Building an audience and developing your public image as an artist depends on getting noticed by music websites. Choosing which music websites to submit your songs to might be tough when so many possibilities are available.
Are Music Blogs Still Relevant?
Are music blogs still important in the modern music industry, you might be asking yourself? Yes, they are. Independent musicians can gain recognition on social media, and most consumers find music via streaming platforms, but music blogs are a popular place for music enthusiasts to find new songs and artists to listen to.
Music blogs can promote your music through playlists on streaming platforms and link you to other well-known independent musicians or certain musical scenes. Music industry experts turn to blogs to locate new music, perhaps sign new bands to record labels, or even find independent music to play on radio stations. Who knows, a booking agent could come upon your brand-new record on a music blog and decide to schedule you for a festival!
Steps For Sending Your Music to Music Blogs
Knowing how to pitch your project correctly is one of an independent artist's most crucial abilities. In the hopes of receiving a response, do not send bulk emails to unrelated sites to contribute music. If you use this strategy, you will frequently have an empty inbox.
Make a List of Blogs To Reach Out To
You must first be able to recognize your musical genre and subgenres to discover the finest sites to market your music.
Determine Your Genre
Note if your music falls within the umbrella of the rock, electronic, folk, singer-songwriter, rap, hip-hop, jazz, or pop genres. The first step in identifying blogs that are currently promoting artists in your style is to define these keywords. Many blogs support a range of musical genres, although some primarily concentrate on a few. You shouldn't waste your time looking for websites that are just focused on electro if you're an independent folk musician.
Find Similar Artists and Research Their Press
After defining your genre and subgenres, think about similar artists that fit into the same categories. List at least five musicians who share your taste in music. Try to list both upcoming musicians and more well-known bands.
You can now use your list to look for publications and blogs that have written about these specific artists and are looking for new music. Check each artist's social media accounts to see if they have posted any recent press mentions or album reviews they have received from online music publications.
Get Your Press Kit or EPK In Order
What information should be in your press kit? Everything a blogger, or other music professionals, needs to know to expose you to their audience, including your narrative, the context of the album, audio, and video content, and information on how readers can learn more about you if they're interested in the music you create.
Spend some time creating a visually pleasing presentation, and watch out not to overload your audience with material not pertinent to the article's goal.
Develop Personalized Emails
In our opinion, this is the most important criterion determining whether or not an album receives a review. As blogging is frequently a labor of love, start by telling them something you like about their website, reading through some of their content, and getting to know their writing style. Music writers want to be recognized for their efforts.
Next, look for the names of the individuals in charge and include them in your email. You can demonstrate that you're approaching them because your music aligns with what they write about by including a brief description of their music blog and a reference to a recent review or musician they covered.
Follow Up On Your Emails
You should email a follow-up if you don't hear back after a few weeks. Say something like, "Just following up with you to make sure you saw my previous email about working with your music blog" in your reply to the initial email you sent them.
Make it individual again, but just keep it short and to the point this time. They could respond and apologize for not seeing your first email, or they might ignore you once again.
It just takes two emails. After your follow-up email, if they don't respond, it indicates that they are either uninterested in or unable to evaluate your music anytime in the near future. Just mark them off your list and go on to music blogs with more lively discussions.
Tips For Submitting Music to Music Blogs
Make Sure Your Music Is Finalized Before You Reach Out
Although it can seem apparent, you must have professional-caliber songs before attempting to gain press. This means that to complete each level of music-making, you must have the necessary knowledge and perseverance. At the very least, this comprises composing, engineering, and producing. Using professionals for mixing and mastering is an option. When your song is polished and ready, that is the time to submit it.
Submit Your Music Before It Is Released
Stale music shouldn't be promoted on blogs. Therefore, your contribution can be for a future release or anything you've just recently released.
Follow Blog Submission Guidelines
Be sure to check the submission requirements. There are instances when blogs have certain requirements for submissions. Blogs occasionally make it clear when they don't accept submissions. Before submitting, be aware of the rules.
Make Sure All Your Links Work
Regardless of how you publish your music online, be sure your links are functional. Open them in your browser's private browsing mode. Check to see whether they display properly on your phone and laptop. A poor link might ruin your prospects of receiving blog publicity.
Proofread Everything Before You Submit
Go over your email before clicking the submit button. Make careful to use a professional yet personable tone. Check it out and ensure it's simple to read while containing all the details to make your music the ideal fit for their blog. To be sure you don't have any errors, utilize a free program like Grammarly to check your grammar for you.
Final Thoughts
If you're reaching out to music blogs, consider what they want. The goal of a music blogger is to spread the word about excellent music that appeals to them and their readers.
Mutual respect and gratitude should underpin all of your interactions with them. Spend some time sounding affable, competent, and individual. Doing this can establish a long-lasting partnership that will benefit everyone.
