How to Promote Your Music During the Holiday Season

‘Tis the season to be jolly and promote your music, too. The holiday season has long been an important time of year in the music industry. According to experts, 20 percent of music sales happen during the final six weeks of the year. So, in addition to spreading good cheer, it’s also the perfect time to flex your music marketing muscles, increase your sales, and lay the groundwork for a successful new year!

As an independent artist, promoter, or label, mastering music marketing may still be out of your wheelhouse, but we at Mirada Media bring you the gift of music marketing tactics to help you promote your music during the holiday season. Check out our tips below!

Release a Holiday Single

No holiday season is complete without a festive single to accompany it. Sure, this one is a bit cliché, and everyone from your little cousin to chart-topping artists has a holiday single, but it’s one of the best ways to promote your music during the holiday season. You can cover one of your favorite holiday songs or pick one from your childhood and record your own rendition.

If you want to give yourself a fun challenge or feeling inspired by the holiday spirit, write and record your own original song. And if you’re feeling extra cheery, you can release it for free. It’s not only an excellent way to ring in the season, but it’s also a tried and true way to introduce new listeners to your music — especially if it’s popular enough to find its way onto local radio stations or music streaming playlists.

Have a Sale on Music and Merch

Let’s face it; there’s always a music lover in the family. And if you can’t think of anyone, the chances are that family music lover is probably you. Think about how excited you get when others introduced you to new music or gifted you cool band swag. By having a holiday sale on your music and merchandise, you create new opportunities to grow your fanbase, for example, through others who might see your logo around town and discover your sound.

You can even create special holiday designs to sell. And be sure to take advantage of the holiday shopping madness by bundling your music and merch together as a gift set. It’s truly a great way to promote your music during the holiday season.

Make Sure Your Music Can Be Found

Believe it or not, some people don’t listen to Christmas music during the holidays, and there’s also a population of people who get sick of holiday music by December 1st. You can rescue these listeners by having your music available on every streaming platform you can think of (who knows, you might have fans in the Philippines!).

You can also use music platforms or websites to promote your music during the holiday season with ads. Run 30-second promos on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music to inform fans of your new music release. You can also run banner ads on the websites your fans use to discover new music such as Complex, Billboard, Stereogum, and Pitchfork.

Give Back to Your Community

The holidays are all about giving to others and sharing our talents with those in need. So, what better way to spread holiday cheer than to use your music to benefit others? There are many ways to give back, including playing music to raise money for local and national charities and joining forces with fellow musicians to build or buy items for families and kids in need.

Not only does helping others warm your heart and soul, but it’s also an indirect way to promote your music during the holiday season. People take notice of who’s involved in their community and willing to help others, and sometimes that puts a positive spin on your brand image. And who knows? Those who would have otherwise ignored your music may actually give it a listen.

A bonus way to give back is by thanking your most loyal fans. There’s always that fan (or, in your case, fans) who go above and beyond to show you support. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to them and giving them tickets to your next show, inviting them for a meet and greet, or just sending them a token of your appreciation.

Host a Holiday Special

Although the COVID-19 pandemic may limit the number of in-person gatherings that can be held, hosting virtual events will always be a viable option. Fire up YouTube, Instagram Live, Twitch, among other virtual venues, and bust out the holiday music. Don’t be afraid to get as creative as you want with your event, like having a family or band member make a guest appearance as Santa or an elf or going live every week to cover a different Christmas song complete with silly decorations.

These events allow you the opportunity to showcase your sound and personality while gaining exposure. If people enjoy your special, they’re more likely to promote you and future events. It’s easily one of the best ways to promote your music during the holiday season without being obvious! We highly recommend including a link so that people can discover more of your music and share it with others. Sweeten the deal a little further by giving out free t-shirts or early access to new music for attending.

Send Out Postcards

How about making a personal connection while you promote your music during the holiday season? Sending out virtual postcards is a surefire way to do so. Fans love knowing that their favorite artists are thinking about them and appreciate their support. Be sure to incorporate a sample of your music and a heartfelt note detailing what makes them so special. It’s a small gesture that will always have a significant impact. If you’re currently working on a project, including details about how the recording process is going, or give them a sneak peek at what you have so far. We guarantee your fans will be excited about what’s on the way in the coming months.

Create a Holiday Playlist

As Andy Williams’ classic song suggests, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and no holiday season is complete without a playlist to get people in the spirit. Everyone has their definition of what makes a good holiday playlist, so why not share yours? Take the time to curate your favorite holiday tunes and craft a playlist that fans can enjoy. You can score many different situations, from dinner party ambiance and cooking music to festive pop hits and a mellow Mo-Town vibe. You can even sneak in a track or two of your own if they fit. You’re in charge of setting the mood!

Check out Spotify’s “Soulful Christmas” playlist here!

Invite Fans to Share Content

The holiday season is celebrated in many ways, and one fun way to get in the spirit is to engage your fans by inviting them to share their holiday celebrations on social media. You can team up with social media sites to create a unique hashtag or filter that plays your holiday track and have fans use it in their posts and stories. It’s the perfect way to both promote your music during the holiday season and strengthen your relationship with your fans.

They can share ugly sweater and family photos, selfies in front of their decorations, show off their city’s holiday traditions, document the mounds of food they eat, and more, all to the soundtrack of your songs.

Mirada Media

The holiday season is also one of the most important times of the year for the music industry. There are so many different ways to promote your music during the holiday season, and we hope our list of a few fun and festive ways to engage your fans while gaining some new ones makes your days merry and bright!

The perfect companion to your marketing efforts is our SecureMedia API. At Mirada Media, we believe in protecting your music and sensitive documents to not fall into the wrong hands, like those of the Grinch. Through our services, you can encrypt your media and even limit who has access and for how long, limiting the chances of your music prematurely released.

Interested in learning more about SecureMedia or our other services for independent artists? Contact our team today!