Submitting new music as an independent artist to a blog, website, record label, radio station, or PR company can be daunting for independent artists finding their feet in the industry, but it doesn’t have to be.
By following the guidance outlined in this article, you will be primed and ready to make a professional first impression. Self-promotion and building a brand can be time-consuming; by using your energy and resources wisely, you will increase your chances of your indie PR strategy being a high-impact one.
Are You Submission Ready?
Self-promotion doesn’t come easy or naturally to all independent artists without a record label or PR help. Even if you’ve created an album that deserves to top the Billboard charts, you’re going to have to put in the time and effort to make sure people hear it.
The “if you build it, they will come” idiom doesn’t apply here. Our first offering of guidance for new artists is getting comfortable with the music marketplace.
- Perfecting the Art of Asking
In her TED Talk and book, independent music icon Amanda Palmer advocates learning the art of asking; considering that she became the first musician to raise over $1 million on Kickstarter, she is leading by example, other artists looking to make connections through their music should take note.
The key is to see the internet as more than a place where people can stream music for free. The internet is a vast distribution platform full of eager new fans and even more passionate industry professionals driven by a desire to see the grassroots industry thrive. The internet is an opportunity to build community, which leads us to our next point, building your brand..
- Building Your Brand & Digital Community
Before you start reaching out to blogs, playlist curators and record labels, prove that you have invested in building your brand, and they are far more likely to follow suit. Building a brand includes creating a professional website that showcases your music, an artist gallery, band bio, tour info and merch. It is also crucial to establish a presence on popular social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok and engage with the members of your community.
Distribution companies, such as Ditto, Distrokid and Tunecore, can help to seamlessly distribute your music across popular streaming platforms, including Spotify, apple music, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and YouTube.
How Do I Submit MY Music to A&R Factory?
A&R Factory is recognised as one of the top-10 UK blogs to submit new music to and one of the top 100 globally with our simple submission process and wide readership that includes industry professionals around the world has helped plenty of new artists to get discovered.
To submit new music, simply head over to our submission page and start impressing us by letting us know about you! To ensure that your submission goes smoothly, we’ve outlined a few points for consideration before submitting new music.
- Include a high-resolution image with your submission
The expression image is everything exists for a reason. Let us showcase you in the best light by providing a link to a hi-res image of your music artwork or an artist/band photo. Avoid sending selfies and random images where possible.
- Include a bio
The perfect bio is concise but includes everything that allows you to stand apart from the rest. Let us know what your USP is, who your biggest influences are, what sets you apart from the rest, the successes you have seen in your career so far and where you are heading next. Always allow bloggers and journalists to get excited by your sound and you as an artist!
- Time it Right
Don’t leave music submissions to the last minute or start submitting your music online months after the release. If your music is unreleased, send us a private link to the music, such as a private SoundCloud link, YouTube video or Dropbox file. Also, be sure to let us know the date of the release and when you would prefer your article to be published.
Submit New Music to A&R Factory
If you have new music that you are keen for the world to hear, why not let A&R Factory hear about it first? We have featured over 10,000 independent artists on our award-winning blog since we established in 2012. Unlike many A&R Blogs, we are open to all genres and embrace boundary-breaking artists, which has seen us become one of the best places to submit alternative music.
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