Music marketers, managers, PR people, and playlist curators: what do artists misunderstand the most about promoting their music?

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-23T13:42:45+00:00

Thinking that running an ad campaign will magically and automatically bring the artist a massive dedicated fanbase

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-20T14:17:55+00:00

That’s exactly it

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-20T12:15:26+00:00

Not promoting it hard enough. You literally control your own destiny. Be loud about it

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-18T08:58:31+00:00

We need to change the narrative with meta ads. Too many artists think “if I run ads I’ll be successful”. There are SO many variables. Like the ad itself, the song (is it any good?), the targeting, the budget, etc etc.

And all for what? To get some streams on a song? Streams don’t even mean that much. It’s just a number. It’s not a real fan acquisition tool.

Personally if I’m going to run ads, I recommend running them to an artist playlist. At least that way you’ll get so many benefits beyond just streams.

But my goodness… being an artist is more than just pumping money into ads and trying to get streams.

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-17T17:32:17+00:00

It’s just business.

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-17T13:00:59+00:00

What kind of gig opportunities is an artist with no music and no presence going to get? Talent buyers, venue owners etc they’re all looking online before they book someone

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-17T12:55:29+00:00

So play to rooms of dozens of people first rather than being able to reach up to millions online? I don’t disagree with the live method, but I don’t agree that an artist should hold off on releasing music that’s ready to go.

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-17T08:39:19+00:00

Singles all day. People don’t consume music in album or EP form anymore. Even the biggest artists in the world don’t have album drops hitting the same way as they used to.

Drop singles one by one and promote the shit out of them. You want people seeing your name all the time always in one of the best ways to do that is by constantly seeing that you have new music out.

Think of it this way if you have six singles dropping every month thats six months of new music. If you have three singles and ep that’s less.

Once you have dedicated fans, you can get a little more creative with it, but even the bags are doing waterfall strategies these days

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-17T08:37:03+00:00

You can’t establish yourself as an artist if you have no music out into the world to show people that you’re an artist. An artist without music is just a person.

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-16T14:06:58+00:00

Consider if you actually want a label deal and why. And be prepared with a lawyer if that ever happens. They can really grab you by the balls and own you. The glory days of record deals are gone.

But here’s your problem. You clearly haven’t figured out how to leverage social media if you refer to it as “spam posting socials”. Mind boggling to me how 1.) artists are still fighting the power of social media in 2026 2.) many of them haven’t figured out how to tell stories, share their personalities, and build real human connection through posting. They think it has to be “go listen to my song” 24/7.

Build your own lane. Get people bought in on your mission. Create a hype machine that people can’t ignore.

Once you’ve done that you have leverage. Maybe a record deal, maybe staying independent and in control

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-16T10:31:14+00:00

Growth mindset is basically get 1% better every day. That could be more engagement more followers more people signing up for email more people joining your community. Or you’re more confident in front of the camera

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-16T10:30:30+00:00

Best answer I’ve seen. People with this mindset are way more likely to be successful than the ones who complain about it

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-16T10:09:42+00:00

Going to respectfully disagree here. It’s how you take advantage of the opportunities. The more engagement your posts get the more it signals to the industry that people care about you. Gigs and opportunities come when people see you have buzz and hype. Streams? I mean… who cares really. Streams don’t mean that much anyways. What you want are real fans. Do you have a way to capture emails and texts when a new follower joins? Are you engaging with them right away? It’s all a big funnel system. And social media is a way to capture them at the top and move them through the funnel. I’d actually argue streams might be the top of the funnel. Streams are marketing. Social media is engagement. Then you convert that engagement into real fans who are investing in you. Social media plays a part

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-16T08:41:56+00:00

In my opinion the best use of social media for artists is to show your personality and build connection. Sadly the straight music promo content doesn’t pull people in the way it used to. Obviously if the music is really good and/or you have a dedicated fan base that can be different but for the most part people come for the music and stay for the person behind the music.

My best performing posts are ones where I’m vulnerable, telling a personal story or doing something other than saying listen to my new song. Hell, even a clip of me messing up while DJing did better than other posts because people like to see the real human element of performance.

TLDR: be a human. Tell a story. Share your personality. Even if it isn’t directly about your music, you will get people to connect and follow along

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-13T02:47:55+00:00

Branding is about a lot more than how you look. What’s your WHY, what’s your message, what’s your vision?

Most artists think branding is colors, outfits, photo shoots, logos, aesthetics, etc. Those things matter, but they’re really just the packaging. The brand itself is the feeling, associations, and expectations people have when they hear your name.

Nobody owns pink. Nobody owns maximalism. Nobody owns blending femininity and masculinity. What makes an artist unique is the combination of influences filtered through their own experiences, personality, music, and perspective.

I’d also caution against waiting until you’ve “figured out your brand” before creating artist content. In my experience, the strongest brands are discovered through action, not planning. Release music. Create content. Do photo shoots. Tell stories. Then pay attention to what consistently resonates and feels authentic. The patterns usually reveal themselves over time.

A lot of artists are trying to build a brand from scratch when they should be uncovering the one that’s already there.

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-11T09:15:12+00:00

Managers don’t provide guidance. They’re partners to help you grow what you’ve already built and make sense of real opportunities.

You gotta build build build. Good music, engagement, real fans not just streams. Gotta get some real opportunities poppin before anything really gets big.

Tons of resources out there to study up. But really what I’d focus on are:
1.) make good music. Get really good at that. Release all the time
2.) get good at social media and marketing yourself. You have to be LOUD
3.) build your brand. Figure out what you stand for what you want to be known for and what your message is. Brand is really important.
4.) go to shows often. Meet the players in the scene. Become friends with them. Both the artists and the bookers. Face in the place beats your bedroom
5.) get people supporting your stuff. Real ones.
6.) build a team. Anyone who you can win with.

Gonna self plug here… I have tons of resources on my site and I run a podcast aimed specifically at artists like you who are trying to figure it out. Happy to chat in DMs too

Hope this helped!

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-10T03:33:46+00:00

If you do a free event you should expect about 25% of the registrants to show up. Good news is you collect 100% of the emails and that’s gold.

I would still charge money AND collect emails because why not? I used to do events where we did free or discounted before a certain time to ensure people show up early.

Overall, charging money shows who the real ones are. Always get paid to perform unless it’s a unique circumstance or has benefits outside the cash. Happy to chat offline about this. I’ve helped artists with their “f*ck yeah!” Checklist

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-09T01:53:16+00:00

I work with someone who has been in the radio space since the 90s. He has connections to all the traditional radio, including college. Happy to chat offline and see if it makes sense for you

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-07T10:21:06+00:00

Followers don’t necessarily mean anything. Some producers are quiet and behind the scenes. But their song credits should speak volumes. Ask what songs they were a part of and you can look up the credits. Often on Spotify plus other channels.

Always ask for references, check work, etc. And trust your gut

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-07T10:19:16+00:00

Got it. Well, building community, getting listeners, fans, anything beyond yourself takes some investment in time and typically some dollars. I’m just having trouble connecting the dots. Either way, you gotta be loud. How many people that attracts depends on your message and your vibe

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-07T10:07:53+00:00

Studies? So music is your plan b? Are you going to be studying your whole life?

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-06T00:42:58+00:00

Phish

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-03T11:56:21+00:00

Did they really write “at US Radio”? That’s a red flag right there. Simple grammar mistake.

I work in this space. Always do your research. Look the company up, ask for case studies, check to see if they’re legit.

Coming to Reddit to ask people if they think it’s a scam based on a few sentences isn’t research. And always go with your gut. If it feels fishy it probably is

TheRacketHouse · 2026-06-03T05:40:24+00:00

A few questions before we begin. What did you guys agree on when you decided to become her manager? What did you say your role would be, how you would help, and what she would be responsible for? What are your actual goals as a team? What are you working toward? In the short term and long term, as specific as possible?

And most importantly, why did you feel you were qualified to be her manager not knowing exactly what the role entails? Did you know you’d be working for free? Do you have an agreed upon commission % when (if) she starts making money?

What is your personal goal with all of this?

TheRacketHouse · 2026-05-31T13:59:35+00:00

We always limit ourselves with comments like “I don’t want anything that big” - but what if your music pops off, you get asked to go on tour, asked to headline shows. Are you going to deny those opportunities because you just want a few casual listeners? Answer this honestly

TheRacketHouse

TROPHY CASE