Ever wonder how musicians receive editorial features and spotlights on platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Beatport, etc.? These happen through feature placements, which must be requested via your label or distributor (and sometimes this is feasible on your own).
How does one get a feature placement with Symphonic, you ask? Fear not indies, we’ll give you all the deets below!
How to Access the Feature Request Form
Located within Symphonic’s Management System is the feature request form that you will need to fill out for each release you would like submitted for consideration. To access this form you must log in to your account > Distribute > View Releases > Go to the desired release and click Promote under the Features tab. You should arrive here:
Once you get to the form, you’ll be prompted with various questions concerning your release, such as:
-Radio support
-DJ Support
-Where do you plan to post about this release? Please indicate the number of followers on Facebook, Twitter, newsletter, etc.
-Please highlight key marketing efforts and promotions specific to this release. Include marketing budget, development cost, premieres, PR and promotional services used, early media coverage, etc.
What to Include
Here’s where to pay close attention: the details you provide us with have a high correlation with the probability of your music being selected. We require that you be as specific and detail-oriented as possible. If you have DJ support, list out the DJ’s name and how they will be supporting (DJ charts, shares on social media, social media following, etc.). Make sure to include your marketing budget as well as how it was/will be allocated. Additional details to include:
-Tour dates and location
-Radio appearances
-Interviews
-Sponsorships
-Playlist features
-Television appearances
-Social media follower count (for your sites, as well as remixers/featured artists)
-Music reviews
-Podcast appearances
Deadlines
In addition to being explicit with your marketing plan, we also have a strict deadline for feature request submissions. Your feature request form must be submitted at least 1 month prior to your release date. Please note that the prior deadline of 18 days has been changed. This is to ensure that our marketing team, as well as Digital Service Providers, are given enough to time to properly submit and review your work.
If you’d like to be proactive, you can update your distributor a week before the release goes live with any additional support or premieres you have secured, online or offline. Later, once the release is live, you can update us again with any updates of the support the release has received to date.
Hope this was helpful, indies! If you have any follow-up questions, be sure to hit us up at marketing@symphonicdistribution.com. Stay tuned for a follow-up post, which will give insight on best practices for landing a DSP feature.
Until next time!
| PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC |
This is all very well symphonic but this article in essence assumes that we as indie artists have a huge marketing machinery behind us, like a label, pr agency, radio plugger etc. If we had all these things then why would we self release? How do we get featured without all the above?
Hi there! We would recommend that regardless of your budget and marketing plan you have around the release, communicate all promo details and social media reach to us. With playlisting being so popular these days you never know if the music catches an editors attention. We have seen releases from artists that don’t have a huge following, but the quality of the music is there and it gets supported in playlists. Hope that helps!