Whether you like it or not, social media are part of the everyday life of musicians today. Probably the most important platform at the moment is one that had the reputation of not being particularly relevant to musicians for a long time: Instagram.

Instagram: Only for narcissists?

For many, Insta is no more than a place for self-promotion and trivial videos.

That may even be true, but then it is simply a reflection of our time. But the fact is, Instagram has very active users, is growing constantly and fast and is especially popular with younger users who are turning their backs on Facebook more and more.

This has to be accepted and you have to try to use Insta for your purposes and not just as a social media tool, but as a marketing instrument.

Instagram for musicians: One tool among many

Instagram is ultimately a tool for musicians to build a personal and emotional relationship with their fans by letting them participate in (artist) life through photos and videos.

Even though Instagram is very simple and limited in its functions, there are still many things to consider and optimize.

How to use Instagram properly as a musician

We’ve put together some tips to help you use Instagram more effectively and expand your fanbase…

Set links in Instagram correctly

Instagram helps musicians to tie the fanbase and also to gain new listeners. But of course Insta is also supposed to help to move sales and streams upwards. But especially here Instagram does not make it easy for musicians, because the use of links is enormously limited.

Where can you even use links?

• In the Bio exactly one link can be inserted.
• You can also add URLs to posts, but then they are not linked.
• By means of buying ads, which costs money even though Instagram is basically even cheaper than the parent company Facebook or Adwords.

It is therefore important to always adapt the link in the Bio to the current events. Is the new album released? Then insert the Link Site! Did the new video go online? Then post the YouTube link!

Of course you can also insert URLs in the posts, but probably only few people will take the trouble to copy the URL and paste it in a new window.

We’ve done a lot of research, but we still found some ways for musicians to use and promote their music on Instagram Links.

Setting Spotify Links in Instagram Stories

Since May 2018 it is possible to provide Instagram Stories with a Spotify link. For this you need the Instragram app and the one from Spotify. There you can search for the song you want to share. Then you choose “Share” and then “Instagram Stories”. Now you can add lyrics, emojis or filters. Finally you choose “Your Story” and the story appears including a “Play on Spotify” link.

A very smart way to work around the link problem is to post the logos of the shops as a story and finally mark them as highlights so that they appear directly below the bio. You can find out how to put stories as highlights under the bio here.

But now comes the problem: At the moment it is not possible for everyone to add links to his stories. Either you have to have a verified account or you have to have a large number of followers (estimated 10,000, but Instagram does not name exact numbers). Currently, however, Instagram only verifies accounts of persons or companies (indicated by the blue check mark next to their name) that are at high risk of being copied. However, it certainly can’t hurt to ask Instagram support if you can verify your account.

If you have managed to verify your account, the disadvantage remains that the “Learn more” button is used very discreetly and probably overlooked by many. So here a hint to the link can’t hurt.

Another option is the link tool developed by Metricool: https://metricool.com/instagram-links/

Learn from the best: Look at other artists on Instagram

It is always worth learning from other artists.
So check out the accounts of your favorite bands and find out how they keep their fans engaged.

What content do they post, what hashtags are used and what special features do they use? It’s the same as with music: copying is forbidden, but inspiring is always desired.

Using hashtags on Instagram as musicians

Hashtags are much more important on Instagram than on Facebook and are not only used as a conversation method. Instagram users regularly use hashtags to find new people to follow. Instagram’s search function is also based on the hashtags that are used most often. So you should give some thought to the hashtags you use.

As a general rule, you should not set too many hashtags (up to 30 are possible per post), but at least two per post. To get as many new followers as possible using hashtags, they should be relevant and up-to-date.

Here you can find out which hashtags are trendy at the moment. To find out which of your used hashtags worked well, there are various analysis tools, but more about that in the next point.

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Use analysis tools for Instagram

If you invest a lot of time in your social media platforms, you want to know which of the measures you have taken are successful and what you can avoid. Various analysis tools help to further optimize the appearance on social media.

With these tools you can find out which posts are particularly well received, which hashtags work or where the fans have interacted particularly well. Of course you can also find out a lot about your followers and there are also valuable hints how to increase the number of followers.

Further, many of these tools help you to find out exactly when it is best to post something. Both the day and the time of day can have a big impact on how many of your fans actually notice the post.

In addition, there is the possibility of scheduling. Especially if you have a clear plan, but do not have the possibility to go online at any time, such a tool can make life easier.

List of recommended analysis tools on Instagram

Some examples of such analysis tools are:

https://pro.iconosquare.com/
https://hootsuite.com
https://sproutsocial.com/
https://squarelovin.com

Not enough? Here are some more links.

Of course, most of these tools are not free, but in most cases you can test them for free before you pay anything.

Make a gift to your fans on Instagram

Who doesn’t like to win something! Instagram is also a great place to raffle off albums, downloads, t-shirts or concert tickets. Of course, ideally such a contest should also provide a good buzz or generate new followers. Therefore, it is also important to think carefully about which hashtags you want to use.

Further it needs a good, expressive picture and of course the price should also be worth something. Finally, it should be made as easy as possible for the fans to participate in the competition. Tools that help with the execution of contests are among others:

https://www.wishpond.com/hashtag-contest/
https://woobox.com/photocontests
https://gleam.io/instagram

Sync or not?

Of course it is convenient to synchronize Instagram directly with Facebook and Twitter. But if your fans follow you on all platforms, it can soon get on their nerves to see exactly the same content everywhere. So you should only post selected posts on all platforms and have a different strategy and direction for each page.

Use all possibilities as a musician on Instagram

As mentioned in the beginning, Instagram for musicians doesn’t offer dozens of features. However, those that have been added in recent years should be used occasionally. Besides photos and videos (up to 60 seconds), these are also Instagram Stories, where you can pack several photos and videos into one story. They disappear again after 24 hours. As mentioned above, under certain circumstances you can link or highlight them, so that they are not immediately gone again. Within the stories you can also insert polls (click on the smiley and then select “Poll”). So you can find out the opinion of fans about a certain topic.

A relatively new feature is Instagram Live. Here you can go live on air for up to an hour. Unlike on Facebook, this live recording is not saved in your profile afterwards. Nevertheless, this is a good tool to get in touch with the fans directly. They can also comment live and you can get in touch directly.

Again, it is important to have at least a rough plan of what you want to use this live connection for and to include a “Call to Action”.

Use Instagram Live for exclusive content, announce breaking news or alert your followers to special promotions. As mentioned before, it’s also a way to get direct feedback from your fans.

Do you have questions about Instagram for musicians?

Then contact our support at [email protected] or write us in the chat.

Becoming a verified artist at Spotify has never been easier! Until now you had to have 250 followers but now the offer is open to all artists and labels.

Verification of your Spotify account is easy

It’s easy to get yourself verified.

Go to the following link and answer the questions that will ensure that you are authorized to access. A few days later you are a verified artist. You can tell by the small blue check mark on your profile.

Why do I have to be a verified artist?

There are several reasons for this. Probably the most important ones are the playlists. Basically you can also be included in playlists as a non-verified artist, but the chance is much smaller. If you are verified, you will be taken more seriously, rather taken up by algorithms or even selected by the spotify curators.

Use Verified Artist Features

As a verified artist you can also make use of various features.

Insert profile picture and bio

For example, you have the possibility to insert an artist profile picture or your biography. You can also add your tour dates and even your merchandise.

Share playlists

You can also share playlists directly with your fans. You have the possibility to place songs, albums or playlists on top of your profile (Artist’s Pick).

Evaluate song analyses

Particularly valuable are the detailed analyses of your Top 1000 songs, with which you can find out exactly who is listening to your music.

More information can be found here.

Start your artist profile at Spotify

Even if you don’t need 250 followers anymore, it’s still worth motivating people to follow you on Spotify. Therefore, integrate your Spotify profile wherever you can, whether on your website, in the description of your videos or on social media.

Who has already delivered some releases to the shops via iGroove may have already received a message from us regarding the music cover quality. Even if one or the other might have felt so: No, we don’t do this for fun or for sadistic or other dark motives. The reason why we regularly have to reject cover images is simple: the shops have defined rules that we have to follow.

Cover up: Streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify are picky

One of these rules says that the music cover image must be delivered in the size 3000 x 3000 (see iTunes under point 17, similar to Spotify). Especially because of this admittedly quite opulent size many of the submitted music covers fail as they are pixelated.

Our tips for a good cover image

Here are some tips from our in-house graphic designer on how to avoid this:

• It makes no sense to artificially extrapolate the images. Even the starting material must have the right size and quality.
• Take care not to distort the album or single images (e.g. to turn a 4000×2000 image into a 3000×3000 image).
• If an image is to be blurred as a stylistic device, make sure that all other elements (typography, logos, etc.) are sharp.
• Many problems start with the image material. Take the pictures with a good camera and in optimal quality.
• If you scan these images then also in the highest possible resolution / quality.
• Note that cover images can be compressed when sent (e.g. via Skype), so there is a loss of quality.
• In programs as for example Photoshop use the colour mode RGB (for screen) and not CMYK (for print).
• Save the cover image in jpg format.

Album cover as an art form

That was all a bit regulatory and technical, because actually a cover is (or at least could be) one thing above all: art. A nice album cover is part of the whole artwork and ideally completes your music. Unfortunately, in our daily work we also encounter many lovelessly designed cover images. These artists seem to forget that in most cases a consumer – whether in a record store, at Spotify or iTunes – first sees the cover of your work before checking out the music.

I don’t know about you but I’ve already listened to many releases just because I liked the cover although I’ve never heard of the artist before. The opposite can also be the case; an ugly album cover or one that doesn’t fit with the music can keep many people from giving your songs a chance in the first place.        

An artwork is part of the release

As mentioned above, it can be that your release doesn’t even make it so far that consumers can decide whether to listen to it or not. Specifically, when the shops (or we as a stopover to them) reject the artwork.

As said before, many cover images fail because of the quality. But there are also some other points you have to consider:

• The information on the cover must match the information you provide to us in the system. If you enter “Cats On The Street” as album title, the cover should not say “Cats”.
• If you release a single, you may not simply use the album cover again. Each release needs a separate cover image.
• All the information about the artists and features must match. If there is a feature on the cover, this must also be specified in the metadata.
• If you cover the Beatles (basically covers are a tricky topic – but let’s talk about that later) you can’t simply put the faces of Paul, John, Ringo and whatever the fourth one was called on the cover of your work.
• Anything you don’t own the rights to has no place on the album or single cover. This is especially true for logos of brands. You’re the proud owner of a Gucci purse or Yeezy sneakers – we’re happy for you, but it doesn’t belong on the cover. The borrowed Bentley doesn’t belong on the cover either nor does your beloved Hennessy bottle and just because you claim to have founded the Wu-Tang-Chapter of Plymouth doesn’t give you the right to plant the Wu logo on your artwork. If you are unsure, ask us first if it is possible (in most cases the answer is: No).
• It is important that you also mark the explicit songs as such in the metadata, but the “Parental Advisory” note on the cover image is not mandatory. It can of course only be used if at least one song of the release is marked as “explicit”.
• Contact information has nothing to do on the cover picture. You can store these in your artist profiles.
• Advertising messages belong on banners but not on covers. So don’t post messages like “buy my album now” or messages like “available now”.
• Also the product format must not be mentioned, e.g. CD, vinyl or digital.
• Exept your own and your label’s, logos don’t belong on the cover. Especially not those of shops like Spotify, iTunes, Amazon etc.. It must also not be mentioned in the text (e.g. Now available at Spotify).
• Barcodes: These belong on the back of a physical product and not on the cover of a digital release.
• It’s also not allowed to put the price of the release on the cover picture (now only 1 Euro). Also forbidden are references like “Free”.
• Pornographic images and other obscenities will also be rejected.
• Right-wing extremist artworks will not only be rejected, the artist will also be banned for life at iGroove.

After these many prohibitions now some things you may do, to loosen up the situation:

• There are also various rules for album and song titles (e.g. not everything may be written in capital letters). “But Kendrick is allowed to do that too! – You are not Kendrick”). The good news is: On the cover you can write everything as you like.
• As mentioned above, each release needs a separate cover. However, it is allowed to use the same image several times as long as the text change (e.g. for singles).
• It is also possible to upload a cover without any text. This image must not be used a second time unless text is added.
• Under certain conditions it’s allowed to put the name of the artist you cover (the cover topic is tricky but we already had that…) on the cover if: :
• – It’s a tribute release and not just a one-off cover
• – Your artist name is noted larger than the one you cover
• – The note “Tribute to” is larger written than the name of the covered artist
• If you want to release a karaoke release (our tip: don’t do it) you have to add following to the cover: “Originally performed by ….”.

Our last tip: Don’t just tinker something on any programs yourself but get a professional! Not only for creative reasons it is worth working with a graphic designer, but also to avoid unnecessary delays due to poor quality of the artwork.