What a Diamond Ring Can Teach You About Music Marketing

Did you know that proposing on one knee with a diamond ring isn't some ancient tradition?

It was engineered by De Beers, the diamond giant that spent the 1930s and 40s turning diamonds into a must-have for love.

In 1947, they launched the slogan "A Diamond Is Forever," and from then on, a diamond ring became the default proof of commitment. Hollywood added the knee, and boom, a "tradition" was born.

Why am I telling you this?

Because we're all stuck in someone else's marketing machine. Think about it:

• You share your proposal video? That's free advertising for diamond companies.
• You post your Spotify Wrapped? That's free marketing for Spotify.
• You create reels and TikToks? That's unpaid content for social platforms.

Big companies get you working for them for free. And while you're busy helping them grow, you're not growing yourself. That might be exactly why you feel stuck.

What to work on instead

If you want to grow every day, work on 1 or 2 things from this list:

• Email your list, even if it's 10 people.
• Build a path that turns followers into fans.
• Build good relationships with other musicians.
• Develop income streams beyond streaming.
• Create content that builds your brand, and not only Instagram's.

If the email list is where you want to start, here's my email list playbook for musicians.

Of course, high stream and view counts feel good. That little dopamine hit is lovely, and I enjoy it too. But I've learned to look beyond the numbers, beyond the streams.

Once you figure this out, you'll see your career grow much faster. I promise.

That's the whole idea behind my podcast, More Than Streams. It's where I share the kind of knowledge that helps you look past vanity numbers and focus on what moves your career forward. The very first episode is about how to get your first 10,000 fans.

A content idea to try: "If you make music, I'd love to meet you"

Sometimes the simplest approach works best.

In this video, a musician looks straight at the camera and says, "If you make music, I would love to meet you!" The comments filled up with hundreds of other musicians introducing themselves, sharing their genres and connecting.

It works because people love talking about themselves, and you give them an easy reason to comment. It's also a great way to find collaborators. You can find this idea and 300+ more in the Content Vault.