This is an excerpt from our e-book Online Grind, Hip Hop Directory
Some artists will never know why they aren’t getting their music submissions accepted, or why they never receive a reply. A large percentage of them make some very avoidable mistakes. After running a blog for over 3 years, these seem to be the most common…
1. Bad Subject Headings:
Artists, when sending music via email, often put very bad titles into the subject heading of their messages. If you haven’t established a personal relationship with the recipient, a simple subject heading like “music submission” is usually enough to tell the receiver what the nature of the email is.
Subject headings like. “CHECK THIS OUT!!” or “NEW RELEASE” mean nothing to a recipient who doesn’t know who you are.
2. Social Media Stalking:
Some artists, when trying to get their music posted on a blog or recognized by a DJ will try to push their music to the blogger or DJ via Twitter or Facebook. Sending unrequested links over Twitter or aggressively posting to someone’s Facebook wall without permission will do more to leave a negative image of you than a positive one. Trust me, most recipients of this kind of promotion find it extremely annoying. Establish a relationship first before you try to force your music on others.
3. Not Following Directions:
Bloggers and Internet radio stations often have instructions posted on their sites with details explaining how they want music submitted to them. Most bloggers will say that well over 50% of their submissions don’t get posted because they fail to follow the simple directions given to them. When these directions aren’t followed, the recipient usually won’t even take the time to listen to the music that has been submitted.
4. Sending Large Files:
Artists sometime send large files to recipients who have not requested them. These links are usually zip files that contain songs of an entire album. Most people will not take the time to download these and then go through the process of trying to pick a song among them to post or put into rotation.
Make the submission process as easy as possible for the person on the other end. Choose your best single, a pic and a link to your website or any additional source of information.
5. Bad Photos
You don’t have to spend a fortune on a photo shoot, but make sure that the photo you send along with your music is one that displays that you are serious about your craft. Too often, I receive crappy photos from artists when they submit music.
If the pic looks crappy, and was taken in your kitchen, you won’t get a post. I won’t even listen to the music and most other bloggers feel the same way I do about this. Your first impression is very important and there are lot of other
rappers out there competing for exposure. Don’t be overlooked because of small mistakes you can easily avoid.
6. Email Blasts
Putting your submission contacts on your email blast list decreases the chances that you’ll get posted. They just appear to be spam from the recipient’s point of view. Take time out to send your emails individually to your contacts and if possible, address them to a person. The more personal your email, the better your chances are of making a personal connection.
Another terrible habit associated with sending email blasts is sending one that exposes the email addresses of all the recipients of your message. When sending one message to multiple contacts, use the bcc (blind carbon copy)function to hide all your other addresses from your recipients. Don’t be lazy and take the shortcut. You’ll save yourself time in the long run.
7. Not Keeping In Touch:
It take some work to get noticed and to get someone to pay attention to your music, especially at no cost. So when a blogger or internet radio station gives you a post or plays your music, immediately thank that person and reinforce that relationship because you don’t want to be forgotten by the time you need promotion for your next project. Keep track of those who take an interest in your music and keep the communication open.
8. Quality of the Music:
If your music is poorly mixed or you have a video that’s poorly executed, you wont get fans, bloggers, DJs, interested in your music. A bad mix can destroy a great song. If you don’t have the skills to do it yourself, hire an experienced engineer to mix and master your music for you.
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