Live Performance Report

Report your Live Performances here. This is required to reduce chances of loosing important royalties when performing live.

AR Evaluation

Our AR Team will send you a detailed report outlining strengths and weaknesses of your project along with tips and advice.

Please make sure you released at least 2 singles before submitting your request.

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Sell your Art

Here you can submit your products for sale, adding them to the SONO Shop.

RM_Stats

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(FROM) Shipping Address

Add the address where the product will be shipped from.

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Add one URL per line (e.g. https://instagram.com/yourusername)

Digital Product Type^*

Digital Product Download Link^*

Product Title^*

Product Description^*

Product Details^*

Product Price^*

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Create Merchandising

Fill in this form to start creating your own merchandising.

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Sell Merchandising

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City^*

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(FROM) Shipping Address

Add the address where the product will be shipped from.

Social Media Profiles LINKs^*

Add

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Add one URL per line (e.g. https://instagram.com/yourusername)

Instagram

Digital Product Type^*

Digital Product Download Link^*

Product Title^*

Product Description^*

Product Details^*

Product Price^*

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Complete the form for Payout Request.

As we enhance our analytics and revenue pages, please aid the process by completing this form to request your payout. The new analytics and revenue balance page, with daily data updates, will be available shortly.

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Twitter

Social media has had a significant influence on how we promote and market music, and it is not going away anytime soon. None of us can accommodate not being more acquainted with Twitter. As a result, there’s no harm in going over some fundamentals…

Brand Your Profile: Google Crawls it.

Social media allows musicians to market themselves and their music through a variety of internet touch points. It’s a wise decision to keep your social profiles consistent in terms of style and layout. The message should differ but try to tie them all together with a similar style or theme. Your bio, your tweets are all crawled by Google, make sure they represent you properly and speak about you highly.

Build Your Network

After you’ve built your Twitter profile, it’s time to locate your target audience. Begin by following friends, then expand to potential fans and relevant artists or profiles to broaden up your network. Following musicians that your followers are also listening to is a wise choice; it’s a basic method to initiate conversations. Follow a variety of music business professionals and outlets that you admire, and pay close attention to how they utilize their Twitter presence. Don’t be shy to retweet or like their tweets, appreciate them.

Engage With Your Followers

It’s vital to respond besides retweeting your followers and liking their tweets. To have your tweet interaction going, sponsor a contest, discuss issues, or strike up a conversation about a recent social event. Your followers are interested in you, and it is crucial that you show them that you are passionate about them as well. Jump into existing conversations that you can browse through trending and regular hashtags through via the Twitter search engine. There’s a lot going on, start engaging and networking and watch your profile reach and impressions spike!

Pre-Release Strategies

Twitter’s peak activity times are often in the afternoons, nights, and weekends, but don’t spam your followers with tweets and then disappear. You want to have a consistent tweeting pace and avoid spending too much time resting. Using hashtags on a regular basis can also help to brand your tweets and boost their ‘tweet reach’ aka visibility. Fans want new music all the time, try to hype new release, go on Twitter space, start a discussion, post a teaser, a banner, a short clip, host a Twitter event to announce the title, make a big deal of every step of your pre-release campaign!

Final Thoughts

As an artist, keeping your digital presence and social media identity is as important as maintaining your stage persona. It may take a lot of time and effort to establish oneself on social media, but don’t be upset if things don’t take off right away.

Maintain consistency in your efforts, and it will all be worth it.

Social media is a lengthy game and your daily dedication eventually transforms to virality!

Start telling your story to the world, enjoy tweeting and typing!

Language

Please note: SONO for Artists uses an automated Google Translator which might cause you to see some funny or nonsense translations. If something is not clear contact us by using the in-app chat.

Timeline Single Release Template

Here you can create your Single Release Timeline to represent visually all the tasks that you should be following for a perfect Single Release.

1. Click on this: LINK and log into your Google Account

2. Click “Make A Copy” button

3. There you go! Here’s your Single Release Plan

4. Enjoy!

Timeline Single Release Template

Here you can create your Single Release Timeline to represent visually all the tasks that you should be following for a perfect Single Release.

1. Click on this: LINK and log into your Google Account

2. Click “Make A Copy” button

3. There you go! Here’s your Single Release Plan

4. Enjoy!

Project Plan Template

Here you can create your One-Page Project Plan to present your project to SONO (which will forward it to contacts at magazines, playlist editors etc.)

1. Create a free (forever) Notion.so account here and login

2. Get our Template & Click on “Duplicate” in the top-right corner

3. Customize your Project Plan with info, images and the Audio Preview Link.

4. Share it with SONO through the forms, or send it over to our A&R Team (ar@sonomusic.co) to review it.

5. Keep it up to date with new info, dates or ideas

Enjoy!

Submit Your Music To 233 Music Blogs

1. A&R Factory

Genres: Various Genres
A&R Factory is a music blog that started in 2012. It has become a well respected artist and repertoire blog. The blog has many readers that use the site as means of discovering new talent. The blog’s editors are always looking for the next big hit. You can easily submit your demos through their “Submit Music” page:
Official Website: https://www.anrfactory.com
Submit Music: https://www.anrfactory.com/submit-demo/The

2. Harmonic Wings

Genres: Various Genres
Harmonic Wings is a website that is run by Ylia Callan, a musician of 33+ years of experience. He created Harmonic Wings because he felt that there was a need for a website where musicians and bands can submit songs, playlists and music video URLs from the top media sites. This includes Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, Instagram Facebook and a few others. The best thing about Harmonic Wings: you can just fill in a quick form and the website publishes the submission instantly with no login or cost or sneaky catch. Just pure top shelf user experience.

Official Website: https://harmonicwings.com
Submit Music: https://harmonicwings.com/submit-music-songs-playlists-and-videos/

3. A Night in the Six

Genres: Hip Hop
A Night in the Six is a Canadian Hip Hop music blog. It has a very interesting “Latest Mixtapes” section as well as a “Featured Event section. The site also features the “song of the day” and the “video of the day”:

Official Website: https://www.anightinthe6ix.com
Submit Music: https://www.anightinthe6ix.com/submityourmusic

4. Abduction Radiation

Genres: Various Genres
Abduction Radiation is a an LA based music blog. It covers independent and mainstream music, but what you’ll find when you visit the blog is a wonderful selection of underground music. There’s a cool “Downloads” section where you can download a free selection of soundcloud music:

Official Website: http://abductionradiation.tumblr.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/abduction-radiation

5. Absolute Indie

Genres: Indie
Absolute Indie’s logo says this: “Your Pretentious Music Guide”. Pretty cool 🙂 The blog is the starting point for indie music fans and musicians. It features indie music playlists that will enable you to discover new artists. The articles on the blog mostly introduces you to talented indie musicians:

Official Website: https://www.absolutindie.com
Submit Music: https://www.absolutindie.com/contact

6. Acid Stag

Genres: Electronic
Acid Stag is an Australian music news website. The blog has Apple Music & Spotify playlists that feature some of the blog’s favorite music. Acid Stag interviews new artists and the interviews are published in the “chat” section. They also review live gigs:

Official Website: https://acidstag.com
Submit Music: https://acidstag.com/about/

7. Add This Music

Genres: Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM, House, Funk, Chill, & RnB.
Add This Music is a music blog that focuses on new releases. Although the blog mostly covers new rap, hip hop, pop, EDM, house, funk, chill and r&b, the “playlists” section covers additional genres: country, rock and trap:

Official Website: http://addthismusic.com
Submit Music: http://addthismusic.com/submit/

8. AllMusic

Genres: Various Genres
AllMusic is more than a music blog. It is a comprehensive database that has more than 3 million albums and 30 million songs. When you enter the site see a section that covers the latest releases. The releases are rated on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars. These new releases are also covered on Allmusic’s weekly newsletter. Besides that, Allmusic features articles on current music and interviews with various artists:

Official Website: https://www.allmusic.com
Submit Music: https://www.allmusic.com/product-submissions

9. Adobe and Teardrops

Genres: Rock, Indie, Folk, Punk, Grundge
Adobe and Teardrops is a music review website. It started in 2011 and covers music from all around the world. It has music reviews, a podcast and a section on the website where you can download free music. In addition, you can purchase songs of musicians who sell their music for less than 10$.

Official Website: http://www.adobeandteardrops.com
Submit Music: http://www.adobeandteardrops.com/p/about.html

10. AMBY

Genres: Indie, Mainstream

AMBY was created by Alicia Atout, a music blogger from Toronto, Canada. The focus of the blog is in-depth interviews with musicians. Alicia creates cool Vlogs on a regular basis and interacts with her audience. From time to time, the blog has contests:

Official Website: http://amusicblogyea.com
Submit Music: http://amusicblogyea.com/contact/

11. Aquarium Drunkard

Genres: Electronic
Aquarium Drunkard is music blog that is based in Los Angeles. It started in 2005 and features reviews, interviews and more.
Every two weeks Aquarium Drunkard’s writers send a newsletter to their readers inboxes.

Official Website: https://aquariumdrunkard.com
Submit Music: https://aquariumdrunkard.com/contact/

12. Asian Dan

Genres: Various Genres
Asian Dan is a music blog dedicated to reviewing music from multiple genres. It welcomes and supports independent artists. It has an extensive list of articles starting from 2008:

Official Website: http://www.asianmandan.com
Submit Music: asiandanblog@gmail.com

13. At Cost Magazine

Genres: Pop
At Cost Magazine is a side-blog which was created by the Swede + Sour. What is the Sede+Sour? It is a music blog that covers Nordic music. At Cost Magazine is more general than Swede + Sour and aims at covering a wide range of pop music. When you enter At Cost Magazine you see a lot of interesting articles reviewing current pop music. In the “features” section you see interviews with various pop artists:

Official Website: http://atcostmag.tumblr.com
Submit Music: http://atcostmag.tumblr.com/about

14. Audiotox

Genres: Hip Hop, Electronic, Pop, Indie, Rock, Singer-Songwriter, EDM, Dubstep, Alternative
Audiotox is a music blog that focuses on new music and current acts. While visiting the website I didn’t find information on when the blog was founded or who are its editors. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t keep you from submitting music to Audiotox. Audiotox features engaging articles on various tracks from different artists:

Official Website: http://www.audiotox.com
Submit Music: http://www.audiotox.com/submissions/

15. Audio Drums

Genres: Electronic Pop, Dance Pop, Indie
When I entered Audio Drums for the first time, I thought that it would focus strictly on music that emphasizes drums. But it doesn’t. It’s a music blog that reviews Electronic music. It has a “Best of” section which lists the best music in a specific year:

Official Website: http://www.audiodrums.com
Submit Music: http://www.audiodrums.com/music-submissions/

16. Aurgasm

Genres: All Genres that are not under the American Rock umbrella
Aurgasm is a website that started in 2004 as a site dedicated to music enthusiasts around the world. When I first entered the site it was up and running. However, for the time being, the editors have recently decided not to feature new artists. But who knows, things may change in the future; I think it’s still worth checking out from time to time:

Official Website: http://aurgasm.us
Submit Music: http://aurgasm.us/contact/

17. Australian Folk Music and Australian Folk Singers and Musicians

Genres: Australian Folk Music
Australian Folk Music and Australian Folk Singers and Musicians is a music blog that focuses on Australian Folk music, Australian Bush ballads and/or Australian Folk Musicians:

Official Website: http://australianfolk.blogspot.com
Submit Music: mr.stockman@gmail.com

18. Awesong

Genres: Various Genres
Awesong.in is not exactly a typical music blog but a platform which helps artists showcase their music to their audience. The website was founded by two brothers that decided to help artists market their songs. It features original music and covers:

Official Website: https://awesong.in
Submit Music: https://awesong.in/contact-us/

19. BeatRoute

Genres: Various Genres
BeatRoute Magazine is more than a music blog.
It’s a Canadian entertainment magazine that covers music, arts & culture film, events and more. The website started in 2004 and features articles, interviews, music news and gig reviews:

Official Website: http://beatroute.ca
Submit Music: http://beatroute.ca/contact-2/

20. Beautiful Song of The Week

Genres: Various Genres
Beautiful Song of The Week has a bold and intriguing purpose: to attempt to list the most beautiful music ever made. The music can be from any genre or era. Pretty cool if you ask me. Every week they post a new song. They and never list the same artist twice:

Official Website: http://www.beautifulsongoftheweek.com
Submit Music: http://www.beautifulsongoftheweek.com/contact/

21. Best Before

Genres: Various Genres
Best Before is an Australian music blog. It covers diverse musical genres. The site provides its readers with news, song and album reviews, in depth interviews and an online store where you could purchase cool T-shirts:

Official Website: http://www.bestbefore.co
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/best-before

22. BIRP.fm

Genres: Various Genres
BIRP.fm is a music blog that was started by Josh Blalock in 2009. While the site doesn’t review songs and albums, it does have a large list of featured songs and playlists. BIRP.fm welcomes independent bands and helps them promote their music:

Official Website: http://www.birp.fm
Submit Music: http://www.birp.fm/about

23. Bolting Bits

Bolting Bits: Various Genres
Bolting Bits is a Canadian online music magazine. The posts on the site explore and review music. The site also features music news, a newsletter and playlists:

Official Website: https://boltingbits.com
Submit Music: https://boltingbits.com/about/

24. Born Music

Genres: Various Genres
Born Music is a comprehensive music blog that helps musicians get discovered. The visually appealing blog contains a lot of interesting stuff: interviews, music news, photos of artists performing live, information on upcoming festivals and more:

Official Website: http://www.bornmusiconline.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/born-music-online#!

25. B-Side Guys

Genres: Various Genres
B-Side Guys is a podcast that was started by Seth Williams and Caleb Alexander. If you read some of the articles on the site you see that they have a lot of their personal touch. Seth and Caleb’s love to explore undiscovered music:

Official Website: https://bsideguys.wordpress.com
Submit Music: https://bsideguys.wordpress.com/submissions/

26. Buffablog

Genres: Various Genres
buffaBLOG is a blog based in Buffalo, New York. It focuses primarily on music from Buffalo, New York, but also features music from across the United States and the world. The site has a section that covers new music, music from Buffalo, music from Rochester, album reviews and the album of the week:

Official Website: http://www.buffablog.com
Submit Music: http://www.buffablog.com/about-2/

27. buzzbands.la

Genres: Various Genres
Buzz Bands.la was actually a name of a Los Angeles Times column that was written by the journalist Kevin Bronson. Bronson’s column introduced unsigned artists and promising emerging artists to his readers. In 2008 the Buzz Bands website was founded in order to continue and preserve Bronson’s legacy. The music blog features album and show reviews as well as interviews:

Official Website: http://buzzbands.la
Submit Music: http://buzzbands.la/contactfollow/

28. Casablanca Sunset

Genres: Alternative, Independent and Electronic
Casablanca Sunset started in 2013 as a music blog. It has gradually developed into a boutique record label/artist management company. When you visit the blog, you find the label’s releases, featured videos, a newsletter that you could sign up to and an area with DJ mixes:

Official Website: https://www.casablancasunset.com
Submit Music: https://blog.casablancasunset.com/contact/

29. Caesar Live N Loud

Genres: Various Genres
The first thing I noticed when I entered Caesar Live N Loud is that the blog has a lot of recent and updated music news. The blog has an area where new artists are introduced and a mixtapes section. It also features reviews and interviews. There is a cool feature on the blog that allows you to browse music according to a specific label:

Official Website: https://www.caesarlivenloud.com
Submit Music: https://www.caesarlivenloud.com/p/contactadvertise.html

30. Celtic Folk Punk

Genres: Celtic Punk, Celtic Rock and Folk Punk.
Celtic Folk Punk is niche music blog that covers Celtic punk, Celtic Rock and Folk Punk. The blog has an extensive list of articles that cover many songs and bands. It also features sections that cover bootlegs, videos and free downloads:

Official Website: http://celticfolkpunk.blogspot.com
Submit Music: celticfolkpunk@gmx.es

31. Channel WAVY

Genres: R&B, Rap, Chillout, Electro, Downtempo, Midtempo and Uptempo
Channel WAVY is a music blog is that is based in London. It is run by Nathan Miller. You’ll find a lot of SoundCloud/YouTube music on the website along with a short flattering description of each song:

Official Website: http://channelwavy.com
Submit Music: http://channelwavy.com/about-us

32. CHILLFILTR

Genres: Various Genres
CHILLFILTR welcomes its readers with big beautiful photos of their featured artists. This music blog was established in 2017 in southern Oregon. Its goal is to give a voice back to the roots community. It has a unique “opinion” section where you can find short articles on music trends:

Official Website: https://chillfiltr.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/chillfiltr

33. Consequence of Sound

Genres: Pop
Consequence of Sound is a Chicago based music blog that was founded by Alex Young. The website has many sections like news, new music, music videos, top songs, album streams, upcoming releases, podcasts and many more:

Official Website: https://consequenceofsound.net
Submit Music: https://consequenceofsound.net/contact-us/

34. Country Fried Rock

Genres: Country
Country Fried Rock is a music blog that was established by Soane Spencer. Spencer hosts many musicians in the Country Fried Rock podcast. Before submitting your music notice that the editors of the blog accept only original music albums, not singles:

Official Website: https://countryfriedrock.org
Submit Music: https://countryfriedrock.org/contact-info-for-interested-bands/#.Wvgozi-B0gp

35. Country Music News Blog

Genres: Country
Country Music News Blog started as a small project that was dedicated to country music fans. Today it’s a well respected country music blog. Country music fans/musicians can get the latest country music news and information on concerts:

Official Website: http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com
Submit Music: http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com

36. Chances with The Wolves

Genres: Various Genres
When I entered Chances with The Wolves I couldn’t help but notice the website’s recurring visual theme: wolves. Nice.
This music blog features unique records. You won’t find articles and music reviews here but captivating wolves photos and distinctive SoundCloud tracks:

Official Website: http://www.chanceswithwolves.com
Submit Music: http://www.chanceswithwolves.com/new-page/

37. Conversations About Her

Genres: All Genres except Metal or Country
Music is just one of Conversations About Her’s many topics of coverage. The website has sections on film, TV, fashion, lifestyle, arts and even politics.
With regards to music, the site’s aim is to spotlight the best new and emerging music from all around the world.
Notice that they don’t cover a lot of Metal or Country music:

Official Website: http://conversationsabouther.net
Submit Music: http://conversationsabouther.net/about-us/

38. Cougar Microbes

Genres: Various Genres
Cougar Microbes is a UK based music blog.
It mainly focuses on music from the British scene but also covers music from around the world.
The categories featured on the site are: “Introducing” where new artists are introduced to the readers; “Weekend Videos” — where music and videos are reviewed; “Live Shows” – reviews of live gigs and “Interviews” where you’ll find interviews with artists:

Official Website: http://www.cougarmicrobes.com
Submit Music: http://www.cougarmicrobes.com/submissions/

39. Cover Lay Down

Genres: Folk
Cover Lay Down is a bit different from most of the music blogs out there. Unlike most blogs, this blogs features covers and not original music.
Why? Well, the editors of the blog believe covers enable fans to discover the true meaning of folk and to get acquainted with new artists and composers:

Official Website: http://coverlaydown.com
Submit Music: http://coverlaydown.com/contact/

40. 2DOPEBOYZ

Genres: Hip Hop
2DOPEBOYZ is a Hip Hop music blog. It provides news on Hip Hop music, reviews of the newest Hip Hop music and has a “Weekly Dope” section that contains playlists of selected Hip Hop songs:

Official Website: http://2dopeboyz.com
Submit Music: http://2dopeboyz.com/contact-us/

41. Digital Tour Bus

Genres: Rock, Metal, Punk, Indie, Alternative
What’s really cool about Digital Tour Bus is that it is all about touring musicians. The website has a number of sections that are all dedicated to exploring the touring musicians’ world.
The Bus Invaders series introduces fans the touring vehicles of their favorite bands. The Gear Master series covers the gear that the bands use when they are touring. Cooking at 65mph is the most intriguing of all: bands cook you something in their tour vehicle:

Official Website: https://digitaltourbus.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/digital-tour-bus

42. Different Kitchen

Genres: Hip Hop
Different Kitchen is a Hip Hop blog that was founded in 2003. The site regularly reviews recent music. It has a Spotify playlist called “Fresh Picks” where new songs are featured:

Official Website: http://different-kitchen.com
Submit Music: http://different-kitchen.com/contact/

43. DJBooth

Genres: Hip Hop
DJbooth is a comprehensive Hip Hop music blog. There is a lot of stuff covered in this blog: news, a very interesting “opinion” section where you can find opinions on various topics, interviews with featured artists, Hip Hop charts, song reviews and more.
One striking section in the blog is the Pro Audio section which discusses music gear:

Official Website: https://djbooth.net
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/djbooth

44. Disco Naïveté

Genres: Pop
Disco Naïveté is a Belgium-based music blog that was founded in 2009.
It focuses on new pop music from around the world:

Official Website: http://disconaivete.com
Submit Music: http://disconaivete.com/about

45. Discovered Magazine

Genres: Various Genres
Discovered Magazine is a London based online music magazine. It covers some of the best music in the UK music scene. Its news section is very current. The album review section is very detailed: it includes the artist’s name, record label and a rating (from 1 to 10). The site also features a live gigs reviews section and in depth articles on bands and artists:

Official Website: http://discoveredmagazine.com
Submit Music: http://discoveredmagazine.com/contact-2/

46. dlnw.

Genres: Electronic & Indie
dlnw. is a music blog that covers electronic and indie music.
In addition to featuring free music and mixes, it features short and flattering track reviews:

Official Website: http://www.dlnwmusic.com
Submit Music: info@dlnwmusic.com

47. Drowned in Sound

Genres: Various Genres
Here is a section I didn’t come across on so many music websites: articles dedicated to review music festivals.
Drowned in Sound, a UK-based music site has one. The site founded by the editor Sean Adams. It includes reviews, interviews, news and music forums. Note that Drowned in Sound doesn’t review EPs or singles but only albums:

Official Website: http://drownedinsound.com
Submit Music: http://drownedinsound.com/contact

48. DrunkenWerewolf

Genres: Various Genres
DrunkenWerewolf is a UK based website that was founded in 2005. It supports all the types of musicians: unsigned artists along more established musicians. It has a section dedicated to introduce musicians to its readers. It also features albums, EP and live reviews.
The interviews are intriguing and feature YouTube videos:

Official Website: http://www.drunkenwerewolf.com
Submit Music: http://www.drunkenwerewolf.com/contact/

49. Dubophonic

Genres: Reggae/Dub/Dubwise/Electronic music
Dubophonic is a cool independent dub label based in Cyprus. It distributes mainly freely downloadable, Creative Commons licensed music on the internet. The site covers quality dub music, from artists who are serious and passionate about their work:

dubophonic.com

Official Website: http://www.dubophonic.com
Submit Music: http://www.dubophonic.com/p/contact-us.html

50. Eargasm.

Genres: Various Genres
Single Gasms is the best section to find reviews of singles on Eargasm., a music blog based in Canada. Albums Gasms is where you’ll find of Albums. Can you guess what you’ll find in Show Gasms and Multiple Gasms? Check it this blog out:

Official Website: https://www.eargasmsounds.com
Submit Music: https://www.eargasmsounds.com/submissions/

51. Earmilk

Genres: Dance, Hip Hop, Indie, Experimental, Pop
Earmilk is a music blog that was founded in 2009. The site has a lot to share with its readers: recent news & opinions, a weekly newsletter, album and gear reviews, interviews and much more:

Official Website: https://earmilk.com
Submit Music: https://earmilk.com/submit-music/

52. Ear To The Ground

Genres: Acoustic, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Indie Rock, Pop, Rock, Singer Songwriter
One of the things that I like about EarToTheGround is that it welcomes emerging artists in a unique way. The various reviews on the site help the readers discover fresh and interesting music:

Official Website: http://www.eartothegroundmusic.co
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/eartotheground-music

53. EDM Nations

Genres: Electronic Dance Music
EDM Nations is a source for EDM news, reviews and interviews:

Official Website: https://edmnations.com
Submit Music: https://edmnations.com/edm-nations-promotion-services/

54. EDM.com

Genres: Electronic Dance Music
EDM.com is a great source for information on EDM.
If you are an EDM lover, you will find the latest news, services that will help you promote your music quickly, album reviews, record labels to work with and interviews:

Official Website: https://edm.com
Submit Music: https://portal.artistintelligence.agency

55. Electronic North

Genres: Various Genres
Electronic North is a music blog that started in 2016. It is very open minded and doesn’t necessarily focus on any particular genre. The website features specific artists and covers new releases. It has a radio station and provides you with news, reviews and interviews:

Official Website: http://www.electronicnorth.co.uk
Submit Music: http://www.electronicnorth.co.uk/about/

56. Elmore Magazine

Genres: Folk, Blues, Americana, Rock, Jazz
Elmore Magazine is a magazine started in 2005 in The United States. The name “Elmore Magazine” was inspired by Elmore James, the legendary blues musician. The magazine reviews albums, shows and even music books and films. It has a section dedicated to contests:

Official Website: http://www.elmoremagazine.com
Submit Music: info@elmoremagazine.com

57. Emerging Indie Bands

Genres: Various Genres
If you’re looking for a music blog that covers a wide variety of songs from across the globe, look no further: Emerging Indie Bands covers Africa, Asian, Australian, European, North American and South American music.
It is dedicated to discovering emerging artists as well as new music:

Official Website: https://emergingindiebands.com
Submit Music: https://emergingindiebands.com

58. FACT

Genres: Various Genres
When FACT started out in 2003 it was a music and youth culture magazine. Nowadays, it is an online music website with a serious team of writers. FACT provides its readers with news, videos and a section that covers the most interesting breaking artists right now:

Official Website: http://www.factmag.com
Submit Music: http://www.factmag.com/about/#contact

59. Fashionably-Early

Genres: Various Genres
If you want to get news about artists signing record labels, Fashionably-Early is the right place for that. Its industry news section provides information about the latest record deals. In addition, you’ll find album reviews, editorials, interviews, playlists and more:

Official Website: http://www.fashionably-early.com
Submit Music: http://www.fashionably-early.com/submit-music/

60. Finest Ego

Genres: Hip Hop, Techno, Electronic
This neat music website explores Hip Hop, Techno, and the different genres between electronic and organic grooves. It has a very nice new releases section where you’ll you’ll be able to listen to music and read a short review:

Official Website: https://finestego.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/label/finest-ego

61. Fingertips

Genres: Various Genres
With its cool logo, which was placed on top of an old vinyl collection, Fingertips is hard to miss. You won’t find too many music blogs out there that publish long essays about music. Besides in depth essays, Fingertips features song reviews and playlists:

Official Website: http://fingertipsmusic.com
Submit Music: fingertipsmusic@gmail.com

62. Folkcast

Genres: Folk, Folk-Rock, Singer Songwriter, Roots-based music
Here’s a website that attempts to cover every inch of the Folk world. It has a podcast that is hosted by Phil Widdows and Ken Nicol. They interview various artists. FolkCasts welcomes music submissions:

Official Website: http://www.folkcast.co.uk
Submit Music: http://www.folkcast.co.uk/FolkCast%20pages/email.html

63. Folk Alley

Genres: Folk, Roots, Americana, Celtic, Contemporary Singer Songwriter, World, Acoustic
Folk Alley.com is the first website that I submitted my songs to. What drew me to FolkAlley was the wide coverage of folk music. What I also liked was that I had my own unique artist page on the website where I could submit songs to.
Folk Alley started in 2003 and is based in Ohio. Folk Alley has a section called “Open Mic” where they feature under-exposed artist:

Official Website: https://www.folkalley.com
Submit Music: https://www.folkalley.com/about/contact/

64. Folk, Bluegrass & Traditional Music

Genres: Folk, Bluegrass, Acoustic
Folk, Bluegrass & Traditional Music is a blog that was founded by Steve Ide. Steve is a writer from Massachusetts who has written about folk for quite a long time. His aim is to get the reader closer to the roots of the music:

Official Website: http://idesigngraphics.com/folkbluegrass/
Submit Music: http://idesigngraphics.com/folkbluegrass/

65. Folk Radio

Genres: Folk, Acoustic, Americana, World, Experimental, Alternative
Folk Radio started off as a radio station in 2004 but has since evolved into an online Music Magazine. It offers articles, interviews, news and song/album reviews. The website features the artist of the month and the album of the month:

Official Website: http://www.folkradio.co.uk
Submit Music: http://www.folkradio.co.uk/submissions/

66. For Folk’s Sake

Genres: Folk, Country, Roots
The name of this website is very cool: For Folk’s Sake.
This UK-based music blog is run by a team of music lovers from all over the UK. It almost covers everything: news, record reviews, live reviews, interviews, sessions with artists, articles and more:

Official Website: http://www.forfolkssake.com
Submit Music: http://www.forfolkssake.com/about-ffs

67. For The Love of Bands

Genres: Various Genres
Another great name for a blog: For The Love Of Bands. This is the place for you to get acquainted with great new indie and emerging talent. This award winning blog has a dedicated team of writers that aim at introducing you to undiscovered music. I like the “Industry Tips” section where you can find tips on how to get your music on Spotify playlists or how to use hashtags to push your music on twitter:

Official Website: https://fortheloveofbands.com
Submit Music: https://fortheloveofbands.com/submit/

68. For The Rabbits

Genres: Indie, Alternative
Founded by Sam Cottis, For the Rabbit’s main page features a gallery of artists’ photos which instantly got me curious about their music.
The rather simple design makes it easier for you to get to know these unique artists:

Official Website: https://fortherabbits.net
Submit Music: https://fortherabbits.net/about/

69. Gas Mask Magazine

Genres: Various Genres
Gas Mask Magazine is a digital magazine that is more than a music blog.
As we can see in the photo bellow, it covers many topics such as movies, tv, health and lifestyle. Each genre includes a list of artists with an article dedicated to introducing the artist’s music. Notice: submissions cost 10$:

Official Website: http://www.gasmaskmagazine.com
Submit Music: http://www.gasmaskmagazine.com/artistsubmissions/6sh6zyerep893ru6kieklrwp2npei1

70. Gems & Secrets

Genres: Various Genres
Gems & Secrets’ article titles are really cool, in my opinion: “Extremely bad man shares insane new single; “Up With the Birdies” or “We’re slightly obsessed with Out There’s and Ella Poletti’s ‘What to Do”.
This interesting music blog covers many genres and is dedicated to discovering fresh music:

Official Website: https://gemsandsecrets.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/gems-and-secrets

71. Gig Goer

Genres: Various Genres
Gig Goer is a music blog that was founded by Kasia Osowiecka in 2015.
Kasia is a passionate and gifted music journalist that loves to interview musicians. Her website features a lot of good stuff: song reviews, album reviews and reviews of live shows:

Official Website: https://giggoer.com
Submit Music: https://giggoer.com/contact/ Ge

72. Give It A Spin

Genres: Various Genres
Give It A Spin is a website that covers arts and culture and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The music that is covered on the website was handpicked by the site’s writers. Give It a Spin offers its readers news, interviews and album & song reviews:

Official Website: http://giveitaspin.gr
Submit Music: http://giveitaspin.gr/contact

73. God Is In The TV

Genres: Various Genres
Even though you may think that God is in the TV is a website about television it isn’t. It is about music and culture. The site was founded in 2003, by the editor Bill Cummings. It welcomes professional and emerging musicians alike and allows them to express themselves on the site. It features news, album and live reviews, interviews, videos and more:

Official Website: http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk
Submit Music: http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/contact-us/

74. GoodMusicalAllDay

Genres: Hip Hop, EDM, Dance, Indie, Alternative, Pop, R&B, Rock, Funk, Trap, Country
If you listen to many genres of music you’ll love Goodmusicallday. Goodmusicallday is part of Verge Campus, a website written by college students about college and youth culture. The music blog aimes at giving you access to awesome music and to enable artists to connect with their fans:

Official Website: https://vergecampus.com/goodmusicallday/
Submit Music: https://goodmusicallday.typeform.com/to/mB0ZGX

75. Gorilla vs. Bear

Genres: Various Genres
Gorilla vs. Bear is a Texas-based music blog. Since 2007 it has hosted an award winning show called SiriusXM Satellite Radio. The site has a very cool section called “Polaroid” where photos of artists are featured. I think photos are a great way of getting to know an artist. Besides that, you’ll find music reviews, interviews and mixes:

Official Website: http://www.gorillavsbear.net/about/
Submit Music: http://www.gorillavsbear.net/about/

76. HearYa

Genres: Indie
Indie bands. Live Sessions. Daily Downloads — these are the three things HearYa focuses on. On HearYa you’ll find plenty of intriguing articles that share the stories of independent musicians. You can also subscribe and get the latest content:

Official Website: http://www.hearya.com
Submit Music: http://www.hearya.com/contact-us/

77. Hearing Gold

Genres: Various Genres
Here’s a confession: I entered Hearing Gold and searched for an “about” section but didn’t find one. From what I can tell, this is a blog covering Indie music. Its basic and clean look will easily introduce you to interviews, album impressions and new releases:

Official Website: http://www.hearinggold.com
Submit Music: http://www.hearinggold.com/contact/

78. Highclouds

Genres: Various Genres
Highclouds started as a web radio in 2005. It has gradually turned into a music blog that focuses on reviewing music. The blog has album reviews, EP reviews, track reviews and video reviews of artists they like.
Highclouds has a unique section called, “Homocore” which focuses on the relationship between today’s music and topics such as sexism, feminism and gender:

Official Website: http://www.highclouds.org/sample-page/
Submit Music: http://www.highclouds.org/music-submissions/

79. High Five For

Genres: Various Genres
Here is what I found out about High Five For: it is a music blog run by a guy called Jeremey. The blog has an area called “Radio” where you can play music endlessly. It also features articles, reviews, highly recommended music and even essays:

Official Website: https://hi54.blog
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/high-five-for

80. Hillydilly

Genres: Various Genres
Hillydilly is a music platform dedicated to discovering new music. They publish only the best music and aim at connecting their readers to all the good music that’s out there:

Official Website: https://www.hillydilly.com
Submit Music: https://www.hillydilly.com/submit

81. Hip Hop Wired

Genres: Hip Hop
This is the perfect place for getting many different perspectives on Hip Hop. Hip Hop Wired strives to precisely cover the various facets of Hip Hop without being afraid of political or social issues. The blog has a news section, a newsletter, music reviews and a lot more:

Official Website: http://hiphopwired.com
Submit Music: http://hiphopwired.com/contact/

82. House of Lords

Genres: Hip Hop, House, R&B, Electronic, and Indie
House of Lords is a music blog based in Toronto. In this blog you’ll find daily posts that feature SoundCloud tracks; a list of upcoming music events; a photo gallery and a House of Lords Spotify playlist:

Official Website: http://houseoflords.xyz/genres/
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/house-of-lords

83. House Music With Love

Genres: Various Electronic Genres
This music blog started in 2008 in Sweden. It strives to tell you the stories of awesome musicians. It features news, interviews, articles and a podcast:

Official Website: http://www.housemusicwithlove.com
Submit Music: http://www.housemusicwithlove.com/contact/

84. Human Drizzle

Genres: Electronic
This rather minimalistic music blog is dedicated to bringing you the best new electronic music, whatever the weather:

Official Website: https://humandrizzle.com
Submit Music: https://humandrizzle.com/contact/

85. I Am Tuned Up

Genres: Various Genres
Here’s what you won’t find on I Am Tuned Up: articles covering old band drama news, summaries of press releases and reviews of artists who are not really serious about their craft.
What you will find on I Am Tuned Up is plenty of singles, albums and concert reviews. Other than that, I Am Tuned Up also features a cool podcast:

Official Website: http://iamtunedup.com
Submit Music: http://iamtunedup.com/contact/

86. Indietronica

Genres: Indie, Electro, Electronica, Rock, Pop
This music blog covers many diverse genres with short reviews that are accompanied by SoundCloud tracks:

Official Website: http://indietronica.org
Submit Music: info@indietronica.org

87. Indie Air

Genres: Indie, Alternative
If you’re looking for some YouTube exposure, Indie Air is the right place. This YouTube channel will unveil your songs to a worldwide YouTube audience:

Official Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVoraDictyd89xgZt-J2Frw/featured
Submit Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVoraDictyd89xgZt-J2Frw/about

88. Indie Central Music

Genres: Indie, Alt
This cool blog was founded by Alex Pearson and is led by three other senior editors: Adam Hamza, George O’dell and Stephen McMahon.
This passionate team presents news, interviews, music reviews, monthly discovery of artists and more.
Indie Central Music also features a regular radio show:

Official Website: http://indiecentralmusic.com
Submit Music: http://indiecentralmusic.com/contact/

89. Indie Folk Central

Genres: Indie Folk
Indie Folk Central was founded by an avid music fan called Rufus in 2012. Back then, it operated solely on YouTube and SounCloud. Today, this music blog brings forth some of the best undiscovered folk music.
It offers a weekly video in which features Indie Folk songs:

Official Website: https://indiefolkcentral.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/indiefolkcentral

90. Indie Is Not a Genre

Genres: Various Genres
I love the name “Indie Is Not A Genre” because I totally agree with the blog’s claim: you can’t really associate the word “indie” with any particular music genre. In fact, some major labels have noticed the commercial potential of the word “indie” and have taking advantage of it. With that in mind, on Indie Is Not a Genre is where you can get the latest news, album reviews and interviews. There is no association to one particular music genre:

Official Website: https://www.indieisnotagenre.com
Submit Music: https://www.indieisnotagenre.com/about-contact/ f

91. Indie Minded

Genres: Various Genres
This music magazine from Boston started in 2010. It covers music from around the world and provides news, reviews, live concert galleries interviews and much more:

Official Website: http://indieminded.com
Submit Music: http://indieminded.com/how-to-get-featured-on-indie-minded/

92. Indie Music Filter

Genres: New Indie
Indie Music Filter is a Toronto based music blog that brings you the latest Indie music. This includes reviews, videos, streaming playlists and a newsletter:

Official Website: https://indiemusicfilter.com
Submit Music: https://indiemusicfilter.com/contact-info-for-indie-music-filter

93. Indie Music Home

Genres: Hip Hop, Indie Pop, Indie Electro, Indie Rock
Indie Music home is a music blog about the experience of music and how it can add value to your life. The homepage welcomes you with plenty of music reviews. Note that you can submit only one song at a time:

Official Website: http://indiemusichome.com
Submit Music: http://indiemusichome.com/submit-music/

94. Indie Music Life

Genres: Electronic, Alternative, Indie
Indie Music Life is a website dedicated to curating music. It has a very cool and unique feature on this website: every time you load the site it will shuffle the playlist and introduce you to new songs.
Notice that they don’t accept demos but only complete versions of songs:

Official Website: http://www.indiemusic.life
Submit Music: http://www.indiemusic.life/submissions/

95. Indie Music Magazine

Genres: Indie
Indie Music Magazine’s aim is to be the website you’ll go to whenever you need knowledge on Indie music. The site has album and concert reviews and lists interesting artists on a daily basis:

Official Website: http://indiemusicmag.com/home/
Submit Music: http://indiemusicmag.com/home/contact/

96. IndiePulse Music Magazine

Genres: Indie
IndiePluse Music is a magazine that shares stories about Indie musicians. It features news, reviews, interviews and podcasts. Besides being a music website it is also an excellent source of information for musicians. For example, IndiePulse Music has a “Music Education” section that covers educational music sources. It also has an artist/band directory, an equipment and rental section, a list of recording studios and a lot more:

Official Website: https://indiepulsemusic.com
Submit Music: https://indiepulsemusic.com/about/ G

97. Indie Music Plus

Genres: Indie
Indie Music Plus (IMP) aims to become the home for Indie musicians from around the world. Their weekly Facebook live broadcast features interesting artists. The Music Business section will give you tips on songwriting, marketing and more. Indie Music Plus also features Dtube, Dsound, Soundcloud, iTunes and YouTube video reviews:

Official Website: http://indiemusicplus.com
Submit Music: http://indiemusicplus.com/submit-music/

98. Indie Nation

Genres: Indie, Electronic, Alternative
Indie Nation is not a blog but a YouTube channel. This is a great place to listen to various electronic and alternative music:

Official Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS34YVeqtFViWRB3jc3o2FQ/featured
Submit Music: kerick@nations.io

99. Indie Music Review

Genres: Indie
On Indie Music Review you’ll find all of the types of reviews: album, EP, singles, videos and shows. This New York based music blog’s goal is to showcase indie artists from all over the globe.
The site features a list of upcoming recommended indies shows:

Official Website: http://www.indiemusicreview.com
Submit Music: http://www.indiemusicreview.com/get-reviewed

100. Indie Obsessive

Genres: Indie
If you are obsessed with Indie shows, Indie Obsessive is the perfect music blog for you. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, the blog reviews shows and music:

Official Website: http://indieobsessive.blogspot.com
Submit Music: IndieObsessive@gmail.com

101. Indie Rock Caffe

Genres: Indie
Indie Rock Cafe focuses on connecting people who love music with gifted musicians. This music blog’s writers review music regularly and feature songs that are rarely listened to:

Official Website: https://indierockcafe.com
Submit Music: https://indierockcafe.com/submit-music/

102. Indie Shuffle

Genres: Various Genres
Indie Shuffle is a website where new songs and playlists are featured and analyzed. This is a great site to explore different types of genres.
It’s important to note that their team of international writers doesn’t like auto-tuned music; they don’t cover mixes; and generally stay away from YouTube.”:

Official Website: https://www.indieshuffle.com
Submit Music: https://indiepulsemusic.com/about/

103. Indie Underground

Genres: Alternative, Disco, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Funk, House, Rock, Pop, Soul
Indie Underground’s aim is to bring Indie and/or Alternative Music Aboveground. The blog is run by Aaron McMillan. Aaron provides his readers with monthly Spotify playlists, photos (of concerts, festivals and artists), music reviews, interviews and event reviews:

Official Website: http://indieunderground.ca
Submit Music: info@indieunderground.ca

104. Indie Voice Blog

Genres: Indie
Indie Voice Blog is run by Bob Leggett, a reporter and music critic. He has dedicated his writing career to covering, promoting and supporting indie artists. His LA based blog features articles, reviews, previews, backgrounds and profiles of indie artists and their works:

Official Website: http://www.lamusiccritic.com/indie_voice_blog/
Submit Music: lamusiccritic@gmail.com

105. It’s All Indie

Genres: Indie
As you probably already figured out from the name, this blog is all about Indie music. It’s All Indie is an online community that examines all kinds of indie artists and bands. It focuses mainly on music reviews:

Official Website: http://www.itsallindie.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/its-all-indie

106. Jamsphere

Genres: Various Genres
“We Make Music Irresistible” — This is the motto of Jamsphere, an independent music magazine and radio network. What’s in it for you here?Reviews of music and shows around the globe. The site covers the latest indie music news. There is a printed issue of the magazine:

Official Website: http://jamsphere.com
Submit Music: http://jamsphere.com/jam-rock-radio

107. Kane FM

Genres: Jazz, Electronica, Hip Hop, Techno, Drum & Bass, Dub, Soundtracks, Funk, Soul, House, Roots & Culture
Kane FM started as a pirate radio station.
It gradually evolved into a non-for-profit Community Radio Station. Kane FM focuses on unique underground bass music. Note that Kane FM does not play rock, pop or any other mainstream genre:

Official Website: https://www.kanefm.com
Submit Music: https://www.kanefm.com/contact/

108. Keep Walking Music

Genres: Alternative, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Indie Folk, Indie Electro, Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Blues
Keep Walking Music is a music blog based in Madrid, Spain.
It offers reviews that aim at discovering excellent music.
The site has a Premiere section where the latest releases are covered:

Official Website: https://keepwalkingmusic.com
Submit Music: https://keepwalkingmusic.com/submit/

109. Kid with a Vinyl

Genres: Various Genres
A music blog from Austin Texas, that covers the latest new music.
It is updated numerous times a week, with a large range of album reviews:

Official Website: https://kidwithavinyl.wordpress.com
Submit Music: https://kidwithavinyl.wordpress.com/contact-1/

110. Kings of A&R

Genres: Various Genres
KOAR is dedicated to discovering emerging artists before they become well known. In the past, the blog has been selected as one of the top seventy five music blogs. It has been mentioned by various tastemakers.
The blog contains interviews, music reviews and articles on its latest discoveries. KOAR claims that unlike most music blogs, they don’t use algorithms to select and discover music but rely on their human instincts:

Official Website: http://kingsofar.com
Submit Music: http://kingsofar.com/contact/

111. KMM Reviews

Genres: Various Genres
You can read many types of music reviews and interviews at KMM Reviews. A vinyl loving music nerd created this blog, and he welcomes your submissions:

Official Website: http://www.kmmreviews.com
Submit Music: http://www.kmmreviews.com/p/submit-new-music.html

112. Knox Road

Genres: Indie
Knox Road is a music blog that features various types of indie music.
It is run by Lee Levin and Jamie Hale.
I’m not quite sure if this blog is still active, though:

Official Website: http://www.knoxroad.com
Submit Music: http://www.knoxroad.com/contact/

113. LA On Lock

Genres: Various Genres
If you are looking for a great source for underground hype in Los Angeles, LA on Lock is a blog you should visit.
Their staff has been dedicated to cover emerging LA artists.
The blog features songs, mixtapes, events, articles and news:

Official Website: https://www.laonlock.com
Submit Music: https://www.laonlock.com/submissions/

114. L.A. Record

Genres: Various Genres
L.A. Record is a community magazine trending the latest news from all around Los Angeles. The site includes interviews, record reviews, live show reviews and photos:

Official Website: http://larecord.com
Submit Music: http://larecord.com/contact-la-record

115. Little Indie

Genres: Indie, Post-punk, Punk, Alt-pop, Grunge, Dreampop, Psych, Shoegaze, Garage rock
This is a UK based music blog where you can find lots of reviews of emerging indie artists. The site features a track of the day, a track of the week and a best new track section.
Check out their submission guidelines before you send your music. Notice that they do not feature song covers, country, blues, heavy rock or metal:

Official Website: http://littleindieblogs.blogspot.co.il
Submit Music: http://littleindieblogs.blogspot.co.il/2014/12/little-indie-blogs-submission-guidelines.html

116. Live Music Blog

Genres: Various Genres
Justin Ward started Live Music Blog in 2004.
This is a great source for the latest updates on live shows. Featuring over 8,000 posts Live Music Blog is the website to visit when you want to watch photos of great concerts and read the latest live gigs news:

Official Website: https://livemusicblog.com
Submit Music: https://livemusicblog.com/contact/

117. Louder Than War

Genres: Various Genres
Louder Than War is all about not following the preconceived rules of music. It’s creators got bored of the typical music genres and decided they wanted to look for unique music. This UK based music blog is always looking for the next new music. They are not afraid of featuring old music along new music:

Official Website: http://louderthanwar.com
Submit Music: http://louderthanwar.com/contact/

118. Manifesto Music

Genres: Electronic
Manifesto is a record label that started in 2016. It strives to change today’s electronic music scene and provides a place for creativity and experimentation. The blog’s homepage features Spotify playlists of the artists that are currently in the spotlight. Note that they also accept demo submissions:

Official Website:  http://manifesto-music.com
Spotify Submission:  https://www.toneden.io/manifesto-music/post/submit-your-music
Demo Submission:  https://www.submithub.com/blog/manifesto

119. MarsBands

Genres: Various Genres
MarsBands has an interesting approach to mainstream radio: they believe that it focuses on fame and fortune instead of quality and content. For this reason the site’s editors work hard to look for talented, unsigned and undiscovered artists from all over the world:

Official Website: http://www.marsbands.com
Submit Music: http://www.marsbands.com/submit/

120. Mix It All Up

Genres: Various Genres
Mix It All Up is a music blog that has it all: the latest news, a track of the day, album reviews, live reviews, a photo gallery, interviews, gig reviews and festival previews. This UK based blog features signed and unsigned artists. Please note that they don’t accept pop-punk, metal, folk, country and commercial pop submissions:

Official Website: http://mixitallup.com
Submit Music: http://mixitallup.com/about-mix-it-all-up/

121. Mp3 Hugger

Genres: Indie, Electronica
Twelve days. That’s all the time you’ll have to download an mp3 track from Mp3hugger. After twelve days the song isn’t available. The reason for the time limit is Mp3 Hugger’s intention to not violate copyright laws. This Irish indie music blog was founded in 2005 by Kevin Hugger. In addition to the many music reviews it features various playlists:

Official Website: http://www.mp3hugger.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/mp3hugger

122. Mugatunes

Genres: Various Genres
When you enter Mugatunes you’ll probably be welcomed by a pop up that will tell you that the site is putting music curation back into the hands of the fans. The Mugatunes team carefully pick the songs that are featured on the site. But how is music selected, you may ask. Well, it works like this: students from universities all over the world apply to become “tastemakers”. When they are approved they post the best new songs, create playlists, write articles, and interview artists:

Official Website: http://www.mugatunes.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/mugatunes

123. Music For Your Heart

Genres: Love/Romantic Songs
The typical Music For Your Heart visitor is a woman between the ages of 20-50 that loves chivalry and romance 🙂 As you may have guessed, this site is all about powerful music that will move something in your heart and make you shiver:
Official Website: http://www.musicforyourheart.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/music-for-your-heart

124. Music in SF

Genres: Various Genres
Music in SF, is a San Francisco music blog that was started by Louis Raphael. The blog covers music from San Francisco and general Bay Area music scene. It features interviews with artists from San Francisco and around the United States, music news, concerts and events, and concert reviews:

Official Website: https://www.musicinsf.com
Submit Music: https://www.musicinsf.com/contact-us/

125. Musicto

Genres: Various Genres
Music to Curator brings forth music that is selected by curators. The curators running the site are from diverse backgrounds — musicians, moviemakers, barristers and baristas, DJs, digital marketers and more. Every week they select one track, write an article about it, promote it on social media and add it to the Musicto playlists.
You can submit a track for free:

Official Website: https://www.musicto.com
Submit Music: https://www.musicto.com/submit-a-track/

126. Music Emissions

Genres: Various Genres
Once a college review site, Music Emissions has turned into a community that consists of about five thousand users that love indie music. The many reviews on the site were created by reviewers from across the world.
Music Emissions helps artists get discovered, and allows journalism students to express themselves. It gives indie music junkies a way to discover new music.
Note that guaranteed reviews cost a fee that starts at 40$. This includes an artist profile page, an album page and a guaranteed album review:

Official Website: http://www.musicemissions.com/index.php
Submit Music: http://www.musicemissions.com/misc/get-your-album-reviewed.php

127. The Music Essentials

Genres: EDM
Music Essentials is dedicated to keeping EDM music alive. If you head to Music Enthusiast, you’ll find reviews accompanied by YouTube videos. You’ll also find intriguing interviews.

Official Website: https://themusicessentials.com
Submit Music: https://themusicessentials.com/contact-us/

128. Mute Control

Genres: Electronic
If you can read Spanish and you like Electronic music you’ll love Mute Control. This is a music blog in Spanish that covers Electronic music.
It features articles, album reviews, interviews, news and a podcast:

Official Website: http://www.mutecontrol.com
Submit Music: http://www.mutecontrol.com/contacto/

129. My Old Kentucky Blog

Genres: Various Genres
This Indianapolis based blog is packed with very interesting categories that go beyond covering music; these include: album stream, contest, film, festival, mixtape, radio, playlist, SXSW, tribute and many more:

Official Website: http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com
Submit Music: dodge77@gmail.com

130. Mystic Sons

Genres: Indie, Rock, Hip Hop, Dance
Mystic Sons is a promotion company that is based in London.
They strive to bring you the newest music from around the world. All artists are welcome. As long as the music is good, Mystic Sons don’t care if the artist is a unsigned or an established artist.
In their opinion, every musician needs support:

Official Website: http://www.mysticsons.com
Submit Music: http://www.mysticsons.com/contact

131. Metalhead Community Blog

Genres: Metal, Rock
Metalhead’s small and open minded team of writes reviews metal and rock music from around the world. Metalhead started off as a a place that designed clothes for Metalheads and gradually evolved into an established music blog:

Official Website: https://heavymetaltshirts.net
Submit Music: https://heavymetaltshirts.net/submit_music/

132. Metal Injection

Genres: Heavy Metal
Run by Robe Robert Pasbani and Frank Godla, this blog is packed with articles featuring Heavy Metal artists. Besides that, the site has original videos, interviews and podcasts.
Note that they do not accept unsolicited demo/music submissions. However, they are currently working on a new system for demo submission.
They do accept videos:

Official Website: http://www.metalinjection.net
Submit Music: http://www.metalinjection.net/contact-us

133. Metal Underground

Genres: Metal
Metal Underground was founded in 2011 by Doug Gibson. It aims at discovering new metal music. Metal Underground has a team of professional and freelance writers. In addition to the broad metal news coverage, the site also features reviews, interviews, band info, live concert reports photos and more:

Official Website: http://www.metalunderground.com
Submit Music: http://www.metalunderground.com/about_us/contact_us/

134. Moonlith Cocktail

Genres: Various Genres
Moonlith Cocktail is a music blog run my Dominic Valvona. What makes Moonlith Cocktail unique is a very eclectic playlist selection that spans different genres from different eras from across the world.

Official Website: https://monolithcocktail.com
Submit Music: https://monolithcocktail.com/contact/

135. Music Boombox

Genres: Hip Hop, R&B, other Alternative Genres
Music Boombox is a music blog based in the Central Coast (of the United States). It makes an effort to feature some of the best talent from across the world. The site includes single reviews, interviews, videos, news and a SoundCloud radio channel:

Official Website: http://musicboombox.com
Submit Music: http://musicboombox.com/submissions/

136. Musically Fresh

Genres: Various Genres
Musically Fresh was founded by Stefan Armitage, Cameron Rawson and Matthew Speer. Musically Fresh delivers reviews and music news. At the moment they have decided to take a break from email requests due to an overloaded request but things might change soon:

Official Website: http://musicallyfresh.com
Submit Music: http://musicallyfresh.com/contact/

137. Musicsavage

Genres: Various Genres
“No More, No Less” — That is Musicsavage’s moto. Other than the fact that this blog was founded by a blogger named Kyle, I don’t know much about the blog. The site is updated on a regular basis and features intriguing reviews:

Official Website: http://www.musicsavage.com
Submit Music: http://www.musicsavage.com/contact-us-2/

138. Music That We Like

Genres: Indie, Pop, Electronic
Music That We Like is based in Beijing, China.
Their prolific writers review the best new artists from Asia and the rest of the world:

Official Website: http://musicthatwelike.com
Submit Music: http://musicthatwelike.com/about

139. Nashville Country Club

Genres: Country
If you like Country music, you can get plenty of Country music reviews on this site. The reviews here focus on music from Nashville, Tennessee. The site features interviews with Nashville Country artists, videos, playlists and live concert-ootage from different events they attend:

Official Website: http://goncc.com
Submit Music: http://goncc.com/contact/

140. Neon Filter

Genres: Indie, Alternative
This UK based blog was founded by Joe Lepper and Dorian Rogers in 2009. You’ll find many interesting articles here like “Top Ten Guitarists That don’t Often Make Top Ten Guitarists Lists” or “Top Ten Indie Music Tearjerkers.” The blog also delivers the latest Indie/Alternative news from around the world:

Official Website: http://www.neonfiller.com/wordpress/
Submit Music: http://www.neonfiller.com/wordpress/?page_id=25

141. No Country For New Nashville

Genres: Country
No Country For New Nashville delivers all the information you need on the indie music scene in Nashville. This includes a list of local record shops, music blogs, music festivals, Nashville venues, No Country For New Nashville Spotify playlist and a newsletter:

Official Website: http://nocountryfornewnashville.com
Submit Music: info@NoCountryForNewNashville.com

142. Noonday Tune

Genres: Various Genres
Noonday Tune has been around since 2011. Its editors share music that they are into and publish only one new song a day.
The editors prefer lyrical songs that are original and unlikely to be played on a commercial pop radio station:

Official Website: http://noondaytune.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/noonday-tune

143. Nordic by Nature

Genres: Various Genres
Nordic by Nature is a music blog based in Berlin.
Every week the editors select the best tracks and videos from all around Scandinavia:

Official Website: http://nordicbynatureberlin.com
Submit Music: hej@nordicbynatureberlin.com

144. Nord Music Review

Genres: Various Genres – Nordic acts/UK based acts
Nord Music Review is a UK based music blog. In their view, there isn’t much focus on albums these days therefore they focus mainly on album releases. Their focus is manly Nordic acts but also those musicians that are planning to tour in the UK:

Official Website: https://www.nordicmusicreview.com
Submit Music: https://www.nordicmusicreview.com/contact

145. Nordic Spotlight

Genres: Various Genres from Nordic countries
Nordic Spotlight is a music blog that started in 2011. The blog’s team of writers focuses on the best music from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland (also Greenland and the Faroe Islands).
Their writers travel to Scandinavia in order to cover music festivals in the Nordic countries:

Official Website: https://nordicspotlight.com
Submit Music: https://nordicspotlight.com/music-submissions/

146. Obscure Sound

Genres: Various Genres
Obscure Sound is an indie music blog that was established 2006 by Mike Mineo. Mike formed the blog because he loves discovering new and emerging quality music. The purpose of the blog is to provide music fans with the latest and greatest music.
Mike prefers the artist that are not well known:

Official Website: https://www.obscuresound.com
Submit Music: https://www.obscuresound.com/about/contact/

147. Omari MC

Genres: Various Genres
Omari MC is a Pittsburgh based music blog that covers Hip Hop, Rap and R&B. The blog was formed by Omari, a producer and blogger. When you enter the blog, you discover a lot of promotional channels such as Soundcloud, Spotify, YouTube, Radio, Podcast and more:

Official Website: https://www.omarimc.com
Submit Music: https://www.omarimc.com/submit-your-music/

148. Ovrld

Genres: Various Genres
Ovrld (or short for “overload”) is a blog run by music fans from the United States. It is based in Austin, Texas, United States.
Their goal is to help their visitors discover the vibrant music scene in Austin. The blog delivers songs, interviews, podcasts and more:

Official Website: http://ovrld.com
Submit Music: http://ovrld.com/contact-us/
contact@ovrld.com

149. Pigeons & Planes

Genres: Various Genres
Pigeons & Planes is a great blog to discover new music. The blog covers new music, across all genres and from all the countries in the world. They love music by awesome musicians, whether they’re established artists or aspiring artists:

Official Website: https://pigeonsandplanes.com
Submit Music: https://pigeonsandplanes.com/contact

150. Planeta Pop

Genres: Alternative Pop, Indie, Power Pop, Electro Pop
Here’s a cool blog in Spanish that features a radio program dedicated to alternative pop, indie, power pop and electro pop.
The blog also presents articles and the latest video clips:

Official Website: http://www.planetapop.com
Submit Music: http://www.planetapop.com/about

151. Podcart

Genres: Various Genres
Podcart is a music blog and podcast that is based in Scotland. They cover music from Scotland and from across the globe. All genres are covered. If they listen to a good song and they like it, they’ll write about it:

Official Website: http://podcart.co
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/podcart

152. Popjustice

Genres: Pop
Popjustice is a music blog that was established by music journalist Peter Robinson in 2000. Robinson claims that he likes music with drum machines and sad-sounding singers.
He looks for music that sounds and feels original:

Official Website: https://www.popjustice.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/popjustice

153. POPMUZIK

Genres: Pop
When you enter POPMUZIK don’t be intimidated by the Swedish language. Scroll down and you’ll see English.
POPMUZIK was formed by Stötta bloggen and is one of the biggest Swedish music blogs around. Stötta loves music that sounds like Pet Shop Boys, Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift, Tove Lo or Justin Biber (don’t submit hard rock and hip hop). Notice that he only accepts new music. Music that is older than 2 weeks is not accepted.

Official Website: https://popmuzik.se/kontakt/
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/popmuzik

154. Potholes in my blog

Genres: Hip Hop
Potholes in my blog is a Hip Hop blog that features new music, album reviews, breaking artists and free podcasts:

Official Website: http://potholesinmyblog.com
Submit Music: http://potholesinmyblog.com/submissions/
potholesinmyblog@gmail.com

155. Primal Music Blog

Genres: Resonance, Vibration, Echo, Shoegaze, Ethereal dreampop, Postpunk and Modern Sych
Primal Music Blog is a music blog based in Ireland.
Notice that its team of writers will not review submissions that contain Spotify or iTunes links:

Official Website: http://primalmusicblog.com
Submit Music: http://primalmusicblog.com/contact-us/

156. Purple Melon Music

Genres: Pop and Soul/R&B, Experimental, Indie
Purple Melon Music was founded in 2014 by Lex Low and Eddy Atlantis. Enter the blog, and you’ll see a gallery of beautiful artist photos.
The blog aims to bring you the best and latest music:

Official Website: https://purplemelonmu.com
Submit Music: https://purplemelonmu.com/contact/

157. Ransom Note

Genres: Dance
Ransom Note is an online music, arts and culture magazine meant to bring its readers an impeccable taste. It focuses on dance music. Its writers publish news, articles, and interviews covering fresh original, underground culture from around the world:

Official Website: https://www.theransomnote.com
Submit Music: info@theransomnote.co.uk

158. Rap Up

Genres: Hip Hop, R&B
Rap-Up is a magazine where you can find lots of information and insights on hip hop and R&B. Since its foundation in 2001, it has featured well known artists such as Beyoncé, T.I., Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Ludacris, Pharrell, and Young Jeezy:

Official Website: http://www.rap-up.com
Submit Music: http://www.rap-up.com/contact-us/

159. Rap Radar

Genres: Hip Hop
Elliott “YN” Wilson, Brian “B.Dot” Miller, Paul “Big Homie” Duong and Jimmy Williams created Rap Radar. This New York based music blog presents the latest news, music and video in Hip Hop Culture:

Official Website: http://rapradar.com
Submit Music: http://rapradar.com/contact/

160. Rave Reviews

Genres: Electronic, Rave
Rave Reviews is a music blog that covers rave and electronic music.
It features great articles and a Hall of Rave — a collection of tweets from the big names in the electronic music community:

Official Website: http://ravereviews.house
Submit Music: http://ravereviews.house/contact/

161. Raven Sings the Blues

Genres: Various Genres
Tom Sullivan, Andy French and Mike DeSutter founded Raven Sings the Blues in 2006 when they were employed at Insound.com, an indie vinyl site (Insound.com no longer exists).
The blog delivers video reviews, a newsletter, album reviews and much more. You can send Raven Sings the Blues music for review by email and/or you can send them a (physical) vinyl record:

Official Website: http://www.ravensingstheblues.com
Submit Music: http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/contact/

162. Rock The Pigeon

Genres: Rock, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Hip Hop, Country
ROCK THE PIGEON is a San Francisco based blog that covers music, poetry, art and culture. Its team of writers love indie music although they cover all types of music:

Official Website: https://rockthepigeon.com
Submit Music: https://rockthepigeon.com/contact/

163. Run The Trap

Genres: Trap Music, Hip Hop, Future Bass, Jeresy Club, House, Dubstep
Founded in 2012, Run The Trap is a great source of underground trap music and related underground genres. They are very selective about the music they post. The site features free downloads, news, concert reviews and an online store:

Official Website: https://runthetrap.com
Submit Music: https://runthetrap.com/contact-us/

164. Santa Rosa Records

Genres: Various Genres
Santa Rosa Records is an indie label and publishing company. The site features sections that cover vinyl records, cds and cassettes.
They have curated playlists on Spotify and Soundcloud:

Official Website: https://www.santarosarecords.com
Submit Music: https://www.santarosarecords.com/contact

165. Saving Country Music

Genres: Country, Roots, Rockabilly, Bluegrass, Blues, Folk
Like its name suggests, Saving Country Music’s purpose is to save Country music. The blog was founded in 2008 and evolved into a site dedicated to preserving the country genre. It presents news, opinions, reviews, artist profiles, music history and a newsletter:

Official Website: https://www.savingcountrymusic.com
Submit Music: https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/contact/

166. Semplesize

Genres: Indie-Pop, Electro-Pop, Electronica
This is an Indie-Pop/Electro-Pop blog.
Notice that they rarely cover rap, country, remixes or covers:

Official Website: http://www.semplesize.com
Submit Music: http://www.semplesize.com/contact/

167. Sidekick

Genres: Electronic
Enter Sidekick, scroll down and you’ll see a “Submit Your Music” section. This record label and an internet radio station focuses on electronic music. It features interesting articles on various artists.
You can submit playlists of your songs through their website:

Official Website: https://www.sidekick-music.com
Submit Music: https://www.sidekick-music.com/playlist-submission

168. Silver Soundz

Genres: Electronic
Check out Silver Soundz for interesting articles on electronic music.
This Dublin based blog features music, mixes and videos:

Official Website: http://silversoundz.com
Submit Music: http://silversoundz.com/contact/

169. Sing Out!

Genres: Folk
Sing Out! was as a quarterly journal of folk songs and folk music that started in 1950. Today Sing Out! is an organization that focuses on the publication of song collections, sound recordings, folk music books and directories. The website features news, reviews, a radio program and a store:

Official Website: https://singout.org
Submit Music: http://www.singout.org/submit.html

170. Site of Sound

Genres: Various Genres
The Site of Sound is an independent music blog that started in 2009.
It focusses on discovering new music:

Official Website: http://siteofsound.com
Submit Music: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMQ7Kc6zyrS5iAyqY0QPUjQniuT5hG5ICye7AOYRJOeVnKNg/viewform?c=0&w=1#_=_

171. Sleepy Wolf

Genres: Various Genres
This YouTube channel was formed in 2016. It shares the latest and most diversified music. Its purpose is to discover upcoming artists. These are some of the artists that were featured on Sleepy Wolf: Lauv, Tedy, Jaymes Young, Illenium, EDEN, Blackbear as well as Ed Sheeran, Zedd, The Chainsmokers, Alessia Cara, Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa:

Official Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdshgFp1JHnqjnB5HrPRwfQ
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/chill-zone

172. Sodwee

Genres: Electronic, Indie-Pop Electro, Pop, R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, Rock
Sodwee stands for “Sounds of Da WEEk”. It was formed in 2006 and is run by Ben, who works for Get In!, a well know PR agency that promotes DJs.
Ben presents new tracks and videos every week.
The blog’s articles review the latest music:

Official Website: https://sodwee.com/blog/
Submit Music: https://sodwee.com/blog/contactus/

173. Songdew

Genres: Various Genres
Songdew is a platform which not only helps artists promote music online, but also provides them with opportunities to generate income. You can create a profile on the website and upload your tracks, videos and social links. Songdews’s recommendation engine, radio and playlists will help you reach the right audience:

Official Website: https://songdew.com
Submit Music: https://songdew.com/opportunities.html

174. Soundsphere Magazine

Genres: Alternative
Soundsphere Magazine was established in 2008 with the aim of showcasing the best alternative talent in the North of England. Nowadays, it covers a lot more: album reviews, interviews, the latest news and much more. They take on anything that sounds great so long as it’s an alternative to the “pop” label:

Official Website: http://www.soundspheremag.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/soundsphere-magazine

175. Sounds Like Nashville

Genres: Country
Sounds Like Nashville’s content focuses on genre, lifestyle, and culture of Country music. Enter the blog and you’ll see exclusive interviews with Country music’s biggest names; interviews with emerging stars and the latest Nashville cultural news:

Official Website: http://www.soundslikenashville.com
Submit Music: http://www.soundslikenashville.com/contact-us/

176. Sounds Of A Tired City

Genres: Electronic, Experimental
This is a great place to find reviews on electronic and experimental music. The blog provides interviews and album reviews. Before submitting your music, notice that Sounds of A Tired City do not accept EDM, pop and hip hop. They do accept electronic and experimental music:

Official Website: http://soundsofatiredcity.com
Submit Music: http://soundsofatiredcity.com/about/

177. Speaker Ink

Genres: Indie
Speaker Ink is a blog that spotlights the talented and undiscovered:

Official Website: http://www.speakerink.com
Submit Music: http://www.speakerink.com/p/contact.html

178. Spinrilla

Genres: Hip Hop
Spinrilla is a large catalog that consists of independent hip hop music. Independent Hip Hop artists that would like to be discovered may find Spinrilla very valuable. New music is added on a daily basis:

Official Website: https://www.spinrilla.com
Submit Music: https://help.spinrilla.com/hc/en-us/articles/201237190-How-do-I-upload-my-music-to-Spinrilla-

179. SSGmusic

Genres: Various Genres
SSGmusic is an international music blog that features news, interviews, concert reviews and previews:

Official Website: http://www.ssgmusic.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/ssg-music

180. Stamp The Wax

Genres: Disco, Hip Hop, House, Jazz, New Wave/Experimental, Non Wester, Reggae and Soul
Stamp The Wax is run by Aaron Levitt and Joshua Brill. These two friends started the blog in 2011. This is where they talk about the music they love, mixes, videos and events. The blog features a radio show:

Official Website: http://www.stampthewax.com
Submit Music: http://www.stampthewax.com/contact/

181. Stereofox

Genres: Various Genres
Stereofox is a project that is led by a diverse group of passionate people from around the world. The site aims at discovering emerging artists and share great music. Articles, playlists, mixes and songs are featured on the website:

Official Website: https://www.stereofox.com
Submit Music: https://www.stereofox.com/contact/

182. Surviving for the Golden Age

Genres: Various Genres
Surviving for the Golden Age, or StGA started in 2005. Since 2005, it has turned into a very interesting blog that covers a wide range of genres.
On StGA you’ll find news, reviews, interviews and a store:

Official Website: http://survivingthegoldenage.com
Submit Music: http://survivingthegoldenage.com/about/submissions/

183. SYFFAL

Genres: Indie
If you’re interested in Indie music, you should check out SYFFAL. This blog delivers album and band reviews of indie artists. They claim that the don’t care about genre, location or intended listening audience:

Official Website: http://www.syffal.com
Submit Music: http://www.syffal.com/music-submissions

184. Sync.

Genres: Alternative, Indie, Dance
This music blog was founded in 2014. Although its writers mostly cover alternative, indie, and dance, they claim that anything goes as long as they like it. The blog’s most important sections is called “Discover”.
This is where they feature some of the best emerging artists:

Official Website: https://musyncuk.com
Submit Music: syncmusic@outlook.com

185. Tanzgemeinschaft

Genres: Electronic, House, Progressive, Techno, Deep house, Minimal
Tanzgemeinschaft is a Belgium based blog that was established in 2014. Its purpose is to promote young and talented musicians. It features interviews with artists, music news, reviews, a newsletter and podcasts:

Official Website: https://www.tanzgemeinschaft.com
Submit Music: https://www.tanzgemeinschaft.com/contact

186. The Blue Walrus

Genres:. Various Genres
When Tim Dickinson wanted to share his passion for fresh new music he founded The Blue Walrus in 2006. Enter the blog, and you’ll find monthly mixtapes, articles on featured artists and the latest news:

Official Website: https://thebluewalrus.com
Submit Music: https://thebluewalrus.com/contact/

187. The Daily Listening

Genres: Various Genres
The Daily Listening is a blog that was founded by Tina Roumeliotis in 2015. It’s a “no-nonsense music site dedicated to cultivating a community of music enthusiasts.” Its mission is to promote artists that are trying to break out. Before submitting your songs check out their very detailed guidelines:

Official Website: http://www.thedailylistening.com
Submit Music: http://www.thedailylistening.com/contact/

188. The Grey Estates

Genres: Indie
The Grey Estates is an indie music blog that was founded by Lauren Rearick in 2013. It has a newsletter and a podcast.
Although they don’t respond to every submission, they love listening to new music:

Official Website: http://www.thegreyestates.com
Submit Music: http://www.thegreyestates.com/about/

189. The Groove Cartel

Genres: Electronic
The Groove Cartel is a cool electronic music blog that was founded by Nicola Caldognetto. The blog collaborates with leading labels, artists, festivals and PR agencies. It is also a record label company:

Official Website: https://thegroovecartel.com
Submit Music: https://thegroovecartel.com/submit-music/

190. The Indie Sound

Genres: Indie
The Indie Sound is run by a group of passionate writers that strive to promote both established and emerging artists.
The blog covers live reviews, featured artist and festivals:

Official Website: http://theindiesound.com
Submit Music: http://theindiesound.com/artist-submissions/

191. The Modern Folk of America

Genres: Folk
The Modern Folk of America is the place to visit if you’re looking for homemade Folk music. The blog has a variety of short articles that review Folk songs:

Official Website: http://www.themodernfolk.net
Submit Music: the.modern.folk@gmail.com

192. The Monday Morning Tape

Genres: Singer-songwriter, Rock n’ Roll, Country, Folk
The Monday Morning Tape is a music blog that aims at encouraging music recommendations and discussion.
They welcome recommendations and submissions:

Official Website: https://themondaymorningtape.com
Submit Music: themondaymorningtape@gmail.com

193. The Music Ninja

Genres: Various Genres
The Music Ninja is a blog that covers only the best music its writers come across. They don’t like music that has auto-tune or music that has “mediocre bass lines.”
The blog includes playlists, interviews and a section on events:

Official Website: http://www.themusicninja.com
Submit Music: http://www.themusicninja.com/contact/

194. The Owl Mag

Genres: Various Genres
The Owl Mag is called The Owl Mag because its readers are nocturnal and wise. The site has a section called “Discovery” which is dedicated to discovering new music. Besides that, the blog offers music reviews, ticket giveaways and articles:

Official Website: http://www.theowlmag.com
Submit Music: editors@theowlmag.com

195. The Record Stache

Genres: Various Genres
The Record Stache supports new artists and revives some forgotten artists. It covers all sorts of genres from all sorts of eras. It has five main sections: featured music, mixtapes, videos, vinyl and life:

Official Website: http://www.therecordstache.com
Submit Music: http://www.therecordstache.com/contact/

196. The Walk to Work

Genres: Dance, Indie, Hip Hop, Electronica, 80s Metal
The Walk to Work’s editors discover new music when they are on their daily commute into work.
The blog is dedicated to discovering exciting music:

Official Website: http://www.thewalktowork.com
Submit Music: http://www.thewalktowork.com/contact/

197. The World is Bond

Genres: Hip Hop
The World is Bond’s vision is to promote music that doesn’t have a lot of exposure. Its dedicated team of writers connects artists with fans and shares the hip hop music they love the most:

Official Website: https://www.thewordisbond.com
Submit Music: https://www.thewordisbond.com/wib-submissions-beta/

198. The Write Reivews

Genres: Hip Hop
The Write Reviews focuses on underground hip hop artists. It is committed to supporting these artists while providing fans with the most up-to-date information:

Official Website: https://thewritereviews.net
Submit Music: http://www.submitfactory.com/thewritereviews

199. This Song Is Sick

Genres: Electronic, Hip Hop, Indie, Alternative
Discover sick new music that you’ve never heard before by visiting This Song Is Sick. Their team of writers collaborates with musicians and record labels from across the world. They feature the newest music to a worldwide following that is made up of millions of music lovers in over 110 countries:

Official Website: http://thissongissick.com
Submit Music: https://publishing.typeform.com/to/amgZ9x

200. Thumbholerecords

Genres: Punk, Rock, Alt, Ska, Metal
Thumbholerecords is where you’ll find interesting articles on emerging punk/rock/alt artists. This independent record label features news, articles and a newsletter:

Official Website: https://www.thumbholerecords.com
Submit Music: https://www.thumbholerecords.com/contact.html

201. Tiny Mix Tapes

Genres: Various Genres
Tiny Mix Tapes has an eclectic team of writers that write about all types of music. They don’t write for money or fame but for their pure love of music. The blog delivers news, reviews, mixtapes and much more:

Official Website: https://www.tinymixtapes.com
Submit Music: https://www.tinymixtapes.com/contact

202. Tonspion

Genres: Various Genres
Tonspion is one of the biggest music blogs in Germany. It was established in 1999 in Berlin. It focuses on discovering and promoting new music. Most of its team is made up of musicians.
Tonspion covers a wide range of genres:

Official Website: https://www.tonspion.de
Submit Music: https://www.tonspion.de/news/music-submissions-tonspion

203. Turtle Tempo

Genres: Independent, Alternative
In 2016 Dan Sheed founded Turtle Tempo. His team of writers sift through the blogosphere and look for amazing musicians and spotlight their music. They love supporting artists before they become “big”:

Official Website: http://turtletempo.co.uk
Submit Music: http://turtletempo.co.uk/contact-us/

204. Twangville

Genres: Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk, Blues
Twangville is a music blog that started out in 2005 by Tom Osborne. They support the musicians that they believe in by giving them the credit they deserve. This blog particularly focuses on music that features guitar:

Official Website: http://twangville.com
Submit Music: http://twangville.com/requests/

205. Two Story Melody

Genres: Various Genres
Two Story Melody is a music blog about the art and craft of songwriting. The reason that Two Story Melody exists is because its creator, Jon wants to understand how amazing artists make great music.
The blog presents interviews, music reviews and a newsletter:

Official Website: http://twostorymelody.com
Submit Music: http://twostorymelody.com/contact/

206. UGSMAG

Genres: Hip Hop
An independent hip hop magazine UGSMAG focuses on indie/underground rap from all around the world. The site’s homepage contains a lot of short music reviews that are accompanied by intriguing photos and sound tracks:

Official Website: https://ugsmag.com
Submit Music: https://ugsmag.com/contact/

207. Ultimate Classic Rock

Genres: Rock
The Ultimate Classic Rock is probably the most comprehensive blog about classic rock. Besides news, videos and songs, it has a “Rock History” section:

Official Website: http://ultimateclassicrock.com
Submit Music: staff@ultimateclassicrock.com

208. Umstrum Music

Genres: Pop, Indie, Electronic
Founded in 2009, Umstrum Music is a blog that features music from Australia, Scandinavia, France and Russia:

Official Website: http://umstrum.com
Submit Music: http://umstrum.com/contact/

209. Under The Radar

Genres: Indie
Under The Radar is an indie music magazine that was established in 2001 by Mark Redfern and Wendy Lynch. It is known for its in-depth interviews with all types of bands.
Sometimes Under The Radar’s writers interview young and talented artists before they break out:

Official Website: http://www.undertheradarmag.com
Submit Music: http://www.undertheradarmag.com/contact/

210. Unheard Gems

Genres: Various Genres
Hannah Schneider founded Unheard Gems as a platform for emerging artists. The team of writers’ goal is to bring readers a fresh perspective on music they like. The blog features latest news, interviews and playlists:

Official Website: https://www.unheardgems.com
Submit Music: https://www.unheardgems.com/about

211. Various Small Flames

Genres: Indie, Home Recordings, DIY
Founders of Various Small Flames believe that music and writing connects people and helps them understand themselves. They are dedicated to sharing music from independent artists, particularly home recordings and DIY labels:

Official Website: http://varioussmallflames.co.uk
Submit Music: http://varioussmallflames.co.uk/contact/

212. Velvet Independent

Genres: Various Genres
Velvet Independent was created by Doyle Smith in 2013. The goal of this blog is help the reader easily access new, interesting and exciting music. Doyle receives about 200 submissions per week and does his best to listen to the music and reply musicians:

Official Website: https://velvetindependent.com
Submit Music: velvetindependent@gmail.com

213. We All Want Someone to Shout For

Genres: Various Genres
Will Oliver started All Want Someone To Shout For in 2008 as a way to show his friends what he was listening to. The site gradually evolved into a music blog and today it covers Will’s best and most favourite music from across the world:
Official Website: http://www.weallwantsomeone.org
Submit Music: http://www.weallwantsomeone.org/contact-me/

214. We Rave You

Genres: Electronic Dance
We Rave You is your source for electronic dance music. Founded in 2012, it shares and promotes electronic dance music for individual artists and record labels. Notice that productions must be of high quality and a conditional charge of $100 USD is required per full promotional feature:

Official Website: https://weraveyou.com
Submit Music: https://weraveyou.com/promotion/

215. Weirdo Wasteland

Genres: Underground from Australia and New Zealand
Weirdo Wasteland is a music blog that focuses mainly on musicians from Australia and New Zealand. Its purpose is to increase the awareness of these musicians to the rest of Australia/New Zealand and beyond:

Official Website: https://weirdowasteland.com
Submit Music: https://weirdowasteland.com/contact/

216. Where the Music Meets

Genres: Indie
Where the Music Meets (WtMM) is an online magazine that aims at raising awareness on fresh new indie artists and projects. It has everything to keep you up to date with interviews, news, album and song reviews and a list of their favorite songs:

Official Website: http://www.wherethemusicmeets.com
Submit Music: https://www.submithub.com/blog/where-the-music-meets

217. Whiskey Riff

Genres: Country
Whisky Riff gives country music enthusiasts a destination to discover great country music. It delivers articles, playlists, reviews, a podcast and a store:

Official Website: http://www.whiskeyriff.com
Submit Music: http://www.whiskeyriff.com/contact-us/

218. Wolf in a Suit

Genres: Indie rock, Indie pop, Indie folk, Remix/Covers
Wolf in a Suit is a music blog filled with awesome artists, featuring interviews, articles, reviews, recommendations and videos:

Official Website: https://www.wolfinasuit.com
Submit Music: https://www.wolfinasuit.com/submit-music/

219. 12XU

Genres: Punk Rock, Garage
12XU is a music blog that is based in Moers, Germany, and run by Andreas Groschang. It offers a radio and many interesting articles:

Official Website: https://onetwoxu.de
Submit Music: https://onetwoxu.de/submissions/

220. XUNE MAG

Genres: Indie
Xune Mag is a music discovery blog and the perfect place to visit in order to uncover lots of independent and emerging artists from across the world. The site includes song reviews, music news, interviews with artists and featured videos.
They love to feature new music and interview emerging artists:

Official Website: https://xunemag.com
Submit Music: https://xunemag.com/submit-music/

221. XXL MAG

Genres: Hip Hop
XXL Mag is an American Hip Hop magazine that was founded in 1997.
It features news, music, videos and articles:

Official Website: http://www.xxlmag.com
Submit Music: http://www.xxlmag.com/contact/

222. Your EDM

Genres: Electronic Dance Music
Your EDM has built up a reputation for featuring some of the best Electronic Dance Music out there. It has over 8 million monthly visitors. Here you’ll find plenty of information and news related to the EDM scene:

Official Website: https://www.youredm.com
Submit Music: https://www.youredm.com/contact-us/

Would you like to get featured on SongFlag’s Featured Artists Page?

No problem.

Click here to find out more info.

223. If It Be Your Will

Genres: Indie
If it be your will has recently celebrated 10 years of existence! This a very cool Indie blog explores and promotes unique and original Indie music. The music featured on the blog is eclectic and intriguing.
Submit Blog Music

Official Website: http://www.ifitbeyourwill.ca
Submit Music: ifthisbeyourwill@gmail.com

224. Global Money World

Genres: Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, EDM
Global Money’s Group mission is to deliver the best in urban entertainment. They try not to go with the flow and stick to what great and real. Their blog is updated on an ongoing basis and covers various music genres. They have their own unique Spotify playlist. Check them out.

Official Website: https://www.globalmoneyworld.com
Submit Music: https://www.globalmoneyworld.com/submissions-1

225. RemixMonsta

Genres: Various Genres
RemixMonsta is a cool website that features new remix tracks. New tracks are added every 10 minutes. The site also includes interesting articles on shows and new music:

Official Website: https://remixmonsta.com
Submit Music: https://remixmonsta.com/tracksubmissions/new

226. ThisISHipHopHQ

Genres: Hip Hop
This is HipHopEQ is a Hip Hop base platform that aims at promoting Hip hop culture and the artists like wise. They blog songs, profile artists and interviews:

Official Website: https://www.thisishiphophq.com.ng
Submit Music: https://www.thisishiphophq.com.ng

227. GigList

Genres: Various
If you’re looking for a website that will help you find the best live shows head to GigList. Giglist has a sophisticated database of live events. Besides that, GigList features live gig reviews, new releases, interviews and news.
When the website’s founder, James Eddleston reached out and told me that they are always on the lookout for submissions from new and emerging artists, I was more than happy to add them to the list. You can submit your music to Giglist via email.

Official Website: https://giglist.com
Submit Music: editor@giglist.com

228. Upstream Indie

Genres: Various
If you’re looking for a music blog that highlights the latest from up-and-coming independent artists and creators across genres, head to Upstream Indie. Upstream Indie features music reviews of singles and albums. They interview artists from all genres. Besides that, the site has an entire area dedicated to podcasts.
I love how they are open to reviewing, interviewing or featuring content from all bands, artists regardless of genre or location.

upstream indie

Official Website: https://www.upstreamindie.com
Submit Music: https://www.upstreamindie.com/contact/

229. The Bops Collective

Genres: Various

The Bops Collective is a cool music blog dedicated to spotlight musicians in pursuit of creative endeavors. They find knowledge, truth, and inspiration within the works which they write about. The site includes articles that cover new music, and playlists.

Official Website: https://thebopscollective.com
Submit Music: https://thebopscollective.com/contact/

230. Shaiphopza

Genres: Hip Hop, R&B

Looking for some cool South African Hip Hop and R&B music blog. Well, Saiphopza is the perfect blog for that. This music blog offers mp3 downloads, song reviews, news and they accept song submission.

Official Website: https://sahiphopza.com/
Submit Music: https://sahiphopza.com/download-mp3/submit-your-song/

231. Kings of A&R

Genres: Various

The Kings of A&R looks for creative and talented musicians before their breakthrough. Their team searches for artists around the world without using and algorithms. They have profiled well-known artists and the music blog has been selected as a leading music blog many times.

Kings of A & R music blog

Official Website: https://kingsofar.com
Submit Music: https://kingsofar.com/about-us/

232. Music For Productions

Genres: Various

Music For Productions is an online supplier of curated music. Their service enables you to source and license music. It has a large and diverse library of stock music.

Official Website: https://musicforproductions.com/
Submit Music: https://musicforproductions.com/contact-us/

233. Dopecausewesaid

Genres: Pop, Hip-Hop, RnB/Soul, Rock, Americana/Folk and Electronic

DOPECAUSEWESAID is no just a music blog but a lifestyle brand. It collects anything related to music by emerging and mainstream artists. You can submit new songs, music videos, EP, mixtape, album, and press releases.

Official Website: https://dopecausewesaid.com/
Submit Music: https://dopecausewesaid.com/music-submissions

Artist Crowdfunding

Get money for your next project from your super fans, friends and family or who believes that your project is valuable.

PITCHING 101

Have you ever tried to reach out to media only to find the sound of a deep and resounding silence on the other end? Maybe you heard back from one or two people who gave you a firm, “Thanks, but no thanks.” If you’re really lucky you heard back from one underground blogger who loves the sound and will post right away – and that’s the only response you hear after sending dozens, if not hundreds of emails.

It’s not easy to grab the attention of media when you’re a band or artist who is not on the blogger’s radar. There are some overlooked tricks of the trade that can help you beat the odds. These tricks can also make the difference in who will pay attention to you and who will rapidly reach for the delete button on the keyboard.

Preparing for the Pitch: Getting Your Ducks in a Row

Before you reach out to your first media contact, you’ll want to make sure you have some things in place to help make a strong first impression. When media professionals are inundated with hundreds of emails each day and only so much time to pay attention, you essentially have less than 30 seconds to make that impression count. There are three basic aspects you should consider:

MAKE YOUR SITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRESS FRIENDLY

Once a blogger has found an artist he/she loves, they’re going to look for more information on the band so they can write about it. The blogger is already buried with other band submissions who provided the information quickly and easily so he can write a legitimate post. He’s not just a lazy journalist who can’t bother to do his research. He’s a blogger who has a high demand for his time and can only do so much. To greatly increase your chances of being covered, make sure you have the following information on social media and your website.

Contact information with an email address
Bio
Streamed music or link to hear streamed music on a site like Soundcloud or Spotify
Links to social media
Hi resolution publicity photos
Cover Artwork on the single or album

KNOW YOUR STORY

Now that you know what information to include for a journalist, you need to know how to convey that information.

The first step is knowing what your story is so you can convey it in a compelling way in your bio. Determine what would differentiate your project from all the other bands/artists out there. You want a bio and story that would make a journalist who’s never heard of you immediately want to listen. Here are few questions to get you started in helping define your story:

Where are you from? How does your location influence your music?
Are there any current events or anything in the media that influences your music? Or do any of your songs or album themes tie into any current events?
What’s your history? (How many albums, when they were released, how long you’ve been in the industry, etc.)

HAVE AN IMAGE THAT CONVEYS YOUR SOUND

A publicity photo or cover art can often be the first deciding factor on whether a media contact will listen to your music. Like the bio, you want to make it compelling. You also want to make sure it represents the sound you’re making.

Hiring a professional photographer whose photos have been published on reputable music sites is one of the best investments you can make for that reason. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at bands/projects who are similar to you and see how their publicity photos convey the sound. This can give you a great launching point to define your own vision for your band. If you do plan to invest in a photographer, ask bands with compelling photos in your area who they hired and determine if the photographer would be able to capture your sound with the right image. Or ask SONO

WHO TO TARGET AND HOW TO KNOW IF A CONTACT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR LIST

Logic dictates that the more music bloggers you reach out to about your band, the more coverage you’ll receive. Not necessarily. You shouldn’t be wasting the blogger’s and your time when you’re not in a genre they cover or you’re in the emerging stage when they only cover established. By utilizing that approach you’re only creating frustration all around.

To create your own press list, you need to look at three major factors:

Does this publication cover bands at your level?
Do they cover your genre?
Am I targeting the right contact?
If you’re not sure, go to the publication’s website and look for columns or coverage opportunities (i.e., reviews, premieres, etc.) that might be a good fit for your band. Then, take a look at the past five articles in each section and see if there are articles about your genre and/or bands at your level.

Genre is self-explanatory. If yours doesn’t fit the publication, please don’t think you’ll be the exception to the rule. The folk writer you’re emailing won’t listen to your band and think, “Wow, I should really cover metal now, because this band is so great.”

Once you’ve found a site that fits within the first two parameters, you want to determine the best contact at the outlet. Start with a writer who wrote the article or articles featuring a band matching your career level and genre. If you want to get even closer, look at writers who have covered artists similar to your sound. If the writer isn’t clearly noted, then take a look at the contacts on the contact page and see if you can find the editor who best fits the column or type of coverage who fits your band.

HOW TO PITCH TO MUSIC BLOGS LIKE A PRO

Now that you’ve gotten your ducks in a row and know what blogs are looking for and which ones will be interested in your band, you’re ready to start pitching.

The simplest way to determine how to pitch an outlet is to follow the submission guidelines on their website. Every outlet has different submission guidelines and sets of rules to increase the chances its writers will listen to your music. While it can be burdensome on your end to email 100 blogs each requiring a different submission guideline, you will find most of the guidelines overlap with each other.

Create a list of guidelines for each blog to determine the commonalities, and then make sure you have all the information in your basic pitch. Once you start pitching to each blog, it’ll only take a few small tweaks and a bit of rearranging to cater to their specific needs. Yes, it’s a pain. But you do want to be covered, right?

Next, you want to give them a reason why they should cover you. It’s not about you. It’s about them. What have they covered that is similar to your band? Is there something they’ve written about that makes you think they could like your music? If you can’t find a reason why they should be interested, then you shouldn’t reach out. It’s that simple.

Ask for what you want. Specifically ask for the type of coverage you want. But first things first: make sure the blog you’re contacting actually does that type of coverage. If it’s a blog that only posts MP3s, you shouldn’t ask for an album review. This will just tell them you know nothing about the blog. Do they have a specific column where you could be a fit? Mention that column. Know what they cover in advance to show you’re paying attention, and don’t waste their time with what they don’t.

And all that information I told you media is looking for in step one of this guide? Yep, you want to include that in your pitch. All of these should be direct links to the information, rather than attachments. The only time you should send an attachment is if it’s specifically requested.

In addition, you’ll want to:

Link to the album, EP, or single you want covered (most prefer the link is Soundcloud or Spotify).
Include a few descriptive sentences about the music and basic story
Genre or similar artists that can be used as a quick frame of reference

AVOID THE HYPE

Just don’t do it. Everybody can see through it when you say you are the most unique band out there and you don’t sound like anyone else. Instead of using subjective descriptions like awe-inspiring, give great objective descriptors like “shimmering instrumentals” and “jangly melodies” that paint a picture for the journalist. What truly sets you apart is avoiding the hype while creating a captivating image of your sound. And if you do have some true hype to be proud of, present it as facts to give your band credibility.

If a blog said your album was their “favorite album of the year,” by all means include it. If an established producer produced your record, you’ve played with established artists, or showcased at a major festival those are all things that will show you’re a band on the rise without you having to rely on subjective adjectives.

PLAN TO FOLLOW UP

If you’re a relatively unknown artist/band and media isn’t already aware of you, it’s going to take repeated pitches and time to bring the outlet on board. It’s also important to be strategic about when you follow up or pitch again. If you do it too frequently, you’ll simply be blacklisted.

Instead, follow up once about a week or two after your first pitch. If you’re pitching again, make sure it’s because you have new content or you found an article by a writer that makes you think he or she could be interested in your band.

HOW TO PITCH SPOTIFY CURATORS

A pitching guide wouldn’t be complete without including some tips on how to pitch Spotify curators. It can be overwhelming to determine who to contact, let alone trying to figure out how to find contact information.

Just like with blogs, there are a few things you’ll want to have in place. First, make sure you’ve maximized your Spotify profile with an updated bio, cover image, and social media links.

Curate an Artist’s Pick playlist of your own to give a frame of reference for your sound. You should promote that on your social media and build followers with the playlist. Send out your Spotify links to your newsletter and ask your fans to follow you on Spotify to help Spotify algorithms discover you for Spotify Radio and Discover Weekly playlists. If you want to speed this up, running Facebook ads to your playlist can help with this.

Once you’ve started building monthly listeners and followers, you’ll want to pitch independet Spotify playlists for inclusion. IndieMono, Songpickr and Double J are really good places to start.

Also look at your related artists and see what playlists have featured them and then follow and reach out to the curators yourself if it’s a fit. You should do the same with any bands who are similar to you in sound. Again, start with independent Spotify curators so you can build followers since Spotify is heavily influenced by analytics when determining whether to consider a band for a playlist.

The toughest part is finding contact information for independent curators. If you can’t find it, follow them and see what playlists they follow. Focus your efforts on those who clearly include their contact information in their description or blogs who are creating Spotify playlists. Or check our Database

Keep your pitch short with a Spotify link, social media links, why you think they’d be interested in your project/band and which playlist you feel would be a fit.

TROUBLESHOOTING: “WHY AM I NOT BEING COVERED BY THAT BLOG?”:

You’re pushing out a lot of content, but they’re still not covering. When you’re a band relatively unknown to the media, more content will be more of a hindrance than a help. By constantly pushing out content without existing name recognition, you are ultimately talking to the proverbial wind. As a general rule, you should cycle content every six weeks for an album release and be careful about going after the same people repeatedly.

You started pitching after music was released or right before. There are two major things that motivate coverage. First, is your single, EP or album release new and unreleased? Media is looking for music that is new (hence the word news) and may pass on something that’s already out. This brings me to the next point. Do they know who you are? Most major outlets work on deadlines 3-6 months in advance of an album release. And even if they are an online blog with a shorter turnaround, they still need time to get to know who you are before they’ll cover your band. For the best results, schedule your release 3-4 months in the future.

Publicity photos leave wrong or bad first impression – Are your photos a phenomenal representation of your sound? Do people look at them and want to know who you are? The photo is often the first impression of the band, and truth be told, if your picture isn’t up to par there’s a very good chance the blog won’t even listen to your music. On the other hand, it can also influence a media outlet on coverage if it is fantastic.

Social media posts are infrequent, or you have low engagement or followers. – Are you active on your social networks? If you have 50 followers on Facebook and your last post was three months ago, there is a very good chance the blog will pass on coverage. Know who your audience is and their likes and dislikes outside of music to increase engagement, and thus, your fanbase. Once you’ve built a stronger platform on social media then give those blogs another go.

A band at your level isn’t normally covered on the blog – If you saw the blog covered a more established band that sounds like you, you still need to dig a little deeper. Do they only cover bands at that level? If they do cover emerging bands in that genre, what is the ratio of coverage with other bands at your level? Look at your odds and create a great strategy to increase your chances if needed. If it is less than 50%, then you should build your story somewhere else and come back when the odds are in your favor.

There’s nothing distinct about your story – What sets you apart and makes your band unique? This shouldn’t be “what we’re doing is completely different from everything else out there.” There are two things my team hears from me repeatedly when going through a bio or press release: “Who cares” or “show don’t tell”. This may sound harsh, but I tend to think from the perspective of a journalist rather than a publicist. If the first paragraph gets a “who cares” response from the team, we know we need to go back and dig a bit deeper to make the story more engaging. And show don’t tell? You are telling if you say, “We are a unique indie folk band from Austin, Texas.” You are showing if you say, “With a purple feather in her hair and war paint to disguise her coy smile, Mills plays the flute like a bird calling to the wild. Mysterious melodies wisp underneath tribal dream beats, while haunting reverb echoes throughout the old barn house in Austin, Texas.”

Not the right genre for the contact – If you’re DIY-ing this, there’s a very good chance you pulled your list from something that sounds like “100 Blogs Who Want to Hear Your Music.” Here’s the thing – those lists are rarely catered to a specific genre. It doesn’t matter how great your band is if you’re pitching the wrong outlet for your music.

Strategy #2

As musicians, we know how exciting it is to finish a song and want to share it with the world right away.

But we also know that having an effective release plan is the surest way to set yourself up for success.

Whether you’re dropping your first track or your third LP, creating a practical, feasible plan should always be your goal. Remember, your release day should be a celebration, not a day to stress over all the things you missed.

The following tips will help you create an effective release plan – each and every time.

HOW TO CREATE A RELEASE PLAN

Establishing deadlines for key tasks will ensure you’re not scrambling at the last minute. Here is a timeline of important dates that will help you stay on track:

90 days before

Finalize your artist bio and other visual assets – you need these to secure press coverage, create hype on social media, and update your profile on streaming platforms.

85 days before

Identify the outlets you want to be featured on and start pitching for coverage. Many editors have their emails in their Twitter bio.

45 days before

Upload your music on SONO

30 days before

Start preparing all the creative assets

prepare and schedule social posts to ensure you get the most coverage.

14 days before

Organize your pre-save & smart links, including your song link
and your #linkinbio

1 day before

Get ready for release (and promotion)!

On release day:

Reshare posts from your excited fans on your Instagram Stories.

Pitch music to magazines, blogs and independent playlists

Keep on pushing.

Later.com analyzed over 35 million feed posts and determined that these are the best and worst times to post on Instagram each day:

TIP: If you know the location of your audience, you can schedule your posts accordingly to have the ultimate impact.

Here are eight tips to make your release plan more effective

#1

Find out who your audience is and how to connect with them directly. If you’ve already released music, you can use demographic data from the DSPs or SONO to create a targeted marketing campaign on social media. Establish a small budget and start preparing promoted posts to maximize your reach.

#2

Create a Spotify Canvas. This is the best way to make your tracks more visually appealing within the Spotify app and stand out when fans share your music to Instagram stories. A Canvas is a short, silent, eight-second video loop similar to a GIF.

#3

Along with SONO pitching to editorial playlists you should identify 3rd party playlist curators that create playlists your music might be a good fit for. Reach out to those curators via email or a service like SubmitHub – however, be sure to avoid any “pay for play” schemes that could get you flagged for artificial streaming.

#4

Identify trends or challenges on TikTok that are not already tied to a sound. Then, once you’ve released your music into the world, create a TikTok using your music and encourage your fans to do the same and tag you. Make sure to comment and respond to their videos.

#5

Be active on social media before, during, and after your release. Come up with a social media plan and mark critical dates on a calendar. It’s much easier to schedule content in advance than to think of ideas on the spot.

#6

Make sure your metadata is accurate and recorded somewhere.

#7

Licensing your music into film, TV, advertising, and other media is a great way to make extra revenue. You should always keep stems, cut downs, and instrumentals to use for sync licensing along with the final mix you want SONO to deliver to the streaming platforms.

#8

If you wrote the song yourself, you have created a composition (as well as a sound recording). That composition has value too. You should register all unique and original works with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP, PRS, SIAE or BMI, as well as the Harry Fox Agency.

Ready to start planning your next release? -> Upload Music

Strategy #1

22 Day Plan.

Single Strategy

22 days of actionable strategy for your next single.

Tips to maximise your release.

Work from the end backwards, this way you’ll be aware of the final result.
Always leave 5-6 weeks to upload to SONO.
The international release day is Friday, so release on a Friday if you can.
Be careful of releasing on days that already have a purpose – i.e. Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving etc. This is because people are preoccupied with another event and your music won’t get the attention it deserves.
The 6 week lead up.

Before you start implementing your 22 day plan, let’s map out what you should be doing in the 6 weeks prior to this so to be as prepared as possible.

5-6 weeks before.

After the creative process (that you’ve should have documented for behind the scenes, social content etc.) with your music, videos, artworks, stories and more.

Upload your finished master track, artwork, official video to SONO here: FORMS
Fill in all the necessary forms. Example: Pre-Save Request, Press Release Form etc.

4 weeks before.

Look into your target audience and perform an analysis – who is your ideal listener, who is going to be a fan and why will they care?
Shoot your official video so that there is enough time for it to be edited for your release.
Design 15 second segments of your song for your micro content. Find a few different locations (the car, your studio etc).

3 weeks before.

Have your photoshoot – these official images are important, they social proof your brand and show that you’re taking yourself and your music seriously.
Ideally shoot a second video for your release – this could be a performance video, an acoustic video, a behind the scenes video. This should be for the whole song.
Start researching and collating bloggers, playlist curators and radio stations. You can find databases in SONO for Artists.

Now onto the 22 Day Release Plan.

The 22 Day Release Plan.

We will now list what you should be doing on each day of the 22 day plan. You may see some tasks listed that you have already ticked off in the weeks prior, but if you have not yet tackled these, make sure that they are done on the days listed below at the latest.

Day 1: Starting out right.

Make banners for your socials to promote your single. (Making at least 2 different banners is recommended. One should have the release date on it and one should say ‘out now’.)
Update your hero picture, bio, links and about section with pictures and information relevant to your new single.
Every day try to make a new piece of micro-content for TikTok/Reels/YouTube Shorts
- today’s piece of micro-content is: 10-15 seconds of your new single with text over the top that says “This is my (our) new song”.

Day 2: Take Spotify (and all DSPs) seriously.

If you haven’t already, make sure you also update your pictures, about section, links, banner etc on your Spotify too.
Fill in the Press Release form a punchy press release (not short!) about your upcoming single that you can send to playlist curators, radio DJ’s etc.

Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Send This Challenge’:

Using the same piece of music from day 1, make a video that says “Send this to…” – fill in the blanks! For example: if your single is a breakup song, the caption could be “Send this to someone who needs to get over their ex”.

Day 3: Pre-save.

Keep an eye on Emails for your Pre-Save Link
If you haven’t already, make sure you also update your pictures, about section, links, banner etc on your Spotify too.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Who Are You Challenge’:
- This should be a 10-15 second piece of content that tells the viewer everything there is to know about you. Tell your story, perhaps even include multiple snippets of your music rather than just your new single so the audience can gauge if the rest of your catalog is for them

Day 4: Press day.

Start getting in touch with DJ’s, bloggers, playlist curators etc you find in Promo Section and send them the Press Release you have received after filling in the Press Release form.
Research into the best people to send your press release off to, for example magazines, blogs, podcasts, influencers, etc.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Car Singalong’:
- The premise of today’s micro-content is simply you, sat in your car, singing along to your new track, while telling a story with text captions. You can play the track through your stereo or overlay it over the top, that’s completely up to you.

Day 5: Advertisements.

Create a short, 15 second advertisement that you can then create a retargeting ad campaign with.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Duet This Challenge’:
- It’s as simple as the title suggests! A 15 second clip of your new single with the caption ‘duet this’ over the top. Perhaps you could sing half of the chorus, put the lyrics on screen, and get others to sing the rest!

Day 6: Instagram.

Compile some short highlights to pin to the top of your Instagram profile that expresses who you are both as a person and as an artist.
Keep your last three posts relevant to you and your music so new users stumbling across your profile know exactly what you’re all about.
Stay consistent. This is more of an ongoing thing rather than just for day 6, but make sure you’re posting as often as you can – preferably daily.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘You Know The Feeling’:
- For example, if your single is a breakup song – post a snippet of the song with the caption ‘You know the feeling when your ex cheats on you’ – make it something relatable!

Day 7: Awareness ads.

Start running those ads you made a few days ago. It only has to be a video views campaign/brand awareness campaign, which is incredibly cheap but great value for brand recognition. (Check the shop for ADs Campaign Creation/Budget)
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Collab Challenge’:
- Find someone you like and respect with a similar audience to do a collaboration with you. It can be in person, or just a TikTok duet – just a quick 10/15 second video that will appeal to both audiences.

Day 8: Radio day.

Run a Google search for whatever your music genre is (however niche it may be!) followed by ‘radio’. You’d be surprised at just how many results there will be.
Get in touch with those radio stations and make them all aware of your upcoming single release using your press release.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Dance Challenge’:
- Make up a dance for your new single – it doesn’t even have to be good! Just something catchy that captivates the audience.

Day 9: Playlists.

Compile together a playlist – this can either contain just purely songs from yourself, or your songs combined with songs from similar artists.
Push the playlist on your social media – perhaps even pin the playlist to your Spotify playlist for others to organically discover.
Start preparing your audience for your release, through personalised DM’s asking them to listen to your new single in full, or to add your song to a personal playlist of theirs.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘How To Challenge’:
- A 10 second video (the visuals can be whatever you like) with your new single, showing people how to do something – it can be anything!

Day 10: Artwork drop.

Publish your new single’s artwork on your social media accounts.
If you’d like to, also change your banners across the board to correlate with your single’s artwork – make sure it contains the release date.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Artwork Drop’:
- Make a bit of content using the same audio sample we’ve been using all week, but also showcase your new artwork at the same time.

Day 11: On your marks…

Set up the advertisements that you will want to run on your new single’s release day (or check the shop for ADs Campaign Creation/Budget)
Today’s piece of micro-content is ‘My Crazy Story’:
- Think of this as a ‘draw my life’ video – all it needs to be is a piece of content, again using the same music and whatever visuals you would like, with either a voiceover or text on screen explaining your journey as a musician up until this point.

Day 12: Such a tease.

Drop a teaser for what’s to come – release a slightly longer portion of the song, perhaps a different verse and chorus, around 20/30 seconds.
Set up a Whatsapp group together with all of your biggest fans and discuss ways they can help you on release day.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Performance Challenge’:
- Now’s your time to shine – perform a snippet of your upcoming single! This can either be you singing along, playing the piano, playing the guitar – just record yourself performing your song.

Day 13: The final countdown.

Collect all of your assets so that everything for tomorrow is in one place.
If you have people on board (friends, family, bandmates etc.), start preparing them all for what their jobs are for release day.
Run a final check through all advertising you’re going to be running from tomorrow, make sure everything is fully ready to go.
Set your alarms – it’s imperative that you’re waking up bright and early tomorrow morning so you’re fresh and ready for the day ahead.
Today’s piece of micro-content is ‘Tomorrow is the Day!’:
- Tell the world that tomorrow is the day that your new single comes out. It really doesn’t matter what the contents of the video is – it could be a performance video, the teaser from yesterday, your album artwork with the song snippet in it – it can be anything, you just need to portray as hard as you can that tomorrow is the day that this single releases

Tomorrow is release day. Let’s do this.

Day 14: Here we go.

Update your banners and links to correspond with the fact that your new song has finally been released.
Remind the press/radio DJ’s etc who have taken an interest in your new release that it has finally been released.
Publish your release day ads.
Get in touch with your fans, personally 1-1, to let them know that your single has been released – not just a generic copy and pasted message!
Post hourly social media updates – share people’s reactions to your song, show behind the scenes statistics – anything to stay in people’s minds.
Host a livestream release party – this is a chance to thank all of the people for listening and supporting your music career.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Announcement!’:
- This is something you probably want to do somewhat early in the day, just to make sure that everybody remembers that today is the day that your brand new single drops worldwide.

Day 15: Contingency.

Release a behind the scenes/live video – this can just be a video of you performing the song – the idea is just to keep the song in people’s heads.
Update your artist picture on Spotify to correlate with the new release, so people looking at your Spotify profile can tell that there’s a new release.
Host a giveaway – this can be anything from the t-shirt you wore in the music video, tickets to an upcoming gig, a signed guitar, etc.
If you use SubmitHub and/or Playlist Push, submit your new single to these platforms.

Day 15 (continued)

Today’s piece of micro-content is a ‘Performance Clip’:
- Using the same audio clip (or a different part if you would prefer), today you should release a clip of you performing the new single.

Day 16: Air mileage.

Spend an hour contacting various radio stations, playlist curators etc making them all aware of your new release.
Study and optimise your ads – now we are a couple of days into the release, we should have good data to adapt our ads.
Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Story of the Song’:
- Visuals again are secondary here, but the main premise of this bit of content is to tell everybody the story of the song. How was your song conceptualised? What is the true meaning behind the lyrics?

Day 17: Competition.

Run another competition, this time in exchange for your fans adding your release to a playlist.
Ask the winner(s) to take a picture with whatever prize you give away and then re-share that to your social media channels.
Today’s piece of micro-content is an ‘Introduction’:
- This is your chance to tell the world who you are – keep is short, 15 seconds should be plenty.

Day 18: More contacting.

Spend another hour contacting radio stations, bloggers, influencers, podcasters, playlist curators etc.
Find someone interesting to sing your song – contact them, send them the stems/instrumental and ask them to sing a cover.

Day 18 (continued)

Today’s piece of micro-content is the ‘Duet Share’:
- If somebody comes back to you and agrees to make the cover of your song, condense it down and release it as your micro-content for today.

Day 19: Broadcast yourself.

Host a live performance of your new track as well as any older songs you may have – or even covers – on a social media channel of your choice.
Take another look over your ads and make any further optimisations that you may see fit.
Today’s piece of micro-content is another collab:
- Go and find somebody else to make another engaging piece of content around your new release – this could be another cover, a duet, a dance, etc.

Day 20: Management.

Spend another hour managing your song – a good case study for this is Tai Verdes. Take a look at his TikTok and follow in his footsteps.
Today’s piece of micro-content is..?:
- We’ve given you many examples of micro-content to publish over the last 20 days, so now it’s time for you to put your thinking cap on and think of something that would be beneficial to your social media channels.

Day 21: Official Music Video Release.

Release your Official Music Video (previously submitted through the Video Upload Form)
Run a Google Ads campaign for your video

Day 22: That’s all, folks.

You’d be surprised at just how far a simple ‘thank you’ will go – send some personalised thank-you’s, either through personalised messages, a voice message or even a quick video to your fans and everyone who made this entire release drive possible.
Take some time to sit and reflect on things that worked really well this time around and what didn’t work quite as well – if you can sit and digest these things, it will help you conjure together a plan to hopefully allow you to do even better the next time around.
Today’s final piece of micro-content is a big thank you:
- Make a short video thanking your audience for all of their help and support for helping you get this far – thank them for streaming your music, adding your music to playlists, spreading the word – just thank them for all of their help over not only your recent single release but your entire music career up until this point.

Congratulations!

Congratulations on complete the 22 Day Single Plan!
However, this isn’t the end for you and your music, it’s just the start.

Request Report & Invoice

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Best Practices

Best practices to adhere to when broadcasting on RPAN (Reddit Public Access Network):

Engage with users

The product is designed to encourage back and forth between users and the broadcaster.
Listening and responding to comments will drive stronger engagement.

Promote the broadcast to relevant audiences

Include your username (u/USERNAME) in the title.
Announce your plan to broadcast (include a date, time and link – if you’re currently live) to any communities you participate in.
As always, please be sure to abide by community rules.
Share a link to the broadcast on your key social channels.
Send permalinks to the SONO team for potential amplification.

Tailor your broadcast to your Reddit audience

Broadcasting simultaneously across multiple platforms often does not translate, so make sure content feels specific to the Reddit audience.
Keep it simple; don’t overthink the production.
No more than two people are needed:
Artist
Producer monitoring comments/conversation

Maintain a mindset of experimentation and have fun!

We cannot predict what will be popular.
Streams can be driven by the topic, the talent, and sometimes just the community.
A surprisingly potent, community-driven content example: r/takecareofmyplant.

Consider the unique value that you can bring as a media organization

Access to a special or unique talent.
On-the-ground journalism.

Reddit Talk

What is Reddit Talk?

Live audio conversations in your favourite communities.
Invite up to 30 people to the stage to speak
100K+ listeners can tune in and react with emojis

Starting A Talk

Talks live within communities and only a community’s moderator will be able to start a talk

Joining A Talk

Once a talk is live, any Redditor can join the room to listen in and react with emojis.
Listeners can also raise their hand for the host to invite them to speak
Listeners can also change heir talk avatar

Moderating A Talk

Hosts can invite, mute and remove speakers during a talk. They can also remove unwanted users from the talk entirely and prevent them from rejoining.
Only moderators can start talks but they can invite trusted speakers to co-host a talk
Tap on the ‘raised hands’ lists or on a listeners profile > tap invite to speak > if the listener accepts, they’ll be brought to the stage to speak
tap on a speakers profile > tap ‘….’ button > tap mute, remove as a speaker or remove from the room
tap on speaker’s profile > tap invite to host
Tap the + button on iOS/Android > in the subreddit post screen, tap the audio button > add a talk title and tap Go Live
Ending Talks
Tap leave or end room for everyone
In the future, Reddit will show hosts a summary stats screen when the talk ends
Hosts can also customize talk room colours when they create the room

Discovering Talks

Redditors can discover talks from:

Home feed
Popular feed
Communities
Push notifications
Shared URL to the Talk Room

How to Participate as a Launch Partner

Before A Talk

We’ll help you match with a top community and coordinate with moderators on a date/time for the Talk
Moderators will create a text post promoting the upcoming Talk and you can share this post on social media

During a Talk

Moderators will start the Talk and share a link to invite speakers
We will promote the Talk on Home and subreddit feeds and via notifications

After a Talk

We will share stats from the Talk (e.g., unique and concurrent listeners)

FAQ

Q: How do I set up a Talk?

A: Reach out to the SONO marketing team with your Talk idea.

Q: Can I do a Talk in any subreddit?

A: Reddit Talk is available in a limited number of top subreddits during initial launch. Participating subreddits include those in finance, support, entertainment, health, and other categories.

Q: When is the best time to do a Talk?

A: Reddit is currently planning Talks for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Q: Can I start my own Talk?

A: Only moderators can start talks. We will coordinate with mods in advance of your Talk to ensure a smooth flow.

Q: Do I need to moderate my own Talk?

A: No. Talks will take place in moderated spaces.

Q: Can I schedule Talks in advance?

A: Reddit are still working on a scheduling feature. In the meantime, we will work with mods to create a text post promoting the Talk that you can share on social media.

Media Partnerships

On Platform

Labels and artists should create profiles on Reddit to develop their brands and engage with Reddit users and communities.

Partnership Opportunities

AMAs (Ask Me Anything)
Live Video (RPAN/Reddit Live)
Engagement Prompts
Unique Activations
Polls and Predictions

AMAs

AMAs are Reddit’s well-known Q&A post format. Artists & labels are expected to spend one hour answering questions from the Reddit audience.

AMA Ideas

Producers/Directors
Actors
Show creators
animators
behind-the-scenes

Live Video

RPAN/Reddit Live is their video live-streaming product. This works best for live Q&As or other unique activation ideas in targeted show or fan communities

Reddit Live Ideas

Audience easter egg hunt
Talkback with directors etc
Experimental formats (live readings)
Out-Of-Context (hang outs with artists)

Snap Products

Shazam

Your artists’ fans are on Snap already and they’re shazaming their music.
Send traffic to the streaming platforms directly from Snap.
Unlock artists profiles, filters, and lenses.

Shopify

The ‘Shop’ button on a verified artist profile opens the artist store featuring the entire catalogue of products published from the Shopify backend.
The attachment tool lets artists include a link in the stories they post on Snap
Community Lenses built-in Lens Studio can include a link to the artists’ store
Send your community lens deep-link to the FUGA Marketing Team to get the Shop button added.
Fans can also access artist stores via search on Snap.

Stickers

Incorporate your presence into the millions of sticker and filter creations per day – they’re some of Snap’s most popular products.
Design custom stickers for your artist to bolster their engagement on the platform.
Custom designed location filters can be geo-targeted for immersive audience experiences – great for special events and venues on tour.
Submit custom GIFs via GIPHY to automatically show up in Snap’s sticker search

Gifting

This is a tipping feature for fans to send tokens to their favourites artists and creators, who will earn money for every Gift they’re sent.

Snap Originals

Snap Me is a Q&A series where users submit questions directly through Snap and artists respond through Snaps in their own voice.
We can compile, edit and publish the Snaps as an episode on Discover screens

Snap Shows

Snap Originals are new premium original shows with interactive experiences you can step into and share.

Story Studio

A standalone app for editing short-form video content
In the app, you can see trending sounds, topics and Lenses
You can also trim and crop content and add captions & stickers.

Story Replies & Quoting

Story Replies is a new feature that lets you engage with your cans and have meaningful conversations around the stories you post. It will also give you the controls you need to manage and filter replies based on what you want to see.

Viewing Story Replies

Tap on your public story
in the public profiles section, tap on the thumbnail for your public story or any of the individual snaps in the expanded list
Swipe up to view insights & replies
while you’re watching your own public story, swipe up to see the viewers and screenshots one each snap.
you will notice a new section with story replies from your subscribers, ordered by recency
each row contains the oldest unread reply from that Snapchatter
Tap to reply back
you can tap on the row to see the full message and reply back
if there’s a message you don’t like, tap the x on the right to report or block that snapchatter
you can always mute particular words or phrases you never want to see, from your public settings
Swipe or tap thumbnail to see other snaps
you can quickly look through all the snaps in your public story by swiping left and right or tapping on a specific thumbnail.
under each snap, you’ll see the insights and story replies
Swipe down to view the full snap
if you want to see the snap-in fullscreen view, you can either tap on the currently selected thumbnail or swipe down

Muting Words or Phrases

go to profile settings > tap on the gear icon at the top right corner of your public profile management page
You will see a list of all the words and phrases you have currently muted. Tap ‘add muted words’ to include more or ‘x’ to remove existing ones

Quoting is a fan engagement tool that makes it easier to share subscriber’s reply to your public story. Ask subscribers to send you questions and answer away! You can even mix things up and ask them questions. Fans will be notified when you quote them which can really make their day.

FAQs

Can I still get story replies if only Friends can contact me?

Yes, story replies are on by default. Replies from your subscribers will only appear on your story management screen. You can always choose to hide story replies by toggling the setting ‘show story replies’ off in profile management.

Can I still get story replies in my primary chat feed?

If your contact me setting is everyone, story replies will continue to appear in your primary chat feed in addition to the new story

Which Snapchatters can send me story replies?

All snapchatters that have subscribed to you will be able to swipe up while viewing your story and send you a reply. To keep the community safe, Snapchat automatically filters out spammy and abusive messages. They also hide non-text based messages from your story management.

How do I filter out words and phrases I don’t want to see?

Story replies include tools to filter out messages containing words/phrases you don’t want to see including emojis.

How are story replies ordered?

They’re ordered by recency with the newest replies on top.

Can I hide story replies?

Yes, if you don’t want to see your story replies, go to your profile settings and toggle off show story replies. You can also tap the ‘x’ on the right-hand side of each reply to block or report snapchatters that send you a message you don’t want to see.

Are story replies private?

Yes, only you can see them. Other roles that have insights access will continue to only see snap metrics and viewer lists.

How can I get more stories replies?

Your subscribers might not know that they can reply to your story yet. Try posting more interactive Snaps, asking your fans questions and prompting them to swipe up to reply.

When should I quote someone?

In addition to reposting your subscribers’ replies, quoting allows you to react with a snap. Quote fans to show your appreciations for them and let your subscribers know that you read their replies.

What happens when I quote someone?

When you successfully quote a reply, the sender is notified and receives a message letting them know that you have shared their reply to your public story. The sender is not tagged and viewers can only see their Bitmoji and first name.

Best Practices

Be original.

If you want your posts to stand out, take the time to do something new. Make sure that everything you put up adds value—then do something creative with it.

Keep it short and simple.

Snapchat isn’t the platform for in-depth discussions so your stories should ideally be only a minute or two long.

Offer a variety of content.

Don’t get stuck doing the same thing all the time. Snapchat is a great place to offer promo codes or other information but you can also do product/release reveals, behind-the-scenes look at what your artist/label is doing or sharing an exclusive preview of an upcoming event.

Pay attention to the Snapchat style.

Snapchat is a fun platform that’s dominated by users in the under-35 range. If you want to catch their attention, you’ll need to do something fun and exciting. Take advantage of Snapchat’s great filters, make sure you understand the language and do something interesting that will grab your followers’ attention. Keep in mind that Snapchat isn’t intended for over-edited content. Snapchat is designed for raw footage that lets your users learn more about you.

Break out your storytelling skills.

Snapchat might limit you to a few brief seconds in a video but that doesn’t mean you can’t stretch your story out over multiple posts. Tell a story that will grab your users’ attention enough to have them coming back to see all of your posts. Explore something that’s likely to genuinely interest your fan base and they’ll come back and check out your story at a later time.

Lenses

Community Lenses & Lens Studio

Lens Studio is free software to easily create your own lenses.
Pre-built templates allow for a plug, play and submit
Include up to 30 seconds of your track in the lenses to boost song exposure
New 3D body mesh tools and cloth simulations mean you can make realistic and immersive product try-on lenses.
Connected Lenses also allow users to interact via a Lens in real-time, wherever they are in the world.
You submit the lens – FUGA can help to get it featured to maximise its reach.
Getting featured in Snap’s Explore tab can significantly boost the exposure of your song and lens.
Editorial placements are also available via the Community Lens Explorer

Download Lens Studio and start creating

Music in Lens Studio – Best Practices

Attach An Artist Preview For Your Lens

When creating a preview: make sure the entirety of the preview video includes the defining elements of the Lens and include your artist in the preview rather than the stock lens model. (Note: this is a new requirement to associate the lens to the artist account)
Sometimes, your preview video will be displayed as a static image. Because of this, make sure the first frame of your video is compelling and shows off the defining elements of the Lens.
If a video of the artist using the lens is not possible, use a static image of the artist

Submit Lens from Artist Account

Make sure to submit from a verified artist account, these will be whitelisted in order to avoid having the Lens taken down for copyright issues. The lens must be submitted from the artist account in order to be featured.

Song Name = Lens Name

The name of your Lens will live above the Artist Account on users’ Snap Explore screens. Make the song name match the title of your lens for the best user experience. This will be especially important for artists that have multiple lenses associated with their profile.

Get Featured on Explorer

Send us the deep link and lens ID associated with your Lens and we can pitch to have it featured in Explorer. This will help get your lens in front of users and supplement your existing marketing campaigns.

Clean Audio

Explicit content will not get through Snap’s review process therefore the audio clip in your lens should not have any explicit lyrics in it.
Please use a clean/edited version or a clip of the song without explicit content.

Browse Snap’s network of talented lens creators

Music on Snapchat

Snap Sounds

Add songs to snaps from the camera screen
Snap sounds allow users to easily embed licensed music into their messages.

Step 1

Tap on the music icon on the top right
Use Snap Sounds in Pre or Post Capture Snaps
Preview audio on the playlist then tap the song to continue

Step 2

Drag the audio to select the clip of the song you want to include
Preview by pressing the play button
Bonus Tip: Combine Snap Sounds with other creative tools like AR Lenses and stickers

Step 3

Send Snap to friends or post to your story
Your friends will be able to swipe up on your message to listen to the full song on their DSP of choice

Spotlight

A way for the Snapchat community to find the most entertaining snaps in one place.
It’s a product that provides a personalised, content-first, vertical playback experience that lives on the 5th tab of the app.
An additional website is available where desktop users can watch the videos on Spotlight.
Globally available

Profile Highlights

What are Highlights?

Highlights let you showcase collections of your favourite public snaps, photos and videos right on your public profile – permanently.

They’re a key part of your re-designed, fullscreen public profile.

How to create a Highlight

Go to your Highlights tab
- Tap on your avatar in the top-left corner of the camera screen. Tap on your profile under the profile management section. Go to your new highlights tab and create new a highlight
Select snaps, photos & videos
- Tap the + button to add new content to your highlight. You can choose Public Snaps you’ve previously posted or photos and videos right from your camera roll. When you’re done, press import.
- A Highlight can include up to 100 snaps or 5 mins of total content, whichever comes first.
Review and edit your highlight
- Tap a snap, photo or video to preview the entire highlight and see how it will look to a fan. You can tap the edit button in the top-right corner to re-arrange or remove content from a Highlight
Select your title and cover photo
- Enter a title for your Highlight. To choose a cover image, scroll through the photo picker to select a cover image from the content included in this highlight. A good title and cover photo will give your fans a hint at what’s in store. When you’re done, tap finish to publish your Highlight to your public profile.

FAQs

When will Snapchatters be able to see my new public profile and Highlights?

Your new public profile will become visible to Snapchatters after you publish your first Highlight. Several months fro now, your public profile will be able to be visible to Snapchatters even if you haven’t published a Highlight.

How long do Highlights last?

Your Highlight can stay on your public profile as long as you want. You can remove them at any time from your profile management page.

How many Highlights can I have on my Public Profile?

At the moment, you can have as many Highlights on your profile as you want.

How many Snaps can you include in a Highlight?

A Highlight can include up to 100 Snaps or 5 minutes of total content – whichever comes first.

Note: videos you upload from your camera roll will be divided into 10-second snaps

Can you edit a Highlight after it’s published?

Yes, you can edit Highlights at any time. Simply tap on the tile in your profile management screen and select the Highlight you want to edit.

What types of Snaps can I include in my Highlight?

You can post any type of content you’d like, as long as you adhere to Snap’s community guidelines and terms of service.

How come I’m not able to add a certain Snap to my Highlight?

If you’re adding snaps directly from Snapchat, you’ll only be able to add Snaps that you’ve posted to your public story. You can find these on the stories page of your insights. If you’d like to add a snap that’s not in that tab, you can always save that snap to your camera roll and upload it to a Highlight from there.

Can I feature Lenses that I created on my Public Profile?

Yes! Your re-designed public profile will now offer a one-stop-shop for any lenses you’d like to showcase. Snapchatters can find these in the lenses tab on your profile. When someone subscribes to you, they’ll be able to see your public story in Discover and your lenses in Lens Explorer.

What else can I do to enhance my Public Profile?

In addition to creating Highlights, you can ensure your public profile is as robust as it can be by adding a profile photo, bio, email, category, location and website. Get started by selecting edit profile on your profile management screen.

Verification

Verified Artist Profiles

Verify your artist profile to gain access to advances insights, roles and integrations.

A gold star indicates an official story account, which means these stories will surface on Snap’s Discover section.
Official accounts have access to enhanced analytics and insights to help you better understand your audiences and engagements to help you create great content.

Verified Artist Profile Setup

Add your public information and manage roles

Make it easier for your fans to find you and allow trusted users to help manage your public profile.

Open your user profile
Tap on your avatar on the left corner of the camera screen
Manage your public profile
Go to the new profile management section on your user profile and tap anywhere on the card to advance to the next screen
Edit your public profile
Tap edit in your profile management screen to add a profile photo, bio and other public information
Manage Roles (including collaborators)
Assign as many users you trust to roles so they can help manage your public profile. Be careful to add the right username.
tap the profile settings gear at the top right
manage roles > assign new roles > enter username > select the corresponding role

Account Roles

Profile Admin

Admins can manager a public profile, add/remove any Snaps from your public story, assign roles and view insights
Admins can’t remove your access to your own public profile

Profile Collaborator

Collaborators can view your account insights and add or remove any snaps fro your public story

Story Contributor

Story contributors can view all of your past snaps as well as add/remove and view insights on their own Snaps

Insights Viewer

Insight Viewers can only view the insights on your profile

Verified Artist Profile Insights

View Insights & Browse Activity

To understand how Snapchatters engage with you, go to the Insights tab.
You can choose between viewing metrics per Story or 7-day & 28-day aggregations across all your stories.

Recent stories & 28-day summary

In ‘Recent, each story tile shows the reach (unique viewers) and number of Snaps in that story.
Tap a story tile to see the views, reach, screenshots, swipe-ups and interactions per Snap
Take a look at the 28-day summary to see your latest trends
Note: Advanced stats are available only for new Snaps posted from this day forward and you can delete them at any time.

Story Insights

Tap ‘See More’ to drill down further. In Insights you can tap on any stat to see a graph with your engagement over 7 or 28 days. In stories, all your past Snaps are grouped based on a 24-hour time window.
You can filter by metric (reach, story view percentage, average time view) to compare your past stories

Audience

You can see how many subscribers you have
You can find the gender breakdown as well as top location and top interest of your story audience in the last 28-days

Activity

Use this tab to track the posting activity of any roles you’ve assigned to your public profile

Artist Overview

An artist overview is a page that contains all of an artist’s songs and albums. Here, users can find links to the artist’s official VK community (if they have one) or their profile.

Example artist overview: https://vk.com/artist/edsheeran

What is an Artist Overview

Artist overviews are created automatically by the VK team. Artists cannot create their own overviews.

If you’d like to have an artist overview created, please reach out to support@stage.sonomusic.co with the following information:

Label & Artist Name
Full names of your releases
Unique UPCs of the releases

How do I add photos to my overview?

Contact support@stage.sonomusic.co and attach images that fit the following requirements.

Desktop version: 1510×344
Mobile app: 1440×730
Format: jpg, png

The artist’s name and the Play button are automatically placed over the photo. Make sure these elements fit the image well.

The photos for both the web and mobile versions should be the same. If your photos don’t meet the requirements you will be asked to change them.

The following cannot be used as artist overview covers:

Album/single covers
Drawn images. Exceptions: Virtual artists who have no photo (e.g. Gorillaz)
Scanned images
Small photos that have been upscaled
Poor quality, fuzzy or blurred images
Photos with logos (including the artist’s logos), text or ads
Photos with borders or any other types of decorative elements, collages; images that have been heavily edited or modified
Photos portraying nudity or obscene gestures
Photos portraying narcotics, alcohol, tobacco products or any allusions to them or effects related to their usage
Photos with weapons or portraying aggression
Photos containing profanity

I have an artist overview, but no “Go to Artist” button in my community. How do I enable it?

Reach out to support@stage.sonomusic.co and we can link your community and artist overview if the following requirements are met:

The community name matches the name of the band, artist or stage name.
The owner (creator) of the community is the artist themselves or their official representative.

We cannot link artist overviews to communities that belong to third parties. It is important that the community is run by the official representative of the artist.

Two Step Verification

Every community manager must enable 2-step verification.

Having additional verification steps enabled helps ensure the security of managers’ accounts and community content. You can read about how to enable it here: vk.com/page-777107_53677752.

Linking Communities & Artist Overviews

Communities and artist overviews can only be linked by VK Administration so reach out to support@stage.sonomusic.co and we’ll organise this for you.

Requirements

You should regularly update your community so users can keep up with all the latest news about their favourite artist.
You need to make sure to keep links, logos and other mentions of other social networks, messengers, and streaming services to an absolute minimum.

The community could be unlinked from the artist overview if the above requirements are not met.

What do I do if there are other artists’ albums in my overview or some releases missing?

Please contact support@stage.sonomusic.co and be sure to list the full names of all of the releases that are missing or should not be in your artist overview.

Can I manage my artist overview myself?

Adding and arranging releases in the artist overview happens automatically. You cannot directly manage your overview, but you can control what is added through SONO.

Where can I get the “Listen on VK” or “Listen on BOOM” badges?

You can find the logos on these pages:

VK Music: vk.com/@vkmusic-brand

BOOM: boom.ru/brand

Community Creation

Community Creation Best Practices

After creating a VK profile with your real name & photo, fill a community with at least 3 recent posts.
Upload audios, videos and photos to the community
Record and upload your welcome video for your fans on VK
Make announcements on your social accounts
Add your community link with the VK logo to your official website and add your other social accounts to the ‘links’ section
Avoid reposts and links to external sites
Update the community regularly

Content Development

Uploading videos to VK allows you to increase its reach
Live streaming via VK Live allows you to communicate with fans in real-time

Verification

What is verification and why is it necessary?

Verification confirms that a profile or community belongs to a real person or organization. However, a checkmark doesn’t mean that the actions of this person or organization are automatically approved by the VK Administration. The verification mark helps you distinguish official communities and profiles with up-to-date information from among fan communities and thematic groups.

What are the advantages of verification?

A higher position in search results
More trust from users
Additional protection from clones and hackers

Who can be verified?

Artists, bloggers, athletes and others with a dedicated follower base, who are popular not only on a large scale but locally as well.
Communities that belong to businesses, cultural facilities, educational institutions and other organizations.

How do I get verified?

In your profile’s settings (vk.com/settings) or the community’s Manage section, there’s a special button to apply for verification. This is only possible on the desktop version of the website. When filling out the application form, it’s important that you tell about yourself and your accomplishments in detail, but keep in mind that performances, interviews, media publications, etc., should be under a year old.

Profiles and communities whose requests for verification have been approved receive a checkmark for one year. After this time, verification is lost. To get it back, you must request another review, during which we make sure that all documents are up-to-date, the quality of the profiles and communities is in order, the VK Terms of Service are not being violated and the verification criteria are being met.

How to Create a Page on VK

Vkontakte is often referred to as the Russian version of Facebook.

Your VK page will allow you to promote your articles and reach an audience in Russia.

Create a Community Page on VK

Directly open Create VK Community Page.
Provide the page name, Page type and accept the terms. When done hit Create Page.
You need to provide further information to create a page. This detail includes Name, community link, category, website, description, Founding date and Export to Twitter settings.
You should ensure that the Community link can be changed at any time (it should be available). Once the details are provided, hit Save.
You can now move to upload a photo, share with friends, Add events, update with news and manage the page completely. After creating your VK business or blog or website page, you will find that the processor is quite similar to Facebook. The only difference is that the page on VK is linked to a personal account.

Merch Shelf

The merch shelf allows eligible creators to showcase their official branded merchandise on YouTube. The shelf appears on the video page of eligible channels, but may not show on all video pages.

YouTube offers a lot of ways for you to promote and sell official merch to fans. A Merch shelf will showcase your items below your videos; a Channel store tab displays items on your channel page; you can use Live chat pins to highlight merch in a live chat; and Merch end screens direct viewers to your products.

These all help fans browse without disturbing their video watching: Description links previews mean that fans can check out merch directly on YouTube, while your video continues to play.

Organise your merch shelf

The merch shelf will display up to 12 products to your viewers. Here’s what can change the order of merch your viewers see:

By default, your retailer selects the specific items and the order of display based on, among other things, product recency, sales performance, and availability.
If you want to change the retailer’s default order on your merch shelf, you can select up to 12 specific items to display on the shelf and order them yourself for your entire channel or video.

To arrange your shelf for your entire channel

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
In the left menu, click Monetization.
Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
Click Organize on the “Status” card.
Drag, drop, and order up to 12 items. Viewers may see fewer items depending on the device they’re using.
On desktop: The first 4-5 items will appear, and viewers will have to interact with the shelf to see more items.
On mobile: Only the first item is displayed on mobile devices. Viewers can see the other items by interacting with the shelf.
Click Save.
If you’ve previously ordered items for specific videos, you’ll see 2 options:
Save to videos that don’t have a customized display: The new arrangement will be saved to videos where you haven’t customized the order of your merch.
Save to all videos: Will overwrite any video-level arrangements and set the newly organized shelf as the standard arrangement for the entire channel.

To go back to automatic arrangement

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
In the left menu, click Monetization.
Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
Click Organize on the “status card.”
Drag and drop all items back to the inventory list or clear the selection.
Click Save.

Showcase merch beyond the Shelf

Store tab in the channel homepage

All channels live with the merch shelf and with at least 1 item eligible to be displayed on the shelf will automatically get a Store tab in their channel homepage. This tab will showcase all of your items currently displayed on the merch shelf. You can link out to the ‘Store’ tab from comments, description and Community posts by simply copy and pasting its URL.

Pin an item on your live steam

If you stream and you’re eligible for the merch shelf, you can promote one item at the top of your live feed.

Pin your merch during a live stream

Start a live stream using the Live control room.
Click the Merchandise tab below the live stream preview.
Select one merch item you’d like to promote click or drag it to the “Pinned merchandise” panel click Pin Merchandise.
Your merch item will now be seen at the top of your live stream.

Unpin your merch from a live stream

Go to the Live control room.
Click the Merchandise tab below the live stream preview.
Click Unpin.

Description Links

If your channel is using the merch shelf, you can add a link to your official merch store in video descriptions and when users click on the link, they get a preview of your official merch items directly on YouTube. This way, viewers can browse your official merchandise without interrupting their watching experience and, once they are ready to buy, they can click again to go to your official store and complete their purchase.

Feature Merch on end screens

If you’re eligible for the merch shelf, you can add merch to your end screens. Follow these instructions:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
In the left menu, select Content.
Find the video where you want to add merch to an end screen click Editor.
To add merch:
If the video already includes an end screen, click on an empty slot click Merchandise.
If the video doesn’t have an end screen, click Add an end screen choose your template.
Place your merch end screen at your preferred time and place on screen.

Tips

Keep things nice and clear so fans can easily engage: space out merch drops and donations campaigns so they happen at different times. (If you have donations running on your videos, the Merch shelf will not appear.)
Fans react well to artists suggesting they check out the merch on offer: give fans a verbal call-to-action to go to your merch shelf! This works really well in livestream situations, too.
Your channel needs to fulfil some simple but important requirements to be eligible – for instance, musicians must have an Official Artist Channel.

FAQs

How do I get my merch items displayed on the shelf?

Once you create or modify your merch items with your official merchandise retailer and submit them to YouTube, the items will be reviewed for compliance with their policies. This review typically takes a few business days.

How do I know if my merch items are under review?

To find out the status of the product review for your merch items:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
In the left menu, click Monetization.
Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
Click Organize on the “status card.”
In the “Organize items” panel:
Items which are under review will be marked as “Under Review”.
Items in the panel without this label have been reviewed and are available for display on the shelf.

I can’t find some of my merch items in YouTube Studio

If you have questions about specific merch items not appearing in the “Organize items” panel, please reach out to your merch retailer.

The merch shelf doesn’t appear on my video, why?

The merch shelf won’t appear if:

Your video’s audience is set as made for kids
Your video already shows Ticketing or Donations
Your video has a copyright claim against it
Your viewer is not in a country or region where the merch shelf is available
Your viewer is watching your video on a mobile browser, smart TV or game console
You have no approved, in-stock merch items

Paid Digital Goods (PDG)

What Are PDGs?

In late 2020, YouTube made paid digital goods (PDG), available for eligible channels. These features are an additional way for your channels to monetise their content. It is recommended that all eligible channels enable and utilise these features where relevant.

PDG features currently available:

Super Chat – a tool that allows live stream viewers to purchase a highlighted message in the chat stream.
Super Stickers – a tool that will allow fans to purchase animated stickers to share during live streams and Premieres.

Super Chat

Super Chat is like paying for a front-row seat in the digital age: it lets any fan watching a live stream stand out from the crowd and get a creator’s attention by purchasing chat messages that are highlighted in bright colours and stay pinned to the top of the chat window for up to five hours. Super Chat gives viewers a chance to add a little visual flair to their chats and gives creators a new way to keep connected to their fans while earning a little money on the side
Super Chats & Super Stickers show as coloured chat messages in your chat feed. When a viewer makes a purchase, their profile picture can stay on top of the chat feed. For how long it stays depends on their purchase amount. The more a viewer spends, the longer Super Chats or Super Stickers can stay at the top of the chat feed.
Channel Requirements
Your channel is monetized
You’re over 18
You’re in one of the available locations (Algeria, American Samoa, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, U.S. Virgin Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay)
Super Chat isn’t available on age-restricted, unlisted or private videos and on videos where live chat is turned off.

How to enable Super Chat or Super Stickers on a channel:

Sign in to studio.youtube.com.
In the left menu, click Monetization.
In the menu at the top of the main dash, click Supers -> Get started and follow the on-screen instructions.
Once you’ve completed all the instructions, you’ll find 2 options:

“Super Chat status is on” next to a blue toggle.
“Super Stickers status is on” next to a blue toggle.

Turn off Super Chat or Super Stickers

Sign in to studio.youtube.com.
In the left menu, click Monetization.
In the menu at the top of the main dash, click Supers.
Choose one or both of the following options:

Switch the toggle next to “Super Chat status is on.”
Click the switch next to “Super Stickers status is on.”
In the pop-up, click the checkbox next to “I understand the implications of this action” Turn off.

Please note: If a third party administers your rights, please check with them first before enabling.

How to see your Super Chat & Super Sticker Purchases

Sign in to studio.youtube.com.
In the left menu, click monetization.
In the Menu at the top of the main dash, click Supers.
Your latest purchases will be in the Your Super Chat and Super Sticker activity.

For all available purchase info, click See all.

Super Chat & Super Stickers With Premieres

Super Chat & Super Stickers work with YouTube Premieres. If you’ve enabled Super Chats & Super Stickers on your channel, they’re automatically turned on when you premiere a video. Follow these instructions to premiere a video with Super Chat or Super Stickers:

On a computer, sign in to YouTube with your Super Chat- or Super Sticker-enabled channel.
At the top of the page, click Upload, or visit youtube.com/upload.
Click Scheduled in the dropdown menu.

Note that selecting Public will cue the premiere to start immediately after the video is done uploading.
Unlisted videos can’t be premiered.

Click the video you’d like to upload from your computer.
On the next page, turn on Premiere.
Select the date and time of your premiere.
When the video is done processing, click Premiere in the top-right corner.

Shorts

What are Shorts?

Shorts is a new way to express yourself in 15 seconds or less, and our team is focused on building its foundation across three main areas:

Create

Creation is at the core of short-form video, and YT wants to make it easy and fun to create Shorts. YT is starting to test just a few new tools for creators and artists with our early beta in India:

A multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together,
The option to record with music from a large library of songs that will continue to grow,
Speed controls that give you the flexibility to be creative in your performance,
And a timer and countdown to easily record, hands-free.
The Audio Library offers a new way to discover music. Tap ‘add music’ in the Shorts camera, search within the audio library and add/adjust the music into your Short.
Check out this video on how to remix audio

Get discovered

Every month, 2 billion viewers come to YouTube to laugh, learn and connect. Creators have built entire businesses on YouTube, and they want to enable the next generation of mobile creators to also grow a community on YouTube with Shorts. YT encourages any mobile creator or artist to start uploading their existing short videos on YouTube today to start getting discovered.

Watch

You may have recently seen a row on the YouTube homepage especially for short videos, and they’ve introduced a new watch experience that lets you easily swipe vertically from one video to the next, plus discover other similar short videos.

Shorts offer a new way for:

users to discover music
artists to connect with fans
artists to promote their music
build Shorts into your release strategies to help keep fans engaged

Discovering Shorts Across YouTube

Discover shorts on your:

Channel page
YouTube homepage
From subscriptions
By searching

Sounds Page

The Sounds Page shows how fans are engaging with your music and the number of shorts created with your audio
Tap the bottom right of a Short to visit the Sounds Page
Artists can use the Sounds Page to see all fans’ Shorts creations
The Sounds Page also sends fans to your official music video

Ideas & Inspiration

Experiment with Debut Content
Try creating different types of Shorts content using your music from the Audio Library. If one of your songs isn’t available within the Shorts Audio library, touch base with support@fuga.com
Keep Fan Momentum Going
Connect with your fans after release day by posting new Shorts that encourage fans to use your music. Check out the Sound Page for your music to see the shorts that are being made. You can shout out your favourite fan creations, share on your community page and encourage more fans to create.
Show How It’s Made
Inspire your audience and other artists by posting how-to Shorts content. You can help fans learn more about your music, offer tips for playing difficult songs, or show how you put a track together.
Behind-the-scenes
Connect with fans by pulling back the curtain and showcasing behind-the-scenes moments on Shorts. Content from recording sessions, backstage, or on the road is a few ways to try this out.
Connect Fans To Your Music
Dance content can inspire creators and help audiences discover artists on Shorts. You can experiment with posting dances or interact with fans that are dancing to your music. Try not to create complicated moves, think of something that’s easy to replicate and follow along.
Challenge Fans To Join In
Challenges are a great way to promote new music and engage your audience. Try this out by encouraging fans to post Shorts around a specific #hashtag that’s unique to you, your new music, or a catalogue favourite.

Shorts & New Release Strategies

Keep it fresh
Shorts content moves quickly, meaning there’s always a new opportunity to play into trends and themes. Combining a trendy Shorts audio or joke with a popular game is a great way to engage with a broad audience.
Each Short is a unique opportunity to reach a new audience so don’t feel bound by one style of sub-genre. Just because you have success with one type of content doesn’t mean you can’t also with another.
Keep it fun
Don’t be afraid to bring your whole self to your content, try new things and get creative.
Keep it all-in-one
Some viewers will be unfamiliar with you and your content when they come across it; it’s a good idea to have a Short to tell a standalone story. Therefore try to avoid making videos in multiple parts
Use a hook, climax and resolution

Pre-Release

Use Shorts as a creative platform for your music and brand, not just a place to broadcast messages
Utilize the 1 min mobile (between 9:16 ratio and 1:1 ratio) format to creatively grab attention with storytelling content
Announce your upcoming release
Sharing a live performance of the unreleased song
Posting how-to Shorts content may help fans learn more about your music or show how you put a track together
Use relevant hashtags specific to you and your music
Connect to audiences with behind-the-scenes content
Try pulling back the curtain and showcase content from recording sessions, backstage, or on the road.

Post-Release

Encourage fans to make their own Shorts using your music
Check out the Sound Page to view all the Shorts using your release
View the most popular Shorts using your music
Thank fans who created Shorts in their comments
Use Short Analytics to measure the performance of your Shorts content and make informed decisions for future strategies
Click on the Analytics button to display performance stats for the Shorts you created such as views, likes, and average view duration.
Continue posting Shorts with your music and engaging with fans on your Shorts

Shorts Fund

YouTube is looking to support artists and creators who are using Shorts. The Shorts Fund is another opportunity for monetization on YouTube and if you’re creating unique content on Shorts, you can be eligible to receive up to $10,000 per month. Every month, YouTube reaches out to artists & creators who have uploaded at least one eligible short to award them with $. Currently, the fund is available in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, the UK & the US.

FAQs

If I upload a video under 1 minute is it automatically recognised as a Short?
The video needs to be both under 1 minute and uploaded in a 9:16 or 1:1 ratio to be classified as a Short
Why isn’t my song available in the Audio Library?
It could be due to various technical, territorial or rights related reasons but reach out to support@fuga.com if you’re having any issues.
Will my subscribers get a notification when I upload a Short?
YouTube only send personalised Shorts highlights notifications to “belled” subscribers that regularly watch Shorts content. “Belled” subscribers will still receive up to 3 notifications per day for non-shorts videos per channel and a maximum of 3 personalised Shorts highlight notifications across all the channels they’re subscribed to.
How can I enable my artist to get access to Shorts on mobile given the new Channel permissions?
If you’re using Channel Permissions, only the primary owner of the channel can upload Shorts. YouTube is working on adding more features to Channel Permissions soon.
How will I see Shorts in Analytics for Artists?
From your Shorts video, you can click on the Analytics button to bring up a new page that will display performance stats. You can also look at Shots as a traffic source by using YouTube Analytics.
Do tags and descriptions matter on Shorts?
Video tags (not to be confused with hashtags) are NOT a major factor in YT’s search and discovery systems. Rather than a cool way to trick the algorithm, tags are used to help recognise multiple or misspelt names.
While descriptions allow you to provide more detailed information about a piece of content, they’re far less likely to be consumed by a Shorts viewer compared to the video title and opening few seconds. With that in mind, we’d recommend putting most of your effort into these areas.

Video Optimization

Optimise your YouTube Video with:

Descriptive titles
31-40 video tags
Detailed description
End cards
High-res thumbnails
Sharing on socials

You’ve spent all this time making the music writing, shooting, editing your video. Make sure you set it up properly at the final step to maximise its potential for discoverability.

Create A Descriptive Title

Include the artist name and track title
Describe the asset in parentheses
Official Audio, Official Video
Lyric Video
Stick to consistency when naming your videos across your channel so everything is easy to find

Include 31-40 Video Tags

SEO Marketing broadly accepts that between 31-40 tags are advised for optimal discoverability
Tags tell YouTube what your video is about so they can recommend it to users watching similar content
Use a mixture of branded and unbranded keywords
Unbranded keywords should have a balance of medium/high search volume and low volume e.g. you want keywords that lots of people are searching for but not a lot of people are making videos like yours.
this can include similar, well-known artists, genres, media, brands, labels etc

Write A Detailed Description

The description box is one of the only areas you can control the messaging of your track on YouTube.
It’s a key touchpoint for fans alongside a space where you can push your promotional message
A good description includes:
Credits
Links to other platforms fans can find you e.g. socials, streaming, website, tickets etc
Quote from the artists about the song to encourage a deeper connection with the viewer
CTA to your current promotion e.g. ‘Stream the new track/album here’ or ‘Buy Tickets Here’
3-5 hashtags for discoverability

End Cards

End cards are a YouTube feature that appears in the last 15-20 seconds of the video where users can promote other videos or playlists.
You can promote up to 4 elements
Use end cards to encourage people to stay on your channel by watching another video, looking at a playlist or subscribing to your channel
Most artists don’t do this as you’ll need to add a few seconds onto your video but it’s a powerful way to extend watch time on the channel.
Great assets to include in your end card is:
Links to recognizable music videos e.g. your most popular songs to continue to snowball their views
Links to new videos to promote
Alternative ways to enjoy your music e.g. follow up with a live mix or an acoustic version etc
CTA to subscribe

Best Practices

Engage consistently

Get fans to interact with your videos
Drive traffic by promoting your releases & playlists
Add trailers and teasers before a release
Interact with fans in comments and Community

Encourage Co-Watching

Boost the likelihood of your videos being recommended together
Create multiple videos for the same song
Use cards, end screens & playlists
Create a series

How YouTube Recommends Videos

YouTube’s content recommendation system is one of the main drivers of views and engagement on the platform.

YouTube says its goal is to show people more of what they like, based on both their own behaviours and that of similar users. Recommendations work in two places: the homepage and the ‘Up Next’ panel. They are based on four main factors:

clicks
watch time
sharing
likes and dislikes
survey responses.

It also downranks what it perceives as low-quality content.

What to take from this information:

Most recommendations on social platforms have traditionally worked in similar ways. That is, if a post performs highly, it will be recommended to others.
Now, platforms are paying attention to the topics and content as much as the numbers – though these still play an important role.
YouTube is a search engine, and the topics and content you list in your title must speak to the video contents accurately.
Engaging thumbnails, retention-building tactics like right books and midway points are also key ways to boost these key recommendation factors like clicks and watch time.

Afterparty

What are afterparties?

YouTube Premium afterparties are Premium-exclusive live streams with artists. They’re an opportunity for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium members to engage in real-time with artists who host a video feed and live chat.
Premium afterparties are available in all markets where YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium are launched, except for South Korea.

Live chat messages and comments on YouTube Premium afterparties are visible to all YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium members who access the live stream. This means live chat messages and comments on these live streams may be accessible to all current and future YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium members who can view the archived live streams.

You can still view your own live chat messages and have the option of deleting them by visiting your live chat history, even if you’re no longer a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium member.
You can also view your own comments and can delete them by visiting your comment history, even if you no longer have YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium.

Live Streaming

Before

Enable live streaming for your channel
- If this is your first live stream, you will need to wait for 24hrs for streaming access
- Click the camera button on your mobile or desktop device and follow the steps to get your account activated for live streaming
Make sure your channel is verified and you haven’t had any live streaming restrictions in the last 90 days
- If you still need your account to be verified: youtube.com/verify
Always promote the event ahead of time.
- Create the public live stream event several days to a week in advance.
Before sharing the link, make sure the video settings reflect the actual device/source you’ll use.
Use video titles, thumbnails, hashtags to promote the event.
Feature it prominently on your channel.
Create a playlist like “Upcoming Live Streams”
Share the URL for the live stream on social and in Community
Ask fans to click on ‘set reminder’
If applicable, encourage affiliate artists to promote it on social.
Enable Super Chat
Take the duration of your live stream into account.
- 1-2hr streams have performed best
- Any stream <12hrs can become a public video

During

Film in landscape mode
- Fans prefer to watch videos on demand in this format, including on TV
Pin an important message or call to action for fans to the top of the chat
Use social media to invite fans to the live stream with a direct URL link
Use the live chat to chat directly with fans
- Answer questions and get them excited about the event
Monitor live chat to detect any problems and flag them with our marketing team.

After

Your live stream will be available right away
- Allow users to watch whenever they want
Update the tags, descriptions and relevant information
Promote the video on social media and in Community
Share any chart and playlist placements
Include cards or end screens to promote your other videos
Include the live streams on a channel playlist called ‘Live Stream Archives’
Share fan content in the Community tab
Read your analytics to improve future streams.
- Focus on the view rate, drop-offs, number of comments and number of simultaneous views

Live Monetization

Promote official merch on a video or Premiere watch page
Create a merch shelf or pin merch to the top of your live stream chat
The merch feature also works on channel pages, end screens and cards.
Enable monetization on your live stream in YouTube studio under monetize
- click monetize with ads
- during your live stream click on play ad
If your channel is eligible and enabled for monetization, YouTube can serve ads on your content
- Pre-rolls are shown before a live stream and can be viewed via mobile and desktop
- Mid-rolls are shown during a live stream and rely on technical implementation via YouTube
- Display and overlay ads are shown next to or over the content and they can be viewed on desktop.

Production

Three types of YouTube live stream:
- Mobile
- Webcam
- Professional

Mobile

Easiest option to live stream quickly as doesn’t require additional equipment
You need to have at least 1k subscribers to live stream from a mobile device

Webcam

An easy way to stream from your laptop or desktop
A good way to live stream from home since no additional equipment needed
You have the option to use an external camera or audio equipment
Compatible with Chrome & Firefox

Professional

The best option for larger productions
Usually used for live music streams
In this format you’ll need to use an encoder that connects to YouTube. Options include:
- Open Broadcaster Software
- Stage Ten
- Streamlabs OBS
- XSplit Broadcaster
- XSplit Gamecaster
- Wirecast

Insights & Recommendations

YouTube live streams positively impact audio and video streams
Views and watch time per view are highest on the weekends
Live streams between 1-2hrs perform best
Live streaming is a new behaviour so be sure to promote your live events beforehand.
- Promoting your streams is critical to driving traffic to them
Keeping live streams as VOD (video on demand) significantly increases views
Live Redirect premieres generate more views, chat messages and likes than comparable premieres.
Top-performing live stream categories include music releases, fans events/performances and supporting causes.

YouTube Premieres

Premieres create buzz around the launch of your next video.

YouTube Premieres lets you and your viewers watch and experience a new video together in real-time.
Create buzz for your Premiere by sharing the watch page so viewers can set reminders, chat, and leave comments.
An easy way to turn the launch of your video into a social event.
Videos that use Premieres usually reach a larger audience than those launched without the tool.

Create A Premiere

Viewers can watch the Premiere on any platform like a computer, iPhone, iPad, Android, and mobile web.

On your computer, go to studio.YouTube.com.
At the top, click Create Upload videos.
Select your video to upload and enter video details.
Note: 360/vr180 or an output greater than 1080p isn’t supported for Premieres
To immediately premiere the video, click Save or publish Public Set as instant Premiere. The video will premiere when the video finishes processing.
To schedule the premiere for later, click Schedule Enter a date and time Set as Premiere.
Click Done or Schedule.

Tip: You can also create a Premiere when uploading a video from the YouTube app. From the “Set visibility” page, choose Set as Premiere.

Before Your Premiere Starts

A public watch page is created for your video to eventually premiere on.
You can share the watch page URL since the watch page is public before the Premiere begins.
Premieres show up across YouTube just like regular uploads. You’ll find them on search, the homepage, and video recommendations.
Anyone can come to the watch page and set a reminder, leave a comment, or chat (also give Super Chats if turned on). If you’ve uploaded a trailer, it’ll play.

During Your Premiere

A countdown theme will start 2 minutes before your Premiere. When the countdown is over, viewers watch the video together in real-time.
Viewers can rewind the video, but cannot forward past what’s been shown live.
You and your viewers can continue to interact in the comments and live chat.

After Your Premiere Ends

After your video premieres, it stays on your channel as a regular upload. The countdown theme won’t be included in your video.
Chat replay is available for viewers who want to experience the Premiere chat after it has ended. You can turn off chat at any time.
From YouTube Studio, you can also use YouTube Analytics to see how your Premiere performed. The view count from the Premiere will transfer to the video afterwards.

Customize Your Premiere

Get your live audience excited about your upcoming video by showing a trailer of it on the Premiere page. Your trailer will play for viewers on the watch page before the Premiere starts.
Requirements
- Video type: Use any YouTube supported video type.
- Video length: 15 seconds – 3 minutes.
- Aspect ratio and resolution: We recommend the same aspect ratio and resolution as the Premiering video.
- Audio and video rights: Make sure that the trailer does not infringe on other content.

Upload your trailer to your YouTube channel like you would with a regular upload.
From YouTube Studio, upload the video you want to premiere.
From the “Visibility” step, schedule as a Premiere.
Click Set up Premiere.
Under “Add a trailer,” click Add and select your trailer.

Premiere Tips

Customize your Premiere by monetizing your Premiere via ads, or showing a trailer on the watch page before your Premiere starts.
Guide your viewers to your live stream. Guide your audience to a live stream by pinning a chat message with the link.
Build excitement by sending your audience from a live stream to a Premiere.
Share your Premiere watch page URL on social media.
Set your Premiere as your channel trailer. Learn how by changing your channel layout.
Encourage your viewers to set a reminder by leaving a comment or chat message on your watch page. When someone sets a reminder, they’ll get a notification about 30 minutes before the Premiere and another when it starts.

Live Redirect

You can host a live stream before your Premiere and then once you end the live stream, your viewers will automatically move to your Premiere. Your viewers will see that your live stream has ended and then auto-play will move them to your Premiere page.

Create a live stream.
Click Edit.
From the ‘Live Redirect’ page, choose a Premiere. Your audience will be sent there, after your live stream ends.

Keeps fans engaged right before a premiere
Transition from a live stream directly to a Premiere on the Premiere watch page
Live Redirect boosts initial views of and fan engagement with the video
Gives fans a personal moment with the artist
Tips
- Set up your Premiere before setting up your live stream.
- Remember to tell your audience that when the live stream ends, wait for approximately two seconds for their screens to reload to the Premiere.
- Pin a live chat message on your Premiere watch page that directs viewers to your live stream.

Super Chat & Super Stickers With Premieres

Super Chat & Super Stickers work with YouTube Premieres. If you’ve enabled Super Chats & Super Stickers on your channel, they’re automatically turned on when you premiere a video. Follow these instructions to premiere a video with Super Chat or Super Stickers:

On a computer, sign in to YouTube with your Super Chat- or Super Sticker-enabled channel.
At the top of the page, click Upload, or visit youtube.com/upload.
Click Scheduled in the dropdown menu.

- Note that selecting Public will cue the premiere to start immediately after the video is done uploading.
- Unlisted videos can’t be premiered.

Click the video you’d like to upload from your computer.
On the next page, turn on Premiere.
Select the date and time of your premiere.
When the video is done processing, click Premiere in the top-right corner.

Track Comparison

Facebook launched their new Track vs Track comparison feature in their Music Insights Tool, where users can now compare the performance of tracks from the same or different artists.

Track Comparison View:

– Users can create a new Track comparison by opening a specific track and clicking on the “Compare” button.

– Users will be able to compare up to 5 of your label’s tracks at the same time.

– Each track has a set of predefined date ranges available for selection:

First 7 days of Release (default)

First 14 days of Release

First 28 days of Release

Last 7 days

Last 14 days

Last 28 days

– In addition, Users will be able to select custom sources and territories along with the above date ranges.

– Note that you may receive a notice like “Some tracks may show information from their first X days on Facebook if previous release information is unavailable” if we don’t have historical data for the track.

Business Manager

What is Business Manager?

Manage Pages, ad accounts, Instagram accounts & the people who work on them

Business Manager is a hub for businesses to integrate their Facebook marketing information in one place and effectively share access to assets across their team, with external partner agencies, and vendors.

Actions that require you to use Business Manager

Custom audience sharing. e.g. Target video viewers
Providing IG advertising access. e.g. allow and advertiser to boost an IG post.
Product Catalog & Shopping setup. e.g. sell merch.
Publisher block lists. e.g. choose where ads show up.
Running ads on social issues. e.g. authorize an account to run social issue ads.
Domain verification. e.g. set up a shop.

What are the benefits of Business Manager?

Control. Control and manage access and permissions for all your assets in one place as your team, agency partners, or vendors change over time
Privacy. Connect with people on Business Manager without sharing your Facebook profile—no one at work will see your info unless it’s set to public
Security. Identify risks and see recommended actions you can take to improve security
Time Savings. Manage multiple assets with batch actions. Track performance across multiple Pages and ad accounts

Business Manager can be directly accessed at business.facebook.com/settings

(Classic) Is my Page owned by a Business Manager?

The ‘Page Owner’ in your Page Roles tab is the owning Business Manager. Agencies are third-party Business Managers with access to your Page.

[NPE] Is my Page owned by a Business Manager?

If you’re not sure whether or not your Page is owned in a Business Manager, there two places you can look: 1. Via the Page’s Settings: A) Go to your Page’s Settings → Page Access → Business Account Access or – B) Go to your Page’s Settings, → ‘New Page Experience’, → ‘Page Management History’. Look for an indication that a Page Manager adjusted permissions and ownership.

[NPE & Classic] What if another Business Manager owns my Page?

If you know or have worked with people in the owning Business Manager.

Solution 1: The same, one, person is a BM Admin in the current and future BM, and a Page Admin of the Page you want to transfer:

1. Ensure you have an Admin role on the Page (not just the Business Manager)

2. Go to the settings for the Business Manager you want the Page to live in and navigate to the Pages tab

3. Click the blue ‘Add’ button and click ‘Add a Page’

4. Enter your Facebook Page name or URL information, click Add & everything should transition over.

Solution 2: You are not a BM Admin in the currently owning BM, but you are Admin in another BM that you want to own the Page 1. (If your FB & IG are linked) Temporarily disconnect your FB & IG a. Tip: you can connect your IG to another page so that you don’t have to transition it to a personal profile type and lose insights

2. You will need to ask a BM Admin in the owning Business to remove the Page from that BM

3. Once they’ve removed the Page, you will go into your BM that you want to own the Page and navigate to the ‘Pages’ tab

4. Click the blue ‘Add’ button & click ‘Add a Page’

5. Enter your Facebook Page name or URL information, click Add

6. Once the Page has been added, relink your FB & IG (ensure you’ve also added your IG in the Business Manager )

If you’re unfamiliar with the owning Business Manager nor anyone who might be associated

You’ll need to work with our support team and/or your contact at Facebook to go through a dispute process
File a request with our support team.

Note: this will require

1) a valid photo ID of the requestor

2) A signed statement with the request &

– description of requestor relationship to the Page and/or Business – explanation of the request / direct request statement – the past three invoices/billing statements on the ad account(s) that the business owns and the last 4 digits of the credit card(s) on the account(s)

– declaration under penalty of perjury that the information you’ve provided is true and accurate (statement must include this language)

[NPE + Classic] As a third party, how do I request access to a Page that is on the New Page Experience?

To request access to a Page from your own Business Manager: Via business.facebook.com/settings

1. Go to the Partners tab

2. Click ‘Add’

3. ‘Ask a partner to share their assets’

4. Add your contact information and follow prompts to submit the request

NEW PAGE EXPERIENCE + BUSINESS MANAGER MANAGEMENT

How do I add people to my Page?

Via Page
Via Business Manager

To add a person to your Page via your Page’s Settings:

1. Go to your Page Settings

2. Click or scroll to New Pages Experience

3. Click into ‘Page Access’

4. Click ‘Add New’ or the ‘…’ to change someone’s permissions

Facebook Access: You can grant someone Facebook Access or Facebook Access, Full Admin permissions via Page Settings
Task Acces: You can give trusted people limited (task -based) permissions to your page to help manage it. These people can’t access the Page on Facebook. However,, they can use other tools from Facebook (e.g. Creator Studio) to manage the features you give them access to

To add a person as a Full Admin to a Page via Business Manager

If you need to add a new person to the Page with Facebook Access, Full Admin capabilities,, you will need to do that via the Page’s Settings directly; this is not currently supported via Business Manager

a. Reminder: When a Page transitions to the new Pages experience, people with the ability to post on the Page may need to go through Page Publishing Authorization

To give a person Facebook Access or Task Access Permissions to your Page via Business Manager –

1. Go to the People tab

2. Add the person and give them access to the Business Manager as an Admin or Employee

3. In the next modal, select the Page within the new New Pages Experience you want to give permissions to

4. Toggle on the permissions for that person

5. Click ‘Assign’

Let’s talk Roles

Business Manager roles are different from Page roles

Being a Business Manager Admin does not mean you are also a Page Admin

How do I adjust a person’s permissions to a Page via Business Manager?

To change a person’s role/permissions on a Page:

1. Go to business.facebook.com/settings and click into the owning Business Manager

2. Navigate to the Pages tab (or People tab)

3. Select the Page (or person) you want to update permissions for

4. Click the ‘v’ next to the Page or name which will present a dropdown of relevant people + roles & permissions

5. Toggle to make changes

6. Press Save

NOTE: You must be a Business Manager Admin order to complete these actions

How do I give a third party (e.g. advertiser) access to my Page?

How do I give an advertiser or third party access to my Page?

Two ways to give an advertiser access to your Page:

Via Business Manager. add an advertiser as a ‘partner’ to your Business Manager (business/facebook.com/settings) and grant them advertising access to your Page and/or Instagram This is best practice when working with brands or agencies who typically have their own Business Managers Business Manager is the only ‘official’ way to give an advertiser access to Instagram without giving them a login
Individually on the Page. add another user to the Page and give limited / advertising access This works best if you’re not working with a large brand or agency and individuals on your own team

If your Page is owned in a Business Manager:

1. Go to business.facebook.com/settings and click into the owning Business Manager

2. Navigate to the Partner tab

3. Click the blue ‘Add’ button and ‘Give a partner access to your assets’

4. Input the third-party’s Business Manager ID (this is something they’d give you)

5. Select the Page you want to give access to and toggle on the role/permissions you want this third-party to have to the Page (e.g. ‘Ads’ for advertisers)

6. Finish through the prompts

If your (NPE) Page is not owned in a Business Manager:

1. You will need to create a Business Manager; follow the steps here

2. Once you’ve created one, you’ll need to add the Page within it; follow the steps here a. Continue to add people, your Instagram account, etc.

3. Follow the instructions for giving a third party access via the next slide

Where do I accept a third party’s request to my Page?

In order to accept a third party’s request to your (NPE) Page (e.g. to advertise), you must own the Page in a Business Manager.

Admins will receive an email notification to approve or reject the request.
Admins on the Page will also see the request via their Business Manager’s notifications tab

If you do not own the Page in a Business Manager then you will not see any third party requests

CLASSIC PAGES + BUSINESS MANAGER MANAGEMENT

How do I add people to my Page via Business Manager?

Give a person access to a Page via Business Manager –

If the person is not in your Business Manager

1. Go to the People tab

2. Add the person and give them access to the Business Manager as an Admin or Employee

3. Select the assets you want to give the person access to and press ‘Invite’

If the person is already in your Business Manager

1. Go to the Pages tab

2. Click on the Page you want to add the person to

3. Click ‘Add People’

4. Click on the name of the person you want to add

5. Toggle on the permissions for that person

6. Click ‘Assign’

How do I give a third party (e.g. advertiser) access to my Page?

Two ways to give an advertiser access to your Page:

Via Business Manager. add an advertiser as a ‘partner’ to your Business Manager (business/facebook.com/settings) and grant them advertising access to your Page and/or Instagram This is best practice when working with brands or agencies who typically have their own Business Managers Business Manager is the only ‘official’ way to give an advertiser access to Instagram without giving them a login
Individually by user on the Page. add another user(s), individually, to the Page and give limited / advertising access This works best if you’re not working with a large brand or agency and individuals on your own team

If your Page is owned in a Business Manager:

1. Go to business.facebook.com/settings and click into the owning Business Manager

2. Navigate to the Partners tab

3. Select ‘Give a partner access to…’

4. Input the third -party’s Business Manager ID (this is something they’d give you)

5. Select the assets (Pages, Instagram accounts, etc.) to share access with that third party

6. Click ‘Save Changes’

NOTE: You must be a Business Manager Admin order to complete these actions

Where do I accept a third party’s request to my Page?

A third party Business Manager can request access to your Page without your Page needing to be in a Business Manager. To accept or reject the request

Within your Page Settings go to Page Roles

2. Find the ‘Pending Requests’

3. Review the level of access the third party has requested; Approve or reject.

Social Media Competitions

Why should you run a social media competition?

Grow Your Following
When running a competition, ask someone to like or follow you as a way to enter themselves into the competition.
This can massively help to grow your following by increasing the percentage of people who might come across your content.
Generate Awareness
When fans like, comment or share your content the algorithm recognises this and gives your content more visibility on the platform.
Pairing yourself with another artist, platform or brand will also introduce you to each other’s follower base.
Increase Your Email List
A popular method of entering into a competition is to provide your email address.
As long as you’re mentioning what the fan is signing up for, you can add these addresses to your email list.
Jumpstart Your Engagement
Competitions are a great way to increase buzz around your profile and get your followers engaging with your content.
Almost any route to running a competition will increase your exposure

How to run a social media competition

Set up your goal

Decide whether you’re trying to increase your following, generate more leads or simply increase your artist or release awareness.
Each of these can lead to different types of competitions so you need to know which goal you’re trying to achieve before setting anything up.

Determine your competition type

If you want to increase your fanbase, ask that people follow your page in order to enter. This is especially popular on Instagram.
If you want to generate more leads and increase your email list, you should request people to sign up via email. This can be done via a landing page and linked from any platform or you can create a specific Facebook tab for your competition.
If you’re interested in increasing your artist/release awareness, you can partner with other artists, platforms or brands and both share the giveaway on your profiles. You can ask entrants to tag friends as another form of entry to help spread the word.
You can also organise a social media photo/video contest as a way of gathering UGC for future campaign use.

Budget & Prize

Once you’ve organised your budget, you can break it up between ads across different platforms to promote the competition.
Remember your prize needs to be something relevant and specific to your audience so you’re not attracting entrants that will never convert to fans.

Know Your Audience

You need to know who your audience is and where they spend their time on social media then you can decide which platform(s) you should be focussing on.
Knowing your audience can also help you decide what type of prize would make the most sense.

Test Different Platforms

Whenever you’re trying out a new strategy, always test it out
You should be testing different platforms to see which one generates the biggest response to your giveaway.
There are multiple options but there’s always a number one when it comes to your strategy performance.
You can also skip this step if you already know there’s a social media platform that outperforms all your other platforms.

Understand Competition Rules

Each platform has specific rules to adhere to so make sure you read, understand and follow the rules for each platform you’ve chosen.
As a general rule of thumb, you should always clearly state what the competition is and be sure to say that there’s no affiliation with the platform.
Facebook Guidelines
Twitter Guidelines
Instagram Guidelines

Run Your Competition

Announce it on your chosen platform(s)
Run ads to increase your reach
Cross-promote on other platforms, your email newsletter and your website
Announce the prize, set the length of your competition and of course, announce your winner.

Measure Your Results

How well did your competition perform?
Measure your results based on what your objectives were from the start

Community Management

What is Community Management?

Community Management is the process of building your fan base through genuine and real communication on your social media platforms directly with your fans. It’s your artist interacting with their audience to create a network in which they can connect, share and grow. It’s vital that you connect with your fans and show them you care. Don’t just use social media to promote your music and tour schedule. If one of your goals is to increase engagement then community management should be a key driver of your content activities.

Work on your social interactions daily

As well as actively posting and sharing content, you should also try to respond to as many people as possible who like, comment and react to your profile.
This is not a wasted effort. Making actual one-to-one connections with your followers, visitors, and even casual passersby is important, because they could be your future super fans.
Your personal responses go a long way, not only to the fans who mention your music but also to others who see your responses.
When it comes to bots or spam-like comments, feel free to delete these.
Interact with fans by asking questions and getting involved in discussions happening in the comments. Take the time to write a good response and show your fans that you’re listening to them.
Don’t be afraid to ask followers to share or retweet your posts and return the favour. Share or retweet photos, music, shout outs, quotes etc. Encourage them to post photos from your shows or remixes of your songs and tag you. You could even make a regular theme like “Fan Feature Friday.”

Use a personal tone & show your personality

Developing a personal connection with your fans will help solidify the artist-fan relationship. How you communicate to your fans makes a huge difference.
It’s also essential that you show fans your real personality. When you start to show your true self, you’ll begin to see a big difference in the way your fans interact with you.
Write like you speak so that your content has a genuine personal tone. And don’t forget to give your posts a once-over for basic grammar and readability.
Personalize your message and don’t front a persona that doesn’t reflect who you really are.
Embrace your passion and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Many artists fear rejection over-sharing polarizing content but allowing little quirks in your personality show is great.
Don’t be afraid to open up on social media. Let others into your world and share the good times as well as the struggles. Show your fans who you are, what your about, and where you’re going. Remember, your brand represents you, so don’t hesitate to hide that.

Involve yourself in the industry community

Show respect for other artists, musicians, DJ’s and other music industry peers.
Comment on other peoples’ Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, Instagram stories, SoundCloud tracks, etc. This shows you’re engaged in the music community and that you’re not only about self-promotion.
It’s also an excellent way to network and gain new followers.

Best Practices Corner

Be consistent with posting to aid content discovery. Give your followers a bank of content to look through if they find you on the For You Page.
Mix original trend-led content and creator/fan reposts. Involve your fans with original content by encouraging them to react to it or recreate it.
Create short, digestible videos that hook the audience within the first couple of seconds. You need to show people why they should stop scrolling to watch your video over someone else’s.
Popular Sounds and hashtags can help you get on people’s For You Page. Stick to no more than five hashtags per post. This means you can reach relevant audiences without distracting from the video itself.
Go Live!

The Basics

Consistent username across all platforms
Short and relevant description. Make sure it’s obvious to users that you’re an artist
Connect to your Instagram & YouTube channel
Get a Pro Account
The ideal runtime for a video is 10-17 seconds.

What’s Important

Consistency
Authenticity
Community integration
Personality, people don’t want a sales pitch

Content Strategy

Native content
Not overly-produced (but good lighting is a must!)
Incorporate trending sounds, memes, challenges, hashtags
Duet and react to UGC and comments
Collaborate with others on the platform
Grow your artists profile with a combination of influencer collabs, ads and your consistent & creative content strategy

Use your music and the songs you love to create engaging and original videos. Think about all the aspects of your work, from shooting behind the scenes to events, shows and recording sessions.

Users love authentic and personal videos so share a moment of your life and what you’re passionate about.

Your personality and creativity is what keeps users coming back to your content. A sense of humour can help showcase your unique perspective. Tiktok has an incredible, diverse community that

reinterpret and embrace trends and challenges. Give users the flexibility to repackage your content through their own unique lens.

Every video has an opportunity to go viral on TikTok, without having to worry about posting schedules or cadences. One amazing video per day beats multiple average attempts.

You never know which types of content will resonate with your audience, so be sure to experiment. We encourage a mix of original concepts, trends, challenges, and incorporating popular sounds.

True success comes from actively using the platform and understanding the community. Be sure to use the app as an individual, and build from there.

Participate in trending and upcoming hashtags and campaigns. Find them on the Discover page, in newsletters for TikTok Creators and official TikTok accounts: @tiktok, @tiktok_UK, @tiktok_(your country)

Encourage viewers to watch more. Mention that you’re on TikTok on other platforms (IG, YT etc). Share your TikTok videos on other

platforms. React to and engage with comments from followers.

Collaborate and Co-create. Follow and collaborate with other popular creators and artists and expand your network.

Vertical & Mobile First. All videos should be shot or edited for vertical viewing on mobile to embrace the full-screen and authentic experience.

Organic Before Paid. Establish your profile and content strategy before reaching out to us to organise a TikTok influencer campaign.

Market Your Music

Even if you aren’t able to create a viral hit on the platform, having a presence and engaging with users on TikTok with help raise the awareness of your artist with a crucial young audience. Capitalise on the advantages of early adoption with a large and highly engaged audience and relatively little competition.

Please note that the Playlists in the Sounds section of the TikTok App are currently not pitchable. However you should actively reach out to your SONO Marketing & Promotions contact if you have tracks that are already gaining traction on the platform, and have specific goals you would like to achieve via TikTok.

Switch to a PRO Account

What is a PRO account?

Pro accounts are accessible to all users and can be enabled directly on each profile via the TikTok App. Enabling this provides access to analytics for all of your posts via the settings page.

Similar to Instagram Creator accounts, the TikTok analytics dashboard can show you insights into your overall audience and performance of your content.

In order to convert your TikTok profile to a Pro account, follow these steps.

1. Open App, go to “Me”

2. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner (this brings you to settings).

3. Click “Manage My Account”

4. Navigate to the bottom of the screen and select “Switch to Pro Account.”

5. Follow all the prompts to complete the process…

Useful Information

The analytics will start recording the data after you’ve switched to a PRO account and won’t display any historic data
You’ll need to wait up to 7 days for your account to generate enough data to start displaying insights
Tip: publish as much TikTok content as possible during this period so you can get deeper insights

3 main categories of analytics

Profile overview
- shows how well your profile is performing overall
- includes total video views, profile views & follower count
- Tip: use the profile overview data to interpret a funnel of users, starting with people who begin to consume your content through to those who become engaged followers. This allows you to estimate your conversion rate from your total videos views to users who visit your profile and the conversion rate of those who actually followed your profile. This will help you prepare an effective content strategy.
Content insights
- total views of each video from the past 7 days
- reveals which of your videos have been trending on the For You page and total number of views those videos have accrued throughout the process
- Tap on the post thumbnail to open it’s unique dashboard for analytics per post for total likes/comments/shares, play time, video views, average watch time, traffic source types and audience territories.
- Tip: compare the territory engagement for individual posts to your overall audience territories in the followers tab. If different forms of content resonate with new audiences from different locations, double down on creating similar content in those territories.
Follower insights
- A top-line view of your audience demographics
- gender split and % breakdown of your audience by location

Create & Optimise Your Artist Profile

For campaigns where you are looking to grow your audience via TikTok, the first recommendation is to set-up a profile for the artist and start posting video content to the platform on a regular basis.

Establish Yourself

Create your profile with a recognisable handle and image and link your account to Twitter & YouTube.

Define Your Strategy

Engage with the platform as a user and embed yourself within the community. Find your main creative focus before you start engaging with influencers.

Create A Regular Schedule

Stay at the top of the feed with regular videos.

Use the correct hashtags and take part in as many challenges as you can to grow your following.

Engage With Your Audience

Watch, react and engage with users’ content to build a deeper connection & get your profile in front of more people.

Collaborate with other creators/users using the duet feature

Collabs

While ‘Collabs’ has been live in the UK for a while, IG has expanded this new way for people to co-author Feed Posts and Reels to more territories.

When used properly both accounts will appear in the post or Reel header, and the content will be shared to both sets of followers.

The post or Reel will live on both Profile Grids and have a shared view count, like count, and comment thread.

Check out a few more great examples – Justin Bieber/Diane Keaton, Kylie Minogue/Years & Years.

HOW TO:

– Upload a Feed post or create a Reel as you normally would.

– When you get to the end of your share screen, you’ll see the option to “Tag People.”

– Clicking on “Tag People” will allow you to now invite a collaborator by clicking “Invite Collaborator.”

– You can now search for an account and add them as a collaborator. Note that the account will need to accept your invite. Only public accounts who are receiving the test experience can be invited to collab/co-author.

– Once the account has accepted the collaboration invite, they will be added to the tag screen and also noted in the header of your post.

Music Insights

Here is an overview of MIX Insights, located inside Creator Studio. It’s your one-stop shop to see how your music is performing across Facebook’s Family of Apps.

On the left navigation panel in Creator Studio, you’ll see an option for Insights.
Click on Performance under Music. This will take you to Music Insights.
You can then see aggregate metrics and a ranked chart of your tracks, based off of consumption and production data.

Consumption:

The “Unique AL Plays” represents the total Audio Library plays of your music, filtered to the last 7 days, as shown in the far-left dropdown menu. This would, for example, include an Instagram Story someone watched that had a music sticker containing your song.
The “Unique UGC Plays” represents the total User-Generated Content plays of your music which, for example, would include an Instagram Story where one of your songs is playing in the background.

Production:

Here you will see the amount of audio library and user-generated content created using ISRCs you own the rights to.

The “AL Creations” represent the total number of Audio Library posts/stories that incorporate your artists’ music across FB and IG.
The “UGC Audio Creations” represent the number of times your tracks were used in UGC i.e. Reels.

You can filter these metrics by track, date range, sources (aka Facebook products) or territories (aka countries).

Ranked Top Tracks Chart:

This is a list, at the bottom, of your most consumed or produced with songs for both Audio Library and UGC. What is measured as a single consumption is a minimum 3-second play.

Advanced Mode:

To the far-right of the dropdown filters, you’ll see a toggle for Advanced mode. When in Advanced mode, you’ll be able to apply custom date ranges and select multiple sources or select multiple territories to filter the data by. The top tracks list is not currently available in Advanced mode but Facebook’s product teams are working on adding this functionality.

Search Tab

And finally, if you want to look at a particular track, you can use the Search tab to find it.

Live Rooms

What is IG Live Rooms?

Previously, you could only go live with one additional guest on your Instagram and now you have the ability to go live with up to three additional guests. Artists & creators can now see data on accounts they reach, saves and shares plus the number of peak concurrent viewers for lives i.e. the highest number of people watching at one instance.

Live Insights

In Account Insights, navigate to ‘Content You Shared,’ then tap an individual live to view insights
Accounts Reached, Views, Peak Concurrent Viewers, Comments, and Shares are available for your individual lives
Live Insights will also be included in all Account Insights pages: Accounts Reached, Content Interactions, Top Content, Media Library
Note: Available for all Live videos on or after May 24

How does it work:

First, open the Instagram Camera (swipe left from anywhere) then go live
Tap the new “Rooms” icon (the one that looks like a camcorder), now to the side of your stream
You’ll see people who have requested to go live with you at the top of your screen and can also search for a guest to add
Tap your guest(s) handle(s) to invite them to your Live Room
You can add all 3 guests at once or in a staggered way (for example, you could start with two guests, and add the third later); you can also swap guests at any time.

Some additional features to remember:

Donations: You can still raise money for causes you care about while live.
Shopping and badges: If you’re eligible for these tools, they’ll be available to use during your live.
Notifications: Your followers and the followers of those that join the Live Room will be notified that you are Live, which creates a great opportunity for new eyes on your content.

Improvements to your Live experience:

Comments: Live Comments will default to “On” and appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. You can always turn off comments by clicking the “…” and selecting “Turn Off Commenting.”
New Title Display: If you title your live, that title will now be displayed at the top of your broadcast. If a viewer taps the title, they’ll be able to see your username and your guests’ usernames.
Overall “look and feel” changes: You’ll notice that Live has a new look and feel in general –the Camera tool icons have moved, incl: adding a guest, flipping camera, filters, etc. from the bottom of the Live viewer to the sidebar.

Helpful Tips:

Attached HERE is a step by step guide for this feature.
Please review Instagram’s Community Guidelines before your live.
Remember, you can control who can join and comment on your live in Privacy Settings (via Comments & Blocked Accounts). You can always disable comments after your live starts by tapping ‘…’ in the comments field. Comment warnings have been introduced to help keep your live experience safe and positive.

Lyrics on IG

How to manage your lyrics

Become a verified artist
Add, edit and sync lyrics
Submit a new release
Follow the writing guidelines

Become a Verified Artist

Register yourself on Musixmatch: musixmatch.com/sign-up
Fill out the verified artist form: musixmatch.com/verify-artist
If you manage multiple artists, you’ll be able to manage them all with one account

Add, edit and sync lyrics

Download the Musixmatch desktop app, sign in with your previously registered account and connect your streaming service
You can play your tracks from Spotify, iTunes or Windows Media Player and Musixmatch will show the lyrics automatically. Click the edit button bottom right to make any changes
If the lyrics aren’t available yet, simply click on Add Lyrics and type in the lyrics following the writing guidelines shown on the side
You can edit the lyrics and the synchronisation of your lyrics if they’re already available
As soon as you save, your lyrics will be published immediately on all Musixmatch apps and available to partners in a few hours.

Submit a new release

Submit lyrics/timestamp details via Musixmatch’s Verified Artist link after the track is released (title, artist name, ISRC and track length cannot be made available to our database prior to a track’s actual release date)
For Priority tracks: If, upon release, you’re still not able to find the track in Musixmatch’s catalogue (by searching the catalogue on their website) by EOD CET time on Saturday after release day, please notify Musixmatch. Verified artists can send an email to artists@musixmatch.com for priority tracks to be added to Musixmatch’s catalogue with the link to the new release on Spotify and/or Apple Music.
For Priority tracks: If you find the lyrics in Musixmatch’s catalogue (by searching the catalogue on their website), but the lyrics are not appearing within the Lyrics sticker, please reach out to promo@fuga.com

Existing Tracks

Please first search the Musixmatch catalogue to determine if the track is available.
If you’re not able to find track lyrics in Musixmatch’s catalogue, log in via Verified Artist and submit the lyrics.
If you find the lyrics for the track in Musixmatch’s catalogue, but they’re not appearing on Instagram, reach out to promo@fuga.com and we will investigate what the issue is and notify Musixmatch if necessary.

Follow the writing guidelines

Write down all the parts of the song even when multiple repetitions occur
Primary vocals are focus and backup vocals should be in parenthesis
Transcribe the lyrical audio content only
Check out more of the guidelines here.

IG Stickers

Link Sticker

You can now add a link to your story using a link sticker instead of the previous Swipe Up option.
How it works:
- take or upload a photo or video to add to your story
- navigate to the sticker section
- tape the link sticker and add your link
- place the link sticker on your story and tap it to see other creative options
- after you select an option, share your story
You can also now receive reactions and replies to your link shares from your audience.

Add Yours Sticker

Add Yours creates public threads in Stories.
The sticker prompts users to upload to the public Story and find new people to follow; tapping on the sticker brings up an interface showing everyone who has contributed to the thread, and you can view their Stories.

Chat Sticker

Enables you to create Group chats in Direct, and to answer fans’ questions or simply make your fans’ day by chatting with them.
You can start or end a chat with fans at any time, and also maintain control of your inbox.
How it works:
- Add a chat sticker to your story by selecting it from the sticker tray after taking a photo or video.
- Name your chat. Move, resize and rotate the chat sticker and share to your story.
- You can find people who have requested to join your chat in your story’s viewers list. Accept requests and start chatting. More requests to join will be available in Direct and in your story’s viewers list.
- Once you start your chat, everyone who you’ve approved to join the chat will be added to a thread in Direct. From there, start chatting!

Quiz Sticker

Enables you to ask your fans multiple-choice questions
Easy way to engage with fans, express your creativity, and see how well your followers know you.
It’s also a great way to engage with your fans so they can get to know you better.
How it works:
- Add a quiz sticker to your story from the sticker section after taking a photo or video
- Type your prompt and add up to four possible answers and select the correct answer
- Share it to your story
- You can find your fans’ answers in your story viewers list

Countdown Sticker

This sticker allows you to set a countdown for a special announcement or event so your fans can follow along and be notified when the time comes.
How it works:
- Open the stories camera and tap on the sticker section
- Select the countdown sticker and customize the name e.g. what you’re counting down to and the date/time of the event.
- You can also change the colour of the sticker
- Once added to your story, ask fans to click on the sticker to save the day/time of the countdown

Donation Sticker

Enables eligible nonprofits and their supporters to raise money for charities directly.
To access to Donation feature:
- Before you can start fundraising on Instagram, you must be registered for Facebook’s Charitable Donation Tools .
- Linking your Facebook and Instagram accounts allows you to use fundraising tools on Instagram.
- Make sure to convert your Instagram account to a business account.
How it works:
- Open the camera in Instagram and take or upload a photo that best represents your cause.
- Tap the sticker icon.
- Select the donation sticker in the box.
- Find a non-profit and select it. If you don’t see your organization on the list, it means you’re not yet eligible to use this feature.
- Tap ”Send to”. Next, next to Your story, tap Share.

Q&A Sticker

Artists can now interact with their fans
How does it work?
- Post content capture, go to the stickers button and select ‘questions’
- you will be prompted to create a question or ask for song recommendations
- If you ask for music recommendations, followers will see the music library once they go to respond
- By clicking on the eyeball icon, you’ll be able to see all follower responses to your story
- Choose which response and part of the song you’d like to include while sharing
- Share and make your followers day!
Example: asking what tracks your fans want to see during a live stream or gig

Poll Sticker

Enables you to engage with your followers by asking questions and receiving answers from them.
How does it work?
- Open the stories camera and tap on the sticker section
- Select the “poll” sticker icon.
- Fill in the question for your poll and edit your answer options.
- Tap “Your Story” or “Send To” to share your poll on your stories.
To view the results of your poll, simply view your own story and tap the “Seen by” button in the lower-left corner.
There’s also a “Share Results” button so you can easily share the results of your poll onto your Instagram stories.

Music in Stories

What is music in IG Stories?

Now your fans can add your music to their photos & videos to create a soundtrack to their story

How does it work?

Take a photo or video in the stories camera or upload from gallery then tap on the sticker icon at the top right corner and select the music icon
search for a specific song or browse by mood, genre or what’s popular
Use the scrubber tool to choose the part of the song that best captures the moment you’re sharing
When your fans watch your story, they’ll hear your clip playing over the photo or video and see a sticker with the song title & artist name

IG Reels

What Are Reels?

Reels is IG’s version of 15-second, creative videos that can be shared to a new, dedicated tab on your profile as well as your feed and explore pages.

Creative tools include:

Audio
- Select any song from the Instagram music library or use original audio you find on Reels
Speed
- Speed up or slow down your audio (not music). Change the speed of the whole video or for specific clips.
Effects
- Use any AR effect on Instagram to help build your story and change the look and feel of your Reel
Timer
- Record hands-free
Ghost Tool
- Use ghost tool to line up your takes and create seamless transitions

Reels Insights

Navigate to an individual reel you’ve posted, tap ‘…’ then tap ‘View Insights’
- Accounts Reached, Plays, Likes, Comments, Shares, and Saves are available for your individual reels
- Reels Insights will also be included in all Account Insights pages: Accounts Reached, Content Interactions, Top Content, Media Library
- Note: Available for all reels posted on or after May 14

How to create a IG Reel using your music

While established artists can let the fans come to them, up and coming musicians are advised to prompt their audience by creating videos featuring their music themselves.

Think of something that will grab people’s attention and be fun to share, such as a lip-sync or dance contest.
Open up your Instagram Camera and select Reels
If you want to shoot a video to an existing track, click the notes and choose your song (Can’t find your track? Double check you’ve delivered the product to Facebook in FUGA and if you have, reach out to support@fuga.com).
Slide to find the right 15 seconds.
The pink dot will show you the most popular snippet, but you can choose whichever audio segment you like.
If you’re verified with Musixmatch, your synced lyrics may also appear as a reference. Not Verified? Check out the section on Musixmatch to find out how.
Add a filter or AR effect if desired
Then shoot a video, either all at once or one clip at a time, until you reach 15 seconds (clip bars will display at the top of the screen).
Video can be shot in fast or slow motion by adjusting the speed before pressing record.
You can edit the length of every clip as you go to get the timing just right.
Use the Align tool (or the “ghost” tool) to frame your subject correctly from clip to clip
Add text or stickers to the whole video, or to certain sections. Write a caption that encourages your fans to make their own video in response, include some relevant hashtags, and then publish!

You can post your Instagram Reel to your profile feed, to your Stories, or both. Reels will also show up under the new Reels tab on your profile, similar to your IGTV content.

How Reels can help you reach more people:

Reels that show up on the Explore grid can be watched by anyone on Instagram
Reels will be selected based on someone’s interests and what else is in their Explore grid
Reels will only feature content marked as Reel (so your Stories, Lives, or IGTV posts will not show there)

Dos & Donts

Do

Inspire creation, giving a sense that anyone can join in and create
share original and authentic content, created with the Reels camera
use the Reels music library and audio tools
uses creative tools like text, filter or camera effects
uses vertical video
stay relevant with cultural moments and topics
have a wow or lol factor
pull the viewer in quickly – the more intriguing the better
have a fun surprise or twist
follow the Instagram Community Guidelines

Don’t

post a Reel that is blurry due to low-resolution
is visibly recycled from other apps and contains logos or watermarks
is uploaded with a border around it
has the majority of the image covered by text
These types of Reels won’t be recommended as often to people who don’t yet follow you in places like Reels tab but will still be known the way they always have been e.g. on your profile or feed

Remix Reels

Create your own reel alongside an existing reel, together with the ability to add a voiceover and then control volume for original audio and recorded audio.
You can capture your reaction, respond to a fan or bring your own perspective to a trend you discover in the Reels tab.

IG Shopping in Reels

Artists who have set up Instagram Shopping also have the ability to tag their merch products in reels. People viewing a reel with product tags can tap ‘View Products’ to buy, save, or learn more about products tagged in that reel.

Reels with product tags provide an opportunity to drive product discovery with entertaining, short-form content that has the opportunity to be seen on Instagram’s global stage. Benefits of tagging products in reels include:

Drive Merch Discovery: Reels with product tags have the opportunity to be shown in the Reels tab, where they have the potential to be discovered by millions of people using the Instagram app. Your artist’s reels will also be visible in Feed (if you choose to share them there) and on your artist’s Profile.
Collaborate with creators: creators can tag products in reels to drive sales for merchandise or product collaborations. Your creator partners must be approved to use Shopping from Creators.
Entertain, educate, and inspire: Reels are short, entertaining videos that can help your artists connect with new and existing audiences. Your artists can feature specific merch items, or flex their creativity to inspire fans to engage with their products.

Please note that Checkout is not yet available ex-US.

Ads in Reels

Instagram has introduced ads to its Reels feed. The ads will be vertical and full-screen, up to 30s long and will appear between organic Reels. You’ll be able to identify ads by a Sponsored tag underneath the account name. Viewers can like, comment on, save and skip the ads.

Soundsync

Soundsync helps users create seamless Reels from videos in their camera roll. The tool will automatically edit/sync the uploaded clips to the beat of the selected song providing on the spot creative and inspiration.

How to use ‘Soundsync’:

1) Tap on ‘+’ and scroll to “Reels” mode

2) Upload from camera roll, choose “multiple select”, select 2 or more videos or photos. Tap ‘next’

3) You’ll automatically enter the Soundsync flow which will edit/sync your clips to a pre-selected song’s beats.

4) You can select different songs to easily edit/sync your video with different songs, it’ll auto-sync every time

5) Once you’re happy with your creation, tap on ‘next’

Superbeat & Dynamic 3D Lyrics

With these new tools, it’s easier to discover effects on Reels in the newly updated effect gallery. Superbeat is a new music beat effect that applies appealing visual edits to your Reel based on the song you choose. Dynamic 3D Lyrics are two new lyric effects that apply song lyrics to your Reel so you can perform to the music and connect with your audience.

How does it work?

Open the Reels Camera
Open the effect tray/gallery
Select Superbeat / Dynamic Lyrics / 3D Lyrics effect (You can always search for these effects and save them for future use)
Use the music picker to select a song
Then start recording and see the effect kick in!

IG Shopping

You must have your products uploaded on the SONO Shop to set up your Instagram Shopping.

Set it up here:

Create Merchandising

What is IG Shopping?

Instagram shopping is a set of features across Instagram that let people shop your photo and videos no matter where they are in the app.

A customisable storefront allowing people to shop directly
Shopping tags allow you to highlight products from your catalog in Stories and in-feed
Product Detail Pages (PDP) showcase all relevant information on an item from the product catalog, including pricing, rich descriptions & media.
PDPs pull in media where the product is tagged on IG so people can see the products being used in different ways
Collections allow you to curate the shopping experience by surfacing products into themes that tell a story in your Profile Shop

What you need before getting started

Review commerce policies & availability
review supported markets
sellers must comply with the Commerce Eligibility Requirements
eCommerce Requirements
Owned eComm site
Set up your Shop
Facebook page to connect your IG account to (you’ll need to be an admin)
Facebook Business Manager
Enables users to manage their business presence
Facebook Commerce Manager
You’ll need to upload product you want to sell through Commerce Manager
Facebook Catalog
You’ll need to upload products you want to sell
Business or Creator profile on IG

Check out our set up guide here.

Commerce Policies & Availability

To onboard to IG Shopping:

You must comply with IG’s policies
Your catalog must contain at least one eligible product available for direct purchase from your domain
Your business must be located in a country where Shopping is supported. To see the full list click here.

What could make my business non-compliant with the new commerce eligibility requirements?

Your domain is already in use by another business
Your IG account doesn’t represent the store or website associated with the domain provided
Your products aren’t compliant with commerce policies
Your IG account is not in an approved market

Types of IG Shopping

Offsite Checkout
Globally available to all supported markets
Checkout on Instagram
US only
select businesses in a closed beta program

eCommerce Requirements

You must have an owned eComm site where you maintain consistency between your products on the site and the products in your IG shop
IG doesn’t support affiliate programs or linking to third party websites.

Set Up Your Shop For Offsite Checkout

Create or update to a business or creator account
To request IG shopping go to settings > business > sign up for shopping
You’ll then be promoted to begin the onboarding flow
Make sure you already have a FB page, business manager & product catalog ready to connect them all to your IG account

Check out our offsite checkout guide here.

Drop Display

IG has a new Drop display that will showcase collections of exclusive product launches, which users can browse and shop in-app. Shoppers can save items to their wishlists and sign up for launch reminders and stock notifications about specific products. IG will curate a select number of collections to appear in Drops each week by choosing from those that are already using the new tool. Labels and artists can also go live to promote a Drop and can include an on-screen countdown sticker and confetti animation when the product launches.

Drop is currently available for users in the US with both android and iOS devices.

Creating AR Effects

AR Effects on Instagram and Facebook are an increasingly important part of your artists’ marketing campaigns. To make the submission and approval process as smooth as possible for you, we’ve created a ‘Cheat Sheet’ for you to follow as you build these Effects.

Before You Submit Your Effect

Does Your Effect Have a Name and an Icon?
Does It Meet Spark AR Guidelines & Policies?
Did You Choose A Category For Your Effect?
Do you have a preview video of your Effect?
Does the Effect meet the frame rate guidelines and file size limits?
If your Effect is a mask, does it obscure facial expressions? (It shouldn’t!)
Did You Do A Final Check of Best Practices to Make Sure Your Effect Is Approved?

The Approval Process For Spark AR Effects

Effects submitted to both Facebook and Instagram are reviewed to make sure they follow:

Spark AR Review Policies
Spark AR and Frame Studio Terms
Facebook Community Standards (if submitting for FB)
Instagram Community Guidelines (if submitting for IG)

If your effect is approved, you will be notified on Facebook and in the Spark AR Hub.

If your effect is rejected, you will be notified and given the reason in the Spark AR Hub. You can edit your effect and submit again.

AR Effect Do’s & Don’ts

Submission

DON’T: Submit your Effect one day before you need it live, and then email your Facebook/Instagram contact requesting an expedited review.

DO: Want your effect to be ready by a certain date? Be sure to submit it for review at least TEN (10) Days prior to your desired date.

Text

If your Effect includes text:

DON’T: Place static text in the screen that does not respond to movements or sound

DO: Make sure your text either responds to movements through the use of face tracking OR is integrated and integral to the design of the Effect; e.g. it’s a timestamp on a camcorder simulation.

Logos

Want to put a Logo in your Effect?

DON’T: Make it static so that it does not respond to movements or sound

DO: Make sure the logo either responds to movements through the use of face tracking OR is integrated and integral to the design of the Effect

Availability

Want your Effect to go live on a specific date and time?

DON’T: Skip the “Location & Schedule” section of the upload process in Spark AR Hub

DO: Control the publication date and time of your effect and the length of time it’s available by adding scheduling details during the upload process.

Masks

Does your Effect include a face mask?

DON’T: Recreate a human face as the mask.

DO: Create an animated face or a caricature of a face as your Effect.

Access: Audiomack Artist Accounts

Artists may claim auto-generated Audiomack profiles, allowing them access to the Creator Dashboard, where artists can:

Update their profile, including imagery, bio, social links, etc.
View notifications for playlist adds, milestones, & any content which may be trending on-platform
Respond to fan comments on your music

If there is a profile you would like to claim, please send an email to support@stage.sonomusic.co with the following:

The Audiomack URL of the profile you wish to claim
A valid and unique email address (i.e. a singular email may not be attached to multiple accounts) that the artist would like to use to log into the account

A claim code will then be sent by Audiomack to the email address provided.

Ingestion Process: Priority Deliveries

In order to get your releases live on Audiomack, SONO will be sharing a weekly priority list with Audiomack each Monday for the release coming up within the next 7 days.

This list will be an essential guide for Audiomack to determine what to ingest.
After the ingestion, SONO will receive a live link from Audiomack. We will be sharing the link with you after receiving them.

The weekly priority list is managed by SONO Marketing Services team. The list will only contain releases that match the following criteria:

Your product will be released within the next 7 days
Your product has been delivered to Audiomack via SONO at least 10 days before the release date
Your product has been submitted to the Marketing Services team at least 10 days before the release date
In general, please submit your priority releases to be promoted to multiple DSPs (Please submit at least 4 weeks before the release date, in order to meet all DSP-editorial deadlines)

Curated Feed

Audiomack is a curated service, which means that:

Audiomack will not ingest and make live all products delivered
Audiomack won’t ingest back-catalog unless it’s requested by the DSP or there’s a high demand for the content on the platform
Please do not send any bulk deliveries to the DSP
Audiomack will not accept public domain content

Getting Featured

How can I get my releases featured on Beatport?

→ The best way to pitch for features is by keeping SONO up to date with your upcoming releases, we have a dedicated label manager at Beatport with whom we can discuss feature options.

Here are a few tips on what kind of information to include in your pitch:

GOOD:
*3-5 big name DJs supporting your track (please see below in bad for what we do NOT consider good feedback in this regards)
*Links to big name DJs playing your track.
*Magazine and blog premiers.
*Radio coverage.
*A precise marketing plan explaining when and what will be posted where, and any money to be spent is very important.
*If you’re going to post on socials, then social media reach.

BAD:
*DJ feedback that says “downloaded for…..” this for us is not good feedback. For us it means the person listening and downloading the music for said DJs downloaded it, and not that the actual DJ liked the track. For example, Richie Hawtin has a Twitter feed and is showing what tracks that he actually played, this would be good feedback.
*Social media and marketing campaigns listed “as usual”….we need more info than this.
*Sending the full promo campaign sheets, this is too time-consuming for us to read these, we need the good bits from
the promo sheets.

Again, all this will help your feature requests be stronger, but will not guarantee a feature. These are ultimately up to the genre manager.

Promote your music

1. ARTIST CHARTS / PLAYLISTS

What are the benefits?

→ Artist charts are a great way to give your new release a boost
on the store, and increase your plays on Beatport LINK: https://link.beatport.com/
→ BP recommends having artists make one for each release
(be sure to include your new release/pre-order in the chart).
→ 10% of monthly track sales come via artist charts.
→ Charts are a great way to extend visibility on the store and
on Beatport LINK, beyond our weekly feature updates. They
can be submitted for featuring on the store via this form: https://btprt.dj/ChartSubmission

How do I make an Artist chart?
→ Artist charts must be made via a customer account
(DJ profile), which can then be linked to your artist profile
by BP’s team.
→ Make sure to also share them out across social platforms.
→ Please note, artist charts must use an artist picture to be
considered for featuring. Charts using release artwork will
not be featured.
→ You can find a guide to making artist / DJ charts here: https://welcome.beatport.com/dj-charts

2. SOCIALS

General Tips
→ Regularly engaging with your fans is key to driving traffic
(e.g, answering comments, re-sharing stories or posts etc.)
→ Do not be afraid to share personal stories and background
information about your releases/label with your followers.
→ Including buy links and/or pre-order links on possible platforms like SoundCloud, YouTube, Instagram etc.
→ Content can be shared across multiple platforms, not
limited to one.
→ If making a new account, choose a simple name. Good practice: Drumcode could be DrumcodeRecs,
DrumcodeRecords or DrumcodeOfficial.

Facebook
→ Post on artist/label page weekly.
→ Share features.
→ Tag @Beatport as well as any other artists or labels involved.
→ Quotes/fun facts about release to raise engagement.
→ Facebook ads – Get familiar with their most up to date business tools, which can be useful for engagement.
→ Top Tip: Avoid words like “Buy” as Facebook reduces the reach of posts with explicit calls to action.

Twitter
→ Tweet regularly about your releases.
→ Tweet any features you receive.
→ Be sure to tag @Beatport as well as any other artists or labels involved.
→ Retweet other labels/artists content, especially when they mention you.
→ Top Tip: Tweetdeck is a great tool for tracking (and pre-scheduling) your tweets, retweets, mentions etc.

Instagram
→ Use release artwork and make a call to action to encourage followers to listen to your release on Beatport.
→ Always tag @Beatport, as well as any other artists or labels involved.
→ Preview tracks with a 15-second teaser video.
→ Always include the link in your bio and be sure to send followers there with something along the lines of “link in bio’”.
→ Use swipe-up posts for new releases, editorial features, etc (if possible).
→ Top Tip: If using stories, organize them into highlights on your homepage.
→ Top Tip: Include relevant hashtags! Check other labels / artists in your genre and find the hashtags they are using, e.g, #electronicmusic, #housemusicallnightlong, etc. (sites like best-hastags.com can search this for you).

Two social media features recommended by Beatport:

Beatport Studio Jams
Guidelines
Pls submit your studio jam here
Platform

Beatport Drop of the Week
Guidelines
Pls submit your Drop Of The Week video here
Platform

Best Practices

1. BP EXCLUSIVES

What are the benefits?
→ BP reserve the majority of the most prominent marketing
space on its store for exclusive releases. Including positions
in playlists, such as “Weekend Picks” or “Best of.. “.
→ Exclusive releases are highlighted with a tag and have a
higher price point than non-exclusives.
→ Being the only store to offer a release means it often charts
considerably higher than non-exclusive releases, which may
have sales split across multiple stores. High chart positions
mean prolonged exposure and revenue for your release.
→ Being that Beaport’s main customer base are DJs, sales on
Beatport should be seen as additional promotion alongside
the value of the sale. Chances are, a sale on Beatport means your track making its way into a DJ set or livestream.
→ On average, revenue for exclusive tracks is 5 times higher
than non-exclusives.

How do I set up exclusivity?
→ Exclusivity can be set up via SONO when
delivering your release.
→ Beatport offers the chance for SONO to give us their
releases exclusively, for either 2, 4, 8 weeks. Or lifetime.
→ During that period, the store asks that they are the only
download store with the release. Streaming platforms are ok.

2. PRE-ORDERS

What are the benefits?
→ Pre-orders are a great promotional tool, they can be
shared prior to release and added to smart link URLs.
In addition, be sure to include pre-order links in any
promotional posts in the lead-up to your release. Eg, track
premiers, YouTube, editorial features, etc.
→ They are a great way to give your track or release an extra
boost in the charts, all sales generated within the 28 days
prior to release date will be spread out across the first
week of charting.
→ Top Tip: Pre-orders can also be included in DJ charts (one
of our biggest sales boosters).
→ Top Tip: Including a pre-order link under SoundCloud
snippets is a great way to boost early sales.

How do I set up a Pre-order?
→ Pre-orders can currently be set up to 4 weeks in advance
of the release date.
→ Pre-orders can be arranged by your distributor.
→ A pre-order start date indicates the date at which
customers may begin previewing and pre-purchasing your
tracks; they will be able to download them only after the
release date.
→ Please note, there is currently no way to suppress audio
previews on our pre-orders.

Overview

Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that can be used for remixes.

Beatport is a specialized DSP for dance & electronic music ONLY. No other content should be delivered to Beatport.

Editorial Opportunities

To have your content submitted for editorial consideration at DSPs, including SoundCloud, please be sure to submit the Music Upload form within the Forms section.

In addition to its existing network of global playlists, SoundCloud has begun to expand its editorial offerings to include more locally-focused genre playlisting, starting in the UK with plans to add other major markets in the coming months. This is in addition to localized Fresh Pressed (new music) playlists available for US, UK, DE, FR, CA.

Please keep in mind, to be considered for these features, your content must be monetizing using the methods we have laid out in within this resource guide.

Profile Verification

Profile verification is designed to help well-known creators stand out and maintain their authenticity, as well as help identify emerging artists who are notable and highly searched for. SoundCloud holds the right to verify accounts at their discretion.

Before submitting a profile verification request, please first make sure the account has:

A complete profile (avatar, bio, user name, linked social handles, etc.)
Actively monetized content on the profile

Please make your profile verification requests here.

The SoundCloud team manage these requests manually and in batches, so we are unable to provide a timeline when a verification request will be actioned.

Manual Content Monetization

If you wish to manually upload & monetize your content (rather than feed deliver), there will be additional steps required to ensure your releases are monetized and available for editorial opportunities. A benefit of uploading manually is that the releases will be available globally in full, regardless of rightsholders associated with the profile and their respective policies.

Once you have manually uploaded the release, you will need to complete a track monetization request (form linked below), which will ask for metadata (territory rights, ISRC, etc), as well as the private SoundCloud link. Upon completing this form, your releases will be submitted for us to enable manual monetization.

Please make your manual monetization requests here, using the Artist Profile Update form.

If this form is not completed to set up monetization, you will not earn any revenue from streams on that release until it has been completed. The profile you are uploading to should also be whitelisted first to ensure the content is not blocked – please e-mail support@stage.sonomusic.co to make that request.

Feed-Delivering Content

This is the preferred means of distributing your content on SoundCloud, done in the same way that you would to other DSPs, and ensures that your content is monetized upon delivery and will go live at store turn. This is the simplest & most seamless option.

Important notes about delivering:

Any tracks delivered via SONO will be automatically set to monetize and go live at store turn. SoundCloud also supports timed releases, which can be set-up in SONO Music Upload form
When setting up releases, we recommend adding your artists’ SoundCloud profiles in the Artist IDs section to help map content to the proper profile.
If the content still seems to have not mapped to your artists profile & created a new profile instead (for example, the release is not visible in your artists’ backend tracklist 2-3 days after delivery), a profile merge request can easily be made to transfer the content to the correct profile and fix any mapping issues going forward.

Common Misconceptions:

It is often misunderstood that distributing content via the feed means it will only be available as a 30-second snippet in territories where SoundCloud’s ad-supported tier has not been launched. However, that is only true if the profile is associated with a rightsholder who has restrictive policies in place in those territories. If SONO is the only rightsholder linked to the artist profile, the track will be available in full globally, generating ad-supported revenue.

Artist Playlist

Artist Playlists are a great way to showcase your artist’s personality and tastes during any given campaign. It’s also a great way to feature a recent release

You can feature any playlist on an artist profile including an official Deezer playlist your music has been added to

Step by step:
– Make the playlist in your personal account using Deezer
– Add playlists to your profile

Add playlists to your profile:

Web browser:
– Go to Deezer Creators
– Go to the artist profile
– Click the cross icon next to Highlights
– Search for the playlist name or paste the ID using the numbers at the end of the URL
– Select territory visibility & live date
– Click Create

Note: new releases, during their first 30 days, will be prioritized over any highlighted piece of content

Note: The playlist will show your personal account and link to it. You can add a display name on your account to match your artist name.

Update Artist Profile

For best results Deezer recommends:
– .jpeg or .png image format
– 1200x1200px minimum
– File size below 9MB
– Artist’s face in the middle of the image for circle cropping
– No text, branding or advertising
– No promoting your social media links or releases

Your Profile Picture is the image that will appear in search results as well as the Deezer mobile app.

To update Profile Image:
– Search for the Artist Profile
– Select “Change Profile Picture”

Status:
Share a “status” directly from your artist page to present a short news update or anecdote. 64 characters maximum, emojis allowed!
Note: Status is displayed on top of Artist profile only on web & desktop app

Bio:
Add your artist bio in more than 30 languages (2000 characters max)

Socials:
Deezer allows you to display your Facebook + Twitter accounts
Update the links using the fields available in the Social section

Access: Deezer Creators

Start here: creators.deezer.com

Deezer Creators lets you:
– See your audience & catalogue stats
– Manage your artist profiles

Create your profile by following the steps using the attached guide.

In order to claim an artist profile on Deezer: https://support.deezer.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360018607978-Claiming-an-artist-profile-on-Deezer

New artist / first release profile update?
You can request an initial first change using the Artist Profile Update form under the Forms section.

If you cannot locate your artist profile on the request use the artist ID number displayed in your Deezer URL (example: https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/1234567)

Note: remember to use “support@fuga.com” as your distributor email.

Pre-Adds

If you are scheduling an album campaign in the immediate future, please consider a Pre-Add on Apple Music.

Available with just a tap, Apple Music pre-adds allows fans and listeners to add music from an upcoming release to their library or playlists without missing a beat. Pre-adders are notified the moment your album is available, allowing them to stream and share your music immediately.

If you need assistance setting up a Pre-Add, contact SONO support who can work with you to ensure your songs meet the pre-add specifications for Apple Music.

Shazam

Shazam data is incorporating into Apple Music for Artists.

By seeing how listeners discover your music in all parts of the world, you can plan social media activity, promotions, and even live shows to connect with your growing audience.

How to see your Shazam data:
– If you have a song that’s been Shazamed, Apple Music for Artists will incorporate that data throughout your artist profile.
– In the Overview section, you can view key metrics such as Shazam Insights and Top Shazams.
– Trends show detailed demographics about your Shazam listeners. In contrast, Places show which countries or regions Shazam you the most.

Charting on Shazam:
– A Shazam chart will appear in your artist profile when you have a top Shazam track in a country, region, or city. The chart data updates every 24 hours and will display your track’s position and movement on the chart in a given country, region, or city in the last seven days.
– Select a specific song to see every country, region, or city chart that the track appears. To see the Top Charts for your Top Songs, click See All in the Charting on Shazam section of Overview of Your Music.

Trending on Shazam:
– When your music is trending on Shazam, we’ll send you a weekly Trending on Shazam email with your highlights. For more detailed information about this email, review how to control your communications.

When does a Shazam count toward my songs?
– Whenever someone Shazams your songs, you will see it counted as a Shazam in your Apple Music for Artists profile.

Because Shazam listens to a piece of audio from a song to recognize it, there may be times when that piece of audio happens to be identical to one from a different version of the same song. For example, an original version of a song and a remix version of that same song, often include audio pieces that are the same. In these cases, the Shazam will count toward the version of your song that is determined to be the best match, which is why you may see variations in the number of Shazams across different versions of the same tracks.

Apple will process the Shazam data shown in Apple Music for Artists and the Shazam app on different systems and schedules. For this reason, you may see a difference in the Shazams shown on the Apple Music for Artists dashboard when compared to the Shazam app.

Update Artist Image

If you have access to your Artist’s Apple Music for Artists profile, you can update the profile image following the steps and criteria below.

If you do not have access to Apple Music for Artists, please contact your FUGA rep who can assist you.

Step by step:
– Open Apple Music for Artists and navigate to the Manage tab
– In the section labeled Artist Image, you can upload a new image
– Once the image is uploaded, you can adjust, crop, and select how it will appear on the service
– When finished, select Submit

Note: Your image won’t appear changed because there is a manual approval process for new changes in place. Changes typically take a few days to process. Once you see “Submitted for Review”, you know the process is underway.

For best results Apple Music recommends:
– .jpeg or .png Image format
– A minimum of 2400px x 2400px
– Aspect Ratio of 1:1
– RGB color space
– 72dpi
– File size below 20MB
– Keeping Artist’s face in the middle of the image for circle cropping
– No text, branding or advertising
– Not promoting social media links or releases

Note: Don’t scale up your artwork if it’s smaller than the required size, this will only distort the image quality.

Note: “Artist Banners” are a feature reserved for “featured artists” only at this time.

Access: Apple Music For Artists

Start here: https://artists.apple.com/

Artists can claim their Apple Music for Artist profile page to upload and change the profile photos associated with the artist page for Apple Music and iTunes as well as gained access to a variety of stats across Apple Music and Shazam.

How to claim an artist page in the iOS app:
– Sign in to the Apple Music for Artists app with your Apple ID
– Download the Apple Music for Artists app, or create an Apple ID if you have not already
– Tap Request Artist Access, and copy and paste your iTunes Store artist page link to search. To find the link to your artist page, input your artist name in the search field
– Select one of your albums to ensure you are claiming the correct page
– Choose your role, then fill out the requested application fields
– For faster verification, sign in to your social media accounts. The more information you provide, the easier it will be to verify your relationship to the artist

How to claim your artist page on the web:
– Sign up for Apple Music for Artists and create an Apple ID if you have not already
– Click Request Artist Access, and copy and paste your iTunes Store artist page link to search. To find the link to your artist page, input your artist name in the search field
– Select one of your albums to ensure you are claiming the correct page
– Choose your role, then, fill out the requested application fields.
– For faster verification, sign in to your social media accounts. The more information you provide, the easier it will be to verify your relationship to the artist

How to check your application:
– When your artist claim is in review, you will see the status ”Pending” in Apple Music for Artists. You will receive updates regarding your application via email.

Next steps:
Manage access to your page
– It’s up to the Artist’s team to review all additional access requests for your label reps, management, and others who might work on projects with you. Artists and artist managers with Administrator access are responsible for reviewing additional access requests.

If you are a label representative looking to join an artist’s Apple Music for Artists profile, work directly with your artist to review your request. Requests will expire after 30 days if artists or artist managers take no action.

Concert Listing

To show your concerts on Spotify, they need to be listed on one of Spotify’s ticketing partner sites:
– Ticketmaster
– Songkick
– Resident Advisor
– Eventbrite
– AXS
– StageIt
– NoCap
– Mandolin
– nugs.net
– Eplus (Japan only)

Note: use the Artist Pick function to create visibility gigs and tours!

For Virtual Events: only virtual events listed on Ticketmaster, Songkick, StageIt, NoCap, Mandolin, and nugs.net.

All concert listings need to include:
– At least 1 artist name
– Start time
– Venue name
– Event name

Spotify will also list festivals. Make sure your artist is linked to the festival on the ticketing partner site. Events with fewer than 6 artists show the artist names as the event title instead of the festival name. Multi-day festivals show the first day as the event date (e.g. a festival running Friday to Sunday shows as a Friday event).

Merch

When it comes to showing merch on an artist profile, Spotify has partnered with Merchbar to facilitate this.

To show merch on your artist profile, you need to list it on Merchbar.

If your team or merch company already has a partnership with Merchbar, ask them to make your merchandise available.

You can list up to 3 products from Merchbar on a Spotify artist page. If you have more than 3 products on Merchbar, your artist profile shows the top 3 products based on fan interactions, purchases, and product availability.

How to join Merchbar: https://help.merchbar.com/hc/en-us/signin?return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.merchbar.com%2Fhc%2Fen-us%2Fsections%2F360007841693-Merchbar-for-Artists-Merch-Companies#how-to-sign-up

Release Radar

Release Radar is a playlist of new releases that updates every Friday. It’s an excellent source for early streams, especially if the Artist has a significant Follower count.

Listeners get new music from:
– Artists they follow
– Artists they listen to
– Other artists dictated by Spotify’s algorithm

Your followers get songs from your new release in their Release Radar.

Please note:
– Spotify will not include a song in a listener’s Release Radar if they’ve already listened to it (but another song from the release may get included)
– Only songs where you’re a main or featured artist (not remixer) are included
– Song’s by Various Artists are not eligible for Release Radar
– Re-releases of songs already on Spotify are not included
– Each listener only gets one song per artist per week
– Spotify will include a song for up to 4 weeks if a listener hasn’t heard it

Artist Fundraising Pick

Add an Artist Fundraising Pick to your profile to raise funds from fans on Spotify. Fundraise for yourself, your crew and team, or causes and organizations you support.

Note: Spotify does not take a cut from any money raised.

Adding a Fundraising Pick:
– Log in to artists.spotify.com
– Go to Profile
– Under Artist Fundraising Pick, click + Get support directly from fans
– Fill in the Fundraising Pick submission form and click AGREE AND SUBMIT

Editing or removing a Fundraising Pick:
– Log in to artists.spotify.com
– Go to Profile
– Click the pencil icon next to Artist Fundraising Pick

Artist Fundraising Pick best practices: https://artists.spotify.com/blog/best-practices-for-the-artist-fundraising-pick

Note: A fundraising link must be through an approved partner.

Fundraising link partners: https://artists.spotify.com/help/article/getting-a-fundraising-link?category=artist-profile

Artist Playlists

Artist Playlists are a great way to showcase your artist’s personality and tastes during any given campaign. It’s also a great way to feature a latest release (see Artist Pick section).

You can feature any playlist on an artist profile including an official Spotify playlist your music’s been added to.

Step by step:
– Make the playlist in your personal account using the Spotify app
– Add playlists to your profile

Add playlists to your profile:

Web browser:
– Go to Profile
– Click the pencil icon next to Artist Playlists
– Search for the playlist or paste a Spotify link

App:
– Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right
– Next to Artist Playlists tap EDIT
– Tap + Add Playlist
– Search for the playlist or paste a Spotify link

Note: Spotify currently does not verify (see: blue check mark) user accounts

Note: The playlist will show your personal account and link to it. You can add a display name on your account to match your artist name.

Artist Pick

Artist Pick lives at the top of your artist profile.

Use Artist Pick to showcase:
– Any song, album, or playlist
– Your concerts
– Podcast shows or individual episodes

You can personalize your Pick with an image and short message.

Note: You can’t add a podcast as your Artist Pick in the Spotify for Artists mobile app.

Tip: When possible, your Artist Pick shouldn’t be your artist’s latest release, instead try posting an Artist Playlist featuring the latest release at the top of the playlist

Remember:
– An Artist Pick shows for up to 14 days
– After 14 days, your Pick disappears (but you can update it any time)
– If Artist Pick shows a tour, it displays until the day after the last show

Step by step:
– Log in to Spotify for Artists
– Go to Profile
– Select + under Artist Pick

Tip: If you can’t find what you’re looking for, paste a link from the Spotify app.

Update Artist Image, Banner, Image Gallery

Images you are able to edit:

Avatar image: Your image in search results and the Spotify mobile app.
Header image: The cover image at the top of your profile in the Spotify desktop app.
Image gallery: Images in the About section of your profile.

For best results Spotify recommends:
– .jpeg or .png Image format
– A minimum of 2660px x 1140px size
– File size below 20MB
– Artist’s face in the middle of the image for circle cropping
– No text, branding or advertising.
– No promoting your social media links or releases.

Avatar Image:
– Go to Profile
– Click the pencil icon in the top-right
– Under Avatar image, click UPDATE

Note: Search images normally take 24 – 72 hours to update.

Header Image:
– Log in to artists.spotify.com
– Go to Profile
– Click the pencil icon in the top-right
– Under Header image, click UPDATE

Image Gallery:
Add, remove, or reorder images in your image gallery. You can add up to 125 images.

Web browser
– Go to Profile
– Click ABOUT
– Click the pencil icon next to Image gallery

App
– Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right
– Scroll down to About
– Tap EDIT next to About

Access: Spotify for Artists

Start here: artists.spotify.com

Spotify for Artists lets you:
– See your audience stats
– Promote your music
– Manage your artist profile

When an artist profile is claimed, a blue verification check mark will appear next to the artist name on Spotify.

Claiming before your first release goes live?
Ask your SONO contact for your artist link or URI. It’ll start spotify.com/artist or spotify:artist.

When you claim your artist profile, paste your artist link or URI in the “What profile are you claiming?” page.

Amazon Music's Service Tiers

Amazon Music’s service is broken down into several tiers. These are broken down below:

1. Amazon Music Unlimited
– A paid service similar to Apple Music or Spotify Premium. Amazon Music Unlimited offers on-demand access to 70 million songs, ad-free. This premium service includes offline listening with unlimited skips, popular new releases, and an even wider variety of hand-curated playlists and stations. Eligible Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers may upgrade to Amazon Music HD for no extra cost.

2. Amazon Music HD
– Amazon Music HD offers 70 million lossless, uncompressed CD-quality tracks and over 7 million Ultra HD tracks.
– HD tracks have a bit depth of 16-bits and a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. HD tracks support bitrates up to double that of MP3 (48kbps to 320kbps), meaning HD includes music that are “CD Quality”.
– Ultra HD (or UHD) tracks have a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate of 44.1 or higher, up to 192 kHz. UHD represents the highest quality sound available, and supports bitrates that can go more than ten times higher than MP3 files.
– This service is currently available in US, UK, DE, JP, CA, ES, FR, AT.

3. Prime Music
– More than 2 million songs (curated by Amazon Music’s editorial team) are available as part of a Prime membership at no additional cost, including thousands of stations and top playlists.

4. Amazon Music Free
– Amazon Music also offers an ad-supported tier of 2 million songs, providing free streaming to anyone using the Amazon Music app on iOS, Android, Fire TV and Amazon Music on the web in the US, UK, and Germany.
– This is effectively the same catalog that comes with Prime, only it includes advertising and doesn’t require a membership.

Twitch x Amazon Music

Start here: https://artists.amazonmusic.com/

To link your Twitch channel, login to Amazon Music for Artists followed by:
– Click on Profile & Tools within your artist account
– Select Connect your Twitch Channel
– Sign-in using your Twitch credentials to authorize Twitch livestreams in the Amazon Music streaming app
– If you do not have a Twitch account, click About and Get Started with Twitch
– Please note it may take up to 3 hours to connect your channel.

Update Artist Image + Banner

Start here: https://artists.amazonmusic.com/

Step by step:

If accessing Amazon Music for Artists on iOS/Android:
– Select the artist you want to manage
– Tap the Profile icon in the bottom right hand corner
– Under Profile & Tools, customize both your Profile Photo and Background Image using their respective edit buttons
– Choose image
– Resize your image to look your best
– Tap Save

If accessing Amazon Music for Artists via web browser:
– Select the artist you want to manage
– Click Profile & Tools under Artist Tools in the left side bar
– Under Profile Details, customize both your Profile Photo and Background Image using the editing tools
– Choose Image
– Resize your image to look your best
– Click Save

Access: Amazon Music for Artists

Start here: https://artists.amazonmusic.com/

Amazon Music for Artists is available on both web and mobile.

Once the app is open, you will be directed to sign-in using an Amazon retail account.

If you do not have an Amazon retail account, you will need to create one in order to continue going through the sign-up and artist claim flow.

To claim an artist:
– Search and select any artist
– Press Claim This Artist
– Fill out the requested application fields. Amazon also provide the option for anyone to connect with their artist’s social media accounts for faster verification
– The more information you are able to provide, the easier it will be to verify your relationship to the artist you are claiming

Adding a team-member:
– Anyone with either Owner or Admin access can add another person to their team by navigating to Settings in the upper right hand of the app from any artist page
– From there, select “Manage Team Members” and click on “Add Team Member”
– You’ll be promoted to enter the invitee’s information including name, email, and assign level of app access (Admin or Viewer)

More information on the app and available stats: https://artists.amazonmusic.com/the-app

Merch Tips

Somewhere along the way as you steadily grow your artist/band’s following, the question is bound to come up: Should we start selling merch? SONO can assist you in this as well.

There’s so much to consider, from what kind of band merch will sell best to actually promoting it. This guide will get you started with all of the essentials, including how to choose merch items, where to order them, and how to promote your band merch online.

How to choose your merch

The first step is figuring out what you’re going to sell — not just items that you think are cool, but that your biggest fans are willing to spend money on. Your budget will also play a crucial role in determining what your inventory will look like.

Ask your fans

You can slap your band logo on just about anything these days, but don’t leave it up to chance. Be direct and ask your fans what they want! Put up a quick poll on your social media pages, in your email newsletter, or on your music website to get an idea of the kind of merch your fans would actually enjoy.

Research what other bands are selling

Do a bit of market research and see what other musicians have had success selling. Gather merch inspiration from bands that are similar to yours in terms of genre, brand identity, and number of followers.

Don’t break the bank

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how excited you or your fans are about a merch item if it requires an upfront investment that you simply can’t afford. Creative merch ideas are awesome (as we’ll get into below), but you need to be absolutely certain that they fit your budget. If the worst-case scenario happens and nothing sells, you should still have enough of a financial cushion left over to be able to take that loss.

Creative band merch ideas

Once you have a better idea of your budget and what your fans are interested in, the next step is to figure out a balance of custom and scalable merch that works best for you. This will give you some flexibility to offer items at different price points and accommodate a wider range of fans.

Scalable physical merch

Scalable physical merch refers to any tangible item that can be quickly and easily produced. Stickers, phone cases, and shot glasses are great offerings for fans who might be tight on cash but want to support you. Die-hard fans and audiophiles will likely seek out limited-edition vinyl or cassettes.

Wearables like T-shirts, hoodies, hats, sweatbands, and buttons are band merch staples, so it’s always a good idea to have something in that category available for purchase.

Custom physical merch

Handmade merch is more difficult and time-consuming to reproduce than scalable merch, but you can sell it at a much higher price point. Handwritten lyric sheets can be an incredibly meaningful item for true fans. You can also charge a premium price for any merch you’ve signed, such as albums or posters.

If you don’t have time to be personally involved in the merch creation process, consider collaborating with a visual artist you admire. Think of how special it would feel to receive something handcrafted that no one else in the world has. This kind of partnership also allows you to cross-promote your work to each other’s audiences, potentially bringing both of you some new fans.

Scalable digital merch

Scalable digital merch just might turn out to be your biggest moneymaker. There’s obviously going to be a small upfront investment in time and/or money, but since there’s no physical production or shipping costs involved, all of the revenue you earn in this category is pure profit.

Sell digital sheet music or guitar tabs for any fans who want to learn how to play your songs. Put together a nicely formatted ebook of your album lyrics, and perhaps include additional lyrics or poetry that no one has ever seen. If you have the resources, take your fans behind the scenes with a mini documentary or album companion that dives into the meaning, inspiration, and creative process of each song.

Custom digital merch

If your merch budget is tight but you have plenty of time on your hands, custom digital merch is a great fit for you. Similar to custom physical merch, you can charge a lot more for anything that’s personalized.

Consider offering custom ringtones, voicemail messages, or birthday videos — anything where you’re actually speaking the fan’s name and making the recording personal… get creative!

Where to order your merch

So you’ve done some brainstorming and narrowed down exactly what you want to sell in your online merch store. But how do you actually fill those orders?

First, do some research based on the specific items you want to sell. Then just fill in the SONO Merch Creation/Submission Forms, depending wether you want SONO to support you in the creation of Merch from scratch, or you already have your Merch and you need to start selling it.

Ordering in bulk

In general, you can save money on bulk orders by limiting your designs and colors, and taking advantage of quantity price breaks (e.g., if you want 100 shirts but ordering 120 reduces the cost, it makes sense to order those extra 20 shirts). Be sure to check your design specs carefully and place your order well in advance — last-minute changes and rush orders will cost you big time.

How to sell band merch online

With SONO, you’ll just need to fill in the Submit Merch Form, adding pictures, description and price.

Describe your merch items

Be sure to include a brief, catchy description and at least one or two high-quality images for every item in the store.

Promote your products

Remember to use your website, blog, email list, and social media to promote your music and merch. Adding new items regularly, or swapping in special items, is a great reason to reach out and keep your fans engaged.

Getting your merch plans in order can take a bit of time, but it’s well worth the investment. Experiment with different offerings and analyze your sales — you might unlock a fantastic source of revenue that could make all the difference in your music career.

100 Promo Tips

100 IDEAS TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC

Lyric Video
Create recognizable artwork
Debut the song at a show before it’s released
Lock in the right premiere partner
Give the song to your super fans early via text
Moving visualizer with the artwork (never static)
Get YouTube promoter channels to post it
Shoot a music video
Create a trailer and or behind the scenes content from the music video
Send out a modern press release to friends and press contacts
Design a t-shirt or other merch for the single
Utilize social banners to direct traffic to the song
Capture live footage at a show and repurpose it with the single in the background
Utilize a press partner to do a social takeover at the shoot
If it’s an acoustic song, create a remix. If it’s a produced song, create an acoustic version.
Regardless of the above point, commission remixes
Redeliver the single with a new feature
Shoot a video of how the song came to be (can also capture this in real time i.e. Songs from Scratch)
Create a studio shoot (i.e. In the Room)
Instastory that swipes up
Get influencers to post the song or a video with the song in the background and tag the artist
Get the single synced in TV, movies, advertising, etc.
Annotate the lyrics on Genius and Musixmatch
Send the fans an e-mail newsletter
Write a catchy headline and seed it with the press… Something that will grab attention. Here’s one that got me a year ago.
Do a pop-up show to perform the song in a public or private location
Send the song to DJ promo lists to get it played in the club
Find a radio promotion partner
Take out a billboard that makes onlookers double take
Make an artist playlist and put the song at the top
Submit your song to playlist forms and relevant curators
Send a message to fans via PandoraAMP and set as focus track
Set as Spotify’s Artist Pick
Utilize SubmitHub to reach more blogs and get feedback on the single
Exchange soundcloud reposts with other artists
Shazam the song from the artist’s profile with a message
Run digital ads against similar artists
Go live on instagram when the song premieres
Do a contest to reward sharing
Create memes utilizing pop culture moments
Shoot collaborative content with influencers specifically geared around the message of the single
Hire a publicist
Write a list of the 50 most important people in your network (could be friends and family at first) who need to hear the song and will support the movement over time. Share it with them.
Find creative ways to express gratitude to those that support the single
Do a listening party
Encourage fans to create UGC around the single with specific calls to action
Identify priority international markets and a strategy to reach fans there
Incorporate it into the tour name
Pick a release date that markets itself, like Smino’s album release date being his hometown’s area code.
Make sure the story of the song has THE SAUCE… Not just a headline, but an actual shareable story directly tied to the brand identity and the career the artist aspires to have. If it makes people curious, it can build an artist brand – Here’s a great example.
Create and Release Remixes, Acoustic Versions, Chill Versions, Featured Guest Artist versions of your most popular songs. NOTE: This might not just be muting your drums and adding an acoustic guitar. To really do this it likely means a whole other arrangement/recording. Do it! There’s tons of different playlists for every worthwhile version of your song you can think of.
Run a Remix Contest … release the stems from your session to the electronic / remix community.
Upload a Splice Pack of Sounds / Samples used to make your song / album.
Do a Video Tutorial – Behind The Scenes on the components of your songs ala Charlie Puth “Attention” https://youtu.be/IU8BEMi8UyM
Monitor your metrics and see which songs are showing “signs of life.” And “Signs of Life” means – singles that are reacting on with a Spotify with a User / Stream ratio of 3.0 or over. That means that for every 1 user – the song is being listened to 3 times. Meaning – it’s being played over and over again. Why do you want to know this? It’s worth alerting your Digital Distributor that a song is reacting – so they can help support playlist pitching! Also this is a helpful metric to know, if you are dialoguing directly with editorial curators at Spotify.
Monitor Blog Pick Up – Get a report from your PR / publicist of blog / media pick up – or create this yourself! Additionally, have a column for whoever actually wrote the blog post – they might be a fan and may be a writer for multiple blogs / media outlets or work somewhere else in the future.
Consider College Radio, Specialty Radio Testing, Satellite Radio Testing (note you want to be seeing “signs of life” as previously mentioned (or maybe if you quickly reach 1MM Spotify streams on a single track – that could be trigger to take action) In other words – do you have a story to tell – do you have evidence that your music is working.
Make an actual video! Especially if you are seeing traction on that song. Let me explain further. Many times at We Are: The Guard (my label), our Audio Release is the 1st Tier release. We’ll then see if we “got” something. In other words – there’s no sense to make a $5,000 – $20,000 video if your audio can’t get off the ground with your fans. On the other hand – if you really have a great song – and it hasn’t achieved any lift off yet – it could be that inventive video that gives the song its moment.
Run a Live Stream Contest with you for a virtual visit in the studio, virtual coffee hang or rehearsal, etc.
Go On Tour (Duh!)
Run VIP backstage contests for each date of your tour.
Run “Thank Yous” on Social Media for blog, curator, DSP support. Tag them and include the link back to them where you were featured.
Continue to do cool shit, behind the scenes stuff, etc on Socials, Instagram, etc.
Make a TikTok challenge (yeah, I had to say it).
Push for synchronization licenses and remind your teams (publisher and label) about your release.
Analyze your best digital marketing campaigns. Pick the highest performing one and rerun it with a strong budget.
Go Live on Facebook or Instagram with an impromptu (or planned!) personal show (Note: this can even be from your bedroom).
Respond to comments! That’s right – there’s plenty of conversation starters on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Here’s a question for you. Are your audiences just talking to a void, or having an actual conversation with you?
Run a Q&A Live session for fans.
Make and Sell a limited amount of merch – just based on your single i.e. T Shirts with your single artwork.
Hire some cheesy B list celebrities on Cameo.com to give you or you (and your release) or your fans shoutouts.
Look for Touring Partners or touring partner possibilities and work that shit!
Try Different Low Cost Advertising Strategies i.e. just try to break your local city or target a different genre, or “low hanging fruit” cities and countries.
Resubmit to different genres on Submit Hub.
Make a 2nd Music Video. Ideas here: license 3rd Party Video Content and edit it to your song), allow film students to use your video, mash up other supporting video that’s on brand. Also consider the idea that a music video – could just be made for Instagram i.e. 45 second verse/chorus clip. Hell – screw that. Make 7 (yes seven) .45 second new video treatment “test” clips and release one each day for a week! Whichever does the best – make the video based on that clip.
Run Growth and Spotify Follow Campaigns for your Spotify Page. Do this while you’re in a non release cycle. And then, when you’re within an “On” cycle, focus on promoting your releases. Remember your Spotify “Release Radar” (which populates based on who follows you on Spotify) is perhaps the best playlist you can be on…and that’s all in your hands!
Run a Special Campaign for a Holiday i.e. Valentine’s Day – 1st 50 emails to me at this email address will get a personal call from me wishing them Happy Valentine’s Day.
Do a YouTube commentary video on one of your best videos – (i.e. the DVD bonus or iTunes Extra version). Topics of dialogue – how the video was made, problems that came up, interesting facts, Q&A from your fans, how you chose the director, etc.
Release “B” Roll and OutTakes and Bloopers from your Video Shoot (maybe this is just for Instagram but hey, if I’m a fan of yours – I wanna see this).
Post Marketing / Release Review – What worked? What didn’t? Learn lessons from this. Rinse and Report.
Make sticker packs and give out to fans for free. Or go on a sticker campaign in your local town.
Assemble all your singles into an EP and re-release your songs as a package.
Create an “Artist Playlist” on your Spotify Profile page and also from your YouTube channel – and have control over how you want new fans to experience your songs. Also, use that new link in ads, marketing and promotions – so new fans can discover more than just “one” song.
Make a high end collectors edition visual book for your fans for the “making of” process or “a year in the life of.” This can easily be done with www.shutterfly.com.
Twitch! You can build up a following here from your original music to even playing covers. We know someone who does this, and as a result has managed to turn over decent plays on his original music on Spotify. Include overlays on your steam promoting your music! Also do special “single release day” streams.
Create gifs for fans to use – there are websites where you can do this for free (it’s pretty easy).
Use an app like Community to have fans text you directly (celebs like Diddy and Jake Paul have recently done this).
Pandora – There are people on Pandora – 63 million in fact. Using Pandora’s data tool, Next Big Sound, and the creator tool, AMP Playbook, you can figure out what your most popular songs are on the platform and record voice memos that will play when someone’s listening to you (Artist Audio Messaging). You can select a specific song for the message to play after. A great music marketing strategy is to market to the people who already care. What better moment to speak to your fans than when they’re already listening to your music? You can target specific cities to promote shows or promote releases by linking to a specific call to action.
Try changing the demographics of your promoted posts in Facebook Ads Manager. Put $10 into a couple different populations and see what’s working.
If you go on tour or have a show, make a behind the scenes/on the road video and capture footage. You never know when they’re going to make “the” documentary about you.
Handmade merch: Feeling creative? Want merch on a budget? Go to a thrift store with a by-the-pound section, select 20 unique plain t-shirts in different sizes (I really like the softer kind… we’ve all bought those hard cotton merch shirts and been bummed out), create a stencil, grab some fabric paint, a fabric medium, and a few friends. Make the shirts, take pictures and videos of the process, and sell them at your shows, on your website, or on Bandcamp. The vintage look is super fashionable and your fans will love it because it came from you. Friendship bracelets are another cheap, easy merch item. Maybe put the title of the song or album, and your name (always).
Cover challenge – If your audience is made up of a lot of musicians, challenge them to cover your song for some kind of prize and share the videos on your socials! The Internet did a cover challenge on their Hive Mind Tour and the winners got to perform on stage with the band. Allen Stone did this recently as well in collaboration with Pickup Music.
Make a “Fan Made” Music Video – ask fans to take selfie footage of themselves singing along to your song. String them together to create a video, and remember- you don’t have to do the whole song. One section will still be useful content for social media.
Make an Instagram AR filter – You know those cute new Instagram story filters and games that recently became popular? If you’re unfamiliar, you can access these filters by scrolling all the way to the right of the effects when you are making a story or by clicking in the upper left corner of a friend’s story who used a certain filter. Using Facebook’s Spark AR tool, you can make your own Augmented Reality filter on Instagram to add to the Effect Gallery. We recommend making something cute and trendy with your song playing, as promotional filters will not appear in the Effect Gallery.
Physical mail! Ask fans for their addresses and mail them something special for Valentine’s Day or whatever holiday is nearby. Maybe mail fans handwritten lyrics? Ask for birthdays and send cards? Create an online form for address submissions. This is a great opportunity to increase the data you have access to. Next time you go on tour, you’ll know exactly who’s in what city.
Similar to the previous idea…demos! People love feeling close to an artist’s creative process. Release your demos and let people in on how the songs sounded when you first created them. Ex. Mac Demarco’s Another (Demo) One and Salad Days Demos.
Be Yourself and push as much as you can
Love what you do.
Don’t stop.
Revolution is the only solution

Pre-Save & Smartlinks

You can find your Pre-Save Links in your email account, they’ll automatically switch to SmartLink once your release is out.

Tip: if you can’t find it, search for emails with “You Pre-Save link for: SONG-TITLE” subject, having support@stage.sonomusic.co as sender.

The links are created automatically after you send us your music, so please be sure to check your email max 2/3 days after your Upload Music Form submission.

NOTE: Be sure to promote Pre-Save and SmartLinks as much as you can to gain more traction on your upcoming release.

Pre-Save and listen to your colleagues’ songs as well! This will help you reach Algorithmic and Editorial playlists, as well as helping us creating an audience that already interacted with your music.

Check your link

TikTok Tips

Optimise your artist profile

For campaigns where you are looking to grow your audience via TikTok, the first recommendation is to set-up a profile for the artist and start posting video content to the platform on a regular basis.

Establish Yourself

Create your profile with a recognisable handle and image and link your account to Twitter & YouTube.

Define Your Strategy

Engage with the platform as a user and embed yourself within the community. Find your main creative focus before you start engaging with influencers.

Create A Regular Schedule

Stay at the top of the feed with regular videos.

Use the correct hashtags and take part in as many challenges as you can to grow your following.

Engage With Your Audience

Watch, react and engage with users’ content to build a deeper connection & get your profile in front of more people.

Collaborate with other creators/users using the duet feature.

Switch to a PRO Account

What is a PRO account?

Pro accounts are accessible to all users and can be enabled directly on each profile via the TikTok App. Enabling this provides access to analytics for all of your posts via the settings page.

Similar to Instagram Creator accounts, the TikTok analytics dashboard can show you insights into your overall audience and performance of your content.

In order to convert your TikTok profile to a Pro account, follow these steps.

1. Open App, go to “Me”

2. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner (this brings you to settings).

3. Click “Manage My Account”

4. Navigate to the bottom of the screen and select “Switch to Pro Account.”

5. Follow all the prompts to complete the process…

Useful Information

The analytics will start recording the data after you’ve switched to a PRO account and won’t display any historic data
You’ll need to wait up to 7 days for your account to generate enough data to start displaying insights
Tip: publish as much TikTok content as possible during this period so you can get deeper insights

3 main categories of analytics

Profile overview
shows how well your profile is performing overall
includes total video views, profile views & follower count
Tip: use the profile overview data to interpret a funnel of users, starting with people who begin to consume your content through to those who become engaged followers. This allows you to estimate your conversion rate from your total videos views to users who visit your profile and the conversion rate of those who actually followed your profile. This will help you prepare an effective content strategy.
Content insights
total views of each video from the past 7 days
reveals which of your videos have been trending on the For You page and total number of views those videos have accrued throughout the process
Tap on the post thumbnail to open it’s unique dashboard for analytics per post for total likes/comments/shares, play time, video views, average watch time, traffic source types and audience territories.
Tip: compare the territory engagement for individual posts to your overall audience territories in the followers tab. If different forms of content resonate with new audiences from different locations, double down on creating similar content in those territories.
Follower insights
A top-line view of your audience demographics
gender split and % breakdown of your audience by location

Best practices corner

The Basics

Consistent username across all platforms
Short and relevant description. Make sure it’s obvious to users that you’re an artist
Connect to your Instagram & YouTube channel
Get a Pro Account
The ideal runtime for a video is 10-17 seconds.

What’s Important

Consistency
Authenticity
Community integration
Personality, people don’t want a sales pitch

Content Strategy

Native content
Not overly-produced (but good lighting is a must!)
Incorporate trending sounds, memes, challenges, hashtags
Duet and react to UGC and comments
Collaborate with others on the platform
Grow your artists profile with a combination of influencer collabs, ads and your consistent & creative content strategy