Making Good Music Is Not Enough: How Dancehall Artists Can Boost Music Streams
There are two common cries of Jamaican recording artistes: they don’t get enough support from radio and street disc jocks, and fans aren’t streaming their music enough. The latter will be the focus of this article’s discourse, in light of Dovey Magnum’s recent cry of poor YouTube streams despite “good” releases. Veteran performer Ghost also made this complaint in October, and ever so often, artistes remind followers to click the link in their bio to “run-up the views” on their most recent singles.
Magnum and Ghost’s discontent is primarily rooted in their belief that they create magical music, which should be enough for people to stream, purchase, and share their records. But this perception only holds weight in an ideal recording industry. In reality, it takes more than a good song (in terms of composition and production) to reap millions in streams.
Here are some considerations for artists wanting to boost their recorded music performance, using the aforementioned artistes as reference.
The music business model
The aim of any business is to make a profit. It’s important to first review the music business model which illustrates how players in the music industry earn income from the creation, production, distribution and consumption of music. The old music business model saw record labels being responsible for marketing music by arranging press coverage and distribution and securing other revenue streams through touring and merchandise. In other words, the artiste held little power in the old model, and record labels further locked acts in with unrewarding contracts.
Today, technology has disrupted this model, greatly displacing major record labels with the internet. The artiste has direct access to digital distributors (like Hapilos and VP Records) and can spearhead his own promotion courtesy of social media. Additionally, an artiste can take charge of his own touring opportunities by employing a booking agent (like Spice and Khool Ray) instead of signing to a record label to have this done.
The current model also sees the majority of an artiste’s revenue coming from touring (75 percent), compared to the old model which saw acts mostly cashing in on hardcopy album sales. Following tour revenues are recorded music revenues, and streaming accounts for almost half of this income stream. Thus, artistes today make most of their money from 1) touring then 2) streaming. With touring on pause because of the pandemic, it is understandable that several acts are imploring fans to stream their music because their primary income has been upended.
The importance of having a good team
The freedom accompanied with the new music business model also presents challenges for the independent artiste. Being independent doesn’t mean not having a team. The core team members for an artiste (excluding legal and accounting which can be contracted) include the manager, booking agent, publisher and distributor. Oftentimes, especially in the dancehall space, you’ll find the manager playing a combination of these roles. Regardless, the artiste’s team members are selected based on his goals.
Spice prides herself on being a one-woman army, but there are people behind-the-scenes who have helped her succeed in the business side of music. She may not have a personal, artiste or road manager, but she has a longtime booking agent who has helped to secure and organize her booking and touring schedule. Looking at Spice’s career pre-COVID, she was always on tour and released a new song every few months. The bulk of her earnings didn’t come from impressive streaming figures, but instead from relentless shows across Europe, a process made easier not merely because she makes “good” music, but because she has a critical team member (booking agent) to help her organize her concert appearances.
Post-COVID, Spice and others don’t have the luxury of concert revenues. This means reliance on streaming revenue and other revenues like merchandise (Graci Noir).
Putting the booking agent aside based on the pandemic, it is now the perfect time to maximize the opportunities available on social media to promote music.
In Magnum’s case, her idea of promotion (based on observance) is posting a snippet of new music on her social media, and asking fans to pursue her bio to check it out. She also plays her music while on Instagram Live and reposts fans captured vibing to her music. Now while the “snippet” promotion strategy may work for Skillibeng or Intence, this is not sufficient for Magnum’s artiste model.
Magnum could this:
- Promote her music in a more engaging way. For instance, create online challenges or competitions that will magnify the song’s reach. She may also get social media influencers or industry peers involved. This is a strategy which worked for Tarrus Riley and Shenseea‘s Lighter challenge, and Dexta Daps ‘ Call Me If challenge.
- Collaborate with a popular act: She did so in June with a remix of Intence’s Yeng. The purpose was evident: Intence has been the Youtube-trending star all quarantine. However, the song did not complement Magnum’s brand, and her contribution was forgettable. Magnum could attract listeners with a more complementary pairing, like Daps or Konshens.
- Revamp her PR team: Magnum does have a PR representative, but there is room for improvement. She has been releasing an average of one song each month and there is little press coverage to boost its visibility. Writing to a journalist or media entity is not sufficient either, the storyline and “so what?” must be considered. What makes this track worthy of anyone’s time? What makes it different from anything else she’s done? Why should people buy it?
In Ghost’s case, the pandemic has presented a more unique situation not only because he is not able to tour (the bread-and-butter for veteran Jamaican acts), but because he has a weak social media presence. The latter could have been alleviated with a good social media/content manager. The singer has 13,000 Instagram followers, and only received 95 views on his last YouTube upload, Humbly Before Thee, which was released on October. His September release, Would You Still Love Me, has barely reached 2000 views. The visibility is lacking because the marketing is non-existent.
Ghost could:
- Employ what he is most loved for, his performances. People may not be sold on the new music, but they enjoy and relish in the performance of his older catalogue. He ought to have already been on the virtual concert train, even Live or pre-recorded acoustic sessions. This could be done from his home with a minimal band or DJ, where he could perform the classic covers people love, and drop a new tune here and there. This is something that can be executed for Valentine’s Day next month. He could even create exclusive subscription-packages for couples or people wishing to serenade those they love.
- Good PR please: There is a sense of entitlement in the music industry space where established artistes feel as if their legacy and talent rid them of promotional duties. This thinking is potentially damaging. It is important to have a team that secures press interviews and appearances to sustain your relevance and visibility in the public domain and also think of vibrant, sustainable ways to keep you current.
Note that other opportunities exist for both acts to make income and expand their brands. Magnum, for instance has built her brand based on being the “sexy voice of Dancehall.” With this, she could easily start her own sex toy or lingerie business. She could incorporate her music in the brand, be it through product labeling (a “Bawl Out” vibrator if you will) or offer her latest single whenever someone makes a purchase.
Point is, artistes must get creative and savvy in promoting and organizing themselves especially during these times.