Marketing in the Music Industry

Today, marketing techniques have changed a great deal since the peak of the music industry in the mid twentieth century. In the digital age, marketing is nearly all done online since there are so many ways to reach the public and spread word quickly. In fact, because of the variety of artists emerging onto the scene, now more than ever is a chance to find new, niche music. 

There are a few types of marketing that are used by nearly all artists in all genres of music...

Posters - Nowadays these tend to be distributed in magazines, on-line newspapers and websites rather than distributed physically round an area- although many still opt for this method.

Promotional Gigs -Previously bands would tour areas, performing various songs from the album to be released and generate a hype up to and sometimes after the release date of their album. Nowadays, because of the large crowds and fan base sizes, these gigs tend to be at other live events. However, other more unusual methods still occur.  

Taylor Swift for example sent out an impromptu tweet advertising an unplanned performance on Hollywood Boulevard, New York to which thousands of fans turned up. The size of her fan base made this possible, but it still drew massive amounts of attention to her and her new music.

Radio - Many artists still get a significant amount of radio play before an album or single will be released to see how well the song plays

Some other methods of marketing include:

Social Networks- Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Soundcloud, Bandcamp are just a few.
Word of mouth/Viral campaigns
Adverts- TV advertising in particular, along with radio, magazine and online adverts showcased on websites.