Preparing Your Music for Streaming

So, you've poured your heart and soul into your music, spent countless hours in the music studios perfecting every note and lyric. Now, it's time to share your masterpiece with the world through streaming platforms. But wait, before you hit that upload button, there are some essential steps to ensure your music shines in the digital realm.

Optimize Your Mix for Digital

When your music leaves the cozy confines of the music studios and enters the digital realm, it encounters various streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Each platform has its unique compression algorithms and formatting requirements. To ensure your music sounds its best across the board, optimize your mix for digital distribution.

Start by exporting your tracks in a high-quality digital format like WAV or FLAC. These formats retain the most detail and offer better sound quality compared to MP3. While MP3 files are smaller, they can sacrifice audio quality, so it's wise to keep a high-quality version on hand.

As a rule of thumb, when you’re exporting your music from your DAW of choice, it’s best to export multiple copies (different formats and different versions). You never know when you might need a instrumental-only track or you might want to have a quick MP3 to send for a reference track - having options is super important when it comes to digital distribution.

Additionally, consider mastering your tracks specifically for digital distribution. A skilled mastering engineer can make subtle adjustments to ensure your music translates well on streaming platforms. It involves fine-tuning the overall EQ, dynamics, and loudness to meet the platform's standards.

Metadata Matters

Metadata might sound like a fancy term, but it's crucial for helping listeners discover your music on streaming platforms. Metadata includes information like the track title, artist name, album name, and genre. Make sure to fill out these details accurately when uploading your music.

Choose a descriptive and concise track title that reflects the essence of your song. Don't forget to add relevant keywords related to your music style and genre. This will help your music appear in relevant playlists and recommendations, increasing its discoverability.

When it comes to your artist name, consistency is key. Use the same name across all platforms to avoid confusion. If you have a unique artist name, ensure it's spelled correctly, as misspellings can make it harder for fans to find you.

Additionally, consider the experience of somebody who is searching for your music from their perspective. Is your music easy to find? Is it easy to understand what your niche is? Consider the metadata as yet another place to serve your artistic expression and tell a bit more of your story. Make it easy to find out who you are, what your music is about etc.

Cover Art and Visual Appeal

Your music's cover art is like the first impression of your album or single. It's what catches the eye of potential listeners as they browse through streaming platforms. Make sure your cover art is not only visually appealing but also conveys the mood and theme of your music.

Consider hiring a professional graphic designer or illustrator to create eye-catching cover art. It's an investment that can pay off by attracting more listeners. Remember that the cover art should be in line with your branding as an artist, helping fans recognize your work at a glance. There are certainly ways that you can DIY your album art - especially if you’ve got a copy of Photoshop and a dream, BUT try to think of the album art as an investment in the song itself. The more time and energy that you put in, the more authentic the song (and it’s marketing) will feel!

I can practically hear it - I know, it’s 2024, you can technically ask AI to do anything - including creating your album art. Think about it this way - music is meant to be a vessel for human expression and so, too, should the album art. It’s all a part of the human expression and there is quite literally no way to replicate the human ability to create moving works of art. You can cut corners, but the extra effort or sacrifice (in this case maybe time, maybe monetary) builds into your story as an artist.

Finally, when preparing your cover art for digital distribution, ensure it meets the platform's size and format requirements. Each platform has specific guidelines for cover art dimensions, so be sure to check and comply with them. An improperly sized cover art can lead to your music not being displayed correctly or even rejected during the upload process.

Distribution Strategies for Indie Artists

Now that you've perfected your music in the music studios, it's time to take the next step – distribution. Getting your music out into the world is a crucial part of the journey for indie artists. In this section, we'll explore effective distribution strategies that can help you reach a wider audience and make your music heard.

Choose the Right Distribution Platform

The first step in distributing your music is to choose the right platform. Fortunately, there are several digital music distributors available, such as TuneCore, DistroKid, and CD Baby. These platforms help you get your music onto major streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

When selecting a distribution platform, consider factors like pricing, royalties, and additional features. Some platforms offer flat-rate pricing, while others charge per release or per year. Think about your budget and long-term goals as an indie artist when making your choice.

Trust me, you do not want to cut corners on your distribution - platforms like DistroKid offer WAY more than just distribution to the streaming providers - they allow you to sync your lyrics to the music for Spotify’s lyrics feature, help you with royalty splits and so much more. Definitely take some time to dive into the features section of these distributors to see who is best for you.

Additionally, look for platforms that offer detailed analytics and reporting. These insights can help you track your music's performance and make informed decisions about your promotional efforts.

Plan Your Release Strategy

Before hitting the "release" button, plan your music release strategy carefully. Determine the release date, and consider whether you want to release a single, an EP, or a full album. The timing of your release can impact its visibility on streaming platforms and in the music industry as a whole.

Create a pre-release buzz by teasing your music on social media, sharing behind-the-scenes content from the music studio, and engaging with your audience. Building anticipation can lead to a more successful launch.

Collaborate with blogs, music magazines, and influencers in your niche to secure reviews and features ahead of your release date. Positive reviews and mentions can generate interest and drive more listeners to your music when it becomes available. There are also some great services like SubmitHub that can help connect you with bloggers and playlist curators in order to get your music out to a wider audience.

Promote Your Music Effectively

Distribution alone isn't enough to ensure your music reaches its full potential. You need to actively promote your music to gain traction. Here are some strategies to consider:

Social Media Engagement: Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok to connect with your audience. Share snippets of your music, behind-the-scenes moments, and engage in conversations with your fans.
Email Marketing: Build and maintain an email list of your fans and send out newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and special offers related to your music.
Music Videos: Create visually appealing music videos for your songs and share them on YouTube and social media. Visual content can capture the attention of potential fans.
Live Performances: Even as an indie artist, you can perform live through virtual concerts or streaming sessions. Live performances can help you connect with your audience on a personal level.
Collaborate with Other Artists: Partnering with other indie artists or musicians in your genre can expand your reach and introduce your music to new audiences.
Submit to Playlists: Reach out to playlist curators on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to have your music featured in playlists. This can significantly boost your streams.
Press Releases: Write and distribute press releases about your music release to music blogs and magazines. A well-crafted press release can generate media coverage.

Outsourcing isn’t a dirty word! Who knew?

Okay, breathe, believe me I know it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by this part. After all, you’re a MUSICIAN, why should you need to know all of this? Shouldn’t you just need to do the writing? You’re not wrong. Modern musicians need to be marketers, graphic designers, animators, content creators, editors, astronauts, brain scientists etc. - it’s exhausting. The most important piece of advice we can offer is that it is not just okay, but sometimes completely necessary to ask for help.

Whether it’s taking the time to read through this blog or reaching out to us for some release strategy and marketing tips - taking the time to seek help is vital to your release strategy. Book some time with us for a complementary session - even if you just wanna vent about how convoluted it is to release music in 2024. We’ve got u, bbgirl.

We’ll more than likely dive a bit deeper into distribution strategy in a future article - so definitely subscribe to our newsletter to catch that when it comes out.

Navigating the World of Music Streaming Services

So now it’s time to take your music from the music studios to the streaming services, but with a multitude of platforms out there, how do you navigate this ever-evolving landscape? We’ve got you, as we delve into the world of music streaming services to help you make the most of your digital music journey.

Understanding the Streaming Revenue Model

Let's talk money. When your music is streamed on these platforms, you earn revenue based on a complex formula involving factors like the number of streams, your streaming region, and the platform's subscription model. While the payouts may not make you a millionaire (read definitely not), they can add up over time.

While it’s nice to earn a little bit from streaming - there are various other ways (that we’ll 100% write about in a future article) to make your music profitable, or at the very least offset some of the costs associated with being an indie musician. The way that it’d be best to think about it is that your streaming presence is like a storefront on a busy street. You may have people who walk buy and think to buy something later, you may have some people who instantly walk in, but being accessible and presentable is the only way to get them in the door at all!

Optimizing Your Artist Profile

Your artist profile on streaming platforms is your digital storefront. Make it attractive! Upload high-quality images and ensure your bio is engaging. Use this space to tell your story, connect with your audience, and highlight your musical journey.

Don't forget to link your social media profiles and website. It's all about creating a seamless experience for your fans and giving them more ways to connect with you.

Release Strategy and Playlists

Now, let's talk about getting noticed. One effective way to gain visibility on streaming platforms is to get your music featured in playlists. These can range from user-generated playlists to official platform-curated playlists.

When planning your release strategy, consider reaching out to playlist curators in your genre. They often appreciate new music submissions. Be sure to provide a brief and compelling pitch for your track. Remember, the goal is to get your music in front of as many ears as possible. While you can grind it out on SubmitHub, there are certainly other options available for getting playlisted.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten was that the music business is, at it’s heart, a people business. The best way to get on playlists, to get people to share your music, to give a s&*t about your music is to TALK to them! We don’t mean to just talk for the sake of talking - ask questions, learn something about them, make a friend! People innately want to help people, but not just for the sake of helping! You’re in one of the most competitive industries on the planet, but at the same time, it’s one of the most welcoming and friendly communities you can be a part of.

Your strategy can be as simple as going through some of the Spotify playlists that you love and finding out who curates them (unless the curator is Spotify themselves, obviously) and reaching out to them! These playlist curators usually got into making playlists or blogging because they simply love making and listening to music. Appeal to that common ground and you’d be shocked at how far you’ll get.

Promote Your Music on Social Media

While streaming platforms are your primary stage, social media is your backstage pass to connecting with your audience. Share regular updates about your music, behind-the-scenes glimpses of your music studio, and personal anecdotes. Engage with your fans and encourage them to follow you on streaming platforms.

Consider running paid ads on social media to target a broader audience. This can help drive more listeners to your music on streaming services. There are some amazing how-to courses on Youtube for how to start running branded campaigns across your socials to boost your music. Of course there are going to be fees for creating those campaigns, but it’s worth it for the exposure!

Interact with Your Fans

Like we said (because it was said to us), music is a people business. Building a loyal fanbase is essential in the digital age. Engage with your fans by responding to comments, messages, and mentions on social media. Host live Q&A sessions or virtual concerts to connect on a deeper level.

When fans feel a personal connection with you, they are more likely to stream your music, attend your virtual shows, and support your journey. Your job on social media is to attract people who love music and are willing to give your music a chance. Build a little community of people who all have common ground and, chances are, a portion of them will end up enjoying the music that you wrote!

Analyze Your Data

Finally, regularly analyze the data provided by streaming platforms. This information can offer insights into who is listening to your music, where they are located, and which songs are performing best. Use this data to tailor your marketing efforts and plan your future releases strategically. You can use this data to geo-target your paid marketing campaigns. You can use this data to find out the demographics of the people who are resonating with your music and tailor your social media content to that audience. The options are nearly limitless, but having that sweet sweet data will go a long way towards connecting with a relevant audience who are ready to be converted into superfans.

The big picture

In the journey from the music studios to streaming platforms, there a variety of paths to success in the digital age. By choosing the right streaming platforms, understanding the revenue model, and optimizing your artist profile, you've laid a solid foundation for your musical adventure. But it doesn't end here; it's just the beginning.

As you promote your music on social media, engage with your fans, and analyze data to fine-tune your strategy, remember that consistency and authenticity are your greatest allies. The digital stage is yours, and your music studio is where the magic begins. So, keep creating, keep sharing, and let the world hear your unique melodies. Your journey as an indie artist in the digital age has only just begun, and the possibilities are endless. As always, we’re here to help you every step of the way with anything you’d need! If you want to learn more, drop us a line and we can hop on a free call to chat over your release strategy and marketing!

Streaming: From the music studios to the spotify playlist