Independent artists always struggle with music promotion. There are many online music promotion services out there, and it’s hard to promote your music and get it heard in the saturated music industry.But an artist called “Strumrex“ might have cracked the system and made more than 2.3 return on investment and also managed to promote his music.
Strumrex, an electronic indie artist from São Paulo, Brazil, has released a track called “Feel the Heat“.
The artist ran a small TikTok music promotion campaign using a platform called One Submit.
The music marketing platform offers TikTok music promotion as well as Spotify promotion plans, YouTube music promotion, music blogs, music magazines, and more.
On their TikTok promotion plan, One Submit offers four different submission tiers on their TikTok music promotion plan; each one submits the artist track to a TikTok account with a different number of followers, ranging from 500,000 to 4.8 million followers.
Unlike other indie music promotion platforms, their terms and conditions are obligated to post the artist’s song on TikTok videos once a campaign is created by the artist, so there’s not music of a risk, and the reward can be significant when it comes to TikTok views.
The artist invested $180 in a TikTok music submission that led his electronic track to be picked by a TikTok account with 1.9 million followers.
The content creator has made, using the artist track, a simple dance video.
The video has generated for the artist 108,000 views on TikTok in a very short time, exposed his song to a new audience, and generated a nice amount of royalties for the artist.
Streaming Royalties from TikTok
So what’s the big deal you’re asking?
There’s not a lot of cases when an artist receives a return on their investment as well as exposure for their music.
When it comes to streaming royalties, TikTok pays artists $0.00402 per view; in a quick calculation, the artist has made $430.14 in royalties from an $180 investment. That’s X 2.3 return on investment, and views are still counting.
Can independent artists do it?
Great question!
Using TikTok for promoting music works well for artists and independent artists seeking to connect with Gen Z and Millennial listeners. It’s an option for those aiming for growth and wishing to engage with a platform that emphasizes music discovery in its user interface.
If you’re looking to boost your music presence through promotion strategies, it’s important to understand that promoting using TikTok is essential for engaging with younger audiences not within TikTok but across other platforms, like YouTube and Vevo.
You can use a music promotion service to submit your music to TikTok content creators, or you can search TikTok and offer TikTokers to share your music. The second option might be more tricky and can consume your time, but who knows, you might land some nice placements.
Music Marketing and Genre on TikTok
Some music genres may not thrive effectively in the TikTok realm. For instance, if you specialize in ambient sounds or alternative music, you might find that TikTok isn’t the most conducive platform to showcase your music and grow your musical journey.
TikTok works better with catchy choruses or memorable music hooks; it could be pop music, hip-hop, or electronic, as long as it’s catchy.
Here’s a short list of tracks from indie artists that went viral on TikTok:
- “Stunnin’” – Curtis Waters feat. Harm Franklin
- “Supalonely” – BENEE feat. Gus Dapperton
- “Coffee” – beabadoobee
- “death bed (coffee for your head)” – Powfu feat. beabadoobee
- “Prom Queen” by Beach Bunny
- “Sophia” – ClairoTikTok,
- “Space Girl” – Frances Forever
- “Heather” – Conan Gray
- “Dancing in My Room” – 347aidan
- “F2020” – Avenue Beat
All of these artists are not first-rate artists, yet they’ve gone viral on TikTok due to the fact their tracks have very clear, commercial hooks and groovy vibes.
What can you do to help your TikTok video go viral?
First and foremost, create a great music track, think outside the box, be creative, be bold, and let the listeners listen to something they haven’t heard before. a good example of a creative track is
The song was featured on 1.1 million TikTok videos and generated hundreds of millions of views by users on TikTok.
Edit your snippet audio before uploading it to TikTok
Since most songs build up to a peak at the chorus, it’s essential to select the most engaging part of your track for this platform. TikTok is built for short, impactful content, so starting your audio from the hook or chorus often works best. This way, users hear the catchiest part of your track right away, increasing the chances of engagement and shares and ultimately helping your song resonate with a wider audience.
Ensuring you get paid for your content on TikTok
You have a choice to upload your music to TikTok quickly and have your track available in no time or take a route that guarantees you’ll earn royalties from the views you receive.
A quick method is to post a video featuring your sound clip directly on TikTok, enabling you to share the audio link with creators in just a few minutes. However, the drawback is that you won’t earn any royalties from TikTok when someone incorporates your music into their video.
You should consider the second method, which requires using a music distribution platform, like CDBABY, Tunecore, or Distrokid, as a choice.
These platforms handle the distribution of your songs to music streaming services. Also create shortened versions of your music for TikTok. These companies also collect royalties from the streaming platforms and deliver them to artists on a quarterly basis. The downside is that it takes between a week or two to spread your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and TikTok, so you need to plan your marketing campaign. Make sure the music distribution platform you choose offers snippet audio submission to TikTok. You can find the best music distribution service that fits your needs.
Use social media to promote your video
Help your music video promotion by sharing your TikTok video on your social media platforms and driving your fans to expose your video on TikTok. Also, create your own TikTok account and re-upload every video that shared your music to your TikTok account. You’ll need to ask permission from the video content owner, but there’s no reason for them not to approve your request, as long as you tag them in the video.
Important to know
Creating a viral video on TikTok involves several factors, some of which are beyond the artist’s control, such as the platform’s algorithm and the content style of individual TikTok creators. For example, TikTok’s algorithm often considers a creator’s past videos and engagement levels when determining the reach of new content. This means that even with strong promotional efforts, certain elements that affect a video’s exposure remain unpredictable.
Should you use free music promotion services?
Free music promotion services can also assist artists in boosting views and exposure for their music. It can be done alongside traditional methods like sharing on social media and reaching out to forums and music blogs. But basically, good music promotion costs money, and free music promotion sites cannot take you far, and like every company that tries to promote a product, you have to consider a budget for your digital marketing.
Promoting music can be done by using PR services, music promotion companies, social media digital marketing, targeted music blogs, music videos, and Spotify music promotion services.
Final Thoughts: Investing in Your Music Career
Strumrex’s story highlights how carefully chosen promotion can lead to both visibility and income. Investing in a campaign with a platform like One Submit allowed him to reach a larger audience and generate a return on his investment. This approach is an excellent model for indie artists looking to make their mark and sustain their careers in the competitive music industry. Choosing the best music promotion services is important for
