OP needs, no ifs ands or buts, or any discussion to the contrary, absolutely MUST spend money or resources (favours from networking, work-trade, bartering, etc.) on marketing and PR. Mayyyyyybe barring relentless touring with an out of sight, punishing, or potentially shocking (in all the right ways) "shit, I don't even want to see the headliner now" act for a few years straight (and even then, there are no guarantees there), there is NO other way your music will get any kind of attention.

THIS is the number one reason why all you bedroom producers and open mic night crawlers are languishing in your facebook feed with 20 likes (half of them family and friends), staring at your Soundcloud play counts and Bandcamp metrics going "why doesnt anyone listen to my music?"

You could be the next friggin' Beatles for all anyone cares. I've heard bands that blow the doors off of established, international acts, and they're stuck at 300 Soundcloud listens because maybe they tagged their s*** decently and people often just let Soundcloud autoplay the next track after they listen to a viral banger or something, but they did nothing else to further their career.

It literally blows my mind that so many artists simply expect their music to be heard and grow like wildfire because Lorde or Justin Beiber came up through social media. Newsflash, both of those acts had phenomenal marketing teams, financed by whomever. It doesn't matter. Take that 300 bucks you were going to spend on hair dye or another piece of flavor gear you don't know how to work (A nice interface, nice monitors, a decent computer, DAW, controller, whatever instruments you play, a few mics and some REAL soundtreatment in as much of every corner in your listening room as possible is ALL you need, you can barely use a software compressor, let alone a Shadow Hills). But after all that, you MUST spend money on marketing. Ask around, or google PR firms. Some won't let you approach them without an "in" in the form of prior PR, or evidence that you're established and working on a career, so you might have to do some networking and calling in favors if you happen to know some people. Other's are smaller, and don't mind unsolicited emails. It never hurts to email the bigger companies with a NICE, PROFESSIONAL email and maybe a PDF with all your achievements, and a link to your music, but AT ALL COSTS, you MUST budget marketing and PR into your music career. Acts who "came out of nowhere" are statistical lottery winners. Either they, or someone who knew how to access these tools navigated the waters for them, and continues to do so for each release. Since winning the lottery is a statistical improbability, and most people here are bedroom producers as well as musicians, I would budget about $7,000 or so for everything I mentioned above (including equipment, if you don't already have it.) Otherwise, for marketing, a healthy budget is about $1000 for a modest project, but Ive made do with smaller budgets for smaller projects with companies whom I was friendly, as well as contributed work to the project (creating PDF's, bringing my own outlet contacts to the table, etc.)

STOP thinking that all you need to do is write some songs and play some local shows and it will all just fall into place. Paradoxically, it will happen like that, but you need to know about marketing and PR, and include that in your game plan moving forward, or else you will go nowhere and sound like an amateurish, entitled ignoramus to anyone who knows a few things about the business. Granted, we're all amateurish, entitled ignoramuses at some point or another, but it blows my mind that so many acts think they're going to get anywhere without entry level business knowledge. Bands are a business. Music is an industry. Educate yourself and go forward armed with an advantage over the other kid in his bedroom, banging his head against his Auralex foam covered wall going, "How did Soulja Boy get so many listens?

Marketing. Go forth and prosper.

google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/6mnqmy/bandcamp_do_people_actually_ever_listen_tobuy_the

I think it’s a good post to put here in music sxn because it’s something people like to avoid talking about when it comes to music, whenever you hear “why isn’t Chloe Hotline huge”, this is why

This may be a spam op but you are right, in this age marketing matter more than the quality( at least at the start)

Pls hire a good social media manager and get a good regular manager

It depends on what the artist wants but it’s a good advice that I found

OP with the fax

Some of these 'artist' out are great marketers with s*** music. Some great artist have s*** marketing. Why wont these great marketers work with the artist?

Put some names on that

Because great marketers only want money and “true artists” are usually either broke or prefer their music to do the talking, or sometimes both

Not reading all that bullshit. Someone give me a tldr.

Im a s*** marketer
I wont even post here no more.. no traction

Promote (using PR campaigns) or be stuck at 50 plays

Soo true my G. We gotta find a middle ground

As someone in PR, the homies who have let me do EPKs on the low in the past have gotten more traction than the homies who think they’re fine without an EPK

If you’re willing to spend $200 on studio, mixing and mastering- be willing to spend $25 on digital advertising and $50 on a press release

Let KTT do your PR

PR isn’t a must, but it defo helps. When smaller outlets want to do highlights on up and coming artist- if they already have info they’re more likely to reach out

Want to share how and what do you mean by “a lot done”?

It costs way more than $50, bro

Depending on services
EPKs can run up to $100’s, using a freelancers to announce a single with a one page press release and building your own media list? $50

Lol that’s $100 just for a one page pdf lmaoo

Anyone can write one themselves

Real PR campaigns cost thousands, bro (the legit ones, that is)