I would like to get your opinions on a strange subject

[aheadofmetal]

I would like to get some discussion going on a topic I know nothing about. Promotions.

How many of you have finished an album and tried to promote it? How did you go about it? I would like to get some feedback from people who have finished work and can make suggestions for a one-man project with no touring ability. As we all know, the music industry is changing and there are a million different ways to go about getting your music to the listener. In light of the over-saturation of music and general population with an attention span of 30 seconds; Should you use a label? Should you get a promoter who will send your stuff to web-zines? Should you pay to have your music on Spotify and iTunes? Should you just keep recording and hope people seek out your stuff?

I have been considering giving my next album away for free and letting people pay if they want to (a la Cloudkicker). He has been successful in the game of treating his art as purely a hobby and has stated that he has made enough from it to buy small things that help him record more. Essentially this is what my project strives for. Targeting an audience who would actually enjoy my particular "brand" of metal. A little "niche" market if you will haha.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Andrew

 

[The Omega Cluster]

Funny, I just finished my band's album and now promoting it (see here). As you might've noticed, I try to promote it everywhere I can, because it's a difficult game, really. Email every music blog you know of, and search for new ones you didn't know of so that maybe - just maybe - one of them listens to it and decides to write a little something about it. Any kind of promo (contest, freebies, etc.) is appreciated and can lead to new people listening to your music. Most of all, don't underestimate the value of word of mouth to spread your music. If one person is a hardcore fan of your music, he'll spread it and try to convince everybody he knows to love it too.

Best of lucks, man!