Among streaming services, YouTube has one of the lowest payout rates per play of a video or song…but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided. Unfortunately, there are millions, or perhaps billions, of people all around the world who use the video hosting platform as their go-to site to listen to the tunes they love. By ignoring it, you miss out on potentially reaching them and scoring some new fans.
Whenever you have a song you plan on uploading to streaming platforms and digital download stores, you also need to focus on your YouTube strategy. With singles, which you and your bandmates select as the best, catchiest and standout tracks from an album, you should film and edit a must-see music video. Some think it stops there, but there’s more that can be done!
For that same single, there are other visuals you should post to YouTube as well. When it comes to those songs that aren’t going to receive a full promotional push as singles do, you can still share different videos with your fans on the global platform. If you invest a little bit of effort into making these interesting and worth a view, you may soon find you reap some unexpected rewards.
While the money won’t pour in, YouTube videos are a hugely important part of sharing your work with the world, and if you haven’t thought about the options below, you absolutely should moving forward.
Before you get around to uploading anything on YouTube, you need a full music promotion plan, and we can help with that.
In This Article:
- Music Videos
- Lyric Videos
- Just Music
Musicians Should Post Music Videos
This is perhaps the most obvious item on this list, but it’s worth mentioning. There are still those indie artists out there who feel music videos are not the best use of resources, but it’s all in how you allocate them! Chart-topping artists are known for spending millions on their special effects-laden productions, but that doesn’t mean low-budget clips aren’t valuable pieces of a single’s marketing strategy.
When it comes time to begin promoting a song, look around at what other artists who may have limited funds are doing in terms of music videos. Their work may inspire you, or perhaps teach you what doesn’t work. There are countless examples of bands that have grabbed headlines or gone viral with clips that didn’t cost too much. In fact, rock group OK Go even won a Grammy for their “Here It Goes Again” visual, which cost next to nothing.
The right music video can do a lot for your next tune, so don’t skip this step of the online promotional campaign just because your bank account might not be as large as some musicians’ or because you don’t have a record label backing you.
Posting Song Lyric Videos
When it comes to lyric videos, you can go all out and spend some real cash on designers and art directors, or keep things very simple and only dole out a few bucks. In fact, someone in your band, or perhaps a friend, might be willing to create one of these for you for free.
Lyric videos are basic visuals that are centered around the music, but which give the audience something to look at. They are usually nothing more than a background and the words that are being sung, all presented in some way that is visually interesting. Many major musicians release lyric videos for not just their proper singles, but also promotional cuts and even album tracks, as they often don’t require much of an investment.
There are even entire YouTube channels dedicated to people creating lyric videos for popular songs or inventive remixes, with their uploads racking up millions of plays. Need some inspiration? Check out this visual of The Chainsmokers’ Grammy-winning smash “Don’t Let Me Down” crafted by a third party.
Post Just Music Without Video
If you aren’t going to film a music video and if you simply don’t have the budget for a lyric video, you can still post your music to YouTube. When you select a digital distributor for your new single, EP or album, make sure they will also send your art to YouTube Music. If you’re going about things on your own, you can do the bare minimum by posting your future smash with nothing as a visual but the album cover. This might not be the most amazing thing to look at, but fans still get to hear the music, and that’s what matters most.
Some of the biggest players in the music industry still stick with this strategy, and sometimes these posts become incredibly popular. Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right,” which is available to “watch” with nothing more than cover of the album it’s featured on as a visual, has been played more than 21 million times.
Online music promotion is a whole different game these days, and don’t wait until it’s too late to call the Planetary Group to promote your new single to radio stations, magazines, blogs and everywhere! (323) 952-5050
