You can copy this blueprint to release your music in 2023!
My friend Ricardo has accidentally stumbled upon what I can only predict is the future of releasing music, and there’s nothing stopping you from copying this strategy.
Let me lay this out for you and I’m sure you’ll see this is a great method for releasing your music too.
First of all, in 2023, the album format is dead. People listen to playlists, not albums. The concept of creating an album that takes you from one song to another, all songs have a similar sound, you mix and master the songs collectively, consider the order of songs, etc, all that is effectively gone as people will find the one or two songs they like and ignore the rest anyway.
So let’s scrap the idea of making an album every year and instead set up an evergreen campaign that grows and engages the fanbase, giving you a clear direction as well as motivation to keep going.
Here’s the concept in a nutshell:
- Release a new tune every month
- Create a piece of art that goes with the tune
- Pick a date for release, let’s say the 1st, and stick to it every month
- Pick a date to give away the art piece, let’s say the 11th, and stick to it every month
- Pick a date to release the “making of video”, let’s say the 21st, and stick to it every month
- Never stop
This marketing campaign builds momentum
This gives you 12 tunes per year, which is the same as an album anyway. It also gives you something to talk about online, and in an email, every 10 days. This is key.
The art piece could be a painting or a sculpture, you make it yourself or commission an artist (pick a new artist every month and you reach their fanbase too), it just has to have a connection with the tune.
Take a picture of the art piece, this is your cover for the “single” which will go on Spotify on the 1st. Every month.
Have a monthly draw from the fans in the email list to win the art piece on the 11th, this builds your email list as the motivation to sign up is to win something. Every month.
For YouTube, you could easily just document the creation of the art piece, and the recording process of the song using photos or film, or both. Sync this with the tune and upload it to YouTube, that’s “content” for YouTube done, call it “the making of”. What’s important is regularity, that you do it every month to build momentum.
Now you have a new release every month using YouTube and Spotify.
Should one tune do particularly well, make a proper video for it, call it the song title + “official music video”.
Grow your fanbase
You do want to build an email list, you can sell fans T-shirts and hats, tell them about gigs, and obviously every new month’s tune, art piece draw, and “making of” video!
You now have a direction as all you have to do is keep up with the monthly schedule. This is the best part, you just stick to the dates which give you motivation and your fanbase something clear to follow.
You’ll grow your fan base steadily as everyone will want to know what’s going to happen on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of every month, as well as have a chance to win the art piece.
It doesn’t matter what you released last month, the instrumentation, where you recorded it, or how it was mixed, all that matters is that you deliver every month and stick to the plan and take your fans with you on your journey.
Follow Ricardo on Spotify to see what he releases/paints every month. I think his date is the 27th. He sings in Swedish and sometimes Spanish.
Before I published this blog post: The perfect marketing plan for your music in 2023, I sent it to Ricardo, he said he’s going to do an art exhibition with all paintings, another great idea, although, he’ll miss out on building his email list if he doesn’t give it away on the 11th. Every month.
