5 Reasons Why No One Listens To Your Music (And How To Overcome Them)

So you’ve been making music for a while and your songs aren’t getting the listens they should be. It’s a conundrum that many artists find themselves in. With the industry becoming even more saturated with music it’s harder than ever to get your music played. Below I list 5 reasons your songs aren’t getting the listens they should be along with solutions on how to overcome them.  

Your Music Isn’t Good

This is the most obvious reason, but also the most difficult to identify. Artist can either be too critical or not critical enough of themselves and their music. The troubling part is that asking for feedback from friends and family are often even less helpful. The only real way to tell if your music is good is by letting complete strangers hear you. Send your music to producers, radio stations, and influencers in your area and wait for their feedback.

And then there is this:

If you really think you got a quality song on your hand, don’t ask, tell. Send your songs to influencers with confident (not arrogant) messages and wait to hear back from them. When they confirm your thoughts, you now have proof outside of yourself that your song is hot. Get permission to use their remarks for a review or ask them to give you a shoutout on social media. With a little social proof, others will begin singing your praises as well.

Your Audience Isn’t Interested

Is there a disconnect between your music and the people you want to hear it? I’ve heard a lot of artists say things like, “My music is something that everyone can listen to.” Oh.. If only that were true. The fact of the matter is until you get a serious understanding of who your audience is, your music will only reach so far. Take a serious look at your content and ask yourself, who would benefit from hearing this? Or better yet, who could relate to this? Music is about getting people to identify with you. Your pain, your fears, your joys, and your… addictions? If you don’t know how to go about finding your target audience look at those who already follow you. Find out who else they listen to and then find out who else listens to that artist. Market your music to those individuals and watch your plays sore.

No One Knows Who You Are

Are you doing the footwork? It’s common to think that your track plays are a reflection of your social media followers but in reality, it’s the other way around. To become more visible as an artist you have to get out from behind the computer and show yourself. Local showcases are great places to network as well as getting the much-needed experience performing. Getting the right people to know who you are can be more beneficial than getting 1,000 plays.

Your Inconsistent

How often do you release new content? As a budding star, you absolutely have to keep your audience’s attention with new content. Without new content, you will fade into the background as the other artist in your lane take your listeners. Having little opportunity to record is NO excuse if you are serious about your career. Either rearrange some priorities or be smarter about how you release content, which takes me to my last point.

You Don’t Have A Strategy

Shooting blind can be good when you’re just getting started and need to get a little momentum going. But eventually to get to the next level you (and hopefully your team) need to develop a strategy. Your strategy is your game plan to get from where you are to where you want to be. The best strategies are derived from;

• Knowledge of the industry
• Knowledge about your competitors
• Understanding your audience
• Understanding your abilities

Creating and implementing a brilliant strategy is the backbone of any successful business or brand. Develop a strategy around your releases, your marketing, and your image and stick to it. Patience is a virtue, dedicate yourself to a powerful strategy and give yourself a year. Not only will your views rise but you may find yourself in an entirely different world from the one you’re in now.