The 12 ways of Christmas (music promotion).
Can you believe it? The holidays are almost upon us, which is good news for your music.
20% of industry-wide music sales take place in the last six weeks of the year, and 30% of all sales on CD Baby happen during that same period.
Get prepped now to make sure you’re ready for the rush!
The holidays are when people are searching for and buying new music, creating and enjoying Christmas-themed playlists on streaming platforms like Spotify, spending gift cards, and buying musical presents for friends. Your fans are also unwrapping smartphones and tablets and eager to access the music they love on those new devices.
Make sure you give your music every opportunity to get seen, heard, and purchased!
Want to earn more money from your music during the holidays? Try a few (or all) of the suggestions below:
1. Go full-distribution
If fans can’t find your music, they can’t buy it, add it to playlists, or share it from their platform of choice.
It’s 2018 — you can’t afford NOT to be everywhere your fans are. Make it easy for them!
Do you have any music that’s not available on popular digital platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, YouTube, and more? You could easily be missing out on streams and sales.
Get worldwide music distribution today.
2. Email your fans
Social media is fine, but it’s no substitute for an email newsletter delivered straight to the inboxes of your most loyal fans.
Suggest gift ideas, like t-shirts, mugs, or other merch items.
If you have holiday music, ask them to add it to their seasonal playlists.
Share a Christmas greeting video; write a 2018 retrospective; or just say thanks!
To learn how to create an email newsletter that will drive more engagement and boost sales this Holiday Season, check out “5 tips for sending better holiday emails.”
3. Look for holiday gigs in non-traditional venues
Concert opportunities abound during Christmas. People are out and about, so a little music in an unusual place can be a festive surprise, even if you’re not playing holiday music exclusively (always good to sprinkle in a few Christmas carols or holiday favorites though). Here are some non-traditional venue suggestions you can investigate in your area:
- Malls and shopping centers
- Airports
- Movie theaters
- Gift shops
- Big box stores
- Community events
- Office parties
- Churches
- New Year’s Eve parties
- City square
- Skating rinks
- Tree-lighting ceremonies
4. Make a holiday playlist on Spotify and add your music
It’s easy to make playlists on Spotify. If you have holiday-themed music, make a playlist of Christmas music and add one or two of your tracks. Then be sure to share it with your fans! Here’s one I made:
If you don’t have holiday music, you can still create a themed playlist based around your “gift list” (music from artists whose CDs or vinyl you’ll be giving as gifts) or your “wish list,” or an end-of-year recap: “My favorite songs of 2018.”
5. Run a limited-time Christmas sale
Tell your fans that during the holidays you’ll be selling your CDs, downloads, and vinyl on CD Baby at a reduced cost. Then just go back into your account and raise the price after the holidays.
You can also use our quantity-discount feature to encourage 2-for-1 deals on CDBaby.com, or even bundle your merch at gigs as a special holiday package where fans get 3 or more items (2 CDs and a t-shirt, for instance) at a discount.
Start this around Black Friday, because people are primed to pounce on discounts right after Thanksgiving.
6. Put your music (and a music store) on your website
This one’s big. If you’re not giving your fans a way to hear and purchase your music from your website, you’re definitely missing out on sales. Before the holidays arrive, embed one of CD Baby’s Music Players on your site. It links right to your music on CD Baby for purchase!
7. Stock up so your customers don’t have their holiday gifts waiting on backorder
Make sure you have enough stock of CDs and vinyl to meet demand. Just need a few CDs printed up? Check out CD Baby’s short run duplication service and order as many or few discs as you like.
8. Order download cards for stocking stuffers
Download cards make great gifts: they’re small, light, and come customized with your album art. Plus, you can use them to promote your music well beyond the holidays.
9. Reach new fans by recording a holiday single
Choose a Christmas classic, record it quickly, and make the process FUN (in other words, don’t stress too much about the production value). Then you can distribute the song to places like Spotify, where millions of people will be listening to or creating Holiday playlists.
Or just upload it for FREE and start selling/streaming it on CDBaby.com and through our Music Player.
Not sure which Christmas tunes you can cover without paying a royalty? Download our free guide listing popular holiday songs that are in the Public Domain (and those that aren’t).
10. Don’t forget about YouTube revenue
Make sure your entire catalog is opted in to make money from YouTube. Then, get your fans to make videos using your music to drive extra revenue. The Christmas season is when a ton of cash gets spent on YouTube advertising! Seriously, HUGE amounts of cash. Many advertisers spend the bulk of their annual budget in the last 6 weeks of the year on YouTube. If you’re monetized and earning ad revenue on YouTube, you’ll earn more during the holidays.
For more info, see our 6 Ways to Earn More Money from Your Music on YouTube This Holiday Season.
11. Offer a Free Track
Allow fans and prospective fans the chance to download a song on CDBaby.com for free as an enticement to purchase the whole album. If they like what they hear, they’ll come back for more.
12. Claim your band URL and make a website
If you’re not giving fans a one-stop hub for everything about you and your music, there’s never been a better time. Secure your band’s website address, build a stunning site, and know that you’re putting your best foot forward! Try out HostBaby free for 30 days!
Things get crazy around the holidays, so don’t feel like you need to do everything on this list. Addressing even a few of these items should help you increase your music sales towards the end of 2018!
If you have ideas to add to the list, let us know in the comments below.
