Self-Promotion: It Works for Beyoncé and Ed, but Can It Work for You?
A look at how musicians use social media for self-promotion
The world woke to a new year with an exciting announcement from singer Ed Sheeran. After a year of social media silence the musician opened the floodgates of Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat to tell all his anxious fans that new music and new Snaps would be coming in 2017!
I must admit that as a fan of Ed’s music and social media I was excited to open my social media feeds and see his face. Ed is not the only musician to use social media as a platform of promotion. Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bastille, and of course Beyoncé have all used social media as the main tool for promotion of recent albums, tours, and new merch. Individuals like Zayn and Camila Cabello have used social media to detail splits.
Social media is a widely used and an effective tool for established musicians. These platforms allow for quick, widespread information on a platform that is used by many ages. While you can still get media emails or information from the bands webpage, social media has transitioned as the dominant tool for self-promotion.
It is evident that social media has become the platform for promotion, but is this platform equal among young or starting bands? How effective is self-promotion when you only have a few thousand followers?
With a new wave of young artists growing up in a social media world the use of self-promotion is unavoidable and yet it seems that many are relying on this platform as their main form of promotion. The necessity to have control and autonomy of ones brand and music is increasingly important for many musicians I chat with. With streaming devices and self-promotion this track is easy to keep, and yet it seems to not be a sustainable form for early musicans.
It is not sustainable because, like many other industries, the music industry has some guidelines that are still tightly followed. Self-sustained and self-promoted artists eventually reach the end of their rope and must be attached to a label of some sort in order for the doors to be fully opened.
This can certainly cause frustration for some bands. I was recently talking with a punk rock group from London. Out on the first label produced tour, the band enjoyed the ease and scheduling of it, and yet still did not know if they would continue to rely on a label for such things. They noted that the label was able to open doors that where otherwise closed for them, but still felt the need to have autonomy through self-regulation and promotion.
So for artists like Ed and others, artists who have already supplanted a brand and mass following, a social media form of promotion is viable. For those who are new and still in the process of forming their brand and band, the social promotion can only go so far.
With the rise of social media this juxtaposition for self-promotion is an interesting one to think on. A tool that reaches masses is certainly beneficial, but it seems that eventually one will have to join the mass market promoted through the industry to enjoy the full benefit of social media self-promotion.
