2021 is the best time for all independent artists to kick start their careers without the need for a huge label to back them.

In this era, we are seeing tons of individuals making names for themselves with their dollars.

If you are looking for a place to start or interested in the practical steps on how to promote your art, you came to the right place.

5 Ways to Promote Your Music Independently in 2021

I want to kick this article off with the most important thing that any artist can do to successfully promote themselves in 2021... don't make good music … MAKE GREAT MUSIC!

This always has to be the priority. I'm going to try my best and lay down the practical blueprint, but if your music isn't hitting or your EP is not well put together then you've lost before the game has even begun.

With that being said, let's get into the dirty work.

CREATE A LIVE EXPERIENCE

Looking cool on the internet is a fad nowadays, but I can merch being cool in person will do way more for a career.

This goes for anything, not even just the arts.

Never undervalue the importance of having a physical presence in whatever space it is that you plan to occupy.

BUT KEEP YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCE!!

Virtual Live performances are a great way to connect with fans also.

Rocking out virtual shows and killing performances will help you develop a solid fan base.

RULE NUMBER ONE - MAKE THEM REMEMBER YOU!

After you have slowly built up this local following, it is time to take your talents elsewhere.

Start venturing out, check out another local city (or state), and build there.

Going on the road is hard work and could be costly, but if your shows are at a level that you think others need to witness, people will come out for that, with risk comes reward.

BUILD A WEBSITE & MAILING LIST

Personally, I think to have a centralized location to showcase all of your works is key, something just as important is building an ever-growing mailing list.

Any artist website should include, music links, artist short biography, pictures, upcoming show dates, and most importantly a mailing list sign-up form.

Getting your music directly to the consumer is key with regards to promotion, email marketing is a must!

When you receive an email address, it most likely means that someone is interested in what you have to offer and is looking to hear from you.

Be sure to reach back out to these people on a regular cadence, keeping them up to date on your latest shows, new merchandise, and obviously your latest single or project.

GET PLAYLISTED

In today's world, you'd be stupid if you ever thought about ignore the power of streaming and playlisting.

Apple Music, Tidal, and Spotify are the front runners in reaching millions of listeners across the planet, bring in billions on billions of streams.

Having your music on a popular playlist could be the difference in gaining a huge boost on streams. Not only is this helpful in promoting yourself as an artist, but royalty checks could bring in some dollars.

GET PRESS & BLOG COVERAGE

Getting a feature on any sort of publication, magazine, blog or website, can assist in building hype and gaining credibility, which may boost your career to the next level. 

It is possible to hire professional public relations experts to help create campaigns to gain coverage but that expense could be very costly.

The more affordable route is to Do It Yourself (DIY - PR)

It is normal to have a very small monetary budget during the early stages of your career, which is why DIY PR is perfect for you.

Utilize your local smaller-scale journalists and bloggers to help you create an electronic press kit. This press kit should contain, important info about you, and your music. Here are some great resources. 

FOCUS ON YOUR NICHE

Knowing who and what your target audience is, is vital.

There are huge amounts of sub-genres and subcultures across the globe which make it great for the art but difficult for the artist to hone in.

Figuring out and diving into your artistic niche is very important when building out a promotional campaign.

As a human, we are genuinely happy to see others do good (well for the most part), especially when it is an artist that is local and you can share some stories with.

Take full advantage of this attitude and START LOCAL but always THINK GLOBAL.

Like I stated in the introduction, Promoting your music independently may be easier than ever before, but it’s still a huge challenge to get heard. I hope this guide and resources were beneficial to get get you started on your journey.