Why Indie Musicians Should Consider Releasing Music During The Holiday Period

With sleigh bells ringing in the distance.. as Santa completes his pre Christmas Covid isolation and preps his reindeer for their long distance travel plans.. Indie musicians are left with an important question.. Should I release music over the Christmas and New Year period?

Immediately, I can feel your resistance.. I can feel the reasons brewing.. all the reasons why it’s a terrible time to release your music.. Thoughts like ‘everyone will be away on holidays’.. ‘my music doesn’t relate to Christmas’.. ‘will anyone listen to my tracks?’..

Take a moment to lay all those concerns out on the table..

Now.. let me take you through the benefits and advantages of releasing music over the holiday season..

1. Your fans are on holidays

At face value.. the fact that your fans are on holidays may seem like a limitation, rather than a benefit.. let me explain..

When you go on holidays.. what do you do? Maybe you lay by the beach.. head to BBQs.. relax at home/accommodation..

When you are doing these things.. how often is music involved?.. In my experience, it is the majority of the time..

People have more time to listen to music when they are on holidays and they are hungry to find something that makes them feel particular ways.. whether that be festive.. chilled.. celebratory..

If you release fresh new music during this period, you are tapping into an opportunity.. a chance for your hungry fans and potential fans to find your music.

2. Major labels are not releasing music

During the holidays, major labels do not release music..

As an indie artist, this gives you a stronger platform.. your music is more accessible.. It puts you into the spotlight and allows your music to be heard.

3. Social Media use increases over the holidays

Whilst many people talk about taking social media detoxes over the Christmas and New Year period.. the stats show that over this period, usage increases.

In January 2019, Vivid Social put out stats relating to Australian social media use and showed that there were 15 million monthly Australian Facebook users, 15 million monthly Australian YouTube users and 9 million monthly Australian Instagram users at this time.

What does this mean for your music?.. it means that if you put the marketing out there.. your fans will see it.. and.. it won’t be crowded by the releases of the bigger labels.

What to consider

If you are planning to release music over the holiday period, it is important to consider your timing.. be organised and make sure that your timeline works around businesses that may close over the holiday period.

1. Ensure you leave enough time for music distribution.. check with your distributor to check their key dates for releasing
2. Check the availabilities and capacity of any service providers you may be using, such as cover art design, photographers, recording, producing etc.
3. If you are selling merchandise and physical products, ensure that you are aware of their holiday timeframes

Overall.. have fun with the process.. have fun with your marketing and don’t let the holidays put a hold on your music!