The Independent Artist Show

• Getting lots of views on TikTok doesn't mean people will listen to your music if you don't tell them where to go. • You need to clearly tell people exactly how to find your full song, like putting a sign right in front of them. • Make it super easy for people by having only one link in your bio that goes straight to your music, and tell them to tap it. Learn more about creating a clear call-to-a...

• Friends and family listening to your music doesn't show if strangers like it. • Your distributor's reports are too slow to tell you if a new song is catching on. • Track how many people save your song and come back to listen again to know if it's popular. Use a smart link with tracking tags for all your social media posts, then check Spotify for Artists to see if strangers are saving your song.

• New artists don't need expensive music analysis tools when they are just starting out. • Focus on getting real listeners in a few different cities before paying for advanced data tools. • Use free tools like Spotify for Artists to find where your real listeners are and make content for them. Learn more about building your audience and creating content for specific cities with our Content Calenda...

• Having many views on TikTok does not mean people like your music. • It is better to get people to save your song or visit your profile than to just get many views. • Ask your listeners to do something specific like saving your song or sharing their thoughts. Check out the Auto Pilot Engine tool to help you create better calls to action in your posts.

• Buying a fancy music distributor doesn't get you new fans, it just uploads your songs. • Use the cheapest plan for music distribution because paying more won't help people find your music. • New tools use AI to help you find people who will like your music, instead of just hoping someone finds it. Learn more about how AI tools like Flow can help you find your audience by searching for "Chartmetr...

• Selling your music directly helps you find real fans instead of just getting anonymous streams. • Using platforms like SoundCloud for direct sales lets you see who buys your music, so you can connect with them. • A single sale from a fan who cares is much more valuable than many streams from people you don't know. Try out SoundCloud's direct download sales for your next song today.

• Music practice apps help with skills, but not with knowing if strangers like your songs. • You can test new song ideas by sharing short clips and seeing which ones people like. • This method helps you find out what works before you spend a lot of time on a full song. Learn more about how to test your song ideas by reading our article on using distributor analytics.

• Choosing a music distributor is not the most important decision for new artists. • Your distributor just puts your music online; it doesn't get you fans. • Spend your time making content and telling people about your music instead of worrying about distributors. Stop overthinking your distributor choice and start making content! Use the "Career Coach" feature to help you quickly decide and then...

• Your music distributor is less important than showing proof of your fans to get gigs. • Concert bookers want to see data, like how many local fans you have, to decide if they should book you. • You can use free tools like Spotify for Artists to find data about your listeners in different cities. Check your Spotify for Artists account right now to see where your listeners are located.

• Making music with AI is fun, but it's just the first step. • A music distributor helps your songs get heard by people on platforms like Spotify. • To find new fans, focus on sharing your music widely, not just making more songs. Learn more about how music distribution works in our article on "Getting Your Music Out There."

• Instead of chasing many views, focus on getting proof that people really like your music. • Make 10 to 15 short videos for just one song to show it off in different ways. • Use what you learn from these videos to show music experts that your song is special and people want to hear it. Learn more about tracking your music's success with our Career Coach feature, mentioned in this episode.

• Focus on finding a small group of trustworthy playlist creators instead of chasing big, fake ones. • Look for playlist creators who update often and feature artists like you to find good partners. • Build direct relationships with playlist creators so they keep adding your new songs. Check your song's potential before pitching with the Hit Analyzer tool mentioned in the episode.

• Do not pay extra for music dashboards that only show what happened, not what to do next. • Use free tools like Spotify for Artists to see where your music is being heard. • Look for tools that give you a clear to-do list, not just pretty charts. Find tools that turn your music data into actual tasks to help you get more fans.

• Instead of just sending your song link, show playlist curators that your music fits their playlist. • Use simple numbers like how many people save your song or where they listen to show curators your song is a good fit. • Start your first email to a curator by mentioning songs you like on their playlist and asking if they are open to new music, without sending your song yet. Learn more about usi...

• To get noticed by playlist curators, show them that real people already like your music. • Find out what people like by testing short video clips of your song on social media for one week. • Focus on how many people save your video, leave comments, and visit your profile, not just how many times it was viewed. Start your testing today by making five short video clips from one of your songs, and...

• Your music distributor helps put your song out, but it's your job to get people to listen. • Test many short clips of your song on social media to see what people like best. • Using the right part of your song in a video can make a big difference in how many people hear it. Check out our blog post on how to use a Link-in-Bio page to test your music clips and see what works best.

• Simply getting many views on TikTok does not always mean people will listen to your music on other apps. • You need to make sure your videos keep people watching, get them curious, and then lead them to your music. • Post different kinds of videos to see if people watch, if they ask questions, and then if they click your links. Use a special link-in-bio tool designed for musicians to easily send...

• To stand out as an artist, you need a clear story that shows who you are. • Repeating one main story from different angles for 30 days helps people and computers learn about you. • Focus on your first 100 true fans who really understand your unique story. Learn more about building your artist brand with a simple link-in-bio page.

• Use TikTok to show playlist curators that people already like your music. • Find out what people say about your song on TikTok to help you pitch it to the right playlists. • When pitching to curators, share your TikTok success and listener comments instead of just asking them to listen. Start gathering listener comments from your TikTok clips today to build your pitch.

• Pitch your music by showing how it fits the curator's playlist, not just by asking for a listen. • Prove that other people already like your song with small signs of interest, even if you are a new artist. • Keep your pitches short and focused on facts that help the curator understand why your song is a good fit for their audience. Learn more about how to use your song stats to make better pitch...

• Your music distributor just delivers your songs, it does not help you find new fans. • Finding new fans means learning about people who already like music similar to yours. • Specialized AI tools can help you find out where your potential fans are and what music they listen to. Go to your Spotify for Artists account and submit your unreleased song for playlist consideration at least 7 days befor...

• Don't delete TikTok videos that get few views; they can help you find your first fans. • Look at the comments and saves on your 'dead' videos to find out what people liked best. • Make new videos based on the parts of your song that strangers connected with the most. Check your TikTok Analytics for 'dead' videos to see where people dropped off or commented to find your next winning idea.

• Your music distributor just helps your songs get online, it doesn't make more people listen. • Services like LANDR can help you finish songs faster, but they won't build your audience for you. • The best way to get real fans is by collecting their email addresses to talk to them directly. Learn how to set up a simple email list for your music with our article on building a tiny email list.

• Your music distributor helps get your song online, but it does not find you new fans. • What you do in the first 72 hours after your song comes out is the most important part of getting new listeners. • Making short videos with different ideas for your song helps people discover your music. Learn how to plan your song release by searching for "Content Calendar & Auto Pilot" in our tools section.

• Focus on sending your music to a small number of carefully chosen playlist makers. • Use short videos like TikToks to show that real people already enjoy your song. • Your pitch email to playlist makers should be brief and include proof that your music connects with listeners. Start gathering proof of your song's popularity today by creating a short video clip.