Recording and releasing an album can take several months, maybe even years to accomplish. However, with so much new music being released and promoted every day on the internet, it’s relatively easy for an album to be forgotten. Thankfully there are several different ways you can effectively promote an album and get ahead of the staggering amount of competition. We’ve put in several hours of research and have put together six essential strategies to promote your album below.
Create an EPK
Way before you release an album, you should put together an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) on your website. When it comes to press, podcasters, bloggers, and booking agents, most of them want to see an EPK before even considering if they should work with a musical act or not. An EPK is one central location where people can find all of the important information about you and your album. You’ll want to add music, promotional photos, music videos, press, and a summary of your album. This EPK might not seem like much, but this piece of media will help you pitch your album to music critics, the press, reviewers, radio, and potentially open doors for you in the music world.
Music Distribution
In order to release your album, you have to sign up for a digital music distribution service so you can get on all of the streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple, Tidal, and more. There are several easy-to-use music distribution services such as Distrokid, Tunecore, and CD Baby. All you have to do is sign up for a subscription plan, upload your album, check the stores you want it released at, and simply wait to be approved. Finding music distribution is an essential step that’ll help you reach the masses and set you up for success in the future.
Drop Singles
One of the first things you should do is drop singles for your fanbase so you can build interest and get people excited about your album. It’s important to tease your fans and releasing singles allows you to build momentum. Consider dropping one to three singles on music streaming services and contact press, bloggers, radio, etc. to get it out far and wide. Meet up with your team and devise a strategy when it comes to color schemes, potential music videos for each single, snippets, and more. All of this effort will help the album release become so much more successful.
Album Release Show
Releasing an album is a big deal so you should set up an album release show on the release date. You can do an album party at a local venue where you can sell physical copies of your album, connect with fans live, and play songs in person. Use social media and other marketing tactics to make this event feel like a big deal. You could also give away prizes and sell merch to make things even more exciting for people who attend. You could perform a couple of songs or maybe even get some high-profile names to come through as well. If you can’t book a venue, you can hold a digital album release party live on a social media platform so people can feel included.
Social Media
This might sound like a no-brainer, but promoting your album on social media is essential to your project’s potential success. It’s not enough for you to simply release an album and hope enough people listen to it. Social media is one of the most effective ways of getting people to listen to your music. You can create a content calendar and come up with a social media strategy with your team that’ll resonate with your targeted audience. Make sure you’re being authentic, consistent, and posting a diverse range of content including photos, music snippets, studio time, music videos, etc. Try to post album snippets and other related content months before your album release to drum up buzz.
Promote Album to Influencers
Promoting your album to influencers, tastemakers, bloggers, press, and more is essential. You can submit music to bloggers and influencers who champion music within your genre. Remember to put your EPK in your email before submitting your album. Either way, these influential people have a certain amount of weight in the industry and could get new listeners to check out your album.
Conclusion
Dropping a new music album can be both exciting and stressful at the same time. However, if you can come up with a solid plan a year in advance, you’ll be set up for success. Essential album promotion strategies you should implement include creating an EPK, signing up for a music distribution service, and dropping singles. Other strategies you should take advantage of include social media promotion, promoting the album to influencers, and setting up an album release show ahead of time. If you utilize these six promotional strategies above, you’ll increase your chances of your album making a lasting impact in your genre.