Indie artists are overlooked far too often, not due to lack of talent, lack of impressive product, or lack of motivation. The music industry unfortunately isn't a meritocracy, so oftentimes great artists have to work hard without recognition or reward for ages before they really get a platform.
We at The MSQ Shop believe there are ways to educate and ease the grinding process from unknown to household musician. Ultimately, if you are supremely confident in your art, and you believe that, if everything was set upright, you could make a hit, it is vital to know how to make sure your song or album's success can be tracked professionally, and generate even more buzz.
Step 1: Market Your Song and/or Project
Easier said than done, but there has never been a time when it was more simple to market your music to wide audiences ever. From the godfathers of hip-hop selling CDs out of trunks, to the spread of your music through word of mouth, to begging for a slot to put your song on the radio, all it really takes to elevate a song to a hit nowadays, is setting it out on social media at the right moment. So many artists have gained Billboard hits by popularizing their songs on platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter alone. See Lil Nas X, Arizona Zervas, Masked Wolf, Olivia Rodrigo, bbno$, and Richmond, VA's $ilkmoney just to name a few. Tik Tok is your best friend, if not for anything else than gaining a fanbase quickly, use your song as a "sound" on Tik Tok and try to get friends to elevate it first, so it can extend beyond your circle. Prefer YouTube as a platform? Check out our article specifically helping you gain a fanbase on YouTube in 2022.
Step 2: Register Your Song With Nielsen
This right here is vital! By registering your single, album, or music video with Nielsen Soundscan, you make it eligible to be charted on Billboard. Meaning when your art starts getting popular, its streams, sales, and stats will be tracked online, and posted by Billboard should you make the list. Just being on a Billboard chart will do wonders for an artist's career, build popularity, and make it even easier to be able to make a career out of art. Nielsen Soundscan is easily accessible online, search "Nielsen Soundscan" on Google, or check out their website here.
From there, punch in the information about your music, and submit it. This process is very quick and very invaluable when it comes to taking your music to the next level.
Written by Max Olarinde, @mobeige1 on all social media.
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