Before You Promote Your Music, Figure Out Who You Are

When I first started trying to promote Matt’s music, I thought the hard part would be figuring out how to promote it. Turns out, there was a step before that. I had to figure out exactly what I was promoting. Sounds obvious but it took a bit of work.

“What Genre Are You?”

This question comes up everywhere. Upload a song - pick a genre. Submit to a playlist - pick a genre. Send music to a radio station - what genre is it? Create a profile - describe your sound. Contact a venue – what kind of music do you play? 

And suddenly “he plays a little bit of everything” isn't a very useful answer.

When I met Matt, he had this 70’s Barry Manilow -meets-disco groove sound. That fit nicely – nowhere. 

Even he couldn’t answer the question, “what kind of music do you play?” More than once I heard the “um” pause while his brain frantically tried to categorize his music. Truth was that it didn’t fit neatly into one box. It’s hard to establish a fan base when the audience doesn’t know what they’re a fan of.

You Need an Identity More Than a Label

Figuring out Matt’s musical identity began a path of self-discovery-and ultimately a dying to the artist he thought he was so he could build a brand new sound. Thus began what I call the era of trial, error, and eye rolls. What about this? – no. What if I sang it like this? – uh, no. Lower the key. Try country. Try pop. Try folk. Then something clicked. I realized the reason Matt gravitated toward that old disco sound wasn’t necessarily the disco-it was the groove. When he played it, his body moved, his knees bounced, and his face came alive. So, we started wondering: What would groove sound like with some soul and a little blues? This was our eureka moment. 

Over the next two years, Matt began rebuilding his catalog around that sound. Eventually, I could describe him: Singer-songwriter and keyboardist whose music blends blues, soul, and roots influences.

It doesn’t perfectly describe every song he’s ever written. It doesn’t need to. It gives us an anchor.

Know Who You Are – So You Know When To Say No

If you're trying to build an artist around original music, but every booking requires three hours of cover songs, you may get paid — but you aren't necessarily moving toward the career you're trying to build. We had to know who to say no to and why.

Matt can sing country but that isn’t where you hear the sweet spot in his voice. Playing country bars for exposure might mean reaching a room full of people who will never become his audience.  

Identity Comes Before Branding

I originally thought branding meant logos, colors, photos and websites. I had it backward. The music comes first. Your identity influences the songs you record, the musicians you work with, the venues you approach, and the opportunities you accept. Once we got clear about Matt’s identity, those decisions became easier.  So now, instead of asking “how do I promote this?”, I’ve learned the better question is “Who am I asking people to pay attention to?”