Everything you said here has been my realization over the last month! What I've notticed, everyone makes music, but people want whole stories, not just the recorded song. They basically want a true piece of you.
I wish we lived in a world where musicians could focus on doing music instead of fabricating a tidal wave of inauthentic guff around themselves on social media outlets. Including and especially myself.
That's a cool perspective...the thing that defines the artist is what the listener embodies and makes their own. It becomes the soundtrack to THEIR life through you, the artist
That’s interesting. I’ve heard the customer is the hero and you’re there to help them, guide them, solve a problem, on their hero’s journey. But what does that look like with a musical artist? You answered it.
Yep exactly true. We’re here to help others and make a difference or impact in someone’s life. They’re the main character of their own life and will use our music to help them on their journey
@@jonathanharris6232100% agree. All the artists I listen to the most have had a personal impact on me. Whether it’s their perspective, they make great music, entertaining personality or a combo of those things something resonated and made me want to stick around to see what’s next.
Social media is my job so a lot of these concepts are things I already teach my clients… and yet I found the way you phrased things crystal clear. Super interesting. I want all my musician friends to watch this. Thanks man, great work!
Makes a lot of sense. The principles of digital marketing are basically universal. What changes is the product going through it! We. as musicians are now (having) to do what many relied on the "company" or others to do for us. Times have obviously changed. However, it is for the better in many ways if you're willing to learn and work (smartly of course)! The best to you in your efforts!
So much value in this free 25 minute video. You’ve helped me a lot in navigating this upcoming artist life. If this what is in the free content you make, it makes me wonder what the hell is in your paid courses. Hoping to be able to afford one soon.
The bottom line is no one is going to like you if you’re not good. Everybody is trying all these different angles to succeed but the fact of the matter is, a good musician makes a good song. On the other hand, a majority of people do not respond to good music they respond to Contant and therefore they do not actually appreciate music. So let me ask you this, why the hell should I care about a bunch of people who don’t give a fuck about my music? I’m not gonna derail my focus into a bunch of bullshit just saw a bunch of people don’t care about my music might care if I have a picture of a fucking cat. I think you guys missed the point, it’s me and my music that you’re not hearing. For all you know I’ve got the best song that’s ever been written, and you’re never gonna hear it, because it doesn’t have proper content. So what do I need you for? I think about that. We musicians are not the ones that have the problem, society itself does not give a fuck about music, and therefore I don’t give a fuck about them.
I feel you my friend,I have the same problem.Everyone that hears my songs says there great but getting them heard is a nightmare.Maybe musicians should stop writing songs and then they can make content about how there is no new real music anymore...😄😄😄
@@ShayneCutlerseeking fame is not the answer. Rebelling against social media and Spotify is the answer- Seeking venue is the answer. Fuck everybody, “I’m playing at this place at this time, and if you’re not there, you’re the loser- not me.” Online content doesn’t move the soul. If they’re not looking for it, they don’t deserve it. It doesn’t matter if you play in an empty room, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a good musician. Everyone should understand this, and every musician should stand up for themselves by playing to an empty room and being proud of it. This is the rebellion. We rebel against social media we rebel against Spotify, we rebel against everything that’s a fucking lie and a shadowbann. We rebel.
You post a great song to RU-vid and people will hear it and share it and it will go viral. .. IF it's a great song. That's how many new artists get signed to labels these days. If you post a song to RU-vid and nobody cares... maybe it's just not a great song.
@@Nykkynn Actually if they are not there then you are the loser. With your attitude you will never make it. Better learn to write for your fans, talk to your fans, and do everything you can to make those fans happy and play music that they like and want to hear. Without fans, and specifically without new fans growing your fan base... You are nothing.
@@randomrips2112he isn’t saying that, he’s just saying to do you and people will follow. Why cater to fans that already like your music? They like you for you snd the music you’ve already made, so don’t switch your style for people that already like you. Just do you and people will follow. And your fans will already empathize with you because of the themes and messages in your songs so you won’t need to do everything to make your fans happy. The fans are already happy because they like you and found you.
thanks for this! im on day 6 of promoting my debut single and everything i post every day remains in 200 view jail and it feels embarassing.. this video came out right on time
Appreciate that. don't worry about the 200 view prison, just concentrate on context and improving the production. Success leaves clues so keep watching for more engagement or a spike in views 🙂🙂 I'm here to help if you are struggling.
Creating content from comments is a really interesting idea. I’m not sure how to do it tho . I will defo try to start convos from comments more . And maybe using a comment as a video and responding to it . I’d love to hear others ideas on how to do this more !
Damian says right things here, and of course it's very important to promote your music. I like these steps truly! Some of us though don't have the talent for developing a brand. It's frustrating. Let me tell you my story (as a storyteller) I quit promoting a year ago. Engagement fell. Some people stayed. My day job does the thing with money. Music now is just a hobby again, I'm just putting more money it, to print CDs for those few that ACTUALLY care. And it's better for my personal mental heath. I got to do whatever I want, compose whatever, depart from my current style, not caring about an audience. In a way, it's freeing to not chase the algorithms, the branding. Again, that's not to say anything with the video is wrong, of course not. Just wanted to share that promoting is not feasible for me, because I just can't do it 😂
Nice video, a little fast for me, but that's OK as I am just looking at different video styles now vs. then. Thanks for the info, I really like the superhero analogy.
Exactly. I've never followed a single musician that i found on social media. I see musicians open at shows, or meet someone or something and then follow them. It's not built for music, and it's ineffective.
Thanks for making this. Is there anyone you can point me to to use as a model for a musician who offers value in their post? I tend to feel like I’m only interesting when I’m performing live or in studio. Is that enough? I was kinda thinking just to focus on that and show the in between of the process basically. I tend to like having “Clark Kent” time for myself a lot and sometimes I feel that’s more genuine so I think “maybe I should just record the non Rick Rocker stuff too”. Idk. I’ve been working on new music and have an album almost done so I’m trying to figure a game plan. Your video is helping me brainstorm tho so thanks again! Appreciate your help 🤘🏼
Would love to see you do a case study episode on the MASSIVE success of Connor Price's Spin the Globe marketing campaign!! Think it would be awesome for us as independent artists to understand the why and how behind his success.
Most folk don’t give a rats arse about good music unfortunately. They like watching scantily clad gym birds doing squat thrusts infront of increasingly uncomfortable fellow gym users. I have 51 thousand followers on TikTok, music related videos are always the least popular. Any video that’s polarising or a bit of a rant gets plenty. Social media. It’s tough going chaps.
Feel like you're contradicting yourself. In another video I watched you were talking about knocking out 20 videos in an hour. I think it was the "20 day release strategy" video or something like that. In THAT video you were pushing the grindset mindset and now in this video you're telling us to step back and make things we're proud of without worrying about the amount. I'm just gonna assume it's somewhere in the middle.
This is a good observation, and open to interpretation. I think the two can co-exist though. Filming a bunch of content together in a batch helps creating content easier, but that doesn't have to be garbage material. You can tell story, and show your personality, without spending so much time. Everything about your shot tells your story; your clothes, maybe there's a skateboard in your shot, maybe your in the middle of hiking a nature trail, maybe your wearing a Denver Broncos hat. All of the details are silent ways to tell your story, and show the viewer what makes you uniquely you.
He said you have to have strategy behind it not just pump out whatever stuff you can think of. And recording 20 videos in one day and releasing them one at a time daily just makes good business sense. Unless you would rather work every day?
@@UnseemlyGenie00 It's more or less just the quality or quantity argument. In a perfect world you would have both quality videos and have them in abundance. That's just not reality tho as an independent artist with no team or even having a small team. If you want to create truly special pieces of content I sincerely doubt that it will come from rushing through 20 videos in a day (as an independent artist with a small team or no team). Now if you have a record label backing you and all the resources in the world there's no doubt you can have quality and quantity at the same time.
@@iamhunterreece I think it really depends on the type of content you're setting out to create. Some pieces of content takes more time than other pieces of content. If it's just a simple lip sync video with lyrics and a cool background then that's not too difficult. If you're trying to tell a comprehensive story alongside the stuff I just mentioned previously and you want to make it visually pleasing almost like short form music videos then there's naturally going to be more time involed. That process could look something like: Writing scripts, storyboarding, setting scenes (props, lighting, cameras, etc.) and then editing it. This is all by yourself by the way if you don't have any team alongside you.
Okay, I'll let you know what I think - and please bear in mind, my opinion is quite charged as I have a very unique relationship with music in general. I think it's so fucking sad how shallow the industry has become, and the toxicity that social media has brought. I will clarify that I enjoyed this video, and believe you are very right in what you are saying. However, I have no interest in prostituting my music by playing these games. I am an artist, and my number one priority is to make the best fucking art I can possibly make. If I need to promote it, I will outsource my promotion. I am not going to create a contrived/designed presence online just to manipulate algorithms, let alone my target audience, into following my craft if it means I am not being true to myself. I am not a social media personality. I am a musician. It begins and ends there. Fuck the system. Thank you for your time.
I did an unintentional TikTok test. One account (3 years old). I posted once a week and my organic reach is not bad and still working as intended but another account (8 months old) I post once every day and it's very similar posts with sight differences but the organic reach was only there for like 6 months. Now the content is only reaching my followers, no one else. Social media is weird.
Thanks for sharing, I suggest start looking at changing up the content but most importantly the context. Using hooks, seo and inferred payoff and see how that goes. Make sure the lighting is strong and ideally outside as there is more wow factor and interesting movement. If you get stuck jump into the community in Www.dk-mba.com and share your content and let me have a look.
Hi Damien, i make emo rap type music, I’ve been posting juice wrld related content as i thought target audience is the same and it overlaps with the ven diagram of what people want to see/what im interested in. I also post my own music, but someone said i should do a different page, of me only? Do you agree sir?
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 *🎵 The misconception of using social media for music promotion* - Social media promotion lacks strategy and depth. - Simply increasing post frequency doesn't guarantee results. - An analogy is drawn with boxing to emphasize the importance of strategy over sheer volume. 02:36 *📝 Reasons for creating social media content and essential tips* - Three main reasons for making social media content: learning, self-promotion, storytelling. - Tips provided to improve social media content creation, emphasizing quality over quantity. - Content creation should focus on building a community rather than solely promoting music. 05:38 *🖌️ Tips for effective social media content creation* - Emphasize creation over posting, dedicating time for quality content. - Avoid blindly following trends and find unique approaches. - Context is crucial to engage the audience effectively, ensuring relevance and connection. 16:39 *🔍 Keeping Viewers Engaged* - Keeping viewers engaged by creating anticipation. - Strategies to maintain viewer interest include: - Using text or spoken cues to hint at upcoming content. - Employing actions or scenes that provoke curiosity, encouraging viewers to stay engaged. 18:01 *📜 Narrative Importance in Content* - Emphasizing narrative over musical hooks for content creation. - While music typically follows an intro-verse-chorus structure, narrative storytelling often resonates more with audiences. - Incorporating storytelling elements, particularly in verses, enhances emotional connections with viewers. 20:07 *🔍 Utilizing SEO for Audience Targeting* - Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO) to target specific audience segments. - SEO techniques include incorporating relevant keywords in text, descriptions, and hashtags. - By providing contextual information, platforms can better understand the content and audience preferences, leading to improved content distribution. 22:39 *💬 Engaging with Comments* - Leveraging comments to build a fan base and foster community engagement. - Strategies for engaging with comments include starting conversations and creating content inspired by comments. - Active engagement with comments cultivates a loyal following and amplifies content reach. Made with HARPA AI
Damian, when you say "be the hero", how do you support that idea when, most of the internet wants more real life content and less "fake" produced content?
Good question, I’m not sure it does for artists. When I say be the hero, this means use your super power. You can sing so you should sing.. you can write songs so you should should show them off every day, you have a message and a connection so that should be at the forefront of posts. Make sure you are showing the best parts of yourself 😊❤️
I've been posting every day for over 90 days now, trying to improve the quality of the content, adding relevant keywords and text in order to make the AI understand what people is the right people, I've been trying to be coherent between whats in the video, in the text and in the description, I've been trying to keep people engaged putting text and narrating a story, I analyze how each video performed and group them according to the retention time of each video... and at least on TikTok I still am "imprisoned" in the 200-250 views. On Instagram some videos perform better than others but haven't seen a major impact, evolution or growth. On RU-vid shorts the same. At the same time I see people having better performance doing even less than I do... I know that the key is consistency and improving over time. But it's massively frustrating.
Ok so… if, to be honest, I’m not a very interesting story at all? What if I’m just a musician who’s been busting his ass for years trying to make it, but I got really good songs? I mean… that story is as boring as they get. Do I need to give up because I didn’t go through an amazing adventure that made me wanna write songs?
No, screw 'em. We're musicians. If someone wants a story, let them read a book or watch a documentary. I don't have a story either, and if i did i wouldn't care to tell it. I never had a knack for storytelling anyway, or any interest in doing it. The list of jobs a musician is expected to do- according to these pyramid schemers, is ridiculously long. You've got to draw the line somewhere, or you'll be doing everything but making music.
Good question. I don't think so however i do think there are some storm clouds ahead. I think the tension between the US and China is real and the concern about data is also very real so it might escalate and potentially TikTok might be forced to sell to a US company. I would have thought that is what UMG are waiting on before making any decisions. For now it's business as usual but if TikTok does get banned, the attention will go somewhere else and we will be there early to capitalise 🙂🙂
@@DamianKeyes beside i know that is a good tool nowadays, but i find it boring , i have to confess that i find boring ALL the promotions , while i'm busy composing, and producing music!....but you can't do without it isn't?
30+ years ago I lost the ability to play my synths, then some 30+ years later my wife and daughter gave me an early 60 year anniversary gift .. a complete studio - I spend a year re-recording more than 200 and when I was about to release it I was hit with a stroke (Blood clot in my left brain). - I still release and still have a billion before I go - Check me out, you might like it 🙂
This is such a powerful story and it will hit with many people if it’s told well on socials. I’m so sorry you have been through this tough time but I’m so glad you’re taking solace in your music. I’m here to help 😊😊
@@DamianKeyes Thank you, It's not that I need it to be - I do enjoy the few people I have more than anything - Thank you for even reacting, I really appreciate it :-)
The current title is the CATCHY HOOKS - it grabs your attention vs the 2nd you jokingly stated. 1 of the themes he and real experts constantly push (because it works) is GRABBING ATTENTION from jump. Your "title" is more context, which is super, duper key to KEEPING ATTENTION, the 2nd step.
I’m a successful independent artist and I post 3 times per day but I plan out every thing. Different styles and different post. I still watch your videos even though I have 150k monthly listeners.
Ty for sharing. I’ve been feeling frustrated with socials. What I gather from this video is that great storytelling is the key to the content game. The best thing to do is clarify our story as an artist, clarify the stories of our songs, then tailor each story to the specific platform using additional metadata to aid that platform in finding the right audience.
How can you “story tell” and still keep some mystery? Or artists who don’t want to be a character or personality on socials? I think that is what can get lost in this day and age. People over explain the meaning of a song for example in a post and there’s nothing left for the listener to find their own meaning just by listening. There aren’t great examples for artists who are more indie / alternative and aren’t trying to be characters / pop stars. To me at least, it feels like there’s only room for those types of artists on these platforms anymore. Anything too “arty” doesn’t translate with these “rules” we seemingly have to play by. I don’t know, just thoughts
That's how it seems to me too. I even asked one of these popular youtube guys to provide me some examples of bands who've done what they were proposing and had success; they got kind of combative and never did come up with a single example.
Always appreciate your insights Damian. It's helped me grow my fanbase and TikTok from 100 to 6K followers in a few months. Here's to musical success for anyone else watching and reading this 👏🏻
That is awesome, well done! That was all you, you smashed it and it shows that you can scale this up to 100k should you choose. Congrats, this has made my day! 🙂🙂
I have found that if you have enough music then turn to music video and film. Give it not only legs to grow but a path to walk down. We did it.Thx for the info Damian!
Fantastic video as always. So many great tips available, but the one major drawback to all of them is that the platforms we are posting to are under no obligation to show the content to anyone and you can’t post something directly to the people you are trying to reach. No matter the strategy, you are still throwing content into a black hole hoping that someone sees it.
Absolutely true but the platforms are obligated to show content from the "big boys"(shadowy government types) that bought up all the platforms to continue with the propagandizing of the masses because most people were moving away from "mainstream media"(TV) and now when you engage with them you get a face full of adverts, promotion of medical emergency "hoaxes" and other mind controlling so-called scientific invented fearmongering crisis ! Its like dealing with spoilt petulant children!
Well put. And the inefficacy of trying to get listeners this way is obvious when you think about it from a listener's point of view. I love music- i seek it out- but i never use instagram to find new music to listen to. So why would i expect my band to be found by listeners on instagram? These platforms aren't made for music. RU-vid is for video junk, instagram is mainly art junk (it's not even great for photos or visual art, due to low resolution and goofy cropping), twitter is for gossip, and i don't know what tiktok is for, but i'm sure it's not designed for music discovery and sharing songs. None of my favorite musicians owe any of their success- if they've had any- to social media. They either got their fans under the old way of doing things- radio play, t.v. appearances, soundtracks etc., or if they're younger, they have a meager following from years of touring. I've not seen a lot of benefit from social media- in my experience or others'.
Yeah I'm hoping that the title isn't off-putting. I hate having to play the RU-vid game but like everyone else I'm just trying to build the attention. I hope there is value in the video though and it helps 🙂🙂
Hi Damien, love your content, but I’ve been struggling to adapt some of your point to my classical guitar channel in the past. Would be cool to see more videos specifically for instrumentalists ☺️
Quoting from the Elvis biopic - After singing to a Hound dog on the Steve Allen show to gain more viewers; Scotty Moore - "Well that was embarrassing", Elvis - "What am I supposed to do about it"? Scotty Moore "WE'RE MUSICIANS" !!! Get it ? Kittens or credibility, choice is yours !
Yes indeed. And music is a lot of work- even a shiftless bum like me doesn't have enough time to do the countless jobs of recording and releasing songs, and be some kind of algorithm jockey to boot.
Have to say I'm getting pretty sick of being a slave to social media. I find many people who are successful with much less social media have the record deals, are out on tour and doing it for real while the rest of us are trying to make a great post.
Agreed, I think we all feel like that. Even with this post on RU-vid I needed to play to the algorithm, make a longer video that I wanted, make it sensational and have some click bait thumbnail… sadly if we don’t play the game we struggle to get the rewards. I feel you though, I feel the same pain every day with my own content 😊❤️
Does anyone have any thoughts on starting a new TikTok account once you’ve started getting the hang of it? I feel like I was feeding the algorithm “bad content” for so long that now I’m sabotaging myself with that bad data even though the content I’m making now is better. I only have 115 followers on TikTok so wondering if now’s the time to jump to a new account 🤔
Everyone should do there own thing never know what will come of it , no one really knows cause everyone brings something different check me out check me out or not
This is what all my favorite musicians would do- if anything. Music is first for a musician, but these people tell you the opposite. I always think of Bones from Star Trek- i'm a musician, not a content creator dammit!
"Stop Using Social Media To Promote Your Music" en go use social media to promote your music but with a strategy behind it. Not really a honest video title.
Bring your friends into your community and invite them to bring their friends in by the nature of your actions and storytelling, and then your fans will do it for you. Give them more than just with your music. Give them you. Be wild. You won't just "be successful" if you do this - you'll have a way to find and create meaning in your life and the lives of others. And if you screw up, you can fix it. Your growth may not be exponential but it will be inevitable. While you're reading this you're probably thinking "Is there some nugget of truth in here that might get me to that goodie (success in music, specifically)?" It was never about the music.
i think thats my problem Damien. I dont like the idea of promoting me as a super hero. I dont mind people liking my music, but adoration of me is something I want to avoid lol. There are far more worthy people who deserve adoration - like Mental health workers, nurses, Doctors....
What about all the issues around Spotify taking down artists for fake streams without any evidence. Also what about all the artists that are now pulling all their music from Spotify and going direct to consumers
For me the hardest part is still "finding the treasure" and putting stuff out there which doesn't make me look like a total attention seeking whore of social media. In the end yeah, I am the super hero butjust one small thought: without the super powers nobody would be intersted in superman. it would be just a weird dude in a spandex. a lot of times when posting things on social media, i feel more like the wird dude in a spandex ... which is worse then being clark kent.
I have a problem that may be the problem of lots of composers. When i upload a cover, it has nice engagement, coments and likes. But when i upload something original it often have a lot less engagement. What should i do?
To be honest, what I have understood (learned - accepted - name it as you prefer) at the age of 45 (with a past of 35 years in music composition) and after 17 years of a - not intense - presence on RU-vid is that if you do what you do well, beautifully, correctly, and you have talent + necessary knowledge (instrumentation blah blah blah) inevitably, even if you title the video "I brought the meat" or "I eat my nails" and the video shows, IN EVERY SONG you post, a fly sleeping on a windowsill. .... your songs will be heard, inevitably, because they are BEAUTIFUL. Let us not burden each other with illusions and false expectations. Yes, there are music creators who for one reason or another did not manage to "get out there" and despite the fact that they deserved it (that is, they wrote GOOD-BEAUTIFUL MUSIC) their music was never heard. Speaking of RU-vid though, IN MY OPINION, if what you post is GOOD and REALLY worth hearing, it WILL BE HEARD no matter what "package" you put it in. I spent years believing that I'm doing something wrong - in terms of SEO, thumbnails etc - and people don't listen to my music (that is, they don't see my videos). And I was wrong + I wasted countless hours trying to fix a mistake that didn't even exist. Actually, people weren't listening to my music because my music wasn't (and isn't) what I THOUGHT it was: Too good not to be heard. Actually, my music - was and - is: Not good enough to be heard. So simple. Now I upload my music, so my kids have something from me when I'm not there with them. But I personally recommend that the "musician" or -really- musician in here (on RU-vid ) first think about whether HIMSELF would listen to his music with as much interest as he EXPECTS any STRANGER to listen to it, and THEN move on to issues like SEO, thumbnails, hook etc etc. First "Is my music really good?" and THEN "let's create the right 'bottle' to put my music in for the world to hear". My opinion, of course. I might be wrong. Life is strange.
When I open Instagram and watch some reels to investigate what works, I find terribly boring and stupid and worthless what appears to me. Indeed, only dull videos tricking the algorithm. If my content has to be that bad to work, I don't think I'm up to the task. Anything really interesting and original won't go viral.
