Where Is the Best Place to Upload My Music

The Meridian ten Digital Platforms to Upload, Share, and Promote Your Music

Image via Shutterstock

The internet has forever changed the mural of the music industry. This is common knowledge to artists who've utilized constructive digital technologies such as file sharing and digital marketing via an countless number of social media channels. While all of this may seem like painfully obvious information, the fact remains that many musicians all the same struggle with choosing the right online platforms to upload, share, and promote their music.

The neverending list of offerings can be overwhelming, but it is essential to have a clear-cut understanding of how to tackle these three questions:

1. Which communities are the near pop amongst your target audience?
2. Why are they powerful (i.e., what are their capabilities)?
3. What are the appropriate circumstances for yous to put them into action?

With these inquiries in mind, I've created a list of the meridian 10 digital music platforms that artists demand to know similar the dorsum of their hands (or instruments, for that matter). If you become a primary at navigating all of the below selections, the likelihood of your music reaching a substantial audience skyrockets and, more chiefly, then does your chances of developing a defended fanbase.

1. SoundCloud

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud remains as one of the world'due south acme audio distribution platforms and attracts over 175 million monthly unique visitors. From a free-streaming perspective, SoundCloud has been a longstanding behemothic, and that won't change anytime presently. Heralded for its sociability/shareability features, a wide majority of both established major artists and rising talent plow to SoundCloud to upload their music.

The "news feed" mode of the homepage, repost/favorite/playlist options, and followers/group communities play a huge part in expanding the reach of SoundCloud'southward massive library. And so while there are plenty of folks who take advantage of the system in attempts of growing a large (but mostly imaginary) following, SoundCloud is a get-to option in giving fans the opportunity to stream your latest unmarried for free.

[eight Simple Steps to Maximize Your SoundCloud Exposure]

ii. Audiomack

Not too far backside SoundCloud, Audiomack is on the ascent every bit a fan-friendly streaming platform. Unlike its counterpart, which has a central focus on play counts when evaluating date, Audiomack allows artists to mensurate the reach of their music with its variety of trend-based rankings. The verbal number of plays per mean solar day/calendar week/calendar month are readily bachelor, and the "what's trending" homepage makes it easy for music consumers to know what songs and albums are worthy of their valuable time. Between the less stringent copyright policies and easy-to-digest analytics, Audiomack is a well-positioned platform and a wise option for independent artists who want full visibility into the marketing efforts of their new album.

3. iTunes

Anybody who has listened to music this century is aware of the monster that is iTunes. If you're a member of the select group of consumers who truly believe in financially supporting the work of their favorite artists, iTunes is your music mecca. The platform continues to evolve with Apple tree constantly innovating as a technological giant (see Apple tree Music), and although streaming is the current rex of music intake, music libraries of longtime iTunes users are still seeing plenty of action.

If y'all're an independent musician who wants to provide fans with the choice of buying their music, uploading to iTunes is still the primary method of doing so. Don't await to strike gold, just the brand name recognition alone is plenty to win some fans over.

4. Spotify

Over the by several years, Spotify has worked its way into becoming an extremely powerful digital music service and is a male monarch in the music streaming business. The massive library of music from major artists has made Spotify an attractive option, and while free users are burdened with frequent advertisements, premium users enjoy ad-costless as well as offline/mobile app listening.

Despite the number of dainty features offered by Spotify, I don't believe the platform is currently a necessity for independent musicians. Sure, you may look official by having your well-received anthology uploaded, but from a streaming signal of view, you're better going off with SoundCloud or Audiomack as an upwards-and-comer. By doing and then, y'all ultimately provide fans with easier admission to your music and save yourself a few headaches at the same fourth dimension.

[6 Easy Steps to Streaming Success on Spotify]

5. YouTube

If y'all're a rising artist, you lot should be putting quality time and attempt into the creation of professionally crafted music videos. And when it comes fourth dimension to share your visuals with the world, you upload them on YouTube. The video-sharing home of the net has fabricated a huge departure for indie artists who sometimes rise to national acclamation not necessarily on the strength of a song, but on the visuals which breathe new life into the record. Betwixt its ease of utilise and insightful measurement tools, YouTube is a primary platform that garners undivided attention from the more professionally minded segment of rising artists.

[25 Means to Optimize Your YouTube Channel]

6. Bandcamp

Bandcamp is possibly the most interesting option from this listing of music platforms. The website is certainly geared toward independent musicians, but it tends to attract more of a niche following of both artists and fans. As a platform that promotes free streaming every bit well as financial back up of the artist, Bandcamp has an all-in-one capability which tin can testify to be useful for musicians who want to put all of their eggs in one basket. There are plenty of successful artists who take finer promoted their fabric on Bandcamp, but be wary, because if your music doesn't resonate with a particular demographic, it can get lost in the mix.

[How to Make Your Bandcamp Page every bit Effective as Possible]

7. Vimeo

We've already established that YouTube is the major player in the world of music videos. Vimeo, however, is a runner-up and has its own specialties for artists who shoot a variety of visual content. When musicians have a more than diversified route with videos, such every bit documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage, it's not a bad idea to experiment with Vimeo due to its well-versed artistic customs. By no ways is it smart to transfer all of your videos from your YouTube business relationship to Vimeo, just don't be afraid to effort it out as you continue to grow your fanbase.

[How Vimeo's Copyright Match System Affects Your Music]

eight. Tidal

While still immature in its beingness, Tidal has been making headlines in the earth of music streaming over the past several months. The platform prides itself on offering loftier-quality audio/video for its users, and with a large group of superstar artists co-signing the services, many fans are jumping on the wave. While many in the industry feel that Tidal is merely a cocky-centered attempt for major label artists to receive better profit margins on their streams, indie artists should still follow every move from Tidal as it continues to abound (specially Tidal Ascension and Tidal Discovery). Don't brand Tidal your top priority correct at present, but requite the platform some time earlier deciding whether to test the waters with the service.

9. Google Play

Fifty-fifty though Google Play receives less attention, information technology's not wise to ignore the music service of 1 of the earth'due south most powerful companies. If you want your entire fanbase to have the power to financially back up your music, it'south of import to ensure that you have a presence on Google Play. Thither are plenty of Android mobile phone users who rely on Google Play as opposed to iTunes, so if you want all your tracks covered, don't leave them out of the mix.

ten. Personal website

Despite all of these qualified music platforms, all serious musicians need a personal website that prominently displays their latest and greatest music. Y'all'll most likely be using ane of the same selections to upload your tracks, simply having your music on each of these nine platforms and not on your own website is a recipe for disaster. Every bit a rising artist, it'due south smart to have your music centralized in a few prominent places every bit opposed to throwing a dozen different links at fans and press. And out of all these options, maintaining a sharp, up-to-date website is perhaps the most vital. When yous offset to draw bigger and more influential figures to your catalog, rest bodacious that your website will be ane of their first visits.

[6 Crucial Website Tips for Freelance Musicians]

Eric Bernsen is a marketing/public relations professional and music announcer who specializes in the genre of hip-hop. You can find more of his piece of work at HITPmusic.com (where he is an editor/author) also as HipHop-Due north-More.com, where he contributes album reviews. Follow Eric on Twitter @ebernsen.

Topics: Music Business 101, Marketing & Promotion

stovallbeir1982.blogspot.com

Source: https://blog.sonicbids.com/the-top-10-digital-platforms-to-upload-share-and-promote-your-music

Share this post