Building a Social Strategy for Your Music Whether you love it or hate it, social media is one of your best options when it comes to finding an audience and building a lasting fanbase. In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, we talk with Cassie Petrey, CEO and co-founder of Crowd Surf, a music marketing firm that has run […]
Building a Social Strategy for Your Music
15 Email Marketing Mistakes Musicians Make
15 Email Marketing Mistakes Musicians Make Email marketing is direct, personal, and (relative to something like social advertising) affordable. Plus, an email address is like someone’s online ID, so while fans might hop from social platform to platform, they’re likely to still have the same email addy for years and years. Which is why email is still the most effective […]
‘Top 5 Artists Tips’ — A New Video Series Created by CD Baby Musicians
‘Top 5 Artists Tips’ — A New Video Series Created by CD Baby Musicians One of the most valuable resources at CD Baby is our musician community. There are so many talented artists doing innovative work without the benefit of a big label’s budget and connections. These are independent artists who create great music, and then experiment with promo strategies […]
Spotify’s Powerful New Tools to Grow Your Fanbase
Spotify’s Powerful New Tools to Grow Your Fanbase This week Spotify unveiled a bunch of features for musicians who want to reach new listeners and deepen the connection with their existing audience. You probably already know you can sell merch and list concert dates on your Spotify profile, or pitch your upcoming release to Spotify’s editorial team, but these newest […]
Top 5 Tips for Growing Your Audience on TikTok
Top 5 Tips for Growing Your Audience on TikTok Independent songwriter Sam Walwyn has more than 100k followers on TikTok. Want to know how he did it? Here are Sam’s top 5 tips for entertaining viewers on TikTok, turning them into fans, and keeping them coming back for more! Sam Walwyn’s TikTok tips for musicians: 1. Consistency! Sam says: Post […]
10 Ways to Build Anticipation for Your New Music
10 Ways to Build Anticipation for Your New Music Too much music is being released today for the launch itself to be special just because your music is available. Or as songwriter Robyn Ottolini said in a panel discussion I recently moderated: “It’s not their job to care. It’s your job to make them care.” If you can get them […]
How to ‘Gamify’ Your Music Promotion on Discord
How to ‘Gamify’ Your Music Promotion on Discord Are you tired of making the same kinds of bonus content for fans? Want to send your listeners on an adventure that goes much deeper than “behind the music?” Maybe it’s time for a multi-player role-playing game your fans can tackle together on Discord. Wait, what? Emma McGann invites her fans […]
How to Release Music in 2023
How to Release Music in 2023 On this blog and in our podcasts, we’ve spent a fair amount of time discussing the basic mechanics of a successful music release. This includes things like: In fact, that stuff is so important to do that we built The Release Plan Generator. It’s a free tool that helps you stay organized and on-schedule […]
5 TikTok Creators Every Musician Should Follow!
5 TikTok Creators Every Musician Should Follow! Want to keep up with the latest TikTok trends? Want to spin that inspo into your own engaging TikTok content? Then you’ll need to follow creators that consistently make great videos. In a recent episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, we asked Rachel Bearinger (CD Baby’s social media manager) for her… Top 5 […]
7 Ways to Drive Repeat Views on TikTok
7 Ways to Drive Repeat Views on TikTok Want to get millions of views on TikTok? Want a million followers on TikTok? Then it helps to understand TikTok’s recommendation engine. The TikTok algorithm is looking for: Engagement (full views, likes, comments) A back catalog of videos, so new fans can binge And… REPEAT VIEWS! Nothing says “I love this video” […]