Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their artistic deal with 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 huge causes why it is best to 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Why your outdated music deserves new consideration: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 could be centered 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’ll be able to’t neglect your again catalog.
On this article, I’ll provide you with an inventory of how to encourage present followers to replay music they already love, and to entice new followers who’ll dive into your whole catalog.
Tips on how to convey recent curiosity to older music
1. Rejoice album anniversaries
Anytime considered one of your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent probability to have fun that music yet again. You don’t all the time want remastering or bonus editions to commemorate an album’s birthday.
You possibly can retell the story of the album. Ship an electronic mail. Make social posts.
It doesn’t must be a year-long celebration, however at the least give the anniversary a month of content material and recollections. And — that is vital — bear 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 needs to be a refined diamond. In actual fact, 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 must distribute the music to platforms like Spotify. Simply share it straight along with your followers and electronic mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Typically self-promotion looks like tooting your personal horn. Should you wrestle with that, neglect about your self for a minute and brag about your collaborators.
Did a participant, bandmate, featured visitor, producer, or co-writer contribute one thing superb? One thing you could possibly’ve by no means carried out by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s an effective way to indicate gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your personal music.
If in case you have a daily collaborator, you’ll have much more choices as a result of you’ll be able to spotlight a number of moments you admire from them all through your catalog.
4. Playlists, playlists, playlists
Playlists provide you with virtually 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 components like key, tempo, and so forth.
- success metrics (“Biggest Hits” or “Greatest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material collection
Create a couple of totally different, quick, themed, content material collection that you could run on social and electronic mail, comparable to:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 finest lyrical traces
- 5 stuff 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 electronic mail sequences, you’ll be able to even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has just lately subscribed to your record. And naturally, ship these to EVERYONE in your record when the collection is first created.
6. “Free (plus transport & 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 without spending a dime, so long as they pay for transport.
As soon as they’ve entered their cost information, you then current a second (and even third) supply for added merch objects — normally with a limited-time low cost.
Not everybody will elect to buy further objects, after all, but when sufficient folks do, you’ll be able to revenue AND construct your electronic mail record concurrently, all whereas making a gift of your music.
7. Dwell listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform folks fascinating information concerning the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be carried out digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it could possibly happen IRL at somebody’s dwelling, venue, or artwork area.
8. One-off efficiency movies
Nobody stated you want a particular motive to carry out your personal tunes!
Shoot a reside efficiency video for Reels and TikTok. Who cares if the music is 2 or twenty years outdated? Then discover the very best 15-second clip. Submit it.
If considered one of these reside movies will get traction, you’ll be able to comply with up with extra supporting content material.
9. Carry out a selected album
We’ve all seen artists stage a themed tour round a specific album.
Roger Waters has carried out 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 actual fact, I as soon as did a 7-day residency at a venue the place I performed a special album of mine every evening, so you’ll be able to work your whole catalog into sure occasions.
And you’ve got choices past venue exhibits and festivals. You are able to do one thing comparable everytime you need through livestreaming!
10. Promote!
Top-of-the-line issues about digital advertising and marketing is that it offers you comparatively low cost entry to huge international audiences. You may also check a lot of totally different content material to search out what works finest.
And since your oldest music might be model new to most individuals on-line, you’ll be able to 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 technique to drive engagement, promote merch, and construct your viewers, go away the adverts working.
Once more, who cares if it’s an older music that performs finest in your adverts? It’s working!
Conclusion
I don’t count on artists to prioritize older music ABOVE their newest launch.
Nor ought to they.
That wouldn’t appear reasonable. Each when it comes to efficient promotion and your personal pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you at the least see the significance of selling your again catalog. Not less than sufficient to schedule in a couple of of those promo campaigns all year long.
The sort of effort goes to be more and more vital if you would like your music to stay algorithmically related and discoverable on streaming platforms.
And given {that a} deeper catalog is an unbelievable assortment of music, moods, and connection factors, you’ll be able to leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, increase your income, and construct your viewers.
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