Question 1

What is music marketing?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

Defining music marketing is a bit difficult, as it’s a wide-ranging phrase, but essentially it relates to any activity meant to promote music.  MasterClass defines it as such: “the use of strategic messaging and advertising to connect music artists with their fan base while also informing new audiences about the artist’s music career and latest work.”
It involves public relations, advertising, social media, branding and so much more, and there are countless strategies an artist can utilize when pushing their work to the masses. Marketing is often what makes a song a hit, as great works are overlooked all the time. In today’s world, making beautiful music is wonderful, but without marketing, it often doesn’t reach a large audience.

Question 2

Where can I learn music marketing?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

If you’re looking to attend college to earn a music marketing degree, there are a number of well-known, respected options that offer the specific item you’re looking for. Colleges and universities like Full Sail University, Berklee College of Music, NYU Tisch’s Clive Davis School of Recorded Music, USC’s Thornton School of Music, and Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, to name just a few, are all worth investigating first.
You can also decide to teach yourself music marketing, if you have already attended college, don’t want to, or perhaps don’t currently have the resources to do so. Two Story Melody has organized a list of some of the best online music marketing courses you can take, which vary in terms of what they teach, length, price, and more.

Question 3

How can I market my music with no money?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

If you don’t have any money to spend to market your music, you may find it difficult to reach millions, but it’s not impossible to attract some attention, as long as you can think creatively. Social media is a fantastic way to make yourself known, and there are countless ways to create and post something that will make you and your art better known than before. Be funny, outrageous, visually appealing, or just downright excellent, and there’s a small chance that you may find yourself becoming an online star, and that’s the starting point when it comes to promoting your work.
Also, you can film music videos, live performances, collaborations, and so much more and post them on TikTok and YouTube, all the while thinking about virality. Of course, there are no guarantees, and you’re competing with millions of other people around the world for attention, so you need to be aware that you might not succeed…but does that mean it’s not worth trying?

Question 4

What are the best music marketing platforms?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

There are countless companies offering tools that may help you market your music, and you can dive into these programs and offerings, though they usually will cost you. When looking at platforms that are ideal for promotion, whether free or paid, the biggest and most popular are still the ones you’re already familiar with, and which are listed above. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and others attract millions, if not billions of people, and thus they’re fantastic for promoting anything. You’ll be spending a lot of your time working on these sites when pushing your songs and albums.

Question 5

What is a music marketing degree?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

A music marketing degree would be any college degree that specializes specifically in marketing within the music industry. These programs allow the teachers to dive deeper into the complex business of music, and it gives the students a more comprehensive look at the field than a general marketing program might.
This is an excellent option for those who are entering college with some experience in the field and who are already sure that what they want to do more than anything for their career is help build the brands of musicians and promote their art to the world.
If you are interested in that career path, but not 100% certain it’s what you’ll want to do for many years to come, you may want to think about avoiding such a specific degree. Instead of going to college to earn a music marketing diploma, you can think about going after a more general marketing degree. That way, you can tailor your experience to music via internships and jobs, or you can go in another direction at any time.

Question 6

Is a music business degree worth it?

Hugh McIntyre · Accepted Answer

Spending the time, money, and effort to secure a college degree is almost always worth the investment. Even if you end up going into a different industry and your diploma doesn’t quite match up, it will help you get your start, and from there, you can make your career what you like.
These days, college degrees are expected, not just preferred, and as a young person who may have little experience in the music industry, let alone when it comes to marketing musicians, a degree may be the sole thing that will help you land that first role. This thinking definitely applies in the music industry, and though there are stories of people making it and enjoying fruitful, successful careers without the piece of paper, they are the exception, not the standard.

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