Too often the advice spectrum of music marketing tends toward the technical.
“How do I set this up?”
“Playlisting or ads?”
“Should I submit to blogs or not?”
These are all worthwhile questions to ask, but they are not the fundamental aspects of marketing music.
At its core, all marketing—music included—depends on a layer of psychology that we need to understand before we can put the technical into practice.
So here are five questions I first like to consider when marketing a new artist or a new song.
Where do they live?
Where we choose to focus our energy on building a fanbase is one of the most fundamental aspects of music marketing (and one that, sadly, a large percentage of artists and music marketers alike ignore).
I’ve seen so many videos of “music marketers” talking about how volume is the most important thing in advertising.
“I can get so many more listeners in X country, bro.”
Maybe so, but are those listeners “sticky”?
Are they going to invest in this artist for the long term?
Does this genre even have the ability to gain traction in this market?
Sure, there are, most likely, fans of pretty much every genre in pretty much every country around the world at this point, but when we’re playing a game of statistics and odds like we are with music marketing, we want to place our bets accordingly.
I like to use the Genres by Country tool on Every Noise to figure out if there is even an affinity for what I’m pushing in the markets I’ve chosen.
Because I’m probably not going to push a country artist in Spain any more than I’m going to push a Flamenco artist in the United States.
Location matters.
What are they doing?
Listening to music is almost never an isolated activity.
We’re usually doing something while listening to our favorite songs.
Driving, studying, working, running, cooking, going on a date, etc.
How our music pairs with these activities is important.
If I’m trying to set the mood for date night with my wife, odds are I’m not throwing on Skrillex (maybe you are, no judgment—you do you).
Personally, I’m probably opting for something a little bit softer and more romantic.
If I’m exercising, I want high energy.
Working? Mellow, no vocals.
You get the idea.
Taking the time to think about how your music—and your current song, in particular—pairs with a given activity is a great way to narrow your targeting and find the right person at the right time.
What else do they like?
There are just certain types of music that pair with certain cultural activities.
If I’m listening to So-Cal pop-punk, it’s natural to think of skating and surfing.
If it’s country, hunting, fishing, and trucks just make sense.
Every genre is different, and every sub-genre has nuance as well.
What are the obvious cultural connections that you can draw to your music?
What about the not-so-obvious?
Adding these to your ad targeting can expand your potential listener base in ways you might not have previously considered.
What are they already listening to?
This is the obvious one: most of us are probably more apt to listen to what we’re already listening to.
I mean, this is what every DSP algorithm is built upon, especially Spotify’s.
Heck, it’s what every social media algorithm is built upon.
You get served up more of what you consume.
So if someone is already listening to bands, artists, and genres that fall into the same spectrum of what you make, they are in a prime position to hear your music and like it.
Test targeting similar bands and genres whenever possible.
How do they feel?
This last one is a bit more nebulous and, frankly, tougher to implement from an ad targeting perspective, but it’s worth considering.
How a listener feels is a critical factor when determining what to listen to.
For example, if someone has just gone through a breakup and they’re sitting home alone, they are definitely not listening to the same music they’re listening to when they’re out partying with friends.
Music is catharsis. It helps us get through the bad times and celebrate the good.
We, as artists, create art that hits on emotion across the spectrum, and not every song is the same.
So if you’re pushing a club banger, consider the emotion behind that.
If you’re pushing a love song, think about what’s happening in the heart and mind of that listener.
The emotional aspect of music is location-agnostic, but it will inform every other question above outside of where the person lives.
Worth considering.
Too often the advice spectrum of music marketing tends toward the technical.
“How do I set this up?”
“Playlisting or ads?”
“Should I submit to blogs or not?”
These are all worthwhile questions to ask, but they are not the fundamental aspects of marketing music.
At its core, all marketing—music included—depends on a layer of psychology that we need to understand before we can put the technical into practice.
So here are five questions I first like to consider when marketing a new artist or a new song.
Where do they live?
Where we choose to focus our energy on building a fanbase is one of the most fundamental aspects of music marketing (and one that, sadly, a large percentage of artists and music marketers alike ignore).
I’ve seen so many videos of “music marketers” talking about how volume is the most important thing in advertising.
“I can get so many more listeners in X country, bro.”
Maybe so, but are those listeners “sticky”?
Are they going to invest in this artist for the long term?
Does this genre even have the ability to gain traction in this market?
Sure, there are, most likely, fans of pretty much every genre in pretty much every country around the world at this point, but when we’re playing a game of statistics and odds like we are with music marketing, we want to place our bets accordingly.
I like to use the Genres by Country tool on Every Noise to figure out if there is even an affinity for what I’m pushing in the markets I’ve chosen.
Because I’m probably not going to push a country artist in Spain any more than I’m going to push a Flamenco artist in the United States.
Location matters.
What are they doing?
Listening to music is almost never an isolated activity.
We’re usually doing something while listening to our favorite songs.
Driving, studying, working, running, cooking, going on a date, etc.
How our music pairs with these activities is important.
If I’m trying to set the mood for date night with my wife, odds are I’m not throwing on Skrillex (maybe you are, no judgment—you do you).
Personally, I’m probably opting for something a little bit softer and more romantic.
If I’m exercising, I want high energy.
Working? Mellow, no vocals.
You get the idea.
Taking the time to think about how your music—and your current song, in particular—pairs with a given activity is a great way to narrow your targeting and find the right person at the right time.
What else do they like?
There are just certain types of music that pair with certain cultural activities.
If I’m listening to So-Cal pop-punk, it’s natural to think of skating and surfing.
If it’s country, hunting, fishing, and trucks just make sense.
Every genre is different, and every sub-genre has nuance as well.
What are the obvious cultural connections that you can draw to your music?
What about the not-so-obvious?
Adding these to your ad targeting can expand your potential listener base in ways you might not have previously considered.
What are they already listening to?
This is the obvious one: most of us are probably more apt to listen to what we’re already listening to.
I mean, this is what every DSP algorithm is built upon, especially Spotify’s.
Heck, it’s what every social media algorithm is built upon.
You get served up more of what you consume.
So if someone is already listening to bands, artists, and genres that fall into the same spectrum of what you make, they are in a prime position to hear your music and like it.
Test targeting similar bands and genres whenever possible.
How do they feel?
This last one is a bit more nebulous and, frankly, tougher to implement from an ad targeting perspective, but it’s worth considering.
How a listener feels is a critical factor when determining what to listen to.
For example, if someone has just gone through a breakup and they’re sitting home alone, they are definitely not listening to the same music they’re listening to when they’re out partying with friends.
Music is catharsis. It helps us get through the bad times and celebrate the good.
We, as artists, create art that hits on emotion across the spectrum, and not every song is the same.
So if you’re pushing a club banger, consider the emotion behind that.
If you’re pushing a love song, think about what’s happening in the heart and mind of that listener.
The emotional aspect of music is location-agnostic, but it will inform every other question above outside of where the person lives.
Worth considering.
Too often the advice spectrum of music marketing tends toward the technical.
“How do I set this up?”
“Playlisting or ads?”
“Should I submit to blogs or not?”
These are all worthwhile questions to ask, but they are not the fundamental aspects of marketing music.
At its core, all marketing—music included—depends on a layer of psychology that we need to understand before we can put the technical into practice.
So here are five questions I first like to consider when marketing a new artist or a new song.
Where do they live?
Where we choose to focus our energy on building a fanbase is one of the most fundamental aspects of music marketing (and one that, sadly, a large percentage of artists and music marketers alike ignore).
I’ve seen so many videos of “music marketers” talking about how volume is the most important thing in advertising.
“I can get so many more listeners in X country, bro.”
Maybe so, but are those listeners “sticky”?
Are they going to invest in this artist for the long term?
Does this genre even have the ability to gain traction in this market?
Sure, there are, most likely, fans of pretty much every genre in pretty much every country around the world at this point, but when we’re playing a game of statistics and odds like we are with music marketing, we want to place our bets accordingly.
I like to use the Genres by Country tool on Every Noise to figure out if there is even an affinity for what I’m pushing in the markets I’ve chosen.
Because I’m probably not going to push a country artist in Spain any more than I’m going to push a Flamenco artist in the United States.
Location matters.
What are they doing?
Listening to music is almost never an isolated activity.
We’re usually doing something while listening to our favorite songs.
Driving, studying, working, running, cooking, going on a date, etc.
How our music pairs with these activities is important.
If I’m trying to set the mood for date night with my wife, odds are I’m not throwing on Skrillex (maybe you are, no judgment—you do you).
Personally, I’m probably opting for something a little bit softer and more romantic.
If I’m exercising, I want high energy.
Working? Mellow, no vocals.
You get the idea.
Taking the time to think about how your music—and your current song, in particular—pairs with a given activity is a great way to narrow your targeting and find the right person at the right time.
What else do they like?
There are just certain types of music that pair with certain cultural activities.
If I’m listening to So-Cal pop-punk, it’s natural to think of skating and surfing.
If it’s country, hunting, fishing, and trucks just make sense.
Every genre is different, and every sub-genre has nuance as well.
What are the obvious cultural connections that you can draw to your music?
What about the not-so-obvious?
Adding these to your ad targeting can expand your potential listener base in ways you might not have previously considered.
What are they already listening to?
This is the obvious one: most of us are probably more apt to listen to what we’re already listening to.
I mean, this is what every DSP algorithm is built upon, especially Spotify’s.
Heck, it’s what every social media algorithm is built upon.
You get served up more of what you consume.
So if someone is already listening to bands, artists, and genres that fall into the same spectrum of what you make, they are in a prime position to hear your music and like it.
Test targeting similar bands and genres whenever possible.
How do they feel?
This last one is a bit more nebulous and, frankly, tougher to implement from an ad targeting perspective, but it’s worth considering.
How a listener feels is a critical factor when determining what to listen to.
For example, if someone has just gone through a breakup and they’re sitting home alone, they are definitely not listening to the same music they’re listening to when they’re out partying with friends.
Music is catharsis. It helps us get through the bad times and celebrate the good.
We, as artists, create art that hits on emotion across the spectrum, and not every song is the same.
So if you’re pushing a club banger, consider the emotion behind that.
If you’re pushing a love song, think about what’s happening in the heart and mind of that listener.
The emotional aspect of music is location-agnostic, but it will inform every other question above outside of where the person lives.
Worth considering.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.