Have you created an artist brand for your music? 😃
Why do we feel a strong connection to our favorite music producers and artists? It’s because of their image. Because the reality is that everything is about your image, and how people perceive you. And this is what “branding” is all about.
Hello, Mike here again from Masters of Music, and today I will share my best tips on creating your own professional music artist brand. Let’s go! 😃
My Story
I used to not care about branding at all. I had no website, no logotype, and definitely not a public persona online as an artist. I simply released music like I was invisible.
Finally I realized that this is not a successful strategy, so I started to learn about marketing and branding.
And today I have 5 music artist brands, each with a specific focus and “brand”. This means I have 5 artist names on Spotify, 5 YouTube channels etc.
And each one is branded differently: unique logotype (profile picture), specific genre/style, different profile pictures and presentation and so on. And I finally started to gain traction on both Spotify and YouTube by following this approach: making my artist name into a brand with a very specific overall theme.
These are all my Artist Names (brands) on Spotify, Apple Music etc.
Now, even if you only have 1 single artist name, you really should create your own artist brand with a consistent and focused theme.
Now let me give you some tips on what you need for your artist brand! 😃
Creating your Artist Brand
You really don’t have to make this into rocket science. The whole point of your artist brand is to make it crystal clear to both yourself, and your music listeners: what kind of music you do, the mood and style, who you are, where you come from, what’s your vision with your music etc. 😊
1. Your Profile Picture
You want to use a profile picture (logotype) that you use consistently all over the Internet for your artist brand. Make sure it visually represent you and your music in a good way. For example: check out my artist logotype for my Dark Domains brand that focus on dark music and soundscapes: Dark Domains on Spotify.
2. Your Cover Image
Next you want to have a wide banner image that also visually describes the overall mood of your music for your artist brand. This banner image will be used on Spotify, YouTube and other social media platforms that use a cover image on top you use as an artist. Again using my Dark Domains artist brand as an example, here I used a dark and ominous background image: Dark Domains on Spotify.
3. Your Portfolio Photos
I also highly recommend that you take some great looking and high quality photos that you can use as portfolio images. It can be anything really, as long as it fits your artist brand. Pictures from behind the scenes in your studio, classic portrait images, pictures of you playing an instrument, even more casual everyday photos because it makes you more relatable as a person.
4. Your Short Pitch
This is equally as important to yourself as it is for your marketing. It simply means that you should make a super short summary of your artist brand. My Dark Domains brand has this short pitch to quickly describe what it’s all about: “Dark music inspired by evil, doom and darkness”. My Njordic artist brand has this short pitch: “Viking music inspired by nordic history & ancient sounds”. You get the point, keep it short, and make it crystal clear.
5. Your Artist Story
It can also help if you write your own story, as a musician, as an artist, your background etc. This can be a much longer text since it is indeed, your story.
Now this is the basic things you should start with to create your own professional artist brand. After that it’s all about implementing them on to your Spotify profile, YouTube channel, Instagram profile, your own website, and whatever other places you are active on as a music artist. 😊
Bonus Tip – Stay Active
On the Internet, and social media, you quickly get lost in the noise. So it’s great if you can stay connected with your fans and potential new fans by creating content in any form. Blog posts, Vlogs, short vertical videos etc. The best way to connect with people in the real world, is by being you, both as a person and as an artist. Good luck! 😃
✅ More Resources for You
- Music Courses: https://mastersofmusic.net
- Music Playlists: https://nordstarstudio.com
👍 Thank you for Reading
More tips & tricks to level up your music success are on the way. 😊
Sincerely
Mikael “Mike” Baggström
Composer, Musician, Artist