Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their inventive deal with 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 it’s best to 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 likely to be centered in your latest 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 may’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 whole catalog.
The right way to deliver contemporary curiosity to older music
1. Rejoice album anniversaries
Anytime one in all your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent likelihood to rejoice that music another time. You don’t at all times 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 no less than give the anniversary a month of content material and recollections. And — that is vital — bear in mind to inform your followers precisely the place to go to pay attention once more!
2. Drop unreleased tracks
Not every part you share must be a sophisticated diamond. In reality, not every part you share even must be completed.
For those who deserted a observe throughout a selected 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 a much 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 immediately together with your followers and e-mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Typically self-promotion seems like tooting your individual horn. For those who 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 might’ve by no means achieved by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s a good way to indicate gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your individual music.
When you have an everyday collaborator, you’ll have much more choices as a result of you may spotlight a number of moments you admire from them all through your catalog.
4. Playlists, playlists, playlists
Playlists provide you with nearly limitless methods to contextualize your music.
You possibly can group your tracks by:
- collaborator
- temper or style
- subject or theme
- interval of your profession
- a selected city you lived in whereas creating the music
- influences
- instrumentation
- different musical components like key, tempo, and many others.
- success metrics (“Best Hits” or “Largest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material collection
Create a number of completely different, brief, themed, content material collection you could run on social and e-mail, comparable to:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 greatest lyrical traces
- 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 provide you with an idea that requires a number of emails or posts, and use the theme to generate deeper and sustained curiosity in your older music.
For those who set these up as automated e-mail sequences, you may even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has not too long ago 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 and marketing campaign-type the place you provide to ship somebody one thing free of charge, 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 extra merch objects — often with a limited-time low cost.
Not everybody will elect to buy extra objects, after all, but when sufficient individuals do, you may revenue AND construct your e-mail listing concurrently, all whereas freely giving your music.
7. Reside listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform individuals attention-grabbing information in regards to the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be achieved digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it will possibly happen IRL at somebody’s house, venue, or artwork house.
8. One-off efficiency movies
Nobody mentioned you want a particular purpose to carry out your individual tunes!
Shoot a reside efficiency video for Reels and TikTok. Who cares if the tune is 2 or twenty years previous? Then discover one of the best 15-second clip. Put up it.
If one in all these reside movies will get traction, you may 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 selected 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 reality, 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 may work your whole catalog into sure occasions.
And you’ve got choices past venue reveals and festivals. You are able to do one thing comparable everytime you need by way of livestreaming!
10. Promote!
The most effective issues about digital advertising and marketing is that it offers you comparatively low-cost entry to large international audiences. You may as well take a look at a number of completely different content material to search out what works greatest.
And since your oldest music shall be model new to most individuals on-line, you may use your highest performing social content material to succeed in strangers at a decrease price.
So long as that advert content material stays a cheap option to drive engagement, promote merch, and construct your viewers, depart the adverts operating.
Once more, who cares if it’s an older tune that performs greatest in your adverts? 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 real looking. Each when it comes to efficient promotion and your individual pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you no less than see the significance of selling your again catalog. Not less than sufficient to schedule in a number of of those promo campaigns all year long.
The sort of effort goes to be more and more vital if you need 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 may leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, increase your income, and construct your viewers.
You wish to know one of the best saved secret in music distribution?
It’s ReverbNation.
With pro-level attain.
Entry to trade alternatives.
Quick responses from our assist staff.
And you retain 100% of your royalties.