February 2022 Newsletter

Can you feel the love? The love for independent musicians!
How’s Your 2022 Going So Far?
Was January a successful month? Did you make plans for the coming year? Or maybe gathered inspiration for a fresh new track! Now is the time to put those plans into action: Record that track, contact that peer, learn that new skill or just start that TikTok account already!
This month, love is in the air, how’s your relationship going? We mean the relationship with your fans, are you both getting closer? In this months newsletter, we have some tips on how to make those fans fall in love with your music and your brand!

Age is just a number for us musicians, you can create your first number one selling album at the age of nine or ninety, and anywhere in between. All your music needs is… a little bit of love
Star Wars, Indiana Jones & Harry Potter composer John Williams lands a No.1 album at 90
Our Hottest Releases From the last month
AsleepInStormyWeather is one of the most relaxing and smoothest releases we had this month. Reworked by @_urchn_as a bedroom anthem outfitted with @max_gr33n melodically-driven writing and echoed vox adlibs in the chorus, the production makes it all feel larger than life. We can’t get enough of this track, and the stunning visuals in the music video too! (Check it out here)
Story of the Untold was one of the more exciting releases of the month with heavy riffs and a beat that gets the heart pumping! Story of The Untold became a genre-defying anthem, mixing elements of hard rock, EDM, and pop.
Songstress @lashanalatrice returns with this sultry R&B gem titled “Let It Flow” La Shana laces the track with her angelic, smooth vocals and airy flow over a minimalistic, dreamy instrumental. Listen Now and add to your favourite RnB playlists! We can’t wait for the remix coming very soon!

🥰HOW TO MAKE LISTENERS FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR MUSIC🥰
Now is the time to get even closer to your fans, make them fall in love with your music and your brand. Here are three ways to improve your relationship:

Be Intimate 😘
Don’t be shy to get close to your fans! Your listeners love you, so show your love back. How? Start by being present and active with them. Simple things such as liking their comments or replying and engaging with them will help you build a stronger connection.
You could even share their stories (when they tag you), this is great interaction but also encourages more fans to start tagging you in their Instagram stories.
Other ways you can get close include; performing live and talking to your fans after the show, creating an accessible and exciting merch line or creating a blog to let your fans learn even more about you!

Give Freely 🎁
Your relationship with your fans shouldn’t be “all take”, instead you should recognise that the support of your fans enables your music career, so treat them with respect!
Reward your fans and don’t expect or demand more than is needed. Provide them with quality music regularly, keep them updated as to when your releases go live. Help your fans connect to other artists too! Support other similar-sized artists and create a community around your genre. You can even offer giveaways to your fans, or extra sneak peeks to those that follow you!

Listen and Learn 🧠
There are many ways you can “listen” to your fans without talking to them directly. Look at the stats! How are your tracks performing? Do certain genres or themes do better than others?
Your content on social media will also give an indication of what they are looking for. Don’t forget to make use of the poll and questions stickers on Instagram to get direct feedback
What You May Have Missed
Some highlights from our Social Media profiles that are definitely worth checking out!
In Other Music Industry News…

Spotify’s latest financial results, released on 2nd February, reveal that it ended 2021 with 406 million monthly active users and 180 million premium subscribers, having added 25 million and eight million respectively during Q4.
“We really believe that the more we can act as a true platform where these creators can engage directly with their audience, go from casual listeners to fans to superfans, that’s going to unlock the next wave of growth in the music economy,” – CEO Daniel Ek




Twitch and YOUR music
The latest Twitch music deal is with indie licensing agency Merlin
Twitch’s work to forge partnerships with music rightsholders continues. The latest partner is independent licensing agency Merlin, which says the deal “creates revenue earning opportunities for Merlin members and their artists, and leans into Twitch’s increased focus on music-centric programming”. What does that mean in practice?
The companies said the deal will “expand direct communications between Merlin members and Twitch, open up dedicated support for those members and their artists to grow their audience bases, and unlock marketing opportunities to the benefit of all”. Meanwhile, Merlin members will also be able to use Twitch’s system for reporting unauthorised use of their music on the service.
“Merlin and our members are excited to enter into this partnership with Twitch and grow our relationship,” Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota told TechCrunch. “Every partnership has a starting point, and we look forward to building a long and fruitful relationship between Twitch and Merlin members and their artists.”

Thanks for reading!
Our aim has always been to be a music distributor that gives back to our artists and labels. We will be sharing a newsletter with you now and again to keep everyone in the loop. We are allowing you to feature in our newsletters and join our music community. Want to have your input on our monthly newsletter? Get in touch with our marketing team at marketing@identitymusic.com.
By setting up your music distribution with Identity Music, you can take full advantage of our music promotion support services and get your music out to all corners of the globe. You can get in touch with our team to discuss your options here!

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