Having a strong online following is becoming one of the most important status symbols for artists. Taylor Swift even recently postulated that your online fan base could be the determining factor in whether or not you get a record deal in the music business moving forward.
While many artists prefer to just make great music, it’s the ones who embrace today’s free online tools to build a network of fans that will likely go furthest. Having your music on SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Youtube and Spotify is an obvious start.
It also goes without saying that you should engage with your fans on Facebook and Twitter. But here are two less-obvious (but proven) ways to build your following.
Record a Unique Cover
Since the early days of hip hop, sampling, remixes and covers have played a big role in the culture of popular music. A more modern evolution of that trend has been a rise of covers that crossover genres.
In 2011, the 14 year old English singer-songwriter Birdy exploded in popularity when she released a stripped-down piano ballad version of Bon Iver’s indie-folk hit “Skinny Love.” Her rendition went viral and peaked at 17 on the U.K. singles chart.
Many fans are more likely to want to hear a new version of a song they already like than a new song they’ve never heard. If you can take a song like that and reimagine it in a new way, while injecting your own style, then you’ll likely reach a whole new group of fans.
Remember that time Johnny Cash resurrected his career amidst the bubblegum pop-dominated early 2000’s with a Nine Inch Nails cover? The resultant video is still considered as one of the greatest of all time.
Post Non-Music Videos
The real power of social media for artists is the ability to connect directly with fans anytime. Prior to Facebook and Twitter, fans mainly had access to their favorite artists through polished performances on TV, radio and concerts. Social media has pulled the curtain back and enabled fans to see behind-the-scenes. And they love it.
The most successful artists use social media to allow fans to see into their world. They post videos backstage or “making of” photos in the studio. They reveal their personality.
By showing fans that you’re as much of a jokester , or foodie , or animal-lover as they are, you make yourself much more relatable. And much more follow-worthy.
If you’re in the middle of building your online following right now and could use a boost in followers, try these tips for engaging a new audience and making more personal connections with your fans. It may be the very key to your success in tomorrow’s music landscape.
Make Pro Songs
There are 6 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 20 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 20 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can quickly improve your mixes fast.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide you with feedback about what you can improve first before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
3. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
4. Sage Audio Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers that can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, discussions, mix competitions, networking, collaborations, and more.
5. 700+ In-depth Sage Audio Mixing and Mastering Videos
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.