How to Create and Promote a Spotify Pre-Save Campaign

As more and more musicians recognize the importance of developing sustainable sales models, they face a unique challenge: balancing the need for brand growth through streaming with the potential for reduced sales revenue. Streaming has become a dominant force in music consumption, and while it plays a crucial role in brand development, it can also cannibalize traditional sales. While album sales remain a viable income source for many independent musicians, forward-thinking artists are exploring models that not only complement their streaming strategies but also future-proof their sales approaches. Membership sites offer a powerful solution to these challenges.

Although platforms like Patreon have popularized the concept of fan-supported content, many musicians have yet to fully realize the potential of running their own membership site. By creating a dedicated platform for your most engaged fans, you can generate recurring income, maintain full control over your branding and customer experience, and keep the majority of your proceeds. This approach allows you to monetize your music without relying solely on streaming revenue or traditional album sales.

In this episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast, we'll explore why membership sites are the perfect tool for musicians looking to complement their streaming strategies, future-proof their sales models, and create a sustainable income stream. We'll discuss the key advantages of this model and provide practical tips for building and growing your own membership community.

We'll also take a moment to catch up on the latest developments in AI and how it's impacting the music industry. From AI-powered music creation to innovative marketing tools, we'll explore the current state of AI and what it means for independent musicians.

Whether you're looking to diversify your revenue streams, strengthen your relationship with your most dedicated fans, or create a more sustainable foundation for your music career, this episode will give you the insights and inspiration you need to start your own membership platform.

For more music marketing strategies, tactics, and tips go to https://musicmarketingmanifesto.com/

In the latest episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast, we deep dive into the world of "AI Workflows". I'll break down how AI can help you attract more fans and generate more revenue. This means less burnout and more time for what you truly love: making music.

We'll also be joined by a very special surprise guest, and together we'll answer all of your burning questions about using AI to further your music career.

Register for the Musician's AI Toolkit: https://musicmarketingmanifesto.com/aiearlybird

Rewind to six months ago, the Music Marketing Manifesto podcast was among the very first music industry podcasts to discuss the release of ChatGPT and the looming AI revolution. Fast forward to the present, AI is not just a buzzword - it's a seismic shift that's ignited a veritable arms race in technology.

AI tools such as ChatGPT 4, Midjourney, Runway's Gen 2, Stable Diffusion, and many others have permeated every corner of our lives, with an especially potent impact on the arts and music industry. Some herald this as a landmark leap in human evolution, while others are sounding the alarm, painting it as a potential hazard to our very existence.

In today's episode, we're taking a reflective journey back through these whirlwind six months. We'll dissect what's transpired, the promises kept, and the ones that merely sputtered out, and we'll discuss what we might be expect going forward.

Moreover, we'll share tangible, real-world AI use cases that can elevate your music career here and now, not in some speculative future. This episode aims to provide a comprehensive catch-up on this crucial topic and perhaps, make you reevaluate your perspective on AI.

At the heart of Music Marketing Manifesto lies the concept of a "Deep Sale Funnel." This approach aims to attract subscribers, form relationships with them, convert them into fans, and ultimately, into music buyers. This approach works and it works well. But it's not the only type of funnel out there! 

Another notable approach is the Free For Shipping & Handling Funnel. This method entices people to pay a small shipping and handling fee in exchange for a "free" physical album delivered to their doorstep. While these funnels can be more challenging to execute, their success often surpasses that of any other funnel types when done right.

In this episode of Music Marketing Manifesto, we delve into the intricacies of Free For Shipping & Handling Funnels, and welcome back Kevin Goetz from Mute Prophet. Kevin shares his experience of generating over $50,000 per year in music sales using this funnel strategy.

ChatGPT has made enormous waves since its release to the public approximately six weeks ago. In this episode, we'll dive deep into what ChatGPT, and AI in general, might mean for the future of music and how it can help your music marketing right now.

If you are not yet familiar with it, ChatGPT is an AI-based language model that completely redefines the definition of a chatbot. Siri and Alexa have nothing on this thing! In fact, ChatGPT is so good at generating content (if you feed it the right prompts) that it has the potential to create your music marketing campaigns for you. Facebook ads, landing page copy, blog posts, social media posts, and even your music itself can be handed over to ChatGPT and made easy work of. However, it's not without its pitfalls, warnings, and legitimate reasons for concern, all of which we discuss in this episode.

In this episode, we're also joined by innovation consultant and TunePipe designer, Sean Earley, to discuss this exciting new tech, what you can do with it, and what it might mean for your music career.

AI is a divisive topic, especially among artists. But like it or not, AI, ChatGPT, and an avalanche of new and coming AI-based services are here to stay. Find out what you need to know as a musician on the latest episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast.

In the latest episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast we conclude our "Album Release Series" with Josh Solomon from the Empty Pockets. Josh is a long time MMM member who has used the strategies he initially learned in the program to help his band generate over $750,000 in online sales and generate numerous Billboard chart positions for several of their recent albums.

Over the last few months Josh has been walking us through the release of their brand new album Outside Spectrum, and sharing the details of their marketing and promotion campaigns throughout the process. Well, their album just came out and we're both extremely excited to announce that it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart; an enormous achievement for any artist, let alone an independent artist who is truly doing it all on their own. Also notable is the fact that that the album hit #3 on the Americana/Folk Chart and #5 on the Top New Artists Albums Chart.

In this episode Josh talks about what worked and what didn't, and gives a detailed accounting of how many of their sales came from each of the marketing and promotional strategies they employed for this release.

This is a fascinating conversation and definitely not one to be missed.

Radio promotion is one of those things that has been around since the very beginning of the recording industry and historically it has been absolutely key to breaking an act.

However, radio promo is EXPENSIVE. It can cost you anywhere between a few grand and a few HUNDRED grand, depending on your format and your goals. And regardless of what you pay, there are no guarantees you will get the number of spins you are hoping for.

So in a world where streaming and and the internet have changed the way people consume music, and with radio listenership waning, it begs the question... Should independent musicians still invest a portion of their budget in radio promotion?

Find out in this episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast.

This episode is yet another in the "album release" series with Josh Solomon from the Empty Pockets.

The making and marketing of beats through platforms like BeatStars has been driving the Hip Hop world for a few years now. But the saturation of these market places has forced many producers to turn to more advanced funnel strategies to attract artists and sell their beats.

Moreover, the evolution of the beat making space has opened up opportunities for NON HIP HOP ARTISTS that are beginning to peak RIGHT NOW.

I have to admit, as a singer songwriter, I had no idea how much the beat making space had evolved over the last few years. The things I learned in this interview with producer Sean Earley, kinda blew my mind. 
 

Whether you are a hip hop producer looking to get a better handle on marketing your beats, or a rock/singer-songwriter/country/whatever artist who doesn’t want to miss out on an evolving opportunity in the music industry... this is a must listen.

In episode #53 of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast we are going to walk you through the process of CREATING and PROMOTING a Spotify Pre-Save Campaign. 

It's no secret that one of the best ways to drive your streaming numbers up is to get added to popular playlists like Discovery Weekly and Release Radar, which are algorithmically generated.

The best way to get picked up by any of these algorithmically generated playlists is to get a large number of followers and saves. 

HOWEVER, Spotify does not have a native pre-save option. But not to worry, in this episode we explain how to set up a pre-save page using third party services, and then how to promote that pre-save page for maximum impact.

We also discuss how a Spotify campaign like this fits into a broader album release strategy.

...and if you enjoy the episode, be sure to leave a rating and review on whatever podcast app you use!

When it comes to selling music, the winning formula goes something like this...

1. First, you "hook" your traffic with a simple sentence or two (in an ad, social post, or email) that makes your audience go... "I've gotta hear this".

2. You build a bond with your audience by sharing music, telling stories, and making them go... "I love this artist".

3. You ask your fans to buy some stuff and stream your music. Cha-ching!

It's as straight forward as that.

And it all starts with creating those HOOKS. 

Hooks are this simple "conversation starters" that become the basis for your ad campaigns, your email subject lines, and your social media posts.

If you're not able to describe your music in a way that makes people want to click, then you're dead in the water.

In the latest episode of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast we dive into the art and science of creating Hooks for your music.