Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their artistic concentrate on the subsequent launch. Or they solely promote their newest work, neglecting all of the songs that got here earlier than.
However taking your consideration off your older tracks is a mistake. As a result of there are three large causes why you must proceed to market ALL the music in your again catalog.
Why your outdated music deserves new consideration:
- The primary and easiest motive? Good music is good music. Whereas YOU may be targeted in your latest stuff, your older releases will nonetheless be model new to many of the world.
- Subsequent, your again catalog is a income. Your present followers already like your older music. So discover causes to maintain ’em coming again to stream tracks and purchase associated merch.
For these causes and extra, you may’t neglect your again catalog.
On this article, I’ll offer you a listing of the way to encourage present followers to replay music they already love, and to entice new followers who’ll dive into your complete catalog.
Easy methods to convey contemporary curiosity to older music
1. Have a good time album anniversaries
Anytime one in all your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent likelihood to have fun that music another time. You don’t at all times want remastering or bonus editions to commemorate an album’s birthday.
You possibly can retell the story of the album. Ship an e-mail. Make social posts.
It doesn’t should be a year-long celebration, however at the very least give the anniversary a month of content material and recollections. And — that is necessary — keep in mind to inform your followers precisely the place to go to pay attention once more!
2. Drop unreleased tracks
Not all the things you share must be a sophisticated diamond. In reality, not all the things you share even must be completed.
Should you deserted a observe throughout a specific session, share it and inform us why it by no means made it onto an album. You possibly can launch demos. Alternate takes. Something that helps construct an even bigger story round a earlier interval of labor.
And if it doesn’t really feel worthy of strangers’ consideration, you don’t should distribute the music to platforms like Spotify. Simply share it immediately along with your followers and e-mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Typically self-promotion looks like tooting your individual horn. Should you battle with that, overlook about your self for a minute and brag about your collaborators.
Did a participant, bandmate, featured visitor, producer, or co-writer contribute one thing wonderful? One thing you might’ve by no means completed by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s a good way to indicate gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your individual music.
When you have an everyday collaborator, you’ll have much more choices as a result of you may spotlight a number of moments you respect from them all through your catalog.
4. Playlists, playlists, playlists
Playlists offer you nearly limitless methods to contextualize your music.
You possibly can group your tracks by:
- collaborator
- temper or style
- matter or theme
- interval of your profession
- a specific city you lived in whereas creating the music
- influences
- instrumentation
- different musical parts like key, tempo, and so forth.
- success metrics (“Biggest Hits” or “Greatest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material collection
Create a number of totally different, brief, themed, content material collection you could run on social and e-mail, resembling:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 finest lyrical strains
- 5 belongings you didn’t find out about me
- My high 10 movies
- 3 individuals who formed my music
- My favourite guitar solo
I believe you get the purpose. You provide you with an idea that requires a number of emails or posts, and use the theme to generate deeper and sustained curiosity in your older music.
Should you set these up as automated e-mail sequences, you may even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has just lately subscribed to your listing. And naturally, ship these to EVERYONE in your listing when the collection is first created.
6. “Free (plus delivery & handing!)”
Have you ever ever heard or a Free + Transport & Dealing with music supply?
It’s an fascinating advertising and marketing campaign-type the place you supply to ship somebody one thing at no cost, so long as they pay for delivery.
As soon as they’ve entered their fee data, you then current a second (and even third) supply for added merch objects — often with a limited-time low cost.
Not everybody will elect to buy further objects, after all, but when sufficient individuals do, you may revenue AND construct your e-mail listing concurrently, all whereas making a gift of your music.
7. Reside listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform individuals fascinating info in regards to the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be completed digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it could happen IRL at somebody’s house, venue, or artwork house.
8. One-off efficiency movies
Nobody stated you want a particular motive to carry out your individual tunes!
Shoot a stay efficiency video for Reels and TikTok. Who cares if the track is 2 or twenty years outdated? Then discover one of the best 15-second clip. Submit it.
If one in all these stay movies will get traction, you may comply with up with extra supporting content material.
9. Carry out a particular album
We’ve all seen artists stage a themed tour round a specific album.
Roger Waters has completed this for Darkish Aspect of the Moon. U2 did it for The Joshua Tree. You possibly can do it too…
… for ANY of your earlier albums.
In reality, I as soon as did a 7-day residency at a venue the place I performed a distinct album of mine every night time, so you may work your complete catalog into sure occasions.
And you’ve got choices past venue reveals and festivals. You are able to do one thing related everytime you need through livestreaming!
10. Promote!
The most effective issues about digital advertising and marketing is that it provides you comparatively low cost entry to huge world audiences. You may also take a look at a number of totally different content material to seek out what works finest.
And since your oldest music will probably be model new to most individuals on-line, you may use your highest performing social content material to succeed in strangers at a decrease price.
So long as that advert content material stays an economical method to drive engagement, promote merch, and construct your viewers, depart the advertisements operating.
Once more, who cares if it’s an older track that performs finest in your advertisements? It’s working!
Conclusion
I don’t anticipate artists to prioritize older music ABOVE their newest launch.
Nor ought to they.
That wouldn’t appear lifelike. Each when it comes to efficient promotion and your individual pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you at the very least see the significance of selling your again catalog. No less than sufficient to schedule in a number of of those promo campaigns all year long.
One of these effort goes to be more and more necessary in order for you your music to stay algorithmically related and discoverable on streaming platforms.
And given {that a} deeper catalog is an unimaginable assortment of music, moods, and connection factors, you may leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, enhance your income, and construct your viewers.
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