Everyone in the indie business wants to know how to sell music, at least to more people than their immediate friends and family.

Like in most areas of business, a lot of it boils down to who you know.  Networking isn’t just for politicians and C-Level businesspeople:  Making contacts is one of THE most important factors for seeing your act take off!

How To Sell Music?  Get To Networking!

1 – Hire A Manager Or Promoter

Why do people hire a manager?  Half the time, it’s not for their musical talents.  It’s for their little black book.  A good manager or dedicated promoter “buys” you access to new venues, labels, and audiences thanks to that person’s connections.  Who they know is at least as important as their experience working with bands.

2 – Make Friends With Other Bands

Some people take the music business way too personally, and they often end up making problems for themselves.  So, be nice to other acts you meet on the road. Offer to pair up for combined shows – you open for them one night, they open for you the next.  Or, see if you could put together a traveling tour with several groups, to spread out the costs.

And if the local bands are friendly, that means if one gets a good hookup, they’re much more likely to share the love.

3 – Go Fishing On Social Media

Sending ‘blind’ social media requests or music promotions is a dicey proposition, but it can pay off if you get lucky and impress someone with a fan following.  Here are a few tips:

• Don’t spam indiscriminately.  Look for people who might legitimately like your music.  If you’re rock and they’re country, you’ll just annoy them.
• Be brief.  You rarely need to say much more than “Here are some Bandcamp tracks, please share them if you like them!”
• Don’t oversell yourself.  Your music, not your words, will sway them.

Or, for a longer-term approach, join online music chat groups and participate for awhile, before plugging yourself.

If you want to sell music, you need all the connections you can get!