The *SECRET* to marketing your music.

After 25 years as a corporate marketing, designer and independent musician I finally learned the secret to success in marketing my music.

“You want to believe.”

I’m fortunate that my parents supported my music goals but also insisted that I get an education so I had a back up plan in case the music dream fell through. Ha!

After a tour of Northern Ontario and Western Canada for 18 months, performing 6 nights a week it was time to go back to school. The realization that I didn’t achieve musical fame was a hard pill to swallow but I admitted defeat for the time being.

“But the dream never dies.”

Armed with a degree in Communication Studies and schooled in graphic and web design I was on my path to a career in marketing, advertising and design.

My career evolved from freelancing to building a successful boutique marketing agency to working as a consultant and virtual agency for the past 10 years.

My true love was also an income supplement as I worked in music, performing, as a stage technician, and recording my original music. The need to make music never leaves you. In my mind I never gave up, I just shuffled my priorities.

“There is no secret…but there is a secret recipe.”

So what does this have to with the secret? Stay with me.

Throughout my career I was constantly chasing the secret to “corporate success” using all the tools and concepts of marketing and brand design, business intelligence & technology.

Constantly learning, I searched for better concepts, methodologies and new tools and ways to communicate. I wanted to claim my successes with each client the same way a landowner stakes a red flag to claim his land to prove ownership. And the takeaway from this is:

“Marketing is a process, not an event.”

There is no end. The machine turns and you turn with it. You will make losses and gains but it’s paramount to measure, reset, try again using the knowledge you gained to make the next run better. Your successes are measured in increments and never in one giant claim. You refine your approach each time gaining valuable experience and sharpening your intuition and exercising your experience.

Your music career is exactly the same. You or the artist you represent is the product or commodity so the same curve applies but in a different industry with the same strategies, similar tools and new and different tech.

You’ll find many people offering programs and courses to teach you their secret method or claim to tell you exactly how to achieve success using “their proven success model”. Most of these people will just take your money. You can definitely learn some things from a very select few of these people but the premise is that you have to put in the effort and do everything they tell you. They are betting on the fact that most people won’t execute their lessons, so there is no risk for them and they may even gain a client. This is why they can give you money back if you’re not satisfied. This is why I feel it’s not a totally honest approach.

There is no secret! They may teach you some concepts but you need a fundamental understanding of marketing or a framework to reference in order to fully grasp and employ strategic campaigns that fit into a bigger plan. This is why you must remember how important it is to play the long game and treat yourself or your artist like a corporate business.

Marketing is the secret sauce

The best place to learn is from people who are willing to share their experiences. Another great place is from Music Associations, Performing Rights Organizations and Royalty Associations. Many Digital Music Distribution Platforms also provide excellent information. This is where Google is best used to find what you need so you can put all the pieces together. YouTube, Medium, Tik Tok. Just be careful as you have to sift through to find what you need. Constant research is required. This isn’t formal education, but should be taken just as seriously, so take organized notes — learn how the industry machine works. It’s your life — so it should be easy and fulfilling to put the work in to see huge gains over time. This IS a guarantee.

If you want to learn marketing concepts there are many sources for this as well. Besides University and College courses, there are Google Certification courses and Facebook Marketing programs available for free. Reputable learning platforms like Udemy or Coursera also offer legitimate training from some fantastic, legitimate instructors.

Another great option is to find a mentor. Someone who has been through the process and is willing to advise, listen and guide you on your journey. Mentorship is a formal relationship and very popular in the business world today. It’s a great feeling of philanthropic pride to be able to give back. Some people want to see others succeed!

The best advice I can give is to think long term. Build a business or marketing plan for yourself as a roadmap to use for your artists. Revisit and update this document over time or as needed. This is about constantly creating content, consistent effort, learning, networking and most importantly honing your skills as an artist and songwriter. And finally don’t forget to practice your craft — your instrument, songwriting and performing. These are the things that make you uniquely YOU. Be authentic. Build honest and meaningful relationships. And most importantly, define what success means to you.