The music magazine for musicians and bands. Daily news from the world of music.
  • Menu
    • Categories
      • Concert reviews
      • Features
      • Music production
      • Books & Movies
      • Interviews
      • Rezensionen
      • Mia's Top 10 (KI)
      • Marketing
      • Music business
      • Music instruments
      • Songwriting
      • News & more
      • Coaching
    • Deep Dives
      • Everything New
      • Column
    • Podcast
    • FAQ
    • Musician search
  • Current
  • Topics
  • Popular
  • Team
  • musician search
  • English
    • Deutsch
  • Kostenlos registrieren und neue
    Musiker*innen finden
  • Kategorien
    • Zurück
    • Books & Movies
    • Interviews
    • Mia's Top 10 (KI)
    • Rezensionen
    • News & more
    • Music business
    • Concert reviews
    • Music production
    • Marketing
    • Music instruments
    • Play piano
    • Play guitar
    • Songwriting
    • Features
    • Coaching
  • Deep dives
    • Zurück
    • Everything New
    • Column
  • Podcast
  • FAQ
  • Sprache wählen
          • English
          • Deutsch
musician search
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.

Marketing8 Min. Reading time

How do I market my music without a label?

Written by Philipp Steigner

Market music even without a label

Musicians in big cities like Berlin, Munich or Cologne, but also music producers in small villages or communities often live off labels. But musicians don't always want to give up parts of their freedom when it comes to publishing their own works. But what alternatives do you have to organize distribution and marketing without a label? And what should you pay attention to in order to ultimately reach as many potential fans as possible?

This is why the contract with a record company is so desirable

Behind a concrete label is usually a record company. This company not only publishes your music, but also takes care of the planning and control of the marketing, the release and the entire distribution. As soon as you sign a partnership with a label, you are rid of these worries. But labels are not the right choice for every musician. Many record labels are actively looking for musicians to realize their financial goals and plans - and everyone has to decide for themselves whether this is the way they want to go.

As part of a label you always give away a certain piece of your freedom and creativity. You and your music become a big brand, a product, and accordingly your music always has to fit into this scheme sooner or later. Although you often have a say in the contract, when it comes to large sums of money, free development often falls by the wayside. For some musicians, this is the decisive reason to take tasks such as distribution and marketing into their own hands.

Do It Yourself - your go-to places for marketing without a label

If you also belong to this group of people, you have many opportunities for independent publication and promotion of your art. While this was hardly conceivable in the 90s, a record deal is no longer a basic requirement today. However, before you can expect great success through your releases, you have to achieve a certain level of recognition. Performances as an opening act, sales of your CDs to passers-by or small local events are therefore your means of choice to become better known. Both in the planning of possible gigs as well as in the production and further releases it is important to be independent and imaginative. Do It Yourself is the best benchmark here.

5 tips for the first steps to independent marketing

If you've already started thinking about ways to market and distribute your music, there are several aspects that play an important role in your independent success. Thanks to the increasing digitalization of the industry, the following areas are a good start to becoming better known:

1. draw attention to your music!

Even if it only helps you on a small scale at first, a website gives interested parties and fans the opportunity to learn more about you and your music. It's best to introduce yourself briefly, share links to your music and make sure you stay in the conversation - even without constant live performances.

2. Use the reach of social media!

In addition to marketing via your own website, social media is also a powerful and extremely practical tool. On Instagram or TikTok you can share small snippets of your music at any time and already provide good reasons to keep a closer eye on you.

3. design a meaningful press kit!

To get booked directly for possible gigs and events, a professional press kit is very important. There you provide all the important information about your music and supplement the facts with some pictures, links, business cards and social media user data. A press kit can also be helpful for the distribution of your music.

4. take advantage of concerts and public appearances!

Even if it's not easy at first, performing on a small scale increases your visibility. Only a few musicians make it directly to a hit in the whole country. The search for musicians is mostly regionally oriented, which is why you will have the best chances in your immediate vicinity. Just talk to small clubs and locations in your area and see if a gig might come up.

5. actively advertise and use clear communication!

Not all advertising has to be expensive. It's best to announce small appearances via social media and broadcast them live to your fans. Small runs of posters are not expensive either. With autograph cards or other merchandise, you can also give visitors something to hold in their hands on site.

The multi-faceted role of the Internet in your music business

Complementing the on-site presence, the Internet plays a crucial and ever-increasing role in the music business. However, the word "ambivalent" probably more accurately describes it. While the number of CDs sold has declined significantly since the 2000s, clicks on online portals like Spotify or Amazon Music are on the rise. Even if such collaborations are hardly worthwhile at less than a cent per call, they are a must for you as a newcomer due to the enormous reach.

Reach gives you the opportunity to draw attention to yourself even without constant concerts or a presence in the pedestrian zone. Creative videos and exciting lyrics are rewarded more than ever before. If you want to be successful as a musician without a label, then think about a social media concept, shoot small live videos again and again, post diligently and use the opportunity to increase your visibility and build a fan base.

Additional income through marketing on portals

In addition to your first releases, you can also register on the respective portals. It's best to check in advance what conditions the partners offer and whether the low price justifies the range. In some cases, the portals also lure you with exclusive contracts and better conditions, which may not always be advantageous. The following online portals are the largest providers in the musician search and for the "music as a subscription" model:

Spotify Spotify is now the largest streaming provider in the music sector. More than 345 million users use the service every month. More than 155 million users have the ad-free premium account. For you as a musician, this means a high reach.

Amazon Music
The user figures of Amazon Music are difficult to represent, since the service is available to all Prime members. Of these, however, 55 million users have purchased the Prime version, making Amazon Music one of the largest providers in the meantime.

Deezer
With around 7 million paying subscribers, Deezer is significantly smaller than Spotify. Nevertheless, some customers consciously choose the platform. Compared to the market giant Spotify, Deezer allows a fairer and more appropriate remuneration for musicians in many situations.

YouTube YouTube also plays a decisive role as an online portal. The platform has 1.9 billion users, which also offers you enormous potential. If you want to find new musicians, you can do so for free on YouTube and ideally find yourself there.

Self-promotion is difficult, but possible!

The many portals offer you a way to successfully market yourself and your music even without a label. However, this will not work completely without third party participation in your proceeds. The days of classic CD distribution have been over for decades, which is why branding has fundamentally evolved. However, despite the many digital possibilities, don't forgo a local presence in order to stand out in your region. Concerts are and will remain the most important means for musicians to increase the meager revenues from online platforms and sales.

Modern digital sales as an alternative to the online portal

If direct membership of the portals is too costly and, above all, too uncertain for you, so-called digital distributors offer you additional support. They don't take over the marketing and distribution, but they register you with all important online portals and make sure that your new music can be found. In return, they charge you a small share of your earnings and a basic fee that varies from provider to provider.

Additional services such as promotion or merchandise services can also be added at an additional cost. Among the best-known digital distributors are Spinnup, TuneCore, iMusician and iGrooveNext. Before potentially signing, however, be sure to look at what's written between the lines of your contract like this. This will ensure that the terms and conditions are clear and unambiguous.

We support you with the musician search

If you are still looking for support in the music industry, we will gladly accompany you in your search for musicians. Through our musician portal you can search for numerous musicians with whom you can cooperate in the future. Whether you are looking for a good producer, a singer or a new band member, you have come to the right place. We are happy to support you in the areas of distribution and marketing, even without a label.

Originally published on March 30, 2021, updated on January 7, 2022

Share this post
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recent Posts
Noten Blätter vom Musik komponieren

Start composing your own music—here's how

25. May 2023

Katy Perry stimmt ihre Gitarre - Getting Intimste

Katy Perry: Getting Intimate - from priest's daughter to pop icon

20. May 2023

Ein Portrait der Band Kalandra

Kalandra - mystical sounds from the far north

20. May 2023

Die Orgel in einer Kirche

The organ - this is how the largest instrument in the world works!

19. May 2023

Mundharmonika uf Tisch mit Mikrofon

Learn harmonica - the first steps to success!

19. May 2023

mukken banner
Hello World!
Our app is here - We are online!
Google Play App für Musiker
App Store App für Musiker
Musician Search & Community
Recommended by mukken

Post-punk-catharsis - this rage is real

News & more5 Min. Reading time

Belting - a singing technique with two medal sides

News & more9 Min. Reading time

How to export single tracks from Logic Pro for external Mixing?

Music production9 Min. Reading time

Looking for a band 
or musician?

Musician search
Looking for some more?
Subscribe to our newsletter and let us provide you with the latest news, tips & tricks and everything you need to know about the music scene.
Don't worry, we don't spam - we promise!
loader

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Discover more topics
Music instruments
Songwriting
News & more
Coaching
Concert reviews
Features
Music production
Books & Movies
Play piano
Interviews
Rezensionen
Mia's Top 10 (KI)
Play guitar
DIY Audio Projekte
Marketing
Music business
mukken banner
mukken shop
Shop now
Alles NeuKolumnePodcastMusiklexikon A-Z
Back to overview

Looking for a musician?

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Register now
Europas große Musikersuche. Finde Musikproduzenten, Musiklehrer, Rockbands und viele mehr.
We bring musicians, bands, music teachers and producers together. Register for free.
Follow us
TikTok
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram
Regionen & Städte
Baden-Württemberg
Bayern
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hessen
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Niedersachsen
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regionen & Städte
Rheinland-Pfalz
Saarland
Sachsen
Sachsen-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thüringen
Frankfurt
Essen
Dortmund
Stuttgart
Städte
München
Potsdam
Wiesbaden
Schwerin
Düsseldorf
Mainz
Saarbrücken
Dresden
Magdeburg
Kiel
© 2023 mukken, a brand by simplefox GmbH
Privacy policy
Imprint
Noten Blätter vom Musik komponieren

Start composing your own music—here's how

New post

twitterlinkedinyoutube-playinstagrampinterest-p
Your cookie settings
Wir verwenden nur technisch notwendige Cookies und nutzen ein hauseigenes Analyse-System. Welche Daten durch die essentiellen Cookies erfasst werden und wie Du die Nutzung von Cookies unterbindest, kannst du in unserer Datenschutzbestimmung nachlesen.