Your Music Is Good. But Presentation Is Everything.

Your Music Is Good. But Presentation Is Everything.

Being a good musician doesn't automatically mean people are going to discover you.

I know that probably sounds obvious, but it is something I think a lot of independent artists overlook. You can have an amazing voice, write great songs, play an instrument, or produce incredible music and still have very few people know who you are.

Why?

Because making music and marketing music are two different skills.

You have to think about where you want to be seen, how you want to be perceived, and what you are actually giving people to remember.

Your Brand Is More Than a Logo

Branding yourself isn't just putting a logo on your social-media pages.

Your stage name, your music, your visual style, your personality, your story, your photography, your videos, your social-media presence, your artwork, and even the way you present yourself on stage all contribute to the brand people associate with you.

Think about it like choosing a genre of music. You probably already know what kind of music you like and what kind of music you want to make.

You need to put some thought into your visual style the same way.

How do you want your audience to perceive you?

These days, getting known can take more than singing in the church choir or performing at the local club. You have to be willing to expand into a few more multimedia areas.

And if you don't want to do all of that yourself, that's okay too.

Build a team.

Maybe you don't know how to create video content. Maybe you don't want to manage a YouTube channel. Maybe you don't know how to build a merch store.

Those are things other people can help you with.

Think About Commercials

Here's a weird example: commercials.

Everybody complains about commercials, right?

Yet somehow we remember them.

We remember the silly situations. We remember the characters. We remember the catchphrases. Sometimes we even remember the little jingles.

Why?

Because somebody figured out how to make the presentation memorable.

Now apply that same idea to your music.

What if you created something unique about your brand and gave people something visually interesting to watch while your music played in the background?

That's where creativity comes in.

And if nobody is calling you for sync opportunities, you don't necessarily have to sit around waiting for somebody to give you one.

Create your own version of a sync.

Take one of your songs and create a few cool videos that capture the mood, story, or atmosphere of that music.

You aren't guaranteeing that somebody is going to discover it or share it. But you are giving people something they can actually watch, remember, and potentially share with their friends and family.

That's one of the most powerful forms of online word-of-mouth you can create.

Your music is good.

But presentation matters.

Today's Visual Consumers

Today's visual consumers, as I like to call them, have incredibly short attention spans.

Short-form video, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and all of the platforms that followed have changed the way people consume information and entertainment.

So if you know you have a tendency to disappear for months at a time, you need to plan for that.

Maybe you create 52 video shorts and schedule one to go out every week of the year.

There are tools that can help you schedule content like that, and YouTube has plenty of walkthroughs if you don't know how to set it up.

You don't even necessarily need complicated equipment.

If you have some design skills, Canva can be a great place to create video shorts. You can create a template, duplicate it, and change a few things each time while keeping the same branding and visual theme.

And if you don't have the time or the skills to do it yourself, hire somebody.

There are freelance platforms where you can find people who can help you create graphics, edit videos, or produce social-media content.

The point isn't whether you personally create every piece of content.

The point is that your brand continues to exist in front of your audience.

Because you know what they say:

Out of sight, out of mind.

Don't Wait Until You Have a Music Video

And this brings me back to something I think artists sometimes overlook.

You really do need visuals.

Even if it starts with something as simple as a photograph on an album cover.

But these days, a photograph alone may not be enough to capture someone's attention.

You need video.

A video can become marketing for you 24/7 and potentially reach people all around the world.

Set up your YouTube channel properly. Use TikTok. Use whatever platforms make sense for the audience you're trying to reach.

And don't think every video has to be a professionally produced music video.

It could be a visualizer.

A lyric video.

A short performance.

A behind-the-scenes clip.

A studio session.

A story about the song.

A piece of artwork animated to your music.

A short video showing your personality.

Something that gives people another way to experience what you're creating.

And make sure people know where to find you.

Your descriptions can tell people how to listen to your music, contact you, book you, buy your merchandise, visit your website, or follow you somewhere else.

That's what makes video so useful.

It isn't just entertainment.

It's a digital storefront that can keep working after you've gone to bed.

Music Is One Language. Visuals Are Another.

Think about knowing English and then learning Spanish.

You haven't stopped knowing English.

You've simply opened yourself up to another way of communicating with people.

I look at music and visuals the same way.

People can hear your music.

But when they can see and hear your music, you've created another connection point.

And that's important because not everybody discovers artists the same way.

Somebody might hear your song first.

Somebody else might see your video first.

Someone might see a friend share one of your visuals and then go listen to the song.

Another person might discover your merchandise before they ever hear the music.

All of those things can lead people back to the artist.

That's why I think independent musicians need to start thinking beyond simply releasing songs.

You are building a brand.

You are building an audience.

You are building a library of content.

And you are creating opportunities for people to discover you.

You Don't Have to Do Everything Yourself

Now, does that mean you have to become a graphic designer, videographer, social-media manager, merch designer, website developer, photographer, editor, and everything else?

No.

You don't.

If you can do some of it yourself, great.

If you can't, learn what you need to understand and find people who can help you with the rest.

Your time isn't necessarily wasted just because you're investing it into building your brand and marketing your music.

The important thing is to have a plan.

Start with what you can afford.

Create what you can create.

Outsource what you can't.

And keep building.

Because your music may be the reason somebody becomes a fan...

but your presentation may be what gets them to stop and listen in the first place.

And I'm all about possibilities.