Next to skill and dedication, musicians who pursue art as a career essentially need two things: money and visibility. There are many things they can do to increase both, and for those who already have a following, collaborating with brands can be a good option.
For musicians, collaborating with brands can be beneficial not only because of the financial aspect but also because it can indirectly increase visibility for both sides. In this article, we want to offer insight into how artists can partner with brands and what they need to get started.
Collaborating with brands
Brands that market themselves online frequently rely on collaborating with people through whom they can directly reach their target audience. The most common way to do so is through influencer collaborations, a popular marketing strategy across many industries.
Influencers are people with a mass or niche following who are in a position to influence others and their purchasing decisions. They can do so because they have the proper knowledge or the right audience. While musicians often don’t necessarily perceive themselves as influencers, they should not underestimate their role and the impact they can have on others.
The other good news is that you don’t need a large following to team up with brands.Although people tend to associate influencers with gigantic numbers, there are multiple levels to the title: Mega (+1M), Macro (100K-1M), Micro (10K-100K), and Nano (1K-10K). This means that if you have over 1K followers, you can already start looking for brand partnerships and collaborations, especially if you have a loyal audience.
The first step: updating your information
If your number of followers does not exceed 1K yet, you should first and foremost look into building your audience online. We have many resources to help you get started, such as our blog, which is full of marketing-related articles.
If you already have over 1K followers on one of your platforms, you should start by updating your socials. For example, by adding your email in your bio and announcing that you are open to collaborations, brands that find you will know where to reach you. If you use Instagram, you can post about it on your story and add the slides to your highlights for further awareness.
Next, you should set up a media kit to send to brands. Your media kit should include a brief description of yourself, your art, your goals, your audience, and statistics proving your content is being seen and acknowledged. Link all relevant social media platforms, including your website.
If you don’t have one yet, you do not need to worry; we can help you. Thanks to our Artist Pages, you can create a professional web presence for your artist brand in just minutes. This way, you can easily showcase your releases in one place, display your latest videos, and much more. Your Artist Page will never expire — even if you change your subscription, the link will remain the same.
Choosing the right brands
Those involved in the music industry can collaborate with many types of brands. For example, artists in music production and audio engineering can benefit a lot from working with companies that sell headphones, studio monitors, or plugins. They can also partner with platforms offering music courses and other educational resources.
Other potential collaborators are blogs and magazines that talk about the music production and engineering world and studio spaces in their city. Those who play instruments can team up with companies that produce their instrument of choice, while vocalists can collaborate with microphone brands or singing practice apps.
What kinds of brands you can collaborate with depends a lot on what exactly you do within music and what your audience looks like. The following list of music-related brand categories can help you find out if any of them resonate:
Musical instruments
Audio equipment and gear
Brands that make instruments
Bags and cases for equipment
Music software and plugins
Streaming services, especially smaller ones
Music distribution services such as ours
Audio gadgets and accessories
Studio furnishings and gadgets
Event-related technology
Apps for musicians
Studio spaces and venues
Health-related brands and services
Music schools and music courses
Magazines, blogs, and other music platforms
Food and beverages
Clothing, footwear, and accessories brands
Pitching yourself to brands
While the best-case scenario would be having brands reach out to you, this is not guaranteed. For this reason, it makes sense to reach out to brands on your own and pitch yourself to the ones you can see yourself working with.
Once you’ve determined which brands can benefit from teaming up with you, you should send them a brief email. Introduce yourself and explain how they can profit from collaborating with you. Attach your media kit and some of your music, and send the mail to the person responsible for brand partnerships. Ensure you highlight your strengths and details about your audience so the company sees value in you and your pitch.
How musicians benefit from collaborating with brands
You can benefit significantly from collaborating with companies and brands as an artist. First, teaming up can help you gain more visibility and grow your audience. Although it is your task to create visibility for a product or service, brands usually announce their collaborations with artists, thus bringing more people to your page.
Secondly, engaging in paid partnerships can be especially advantageous for musicians who need additional income. Even if a collaboration does not involve monetary compensation but provides a product to review, you can gain valuable assets such as new plugins, equipment, or gadgets.
Lastly, presenting a portfolio of collaborations can enhance your credibility and attract more partnership opportunities. This will make you more reputable in the eyes of sponsors and brands.
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