Mood Music
Mood Music
Since quarantine, the most popular playlists have been those that relate to a person's mood. It makes sense, the more time spent at home listening to countless of favorites and lacking the skill and presence of an actual DJ, consumers are relying on Playlists to fill that void. Think about it, most music platforms have all of the same music to stream from the same artists, but what do they have that different from one another? Their Playlists!
I have actually chosen one platform over the other based on how much I like their playlists. And I’m not talking about the typical curated playlists full of label filled songs but the ones that make it a point to discover music for a mood and include that music in a playlist regardless of whether or not the artist is already famous or signed to a major label. It is great exposure for artists to be included in the same category as other more famous. Imagine your song filling a mood and a playlist curator places your song to play right after Billie Eilish or a Justin Bieber.
When it comes to producing and writing music, ultimately that is the goal. To transfer your mood at the time to the listeners ear so they can relate to that mood. That is how you truly connect and make a difference, how you can change a persons life. Listeners are on Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer to find playlists that speak to the mood of their day/night. It’s a very real connection being established.
So how can you use this information?
Well the first step is to USE your platforms. Encourage your social media audience to start following you on the streaming platforms in order to be notified right away of your new releases! Just like you tell people to follow you on IG of Facebook, tell them to follow you on Spotify or Amazon Music!
Next, I would recommend you get very familiar with the various “For Artists” features offered on each platform. These are vital to being successful and offering different services to take advantage of. One good example is the Canvas feature on Spotify which allows you to create visuals. NOW would be a great time to showcase your in-home music process/set-up to give your fans an exclusive inside look. You can even drive engagement by beginning to take art submissions from fans to be featured there. Engagement is KEY!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a playlist is worth a thousand moods! Be creative and create your own playlists and give your fans a taste of the music that inspires YOU. Think about when you are on a car trip with friends, you KNOW exactly who should get the AUX based on their style of music. That’s why DJ’s will never be replaced, it’s their style and taste that listeners love. So create a playlist, not just filled with your own music.
The next step would be to just keep posting and updating your fans. We live in a time where it feels like EVERYBODY has short term memory and if you don’t post and remind your fans that you are active, then you will be forgotten.
Lastly, just be creative in how your fans can engage with you! Whether it’s coming out with a challenge or a hashtag, the more engagement, the better. Think about the new viral “Bored in the house and I’m in the house bored” challenge. That song hit the mood of everybody locked in their houses!
Right now we are in a time where technology is changing faster than we when hit NEXT on a song we don’t like. Do research, be ahead of the trends and you will succeed!
Peace and love!