In today’s musical sphere, it’s tempting to put all your effort and money into digital promotions and social media. According to the new models of the music industry, investing in things like physical copies of your CD, stickers, merch, vinyl, and buttons is a thing of the past. This is because most of the consumption of music nowadays happens online in a digital space.

The problem with this is that artists are losing out on potential connections by adopting an entirely digital marketing strategy. is going to run you through 3 Reasons why it’s still important to get out there and physically promote.

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1. Radio

One of the most enlightening aspects contacting a lot of American radio stations was that I found out that most still accepted submissions by way of CD. To add to that, as I researched more I found out that most media outlets and high profile press will still only accept CDs as submissions. Now of course it’s more financially viable to just release your music online, but you are losing out on the potential of radio play, and also losing out on a easy place to connect more with your audience and create lifelong memories (album artwork, album notes, and fan incentives)

Now, I’m definitely not saying invest all your available band funds into a CD campaign, but I am saying make sure that you have CDs to be able to sell to your audience, send to press, and to give to radio stations. CD manufacturers and duplicators have also moved with the times, and offer much more affordable runs on smaller amounts of CDs then even 5-10 years ago.

2. Reduces Screen Time

In an ever growing screen based society (phones, computers, digital consoles) it’s always important to find a balance in screen time to not. If you’ve ever wondered why there’s a spike in glasses for millennials, look no further then our 8 hours at work on a computer then our 3-4 hours at home on our computer/phone. Point is, as a society we’re going to become more aware and conscious of the fact that our eyes need breaks, and aren’t intended on 12+ hours a day of screen time.

Well this is honestly perfect for any live musician, not only does going out to shows reduce cell phone usage and screen time but it allows you a chance to connect with that same audience. If you focus all your attention on online marketing and promotion, what do you have to offer your fans in person? The answer is nothing, all you can do is give them a link to your music page, or a link to your merch sales. But, if you don’t have anything to create a memory or moment with that person, they’re likely going to leave thinking it’s just another band in town.

Now, if you have a good sales presence, and are offering CDs, shirts, buttons, stickers, mugs, bobble heads you name it, this is going to show your audience that you care, and that you’re here to stay and create lasting memories. Not to mention it’ll help making some money when you play live. It could easily turn a show where you made $250 as a band to a $500 night with merch and CD sales. No Brainer.

3. Builds Longer Lasting Relationships

A big reason that there is so much conflict online is because no one is held accountable, you can make an alias and basically say whatever it is you’d like with no consequence. As an artist this is challenging, and why a lot of successful artists tend to not read the comments. Just go to any YouTube video of an artist you like and just look at the litter of comments ranging from extremely positive, to some of the nastiest shi*t you’ve ever read.

Here’s where you step in. Start creating those relationships IN PERSON. When people come out to your shows and are genuinely interested in your music, attempt to create a relationship with these people (these are going to be your true fans). They say 1000 true fans can sustain any artist over their career, so if you’re playing a show and 30 people are there. That’s 30 possible connections you can make.

Now trust me I know, when you’re at work (because playing live is work), sometimes the last thing on your mind is to socialize and create connections with people  With so much focus required just on nailing your set, making sure everything at the show is going smoothly, ensuring you have someone working the merch table, someone watching the door, etc. etc. It’s hard to be able to just relax and have a nice chat with someone. Well, Get Good At It.

If you can have people think of your band and say, good music, good people, and they made me feel special. That’s what will create a lifelong fan, who’s going to buy your cds, merch, concert tickets, and so on. Get out there and connect!!

If you head over to you can post your tracks and have direct access to promotion companies without all the mess of figuring out how to contact and stumbling through email contacts.﻿

Automate your entire marketing process so you can spend more time where it matters most – in the studio. No more wasting time searching the internet for promotion. No more sending hundreds of emails to promoters that rarely respond because of their flooded inbox.﻿

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