How to Set Up YOUR Video/Song Premiere
Over the years of releasing music independently there has always been one reoccurring issue for every release - exposure to listeners. There are plenty of ways to build your audience (like in blog post #2 that focuses on how to target official Spotify playlists) and gain exposure to new listeners. One way you can release new content in a more professional and “important” way is through online media and publishing companies. These companies are in every city and usually don’t charge a fee to have your content premiered on their website. It’s a win win situation for both parties - the publishing company gets your traffic through their site because you are ONLY RELEASING IT through their website (for a 24 hour period) and YOU are gaining exposure to their followers, which is usually pretty substantial (Live in Limbo for example has nearly 25k followers on Instagram while Exclaim! has 18k).
How does it work?
First things first, you have to find some publishing companies in your area. For Toronto we have a few options such as Exclaim!, Live in Limbo, Indie88, 102.1 The Edge, and plenty more. You’ll notice that radio stations do this as well, so don’t shy away from sending an email about it, or checking their websites for submission tabs. Usually, the publishing company’s website will have a tab that is dedicated to their editors, which contains their emails. These are the people you will want to contact for premiere consideration, UNLESS there is another tab that says something along the lines of - “For all premiere inquiries contact: _____”. From here you will find a guideline of what they want you to include, but if there are no guidelines you will want to include the following:
A press release including …
-Your bio
- Square photo
- Artist quote about the song
- Links to social media and website
- Link to the unlisted (NOT PRIVATE) Youtube link for your video
- Any upcoming tour dates or show dates
- Preferred release date (2-3 weeks in advance)
**Upon acceptance you may need to send in some more information, however this is a great thing to introduce yourself with. In the email, include a subject line along the lines of … “Hunter Sheridan - Skin & Bones Exclusive Premiere with Live in Limbo”.
What Did I Do & Why is it Important?
Following the release of my latest single, “Skin & Bones” (March 1st, 2019), I made an acoustic live off the floor version of the song. I also had my videographer record it in one continuous shot to avoid more edits and longer delay on the release. That doesn’t mean you have to do this, but I am just a fan of the continuous shot for live videos, so I like to use this style. This is a great way to quickly follow up a song release with some visuals. You might want to also do an official music video in the future, but you can also premiere this too! So, why not do both?! The main goal here is to have your content exposed to as many people as you possibly can. So far, with “Skin & Bones” I have received placement on an official Spotify playlist with over 100k monthly listeners, and received a premiere with Live in Limbo to about 25k viewers, which makes “Skin & Bones” instantly directed to over 130k people from all over the world. Not bad for the first week of its release when the only person focusing on its exposure and placement is me, and I have not spent any money doing so (other than the $11.99 on Tunecore in order to legally sell my music on major platforms like iTunes and Spotify).
Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment any questions below! Links to Live in Limbo release, website, my Youtube, some photos for reference and a clip of the video for “Skin & Bones” can be found below.
Cheers!
Link to “Skin & Bones” Premiere: https://bit.ly/2H7uRbR
Live in Limbo Website: https://www.liveinlimbo.com/
My Youtube Page: https://bit.ly/2DkTcaZ
