This document provides 13 marketing tips that brands can learn from guerrilla music promotion techniques used by independent artists in 2016. Some key tips include treating the musician/artist and their music as a single brand, building an engaged community through transparency and storytelling on social media, using platforms properly rather than just spamming content, seeing opportunities where others see roadblocks, and ensuring the quality of the music/product is the bottom line of any promotional strategy.

1. Branding Tips
I Learned From
Guerilla Music
Marketing
13 #OutsideWork

2. songs were streamed
in the U.S. last year
317.2 BILLION

3. A large portion of
those streams
were from
independent
artists breaking
projects on
their own.

4. A large portion of
those streams
were from
independent
artists breaking
projects on
their own.
Because
it’s so easy
to share,
musicians
MUST be
creative
with their
marketing
to stand out
among the
competition.

5. So what can Brands learn from
guerilla music promotion in 2016?

6. So what can Brands learn from
guerilla music promotion in 2016?
A ton.

7. Here are 13 Marketing Tips
Every Brand Can Learn
From Music Self-promotion

8. The Band is the brand
Musicians and their music
are no longer separate.
The successful musician is
reachable and engaged with
their audience through social
media and mailing lists.
1

9. The need for approachability
has never been more
important than right now
...
in any sector.
2

10. Promoting music isn’t
just about releasing songs.
Just like promoting a brand isn’t
simply about pushing a product.
3

11. If you make something,
share something.
Growing a following for music comes down to
artists telling their story in a transparent and
engaging way. Don’t simply state your brand.
Grow a community by telling your brand story.
4

12. Chance the Rapper
has never sold an album.
Everything he has released has
been shared for free…

13. Chance leveraged the success of
his free downloadable albums into
lucrative live dates and appearances.
Yet he was still #7 on the Forbes
2015 30 under 30 list.

14. Chance’s carreer shows us that value can no
longer be defined in just dollars and cents.
The new currency
is trust and awareness.
5

15. Be a human first and an aspiring artist second
No matter how wide your reach is, nothing
is more important than a 1-on-1 interaction.
Build bridges, not walls, between you and
your community.
6

16. Social media and streaming platforms are a
no-brainer for any artist. But the truth is, most
artists (and brands) fail to use them properly.
Social media is a tool.
You have to use it properly to make it work.
7

17. DON’T BE
HUMAN
SPAM
8

18. DON’T BE
HUMAN
SPAM
There’s so
much content
online these
days that
people have
a strong
‘Bullshit Radar.’
Stay off it.
8

19. The common sentiment is that people are
no longer willing to pay for music.

20. But people are still interested in supporting
artists they care about. Albums outsell tracks
5 to 1 on Bandcamp, one of the most popular
platforms for independent music sharing.

21. See opportunity where
others see roadblocks.
9

22. The big number for us – our core metric –
is how much fans are paying artists through
the platform. We’re up to $3.1m every 30 days,
and our total to date is now $70m.
Ethan Diamond | CEO of Bandcamp

23. Nothing says ‘look at me’ quite like a
well made press kit. Your brand (or band)
should be pitchable in a concise amount
of space and time.
The digestible brand is the successful brand.
10

24. Debuting new music is no different
than launching a new product.
They both need a united front and solid
promotional strategy that includes
cross-promotion, media outreach
and grassroots targeting.
11

25. In the face of online streaming, t-shirts and
other alternative music merchandise are an
increasingly viable revenue stream.
Are you leveraging the power of your
brand in every way that you can?
12

26. Self-promotion is important for musicians,
but making good music is the bottom line.
Your brand is only as good as the product.
So budget your time accordingly.
13

27. Authored by Scott Parsons.
Full-time music enthusiast and editor at LANDR.