Why an Artist’s Back Catalog Is So Important… and Why It Deserves Ongoing Promotion
When artists think about music promotion, the spotlight usually lands on what’s new. New releases feel urgent, exciting, and time-sensitive. But an artist’s back catalog plays an important role in telling your evolving story while providing more opportunities for discovery.
Your music doesn’t stop being relevant just because it wasn’t released last Friday at midnight. In fact, older releases can become some of your most valuable assets when they’re easy to access and reintroduced to the right audiences.
What Is a Back Catalog and Why Does It Matter?
An artist’s back catalog includes any music that was previously released. In this case, we’re referring to releases that are at least one year old. These songs represent your creative foundation and give curators a fuller picture of your sound and career trajectory.
For radio programmers and music curators, access is everything. Aside from staying on top of the latest releases, they’re often ALSO searching by music genre, mood, programming or sync need. Not release date. Media professionals often talk about a newer release (for a preview or review), but in many cases (a cover story, artist feature or interview) they will also want to be well versed in the back catalog of an artist. All to say – Industry professionals appreciate being able to easily access your complete body of work. Heck, take it from them directly!
When your catalog is made available in Player with complete metadata and artwork, it can surface naturally when it fits what someone is looking for (even if it wasn’t released recently!).
In other words, your older repertoire has the best chance of being rediscovered when it’s visible in a curator’s release feed. Or is just conveniently there when they wonder if your band has more music beyond the most recent single and does a search. Ooooh, there it is (your back catalog, that is).
Why Artists Need to Keep Promoting Their Catalog
Promotion isn’t a one-time event. Even for your older music.
Promoting your entire music catalog helps ensure your repertoire:
- Is easily accessible to curators whenever they need it
- Reaches decision-makers in radio, media, and curation across music markets
- Generates engagement data across all applicable music genres and formats to help you optimize future campaigns
By distributing your catalog to curators, you might uncover activity in radio formats or music markets you hadn’t previously explored. Just think… your 3-year-old track suddenly getting radio spins in Australia. Chills!
These insights can be especially useful when planning release strategies for your next single, EP or album. Knowing where your music is connecting is incredibly valuable. If you get radio airplay or a sync placement, that value can turn into actual income. Ca-ching! Instead of guessing where your music might be well received, you’re learning directly from real curator engagement. Yes, these are real humans receiving your music! You’ll be able to see which industry contacts streamed and downloaded it!
Your Back Catalog Could Pay the Bills
A strong catalog presence allows your music to keep working for you over time. Plenty of artists are still regularly collecting checks for songs they wrote years ago. Don’t believe it? Exhibit A.
When you actively promote your older music, it stays part of the conversation regardless of when it was released
How can your older music get you paid?
- You can get radio play for older releases, especially on open format stations with DJs/Hosts that can play whatever they want. Read radio royalties.
- Satellite plays! IYKYK. Satellite spins can pay the same as 50-70,000 streams, for one spin. Are we being hyperbolic?! Not really. Especially for an indie that owns their recordings and publishing.
- Sync placements in film, TV and video games. Everybody is hip to this income stream these days. It’s important to make sure your content is readily available and you have instrumentals.
It’s a way to build momentum steadily, rather than starting from scratch every time you release something new. Still think it’s all about becoming a TikTok trend for a week?! And hey, if you are, great. You will want your back catalog available to curators in case they want to grab it and get on that trend. Don’t have FOMO. Do the PROMO.
The Catalog Promotion Is the Perfect Place to Start
It can feel strange to promote a five-year-old song on your Instagram. We get it.
Our annual Catalog promotion is designed specifically to make, making the most of your older material easy, not awkward.
Releases that are one year old or more qualify, and artists can choose as many distribution packages (formats) as they want for one super-low fee (you could spend that on a night out or your portion of the jam space rent). Whether you’re targeting specific radio formats in target markets or using an International Bundle to reach a broader group of curators within a format. You have the flexibility to do that without the constraints of a budget.
Each catalog release can include up to 90 minutes of music, and you can create multiple catalog releases if you have more material. While the promotion doesn’t include individual promotional emails or asset attachments, it does ensure your catalog is professionally presented and widely visible where curators already look for music.
For artists new to catalog promotion, this makes it an ideal entry point! Submit your tracks before Jan 6th, 2026 and use promo code FORMATFEAST at checkout to redeem this offer.
Make Your Old Music New Again
Your old music is new to someone. These releases continue to shape how curators, media, and radio professionals understand your artistry.
Catalog promotion gives your older music a place to be seen, heard and not forgotten. Help your old but good songs keep connecting with new audiences and opportunities. And with Caster Reporting and MTR Radio Tracking, it can also inform where you go next with your next new release.
Great music doesn’t lose its impact with time, it just needs another moment to shine. Start now.