Exploring the hottest trends in content marketing for the music industry

Content marketing has become the bread and butter of promotional efforts in the music industry. Because of this, there are always trends emerging and evolving to chase the zeitgeist and grab the attention of increasingly fickle audiences.

Here are some of the most enduring and important aspects of content marketing that should be part of your setup.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a tried and tested strategy for connecting with music fans. As you’d expect, it involves partnering with popular individuals to reach a wider, more engaged audience.

The idea is that when people see the movers and shakers in their social feeds recommending a new album or track from an up-and-coming artist who’s aligned with their genre and values as a performer, they’re likely to give it a listen because they trust the opinion of the individual in question. Even something as simple as having an influencer wear your merch makes a difference.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is a force to be reckoned with in music marketing and further afield. Essentially, it involves encouraging fans to create and share content related to your brand, whether that’s through video covers or hashtag campaigns on social media platforms.

UGC acts as an endorsement from peers rather than the company itself, offering authentic promotion for your music while simultaneously fostering a tighter community around your product, whether that’s a rising star, a music-focused product or a relevant service.

Live Streaming

Live streaming has transformed and grown into a vital channel for content marketing in the music industry. In an era where fans crave authentic and immediate connections, artists can use platforms like Instagram Live or Twitch to perform mini-concerts, host Q&A sessions, or offer behind-the-scenes peeks.

This kind of immersive experience is not only engaging for audiences but it also gives your brand an air of authenticity, letting you benefit in multiple ways from a single content marketing trend.

Podcasting

Another option for content marketing in the music industry is to tap into the realm of spoken words through podcasts. This allows you to share in-depth insights, stories, or interviews related to your music brand.

You can even listen to a content marketing podcast to get insider insights into this niche and learn how to apply these tactics to your music promotion efforts.

Presenting content in an alternative format like podcasts boosts audience engagement and gives you a direct line to talk to the people who matter most to your business or creative output.

Interactive Contests

Injecting a dose of competitive spirit to your marketing campaigns can make a major difference to their impact and reach. In this context it’s no surprise that running interactive contests across social media is an effective way to create buzz and excitement around your brand.

Whether it’s a lyric-writing contest, fan art competition or best cover video challenge, such activities not only promote user engagement but also generate loads of shareable content. And of course, there’s nothing like a bit of shared fun to strengthen the bond with your fan base.

Multiplatform Content Marketing

Finally, don’t miss out on the opportunity to spread your music far and wide by adopting a multiplatform approach. This means promoting your content across a variety of channels, from YouTube videos and Spotify playlists to Instagram posts or TikTok challenges.

Such diversification helps you reach different demographics while maximizing the visibility for your brand. It’s an example of how no business or performer can afford to limit themselves to just one outlet for their marketing efforts at the moment.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot more to content marketing than we’ve been able to cover here, so start with these options and then explore further afield to help your brand flourish in the cutthroat music biz.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn