8 Ways to Promote Yourself as a Novice Musician

By Megan Cooper.

Making a living as a working musician is difficult. But with the right approach, you can bring in enough money playing music to support your lifestyle while doing what you love. If you’re wondering how to promote yourself as a musician and get the word out about your music, these tips will help you along the way.

Go With Your Passion

Starting a business in a field you’re deeply passionate about, particularly in music, offers numerous advantages. When you build a business around your love for music, your deep understanding and enthusiasm for the subject become your greatest assets. This passion is contagious, often translating into an authentic and engaging experience for your clients or audience. It fuels your creativity and innovation, helping you to stand out in a competitive market. 

Moreover, this excitement keeps you motivated during challenging times, driving you to persevere and grow your business. Your genuine passion also builds trust and loyalty among customers, as they recognize your commitment and expertise in the field. In music, where emotion and connection are paramount, harnessing your love for the art can lead to a fulfilling and successful business venture, resonating not just as a career, but as an extension of your personal joy and fulfillment in music.

Create a Business Plan

Many creative professionals overlook the importance of business plans. Being a carefree, starving artist for a little while can seem like fun — but soon, you’ll want a concrete plan to help you move forward! Think about how you plan to make money in the future through different offerings, from live music to merchandise, what business structure you could choose if you decide to register your company, what kind of funding you might need for marketing initiatives or possible tours, and possible financial projections.

Build a Website

As a professional musician, you want to ensure that people can easily find you online. Building a website should be your very first step! You can create a few different pages, like an about page, a contact page, and even a page with some samples of your songs or live footage from shows. People can use your site to get in touch with you or inquire about booking you for events.

Utilize Social Media

For musicians today, using social media is practically non-negotiable. You should set up profiles on all of the major social media platforms. You will want to regularly post snippets of new songs on these profiles, as well as photos and videos from shows. To effectively market yourself on social media, Jazzed recommends embracing a dialogue with your friends, running free giveaways for albums, merchandise, or tickets, and promoting your fellow musicians. 

Manage Contracts Digitally

In today’s digital age, organizing and managing contracts has become more efficient with the use of PDFs. These digital tools streamline the process, allowing for easy storage, retrieval, and modification of important documents. One of the key advantages is the ability to sign and complete forms digitally, eliminating the need for physical paperwork and speeding up the process of finalizing agreements. Using this tool, you can fill out and sign PDFs online, offering unparalleled convenience and flexibility. 

This method not only saves time but also enhances accuracy and security, as digital forms reduce the risk of lost or damaged documents. Additionally, many online platforms provide user-friendly interfaces to edit, annotate, and share PDFs, making the management of contracts simpler and more accessible, even for those who may not be tech-savvy. This digital approach to contract management is not only environmentally friendly but also aligns with the evolving needs of modern business and personal administration.

Add a Home Studio

Transforming an unused room in your home into a recording space can be a fantastic way to bring your musical ideas to life more quickly and efficiently. By having a dedicated area for creating and producing music, you can focus on your craft without distractions, allowing for a faster turnaround of your projects. Additionally, making such an upgrade can even improve your home’s value, as it adds a specialized and functional space that appeals to potential buyers with similar interests. Converting an idle room into a recording studio can be a worthwhile investment for both your passion and property.

Promote Your Music Through Open Mics and Starter Gigs

At the end of the day, there’s no better way to promote your music than by playing live music! Maybe you’ve only played for an audience of a few friends before, or maybe you have done a few open mics or shows before — but you’re still nervous about playing live. It’s perfectly normal to feel this way, but it’s time to work on getting over your stage fright! 

If you have a few shows or open mics coming up, but you’re feeling apprehensive about getting on stage due to your anxiety, you can start shifting your perspective. Bulletproof Musician recommends spending more time practicing so that you know every note by heart, learning how to quiet the critic in your mind and focus on the positives, and trying to bounce back from mistakes and get back on stage again as quickly as possible — resilience is a muscle that you can strengthen.

Another option to consider is a starter gig. Starter gigs are typically lower-paying and less high-profile than other types of gigs, but they offer a valuable opportunity for new musicians to gain experience and build their portfolio. In addition, starter gigs can help musicians to connect with other professionals in the industry and to develop a network of contacts. By taking advantage of starter gigs, novice musicians can take the first step toward success.

Offer Streaming Services

Getting started on streaming services can seem complicated — but truthfully, it’s easier than you might assume. And you don’t need to have a deal with a label to do it. You’ll just want to ensure that you invest in professional recording equipment so that your songs sound fantastic when you upload them. While you may not make much money through streaming services, it’s a great way to get more people to listen to your music.

If you’re just starting out as a musician, it’s easy to get discouraged in your endeavors. But you can definitely build a thriving career as a musician — it just takes a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work! By writing a business plan, building a website, creating a brochure, and marketing on social media, you’ll be well on your way to earning your living as a musician.