In the music streaming community one of the often-overlooked components to success is your own personality. In the EDM space, this is even more essential. How many times have you listened to an artist even more than before after seeing a video or story with them? I know I have many times. In fact, the science behind this was covered by the European Journal of Social Psychology in their article, Why Music Sounds Better When You Know The Artist Is Eccentric.
The study compared how participants found an artists material to be betterĀ after finding out an interesting fact about them. This is why you'll find a correlation between general popularity and general knowledge that people have on an artist. You might think of course people know these facts about them, they're famous! but it's actually quite the contrary.
So, we're going to talk about how you can utilize your own personality to engage & grow with your audience. First and foremost, you need some sort of medium for interacting with your audience. We've recently covered How To Leverage Twitch To Build Your Artist Brand, and stand by the logic stated in that article. However, there is more than one way to showcase your personality to your audience.
Social Media is one of the smartest ways of building your brand as an artist. The amount of time spent by the average person on social media platforms is astonishing and gives you a free tactic to remind them you exist. At the bare minimum, an occasional tweet or post showing up on a fan's timeline keeps the line of interest open. However, it's also a good way to shape what they think of you. Are you the funny one in your friend group? Maybe the cool & reserved type? How do you want your fans to see you?
The social media approach should be used no matter what. It's going to be the basis of your online presence, and it's foolish not to invest the proper time into it. It's important to remember that you are personal, creative, and fun, but most importantly, live your life as well. Too much self-promotion can make you lose your authenticity.
At the end of the day, nothing could be more impactful than showing your face and speaking directly to your fans, especially when your audience is still small. It's undoubtedly the most transparent method of self-promotion in this field and technology has provided us all of the tools we need to accomplish this. A quality stream requires both a quality camera & microphone. The camera from your computer or phone should be fine, but you'll want to look for the best USB microphone in your budget. You would be amazed at what you can find for a low price.
There are different strategies to take when doing live streams. It's not a simple concept at all, and as people have very short attention spans, it's essential that you do it right. This is why understanding your audience and what their common interests are is important. Doing your research will help you figure out the best ways to keep them entertained while making yourself look good. Nobody is going to sit there and watch you talk about yourself and showcase your music unless they're already a massive fan, in which case they're not the people you need to target.
The reality is, you don't even need to involve your work or music in a live stream. Talking about something interesting or being funny will create an image for yourself that will directly affect your brand. For example, if you did a live stream on Instagram or Twitch and people found you entertaining or funny, then the next time your music shows up on their timeline, they'll think back on that stream.
In short, if you want to get started with live streaming for engagement, don't go overboard. Computer cameras and cheap microphones can go a long way in the beginning. It's always important to remember you're representing yourself, so be kind because everything you say can be used against you for the rest of your career. People are not messing around anymore, and one wrong word can devastate everything you've worked to build.
Using your personality to market your music will do wonders. Instead of being "music", you'll be a brand that people can associate different feelings with. Right now you may be gaining streams from more unique fans, but once people start to like you for you, you'll be on track to building a loyal fan base. A loyal fan base is a key component to your success, as it (almost) guarantees a baseline of streams, adding to your popularity.
This article was delivered by Adrian Higgins -- Founder, Creator @ Musician Nerd.