The connectivity, the freedom, the speed, Netflix.
Anyone can record music and upload it to a billion strong audience on a Sunday evening and be discovered by a taste maker the very next day!
All this freedom, speed, and connection, only means that the market for music has become over saturated.
And way too many people saying they have the best music.
Today’s environment for music is competitive. More competitive than ever.
So, how do you get heard in amongst all the noise?
And how will you get noticed above the rest of the rabble?
Music itself isn’t competitive, it’s not a sport, it’s an art; there are no winners and losers.
If you want to get noticed, heard and reach a wider audience, understanding your competition will only help you.
So what can you do to get the upper hand on your competition?
Understanding who your competition is will give you an insight into the sorts of things your target audience are consuming.
Not everyone will have the same competition as each other.
But once you realize who your direct competition is you can start analysing the details of your ideal audience and tailoring your marketing toward them.
But this can help you to concentrate your powers on places you know your audience will be.
For example, it may be best to focus on getting featured in publications that you already know your competitors have been featured in.
This ensures that those pesky gatekeepers are more receptiveto your music as well as their readers.
By understanding your competition you will find it easier to offer something different and new for your fans.
Does your competition play live shows?
Does your competition have regularly updated social media feed?
Does your competition have any merchandising available?
Maybe this is something you should think about for yourself to differentiate and get the leg up on your competition.
Also, having a team to work alongside you to build campaigns for your releases will always play against who your competition is and how to get you noticed.
Your team could consist of managers, promotion teams, DJS,record labels or anyone who’s focused on getting your music heard above the rest of your competition.
And remember, there are only so many radio hours in the day, only so many pages in a publication, and thousands fighting for blog features every single day.
You’re not just competing for fans, your competing for airtime, blog space and page spreads.
the more influential and powerful your team is, the more leverage they have for achieving your results.
Competition is a fact of any industry and especially in this industry where there are so many musicians chasing after the same dream.
If you’re a newcomer and you haven’t yet made a name for yourself, your competition will be a lot heavier.
But as you start to get noticed, as you start to get booked for shows, you’ll see your competition starting to slide beneath you as you begin to be more well known and remarked upon for who you are.
You may have amazing songs and you may well be very talented but if no one can hear you, no one will ever find out.