How To Succeed In The Music Industry Part 3: Releasing New Music

Israel Sebenzo, 13/02/2021

Is It More Than Just a Song/Songs?

Releasing music should be done against a checklist that will help you determine whether you are ready to release. This checklist consists of questions, is it more than just a song? Is this the best I can do?

Am I releasing with the right attitude? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself.

Putting music out there and hoping people will listen is not enough. The first question perhaps you should ask yourself is, is it more than just a song/songs?

For people to be drawn to your new music, it must be more than a mere song. Tell a story through your music, show your process and most importantly, diversify your creativity beyond just music.

Create an experience for your fan base that goes beyond the music.

The idea is to coordinate a creative plan before releasing new music that will artistically generate hype around your project before launching. This however is not the only way to do it.

Times have changed and strategies likewise; more and more artists are now taking risks of releasing music announced as a surprise element, just the same way I did with my EP.

What is important is to understand your market and come up with strategies that will help you meet your goals.

Is My Music The Best it Could Be?

Feedback before releasing is the way to make sure your music is perfect. Get a second opinion, take this as a test drive!

It’s easy to be convinced that the music you have made is good, obviously it will be perfect to you, you are the one who made it after all.

Instead, share your music with people you trust before you release. Take the feedback and use it to make your music even better.

Valuable feedback before you release is pure gold. Don’t skip this process.

Am I Finished?

Another critical question to ask yourself before releasing new music is, am I finished?

Being finished means different things to different artists. Sometimes you will never be convinced you are finished with a project and probably work on it further one too many times.

Only release music when you’ve reached YOUR definition of finished. It is better to push a release date and head back to the drawing board that to put out half-baked music.

Is My Album/Single Art Appealing?

The music artwork has always been pivotal to any project’s success. Since the days of vinyl, it is the art that would draw buyers to a certain record. It is the first impression you make in essence; it does the talking for you.

With streaming, the artwork is even more important as you don’t get to choose the font or the size of the interface on streaming sites. It is what sets you apart from the millions of songs that are on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and other sites.

Your artwork is your chance to shine so make a beautifully captivating cover that will catch people’s eyes even in a small square on a screen.

Am I Releasing With The Right Attitude?

Releasing music can be super stressful, make the moment of release a positive one. Attitudes prior releasing are usually indicators of what can be expected. If you are feeling anxious, the release is most likely to be a stressful one.

The first step towards a good release is the right attitude so work on your attitude, get prepared, be confident and make your release a memorable and joyous one!

Releasing Singles In An Age of Singles

As a new artist, release a single first

Singles have taken center stage in the music industry; we are living in an age of singles and 2020 just took things to even extreme heights.

It all starts with a song, if you have never put out any music under your current artist name, release that single first.

Most streaming services don’t let you claim a profile or use their promotional tools if you don’t have any music on their platform and you don’t want to miss the chance to use these powerful tools to advance your craft.

Put out that single first, claim your accounts and be ready to go full throttle!

Time Your Releases Strategically

Release your singles tactically before and after the bigger releases (EPs or LPs). The lead-up singles create fan excitement and buzz for the upcoming project, and then the follow-up singles, or the songs that come out between larger projects, keep you from falling into “out of sight, out of mind” territory with fans.

Release All Sorts of Singles

There are several different kinds of tracks that you can release as singles, all to help you stay relevant and make sure your sound is not muffled under the million songs that are out there.

•The lead single- this essentially is the first song you release from an upcoming project and it sets the tone for the rest of the album, it is the announcement to your fanbase that something is coming.

•The deeper dive- this is the follow up single that comes between the lead single and the album to give more context of the album.

•The B-side- once the album is out, you can drop other singles that did not make the cut into the album.

•The bonus content- these are bonus tracks to keep the momentum of the album going, making sure it’s not forgotten. These include remixes, alternate mixes, acoustic renditions and so on. You can bring in different artists to work on the remixes to bring in that dash of diversity to the album.

•The featured artist track- do a guest appearance on someone else’s work, this brings extra attention as it exposes you to audiences you wouldn’t normally be exposed to.

•The live cut- cater for those that enjoy live offerings. Not every song has to be studio-quality so put out those live cuts.

•The cover song- doing covers of existing songs has always been a strategic way of attracting new listeners, you can also take the song, spin it and give it your signature.

Make Your Music Playlist Friendly

Playlists can generate a ton of streaming activities and it is critical to get this right. In getting your music playlist friendly, you should be aware of a few factors and these are some of them:

•Short and precise intros and outros – people are impatient and can skip songs very easily so get this right

•Putting your hook first- consider leading with the chorus to grab your listener’s attention right away

•Keep your songs under 4 minutes- this varies from genre to genre, but it is best to keep the songs short, remember its attention economics!

Update Your Press Kit

The press can take you and your music far and wide so always make sure your press kit is up to date after each release.

Update kit to include relevant information about the single, edit your artist bio to include these details, take new photos, update your website. Get out those press releases to the relevant media houses and provide relevant streaming and purchase links.

Readily available information makes it easy for journalists and bloggers to write about you and your music.

Israel SEBENZO® is a Singer, Songwriter and Artist & Repertoire (A&R) Executive