The music industry in Nigeria is growing very fast, and song creatives are also emerging daily, making the industry highly competitive. These can be largely attributed to the large pool of talents in the country who are all aimed at a common goal, which is to succeed in their bids. While these talents are not limited to just singers but also producers, dancers, and beatmakers, there are myriad innovations that all those involved in the music business must adopt to stay ahead of their game or even be heard in the first place. These include the unique strategies employed in promoting both the upcoming artists and their brands (music) so that they can obtain and maintain a spot in the highly competitive marketplace while making some money for themselves.
Gone are the days when artists relied on goodwill from fans or the sale of copies of their music burned into discs to make money. Gone are the days when an artist only looked forward to being booked for shows, concerts, and other social events to be paid huge sums for their one-off performances. Even the sale of tickets for an artist’s self-organized event (mostly a concert) is not a sure bet to fend for the luxurious lifestyle that fans expect the artists to live up to. Of course, the public always wants to see their favorite artist appear in stunning dresses and jewelry quite different from an ordinary Nigerian.
But even before emerging artists become favorites among their listeners, they must work hard to be heard, and not just be heard but also be loved alongside their sounds.
In the ever-evolving and highly competitive music industry, especially in Nigeria, promoting one’s brand should be the priority of any upcoming artist who wants to be heard and who wishes to make an impact on society with his or her music, but sadly, some vital promotional strategies could easily boost upcoming singers and other creatives to the peak of their careers but are often disregarded. We have outlined five of them and hope that they serve as an eye-opener.
1. Niche identification
Many upcoming singers and creatives often have the challenge of identifying what specific niche is best for them. Identifying your strengths and what you are most compatible with helps you develop mastery in a specific niche or field and puts you ahead of your contemporaries.
2. Audience definition
The advent of social media and social media advertising has made it easier to advertise one’s content to a large, heterogeneous audience simultaneously. As much as it is just one of the many benefits, there is also a downside to it. This is because many singers lack a clear definition of who they are singing for. When you sing jazz music or afrobeat, you should have an idea of who you expect to listen to your music. This simply implies the group or kind of people you are singing for. You can choose to categorize them based on specific demographics such as age, location, marital status, and many others. Once an artist can define his or her target audience, they will be able to choose their words correctly and also the kind of audience to direct their advertising campaigns to. This would help cut costs while yielding better results.
3. Consistent practice and rehearsals
Several artists now take more pride in becoming freestyle artists rather than carefully and constructively putting their thoughts together to form meaningful and well-thought-out lyrics that would have an impact. This, in many cases, impacts the quality of their output, even though it might have worked for some other artists.
4. Branding
The importance of simultaneously building oneself as both an artist and a brand cannot be overemphasized. Branding simply implies being identified by certain unique features such as dress code, use of specific slang, intro, and just anything that the artist uses consistently such that when one sees or hears them, they know it is from this artist. Your level of professionalism while dealing with clients and your fanbase also counts significantly.
5. Drafting a workable promotion plan
Releasing songs, EPs, and albums without a workable promotion plan can be said to be a waste of talent and resources. In today’s highly competitive music industry, a lot needs to be done to promote an artist and make them heard. This includes sharing and monetizing your music on digital streaming platforms and social media platforms where you can also earn, running online advertisement campaigns, embarking on radio tours at least in your city, getting local influencers to talk about your song, and sharing your links with your fan base, family, and friends, amongst others. But these cannot all be done haphazardly. They must be carefully and strategically planned and executed according to the work plan to achieve positive results.
Often, upcoming artists employ a few of these strategies but not in a holistic manner, and many cases, without prioritizing the process over the outcome right from the initial stage. Music today is business. When venturing into it, think deeply, like you would if you were to set up a fashion store somewhere in your city.
