A playbook for releasing and marketing music during lockdown
With touring at a standstill and music fans in lockdown, how artists and their teams release and market music during the pandemic requires some careful and creative thought.
Analysis on streaming trends during the confinement period is already underway, with some platforms saying they are still experiencing subscriber growth and a surge in time spent listening.
But there are challenges, such as the decline in physical sales caused by social distancing.
To help unpack the hurdles, one of the world’s biggest artist and label services operators has released a free ebook to help guide the independent music community towards success.
Paris-based outfit Believe, who released their Creative Marketing Playbook last month, suggest that isolation is an opportunity to maintain contact with fans and bring new projects to life.
“Being social is very human. Folks at home still want to connect with their friends and family,
but also to their favourite artists,” reads the book.
“Music is an incredibly powerful force for good, uplifting the soul and the imagination.
“Creating art in these times is key. We at Believe want to make sure you, as artists, are supported and give you all the tips and tricks you need to connect with your fans.”
Believe is one of the biggest distribution and services companies for indie artists and labels, and also owns DIY platform TuneCore and labels Nuclear Blast, Groove Attack, Soulfood & Tot au Tard.
In Australia & New Zealand, Believe’s country manager Mick Tarbuk has been working closely with clients, including Cub Sport, to adjust their release strategies to meet the market.
The Creative Marketing Playbook offers some useful tips, practical case studies and a checklist to decide if you should maintain your release plan based on previous sales.
Some of the takeaways include ideas for “out of the box” audio content, a focus on mood-based playlists, unearthing your archives and how to leverage social media during the lockdown.
As Believe outlines in the book, shortening the distance and strengthening the connection between you and your fans is now more important than ever.
“More people are working from home and we are already seeing traffic across all digital channels increase significantly; social networks, video platforms and streaming platforms.
“Being social is very human. Folks at home still want to connect with their friends and family, but also to their favourite artists.
“Now is a good time to maintain that contact with fans and bring your projects to life from home, all in the spirit of kindness.”
Thanks to Believe, TMN readers can download the free Creative Marketing Playbook here.