The Honest Guide to Music Marketing That Actually Works (When You're Not Famous Yet)

A scrappy playbook for independent artists trying to build real momentum without burning through cash

Let’s Start With The Hard Truth

Influencer marketing always feels like it’ll unlock way more engagement than it actually does. You see other artists blow up after one TikTok collab and think “that’s my ticket.” Reality? Really well-niched talent works out a little better, but most of this game is about getting to critical mass—not finding the one magic unlock.

Here’s what actually matters when you’re establishing yourself.

The Two Non-Negotiables: What You Must Own First

First priority: Email list
Second priority: A website

Why these two before anything else? Because they’re assets you own and can leverage to build the relationships you need to hit that critical mass where things actually start picking up.

This is probably where you get the most value out of paid advertising—because you’re dumping gasoline on a fire versus trying to start one. It’s also where you’ll start seeing user-generated content pick up, which is really the goal when you’re leveraging social to drive listens somewhere else.

The “Raving Fans” Framework (Without the Cringe)

You can’t always see this clearly, but there’s a concept from SaaS marketing that translates perfectly to music: building raving fans. A slightly less smarmy way to think about it is the discourse around acquiring your first 100 users.

The number “100” is arbitrary, but what you’re looking for isn’t: you’re building relationships that give you enough organic momentum so you aren’t 100% reliant on paid reach before you start scaling.

You’ll see successful creators doing a lot of this intuitively:

• Experimenting and iterating constantly
• Building networks that prioritize real interactions
• Speaking to fan concerns in significant, meaningful ways

The goal: Build enough organic momentum that you’re not completely dependent on paid reach from day one.

Platform Strategy: Understanding What Each Platform Actually Does

Not all platforms serve the same purpose. Here’s how to think about each:

Discovery Platforms (Spotify, YouTube)

These are where people find new music. Your job here is to maximize discoverability and make it stupid-simple to save/follow.

Audience Development Platforms (TikTok, Instagram)

These have discovery elements, but they’re really about building parasocial relationships. You want people to feel connected to you as a person, not just your music.

Merchandising & Commerce Platforms

This comes later, but platforms like TikTok also excel at driving merchandise sales once you have the audience.

The Practical Playbook: What To Do First

1. You Don’t Have to Be Everywhere (Even Though It Feels Like It)

Priority One: Make it as easy as possible for people to find and buy your music. This maximizes your at-bats while building credibility.

Priority Two: Everywhere you ARE needs a purpose. Flesh those purposes out to the point of parody in the short term while you’re testing.

Examples:

• “I drive tons of views doing covers on TikTok, especially stitches where I layer harmony over someone else’s instrumental”
• “I need a website that links to all platforms + social link in bio + ad pixels for every platform I’m on”
• “Live content works really well on YouTube as long as it’s not covers (copyright strikes), but collaborations are easy on TikTok, and millennial throwback songs crush on Instagram Reels”

Actually map this out. The exclusivity matters. Platform-specific content performs better than cross-posted generic content.

2. Think in Terms of “Owned” vs “Earned” Properties

Owned assets (things you control):

• Your website
• Your email list
• Self-hosted link pages (instead of proprietary link-in-bio tools)
• Your social accounts (technically you don’t own these, but you control the content)

Earned assets (things you don’t control):

• Playlist placements
• Algorithm recommendations
• Press coverage
• Viral moments

Growth on your owned channels will always benefit you more than growth on earned channels. You can lose access to earned channels overnight.

3. Platform-Specific Content Strategies

Map out what works where based on:

• Discoverability: Where do new listeners find you?
• Engagement: Where do existing fans interact most?
• Conversion: Where do people actually save/buy/follow?

Content planning framework:

• Spotify: Focus on full saves and playlist adds
• Social platforms: Create remixable moments that others can stitch/duet
• YouTube: Long-form content, live performances, behind-the-scenes
• TikTok: Short, repeatable hooks and collaboration opportunities

4. Map Realistic Customer Journeys

Sit down and map out how someone actually discovers you and becomes a fan:

1. Where do they first see you? (TikTok? Spotify playlist? Friend recommendation?)
2. What makes them click? (Interesting hook? Familiar cover? Unique voice?)
3. What makes them save/follow? (Consistent quality? Relatability? Talent?)
4. What makes them become a “raving fan”? (Personal connection? Shared values? Exclusivity?)

Then go find people who are in those paths online and figure out what makes them tick.

Two Approaches to Growth: Geography vs. Scale

Approach 1: Pure Scale (The Money Pit)

Look for eyeballs and hope enough stick. This works but requires serious budget. You’re essentially buying lottery tickets.

How to test this affordably: Look at “suggested artist” data on your own streaming pages. See which similar artists get views but low engagement—that gap tells you where generic reach fails.

Approach 2: Geographic/Network Focus (The Smart Play)

Work backwards from specific markets or venues you want to play. This is the recommended approach.

Why this works: Music still operates on finite resources—finite venues, finite fans per market, finite promoters. This works to your advantage if you’re strategic.

The process:

1. Figure out venues where acts like you play
2. Identify who’s promoting and booking those venues
3. Find where they are online
4. Build ear-share with enough of that network to get in the door

You build big, genuine engagement over time with a large number of small interactions—not the other way around.

When and How to Use Paid Advertising

Don’t start with paid until you have the fundamentals (email, website, clear customer journey). When you’re ready:

1. Amplify What’s Already Working

Take your higher engagement posts and build quick auto-target campaigns around them. This tells you:

• Cost per view in different markets
• Cost per click
• Cost per engagement
• Which markets respond best

2. Drive Strategic Views

Focus campaigns on:

• Collaborations that map to specific goals (signups, saves, exposure)
• Content that drives people to owned properties
• Moments that convert casual listeners to fans

3. Build Your List of Raving Fans

Use paid to accelerate the natural process of finding your first 100 real fans. These people will drive early saves and engagement when you release new music.

4. E-Commerce (Down the Road)

Once you have the audience, paid advertising becomes incredibly effective for merchandise and ticket sales.

Testing Framework: Start Small, Learn Fast

Step 1: Take 3-5 of your best-performing organic posts
Step 2: Run small auto-targeted campaigns ($20-50 each)
Step 3: Track what it costs to drive views, clicks, engagements by market
Step 4: Combine this data with site analytics to find opportunities

This gives you a baseline understanding of:

• Where your audience actually is
• What content resonates in different markets
• Whether you should focus on scale or geography
• Where to invest time building relationships

The Implementation Priority List

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1-4)

1. Set up website with email capture
2. Install analytics and pixels everywhere
3. Create self-hosted link page
4. Map your current customer journeys

Phase 2: Content Strategy (Week 5-8)

1. Define platform-specific content purposes
2. Create platform-exclusive content calendars
3. Test what performs where
4. Double down on what works

Phase 3: Relationship Building (Week 9-12)

1. Identify target venues/promoters
2. Find and engage with their online communities
3. Build genuine relationships (not transactional asks)
4. Create content that serves those communities

Phase 4: Paid Acceleration (Month 4+)

1. Test small campaigns on proven content
2. Learn your cost-per-action by market
3. Focus budget on owned asset growth (email, saves, follows)
4. Scale what works, kill what doesn’t

The Bottom Line

Building a music career in 2024 isn’t about going viral (though it helps). It’s about:

1. Owning your audience through email and your website
2. Building real relationships that create momentum
3. Being strategic about where you invest time and money
4. Understanding platform dynamics instead of just posting everywhere
5. Testing and learning before scaling

The artists who make it aren’t necessarily the most talented—they’re the ones who understand these fundamentals and execute consistently.

Start with owned assets. Build your first 100 raving fans. Then use paid to pour gasoline on what’s already working.

Quick Reference Checklist

Owned Assets Setup:

• Website with email capture
• Self-hosted link page
• Email list tool configured
• Analytics on all platforms
• Pixels installed for all social platforms

Platform Strategy:

• Clear purpose defined for each platform
• Platform-specific content calendar
• Customer journey mapped
• Geographic targets identified

Testing Framework:

• 3-5 high-performing posts identified
• Small test campaigns running
• Cost-per-action benchmarks established
• Market response data collected

Relationship Building:

• Target venues identified
• Promoters/bookers found online
• Engagement strategy created
• Value-add content planned

The fundamentals aren’t sexy, but they work. Build the foundation before you try to scale.