Before YouTube was born and established as the largest site for video-related content, independent musicians faced difficult times trying to market their music. The lack of resources they had compared to musicians and artists backed by major record labels made it difficult for them to reach all over the globe. But, these days are long gone since YouTube has made it easier for everyone to play in a significant way.
In the present, an independent musician has as much opportunity of becoming a household name on YouTube as someone with an enviable record deal. In this post, we’ll provide some of the most useful YouTube marketing strategies for musicians that are not independent. If you happen to be one of them, relax and read the article if you are looking to gain more Subscribers on YouTube to help you further your musical career.
1. Make some room for covers
Your hard drive might be filled with original compositions that you’ve invested your soul and heart into; however, that doesn’t mean you can mean that you’ll be successful when you upload and post your music on YouTube. If you don’t have a solid group of fans on YouTube, most YouTube users can ignore your original music. This is especially true for artists who just have their YouTube channels running.
Instead of convincing the public to hear your original music, it’s better to concentrate on covers initially. Consider Boyce Avenue, for example. The band from Florida, founded by the brothers Alejandro Manzano, Fabian Manzano, and Daniel Manzano, started uploading their versions of songs from the past and present and current ones on YouTube in 2007. Their regular uploads and high-quality performances have earned them millions of views throughout their videos.
The group also worked on their original songs. They released their first album, ‘All You’re Supposed to be’ at the end of March. The group’s success led to an impressive record deal with the Universal Republic in 2010. The group is currently the proud owner of its label and promotes young musicians.
2. Create tutorials
Creating songs and covers every week isn’t necessary if you’re looking to earn money off your talents. One of the most effective ways for solo musicians to increase YouTube watch hours is to make tutorials. There is never a shortage of people wanting to learn to sing or play an instrument. Your tutorials could be focused on a specific technique or even learning a song.
Marty Schwartz, a guitar instructor on YouTube, is one of the most famous instances of artists who have made a name for themselves through YouTube by teaching on their own. Today his channel has over 2 million subscribers, and he’s among the top reliable guitar instructors, particularly in studying popular rock and pop songs.
Before beginning his YouTube career began, Schwartz had been a music instructor in an elementary school. But, he was fired, and it was an opportunity to make a difference, and he jumped on YouTube to show off his guitar-playing abilities to students worldwide. From Led Zeppelin to Radiohead to The Beatles, Schwartz has recorded in-depth tutorials for hundreds of songs. At the time of writing, he is earning a six-figure sum from YouTube all by himself every year.
3. Make music and comedy a match
Imagine you’re a musician with the ability to entertain. In that case, you can take inspiration from content creators like Jared Dines and Stevie T. Dines, a multi-instrumentalist, and Stevie T, a guitar player, who have perfected the art of incorporating music across their videos, which are essentially a mix of music and comedy.
Dines, who boasts nearly 3 million actual YouTube subscribers, began his career as a cover singer who would upload mostly metal versions of popular songs. In time, he changed his style and began making parodies and collaborations alongside other independent artists on YouTube and other platforms, such as Stevie T.
Canadian Stevie T’s climb to YouTube fame began with metal covers, but the parody videos got his attention. He attempted to play the guitar with the limited skills of musicians like Lil Wayne and various subgenres and subcultures in metal. His ‘How To Play Guitar like Lil Wayne’ video, posted 9 months ago, has garnered more than five million views. Several other videos from his YouTube channel boast 1 million views.
4. Be consistent and active across all social media platforms
YouTube is, without doubt, one of the top social media platforms available to independent musicians to make a big impact and, eventually, make a living. But, relying on YouTube for all you need is a major error since you’d have to be more dependent on your subscribers to share your content.
If you want to see your YouTube channel flourish and be a success, it is essential to keep active on other platforms, like Instagram and Facebook. The YouTube videos include calls to action (CTAs) to inspire your YouTube fans to follow you on other platforms. Also, when you upload your video on YouTube and share it with your followers, you should share the URL on all of your social media channels. If a fan who is loyal to you doesn’t receive an email from a YouTube announcement, this method could be beneficial.
Creating a consistent picture for all your social media accounts is also necessary. For instance, if you’ve made an image for your most recent YouTube upload, make sure you upload the same image to Facebook and Insta for consistency. Your profile photos across all of your social media platforms must be identified as also, making it easier for potential fans to follow and find you.
5. Make sure to invest in devices for audio or video
Because YouTube is a platform that uses video, you must make sure that your videos look professional and the best method to make that happen is to purchase the best camera and tripod stand. These two items in your possession will allow you to create your videos yourself. You could also test different angles to produce moods for every video you upload.
It’s also recommended that you get good Video editing software that permits you to include effects and transitions in your videos to make them more attractive. You can also create original video lyrics from your content with video editing software. Lyric videos are great for musicians who do not have the money to create a complete music video.
Also, it is essential to ensure that your audio equipment is up to date because those days when you could record audio with mobile phones are long gone. Sound interfaces that are entry-level are affordable. When you pair these with audio software workstations (DAWs) like Ableton, you can create high-quality audio for the highest quality video content. Through this process, you’ll be able to learn a lot about audio production too.
6. Work with other independent musicians
Collaborations are more accessible than ever before and are a great way for independent musicians to assist each other grow on YouTube. If you’ve never worked with a YouTuber before, Here are some steps you can take to begin a productive discussion in the direction of the possibility of collaborating:
- Find a content creator who is in your area of expertise. If, for instance, you’re primarily a rock musician, you can search for independent rock artists on YouTube.
- It is recommended to find those with many subscribers and whose content gets more regularly viewed.
- Make a list of possible collaborators and connect for a discussion about your plans.
Be aware that before trying to contact a more popular YouTuber in your area to collaborate, it is necessary to establish an established status that is your own. Nobody would want to work with one whose content doesn’t always generate YouTube views.
7. Persist
In the mid to mid-2000s in the mid-to-late 2000s, when YouTube was not quite as popular as it is now, it was much easier for independent musicians to make their presence felt with the site. But the situation is a lot different. Nearly every field you could imagine is packed with talented YouTubers who have earned loyal followers, and it’s becoming more difficult for new and rising YouTubers to gain views and subscribers.
The trick is to be persistent and persevere without worrying about views and subscribers. During the first few months of your journey with YouTube, you might find that uploading quality content isn’t enough to attract new subscribers, which could cause a loss of motivation. Do not give up your hope if you’re experiencing the same issue.
Improve your music skills in addition to your video and audio production skills, and stay consistent with uploads. If you keep these tips in mind and learn the fundamentals right, you’ll be able to attract the listeners and viewers you need sooner or later.
There’s nobody better than Canadian singer-songwriter Tom MacDonald to look up to get motivation. The professional wrestler-turned-rapper uploaded his first video in 2014 and recently crossed one million subscribers based on a production team that consists of just him and his girlfriend.
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