The music category is currently the fifth most-funded category on Kickstarter, having attracted over $137 million in pledges. Music is also the second highest category in terms of projects launched (over 36K) and has a fairly high project success rate of 53.44%.
The great thing about music campaigns is that there is a huge online community of music enthusiasts that love to seek out new bands and artists. As a musician today you now have a wide range of platforms where you can promote, sell, or spread your music. The important thing is finding where the right online audiences so you can promote your particular campaign effectively. Here are ten places to promote your Kickstarter music project:
1. Your Own Website
I highly recommend setting up your own website, or your own landing page at the very least for your company/project. Using your own site is important because you can to build up SEO traffic over time and capture interested backers using an email list provider (like one of these). Make sure fans know that you have an official page where they can turn for albums, merchandise, and other important information about you or your band.
This is helpful because most musicians that successful launch a crowdfunding campaign already have a growing fan-base, and a larger social network than creators in other categories. As a musician or group launching a music Kickstarter campaign it is a good idea to encourage fans, friends and family to sign up for a newsletter early so you can keep them up to date with your campaign.
Hosting Sites
Using sites where you can host or sell your music helps expose your work to new audiences. Many of these services suggest bands that users would like based on what they listen to, which means that your music can be exposed to new listeners who may potentially become fans.
2. Spotify
Spotify is available for free on mobile, tablet, and computer which makes it easy for you to reach your audience anywhere they are. They suggest music that is similar to what users are listening to. Spotify has over 60 million active users and over 30 million songs.
3. Instagram Videos
Instagram is one of the largest growing social media platforms, with over 300 million monthly active users. Instagram is great because you can now share both photos and videos, which are things that musicians often have, people love to share, and can attract engaged audiences.
4. SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a platform that allows artists to edit and share their tracks easily. They have approximately 200 million monthly active users, with millions of songs available.
5. Rdio
Rdio is another service that works across users’ devices (mobile, tablet, and computer) that has free and paid services. Users can listen to stations, playlists, and whole albums. Rdio also makes recommendations based on what users are listening to. These kinds of services are great for artists because their users love searching for new music to listen to.
6. LastFM
LastFM describes themselves as, “a music discovery service that gives you personalised recommendations based on the music you listen to.” Unlike other platforms where recommendations are one of many options, LastFM’s service is specifically for finding new music. LastFM has 75 billion listeners and features over 54 million artists.
Blogs
Having your Kickstarter campaign covered by influential music blogs can be a huge help! Some of the more popular blogs already have millions of active users. If they give you a good review and readers trust their opinion, it can lead to a fair amount of interest in your campaign.
Below are a few influential and general music blogs; the people running these sites are passionate about music and are open to discovering new music!
7. Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound is a blog with a readership of over 6 million users. They feature news, reviews, and other information about film and music. They are known for including a mix of mainstream pop culture and more obscure things.
8. Pitchfork
Pitchfork is a blog that covers music news, features artists, does reviews, and more. They have their own Pitchfork Music Festival that takes place in Chicago and Paris.
9. Drowned In Sound
Drowned in Sound is a music blog that also features a community forum. Their site has various content like recommended records lists, reviews, and interviews with artists.
10. The Line of Best Fit
The Line of Best Fit is a music blog that has sections similar to the ones mentioned previously, like reviews and news. Their Facebook page has over 38K likes. The Line of Best Fit was voted 6th most influential music blog in the world by Style of Sound in 2014.
Conclusion
Remember that the suggestions on this list just a few popular examples, but really the possibilities are endless! If these don’t suit your needs you can always search for more. Are you a metal band? Find a blog where metal lovers go for reviews and other important information! Keep in mind that you can also use any social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit to look for music discussions, groups, or communities.
As always remember not to spam communities. Leave thoughtful comments and participate a little before promoting your own project. When approaching bloggers make sure your information is interesting and relevant, not just the fact that you are running a Kickstarter campaign.
Are there any others you think should be included in this list?
