It’s that time of the month again… for uPlaya’s second Facebook contest! In case you don’t already know, uPlaya recently decided to launch 2 contests on the uPlaya Facebook Page each month (every other Tuesday). This time we’re looking for the artist or band with the best live performance. Click here to learn more about the contest and submit your most rocking show!
Ever since 1964 with the production of the Beatles music video for their song “Hard Day’s Night,” music videos have evolved to be an intergal part of an artist’s career as well as the music biz. People love music and people love videos. The combination of the two has helped launch the careers of many well-known artists, giving them a platform for branding and establishing a unique, stand-out image. I mean, take Lady Gaga for example. She relied heavily on music videos to project her unique persona across the globe!
Even more so now, in the digital age, music videos can help artists break away from the crowd and is great promotional food for getting noticed. The best part about creating music videos today is that there are loads of free video making tools and resources out there on the web, making it extremely cheap to do- if it costs anything at all! Even YouTube has a free video editing feature now!
The hardest part about creating music videos today is making something truly original and creative. There are loads of tips out there for you to check out. Check out this one in particular. It covers some great tips from some of your favorite music artists! Need more inspiration to get you going? Watch the winning music video from uPlaya’s ‘Search for the Best Music Video’ Contest!
Today’s the last day you can submit your band press kit to uPlaya’s free contest on Facebook. It ends at midnight tonight! To enter the contest, create a free press kit on uPlaya and submit the link to the contest on the uPlaya Facebook Page. The artist or band with the best press kit will receive a Nady microphone, a 15 Song Pack, and promotion! If you need help entering the contest, check out the uPlaya blog here!
Unsigned Artists- You have only 1 week left to enter WeLoveYourSongs 2 FREE MUSIC COMPETITIONS for “Best New Artist” and “Best New Song!”
The winners of both contests will be determined through fan voting, and will receive $800, a Premium uPlaya Subscription, and promotion throughout uPlaya’s music community!
So what are you waiting for!? Get online and submit your music! And don’t forget to send a shout-out to your fans to ask them for their vote and to start making your way to the top!
uPlaya’s Kigity K and this week’s Up & Coming Artist on Facebook has made it to the big leagues! He’s already gained street credit in the underground hip-hop scene as a freestylin machine, and now he hopes to bring his music to the surface to introduce it to the world. And what better way to do it than opening for Juvenile at a Super Bowl after party for the Green Bay Packers! Even cooler, Kigity has been asked to create the theme song for the team if they win!
Looking for some fresh new Indie Funk to kick off the New Year with? Look no further than one of uPlaya’s newest Up & Comers, The Running Artists. Electrifying popular indie music with the sounds of blowing horns and a funky seventies edge jolts this six man band into the realm and genre of soulful exuberance!
After defining who you are and what you represent as a music artist, it’s time to identify your ideal fan. You cannot move forward in your artist development without first knowing exactly who it is you’re catering to, where to find them, and what they want from you. Fans are essentially the lifeblood to your career and building a relationship with them can boost your career like nothing else in the business. Without them you will never grow your following, build a reputation, and you will not drive revenue for your music.
So the first step is to define your ideal fan or “super fan”- which is the person you wish all your fans were like. Research has shown and top marketing experts agree that if you direct your efforts toward this “super fan,” you will immediately appeal to every person that fits 70% of the description. For artists and bands just getting started, you and the other members of your band are most likely the “super fan/s” for your music, and it’s often where each of your likes, interests, hobbies, etc merge together that provides you with a rough starting point in identifying the best types of people for your music.
Once you have a better grasp on the kinds of people best suited for your music, it’s a good idea to define them even further by observing them in their element. Observe your audience during lives shows to see what they have in common with one another, or look at the bands similar to you in appeal and sound and the types of people they are drawing in. Once you know your fans well enough, you’ll be offering them things they want to buy, giving them the music and message they want to hear, and most importantly, you will have a network of friends who want to help you out in any way they can.
With the rise of the Internet, opportunities for indie artists have never been greater. Having access to a worldwide consumer base at the click of a mouse, you have access to the same people almost everyone else does. So what then, does it take for an artist to be successful? The answer to this question can pretty much be summed up to the artist development process and the initiatives you take in acting as your own record label.
Most often the first step in artist development is to establish a compelling image. You must decide who you are, what your music is about, accentuate your characteristics and embrace what makes you both great and unique. And once you define who you are, it’s up to you to learn how to OWN it- think Lady Gaga-in everything you do from the style of your clothes to how you work it in front of your audience during a live performance.
Indie artists can use uPlaya to gain a better understanding of their music, including both their strengths and weaknesses, to help in image development. What tips do you have to help young artists build the best image for their music?
Here at uPlaya, we can’t overemphasize the importance of booking gigs in developing your career as a music artists. True, talent and your ability to create great sounding music usually has a lot of pull as to whether or not you will be successful as a music artist. But most of the time, it’s not your skills that get you where you want to be in your young music career, but the initiatives you take and the connections you make that puts you on track to hitting it big. It is therefore, quintessential to get as much exposure as you can to showcase your talent whenever and wherever you can, and to build a reputation for yourself and your music. This is where the art of gig swapping comes into play.
A Gig Swap is when an artist contacts another artist or band in a different city to get connected with the venues where they play in exchange for playtime at venues in your hometown. It is a great grass roots approach to get the reach you need to push your music to new places, in front of new faces.
Building off the tenure, reputation, and establishment of the artist you are swapping with almost guarantees you the other audience if you are similar in sound- which is always a good idea- and makes convincing venues that you are a person who can be trusted to bring in crowds almost a cake walk.
A sort of “scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” type phenomenon, gig swapping works to benefit both or all artists involved, helping them to build up their fan base, brand their music, establish valuable relationships and get experience performing in front of live audiences.
With my ear to the ground in the music world, I'm constantly looking for new artists and songs for my own personal enjoyment as well as to brag about finding to my friends. With a passion for music and an understanding of how difficult it is to break into the musical marketplace, I have become an advocate for finding new talent and spreading the word. Whether you too hold a strong interest in music and discovering new talent or are simply looking for new songs to download, follow me in my efforts to democratize the music industry!
