Ahhh, sweet sweet summertime! The cities are empty while people flock to beaches, rivers and tracks, as well as festivals big and small across the land over Xmas!

If only they would listen to your brand-new tune as a soundtrack to their summer! Here is a small guide on how NOT to go about it.

The rough gist: Don’t release your single/EP/album during the holidays – if you want media coverage stay clear from the last week before Christmas to well into mid-January. Take five…

Media Folk Take Holidays Too

Most NZ music media run on skeleton staff, if anyone’s there at all. Before and after the holidays we’ll be overwhelmed trying to work ahead or catching up, and you’ll risk being another one of too many emails.

Fresh Is Best

By the time everyone starts up again, your late December release may no longer be considered new music! One workaround is to give your media friends tons of extra advance notice, especially around holidays, so we can make sure we squeeze ya in!

So What EXACTLY Does Your Music Sound Like?

There’s a growing problem of artists and others not actually providing links to their new music (or videos) in emails requesting coverage! We all want to help you, but if you don’t provide the music in a way that works for us (Hint: Soundcloud! Free + works on all platforms and your songs can be hidden from the public), there’s not much we can do. It’s pretty hard to get excited by, comment on, endorse or review music if we can’t hear it! Impossible actually. If you’re proud of it, show it.

Be Polite, Please

We understand that not everyone has a computer at hand to write emails or the best spelling skills – but that shouldn’t hold you back from sending a friendly email! Remember, we’re people too, and basic politeness goes a long way. Easy stuff like: Hello, How are you? Bye!

Share It Properly

Now if someone interrupted their holidays to post something nice about your song, how should you respond to their support? Go right ahead and use this opportunity to… do nothing? NO! It’s online, and on social media – to make the most of it, share it far and wide! Make the pesky algorithm notice you. Sharing is caring! <3

NOT via stories only though. Share it via your own feed, so it stays visible for a long time for more people to see and also share! It really helps to leave a comment too, say ‘thank you’ at the least, underneath the shared bit about you.

Super basic, quick and free – but invaluable for you to be seen and get the acknowledgement your music deserves. Kick that algorithm into gear, for free, and reap the rewards. Then everyone’s a winner, and we like winning 🙂