Most musicians transfer on too quickly.
They put all their artistic give attention to 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 it is 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 may be centered in your current stuff, your older releases will nonetheless be model new to many 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’ll be able to’t neglect your again catalog.
On this article, I’ll provide you with a listing of the way to encourage current followers to replay music they already love, and to entice new followers who’ll dive into your total catalog.
Methods to carry contemporary curiosity to older music
1. Have fun album anniversaries
Anytime one in every of your albums turns 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25…
… it’s an apparent probability to rejoice that music another time. You don’t at all times want remastering or bonus editions to commemorate an album’s birthday.
You’ll be able to 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 essential — keep in mind to inform your followers precisely the place to go to pay attention once more!
2. Drop unreleased tracks
Not every little thing you share must be a cultured diamond. In truth, not every little thing you share even must be completed.
When you deserted a observe throughout a specific session, share it and inform us why it by no means made it onto an album. You’ll be able to 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 immediately along with your followers and e mail subscribers.
3. Do a collaborator shoutout!
Generally self-promotion appears like tooting your individual horn. When you wrestle 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 superb? One thing you possibly can’ve by no means achieved by yourself? Sing their praises. It’s an effective way to point out gratitude whereas additionally bringing consideration to your individual music.
If in case you have a daily collaborator, you’ll have much more choices as a result of you’ll be able to spotlight a number of moments you recognize from them all through your catalog.
4. Playlists, playlists, playlists
Playlists provide you with nearly limitless methods to contextualize your music.
You’ll be able to 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 so forth.
- success metrics (“Biggest Hits” or “Largest Misses”)
5. An artist’s-choice content material sequence
Create just a few completely different, quick, themed, content material sequence you can run on social and e mail, corresponding to:
- The songs I’m proudest of
- My 3 greatest lyrical strains
- 5 stuff 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.
When you set these up as automated e mail sequences, you’ll be able to even schedule them to be delivered all year long to anybody who has just lately subscribed to your record. And naturally, ship these to EVERYONE in your record when the sequence is first created.
6. “Free (plus transport & handing!)”
Have you ever ever heard or a Free + Delivery & Dealing with music provide?
It’s an attention-grabbing advertising and marketing campaign-type the place you provide to ship somebody one thing at no cost, so long as they pay for transport.
As soon as they’ve entered their cost 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’ll be able to revenue AND construct your e mail record concurrently, all whereas making a gift of your music.
7. Stay listening events!
Host an occasion the place you inform individuals attention-grabbing info in regards to the songs earlier than or whereas the music performs.
This may be achieved digitally on Discord, X, or Twitch. Or it could actually happen IRL at somebody’s house, venue, or artwork area.
8. One-off efficiency movies
Nobody stated you want a particular purpose to carry out your individual tunes!
Shoot a reside efficiency video for Reels and TikTok. Who cares if the track is 2 or twenty years previous? Then discover the most effective 15-second clip. Put up it.
If one in every of these reside movies will get traction, you’ll be able to comply with up with extra supporting content material.
9. Carry out a selected album
We’ve all seen artists stage a themed tour round a specific album.
Roger Waters has achieved this for Darkish Aspect of the Moon. U2 did it for The Joshua Tree. You’ll be able to 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 special album of mine every night time, so you’ll be able to work your total 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!
Among the best issues about digital advertising and marketing is that it offers you comparatively low cost entry to large international audiences. You can even check a lot 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’ll be able to use your highest performing social content material to succeed in strangers at a decrease price.
So long as that advert content material stays an economical strategy to drive engagement, promote merch, and construct your viewers, depart the adverts operating.
Once more, who cares if it’s an older track that performs greatest in your adverts? It’s working!
Conclusion
I don’t count on artists to prioritize older music ABOVE their newest launch.
Nor ought to they.
That wouldn’t appear sensible. Each by way of efficient promotion and your individual pleasure as a creator.
However I hope you no less than 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.
This kind of effort goes to be more and more essential if you need 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’ll be able to leverage ALL of your work all through the years to develop your engagement, increase your income, and construct your viewers.
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