Lateral Thinking: Stop Promoting Yourself

This article is built around a single insight.  The artists I talk to who already have an online footprint and already did everything in the $0 Promotional Plan are facing a new question: What in the hell am I supposed to PUT on my website, blog, facebook and mother-effing twitter account? The nutshell answer: you use your platform to promote your fellow DIY hip hop artists.  This is a fundamental win/win situation—you get more content, they get more promotion, and the world is a better place. 

The Basic Promotional Template

...we looked at every successful artist. We pored over charts in industry magazines going back decades, looking for commonality. And what we found was that anyone who was successful was not isolated. Besides a couple of one-hit wonders in the ‘60s, every big act was part of a larger movement. The Beatles were by no means by themselves. The British Invasion also meant that you had the Stones, the Kinks, The Who.

So around ‘97 or ‘98, when we went to Geffen, we told them upfront that the only way this was gonna work was if we could be like Noah and bring a bunch of other complementary artists on board with us.

--?uestlove from Indy Week

If you think the music you make is totally unique, allow me give you some valuable advice: stop deluding yourself. You’re just ignorant and you need to do some research and actually pay attention to other hip hop artists.  I know that’s hard.  I spend so much time working on my own material that it’s usually a pain in the ass to get caught up on new artists, or check out the endless names that random folks recommend to me.  This is business, though, and you need to be aware of your competition before they steal your fanbase, your momentum and your lunch.

Fact is, there’s a lot of artists who sound like you and they’ve all got websites and blogs and albums, too.  It’s also a safe bet that 99% of them are struggling with the same daily grind, uphill climb bullshit that you are.  Everyone is looking for some free promo, some good reviews, some new audience.  Give it to them. This is not charity, this is smart strategy.

IMPLEMENT: sit down and make a list of the rappers and hip hop acts you like and respect.  Local dudes, cats you’ve done shows with, veterans you look up to.  Basically, people you can recommend honestly as quality music.  This is your foundation.  Up next, we’ll look at an example of how to build on that.

Case Study: Inverse

One of the best examples I’ve seen is LA rappers Inverse. You won’t be able to replicate their recipe, because they’ve already done it perfectly and you will come off as a shameless biter.  It’s still worth looking over their formula, though.

Inverse clearly started out by deciding exactly where they wanted to go. They mapped out the larger scene they wanted to become a part of and the news coverage at their blog—Inverse Hip Hop—reflects that map.  They offer a LOT of hip hop news, new music and video content, but it’s a very specific style of hip hop they’re covering.

Also notice their “blogroll,” or list of links.  They’ve summarized a pretty complete directory of hip hop subculture blogs, and it weighs in at over 100 outbound links. For a focused site like Audible Hype, I keep my links restricted to the best material I can refer people to, but for an artist promotional site like Inverse Hip Hop, this is definitely a sound strategy to put yourself on a lot of radar screens, quickly.

The Logical Extreme: Promote Everyone

I’m working on a book about everything I talk about here on Audible Hype.  It’s going to be so good that I’ll give it away for free and still sell many thousands of physical copies.  To get my brain organized, I wanted to avoid the trap of repeating myself here on Audible Hype, and approach things more systematically.  I’ve created a separate site, DIY hip hop, that’s strictly devoted to outlining everything in FAQ format. In the past year, my thinking has been heavily influenced by The Black Swan, the concept and practice of Information Architecture, and about seven hundred struggling rappers, producers, DJs, and self-styled executives. 

Remember: I present myself as charitable because I like to think of myself that way.  You could look at this more cynically and say it was inspired by the Dosh Dosh concept of setting up “Funnel Sites” to drive traffic to your main projects.  Through that lens, then, DIY Hip Hop is just a marketing plan with a charity mask on—like a religion or a hospital. 

THE QUESTIONS SO FAR

How can I get more shows?
How can I make sure I get PAID for gigs?
Should I get a record deal?
What hip hop websites matter?
How do I break into the global hip hop market?
How do I get my music reviewed?
Does radio play still matter?
How do I get on soundscan/billboard charts?

An Open Question to Audible Hype Readers

What do you want to see covered on Audible Hype for the rest of 2008? What questions would you like to see covered in the DIY Hip Hop FAQ?  Why isn’t there a community for hip hop entrepreneurs and artists to talk shop and teach one another, instead of posing, fronting and talking shit?  I have a lot of questions, and I’m sure you do, too.

LET A MAMMAL KNOW.