Digital Marketing & The Music Industry

According to Mashable.com, Nielsen SoundScan’s latest report shows us that more than 70% of the music disbursed within the first six months of 2014 in the United States was either downloaded or streamed, and streaming services are the only fragment of the recorded music business that is growing. Artists/bands should look at their selves as a brand that there are trying to market in an extremely saturated industry. Since most of the world has gone completely digital, it is important for these bands/artists to adjust and cope to the industry.

Not much of today’s youth still listens to the traditional radio stations; many are now plugged into streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, etc. Download services such as iTunes and Google Play, also generate much more revenue rather than the tradition C.D. and/or album. In the past, artists/bands would have major record labels marketing them through radio and/or television ads. However, now-a-days artists/bands are either marketed through streaming services ads and/or through social media. Most unsigned or indie label artists market themselves primarily through social media.

The main idea for any artist/band is to build relationships with their audience. However, in order to do this, they must know whom their audience is as well as the best way to communicate with them. As econsoltancy.com states, less is more when it comes to content marketing. It’s all about relationships! Interacting on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are becoming more and more of a part of the way artists/bands and labels are utilizing digital marketing in the music industry.

Artists/bands may also utilize sites such as semrush.com, alexa.com and quantcast.com in order to track the traffic that their personal websites bring. These sites can also give them better acknowledgment of who their target demographics are and who they need to accommodate.

Marketing In Today's Digital Landscape

With the vast growth in social technology, (mobile devices, apps, social networking, etc.) people have become more connected than ever. As these technologies advance further, more and more of the world is becoming connected as well. These new methods of interaction and digital landscape have altered and will continue to alter marketing strategies, as we know. Consumers and businesses now consume and do business mostly from a digital standpoint. The consumer may search product information through the many faucets accessible to them now such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, etc. Just as that is, most businesses are also taking to this new form of business-to-client communication, using the same means.

Boundless.com speaks of a relatively new practice called, Integrated marketing communications (IMC). IMC is intended to convey a constant idea from the company’s advertisings to the consumer through a multitude of different media outlets such as, websites, mobile devices, TV, radio, etc. This provides stable communication between the consumer and the business, building solid relationships between the two.

Relating these ideas with the music industry, we can quickly see how they can be significantly advantageous to recording studios, labels, artists and virtually anyone else within the music business that is looking to expand their customer base. Many may already understand the importance of marketing and they may already utilize social media and digital marketing to a certain degree as well. However, are they truly getting the most of what they can from it by efficiently utilizing these resources? Staying up-to-date with the latest social media marketing tactics and trends is extremely important in today’s world, especially in the entertainment industry.

Social Media Examiner has posted sixteen social media marketing tips from industry professionals that could be of serious help. Tips such as hosting social media events, how to effectively communicate to your target audience through social media, getting the attention of your influencers, ad optimization, etc. No matter your involvement in the entertainment industry, these tips are certain to give you some insight in expanding your client/fan base within the digital world.

References:

Boundless. (July 21, 2015) Impact of Technology on Marketing. Retrieved  December 6 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/the-marketing-environment-3/technology-32/impact-of-technology-on-marketing-170-7298/

King, C. (August 13, 2013). 16 Social Media Marketing Tips From the Pros. Retrieved December 6, 2015 from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/16-social-media-marketing-tips-from-the-pros/

Slate Media Raven MTI and MTX

In the ever-growing music recording industry, you may find yourself slightly overwhelmed by making the right decision on what software and/or hardware to purchase. A few months back, I came across the Raven MTX and the slightly more affordable, Raven MTI by Slate Media Technology. My mind was utterly blown by the versatility of these machines. Both models feature a beautiful, never-before-seen, multi-touch mixer that is compatible with all major DAWs (Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, etc.), bringing all of your favorite DAWs to life right at your fingertips. The Raven Batch Command System (BCS) makes these boards the most customizable consoles known today. Raven’s BCS Permits its users to name tracks, export stems, instantly create headphone sends or even place entire drum tracks along the grid with just one touch of a button. Have you ever bought a console and were not satisfied with the layout of it controllers and/or knobs? With the Raven, you can fully customize the layout to your own liking. Creating fades, comping vocals and drawing in automation has never been done easier. With the Raven, you can utilize these engineering techniques with a touch of a finger. Sending your files and tracks through Gobbler has also never been easier. The Raven allows you to send files with just one click of a button. After clicking this button, you just need to tell the Raven who to send it to and voilà, you’re done. With the Raven MTX you will get a 46-inch Hi-Definition LCD touchscreen, with visible VU meters plus many other features for a price tag of $16,000. However, for those of us who are on a much tighter budget, the Raven MTI, while lacking quite a few features than the Raven MTI, will run right under $2,000. The Raven MTI features a 27’’ screen vs. the MTX’s 46’’ and lacks the visible VU meters but none-the-less is still a must-have in any studio with a bit of a tight budget. No matter what DAW you’re using and weather you’re mixing, recording or editing, the Raven MTI and Raven MTX are without a doubt the most efficient workflow that you could ever dream.