Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their inventive give attention to the subsequent launch. Or they solely promote their newest work, neglecting all of the songs that got here earlier than.
However taking your consideration off your older tracks is a mistake. As a result of there are three huge causes why you need to proceed to market ALL the music in your again catalog.
Why your outdated music deserves new consideration:
- The primary and easiest purpose? Good music is good music. Whereas YOU is likely to be centered in your current stuff, your older releases will nonetheless be model new to a lot of the world.
- Subsequent, your again catalog is a income. Your current followers already like your older music. So discover causes to maintain ’em coming again to stream tracks and purchase associated merch.
For these causes and extra, you possibly can’t neglect your again catalog.
On this article, I’ll provide you with an inventory of the way to encourage current followers to replay music they already love, and to appeal to new followers who’ll dive into your complete catalog.
How you can deliver contemporary curiosity to older music
1. Have a good time album anniversaries
Anytime considered one of your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent probability to rejoice that music yet again. You don’t all the time want remastering or bonus editions to commemorate an album’s birthday.
You’ll be able to retell the story of the album. Ship an electronic mail. Make social posts.
It doesn’t need to be a year-long celebration, however at the least give the anniversary a month of content material and reminiscences. And — that is necessary — keep in mind to inform your followers precisely the place to go to pay attention once more!
2. Drop unreleased tracks
Not all the things you share needs to be a elegant diamond. Actually, not all the things you share even must be completed.
In the event you deserted a monitor throughout a specific session, share it and inform us why it by no means made it onto an album. You’ll be able to launch demos. Alternate takes. Something that helps construct a much bigger story round a earlier interval of labor.
And if it doesn’t really feel worthy of strangers’ consideration, you don’t need to distribute the music to platforms like Spotify. Simply share it straight together with your followers and electronic mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Typically self-promotion appears like tooting your personal horn. In the event you wrestle with that, neglect about your self for a minute and brag about your collaborators.
Did a participant, bandmate, featured visitor, producer, or co-writer contribute one thing wonderful? One thing you may’ve by no means achieved by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s an effective way to indicate gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your personal music.
If in case you have a daily collaborator, you’ll have much more choices as a result of you possibly can spotlight a number of moments you admire from them all through your catalog.
4. Playlists, playlists, playlists
Playlists provide you with virtually infinite methods to contextualize your music.
You’ll be able to group your tracks by:
- collaborator
- temper or style
- subject or theme
- interval of your profession
- a specific city you lived in whereas creating the music
- influences
- instrumentation
- different musical parts like key, tempo, and so forth.
- success metrics (“Best Hits” or “Greatest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material sequence
Create just a few completely different, quick, themed, content material sequence which you could run on social and electronic mail, resembling:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 greatest lyrical strains
- 5 belongings you didn’t learn about me
- My prime 10 movies
- 3 individuals who formed my music
- My favourite guitar solo
I feel you get the purpose. You give you an idea that requires a number of emails or posts, and use the theme to generate deeper and sustained curiosity in your older music.
In the event you set these up as automated electronic mail sequences, you possibly can even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has not too long ago subscribed to your checklist. And naturally, ship these to EVERYONE in your checklist when the sequence is first created.
6. “Free (plus transport & handing!)”
Have you ever ever heard or a Free + Transport & Dealing with music provide?
It’s an attention-grabbing advertising campaign-type the place you provide to ship somebody one thing without cost, so long as they pay for transport.
As soon as they’ve entered their cost information, you then current a second (and even third) provide for added merch gadgets — normally with a limited-time low cost.
Not everybody will elect to buy further gadgets, in fact, but when sufficient individuals do, you possibly can revenue AND construct your electronic mail checklist concurrently, all whereas gifting away your music.
7. Stay listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform individuals attention-grabbing details concerning the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be achieved digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it may possibly happen IRL at somebody’s residence, venue, or artwork area.
8. One-off efficiency movies
Nobody stated you want a particular purpose to carry out your personal tunes!
Shoot a reside efficiency video for Reels and TikTok. Who cares if the tune is 2 or twenty years outdated? Then discover the perfect 15-second clip. Put up it.
If considered one of these reside movies will get traction, you possibly can observe up with extra supporting content material.
9. Carry out a particular album
We’ve all seen artists stage a themed tour round a specific album.
Roger Waters has achieved this for Darkish Facet of the Moon. U2 did it for The Joshua Tree. You’ll be able to do it too…
… for ANY of your earlier albums.
Actually, I as soon as did a 7-day residency at a venue the place I performed a special album of mine every night time, so you possibly can work your complete catalog into sure occasions.
And you’ve got choices past venue exhibits and festivals. You are able to do one thing related everytime you need by way of livestreaming!
10. Promote!
The most effective issues about digital advertising is that it provides you comparatively low-cost entry to huge world audiences. You may as well check a number of completely different content material to seek out what works greatest.
And since your oldest music will probably be model new to most individuals on-line, you possibly can use your highest performing social content material to achieve strangers at a decrease value.
So long as that advert content material stays a cheap technique to drive engagement, promote merch, and construct your viewers, go away the advertisements operating.
Once more, who cares if it’s an older tune that performs greatest in your advertisements? It’s working!
Conclusion
I don’t anticipate artists to prioritize older music ABOVE their newest launch.
Nor ought to they.
That wouldn’t appear reasonable. Each by way of efficient promotion and your personal pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you at the least see the significance of selling your again catalog. Not less than sufficient to schedule in just a few of those promo campaigns all year long.
This kind of effort goes to be more and more necessary in order for you your music to stay algorithmically related and discoverable on streaming platforms.
And given {that a} deeper catalog is an unimaginable assortment of music, moods, and connection factors, you possibly can leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, increase your income, and construct your viewers.
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