CD Baby has a list of 50 things they suggest artists do to promote their music, and WordPlay T. Jay has whittled that list down to a top 10 for musicians looking for ways to grow their audience and brand.

10. Submit to Spotify playlists

This can be tedious but is an important step to promoting music on Spotify. It is also important to have your fans add your music to their playlists. Spotify has confirmed added songs have a greater chance of appearing in discover weekly, and playlist additions also typically see more repeated plays.

9. Do a weekly or monthly live stream

This is a great way to connect with fans. Whether you make beats, play an instrument, sing or have another talent, show your fans what you do and how you do it to connect with them and build that relationship.

8. Do cover songs

This tip may not necessarily be for hip-hop artists, as there is some licensing involved, but you can do cover songs on YouTube to gain views and attention, possibly new fans. Songs may be flagged by content ID or asked by the original creator to be removed. But, if done properly, covers can be a great audience-building tool.

7. Make music videos

Music videos are an opportunity for you to be creative and unique in front of a camera and give people another connection to your music they do not get solely from the audio. Use whatever budget you can and do the best with the equipment you have.

6. Collaborate with others

Collabs allow you to spread the wealth and share audiences with someone who may have a different audience than you, but also have some overlap.

5. Use Facebook ads

This takes a little training before getting going so you make the most out of your budget. You should spend at least $150 a month on Facebook ads and use them to reach new eyes and ears. Check out more on how to use Facebook ads with this tutorial.

4. Do how-to videos and interview other artists

Create weekly content for things like how to grow an audience, how to play an instrument, how to write songs, etc. Do things that people on YouTube will search for to help you gain exposure.

3. Schedule social media posts

Along with Facebook ads and weekly content, schedule posts to your social media to keep your fans engaged. You can use tools like Facebook Business Suite, Buffer or Hootsuite to help you manage your posting schedule.

2. Perform live

Live performances give a different avenue to connect with audiences and after each show, you should see interest in your brand grow. Just make sure you have your online presence in line and your brand ready for that exposure.

1. Build relationships online and offline

Talk to and interact with other musicians, fans and your audience. If you get comments or DMs, reply. Be open to communication and build a trust and love between you and your fans.

BONUS: Sign up for Pandora Amp. This is a free way for you to promote new music for up to 8 weeks!

For more about music and brand promotion, check out the video below!