Your band is a well-oiled machine, owning stages (when they reopen, not long now) and recording studios alike. You have the songs, the mixed tracks, the image and the determination. 

But what now? 

As you’ll know, reaching a wider audience and creating an impassioned fan base is imperative when it comes to monetising your music. Upping streams, luring new people to gigs and shifting merchandise can all be the result of a smart and effective marketing campaign. 

Marketing your product would traditionally be the role of the label, where a dedicated team of PR agents, social media gurus and digital marketing experts would propel your track to the masses. With major labels currently spending anywhere from $500,000 to $2,000,000 to break a new artist mainstream, marketing is a costly yet important aspect to building your band business.  

Huge artists like Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper and Nipsey Hussle carved a career without a major label. The DIY ethos is still strong in 2021, and marketing your music independently is a viable, worthwhile option. The first part to starting a strong independent marketing campaign will be to ensure your business - your band - is working to its full potential, with each member fulfilling a role and working to their strengths. Have a member always scrolling their Instagram during writing sessions? Meet your new social media guru!  

Arguably, the most important aspect of your release campaign will be securing that much coveted attention from the press. Without a label, getting your music into the ears of the right people can seem difficult and having to pierce through the clandestine white noise may feel like a daunting, impossible challenge. Getting your next hit onto the radio playlists, getting mentioned on the popular podcasts and being written about in blogs would normally be the responsibility of the digital marketing expert, but it can all be achieved independently. 

Further down is a list of some of the current music blogs reviewing and reporting on new music you can send your tracks to. Some have associated genres which will dictate their interests and audience, helping you to reach more reciprocal listeners faster. Not utilising blogs may not harm your chances at being the next Chance the Rapper, but positive feedback never hurt anyone and who knows, one or maybe ten of those readers may turn out to be lifelong loyal fans. 

Ready to reach new fans?  

Before you message, it may be worth considering these top tips, just to make sure you maximise your submission: 

Make sure the blog is relevant for your music and that your sound is like other records they cover. 2DopeBoyz aren’t going to want to review your 7-minute homage to Iron Maiden, but Louder than War certainly will. 

Keep the message brief and concise. Introduce yourself, be friendly and discuss what your about, but this isn’t the place for your project’s life story or how you discovered music through your parents’ U2 vinyl collection. 

A private or public SoundCloud link is generally the preferred method of listening to your track. Aim for a method which doesn’t involve downloading a file or signing into a subscription platform, some blogs want electronic press kits. Read the submission page carefully to see what is preferred.  

Make sure the track is fresh and don’t spam them afterwards. Blogs nearly always prefer new music, even if your best song was released a year ago, they will normally prefer the newer few-month-old follow up. Checking up a few weeks later to see if the review is happening is fine, just try to avoid more than one message and be polite. Remember they have a lot of tracks to get through and even more emails to reply to. 

Stereo Fox  

Genre: Various, up for anything

Louder than War

Genre: Punk, Rock and Metal                                      

The Line of Best Fit  

Genre: Alternative and Indie

Aquarium Drunkard

Genre: Psych, Avant-Garde, Garage and Alternative

Acid Stag  

Genre: Electronic

Twang Ville  

Genre: Alt-Country, Americana Folk and Blues

Pitchfork  

Genre: Various

2DopeBoyz  

Genre: Hip Hop 

A&R Factory 

Genre: Various

Atwood Magazine

Genre: Singer-Songwriter and Indie

Birp.FM  

Genre: Bedroom and Dream Pop, Lo-Fi and Surf Rock

Ear Milk  

Genre: Various (Neo-soul, Hip-Hop and RnB)

Gig Goer 

Genre: Pop Punk, Emo, Indie Rock and Alt-Pop  

Homo Ground 

Genre: Various (only LGBTQIA artists) 

High Clouds  

Genre: Various (Accepts all, but has specific section
to support Feminist and LGBTQIA Artists) 

Indie88 

Genre: Indie                                                    

Pop Justice 

Genre: Pop  

Run The Trap  

Genre: Trap, Club music and Bass 

Soul Bounce  

Genre: RnB, Soul and Jazz 

Soul Tracks  

Genre: Soul and RnB 

Gems And Secrets 

Genre: Various  

Tiny Mix Tapes  

Genre: Various  

Gorilla vs Bear  

Genre: Various  

Velvet Independent  

Genre: Electronic  

Wolf In A Suit  

Genre: Electronic 

We All Want Someone  

Genre: Various 

Purple Melon  

Genre: Pop 

I Heard A Whisper  

Genre: Electronic  

The Unsigned Guide  

Genre: Various 

All Music  

Genre: Various 

AMBY  

Genre: Indie/Commercial  

Your EDM  

Genre: Electronic  

Up Coming Hip-Hop  

Genre: Hip-hop  

GigList  

Genre: Various 

Alfitude  

Genre: Various