Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their inventive concentrate on 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 large causes why you must proceed to market ALL the music in your again catalog.
Why your previous music deserves new consideration:
- The primary and easiest purpose? Good music is good music. Whereas YOU is perhaps targeted 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 offer you an inventory of how to encourage current followers to replay music they already love, and to entice new followers who’ll dive into your total catalog.
Find out how to convey recent curiosity to older music
1. Have fun album anniversaries
Anytime considered one of your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent likelihood to have a good time that music yet again. You don’t all the time want remastering or bonus editions to commemorate an album’s birthday.
You possibly can retell the story of the album. Ship an e-mail. Make social posts.
It doesn’t should be a year-long celebration, however at the very least give the anniversary a month of content material and reminiscences. And — that is essential — keep in mind to inform your followers precisely the place to go to hear once more!
2. Drop unreleased tracks
Not all the pieces you share must be a sophisticated diamond. In truth, not all the pieces you share even must be completed.
When you deserted a monitor throughout a specific session, share it and inform us why it by no means made it onto an album. You possibly can launch demos. Alternate takes. Something that helps construct an even bigger story round a earlier interval of labor.
And if it doesn’t really feel worthy of strangers’ consideration, you don’t should distribute the music to platforms like Spotify. Simply share it instantly along with your followers and e-mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Generally self-promotion seems like tooting your personal horn. When you battle with that, overlook 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 possibly can’ve by no means achieved by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s a good way to indicate gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your personal music.
When you’ve got 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 offer you virtually countless methods to contextualize your music.
You possibly can group your tracks by:
- collaborator
- temper or style
- matter or theme
- interval of your profession
- a specific city you lived in whereas creating the music
- influences
- instrumentation
- different musical components like key, tempo, and many others.
- success metrics (“Best Hits” or “Greatest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material collection
Create just a few totally different, quick, themed, content material collection that you may run on social and e-mail, similar to:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 finest lyrical traces
- 5 stuff you didn’t learn about me
- My prime 10 movies
- 3 individuals who formed my music
- My favourite guitar solo
I believe 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.
When you set these up as automated e-mail sequences, you possibly can even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has lately subscribed to your listing. And naturally, ship these to EVERYONE in your listing when the collection 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 totally free, so long as they pay for transport.
As soon as they’ve entered their fee information, you then current a second (and even third) provide for added merch objects — normally with a limited-time low cost.
Not everybody will elect to buy extra objects, in fact, but when sufficient folks do, you possibly can revenue AND construct your e-mail listing concurrently, all whereas giving freely your music.
7. Reside listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform folks attention-grabbing details in regards to the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be achieved digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it may 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 previous? Then discover the very best 15-second clip. Publish it.
If considered one of these reside movies will get traction, you possibly can comply with 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 possibly can do it too…
… for ANY of your earlier albums.
In truth, I as soon as did a 7-day residency at a venue the place I performed a distinct album of mine every evening, so you possibly can work your total catalog into sure occasions.
And you’ve got choices past venue exhibits and festivals. You are able to do one thing comparable everytime you need by way of livestreaming!
10. Promote!
Among the finest issues about digital advertising is that it offers you comparatively low cost entry to large world audiences. You can too check numerous totally different content material to seek out what works finest.
And since your oldest music can be model new to most individuals on-line, you possibly can use your highest performing social content material to succeed in strangers at a decrease value.
So long as that advert content material stays a cheap solution 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 finest 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 when it comes to efficient promotion and your personal pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you at the very least see the significance of selling your again catalog. No less than sufficient to schedule in just a few of those promo campaigns all year long.
Such a effort goes to be more and more essential if you would like your music to stay algorithmically related and discoverable on streaming platforms.
And given {that a} deeper catalog is an unbelievable assortment of music, moods, and connection factors, you possibly can leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, enhance your income, and construct your viewers.
You need to know the very best saved secret in music distribution?
It’s ReverbNation.
With pro-level attain.
Entry to business alternatives.
Quick responses from our assist crew.
And you retain 100% of your royalties.
