5 things independent musicians should learn from Taylor Swift
You may like her music or not, but you can't deny that Taylor Swift is the singer of the moment and her 1989 album sold more than 80,000 copies the first week of its release, gathering 22% of all sales in the United States. in that period. For an industry that has been suffering from a constant drop in sales, these figures demonstrate the impact of the young artist.
While having a large record label, which supports the artist financially and media, contributes to the success of their work, there are certain marketing principles that Taylor taught us that can be implemented by independent artists to better position themselves. and faster in the music market.
1. Take an active role in your own marketing plan
Did you know that Taylor Swift is directly involved in marketing decisions involving her music? The beautiful and smart blonde is not only intimately involved in the most critical marketing decisions, such as the controversial removal of all her music from Spotify, she is also responsible for several of the creative ideas that her marketing plan develops.
When you are a freelance artist, every aspect of your marketing affects your image and your brand. Indie artists should learn from Swift that it is important to stay involved in the major decisions that build her image. This will affect not only sales, but also how the music industry and fans perceive the new artist.
2. Be a banner for more important causes
For example, the decision not to be part of Spotify was one of the ways in which Swift showed her support for causes in which she believes, becoming a banner of artists who fight to have a place and be respected within the industry.
She truly became a valuable spokesperson for emerging artists who are led to believe that earnings from record sales plummeted with the advent of music streaming services. With 1989, Swift accounted for 22% of all US sales, remember? Haters gonna hate.
3. Create a unique strategy for throwing the disc
Independent artists should follow Swift's strategy of keeping her music off Spotify when releasing her work. However, the question of whether music streaming services are good for artists is a bit more complex. Swift is in a position to capitalize on this for clearly advertising purposes, but in the case of new artists, you are unlikely to have this possibility.
Although this strategy would have increased Swift's profits, independents perhaps should not close the doors to services like Spotify, since they can become really productive platforms.
4. Coordinate launch and availability very well
It is crucial to have a very good planning for a new album release. It is a critical part of promoting sales. The coordination that Taylor Swift and her team did of the press materials, the physical availability of the album, the advertising on social networks, the launch of the songs on radio and other media, as well as the official launch event.
Everything must be coordinated to make the impact of the launch profitable. The news about not being on Spotify was also released strategically, raising expectations for Swift's new material.
5. Release a first single with music video
The Shake it Off video was released in August, well before the album was released. The video was heavily promoted on social platforms, excepting, of course, Spotify, although its exclusion was not great news at the time.
For new artists creating a video clip for one of her singles, presenting it to fans and publicizing it before the release of all the record material is very simple and inexpensive. Having a video is important because it captures the attention of fans and the media and has already been proven to be one of the most effective ways to present yourself when new to the industry.
Extra tip: original, creative and even controversial videos always have excellent repercussions.
