This article was first published on the Ditto Blog on July 2016.
Millions of music lovers all over the world use Spotify to discover new artists, so as an up-and-coming musician, it’s vital to get your music on Spotify playlists and in front of legions of potential fans. But how do new artists get featured?
Getting the biggest Spotify playlists to feature your tracks by reaching out to curators is not an easy task, but well worth it for the exposure you’ll receive if you’re successful. These tips will show you how to get your music featured on Spotify playlists.
Get your music on Spotify Playlists by pitching to curators
When it comes to pitching your music, first of all you’ll need to find out who curates the Spotify playlist you’re interested in. They could be media figures, industry bods, or just an average Spotify user. You can either find them through Spotify or alternatively carry out some research online and email them. Some playlists may be curated by the platform itself. In this case, you’ll need to find the contact info for Spotify’s Artist Liaison.
Once you’ve found the right contact details, make sure to keep your email brief with prominent links to your music. Make it as easy as possible for them to quickly find out who you are and listen to your music.
Submit your tracks to the Ditto Music Spotify playlists
Ditto Music is now accepting submissions for our New Music Spotify Playlists, which all feature the hottest new and independent tracks. We’ve curated a number of playlists across a wide range of genres, including indie, dance, R&B and more.
We also pick out the hottest tracks to push to our own network of Spotify playlist curators, who control massive playlists like New Music Fridays and Viral Top 50. Click here to follow our playlists and submit your music for consideration.
Get your Spotify profile verified
Most Spotify playlist curators will be much more inclined to include you in their playlists if your artist profile is verified. To do this, you’ll need to have at least 250 followers. Once you’ve reached 250, you can complete a Spotify Verification Request form to get your profile verified. You’ll find this form here.
Get as many followers as possible
While 250 followers is the bare minimum you’ll need to get your artist profile verified, the more you have, the more likely it is that Spotify playlist curators will take you seriously. Make sure all of your friends, family and fans are following you on Spotify, share your tracks across social media and promote your Spotify account wherever and whenever possible to build up your followers.
Maintain a professional online presence
When you’re trying to get your music onto a Spotify playlist, it’s likely the playlist curator will look into your background a little more with a quick Google search. To make a good first impression, it’s important to make sure your online presence looks as professional as possible. That includes updating your website, social media accounts and any artist bios across the web.
Share any playlists you’re featured on
If your music ends up being included on any Spotify playlist, no matter how small, share it as much as possible to start racking up more and more streams. It’s always a good idea to tag the playlist curator in your posts too, to show them you’re invested in their playlist and build your relationship with them.
Don’t be afraid to follow up
Spotify’s playlist curators are always looking for the best new music and won’t want to let a great track pass them by. If you don’t have any success from pitching your tracks at first, your message may have simply been missed, so don’t be afraid to send a polite follow-up email.
Read the original article here.
fredag 24. august 2018
Your guide to digital music marketing and crushing SoundCloud!
Did you know that SoundCloud let you download a 400 pages PDF ebook named "The SoundCloud Bible"? They say it's your guide to digital music marketing and crushing SoundCloud. It has some very practical and helpful advice, like:
• Get more plays and followers.
• Optimize your social media presence.
• Influencer marketing: get blogs, YouTube and SoundCloud support.
• Monetize your music on SoundCloud, YouTube and other stores.
• Learn about your rights and how to negotiate deals.
You can download the Advanced Package ebook for USD 49 or the Complete Package for USD 99 here: The SoundCloud Bible.
• Get more plays and followers.
• Optimize your social media presence.
• Influencer marketing: get blogs, YouTube and SoundCloud support.
• Monetize your music on SoundCloud, YouTube and other stores.
• Learn about your rights and how to negotiate deals.
You can download the Advanced Package ebook for USD 49 or the Complete Package for USD 99 here: The SoundCloud Bible.
Building a Spotify playlist that shows in search
Spotify is one of the best places to promote your music. Chris Robleywrote this article for DIY Musician, the great blog that the people at CDBaby are responsible for.
You want to land a song on a big Spotify playlist? It (probably) won’t happen overnight.
First you have to build your playlist resume. Once your songs start seeing lots of lower-level playlist activity, Spotify’s algorithm will take notice — and THAT’s when you’re more likely to get the attention of prominent playlist curators.
The more you build a presence for your songs on smaller playlists, the more chance you’ll have of getting a big playlist placement.
Step #1: Create your own playlists
This is an obvious place to start building a playlist presence, since you have complete control over the song selection.
Creating your own playlists gives you a great way to:
• connect with fans between album cycles
• re-purpose your catalog in countless ways by putting old songs into fresh contexts
• highlight the music of your influences, local music scene, new discoveries, etc.
and much more
But before you put too much effort into playlisting, you’ll first want to become a verified artist on Spotify so you can display and promote your playlists right from your artist page.
Go HERE to find out how to get verified.
How to create a Spotify playlist
1. Within the Spotify app, click “(+) New Playlist.”
2. Give your playlist a name and description. Be sure to use rich keywords that mention the style of music, specific artists within the playlist, or other organizing principles for the songs contained within.
3. Upload a custom image for your playlist.
4. Add a URL to the “insert link” field linking to a pre-order page or music store. (Be considerate and don’t link to a competing streaming service.)
5. Click “Create.”
6. Add songs! You can do this by searching for the song on Spotify and dragging it into your playlist in the left-hand sidebar, or by clicking the ellipses next to any track and selecting “Add to Playlist.”
Playlist best-practices for Spotify
There are millions of playlists on Spotify. Every user has the ability to create multiple playlists. So understandably, Spotify doesn’t want EVERY single playlist on their platform to be publicly searchable. In order for YOUR playlist to grow as much as possible, you’re going to want to show up in a search on Spotify. That way your reach extends beyond your existing fanbase.
There are some recognizable attributes shared by many playlists that Spotify serves up in their search. Might as well emulate what’s working, right? Here’s how to make an effective — and search-friendly — playlist.
Build playlists around your interests
If you’re enthusiastic about your playlist, you’ll make it awesome! If not, you’ll lose steam and neglect it. Which brings us to…
Update your playlists on a regular schedule
To make a playlist that’s worth following, it should be dynamic and change over time. Otherwise a user can just listen once and be done with it. Choose a day to make updates each week and keep it consistent to build expectation among followers.
Only ONE song per artist
Unless a playlist’s sole purpose is to highlight the music of one artist, it’s best to make the song list diverse. Spotify’s algorithm can downgrade a playlist (in search and relevance) that is too heavily weighted towards one artist.
Seed your own songs!
Nestle your song perfectly among a bunch of great tunes by other artists. But remember: just one song per playlist, unless it’s a playlist organized around your music alone.
Playlists should have between 20-60 songs
Spotify’s algorithm favors playlists with more than 20 songs and less than 60. Aim for 25-30 when you first create the list, and then add more songs on a regular basis. Once you’re approaching 60 songs, shuffle the oldest tracks off the list. (You can even create an archive playlist to house all the songs that have been moved off the primary playlist).
Cover artwork
It’s not make-or-break, but seeing one of those default playlist covers with the four smaller images is a little disappointing. You’re curating a musical experience; why not also provide a custom visual that helps listeners enter your world?
Use smart keywords in your description
You should describe your playlist using words, phrases, genre descriptions, and artist names that listeners will be searching for. Spotify gives you plenty of text space to do it. Optimize!
Your playlist name is SUPER IMPORTANT!
Which do you think is more likely to appear in a search: “Prog-Rock Classics from the 1970’s” or “Brand New Crystal Visions of Dancing Planets Outside of Time?” Choose a playlist name that sets clear expectations.
Promote your playlists
Share the playlists you create with your fans on social, email, etc. Ask them to follow your playlists, and ask for their suggestions for songs or artists you can add to your playlists in the future. The more followers your playlist has, the more likely it will be served up in a search on Spotify.
Tag, tag, tag
Whenever you add tracks to the playlist, tag those artists on social (this is the more passive version of notifying the artist directly, which we’ll get to below…)
Ask your fans to save a song from your playlist to their own playlists
Again, Spotify’s algorithm takes special notice whenever a user is motivated to move a song from a playlist they follow to one of their own playlists. This is the MOST IMPORTANT action a fan can take to support you on Spotify. So provide a link to your playlist and ask your fans to do just that!
Notify other artists who’ve been added to your playlists
Reach out via Twitter, Facebook, or email. Let them know you love their music, have added a song to your playlist, and ask them to follow the playlist and promote it to their fans.
Embed your playlist
Spotify also smiles favorably upon playlists that are being shared outside of the their platform. Embed the playlist on your own website, and ask your fans and friends to do the same. The wider your reach online, the better you look in the eyes of that mysterious Spotify algorithm.
To embed a playlist:
Go to the playlist page on Spotify
Click on the ellipses
Scroll down to “Copy embed code”
Paste that code into website
Alright, that’s enough playlist tips for one day. Keep ’em in mind and your playlist will have a good chance of appearing in Spotify’s search. You’ll also be on your way towards building a bigger playlist presence.
Want more Spotify playlisting advice? Check out the following:
• How to get your first 250 followers on Spotify: becoming a verified artist
• The 6 primary types of Spotify playlist that can feature your music
• Twelve playlist ideas that can breathe new life into your back-catalog
• How to get your music on Spotify playlists, Pt. 1
Or download our FREE guide “Getting Your Songs on Spotify Playlists.”
Read the original article: here
You want to land a song on a big Spotify playlist? It (probably) won’t happen overnight.
First you have to build your playlist resume. Once your songs start seeing lots of lower-level playlist activity, Spotify’s algorithm will take notice — and THAT’s when you’re more likely to get the attention of prominent playlist curators.
The more you build a presence for your songs on smaller playlists, the more chance you’ll have of getting a big playlist placement.
Step #1: Create your own playlists
This is an obvious place to start building a playlist presence, since you have complete control over the song selection.
Creating your own playlists gives you a great way to:
• connect with fans between album cycles
• re-purpose your catalog in countless ways by putting old songs into fresh contexts
• highlight the music of your influences, local music scene, new discoveries, etc.
and much more
But before you put too much effort into playlisting, you’ll first want to become a verified artist on Spotify so you can display and promote your playlists right from your artist page.
Go HERE to find out how to get verified.
How to create a Spotify playlist
1. Within the Spotify app, click “(+) New Playlist.”
2. Give your playlist a name and description. Be sure to use rich keywords that mention the style of music, specific artists within the playlist, or other organizing principles for the songs contained within.
3. Upload a custom image for your playlist.
4. Add a URL to the “insert link” field linking to a pre-order page or music store. (Be considerate and don’t link to a competing streaming service.)
5. Click “Create.”
6. Add songs! You can do this by searching for the song on Spotify and dragging it into your playlist in the left-hand sidebar, or by clicking the ellipses next to any track and selecting “Add to Playlist.”
Playlist best-practices for Spotify
There are millions of playlists on Spotify. Every user has the ability to create multiple playlists. So understandably, Spotify doesn’t want EVERY single playlist on their platform to be publicly searchable. In order for YOUR playlist to grow as much as possible, you’re going to want to show up in a search on Spotify. That way your reach extends beyond your existing fanbase.
There are some recognizable attributes shared by many playlists that Spotify serves up in their search. Might as well emulate what’s working, right? Here’s how to make an effective — and search-friendly — playlist.
Build playlists around your interests
If you’re enthusiastic about your playlist, you’ll make it awesome! If not, you’ll lose steam and neglect it. Which brings us to…
Update your playlists on a regular schedule
To make a playlist that’s worth following, it should be dynamic and change over time. Otherwise a user can just listen once and be done with it. Choose a day to make updates each week and keep it consistent to build expectation among followers.
Only ONE song per artist
Unless a playlist’s sole purpose is to highlight the music of one artist, it’s best to make the song list diverse. Spotify’s algorithm can downgrade a playlist (in search and relevance) that is too heavily weighted towards one artist.
Seed your own songs!
Nestle your song perfectly among a bunch of great tunes by other artists. But remember: just one song per playlist, unless it’s a playlist organized around your music alone.
Playlists should have between 20-60 songs
Spotify’s algorithm favors playlists with more than 20 songs and less than 60. Aim for 25-30 when you first create the list, and then add more songs on a regular basis. Once you’re approaching 60 songs, shuffle the oldest tracks off the list. (You can even create an archive playlist to house all the songs that have been moved off the primary playlist).
Cover artwork
It’s not make-or-break, but seeing one of those default playlist covers with the four smaller images is a little disappointing. You’re curating a musical experience; why not also provide a custom visual that helps listeners enter your world?
Use smart keywords in your description
You should describe your playlist using words, phrases, genre descriptions, and artist names that listeners will be searching for. Spotify gives you plenty of text space to do it. Optimize!
Your playlist name is SUPER IMPORTANT!
Which do you think is more likely to appear in a search: “Prog-Rock Classics from the 1970’s” or “Brand New Crystal Visions of Dancing Planets Outside of Time?” Choose a playlist name that sets clear expectations.
Promote your playlists
Share the playlists you create with your fans on social, email, etc. Ask them to follow your playlists, and ask for their suggestions for songs or artists you can add to your playlists in the future. The more followers your playlist has, the more likely it will be served up in a search on Spotify.
Tag, tag, tag
Whenever you add tracks to the playlist, tag those artists on social (this is the more passive version of notifying the artist directly, which we’ll get to below…)
Ask your fans to save a song from your playlist to their own playlists
Again, Spotify’s algorithm takes special notice whenever a user is motivated to move a song from a playlist they follow to one of their own playlists. This is the MOST IMPORTANT action a fan can take to support you on Spotify. So provide a link to your playlist and ask your fans to do just that!
Notify other artists who’ve been added to your playlists
Reach out via Twitter, Facebook, or email. Let them know you love their music, have added a song to your playlist, and ask them to follow the playlist and promote it to their fans.
Embed your playlist
Spotify also smiles favorably upon playlists that are being shared outside of the their platform. Embed the playlist on your own website, and ask your fans and friends to do the same. The wider your reach online, the better you look in the eyes of that mysterious Spotify algorithm.
To embed a playlist:
Go to the playlist page on Spotify
Click on the ellipses
Scroll down to “Copy embed code”
Paste that code into website
Alright, that’s enough playlist tips for one day. Keep ’em in mind and your playlist will have a good chance of appearing in Spotify’s search. You’ll also be on your way towards building a bigger playlist presence.
Want more Spotify playlisting advice? Check out the following:
• How to get your first 250 followers on Spotify: becoming a verified artist
• The 6 primary types of Spotify playlist that can feature your music
• Twelve playlist ideas that can breathe new life into your back-catalog
• How to get your music on Spotify playlists, Pt. 1
Or download our FREE guide “Getting Your Songs on Spotify Playlists.”
Read the original article: here
What You Need To Know About Your Music On YouTube
This article was written by Chris Robley for CD Baby's great Blog DIY Musician, and it's about what you need to know about sharing your music on YouTube. The article has a special focus on how CD Baby can help you as an artist, but the ideas and points are valid for all music artists.
How, why, and when you can earn money from your music and videos on YouTube
If you’re distributing your music through CD Baby, we can help you earn money from Youtube in several different ways.
For an artist who hasn’t spent a lot of time learning about YouTube, though, the details can be a bit confusing. In this article I’d like to clarify (and simplify) the distinctions.
But first…
Why would I put my music on YouTube if people can steal it from there or hear it for free?
Well first, regarding piracy on YouTube — (and how can I put this delicately?) — get over it!
No one is stealing your music from YouTube, or not nearly as much as you might fear. Why would they? Who wants to actually keep files on their hard drive anymore when they can access the same content on YouTube almost instantly, anywhere they go, via the wonders of data moving invisibly through air?
Second: if you have concerns about subscription or ad-supported streaming, you definitely don’t HAVE to be on YouTube. CD Baby wants to enable you to do whatever it is YOU want to do with your music career. That could mean only selling vinyl albums to fans who attend your private house concerts. For others, that could mean making tracks available on every digital platform. There’s no right strategy. You should follow the approach that works best for you and your fans.
But having said that, it’s worth repeating the common argument: unless you’re Taylor Swift or Adele or Radiohead, you should be cautious about putting up barriers between you and your potential fans. Adele can window her newest album, or keep it off of streaming platforms altogether, and she’s guaranteed to still get sales… because she’s ADELE; her fans will follow her wherever she leads (though notice that her videos are still on YouTube).
Again, unless you’re sure your fans will jump through a few hoops to get your music, I’d give it some serious thought before you decide to hold your music back from the biggest listening engine in the world.
Can you really make money from YouTube?
The short answer: yes.
The longer answer: It’s like most things in the music industry. You’re not guaranteed success, and it’s always the case that a few people are earning more, and most people are earning less — but YES: there’s real money to be made, and YouTube ad money can be an important part of your increasingly diversified music revenue streams (ticket sales, CD and vinyl, merch, downloads, streaming, sync licensing, publishing royalties, SoundExchange royalties, etc.)
We (CD Baby) have paid out more than $5 million in YouTube money to independent musicians so far, and that figure is growing fast. Some CD Baby artists are earning tens of thousands every quarter from YouTube alone.
And since CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization and Sync Licensing Programs are included with CD Baby distribution, why not set yourself up to collect what’s yours and be ready for when a song or album catches on?
So, let’s talk about these various avenues for driving revenue from YouTube activity
(I just used lots of V’s in that sentence, didn’t I?)
The three revenue opportunities I’ll be talking about in-depth are: 1) micro-sync licensing — which actually covers a broader realm than just YouTube, including other video platforms such as Vimeo, , 2) Content ID — including U.G.C. (user-generated content), and 3) subscription streaming and ad revenue from YouTube Music.
1. Micro-sync licensing
As the writer and publisher of your own music, you have the right to license your songs for “synchronization,” meaning your music gets synched to moving images (film, TV, commercials, games, etc.). Artists can sometimes earn high dollars from a traditional sync placement, and CD Baby has recently placed some of our artists’ songs in film and TV productions for as much as $44,000.
But with the explosion of online video over the last ten years, there’s a whole new world of sync opportunities: micro-sync licensing.
Micro-sync licensing is where video content creators (many of them non-professionals) license your music for a small fee so they can add it to their own home movies, wedding videos, and crazy cat clips. Then they can upload their video to YouTube, Vimeo, etc. without worrying about any copyright issues concerning the music.
To be clear, micro-sync licensing is not a revenue stream that’s generated through YouTube activity. When your song is licensed for micro-sync usage (long before it ever ends up on YouTube, or Vimeo, or other online platforms), you earn a small upfront fee for that license. That license gives content creators the right to then use your music in the videos they post online. So micro-sync licensing is not tied to YouTube, nor does it depend on YouTube — but if we’re talking about synching music with video, let’s be real: a majority of the people who will license your music in this way will end up putting that video on YouTube. So we can see YouTube as one of the driving forces beyind micro-sync revenue.
Plus, when these creators upload videos to YouTube that contain your legally licensed music, you also earn a share of any YouTube ad revenue associated with those videos in perpetuity, through YouTube’s Content ID system. (More on this second revenue source later).
If you’ve signed up for CD Baby’s Sync Licensing Program, your music will be made available to video content creators for micro-sync licensing, as well as traditional sync licensing opportunities.
[Check out our interview with CD Baby artist Josh Collum to see how he quickly grew his micro-sync revenues from a few hundred dollars a year to tens of thousands every quarter.]
2. Collecting ad revenue through Content ID
As I outlined above, you generate upfront income through micro-sync whenever a content creator legally licenses your music for use in their video.
But let’s be honest: most people on YouTube are not paying to legally license the music they use in their videos. That’s where Content ID comes in!
Through CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization Program, we’ll make sure YouTube takes an audio fingerprint of your songs using their Content ID system, and properly identifies every instance of your music across all of YouTube — not just official music videos you’ve uploaded to your own channel, but also videos uploaded by other people (known as user-generated content, or “UGC.”)
When they find such instances (in fact, when they find ANY instance of your music on their free platform) YouTube will serve up advertisements on those videos. Any time advertising revenue is generated from an ad placed on a video containing your music, you earn a share.
Why is CD Baby claiming rights to my video?
In short: we’re not.
If you see a “matched third party content” notice on a video you’ve uploaded to your own channel, that means YouTube’s Content ID system is working correctly. They’ve identified that your music is used in the video, and because CD Baby is helping you monetize your music across YouTube, the notice identifies us as the party who administers those rights for you. You still retain 100% ownership of your music.
Again, if advertising revenue is generated — by a viewer clicking an ad or watching some minimum duration of a video ad — you, as the rights holder to the music, are paid a share of that ad revenue. You’ll see the payment in the accounting section of your CD Baby members dashboard.
[If you want to know more about how and when ads are selected for display on your videos, check out our article “How monetization works on YouTube.”]
Granted, payment from a single ad click or ad view won’t be much to shout about, and you won’t earn nearly as much from a single micro-sync placement as you would if your song got used in a Coke commercial; but in the modern music industry, what your fans do (and want to do) with your music has real value. Cumulatively, ad revenue through Content ID and licensing fees for micro-sync placements can add up, especially when you consider that these earnings are possible in perpetuity.
Rather than the one big moment, it’s about volume over time.
How can you generate more advertising revenue on YouTube? Try a few of these techniques to encourage your fans to create video content using your music:
* Make sure your fans know they can use your songs for their wedding videos, family reunion videos, company or school projects, vacation slideshows, etc.
* Host a video contest and ask your fans to create music videos. It doesn’t have to be a big-budget production: It could be footage of a dance party, a stop-motion animation, a bunch of kids lip syncing, or a lyric video.
* Create and upload videos for ALL your songs (even if they’re just simple album art videos).
* Sign up your entire back catalog for CD Baby’s Sync Licensing and YouTube Monetization Program, because you never know which of your songs might be perfect for some content producer’s needs. Even your oldest songs can keep working for you long-term.
3. YouTube Music
Here’s where things can get a little more complicated. YouTube recently launched its YouTube Redsubscription service, which lets subscribers watch videos and listen to music (including full albums in high quality audio) ad-free — even when offline — for $9.99/month.The music portion of this subscription service is contained within an app called YouTube Music (formerly known as YouTube Music Key).
As a CD Baby artist, if you’re distributing your music to streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify, your albums and singles will be delivered to YouTube Music automatically as part of your distribution package.
Note: this distribution to YouTube is a SEPARATE service from our YouTube Monetization Program, even though both are included in the price of any CD Baby Pro or Standard package.
(Don’t want your music streaming on YouTube? No worries. Just change your distribution preferences within your members account.)
So, if your distribution level is set to include streaming services, we will deliver to YouTube high quality album art videos, or what YouTube is calling “Art Tracks,” which play audio while displaying an image of your album cover.
These Art Track videos are available NOT ONLY to YouTube Red subscribers — for which you’ll be paid a streaming fee based on YouTube Red’s monthly subscription revenue (similar to how Spotify and Apple Music structure per-stream payouts) — but also as ad-supported content accessible to EVERYONE for free on YouTube.com. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re set up to collect ad revenue through Content ID as well, because the same exact Art Track video could be earning you money in two different ways:
* Revenue for a subscriber’s streaming activity on YouTube Music will be paid to you by CD Baby similarly to a stream on Spotify or Apple Music, and you’ll be able to view the details in the accounting section of your member account.
* If the video is viewed by non-subscribers, it might be generating ad revenue. Your share of that revenue would be paid to you through CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization Program.
What if I don’t want my music on YouTube?
That is fine. You can change your distribution settings within your CD Baby member account at any time. We’ll have YouTube remove those Art Track videos.
4. Elbow grease
There are, of course, plenty of other ways to use YouTube to earn money. These include:
* Harnessing the power of your fan community through a service such as Patreon.
* Using YouTube Cards, calls-to-action, and video descriptions to drive external sales or crowdfunding.
* And the most obvious of them all — crossing your fingers and hoping that exposure/activity/promotion means that if people enjoy your music and videos on YouTube, they’ll be more likely to buy an album, sign up for your mailing list, or attend one of your concerts down the line.
—
Hopefully this helps you better understand the process of monetizing your music on YouTube. The good news is, even if the details are still foggy, you really don’t have to worry about it when you sign up with CD Baby. We’ll monetize your music for you, make sure that Content ID is working correctly, and pay you what you’re owed (both ad revenue and subscription streaming revenue.)
Get started monetizing your music on YouTube today!
Looking for more info on getting the most out of YouTube? Check out the following articles:
1. Twenty-five ways to optimize your YouTube channel
2. The importance of watch time and subscribers to your YouTube channel
3. A quick guide to YouTube advertising for musicians
Note: Read the original article here, it has some video's that explain CD Baby's role in detail.
How, why, and when you can earn money from your music and videos on YouTube
If you’re distributing your music through CD Baby, we can help you earn money from Youtube in several different ways.
For an artist who hasn’t spent a lot of time learning about YouTube, though, the details can be a bit confusing. In this article I’d like to clarify (and simplify) the distinctions.
But first…
Why would I put my music on YouTube if people can steal it from there or hear it for free?
Well first, regarding piracy on YouTube — (and how can I put this delicately?) — get over it!
No one is stealing your music from YouTube, or not nearly as much as you might fear. Why would they? Who wants to actually keep files on their hard drive anymore when they can access the same content on YouTube almost instantly, anywhere they go, via the wonders of data moving invisibly through air?
Second: if you have concerns about subscription or ad-supported streaming, you definitely don’t HAVE to be on YouTube. CD Baby wants to enable you to do whatever it is YOU want to do with your music career. That could mean only selling vinyl albums to fans who attend your private house concerts. For others, that could mean making tracks available on every digital platform. There’s no right strategy. You should follow the approach that works best for you and your fans.
But having said that, it’s worth repeating the common argument: unless you’re Taylor Swift or Adele or Radiohead, you should be cautious about putting up barriers between you and your potential fans. Adele can window her newest album, or keep it off of streaming platforms altogether, and she’s guaranteed to still get sales… because she’s ADELE; her fans will follow her wherever she leads (though notice that her videos are still on YouTube).
Again, unless you’re sure your fans will jump through a few hoops to get your music, I’d give it some serious thought before you decide to hold your music back from the biggest listening engine in the world.
Can you really make money from YouTube?
The short answer: yes.
The longer answer: It’s like most things in the music industry. You’re not guaranteed success, and it’s always the case that a few people are earning more, and most people are earning less — but YES: there’s real money to be made, and YouTube ad money can be an important part of your increasingly diversified music revenue streams (ticket sales, CD and vinyl, merch, downloads, streaming, sync licensing, publishing royalties, SoundExchange royalties, etc.)
We (CD Baby) have paid out more than $5 million in YouTube money to independent musicians so far, and that figure is growing fast. Some CD Baby artists are earning tens of thousands every quarter from YouTube alone.
And since CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization and Sync Licensing Programs are included with CD Baby distribution, why not set yourself up to collect what’s yours and be ready for when a song or album catches on?
So, let’s talk about these various avenues for driving revenue from YouTube activity
(I just used lots of V’s in that sentence, didn’t I?)
The three revenue opportunities I’ll be talking about in-depth are: 1) micro-sync licensing — which actually covers a broader realm than just YouTube, including other video platforms such as Vimeo, , 2) Content ID — including U.G.C. (user-generated content), and 3) subscription streaming and ad revenue from YouTube Music.
1. Micro-sync licensing
As the writer and publisher of your own music, you have the right to license your songs for “synchronization,” meaning your music gets synched to moving images (film, TV, commercials, games, etc.). Artists can sometimes earn high dollars from a traditional sync placement, and CD Baby has recently placed some of our artists’ songs in film and TV productions for as much as $44,000.
But with the explosion of online video over the last ten years, there’s a whole new world of sync opportunities: micro-sync licensing.
Micro-sync licensing is where video content creators (many of them non-professionals) license your music for a small fee so they can add it to their own home movies, wedding videos, and crazy cat clips. Then they can upload their video to YouTube, Vimeo, etc. without worrying about any copyright issues concerning the music.
To be clear, micro-sync licensing is not a revenue stream that’s generated through YouTube activity. When your song is licensed for micro-sync usage (long before it ever ends up on YouTube, or Vimeo, or other online platforms), you earn a small upfront fee for that license. That license gives content creators the right to then use your music in the videos they post online. So micro-sync licensing is not tied to YouTube, nor does it depend on YouTube — but if we’re talking about synching music with video, let’s be real: a majority of the people who will license your music in this way will end up putting that video on YouTube. So we can see YouTube as one of the driving forces beyind micro-sync revenue.
Plus, when these creators upload videos to YouTube that contain your legally licensed music, you also earn a share of any YouTube ad revenue associated with those videos in perpetuity, through YouTube’s Content ID system. (More on this second revenue source later).
If you’ve signed up for CD Baby’s Sync Licensing Program, your music will be made available to video content creators for micro-sync licensing, as well as traditional sync licensing opportunities.
[Check out our interview with CD Baby artist Josh Collum to see how he quickly grew his micro-sync revenues from a few hundred dollars a year to tens of thousands every quarter.]
2. Collecting ad revenue through Content ID
As I outlined above, you generate upfront income through micro-sync whenever a content creator legally licenses your music for use in their video.
But let’s be honest: most people on YouTube are not paying to legally license the music they use in their videos. That’s where Content ID comes in!
Through CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization Program, we’ll make sure YouTube takes an audio fingerprint of your songs using their Content ID system, and properly identifies every instance of your music across all of YouTube — not just official music videos you’ve uploaded to your own channel, but also videos uploaded by other people (known as user-generated content, or “UGC.”)
When they find such instances (in fact, when they find ANY instance of your music on their free platform) YouTube will serve up advertisements on those videos. Any time advertising revenue is generated from an ad placed on a video containing your music, you earn a share.
Why is CD Baby claiming rights to my video?
In short: we’re not.
If you see a “matched third party content” notice on a video you’ve uploaded to your own channel, that means YouTube’s Content ID system is working correctly. They’ve identified that your music is used in the video, and because CD Baby is helping you monetize your music across YouTube, the notice identifies us as the party who administers those rights for you. You still retain 100% ownership of your music.
Again, if advertising revenue is generated — by a viewer clicking an ad or watching some minimum duration of a video ad — you, as the rights holder to the music, are paid a share of that ad revenue. You’ll see the payment in the accounting section of your CD Baby members dashboard.
[If you want to know more about how and when ads are selected for display on your videos, check out our article “How monetization works on YouTube.”]
Granted, payment from a single ad click or ad view won’t be much to shout about, and you won’t earn nearly as much from a single micro-sync placement as you would if your song got used in a Coke commercial; but in the modern music industry, what your fans do (and want to do) with your music has real value. Cumulatively, ad revenue through Content ID and licensing fees for micro-sync placements can add up, especially when you consider that these earnings are possible in perpetuity.
Rather than the one big moment, it’s about volume over time.
How can you generate more advertising revenue on YouTube? Try a few of these techniques to encourage your fans to create video content using your music:
* Make sure your fans know they can use your songs for their wedding videos, family reunion videos, company or school projects, vacation slideshows, etc.
* Host a video contest and ask your fans to create music videos. It doesn’t have to be a big-budget production: It could be footage of a dance party, a stop-motion animation, a bunch of kids lip syncing, or a lyric video.
* Create and upload videos for ALL your songs (even if they’re just simple album art videos).
* Sign up your entire back catalog for CD Baby’s Sync Licensing and YouTube Monetization Program, because you never know which of your songs might be perfect for some content producer’s needs. Even your oldest songs can keep working for you long-term.
3. YouTube Music
Here’s where things can get a little more complicated. YouTube recently launched its YouTube Redsubscription service, which lets subscribers watch videos and listen to music (including full albums in high quality audio) ad-free — even when offline — for $9.99/month.The music portion of this subscription service is contained within an app called YouTube Music (formerly known as YouTube Music Key).
As a CD Baby artist, if you’re distributing your music to streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify, your albums and singles will be delivered to YouTube Music automatically as part of your distribution package.
Note: this distribution to YouTube is a SEPARATE service from our YouTube Monetization Program, even though both are included in the price of any CD Baby Pro or Standard package.
(Don’t want your music streaming on YouTube? No worries. Just change your distribution preferences within your members account.)
So, if your distribution level is set to include streaming services, we will deliver to YouTube high quality album art videos, or what YouTube is calling “Art Tracks,” which play audio while displaying an image of your album cover.
These Art Track videos are available NOT ONLY to YouTube Red subscribers — for which you’ll be paid a streaming fee based on YouTube Red’s monthly subscription revenue (similar to how Spotify and Apple Music structure per-stream payouts) — but also as ad-supported content accessible to EVERYONE for free on YouTube.com. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re set up to collect ad revenue through Content ID as well, because the same exact Art Track video could be earning you money in two different ways:
* Revenue for a subscriber’s streaming activity on YouTube Music will be paid to you by CD Baby similarly to a stream on Spotify or Apple Music, and you’ll be able to view the details in the accounting section of your member account.
* If the video is viewed by non-subscribers, it might be generating ad revenue. Your share of that revenue would be paid to you through CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization Program.
What if I don’t want my music on YouTube?
That is fine. You can change your distribution settings within your CD Baby member account at any time. We’ll have YouTube remove those Art Track videos.
4. Elbow grease
There are, of course, plenty of other ways to use YouTube to earn money. These include:
* Harnessing the power of your fan community through a service such as Patreon.
* Using YouTube Cards, calls-to-action, and video descriptions to drive external sales or crowdfunding.
* And the most obvious of them all — crossing your fingers and hoping that exposure/activity/promotion means that if people enjoy your music and videos on YouTube, they’ll be more likely to buy an album, sign up for your mailing list, or attend one of your concerts down the line.
—
Hopefully this helps you better understand the process of monetizing your music on YouTube. The good news is, even if the details are still foggy, you really don’t have to worry about it when you sign up with CD Baby. We’ll monetize your music for you, make sure that Content ID is working correctly, and pay you what you’re owed (both ad revenue and subscription streaming revenue.)
Get started monetizing your music on YouTube today!
Looking for more info on getting the most out of YouTube? Check out the following articles:
1. Twenty-five ways to optimize your YouTube channel
2. The importance of watch time and subscribers to your YouTube channel
3. A quick guide to YouTube advertising for musicians
Note: Read the original article here, it has some video's that explain CD Baby's role in detail.
How To Advertise Your Music On Facebook
This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog. Lisa Occhino is the founder of SongwriterLink, a free songwriting collaboration website that matches you up with exactly the kind of co-writers you’re looking for. She’s also a pianist, award-winning songwriter, and graduate of Berklee College of Music.
Having a Facebook fan page for your music has so many benefits besides displaying your “like” count to the world. Some advantages of fan pages over personal pages are rather obvious — such as separating your personal and professional life, having no fan limit (versus the 5,000 friend cap on personal pages), using Insights to get key metrics about your fans, and getting taken more seriously as an artist overall.
But for any musician who’s trying to get more fans and figure out how to better engage their audience, Facebook Ads Manager is invaluable.
Ads Manager is a powerful tool that allows you to create, manage, and measure Facebook ad campaigns. With some testing and tweaking, advertising your music on Facebook can be one of the most budget-friendly and effective ways to reach both current fans, and get new music fans.
1. Define your goal
You need to have a way of measuring the success of your Facebook ad campaign, so the first step is to set a specific goal. Attach concrete numbers and a deadline to it. The more detailed you make your goal, the better.
For example, if you have tour dates to promote, how many tickets do you want to sell, and by when? If your goal is to build your email list, how many new signups do you want in the next 30 days? If you’re about to release a new single, how many downloads or streams are you hoping for in the first week? What’s the crowdfunding target you need to hit by the end of the month?
Should you run a “like” campaign?
Although Facebook ads can certainly help increase “likes” on your page, we wouldn’t recommend making that your primary goal for a targeted campaign. If those new “likes” are mostly random (or worse, spam accounts) and the people behind them are not actually engaged with your content, it could end up costing you more to reach your real fans.
2. Determine your budget
The great thing about advertising on Facebook is that you can test out your ads first with a small budget and determine what works best before putting more money into them. You can set either a daily budget or a lifetime budget (meaning day-to-day spending will vary slightly, but you won’t exceed the total budget you allocate for the lifetime of the ad set).
Facebook ads work on an auction, so the cost is determined by your targeting and the amount of competition among other advertisers for that audience.
Depending on the goal you’ve set, you can choose to pay for your ads by cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per click (CPC). CPM is a better choice if your goal has to do with spreading awareness and inexpensively reaching as large an audience as possible. CPC is usually a more expensive way to advertise, but the upside is that you only pay when someone actually clicks on the ad, so it can be a smarter option for conversion-oriented goals.
3. Identify your target audience
Another big benefit of advertising music on Facebook is that you can get as specific as you want with your targeting — which means that you’re not wasting your precious dollars on advertising to people who aren’t likely to care about your music.
If you’re new to Facebook ads, you’ll probably need to play around with different targeting options for a bit until you hit on the right combination. In Ads Manager, you’ll be able to see in real time how your estimated reach changes as you make tweaks.
Here’s an overview of all of Facebook’s audience targeting options, but as a musician, you’ll definitely want to explore some of the following:
4. Create your ad
You have several options for the format of your ad. Ads that feature a single image, a link, and a call-to-action button (such as “learn more” or “sign up”) are common, and video ads are becoming increasingly popular.
Other options include carousel ads (featuring multiple images or videos that people can click through in a single ad), slideshow ads, and collection ads, all of which you can read more about here.
For musicians, we’d recommend starting out with a simple single-image link ad or a video ad, depending on what your objective is. A link ad would be a great choice if you want to drive traffic to a landing page on your band website or your online merch store, while a video ad would be effective to promote an upcoming show, tour, or new music video.
When you create a new ad in Ads Manager, you’ll be guided through selecting your objective, audience targeting, budget, schedule, and placement (i.e., where it’s going to be displayed). After you finalize those settings, you’ll then be taken to the section where you choose the format, media, and text for your ad.
Once you’ve reviewed all of the details, click the “place order” button. Your campaign will be under review at first, but as long as it meets Facebook’s advertising guidelines, the status will update to “active” shortly thereafter.
Ads vs. boosted posts
If there’s something you’ve already posted on your Facebook page that you simply want to be shown to more people, boosted posts are a quick and easy way to do that. However, keep in mind that options are more limited if you boost a post rather than create an ad.
5. Measure your ad’s performance
The work isn’t over once your campaign is active! While it’s running, you need to track its performance and make any necessary adjustments.
Ads Manager provides all the metrics you need to help you figure out how well your ads are doing. For example, if you’re testing a few different ad images within one campaign, you’ll want to go into your analytics after a few days and see which versions are performing the best for the lowest price. By turning off the versions that aren’t performing as well, your budget will get reallocated to the more successful ads, giving you the most bang for your buck.
While best practices for Facebook advertising remain consistent, the tools are always evolving and improving. So keep testing, keep experimenting, and keep tracking your results!
Read the original article here.
Having a Facebook fan page for your music has so many benefits besides displaying your “like” count to the world. Some advantages of fan pages over personal pages are rather obvious — such as separating your personal and professional life, having no fan limit (versus the 5,000 friend cap on personal pages), using Insights to get key metrics about your fans, and getting taken more seriously as an artist overall.
But for any musician who’s trying to get more fans and figure out how to better engage their audience, Facebook Ads Manager is invaluable.
Ads Manager is a powerful tool that allows you to create, manage, and measure Facebook ad campaigns. With some testing and tweaking, advertising your music on Facebook can be one of the most budget-friendly and effective ways to reach both current fans, and get new music fans.
1. Define your goal
You need to have a way of measuring the success of your Facebook ad campaign, so the first step is to set a specific goal. Attach concrete numbers and a deadline to it. The more detailed you make your goal, the better.
For example, if you have tour dates to promote, how many tickets do you want to sell, and by when? If your goal is to build your email list, how many new signups do you want in the next 30 days? If you’re about to release a new single, how many downloads or streams are you hoping for in the first week? What’s the crowdfunding target you need to hit by the end of the month?
Should you run a “like” campaign?
Although Facebook ads can certainly help increase “likes” on your page, we wouldn’t recommend making that your primary goal for a targeted campaign. If those new “likes” are mostly random (or worse, spam accounts) and the people behind them are not actually engaged with your content, it could end up costing you more to reach your real fans.
2. Determine your budget
The great thing about advertising on Facebook is that you can test out your ads first with a small budget and determine what works best before putting more money into them. You can set either a daily budget or a lifetime budget (meaning day-to-day spending will vary slightly, but you won’t exceed the total budget you allocate for the lifetime of the ad set).
Facebook ads work on an auction, so the cost is determined by your targeting and the amount of competition among other advertisers for that audience.
Depending on the goal you’ve set, you can choose to pay for your ads by cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per click (CPC). CPM is a better choice if your goal has to do with spreading awareness and inexpensively reaching as large an audience as possible. CPC is usually a more expensive way to advertise, but the upside is that you only pay when someone actually clicks on the ad, so it can be a smarter option for conversion-oriented goals.
3. Identify your target audience
Another big benefit of advertising music on Facebook is that you can get as specific as you want with your targeting — which means that you’re not wasting your precious dollars on advertising to people who aren’t likely to care about your music.
If you’re new to Facebook ads, you’ll probably need to play around with different targeting options for a bit until you hit on the right combination. In Ads Manager, you’ll be able to see in real time how your estimated reach changes as you make tweaks.
Here’s an overview of all of Facebook’s audience targeting options, but as a musician, you’ll definitely want to explore some of the following:
- People who already like your Facebook page
- Friends of people who like your Facebook page
- People who are interested in bands similar to yours
- People who live in your city (if you’re trying to build up your local fanbase)
- People who live in cities where you plan on touring
- People who have engaged with your Facebook videos
- People who have visited your website (you’ll need a Facebook pixel to do this)
- People who have subscribed to your email list
- Lookalike audiences of any custom audiences you’ve created
4. Create your ad
You have several options for the format of your ad. Ads that feature a single image, a link, and a call-to-action button (such as “learn more” or “sign up”) are common, and video ads are becoming increasingly popular.
Other options include carousel ads (featuring multiple images or videos that people can click through in a single ad), slideshow ads, and collection ads, all of which you can read more about here.
For musicians, we’d recommend starting out with a simple single-image link ad or a video ad, depending on what your objective is. A link ad would be a great choice if you want to drive traffic to a landing page on your band website or your online merch store, while a video ad would be effective to promote an upcoming show, tour, or new music video.
When you create a new ad in Ads Manager, you’ll be guided through selecting your objective, audience targeting, budget, schedule, and placement (i.e., where it’s going to be displayed). After you finalize those settings, you’ll then be taken to the section where you choose the format, media, and text for your ad.
Once you’ve reviewed all of the details, click the “place order” button. Your campaign will be under review at first, but as long as it meets Facebook’s advertising guidelines, the status will update to “active” shortly thereafter.
Ads vs. boosted posts
If there’s something you’ve already posted on your Facebook page that you simply want to be shown to more people, boosted posts are a quick and easy way to do that. However, keep in mind that options are more limited if you boost a post rather than create an ad.
5. Measure your ad’s performance
The work isn’t over once your campaign is active! While it’s running, you need to track its performance and make any necessary adjustments.
Ads Manager provides all the metrics you need to help you figure out how well your ads are doing. For example, if you’re testing a few different ad images within one campaign, you’ll want to go into your analytics after a few days and see which versions are performing the best for the lowest price. By turning off the versions that aren’t performing as well, your budget will get reallocated to the more successful ads, giving you the most bang for your buck.
While best practices for Facebook advertising remain consistent, the tools are always evolving and improving. So keep testing, keep experimenting, and keep tracking your results!
Read the original article here.
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