I have worked in the online music industry for more than a decade, I have managed both mobile downloads and streaming platforms. Working directly with major labels, content aggregators and even right down to the independent artists has given me a wealth of knowledge and understanding that I would like to share with you.

So, how do you become an artist in the online music industry.

^{Music Rights Organisation}

Firstly, you need to lay the groundwork. Like any well built house you need a good foundation on which to build. You should start this by registering yourself with your local music rights organisation, here in South Africa it is RISA.

They have a really easy online process where you will register your profile, you will have to submit your ID number so keep that on hand. Follow through the steps, they will ask if you want to add a representative if you have someone that is assisting you with your career then you can add them here.

It will then take you through some detail about ISRCs, what they do and why you should have them, read this. You can then register a RISA membership and request ISRCs which is done separately. Once you confirm your registration they will send you an invoice for a membership fee of R575.00 per annum. (Fee at the time of writing this)

Registering with your local rights organisation means that you will get rights paid back to you when your music is played on radio, TV or streamed on services like Spotify or Deezer among others. It will also allow you to fight copyright claims if your music is “stollen” on some level or another. This piece of mind is great to have as your career could go any which way. At least you have that covered.

So now you have registered, what next?

^DISTRIBUTION

There are so many different aggregators out there, examples are Believe Digital, Africori, Distrokid and the list goes on …and on!

I suggest finding a distributor that meets your needs in terms of cost, there are various models that aggregators use like a upload fee for each track or album you send, others might work on a revenue share where it is free to upload music but they take a percentage of your sales.

Next, find out which stores they aggregate to, if you are making electronic dance music then a store like Beatport will be where your target market is. So make sure that your aggregator will add your music to the stores that carter for your market.

Lastly, I’d ask if they will assist you in highlighting your music to the stores that they send music to. Your music is going to be added to a database of millins of songs so people are not just going to find them, if your distributor can high light your music to the content curator at the store then you might get featured in a playlist or sub-genre, possibly even the front page. Good product placement in these stores can help a lot in increasing your visibility. So do your research and a distributor that fits you best.

^MARKETING

Now that your music is live you will want to start marketing yourself, people wont just find your music now that it is in a database. As an up and coming artist, social media pages are one of the cheapest and most cost effective ways of getting your sound out there. So when a potential fan lands on your page you want it to look great! An amazing looking page will go along way in showing fans and potential record labels that you are serious about what you are doing and that your music is worth the support.

I suggested taking a look at your favourite artists social media pages as well as their artist pages on popular platforms that are relevant to you. Pay attention to the quality of the artwork and photos they use as well as the wording on the posts they put out and try to match that. I am not saying copy them as you still need your own creative identity but use it as a guideline for quality and context. If you cant re-create it yourself then find a friend that is a designer or social media guru and chat with them to teach you on how to do it.

In addition to making sure you look good when you market, you also need to have a plan. Just sharing everywhere and saying “Checkout my new release” is not good enough. Have a strategic plan and where you want to post and who you want to engage with.

Make sure that your assets are ready, this means that you need your artwork, videos, etc formatted to fit all the platforms you are targeting. Even draft out some post writing so you know you hook the people that will be interested.

If your music suits it, then share you music with DJs and radio shows to get it play listed, DON’T share with people who are not relevant. If you make underground Techno, you wont hear it on Yfm and you will probably ruin your chances of getting to Yfm if you do make a track that is relevant for their market.

As I said in Distribution, ask your distribution partner if they can speak to stores about getting your release featured in the their platforms.

Lastly, keep a record of the marketing you do and see what did and what did’t work. You can then go back on this for your next release and tighten up to get even better results.

^{YOUR TEAM}

Starting out, you will need to learn to do a lot of things on your own and quite frankly it is in your best interest to learn. You will need to know how to manage your own social media, read analytics and reports about how and where your music was consumed, strategise on how to maximise your audience as well as how to get out there and network with people in order to secure gigs and other features. I have had hundreds of independent artists come to me saying “I need a manager” but when I reply asking them what they need a manager for, they have no clue how to answer or they say “to get me gigs”. It is only when you don’t have enough time in the day to manage all of this that you will start outsourcing these tasks and because you have been doing this yourself you will be able to know if the person you have chosen is doing a good enough job for you. Once you do start to build your team it is always nice if you can get someone who believes in your music, they will look out for your interests.

There you have it, your music is up for sale, you have started marketing and you are ready for any directions that your career might turn. You have a long and hard road ahead in building an audience that will follow and support you through the years, It may not always be easy but the rewards will be great.

Good luck and I wish you all the success that you deserve, let us know how it goes.