[updated August 2021]
Wondering where to upload music?
Want to be able to share your music so that you can be heard and paid?
If you are an band, singer-songwriter, music producer, etc and want to know where you should upload music so you can share it and get it heard, keep reading.
Whether you want to collaborate, earn income or reach new fans, it’s up to you to know where you need to share and upload music.
In this post, I am going to show you 9 places you can use to take your music career to the next step.
Let's begin.
Use These Websites To Collaborate With Other Musicians
Mixcloud
Let’s start off with a hidden gem: Mixcloud. Instead of focusing on individual tracks or albums, Mixcloud is made for DJs, radio hosts, playlisters, and anyone combining music in creative ways into one soundtrack. It enables its creators to keep track of plays, grow their fanbase, and also fans can monetarily reward artists.
We highly recommend Mixcloud for artists that play shows as they can upload mixes and earn additional sources of revenue from their fans.
Soundcloud
Now, this a more personal experience view on what I think of this very popular network. I find that many musicians use it as their main source of promoting new music and releases which I think is ok, but not great.
Don’t get me wrong, the community is there but I find it to be more musician-oriented as opposed to actual music fans looking for new artists to follow.
My opinion is to use Soundcloud mainly for meeting other music makers and seeking inspiration. Think of it as a library of contacts for future collaborations.
Audius
A new and upcoming platform built that’s gaining stream, Audius has been making noise. Popular artists like Deadmau5 and Rezz have endorsed the new platform and their focus on what fans actually want to listen to instead of what corporations and labels believe to be good music.
Artists are able to build their fanbase, showcase their works in progress (WIP’s), publish music and monetize their plays. The vibe is a bit similar like SoundCloud but more for the modern era with what seems like a focus on electronic music.
They cut out the middle man so artists will be able to monetize faster and more direct because they are built on the blockchain. To really drive home how Audius is making an impact, they recently partnered with Tik Tok. Not even Spotify or Apple music can say that.
Do not sleep on Audius!
Check out Music Marketing Guy's Audius.
And speaking of Tik Tok…
Tik Tok
Being one of the most downloaded digital apps in the world, TikTok is a great digital platform to upload and share your music. Over a billion users use TikTok globally, and it is breaking records especially amongst the younger audience.
Here, you can create a variety of content that includes sharing 15-second short videos of your music, collaborating with other artists using TikTok’s “Duet” feature, creating your own challenges, and much more.
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing digital platforms lately. Promoting your music on this platform can help you gain new followers and reach out to a global audience in a relatively short amount of time.
Music Marketing Blogs
Here’s one that a lot of artists seem to ignore; surprisingly, since there are so many of them out there. One simple Google search will lead you to countless pages on how to market yourself, improve your chances at being played on the radio, you name it.
Find some, get yourself subscribed and read daily.
Download those free ebooks and if the content is worth it (which a lot of it is) then pay for it. You can’t afford to miss out on this kind of information.
Here's a list of 8 music marketing sites to get you started.
Music Publishing Websites
These are some of THE most business and money related of any I've listed here.
Publishing companies are made to ensure that wherever an artist’s work goes, the required payment is returned back to the creator with a small cut going to the publishing deal.
Whether it’s to get your music on films, commercials or covered by other artists, publishing is the way to go. Since the internet boom you can discover a lot of very decent publishing networks online such as Pump Audio, Musync, Railroad Tax and Epitome.
It’s all about finding the ones that work best for you and use them consistently. Just don’t expect payment overnight.
Click here for very affordable music licensing course on Udemy for more on that.
Upload Music To These Websites To Create Fans and Sell Music
Bandcamp
This is definitely a favorite among indie musicians and fans alike. And for good reason! Bandcamp is super easy to use and has multiple price choices to spoil any music lover. Bands can name their price (sometimes free) and fans can effortlessly stream artists that are very unlikely to be known to their stepmoms and dads, which is cool!
Click here to see how Music Marketing Guy used Bandcamp to sell music.
Spotify
To be clear, what I’m providing is a user’s point of view as to why your music should be on here.
Let’s face it, with millions of users worldwide there’s no reason why your music shouldn’t be on there. It’s premium quality streaming and the best part is that fans can easily track when their favorite bands are in town next, which is great for you!
Taylor Swift will be fine, you on the other hand need to get your music heard!
MORE SPOTIFY TIPS: Check out my post on Spotify Playlist Submission.
YouTube
I can’t tell you the amount of artists I’ve discovered through our new favorite source of visual entertainment.
The great thing is there’s no limit as to what you can do to present yourself as an artist.
If you want to…
… make a teaser for your upcoming album?
… create a high end single feature?
… upload your song with a photo of your album cover?
It’s all acceptable and very easily accessible, what’s not to like?
Here's a YouTube tool that will help you get the most views you can on your videos
More YouTube Tips: Here is a posts about how to get more youtube subscribers.
Your Website
I cannot stress this one enough. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. are all great platforms to promote your music. BUT, you need your own domain. A place where you control the conversation.
An artist needs to utilize these social media tools in the best way possible to direct music lovers to their one stop page, their website! And more importantly, sign to your mailing list so you can contact them directly.
Keeping your fans updated in a personal manner just feels more human and is something widely appreciated in this day and age.
Get some resources to help improve your website or start one.
Radio
Speaking of the human touch, with all these social networks we have today, handy as they may, we seem to ignore the vital and often overlooked medium.
We are more than happy to put our music on streaming services because of its simplicity and lack of convincing.
Radio requires persistence, patience and a lot of contacting and re-contacting, but we all know that the outcome speaks for itself.
Hundreds of thousands of daily commuters tuning into their favorite station while their trustworthy DJ plugs your song directly to them?
Yep, still worth putting in your time and effort.
More on Radio Promotion: Here's a radio promotion course on Udemy
While Reddit is not a traditional music streaming platform, many subreddits like /r/Music/ have huge untapped potential. Sharing your music on Reddit can help you create your own community and interact with your audience in a way that no other community can provide.
This can help you build a strong and personal relationship with your fans, which in turn can help you create what they actually desire. This is the perfect platform to gain feedback, interact with fans, and grow your own music community. You’re also able to create your own subreddit and build a bigger outreach community.
Pandora
Don’t forget about Pandora and radio as a whole! Pandora is not as popular as they once were, but they still host millions of listeners. Pandora still is able to compete with Spotify in the music streaming industry and it is crucial that you establish and create your presence on this platform.
Plus, Pandora has an open music submission system, which in turn can help you self-publish and promote your music. Once your music is approved, you can create your very own Pandora station. This can help you in reaching out to a wider range of audiences and create your own exclusive radio station!
Conclusion
So get out there and give them your individual attention.
Each platform has its own language and way of doing things so a little extra research never did any harm.
Know why you’re using it and perfect your approach.Before you go, remember to mention your favorites (and why they are) in the comment section below. We’d love to hear what you think.
Guest post: Nick Voorhees is an electronic music producer and the owner of the music industry start-up Melody Nest. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Icon Collective College of Music, and has been working in the music industry for nearly 10 years.
(Before you go… make sure you get access to my music promotion resources in “The Vault” by clicking here or on the image below)
Most Recommended Marketing Tools and Services For DIY Musicians
Indie Bible – This 330-page music marketing Swiss Army Knife will show you how to get access to 4000 music publications willing to do reviews, 3200 radio stations willing to play your songs along with 1200 other resources looking to help you get the word out. They have also been adding resources to help you find playlist curators to help you get more streams on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Click here to check out the Indie Bible.
Fangage – If you are looking to start growing and monetizing your audience or if you are looking for a Patreon alternative check out Fangage. It is a great all-in-one platform to host your website, collect fan emails and monetize your music. Its pretty cool. Click here to get a free 14 day trial.
TubeBuddy – Just started testing this, but damn, the handy optimization tools alone saved me a ton of time already. So much to love for marketing geeks like me. They have a feature-filled free tier. If you do any YouTube Marketing you'll see the value instantly. Try it here and you'll see. Its a no-brainer!
