In this guest blog from our friends at Ditto Music, they give some advice for any Gig Heaven musicians who write and record their own material on getting their music out to an international crowd…
If you’re really serious about becoming a big, internationally recognised artist, then getting your music heard by audiences not just outside of your hometown but across the globe, is key to gaining international success.
For smaller, emerging artists who’re just starting it, it can take time to establish yourself outside of your close community, especially if you’ve not got a heap of money at your disposal. But there’s still a number of things you can do to really push your music out into the world and draw in new audiences from across the pond.
Yep, we’re taking this international.
1. Release your music on every global store
Probably the quickest and easiest way to start getting your music heard by global audiences is to make it available to them.
Streaming now accounts for over 75% of music listening worldwide. Which means selling your music online to multiple digital stores will guarantee it’ll reach the majority of the world’s music listening population.
You’ll want to release on all the biggest digital music stores globally – including getting your music on Spotify and Apple Music. But remember – international audiences are also very active on social media platforms that support music distribution – such as TikTok, Instagram & Twitch.
As well as utilising every online music store, make sure to always include a link to your music on your social media posts & in your bio. This will actively point listeners in the right direction for streaming, downloading and sharing your music with their friends.
2. Pitch your music for sync licensing
‘Synchronisation’ or ‘sync’ licensing is essentially getting your music licensed for use in any kind of AV media, so that’s primarily movies, television and video games.
While landing a sync deal can be hard, if you can manage it it’s almost guaranteed fast-track success for reaching a massive international audience.
Movies & TV shows are streamed daily on huge streaming services like Netflix & Amazon Prime Video, as well as big global networks by millions of people worldwide. So if you can get your music placed in even one episode of a series, or one scene of a film, you’ll have tapped into an international market overnight.
The easiest way to secure a sync deal is to work with a music publisher who can pitch your music for you. Ditto Music Publishing have successfully secured sync placements for a number of unsigned artists in a range of high profile media, including Channel 4’s Made in Chelsea (UK), Dreamworks’ Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts (US), and Sky’s Soccer AM (UK)!
3. Be timely on social media
Social media is a one-way line of communication to a massive network of potential new listeners – that’s a given. And if you’re already promoting your music via social media content, posts, Reels, Stories & more, you’re probably already in the game!
But one thing you can specifically do specifically to really maximise your social media reach, is get the timing of your posts right.
Global time zones & differences mean you could be posting at a prime time in one location, but in the middle of the night in another. Think GMT vs. PST.
This means a whole country of people who might love your music & content may never even see it because it’s not visible to them during their daylight hours or peak hours of the day.
So by paying a little bit more attention to the times you’re posting, you’ll prevent alienating entire countries of people.
The best way to approach this is to post multiple times throughout the day across all your social media platforms, whether that’s entirely different content for each post or the same content but just slightly tweaked.
We’d also recommend using some social media scheduling programmes like Hootsuite, Buffer or SkedSocial so you can schedule your content to post automatically at a time/day of your choice.
4. Play gigs in different locations
In order to create engaged fans in other countries, you must give them the opportunity to experience you perform live.
Live performances have proven to be one of the most successful ways of keeping current fans engaged & bringing in new fans at the same time.
And although these might not be glamorous, highly paid performances at bespoke venues, they don’t need to be! The point is getting your face seen & getting your music heard.
You can source gigs and live shows by working with a promoter, entertainment agency or local booker. You might even want to network with other artists who are recognised in the area and see if you could grab an opening slot to one of their shows or sets!
Start by first doing some research into the locations your music is best received – you can usually find this out from your streaming analytics and insights. Once you know where you want to target, start budgeting for a trip there and before you know it you could be entertaining a crowd of new fans in a different continent.
5 . Apply to play festivals
If you’re struggling to land some solo gigs or performances in a foreign land, then applying to play worldwide festivals could be another avenue to explore.
Festivals attract major global audiences, especially the really well known and popular ones such as Glastonbury & Coachella. And while you may not be established enough to headline centre stage at a huge festival like one of those, just getting a spot on any stage is a good start for getting your music heard by an audience who have come from far and wide (not to mention by journos & bloggers who’re there to review the performances!).
More and more festivals are springing up every year all over the world, and the good news is many of them are free apply to play festivals as well! Just make sure you check the terms and conditions before submitting your application or sending links to your music.
But the other thing is they’re also highly competitive – and you’ll be up against a sea of artists who are also eager to land that coveted lineup spot. So be on your game and get in there early when application submissions open. It’s also a good idea to apply to multiple festivals to increase your chances of getting at least one slot.
6. Work with a local PR agent
If your goal is to become more well-known in a specific country or place, then hiring or working with a local PR agent or entertainment agency could be a good way to go.
Publicists are very well connected within the circuits they work in, meaning a really well established one will have contacts at every big magazine, publication or blog in their area.
The best way to find well-established local publicists is to ask around – find out from artists in the area or local writers to get a grasp of a handful of names who you can track down and reach out to. Once you’ve made contact you’ll want to find out exactly what it is that they can do for you & how much it’ll cost.
Although this may seem like a lot of extra effort, hiring a local publicist could be especially a great idea during a time when you have something big to promote – a sequence of live shows in Germany or a new EP drop that you want to get more US exposure for. Times like these are when it makes more sense to go the extra mile and potentially part with a bit more cash to get your music promoted in a specific region or community.
Becoming an international superstar won’t happen overnight, but by following these 6 steps, you’ll be sure to platform your music to a worldwide audience of global listeners who have the potential to become a new international market of superfans!
