If you thought last year zipped by, you’re not alone. 2021 was dubbed “the great catch-up year” since it presented people with the opportunity to catch up on everything they missed in 2020. We – and I mean almost the whole world – were on pause, so 2021, with lifted restrictions, fewer travel bans and stores flush with toilet paper (see what I did there?) felt like a holiday in comparison. And don’t holidays go fast??
As we teeter on the edge of a brand-new year, it might be a good time to look ahead and make some resolutions regarding new things to try, or get better at, as we begin 2022.
Social Media
An incredible way to engage with your fans but a tool that has to be consistent in order to succeed, ‘working your social’ is a necessity. Which channels you focus on depends on your audience and who you want to reach. Facebook skews older but reaches far, and while Instagram isn’t as “young” as it used to be, if you’re a very visual artist, IG is your go-to. Twitter is making a comeback – and their new SPACES is giving Clubhouse a run for its money. TikTok is great if you’re visually creative because it takes ingenuity to stand out and grab attention there. Then there are smaller channels like Pinterest, Tumblr and YouTube Community. Social Media is a big undertaking, but an amazing marketing tool.
Live shows
If the pandemic showed musicians anything, it was that it was possible to grow an audience with online shows. Get a guitar, a virtual tip jar, an audience, and boom, you’re in business. Will that trend continue? Yes, even Bandsintown now has an “online” option for promoting a livestream performance. Just recently Kanye & Drake livestreamed a charity concert on Amazon, Adele’s ONE NIGHT ONLY special on network TV was a hit, and Ariana Grande’s Fortnite appearance (garnering a gaming audience in the millions) proved that these types of performances aren’t going away, and that’s a good thing. While your band may not be at that level, there are artists at every career stage making a decent showing through Twitch and other livestreaming sites. It proves that the music fan’s thirst for live music can be satisfied by connecting this way – at least for now.
Branding
A new year isn’t just good for dieting and hitting the gym…it’s also a good time to relaunch. Maybe your social media is stale (see above), or you haven’t liked the colors/design on your website, or you think the band photos look dated…Setting a goal in the new year to show your fans something fresh always works.
Don’t Procrastinate
Start a project you’ve been putting off. Want to do a bunch of Bob Dylan covers? Reinterpret a single of yours in a different genre? Collab with another artist? A new year is a great time to make good on this. Put a game plan together and make it happen!
Never too late to… LEARN
A new year is a great time to teach yourself something you didn’t know before that can enhance your career. Learn coding. Learn how to use photoshop. Teach yourself to play another instrument. Write a song in a different language. Figure out a way to make your merch less expensive. Set up some co-writes with people you never thought about working with before. A new year gives you the opportunity to embrace a new challenge.
Network.
It isn’t easy, but a new year provides a great excuse to reach out to other musicians in your area, or to local journalists you want to connect with, or even a chance to pitch yourself to some supervisors that haven’t always been responsive. Use the new year as an ice breaker and start a conversation. You never know whose bell you will ring!
Play MPE makes all of these suggested resolutions easier for you. Artists can reach influencers, music supervisors and radio programmers that you’d not be able to connect with otherwise. You can network, show off your social media channels, and highlight that new reggaetón Easter song no one expected you to record (okay just kidding, there may not be an audience for THAT.) Play MPE helps you showcase your best work, put together an impactful promotional email, and hosts all the pertinent info that tastemakers might need to know about you for 2022 and beyond.
That makes the future look a little brighter, right?!
