With a variety of artists such as Lil Nas X, Doja Cat, Ava Max and more becoming global sensations thanks to TikTok, it's a no brainer that TikTok needs to be a major part of anyones music marketing strategy. Noisehive's Gemma Dunsmore has been promoting her band This Space Is Ours for a few years now and details a few tips and tricks in this guide.

If you've been living under a rock TikTok is a mobile app (formerly known as Music.ly) that allows users to produce short-form videos using music from the app's library. Users express themselves on the app through a variety of ways including singing, dancing, comedy, lip-syncing and allowing other users to create and share the videos. Over the years the platform has accumulated over one billion active users globally and most the content posted is based around music. So it's no surprise that going viral on TikTok can do big things for your music career.

TikTok's algorithm creates a unique content feed for every user called the 'For You' page. The content on this page becomes more and more tailored to the individual user the more they interact with the platform. Different to other social media platforms, the algorithm also doesn't depend on follower count and ranks videos based on engagement level. Follow this guide for some useful tips to get your TikTok's trending.

Distribution

It goes without saying that your music won't be able to go viral on TikTok if it's not up on the platform. Fortunately, here at Noisehive we can distribute your tracks to TikTok as well as many other platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and more. All you have to do is sign up to Noisehive, upload your track with any details you need us to know and let us handle the rest.

TikTok videos can be from 15 seconds to a minute in length, so make sure to let us know the exact time you would like your song snippet to start; usually the catchiest part of the song. On the release date, your track will then be available for TikTok users across the globe to select from the platform's music library every time they create a new video.

Authenticity

At its core TikTok is real people creating makeshift content to entertain one another so theirs no need to stress about perfect lighting or framing. It is all about authenticity so just have fun and encourage people to follow your trend or challenge by creating their own video.

The TikTok community are known for having a high standard when it comes to authenticity and they will hold you to it. Once you begin to gain an audience, listen and engage with them. Make sure you are super clear about what you stand for and remain consistent and honest with those brand values. Lastly, always push creativity and community over pushing follows, likes, comments, ticket sales or streams.

Hashtags

Similar to many other social platforms, hashtags are probably the most important method of relating a type of content to a video and are usually at the center of TikTok's viral content. Always include a mixture of hashtags in any video you post. They can be specific to the content as well as being more general.

You could even piggyback on current trending hashtags to help reach more people. If a hashtag you choose is popular or highly searched, you can boost the chances of your video appearing in TikTok's 'Discover' tab. The 'Discover' tab can also give you insights on what hashtags are currently popular.

Community

Your TikTok strategy can't just be a single challenge or collaboration. Your focus should be on building a genuine presence on the platform and a community around your music. Luckily, users of TikTok are relentless and obsessive in their quest for community and want some type of fandom they can follow and be a part of. Make sure to co-create, be persistent and engage with your followers by creating a two-way dialogue with your community.

One popular strategy is to team up with another artist in your niche to cross-promote your content on each others channels. This is a quick and easy way of potentially gaining an already "qualified" following of your own. For the same reason, you could also collaborate with an influencer. It is critical to make sure there's a true connection between your song, the influencer and the video concept. Depending on the size of the influencer's community, you can either reach out to them directly or submit a proposal via an influencer marketing agency.

Challenges

Challenges and contests thrive on TikTok. When a new challenge appears on the platform, TikTok users will be more inclined to be interested in the content and the algorithm knows it. The challenges that tend to blow up are fun and can be interpreted many different ways by different people. You want to leave room for people to be creative and put their own unique twist on your existing trend. Dance routines, lip-syncing, costumes and comedy memes are a few examples of what some of the most popular TikTok challenges involve.

Encourage your community to take part in a challenge specific to your track using a specific hashtag. When creating your challenge, make sure that it's engaging and easy to understand, and that you acknowledge people for their effort. You won't be able to generate a viral sensation by simply posting the challenge and sitting back, you will need to be proactive. One idea is to make it a contest and offer a prize to the winner.

Analytics

Along with apps like Instagram and Twitter, TikTok have jumped on the in-app analytics bandwagon. Through the analytics dashboard any content creator can access important data and metrics about their content and engagement for free. To access this dashboard, simply head to the 'Creators Tools' tab from your account settings. Then select 'Analytics' and you'll be able to access stats about video views, likes, comments, shares and more.

With a TikTok Pro account you'll be given an even deeper view of your stats with more detail such as audience demographics and what content is working best for you. To switch to a Pro account, go to the 'Manage My Account' tab and click 'Switch to TikTok Pro'.

Radio Metro are on the hunt for talented music producers for the newly announced production competition; Making Music 2023, thanks to TAFE Queensland. All you need to do is submit a track you have made of any genre that fits what is played at Radio Metro and you could win a $500 prize pack and get your track signed here at Noisehive. 

Radio Metro plays a variety of genres including all variations of House, Dance, Trance, Techno, Dubstep, Moombahton, DnB, Pop, Hip Hop, RnB, and Break Beat. The competition is open to anyone aged 16 plus and your track must not be signed to another label or be available already on free download for the public. The track must also be completely original work which means no mashups, bootlegs or remixes, and no use of samples or vocals unless you have prior permission.

To enter, send your original track to music@radiometro.com.au, before 9am, Monday 29th of May. The winner will be announced that very week and the judges decision is final. The track must be submitted in WAV or MP3 by direct download link via Sendspace, Dropbox or a private Soundcloud link.

Radio Metro's Making Music production competition is brought to you by us here at Noisehive, along with TAFE Queensland and Domayne Bundall.

The team at BIGSOUND have announced an exciting new Support Package for showcase artists that includes a travel assistance fund which each artist performing at BIGSOUND will be eligible to apply for.  To add to this, the deadline to apply to perform has also been extended by two weeks. Now closing at midnight, Tuesday 2nd May.

All of this follows Premier Palaszczuk's announcement last month at the Queensland Music Awards of a massive $3.8 million funding uplift for BIGSOUND from the Queensland Government. Resulting in BIGSOUND being able to increase the support available to artists showcasing in Brisbane this September, before and during their time on-ground in Fortitude Valley.

BIGSOUND is an event that recognises that artists are at the heart of everything they do. While the opportunity to showcase in front of the music industry's key players and deal makers can be instrumental to their career progression, the barriers faced by many musicians can be prohibitive. 

The Support Package grants showcasing artists access to a $500 grant to assist with the transportation and accommodation costs to attend. An additional pool of $30,000 will be accessible via application by First Nations-identified artists, artists living with disability, and artists from regional and remote areas.

In addition to this, it will also support a dedicated Artist Green Room to support the artists wellbeing and give them a break from the busy conference precinct. This will include complimentary meals and non-alcoholic beverages; instrument and gear storage facilities; photography, hair and makeup services; plus plenty of space to relax between all the meetings, events and performances.

Apply to showcase at BIGSOUND

When it comes to promoting your music independently in 2023, there are so many areas to cover. Noisehive's Gemma Dunsmore has acquired the experience promoting the music of her band This Space Is Ours and is here to break it down in this guide.

Promoting your releases is an unavoidable task if you aspire to make a profitable career in music. The music industry has grown along with the internet, resulting in independent artists having more opportunities than ever before to promote their own releases without having the backing of a major label and a big budget. Of course, making great music should be the primary focus. But along with having a tight, well-written, and professionally produced, mixed, and mastered piece of music, there are a considerable number of things you can do to independently promote your music in 2023.

1. Establish an engaging social presence.
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool that all independent artists should be utilizing. A social media marketing strategy that is well-executed and consistent can be extremely effective in helping you reach a larger audience. Developing and maintaining an engaging presence across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter is essential. Even less obvious platforms such as Snapchat can be valuable too.

Social media for artists is all about captivating content and creating a solid visual brand. Keep your social media handles consistent as best you can to make it easier for people to find you and put multiple link landing pages (Feature FM, LinkTree etc.) in your bios. This will allow your followers to find your music and anything else you want to showcase in just one click. There are endless amounts of advice out there on how to manage your social channels, and things are always changing on every platform, so it is important to stay up to date.

2. Identify your audience & focus on your niche.
It’s important to market your music to the right audience, therefore knowing your niche as well as how to exploit it can make all the difference. In today’s music culture there are countless amounts of thriving subcultures that exist in all corners of the world.

Utilizing the many different artist services (Spotify for Artists, Apple for Artists, etc.) features is one way you can identify your audience and niche while unlocking new potential for engagement. You can then find the venues, communities and fans that are involved with that niche and focus your efforts on winning them over. Niches also don’t always have to be defined by genre. If your music has a more widespread appeal, you can always start locally. People generally want to see an artist from their city succeed, so take advantage of this mentality.

3. Get playlisted.
As a modern-day artist, you can’t afford to ignore streaming platforms and playlisting. Curated playlists across Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and other platforms are extremely popular, reaching hundreds of millions of listeners across the globe and racking up billions of streams. Not only is this great for awareness of your release but also for royalty earnings.

Being placed on algorithmic playlists such as Spotify’s Discover Weekly can increase your stream count even more significantly. Ask us about pitching your release to curated and algorithmic playlists.

4. Acquire press & blog coverage.
Music blogs and magazines are still a powerful form of media, being consumed by thousands of readers every day. Whether it’s through mainstream magazines or niche blogs and webzines, getting your music featured by music publications can help build hype and give you the credentials to take your career up a level. Hiring a professional PR executive to handle your campaign is usually the best way to get decent coverage as it can allow you to reach bigger outlets that you may not have normally been able to get in contact with. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible for new artists with a limited budget.

Do-it-yourself PR is always a great option for artists without a large budget, but you must make sure that you approach bloggers and journalists in the right way. The first step is to create a strong and brief electronic press kit (EPK) that includes an artist bio, photos, music videos, your music, notable moments and contact information. When sending out your EPK to publications, focus on niche music blogs within your genre. Look at other artists that are similar to you and seek out where they have been featured for ideas.

5. Play live & make it memorable.
The most invaluable way to connect with music fans has always been through gigs and tours. In modern times, the music industry has become so saturated that just doing this is no longer enough, you must be able to make a lasting impression as well. To do this, your stage presence has to be on point and the set itself has to be more than just great music performed on stage. This is something that can be worked on during band practice by going over every detail. This includes how you will interact with each other, how you will interact with the audience, what you will wear, and the best possible set list order.

Get booked at nearby venues, play the best set you possibly can, and you’ll quickly gain new fans as well as create impactful connections with the fans you already have. Once you’ve built up a following in the local scene, you can then head out on the road and showcase your live show to a national audience and one day even an international audience. It takes a lot of hard work to tour and play gigs night after night but with a killer live show, the rewards will speak for themselves.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Noisehive team – info@noisehive.com

One of the most well-known features of Spotify is their personalised recommendations. Some of those listening recommendations come in the form of ‘Spotify Mixes’, found in the ‘Made For You’ hub. These Mixes allow listeners to discover new artists in the genres they love with ‘Genre Mixes’, get nostalgic with ‘Decades Mixes’, and tap into their emotions with ‘Mood Mixes’.

Now, Spotify is adding a new feature called ‘Niche Mixes’; a set of personalised playlists that combine all that their mixes offer in a playful way. These are a mini-selection of very niche themed playlists, based on the listeners user history.

To access your ‘Niche Mixes’, just head to the ‘Made For You’ hub within the search tab to find five to ten mixes Spotify thinks you’ll enjoy. On top of that, if you’re looking for something specific, just search for an activity, vibe, or aesthetic that describes what you’re looking for and add the word “mix” to the end and Spotify will have it for you.

Spotify is giving listeners access to tens of thousands of mixes specifically unique to them, based on almost anything they can think of. No matter the moment or occasion, you’ll find a personalised mix rooted in familiarity, combining music from artists, genres, and decades you already know and love with songs that Spotify thinks you’ll enjoy that also match the moment.

Mixes with names such as ‘Funky Baking Mix’, ‘Gardening Lo-Fi Mix’, and ‘Angry Banjo Mix’ are just a few examples of the Mixes offered to Spotify users. Each mix will update daily so you can always find your next favourite vibe. Mixes are available globally to free and premium users who search Spotify in English. 

As an artist or manager with a release on Apple Music, it is absolutely vital that you utilise Apple Music for Artists. This is the official platform dedicated to artists and allowing them to manage their artist page and see how their music is performing. Apply Music for Artists equips you with all of the insights to help build your audience and reach new fans on Apple Music. With it, you can see where and who is giving you the most plays as well as see new milestones and all-time bests at a glance.

 It has always been a top priority for Apple Music to help artists not only reach new fans but to also maintain a meaningful and intimate connection with them. Now, with the launch of the new feature Promote, there is a whole new way to connect. Promote will allow artists to generate customizable social assets to spread the word about new releases and celebrate their Apple Music accomplishments.

• Create and customise assets to market albums, songs or music videos.

• Promote milestones such as reaching a new peak in plays or being featured on an editorially curated playlist. 

• Share links driving to Apple Music and other music services using Linkfire technology.

Assets can easily be shared to the artist’s social media platforms with one single share link. All you need to do is head to the Promote tab and select what you wish to promote. From there you will be able to pick between two design templates, update the background colour, preview each layout, and choose which asset sizes you want to create.

Have you claimed your Amazon Music for Artists profile? If not, now is the time!

The best and easiest way to keep your Amazon Music profile fresh and up-to-date is to claim it through Amazon Music for Artists. Through the app you can update your artist image, report issues with the profile, dig through your analytics and, of course, have access to their promotional tools - including the New Music Pitch Tool.

The New Music Pitch tool allows artists and their teams to submit their music directly to Amazon Music's curators for consideration, increasing the chances of being playlisted and getting their music in front of a wider audience.

The pitching tool is available to use after your new music has been delivered to Amazon Music and can be found in the "Profile & Tools" section of the Amazon Music for Artists app. Artists are able to submit one track per new release for consideration.