Talent agencies, management firms and music publishing companies are increasingly doing the marketing job that used to be handled by major record labels, helped along by the transparency and abundance of data derived from social media, digital service providers, live-streamers and audience engagement sites such as Shazam and TikTok.
Wasserman Music, agency home for Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, recently reorganized its service with a new Artist Marketing & Digital Strategy department, consisting of separate departments for Tour Marketing, Digital Strategy, Ticketing and Live Streaming under the SVP Marketing Sam Alpert with incoming Director Digital Strategy Sam Benfey, who joined from Paradigm Talent Agency and Sr. Director Strategy Mary Prior, focused on Web3.
Alpert points to the increasing importance of social media and digital technology in artist development, specifically tour marketing – selling tickets to live concerts — which is the primary goal of Wasserman Music. “It’s where artists build their communities and their fan bases,” he says. “And even though they don’t own that data, that’s where the audience is. Between 80-90% of our marketing budget, which we get from the promoters, goes to social media and digital advertising. We coach them to present the most authentic, organic version of themselves to their audience.”
Benfey suggests that not any one platform is sufficient, but multiple outlets should be used to spread their message. “Just being across all the platforms, having them all connected, is very important. Someone might discover you in one place and then follow you to another. It’s an attention deficit economy... We’re all competing for eyes and ears and time, but engagement is key.”
“The approach has to match the platform,” adds Alpert. “What works best on TikTok? Natural, organic content, not shiny, sparkly ads and videos. You have to be genuine, authentic and real. The audience is very savvy in that way.”
The biggest issue facing artist development is breaking through the clutter, according to Benfey. “You have to provide new content all the time, but that can lead to burnout,” he admits. “There are best practices for each platform that activate the algorithms to send you to the top of the pile.”
Alpert says the most direct way for artists to reach their audience is to gather mobile numbers for text messages, “because there are no spam filters on an iPhone, not yet anyway,” but harvesting email addresses is still important, too.
Livestreaming companies like Mandolin, Live Nation’s Veeps and Moment House — which flourished during the pandemic when live touring ground to a halt — are increasingly moving into empowering artists with the data they collect.
“We found those artists that already had an audience in the digital space could best take competitive advantage of livestreaming,” adds Benfey.
What both Alpert and Benfey agree on is that new media has completely marginalized the traditional outlets of radio, television and print, except for classic rock or veteran artists who appeal to an older audience.
“You have to recognize your demo,” says Alpert. “For some older fans, the New York Times and Good Morning America still matter. Digital is so appealing because you can really track conversions. You can see the impact of those ads.”
“It’s like that old marketing trope,” laughs Benfey. “I know half of my ad budget worked; I just don’t know which half.”
Alpert is high on Spotify, who recently announced a ticketing initiative, in terms of doing pre-sales. “I think it’s a natural progression,” he says. “They’re a good partner in complementing our marketing efforts, as is Google with YouTube. But neither Apple nor Amazon is as active on the touring side.”
In the end, though, even with all the marketing tools and data at their disposal, if the artist isn’t producing compelling songs, it’s a non-starter.
“Content is king,” nods Benfey. “There is no special sauce to create a viral hit. If I knew the formula, I’d be a very rich man.”