17 Things To Never Do When Promoting Music

[@rippedvelvet]

#1 is literally the most important tip ever, and sadly too many "industry people" will give legal advice when they don't even know the difference between a lawyer and an attorney..

[@iamrjdennis]

The bonus tip is arguably the most important one! Always remember why you're creating music in the first place. 💛

[@Subsonicrage1]

the number 3 "promoting/boosting videos" is a mixed thought... although you may find yourself being a 1 hit wonder, but with the right campaign through KZbin promotion you can actually get a decent exposure with little money which most times is enough to get you on loaded / populated playlists... If theres 1 social media platform that is worth the investment is KZbin, we can say whatever we want about KZbin, but boy their promotion is extremely powerful

[@elleshea13]

This one is less to do with socials, but don’t think you are above free opportunities to perform. Open mics and songwriter showcases are great ways to meet people in your community, make content for socials and gain real life followers. I gained 40 followers in a month (a lot for me!) from networking and performing in person. Plus, now I know a bunch of musical people in my region which helps me feel less alone while trying to build momentum in my career.

[@ConstantBattle1]

I get copyright strikes against my own music on fb/ig/yt ALL OF THE TIME! It's very annoying!

[@DamianKeyes]

That's weird, have you talked to your aggregator about this? Sounds like it is confusing your music or the data. I would chat to your aggregator and find out why.

[@ConstantBattle1]

​@DamianKeyes I will do that, thanks!

[@fdra1763]

DAMN!

[@fyoung]

Yes. Instagram, TikTok, KZbin. Instagram is the worst because there is no way to appeal. It's just "audio removed, 'cause it can belong to someone else". And nothing you can do about it.

[@lovedeathdisco]

i've had this issue but in these specific circumstances: i make a track, i release it on bandcamp, i upload an image of the artwork with the music embedded into the artwork or a cropped screen recording of the artwork on bandcamp playing so all you see on ig is the artwork and you hear the whole track. then later i put the song on streaming. then i report ads when i'm annoyed w/flashing stupid games on ig and the algo gets mad at me for calling the spam what it is, then it scans my profile for things to hit me with and finds the post from 6months ago which the audio is now on streaming and copyright claim post hidden. for me i just like to post an image w/audio embedded and direct people where to find it in the caption. but ig wants you to do everything their way and even tho it's my music it wants me to just upload an image of the art and then add my own song thru their portal of music. it's annoying, but for me it seems to be why it had been happening. i like to share songs right as they're made and then sell it on bandcamp. once it's on streaming it's recognizable by the algo. youtube has a better way of dealing w/this it doesn't revoke the post unless the owner of the music asks i suppose, it just doesn't allow you to monetize other people's work, is to my understanding how it works. if you select youtube monetization and you have a channel that you've already uploaded your song to before distributing thru streaming you'll likely get a notification on your original account which just means monetization is working in your favor and your distributor will collect your royalties from anywhere it's being shared. meta is just an annoying dumpsterfire about it.

[@definitelynotcam4688]

"turned your back passage into a wind sock" Stealing this 😂 Appreciate all the free education you've given us.

[@DamianKeyes]

Lol I spend my life telling me brain not to say things like that out loud but that one got through! Appreciate it dude 🙂🙂

[@definitelynotcam4688]

@@DamianKeyes no way. We need more clever idioms. The cheekier the better.

[@evoj.]

Was just about to comment on the same thing, I was dying after a few seconds passed and I figured it out. 😂😂😂. Wtf.

[@ColtonBeasleyMusic]

Gold 😂

[@unknownfilmmaker777]

"Back passage into windsock" needs to be a universal metaphor in all spaces. I want to hear that in GTA 6.

[@stevelogan1699]

Loved the bonus tip, Damo. The orginal reason for making music always needs emphasizing because the other stuff--marketing, disappointment, failed strategies, new hope--tends to clog the airways. Many thanks as always.

[@DamianKeyes]

STEVE! How's it going? Hope all is well with you back in the motherland! Appreciate you dude! 🙂🙂

[@stevelogan1699]

@@DamianKeyes Pressing on Damo, just back from Cardiff. I often have your voice in my head telling me what I should be trying next. Would love a chat sometime. 😊

[@soultwinmessiah]

Really great advice. I think we agree with all 17! We've made a couple of the mistakes, but at least are constantly learning and growing... Number 18 is a definite!! ✌

[@ELRADONE]

Good points...I released my Valentines day song ( Love at First Sight)weeks before Valentine's day and my easter song (Grateful) weeks before easter...both did well...I agree with you on not releasing on holidays...maybe release a holiday theme song before the holiday...👊🏾👊🏾🎶🎶

[@PaperboyAlumni]

Love this 🙌🏻 I have a few points: 1) Please please please make a full video about PRS and things like that, it’s hard to know what licence(s) to purchase depending on what stage you’re at in your journey. Videos on here end up telling you two or three licences to purchase without much clarity and it’s a bit 🤯 2) That was the clearest pronunciation of the word due diligence of all time 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TheHarmonicaBarge]

Great Vid thanks, does the MP3/Wav send point apply to radio too? I never know what's the best format to use

[@Roadsideunion]

Love your videos, Damien! We have a very big project coming out soon, and your insight has been profoundly helpful. Best regards, from Houston, TX

[@mays.5402]

Your great advice proved that whatever I've tried to explain people what to avoid and lets grow their music organically were right and wise. Thank you Damian!

[@EcPrince1]

You are a good music teacher , and good artiste Manager, I have been following your teachings and it has been working so softly for me, I am currently working on new projects, and I believe I will be the next blown artiste soon , thank you so much for your videos, watching from Nigeria 🇳🇬

[@mayawebb3000]

I’ve made a few of these. Ugh. Thank you for this talk! One thing I can’t figure out that’s probably simple is how to pitch an unreleased song to Spotify because you have to release it to get it on there!!!? Confused

[@Chronade]

My very soul loves you, Damian. Thank you for teaching us how to please an audience 🧡

[@g.e.miller4335]

Everything's a racket. The music business. The art world. The government. Education. - it's all a RACKET.

[@ACEtheNME]

Still crankin' out the steps to success. Great vid, D.

[@evoj.]

Ok Damian, someone already commented on the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while about “Bad legal advice and the windsock” 😂. But here’s my question: How the hell can anyone have a normal life and be productive and creative being married to FB, IG, KZbin, TikTok, DM’s, personal texts, multiple email accounts, Shopify, our websites, all music platforms and their profiles etc? I know making a good song isn’t enough these days, but I can’t see through the fog of all this sht sometimes.. Love ya and your content bro. 🙌🏻

[@DamianKeyes]

Hey dude, this is such a great question, I have just made a video about this for next week about the reality of being an artist and how to deal with the struggles. It will be out on Monday (Hopefully) hope it helps. Appreciate you🙂🙂

[@evoj.]

@@DamianKeyes MY-MAN!

[@Loek7]

Really needed that last tip, thanks a lot man❤

[@EDP_beats]

Loved it!! It took me 10 years to learn all these... Besides telegram! haha! Much love from a frenchmen in Hawaii! 🤙

[@dirtykvrt]

Thank you, learned a lot of this the hard way. Take this advice.

[@dustinseth1]

Oh dang I didn’t know that about deleting content on TikTok. I’ve deleted a few just because I didn’t like it later. Glad I know not to do that anymore.

[@Zaiiykon]

12:25 tbf if my favourite artist dropped on Christmas Day that would be a pretty cool present

[@vernonpapers]

What a great list, Damo. Thank you.

[@DamianKeyes]

Thank you so much, appreciate you 😊😊

[@IncredibleC85]

In the music industry and trucking industry. There's mountains of evidence of stealing creativity and wages. I'm at the point not i just let them take it 😂. As long as my audience heard my story I'm satisfied💯 They want the money more than the creator hell let them have it. I promise you'll have way more peace and freedom. Ofcourse it'll sting a bit taking a loss. But you'll eventually get over it. Just didn't let them stall your joy forever. Some pain from stealing can be felt years or even decades later. You'll always think about were you could've been in life. I'm learning those are tricks of the devil. For it please him to see to distressed. The sooner your able to move on from such entities the better of you are. Hope this message reaches the person intended🙋🏾

[@MattLeFaitMusic]

Finally! A new video! Hehe 😊

[@INTER.NET_TONY]

Great advice overall i have been following you and using your advice for some of all my releases ... problem i come across is money in terms pf budget but i use what i have as i did on the recent project

[@DamianKeyes]

Sorry Matt, you are right, I've been slack but I have made a bunch of new ideas and videos this week so I'll stay on it. Appreciate you mate! 🙂🙂

[@MattLeFaitMusic]

@@DamianKeyes Can’t wait bro! Your videos are what I rely on the most in this era of information haha. Quick question about your tip on Shadow bans. I’m a Christian artist but I’m not over the top crazy on pushing things down people’s throats. I just want to share the gospel through my songs and try to hit the right people. I see lots of artists having success with this. Is there a point where socials start to see becoming “too pushy” and that’s what causes the shadow ban? Great video man!

[@LukeParodiMusic]

I post a lot of cover music on KZbin and I just started getting paid. Some are copyrighted and some are not. Do I need to get a specific license for this??? 😬😢

[@AdeleMcAlear]

Tip: Never cruise for a date, in a professional setting. (I'm looking at the young guys out there who post inappropriate comments directed at the female presenters in the Q&A chat of an online music biz presentation. Not cool. Other people in the chat noticed and have judged you poorly. And those women presenters have noted your artist name and will NEVER help you.) Don't be that guy.

[@RaeLoumusic]

Always wise advice, thanks Damian! 😊🙏🏻

[@SeemoreDunkan]

Lol ''it's not a piece of Pizza''... Don Rickles everybody 🤣 Much love Damian ❤

[@DamianKeyes]

😂 We all live by the 3 second rule surely 🙂🙂

[@edinimusic]

Thankyou Damian, great stuff.

[@nolancrider]

Recently, I’ve really been struggling with some writer’s block. Do you have any advice to break that?

[@mikelavish]

Convince yourself writers block doesn’t exist, if you can speak a sentence/bar then you can write one. Don’t judge your work before you finish it, finish then edit later. Read the book The Artist’s Way & do the exercises. Watch the KZbin video titled “Ira Glass on The Creative Process.” These things deleted writers block from existence for me, good luck chief 🫡

[@annedavismusic]

You might want to try out journaling every day and just write down anything stream of consciousness. (If you’re a morning person, obviously go for mornings, and if you’re a night owl, then go for trying that out at night without distractions). It doesn’t even have to be sentences. Can just be phrases, run on sentences, words, etc. I have personally found that I’ve been able to go back and pull lots of lyrics from my journal entries. And ANY TIME you hear a phrase in your head or a melody in your head, always have your cell phone nearby (so you have a way to quickly record yourself) to where you can at least hum the melody or speak the potential lyrics or phrases to go back to later. So many times I’ve thought that it would come back to me later, but instead it was lost to me. So, I just try to be a good steward of what seems to find me out of no where, whether I wake up with it, or I’m driving, or taking a shower and it just comes to me. Also, I find when I make sure I’m getting out to go hear inspiring live music, that tends to inspire the creative in me to start jotting down phrases or just picking up my guitar more to play around on it. Also, there are times when I just pick my guitar up and am playing around on it just because and not even trying to stumble across a new melody and that will sometimes be when I do stumble across some melody ideas. AND sometimes we just need to go LIVE LIFE and make meaningful memories with friends/family/a significant other, etc….allow ourselves to laugh or cry and feel deeply whatever is surfacing in the moment. Just having time to connect with others and hear their stories as well as their hearts and learning to listen well just because you genuinely care. Unplugging and getting away for the day or weekend and having some quiet reflective time to be still, dream, or read a creatively well written book, etc. These are simply some things that have naturally been helpful for me personally, but I know we all have our process. IF I was able to co-write with other singer/songwriters, I absolutely would, but unfortunately my creative process just doesn’t unfold for me that way. Also, just making space for writing without distractions or pressure and just enjoy writing and creating just because you enjoy it can be beneficial. Hope this at least is a little bit helpful and encouraging. All the best to you! I’m sure Damien would have some excellent tips on this as well!

[@nolancrider]

@@annedavismusic Thanks for writing all of that! I’ll make sure to take all of it into consideration!

[@annedavismusic]

@@nolancriderAlways happy to help!😊

[@annettadewitt121]

Sometimes listen to instrumentals and practice with your own lyrics on you tube

[@SynnUnsworth]

to add to the "be nice to the soundguy" part, never bad mouth the venue's you regular or to another venue, they all talk and will ban you... we had someone fairly recently who got really drunk, then complained about the price of a drink (thinking he was owed be cause he was a regular so should drink cheaper) then went to another venue near by that shared patrons and went into a huge (slightly racist ) rant.... obviously word got around and no one would let him play at their venues... safe to say the rest of the band wanted him out before the banning began but it all mounts up and now the guy has pretty much killed any musical endevour he could have, even the "just for fun" stuff

[@lutachristdupre9290]

i know all about being shadow banned for graphic content. Also had ads refused etc..😅 woops

[@commondog3956]

Quitting my music journey because the world is predatory as fuck and on fire no matter where you look, not to mention my daily life.

[@mikelavish]

Even more reason to go harder 🪖

[@osocietymusic]

@@mikelavish 🔥🔥🔥

[@AlterRizz]

Are you doing music for others? You shouldn't even start then. You should do it for yourself and share with the world, that's the right order!

[@zak_deesh]

Your vids are awesome, Damian! Been watching for a while & am now just starting to get into releasing music. To be frank, I don't have much $$$ to spend (I know you talk about this a lot). How would you go about releasing a decent home produced demo to public? My goal is to get traction w/ folks on 8-10 demos (released 1 at a time) then once I have a following, to get them fully produced & release again but professionally & to hopefully, a wider audience.

[@librationmusic]

I finally got my first trolls on a post where I said "is this the -comparing-a-spacewalk-to-battling-depression-song of the summer?", kind of just mocking this whole song of the summer trend shit, and got quite a few negative comments lol. My instinct was to reply negatively but I just deleted the tiktok feeling pretty butthurt lol. I did get a new follower and save on the post as well so who knows. Maybe hate is a good sign. Felt kind of messed up to get it on a post being vulnerable about battling depression though. I like to think I'm a pretty cool guy but I definitely feel like an old lost loser a lot on these social media platforms.

[@djn48]

The problem is not you, "old lost loser". The problem is hyper-sensitive people on social media (especially younger people). Artistic people sometimes have a "more open" sense of humour that can offend them easily because they see it as too abrasive. People these days in general take things too seriously. Hate is sometimes not a good thing, sometimes it's the case that you are right and the crowd is wrong. As an artistic type of person who has battled depression myself, I understand that you were using a metaphor, not trying to say anything bad about depression... Long story short: social media is full of dickheads. Be glad that you didn't become one of them by replying 👍

[@tartancomposer]

Great stuff Damian!

[@marcocarnaghi294]

Hahahaah Argentina is not that cheap anymore! But you have a point there. (I'm from Argentina)

[@Dadhus1]

#18. Never drive anything less than a Roller into the hotel swimming pool.

[@Con-rADSongs]

I understand that follow for a follow thing, but do subscriber giveaways still work? Like "when I reach a thousand subscribers I'll give somebody this big expensive gift," that type of thing?

[@JulioImeri]

Thanks Damian ❤

[@ransomqhouhx7]

This is gold - thank you

[@DamianKeyes]

Really appreciate this, thank you so much 🙂🙂

[@TheEndless560]

How do you avoid shadow bans as a political act?

[@ronnieblanchet4072]

God bless you, your work, your family, your keep n’ the rest of your night/day! SOLI DEO GLORIA (To The Glory Of God Alone) Father, Son & Holy Spirit -Ronnie

[@stevemorano9317]

Well said 👍

[@yoyopopboy]

I've made a lot of these mistake tbh Damian.

[@markmckowen5907]

Can you clarify Fake likes vs. just general ads posting your brand (Meta, etc.)?

[@DamianKeyes]

Absolutely, you can buy fake likes for a post or fake followers for very little money and most companies promise real followers or real like but they aren’t the right demographic. With regards ads, making content and pin pointing the right demographic (age, location, interests etc) means you are more in control but while it’s real it’s more expensive. My advice is to start with content that gets organic reach and until you me content is getting good reach don’t spend much money on case it breaks the algorithm 😊😊

[@DjKellyz04Tv]

Thanx

[@williamillington]

I'm pretty confused at #4 Don't release music the same week you release the music.? huh?

[@ZakRoams]

He means don't release music the same week you upload it to your distributor. Upload it and set the release don't for 4 weeks ahead so you can plan your release and Spotify has the time to look at it and you can pitch it etc

[@williamillington]

@@ZakRoams Thanks for clarifying! That's smart.

[@jhohanmusic]

If you did boost your followers, what’s the way out Damian?

[@mrfleamino9350]

Thank you

[@rosamaaninka9272]

Thank you🤍

[@flywrite94]

Can you elaborate more on Rule #4? Wouldn't your music already be released once it gets approved and uploaded to Spotify?

[@DamianKeyes]

Good question, you can set the release date on Spotify so it doesn’t come out automatically. Many artists disregard the month lead up and just get it out without pitching it promoting

[@taiopain5699]

Indipendent artists have to find the target audience or faster the generation for interest their music genre. We can't expect for example a 50 years man or woman to interest edm music abruptly. Or nobody can expect me to interest opera music suddenly without any background about it 🤷

[@AlterRizz]

How to know if your music is worth promoting? I get no feedback so have no idea if its good or bad

[@DamianKeyes]

I would suggest starting wiht posting your music because you are passionate about it and want more feedback. I would concentrate on making quality content for socials to show it off to get some feedback. And I would also start finding people you trust to give you honest feeback. You could also try websites like SubmitHub and Playlist Push however they can often be quite brutal with their responses and feedback. If you are stuck www.dk-mba.com, we have a community where we can help with this stuff and strategising 🙂🙂

[@HarskyMusic]

can you do a vid on a plan on releasing a single or album but only on youtube comments for all of us who dont have a social following or content. like for example on day 1 comment this and day 2 comment this

[@DamianKeyes]

Let me see what I can do 🙂🙂

[@crown_resident]

what is a "C" bomb?

[@hiyouseemcool]

a swear word beginning with c followed by u and finishing with n and then t

[@djn48]

@@hiyouseemcool Absolutely correct. Just don't say it on radio because some cunts can't handle it!

[@oscarbadman]

Damien, I'm loving your stuff! This is exactly the type of stuff artists need to gain autonomy over their music marketing. Cant wait for more! 🫶

[@ClubeLondon]

Bonus tip means: it´s over folks. Do it for the sake of art or get another job...

[@uli.s]

Is "Radio" even a thing anymore? Last time I listened to a radio station more than 10 years ago, they played only shallow pop music.

[@DamianKeyes]

Good point, i think it does depend on what country and what genre but i think it's fair to say it's certainly dying out fast! 🙂🙂

[@uli.s]

@@DamianKeyes I think most music featuring explicit lyrics is gangster rap, heavy metal, maybe harder electronic music. Not really the type of music which is usually played at the radio.

[@offtherealm5438]

My Country Folk is huge in Islamabad 😅

[@DamianKeyes]

I need to hear it! 🙂🙂

[@athenahmusic]

It's interesting AI can do what it does with other artist brands but poor artists can't to covers. Why can't the platforms pay for licenses like brick and mortar businesses do?

[@ChrispSkillsmalawi]

Noted

[@jvy012896]

Thought I was the only who got hate comments for no reason

[@DamianKeyes]

Don't worry i get my fair share of hate. Some of it funny but some can be brutal! Don't take it to heart, it's mostly unf***able people with too much time on their hands. hurt people hurt people! We're all in this together!! 🙂🙂

[@jasonluttrull5953]

Whoops,I deleted 2 videos on my TikTok last week.

[@cudi313]

NUMBER 9 TROLL TIP WORKS IN THE OPPOSITE WAY IN NIGERIA

[@TheDonZaloog]

This guy has a Superman problem

[@nuffjah]

People get banned for buying followers

[@DamianKeyes]

They defo do and even if they don't it does effect their algorithm for the worse 🙂🙂

[@INDOMINION]

Playlist lol. Spotify lol. Digital Distribution LOL!

[@NickKizirnis]

What?!? No attachments? 😂😂😂

[@DamianKeyes]

There he is! Nik I have been working on your socials today for a case study. Will get it over to Mirella tomorrow and if you are in the live session today I have some other ideas in case you are around! Appreciate you dude, you are so consistent and positive and it's a blessing! 🙂🙂

[@marksams451]

We need to encourage people to hone their craft and get better before spamming the world with shit music. Why does everyone feel the need to drop horrible songs then wonder why no one care. Get better at your craft before you start posting bad reels with bad music

[@DamianKeyes]

While I agree that music is at the heart of the strategy, who gets to say whether music is ‘good’ or not? Music is subjective, would you say your music is good or should you wait and get better? Also if your music is good enough, would it be good enough if you hadn’t learnt your trade by creating a lot of music to gain experience? Just playing devils advocate. I would say most people believe in their music even if others don’t 😊

[@tvman7916]

Music, maybe any art you've made is the hardest thing to sell. I'd rather sell anything else. I'd rather sell blank paper. I'd rather sell pencils.

[@DamianKeyes]

Yeah it's a tough gig for so many reasons. Defo easier selling pencils that's for sure! 🙂🙂

[@Biffinnbridge]

Any chance you could use AI software to get rid of that accent? It’s a bit creepy!

[@DamianKeyes]

😂 I do apologise! I’ll try and make the next one in the style of Snoop Dogg or Darth Vader!

[@viciousv9671]

Taylor swift is not the most popular singer on earth that’s just in America

[@DamianKeyes]

You are right about America being obsessed with her 🙂🙂

[@viciousv9671]

Their obsession with her bland music is unhealthy, I mean America has much greater artists than her vocally lyrically and artistically, to portray Taylor as the best America can offer is degrading to America

[@Cunegonde_the_one_and_only]

​@@DamianKeyes as an european i totally dont understand why taylor swift is popular. I just dont get why she's so famous. Its bland music to me. Is it because she's Kind of the archetype of a little Princess ?

[@Chillit1]

come brutally criticize my chill beats pls

[@DamianKeyes]

I'm not great at A&R but keep smashing it 🙂🙂