Marketing Strategy for a Single Release of an Independent Artist : Researching and Planning an Effective Digital Marketing Campaign for 2lyn in the Music Streaming Era

Abstract

The digital transformation of the music industry in a form of emergence of streaming platforms, has shifted the way artists reach audiences, with digital marketing, namely social media now playing a central role in music promotion, thus empowering artists to release their work without relying on major record labels and resulting in increased number of independent artists on the market. However, many independent artists struggle to navigate the current digital landscape due to the lack of access to practical, effective and cost-efficient frameworks. This thesis explores effective marketing practices for artists in the music streaming era, the golden age with great opportunities for independent artists, with a practical focus on the “fake smile” single marketing campaign of commissioning artist 2lyn, an emerging independent artist.

The conducted research with a mixed-methods approach, combines both quantitative and qualitative data from an online survey, targeting global music consumers to understand social media habits and music discovery behaviour, and semi-structured interviews with two successful independent artists that provided insight into artist practices and effective content strategies. The findings suggest that consistent posting of audience-tailored short-form video content across platform like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, as well as leveraging of playlisting and branding activities are key components for an effective campaign that aims to maximize artists reach and engagement.

This thesis highlighted the growing importance of strong online presence, visual storytelling, algorithmic timing and fan engagement. Combined with the insights from conducted 2lyn’s current brand and audience analysis, as well as the supporting data gathered from the literature review, a marketing plan for 2lyn’s single release was designed and presented. Ultimately, the research aimed to develop a comprehensive, scalable and reusable marketing strategy template that 2lyn and other independent artists can apply for any future projects. The resulting framework offers a practical guide for musicians seeking recognition and commercial success in a present-day oversaturated music industry market, while also indicating potential areas for future research.