music marketing manifesto

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 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.

In episode #50 of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast we are joined by Alexander "Aor" Osipov from the Russian Symphonic Metal band, Imperial Age. Alexander is someone who bought my training program Music Marketing Manifesto a few years back and really ran with the strategies he learned. In a fairly short amount of time he was able to take his popular, but financially struggling band and turn them into a thriving success; bringing in a healthy six figures in music revenue each year.

When the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out he was one of the first people I thought of. However I was afraid to reach out for fear that even a conversation about the war could create problems for him.

I was relieved, and incredibly humbled, when a week or so ago Alexander reached out to tell me that thanks to what he learned in Music Marketing Manifesto - and the overseas and recurring revenue his band now brings in - they were able to flee Russia and move to Turkey; with a hope of eventually relocating to the USA or the UK. 

I asked Alexander if he'd be willing to sit in on the MMM Podcast and share their extremely relevant story, and walk us through exactly how his band markets their music. This is their story.