You Have To Share To Grow - Tools for Growing Your Indie Fan Base

Finding a hidden gem of a song, isn't it so satisfying!? Being able to be the 1st of your friends to pass along something you know they will love, and probably would have never found on their own, is glorious. Now being an indie musician, this is your dream every morning you wake up. You are praying for people to share your music. You want little viral bugs out there working for you.

People find new music in a variety of ways. Some wait for the music to hit popular radio, some search the internet and music blogs, and Pandora is one way many people find their music, but for songwriters and musicians just starting out or with limited fan bases, it can be tough to get added to their rotation. Now don't get me wrong, Pandora is an absolute fantastic way to discover new music, and put your own little playlist together. But what if there were cool services like this for newbie Indie musicians. Insert Noisetrade, Tweetforatrack, and Tweetmysong. There are also apps for Facebook like Bandpage, and you can also allow people to download your playlists or songs through Soundcloud.

Where these sites, and apps excel, is in taking the process a step further than say a Pandora, and puts Social/viral sharing on hyper drive. The sites essentially encourage, and allow potential fans to download your music for free, for sharing it with their social network. Because who else is better to tell people about music, than their friends. Noisetrade, does a little more, in that it has a whole site dedicated to new artists, and is like your best friend that has the best music. It also allows for tipping, if someone really likes your music.

For independent artists sharing is like liquid gold, and for fans, it's a safe easy way to discover new artists, and share that with their friends.

Don't like the idea of giving away your music for free? Just look up what Derek Webb did with this model. Bet you rethink your entire strategy.

Give your fans something, and they will take over the work for you! Simply remember that the goal is to be heard. Concentrate on letting people hear your music, and build a relationship with them. People want you to succeed, but if your brand new, they want to know what you are all about. Offering them a free track, or EP, will entice them to help you along your journey. And allows you to have a new fan to approach with each new masterpiece you produce.