Beyond the Breakthrough: What's Next for Artists
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Immanuel Matthews
Media Analyst at Wavo
Wavo Blog: This series shares information that’s most relevant to music marketers around the globe.
“While a big highlight moment has the power to elevate an artist’s career, the way they leverage it – and follow up – is equally, if not more important.”
Context
For an up-and-coming artist in today’s technologically-driven music landscape, a breakthrough moment is highly sought after, as it brings newfound attention and potential new fans to the forefront. But while a big highlight moment has the power to elevate an artist’s career, the way they leverage it – and follow up – is equally, if not more important.
I spoke with a Canadian producer/artist who’s experienced a “breakthrough moment” in their career, to take a closer look at what it’s like to have a song blow up, how it impacted their strategy going forward, and what they learned from it.
“My online following started to grow more quickly after that, so I knew I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to continue to grow.”
Execution
falcxne (fal-cone-ay), an artist and producer from Toronto, is a musician who knows what it’s like to see their music reach a very wide audience in a short amount of time, somewhat unexpectedly.
The Toronto-based musician began his career as a guitarist and vocalist in indie-rock bands in his hometown near Toronto, before falling in love with producing neo-soul and hip-hop instrumentals in 2010. He developed his skills as a musician in every spare moment that he had. falcxne went on to release his first instrumental album in 2013 on Soundcloud, around the peak of the platform’s popularity.
One year later, falcxne decided to submit a track to a well-known online instrumental contest organized by one of Australia’s top producers, Ta-ku. The winner selected by Ta-ku would be featured on Drive Slow Homie Pt.3, the third installment of his popular beat mixtape series, Drive Slow Homie.
With only one year of experience as a producer and fairly low expectations, falcxne went on to win the contest with his submission “Feel Me”, which resulted in the track’s placement on the project. This moment gave the developing musician a newfound sense of accomplishment and confidence, as it quickly brought a wave of new eyes to his social media profiles and short discography. Notably, one of the other artists featured on the Drive Slow Homie Pt.3 mixtape was Breezy Lovejoy – who we know today as the multi-faceted superstar, Anderson Paak.
While falcxne views this moment as a monumental boost early on in his career, he admits that the hardest work came afterward. “I knew I wasn’t going to ‘get lucky’ with this kind of moment again, and my online following started to grow more quickly after that, so I knew I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to continue to grow,” he said.
The Toronto-based artist/producer began to focus more on investing into his social media and marketing, by increasing his engagement on social media, consistently creating fresh and engaging content, and leveraging paid advertising to reach as many potential new fans as possible.
As discussed by our Account Manager Lauren Manley in a past Wavo blog post, “a strong promotional strategy consisting of both paid and organic advertising is key for an artist’s success. This will not only maximize your return on investment, but ensure that important moments make it in front of the audiences who matter the most.”
“An artist’s strategy and consistency are what really provide the fuel”
Key Takeaways
After his viral moment, falcxne also prioritized growing his network of passionate, like-minded creatives by attending music-related events, building connections on social media, and collaborating more frequently. But looking back, he realizes that even more of his time and resources should have been spent investing into his social media and marketing.
“I’m focusing a lot more on my marketing now, but it would have been even better if I had started putting more energy into it earlier. The sooner you jump into something [like social media], the better because you can find your voice, and learn as you go,” he said.
After all, an artist’s long-term success is more than just one highlight moment. While it has the power to provide an exciting and valuable spark, an artist’s strategy and consistency are what really provide the fuel for a fruitful career down the line.
Written by Immanuel Matthews, Media Analyst at Wavo
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