How to Release Your Music on a Budget in 2024: A Checklist for Emerging Artists
Making music is only half the battle. The other half? Getting it out there without breaking the bank. It is possible, but doing it on a budget requires smarts, creativity, and a little know-how.
From choosing the right distribution channels to harnessing the power of social media, we've put together a top-level checklist for emerging independent artists – practical, no-nonsense advice that gets straight to the point. Whether you're a bedroom producer, a garage band, or a solo artist, this guide is your roadmap to making a splash in the music world without draining your wallet.
Pre-Release Phase (Months Before Release)
✓ Perfect your music
Mixing and Mastering: Get the balance levels, EQ, panning and effects of each track spot-on before you hit the mastering stage. Your music needs to sound as good as it possibly can, so if professional mastering is beyond your budget, consider using an online AI mastering service as a cost-effective alternative.
✓ Create Your Narrative
Articulating Your Story: This includes your musical influences, the journey of your album or EP's creation, and the message behind your songs. Your story should resonate with your target audience and be consistently reflected in all your promotional material.
✓ Build a Team
Identifying Roles and Skills: You can’t necessarily do everything yourself, so looking for people who complement your skills and understand the music industry is worth the effort. If you don’t have many connections in the music industry yet, ask friends, family and even fans to help get you started with admin and social media, for example. And if you can’t afford to hire a publicist to leverage their media connections, submit your music to Musosoup, the unique Pay-As-You-Go PR platform; from one submission, bloggers, playlisters, influencers and radio stations will all come to you with offers of coverage and exposure.
✓ Design Visual Assets
Visual Cohesion: Ensure your visuals, from album artwork to promotional materials, are cohesive and represent your brand effectively. Utilise graphic design platforms like Adobe Creative Suite or Canva for high-quality designs, use AI image and video generators, or make friends with an aspiring artist or designer who digs your vibe and isn’t going to charge industry rates.
✓ Develop a Social Media Strategy
Platform-Specific Strategies: Tailor your strategy for each platform. For instance, Instagram can be used for high-quality images, videos and stories, while Twitter/X is great for engaging in conversations and updates. Facebook can be good for organising events and engaging with specific groups, while TikTok is perfect for showing your authentic, human, warts-and-all side, and sharing your journey. It’s also worth spending time on nurturing your YouTube channel, because once you reach 1000 subscribers you can start releasing YouTube Shorts which will get your music into the ears of a whole new audience.
✓ Prepare a Press Kit and/or EPK
Press Kit: A press kit – or media kit – is a digital (and ‘emailable’) package that showcases your talent, background, and achievements to potential collaborators, venues, and media outlets. There are many free press kit generators online, so do a quick search, or use Musosoup’s free press kit generator.
Electronic Press Kit (EPK): An EPK is an online portfolio featuring biography, press clippings, recordings, photos, and contact information to help musicians secure gigs. It’s very similar in concept to a press kit, but it’s just hosted on a website. Search online for free (or very cost-effective) tools for creating professional EPKs.
Pre-Launch (Weeks Before Release)
✓ Initiate a Pre-Launch Campaign
Leveraging Streaming Platforms: Use services like DistroKid to generate pre-save links for Spotify and Apple Music. Include these links in your social media bios and promotional emails.
Get Early Coverage: Musosoup campaigns last for 21 days, but the countdown doesn’t start until release day, so you can make the most of the ‘free’ attention if you launch it before release day. If you submit to Musosoup 1 month before your release date, you get an extra free 30 days on your campaign – at no additional cost.
✓ Produce a Music Video
Storyboarding and Planning: Before doing anything, plan the narrative or concept of your video to align with your song.
Filming: Consider DIY filming using high-quality smartphones (or a DSLR camera if you have access to one) and basic lighting equipment.
Don’t Be Afraid of AI: If used creatively, AI can generate some incredible visuals to elevate your song, and there are many AI image and video generators out there that are either free or very good value for money.
Get Help: if you ask around, there will be plenty of people willing to help you make a music video – so let them! Whether it’s extras, human tripods or creative and technical input, you’re bound to get the help you need if you ask enough people.
✓ Distribute Your Press Release
Targeting and Personalisation: Research and target music blogs and radio stations that cater to your genre (that last part’s important, or you’re wasting everybody’s time). Personalise each pitch and highlight what makes your music unique. An alternative to sending out hundreds of emails is to launch a campaign on Musosoup, and let curators who like your music approach you.
✓ Submit to Playlists
Research and Pitch: Identify playlists that align with your music's style. Use Spotify for Artists and/or Apple Music For Artists for direct submissions and use playlist submission platforms to reduce your admin and reach broader playlist opportunities.
✓ Promote on Social Media
Engaging Content: Host Q&A sessions, live performances, or behind-the-scenes content to engage your audience. Use analytics to understand what content resonates with your audience, then produce more of it. Make it interesting, test and learn, rinse and repeat. Oh – and have fun with it!
Release Day
✓ Launch Your Music
Cross-Platform Release: Ensure your music is available on all major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and YouTube. Check for any technical issues and ensure all links are working properly.
✓ Activate Your Social Media Plan
Real-Time Engagement: Host a live stream on release day to celebrate with your fans. Share stories of your music creation process and interact with your audience in real time.
✓ Monitor and Engage
Performance Tracking: Use tools like Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists to track streaming numbers and listener demographics. Respond to comments and messages to maintain a strong connection with your audience.
Post-Release Activities
✓ Ramp Up Post-Release Promotion
Continued Marketing: Keep the momentum going with ongoing marketing efforts. This can include live performances, interviews, and collaborations with other artists or influencers.
Re-engage with Playlist Curators: Follow up with playlist curators and submit your music to new playlists for continued exposure.
Generate More Coverage: Continue to engage with curators on Musosoup while your campaign is live, and select some choice curator promotions from the Musosoup Marketplace to increase the volume of coverage for your release.
✓ Evaluate and Adapt
Analysing Feedback and Data: Review feedback from fans and industry professionals. Analyse streaming data to understand which songs are resonating with your audience.
Adapting Strategy: Use this information to refine your promotional strategies and to guide the creative direction of future projects.
✓ Network and Collaborate
Building Relationships: Continue to network within the industry. Attend music events, participate in online forums, and connect with other artists for potential collaborations.
Expanding Reach: Collaborations can introduce you to new audiences and bring fresh creative perspectives to your music. Use Musosoup’s ‘Blobbles’ facility to support, encourage and collaborate with other bands.
Plan Your Next Steps
Setting New Goals: Based on the insights gained, set new objectives for your music career. This could include targeting larger venues, increasing streaming numbers, or expanding your fanbase.
Future Releases: Begin planning your next release. Consider the frequency of releases to keep your audience engaged and interested.
Conclusion
Throughout this entire process, it's crucial to stay authentic to your artistic vision while being open to growth and change. Regularly engaging with your audience, seeking feedback, and adapting your strategies will help you build a sustainable music career, even on a budget.
Remember, each step of this journey is an opportunity to learn and grow. The music industry is dynamic, and what works today may change tomorrow. Stay informed about industry trends, continuously hone your craft, and never lose sight of why you started making music in the first place. Good luck!
