Turn it Up: How Music Marketing Uses Signaling to Drive Sales
Amplifying Your Image: How Signaling Can Make or Break Your Music Career
Signaling in advertising and promotion refers to the practice of promoting a product or service as a way of signaling one's social status, wealth, or other attributes. The idea is that by purchasing or using a particular brand or product, an individual is sending a signal about themselves to others.
In Music Marketing, signaling has always been extremely effective. Before social media, to have a new artist photographed in the presence of established artists would already have been enough to get people talking about you. Most artists and labels use signaling strategies to create an aura of prestige and exclusivity around their music and signal its value to potential fans, helping to drive interest, word of mouth, and sales.
Association with high-end brands: An artist might collaborate with a luxury car brand to release a special edition album, complete with a unique packaging design and other premium features. By doing so, the artist is signaling to fans that their music is of high quality and worth paying extra for.
Example: JayZ & Ace Of Spades exclusive champagne brand.
Celebrity endorsements: An up-and-coming artist might secure endorsements from well-known musicians, celebrities, or other public figures to signal to fans that their music is worth paying attention to.
Example: For her debut EP, H.E.R received support from Usher, Tyrese, Pusha T, and Wyclef Jean; labelmates Alicia Keys and Bryson Tiller helped get the word out through Twitter co-signs, shoutouts, and re-posts., Later, Rihanna posted an Instagram clip with H.E.R.'s track "Focus" playing in the background. The clip had been viewed over 5 million times in a short period of time. Additional industry support came from Issa Rae of HBO's Insecure, Taraji P. Henson of Empire, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner.
Award recognition: An artist who has won or been nominated for music awards can use those awards as a signal of the quality of their music to potential fans. For example, an artist might feature their award wins or nominations in their promotional materials or on their social media profiles.
Example: When Billie Eilish won five Grammy Awards in 2020, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist, Billie, and her team used the Grammy wins actively to promote her music further and drive interest in her brand.
Exclusive events: An artist might host exclusive concerts or listening parties for a select group of fans or industry insiders to signal the exclusivity and in-demand status of their music. These events can be used to promote a new album or tour and signal the value of the artist's music to fans and industry professionals alike.
Example: In 2019, Ed Sheeran hosted an exclusive concert for a select group of fans and industry insiders to promote his new album, "No. 6 Collaborations Project." By doing so, he signaled the exclusivity and in-demand status of his music and helped to create an aura of prestige around the album.
High-end packaging: An artist or record label might invest in high-end packaging for a new album release to signal its value to potential fans. For example, a limited edition vinyl release with a unique packaging design and other premium features can signal to fans that the music is of high quality and worth collecting.
Example: In 2020, The Weeknd released a limited edition vinyl of his album "After Hours," complete with unique packaging and exclusive merchandise. This high- end packaging signaled the value and collectibility of the album to fans and helped to drive interest and sales.