want.
A traditional mailing list cost money so make sure you are buying a good list so as to not waste your money.
Consistency Is Key
It’s important to remember that you are building a business.
Consistency is going to be key.
You can use some or all of the promotion methods I listed above.
Promotion takes time, talent, and a good strategy.
Having your own professional website is going to be a very important tool to launch your music from.
You need a professional website to start building your image, provide your EPK, your portfolio or “Reel”, available booking dates, links to your music, link to your YouTube channel, and start a blog with good information for your readers.
Check out my Promote Page if you want to learn how to build a successful website and online business.
What Others Are Saying
The “What Others Are Saying”, portion of my articles allow you to take a look at what other people have to say about, “How Can I Promote My Music Without Social Media?”
Some articles may agree with the information I put out and some may not.
I want to provide this information to you so you can see other people’s point of view.
| Direct Quote | Source |
|---|---|
| “Social media is awesome, but it also sucks. It’s transient, noisy, and bad for one’s mental health! Fortunately, the internet is not limited to social media. There are plenty of formats where you can promote your music and story without having to do the daily grind on socials.” | https://unlockyoursound.com/how-to-promote-music-without-social-media/ |
| “Just because you don’t want to use social media doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of some cool ways technology can integrate with your advertising. By creating a flyer that advertises your new release and a QR code that links to your album on streaming services—or even better, a fanlink, people on the street can scan your code and then immediately listen to your new music.” | https://downersclub.com/2021/11/16/promote-music-without-social-media/ |
| “People love behind the scenes stuff. While the goings-on of your band on tour might seem pretty mundane, for those who have never toured or who are big fans, the ability to live vicariously through tour diaries and videos would be greatly appreciated.” | https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/the-diy-musician-how-to-promote-yourself-without-social-media/ |
| “remember that there are people – publicists and PR agencies – whose job it is to get your music and your news into the world. Find one that works with your genre and pay them to handle all this boring internet stuff for you.” | https://www.reddit.com/r/musicmarketing/comments/nkf0rc/ways_to_market_your_music_without_social_media/ |
| “Sell awesomely designed merchandise featuring your band’s name and do a giveaway around the area. Make sure the merchandise is so creatively designed that people start sharing about it with their friends. Hence you got a branding going on there.” | https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-promote-my-music-without-social-media |
| “It should go without saying, but first and foremost, making great music needs to be your primary focus. You can follow all this advice to the letter, but if your track, EP or album isn’t well-written, tight instrumentally and professionally produced, you’ll fall at the first hurdle.” | https://dittomusic.com/en/blog/how-to-promote-your-music-independently/ |
| “If you run a social media ad, you can definitely reach new people who haven’t heard your music before. But you can also reach a lot of bots. Social media bots are basically automated programs designed to engage on social media like a human. They’re a big enough problem that the United States Congress directed the Federal Trade Commission to create a report on them, specifically “the growing social media bot market as well as the use of social media bots in online advertising.”” | https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/05/30/social-media-ads-promote-your-music/ |
| “To be sure that you’ll always have a place for your fans to find you online, make a music website with a custom domain name. Your website should be a one-stop shop that includes your latest music, an EPK, your official artist bio, upcoming events, and more.” | https://bandzoogle.com/blog/17-ways-to-promote-your-music-online |
Final Thoughts
Today I gave you 21 different ways to promote your music without social media.
Social media is a great tool and is free to use but many of the ideas I provided above are free also.
If you are trying to promote your music, make sure your music is ready.
Make sure your music is well written, recorded, mixed, and mastered.
You can do all the promotion you like but if your music is not up to par then no one will want to listen to it.
Great Marketing Is nothing without great music!
If you like to write, record, and produce your own music then you are in the right place.
Take a minute and have a look around my website. There are many great articles to help get you moving in the right direction.
Feel free to leave your questions, stories, and helpful comments below.
It would be foolish to ignore the power of social media and there is no doubt that it is needed in order to promote your music to others. Promoting music is the same as anything else; you need a growing customer base if you are to succeed financially. You have provided many ideas which are a great help. Often times, it is the promotion of the product that is lacking and since hiring a promotional specialist is prohibitive for many; this list of valuable ways to increase the possible customers of our product is very important and needed. I am totally impressed with just how comprehensive your list is. Thank you for such a valuable resource.
I agree that social media is a very powerful tool and a great way to build relationships. I’m a firm believer that people buy from people they like. With that said you can use all the different methods I listed to start building relationships, meeting new connections, and getting your music and personality out there.
I think often times we lose our genuineness trying to post to all the different social media platforms. It can feel like a race and overwhelms us sometimes. Maybe pick one or two social media platforms to be active on and focus on building a great website. If you want to learn how to build a website that gets lots of traffic that you can start earning money from and promoting your talent for the long haul be sure and check out my Promote Page to get started.
Definitely, promoting your music through social media is a plus factor, but doing it live in concerts, gigs, and/or private gatherings are also winners in letting you be known to your fans.
I would likewise recommend putting up your website and a youtube channel for more promotion.
A good website is a powerful tool and a great way to keep in touch.
Marita
I agree, live concerts and gigs are the root of connecting with fans and building a fan base. Having your own website gives you a homebase where you can be easily found, stay connected, and build a blog to earn extra money with.
Hello,
I like your site and I think it’s very informative. I think that this article provides excellent information on ways to get noticed if you are an aspiring musician. Your layout is perfect, and the clean menu is easy to navigate. I think you will be successful at promoting music and helping people. The only thing I was disappointed about was that I didn’t get to hear your music. I kept looking. I hope I didn’t miss it. That would be a treat!
Good luck on your journey! Chet
Hi Chetty,
Thanks for the compliment and I hope you find this article helpful. This is my business website, so I don’t promote my own music here. I do believe that every serious artist, engineer, or musician should set up their own website specifically for promoting their music, sharing their music, videos, and providing booking and contact information. Let me know if you have questions and thanks for sharing.