Photograph by Rhianonne Stone (@rhianonnestone)

Planning Forward for Success

In 2023, I launched my debut album, “Romance” — a cinematic neo-soul file with themes of romantic love, inside therapeutic, and treating ladies with kindness and respect. For my marketing campaign, I launched 4 singles (one each eight weeks) by means of CD Child main as much as the album launch in September.

There have been highs and lows, however crucially, I felt a major construct in my viewers’s pleasure over time attributable to my meticulous content material creation planning. I ensured that my social media content material clearly introduced my creative story, together with thought-provoking musings and poems within the captions.

The Worth of Music Visuals

“Romance” was an interdisciplinary challenge, so visuals have been key to my marketing campaign. I organized a lot of picture and video shoots with skilled photographers all through 2021, 2022, and 2023 to create high-quality content material. I had over 300 photographs saved, which allowed me to plan forward of schedule, decreasing my stress ranges all through the marketing campaign. 

Since I choose an old-school aesthetic, I solely wanted primary software program to seize the specified lo-fi really feel. I used the free model of Canva to edit photographs, and iMovie on my outdated MacBook to edit any video footage. For future releases, I’d additionally think about using instruments like CDB Video Creator to create Spotify Canvas movies.

Constructing Music Group and Supporters

One of many largest studying curves from the marketing campaign was understanding the place my artwork suits throughout the music trade. 

I don’t write typical “radio” songs, however my initiatives have robust cultural and inventive narratives, which work effectively when looking for out collaborators and music press.

I’ve been within the trade for over 10 years now, and inside that point, I’ve made many natural press contacts and befriended a lot of native artists. The vast majority of my collaborators for “Romance” have been members of Popgirlz Scotland, a feminist assist group I based, and different feminine contacts I had made at trade occasions.

Photograph by Rhianonne Stone (@rhianonnestone)

The Energy of Press

In flip, my strongest press items for the marketing campaign have been achieved by means of my longterm supporters, together with The Skinny, Vast Days Scotland, The Herald, The Listing, and Snack Journal. 

I additionally obtained a major quantity of UK-based BBC Radio assist (Tom Robinson at BBC 6 Music; Vic Galloway, Janice Forsyth, and Roddy Hart on Radio Scotland; and Shakk, Emily Pilbeam, and Nick Roberts on BBC Introducing).

Searching for some worldwide traction, I utilised playlist submission websites the place I used to be in a position to filter blogs that matched my style. I wrote clear press statements for every music, which led to extraordinarily profitable outcomes. My music carried out finest outdoors of my residence nation of Scotland — notably in North America, the place I achieved common assist from the likes of EARMILK.

Playlisting Classes

Regardless of these successes, I did be taught a number of classes about find out how to go about pitching for playlists. At instances, I did really feel disheartened attributable to an absence of success with Spotify or DSP playlisting out of the 5 singles I pitched. After doing a little analysis, although, I discovered that 70-88% of first social gathering Spotify playlisting is given to main label artists and on common, it takes 7-8 songs earlier than you hear a lady on an algorithmic playlist. 

If I had identified these statistics prior, I might have prolonged my marketing campaign to 12 weeks per single to prioritise my psychological well being.

I discovered these statistics extraordinarily sobering — however on the similar time, they helped me really feel extra assured within the high quality of my work. Now I do know that some targets are solely out of attain attributable to misogyny and main label offers throughout the trade. It’s vital that these statistics are recognised so we will implement new methods to assist ladies and unbiased artists.

In Conclusion

My debut album launch as an unbiased musician has been one of many proudest creative moments of my life.

I’ve realised everybody’s path in music is extremely distinctive, and I’ve learnt a useful lesson in regards to the significance of authenticity and endurance. I’m at present within the studio creating my second album, and searching ahead to bringing my new insights into my subsequent marketing campaign.