How to get noticed in the music industry?

How do I get noticed in the music industry?

Do you want to get noticed in the music industry? We often hear that the music industry is oversaturated and unfortunately, this is true. The industry is oversaturated if you’re just copying other artists or following trends no matter the genre of music you're producing. However, there’s always a spot for innovation and for artists who try to bring something new. If getting noticed seems to be becoming harder and harder, it never has been so easier.

• Learn the Insider's tips on how to get noticed in the music industry!
• Have your own sound.
• Make a great first impression.
• Have a professional website and social media presence. 

• Collaborate with other artists, remix tracks, and get your music noticed by a record label. 

• I want to get my music noticed but don't know where to start.

Learn the insider's tips on how to get noticed in the music industry!

Over the past years, we saw that there's music industry rising. The music industry is a competitive space that is constantly evolving. It can be difficult for upcoming artists to get their music heard and get noticed. Where to start? Do you need to promote your music in every possible way? Do you need to send your music to the bigger stations even if you're not playing on smaller ones? Do you need to build relationships? is there only one way to get your music noticed?

Here are a few tips on how to get started. 

First of all, is there a specific rule to get noticed in the music industry and make it as an artist? If the official answer is “No”, there are some ways you can follow to have more chances to get noticed as an artist. And the first one is about the music itself so get your music ready!

Have your own sound. 

The first thing you should think about to get noticed in the music industry is your sound. People should be able to recognize your music even without your name on it. This point is the most important one but also the hardest one to achieve. If you’re thinking about having your own sound, you should be patient. It won’t come in a day. Having your own sound will take years but will be worth it. Hard doesn’t mean impossible. The first thing to avoid is following trends. Why would this label sign you if you’re doing the same music with the same sounds as 10 000 other new artists during the same period of time? 

You need to have your own signature and there are no rules or secret formulas when it comes to finding it. Play, experiment, and do what you like, you’ll end up finding your own sound without even thinking about it. 

To clarify, I'm not telling you to not use samples or take inspiration from other artists. The thing I want to point out is that there are no rules in music! Transform whatever you want! Why don’t you use this kick as a percussive instrument instead? Do you hear that big bass you love but hear it in every song at the moment? Put saturation, and distortion, cut the low, put some reverb and use it as your signature lead. That’s just a small example of what you can do. You need to be as recognized as Skrillex bass, Afrojack’s Leads, or Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano's drums.  

Congratulations! You have your own signature sound! What’s next? You need to send your music to people, that’s why we have to talk about the second most important thing when it comes to getting noticed. It's time to get your music heard.

Make a great first impression. 

You have new music to get signed, that's sick! Now it's time to send mail The first impression is always the most important one. This is how you can get noticed in the music industry or become easily forgettable by a label, promoter, or manager. When you submit your music to a record label or other industry professional, make sure your music has the best possible quality. Don’t send unfinished or unmixed, mastered material. People need to hear your full potential. If you don’t have a professional mix or master level, it can be ok sometimes as long as we can hear the full potential of your song. Try your best. If the first musical impression is important, the way you’re talking is also important. How to get noticed in the music industry if no one opens your message or mail? I’m sorry to tell you but if you’re just dropping an MP3 or Wav file in a mail without a subject or text in it, you’ll end up in spam section or instantly deleted. If you want to get read, write a nice and personalized mail with a private link to your music (Dropbox or Soundcloud) but don’t make it too long. Value the time of the person in front of you. Introduce yourself and your music but don’t write your full biography, you're trying to get signed, and you're not selling your story to a biography writer.

I’m not telling you to write in complex terms. Keep it simple. However, don’t “bro” people. Most of the time, you’ll talk to professionals from the music industry that’s why you won’t call people “bro” all the time. If you’re doing this, you will seem “amateur” about your music career and people won’t take you seriously. Instead, write directly to the person. If you don’t know who you are talking to, just start your mail with “To Whom It May Concern”. 

A final recommendation is to have a clear subject in the mail. Don’t go like “Artist name - Banger.mp3” or “SIGN ME PLEASE”. Instead, you can go for “Exclusive demo for “Label name”: “Artist Name” - “Your track”. Make it look good. Remember, getting signed to a record label should be a win-win relationship. The label needs you as well as you need them! Don't sound desperate. To demystify, record labels, it's just a bunch of people working in the music industry who are here to help you get your music online and get featured on Spotify and apple music playlists.

Congratulations, you have nice mail ready to be sent! But is this only to get noticed in the music industry? No, you can also get noticed on social media. And this is all about the next point. 

Have a professional website and social media presence. 

Your website and social media should be your showcase. Both are one of your most powerful tools to use and can literally take you to the next level. Nowadays, everyone is on social media. That includes music industry professionals. Let’s say a label owner hears your music. What is the next step? He will check your social media to find you. Now, imagine that instead of finding a professional-looking profile with cool content, he finds a profile that nobody wants to follow because of the lack of content. I’m not asking you to spend all your free time creating content but you should find some spot in your schedule to make content and grow your fan base. Do you think it's a waste of time? Well, in 2020, 70 artists signed major label deals because they were discovered on TikTok. That’s only on TikTok. Talking about TikTok, at the moment, it might be the best social to use to promote your music for free. You can get noticed by a lot of people. In other words, it can be a great way to help you get noticed by the right people, or get noticed by a record label. As you can imagine, much more was involved on Instagram and other socials. Socials are here to stay, that’s why they should always be part of your plan. Your social media pages should also be updated regularly with interesting content. Don’t overthink, just have fun creating content and get creative. A common mistake is when artists think that socials are only here to promote their music. People will love your music but also your personality, I'm not telling you to show your private life just to bring a different kind of content to the table. Socials are a great way to spread your musical and artistic universe.

Now let’s quickly talk about your website. Your website doesn’t need to be over complicated. It should be easy to navigate and include all of your latest music, press coverage, and tour dates. Your website should be your “best-of”. If someone wants to know more about you, create a biography section. Does someone need to contact you? Create a contact section, etc. Artists who have a strong online presence are much more likely to get noticed in the music industry than someone who's a ghost on socials.

If you don't have time to get into socials, you can split your studio time to use some for social media development. Producing music is cool but you have to share your music to get people's attention and to get noticed by new people.

Now that you have all the keys to making it and getting noticed in the music industry, I want to give you some bonus tips. 

Collaborate with other artists, remix tracks, and get your music noticed by a record label. 

The first section of this bonus section will be all about the collaborations. Collaborations are a good way to get noticed and touch more people with your music. In fact, you’ll gain attractivity because another community is going to know you and maybe follow you if they like what they hear. You’re not only gonna touch your community with your music but also the community of the artist you're collaborating with. I would recommend you to collaborate with people from your range, that way, the artist you’re collaborating with and you are both winning. The other cool thing about collaborations is that you’ll learn from someone else, you can learn new techniques, new ways of work, and maybe new ways to promote your music and touch more people. The perfect collaboration should spotlight your work to a new audience but also help you by learning new things. The more you learn, the more you'll take your music to the next level and the more you have a chance to break into the music industry.

The second and another cool way to get recognized in the music industry is to remix tracks. Let's say, you’re remixing a track by Tiesto, maybe this one will go viral and Tiesto or his team will hear it. This can be a real Kick Start for your career. Imagine receiving a message from Tiesto: “Hey, your remix is dope, I heard it on Tiktok, why don’t we release it on Musical Freedom?” Congratulations, you're now signed on Tiesto’s label. Talking about releasing a remix, I want to put a huge disclaimer here. If you decide to release a remix on your own, make it free and don’t upload it on streaming platforms such as Spotify, etc. Why? Simply because you don’t own the original master of the track and you can’t distribute stuff you don’t own the rights of. Now that said, you can get noticed very easily with remixes. 

That’s it! Now that you have all the keys to getting noticed in the music industry, you can have fun and use the different tips we’ve seen together. In final words, remember that there are no rules when it comes to music or promoting your music. Try to think out of the box. Finally, the most important thing I want to share is DON’T FOLLOW TRENDS. Of course, it seems easy but thinks long term. Having fun doing what you love has way more benefits than following trends in the long term. You’ll be recognized as the pioneer of a certain sound and people will notice you way much more. 

I want to get my music noticed but don't know where to start.

It's ok to need some guidance, Here are some additional, short tips and great ways to get your music heard if you don't know where to start when it comes to getting noticed.

• Try to find a nice playlist that fits your music, check out who's the curator, and get in contact.
• As well as there's not only one way to get noticed, there's not only one way to get signed. Go to conventions, send your music to A&R mails, get your music on streaming platforms, send it to a playlist curator and you might get contacted by record labels. Signing with a record label is easier than it seems.
• One of the best ways to get noticed by a lot of people is to send your music to music lovers, they will become your core and spread it to the rest of their communities. You can also push your music to influencers or to royalty-free channels if you need big exposure.
• Feature your music! Send it to blogs, it seems "old school" but it'll help you get noticed. A lot of people working in the music industry are still checking blogs for a very simple reason. They really want to get the latest news and predict the next trends no matter the genre or kind of music.
• Promoting your music online has no rules, think out of the box. Post your music on subreddits, Discord channels, and send it to streamers, content creators, and radio stations. Most of the small radio stations love local talent, if you're near them, they will listen to your music.