With so many tools to promote ourselves nowadays, at times it’s overwhelming to even think of how, or where to start. There are so many options that decision-making can become a burdensome task. How should you prepare for a single debut? Where should you drive traffic? How do you make the most of a post-release and what is the most effective means to interact with, and garner new fans? Every music-maker is unique, and to try and nail down one specific strategy on how to tackle a music career would be insane. This article is full of strategies from full-time musicians who reveal which social platforms are best for an upcoming release, where traffic should be driven, their personal experiences and how to make the most of a post-release.
ARTIST: Dand And The Wolf
GENRE: Alt-Pop
LISTEN: DanaAndTheWolf.com
Vocalist Dana Hobson and multi-instrumentalist/producer Daniel Wolf have known each other for a decade, but only recently began creating music together given their complete opposite tastes. After jumping from rock to hip-hop to classical guitar-influenced and jam band journey songs, the couple finally transformed into Dana And The Wolf, which one might describe as epic alternative pop.
What’s your favorite way to communicate with your fan base digitally, and non-digitally?
We’ve been messing with Twitch recently, which is a live streaming platform mainly for gamers, but the fans on there are a riot, and we’ve become fast friends. They trash-talk, but it’s with love, and it’s kinda like a virtual concert. Anything goes, whereas on Instagram it’s a little more PG-13.
Where do you post new music? YT? SC? Spotify? FB? iTunes? What do you believe has been the most important one that you’ve focused on?
We post new music everywhere, because you have to be everywhere, and there’s really no excuse not to be. The most important platform is Spotify. It’s where we’ve seen the highest growth, and although it’s tough to “focus” on it, we hope that through great press a Spotify Playlist curator will see it and dig the song.
What is the most important career choice you’ve made to date?
Deciding to go out and network. Part of me was so resistant to it, especially since Radiohead’s line in “Paranoid Android”: “the yuppies networking.” Maybe Radiohead didn’t need to network, but the rest of us do. Most of the opportunities we’ve had have come from networking.
How do you make the most of the post-release?
I can tell you an excellent example of what not to do post-release: Nothing. •
