Haven't written in awhile, but I thought I would share how things have been going with what I have been trying to do as an songwriter.  Like many other musicians, I suppose, most of my efforts to promote my music and get it out there is online.  It has been tricky and to be honest, a little disappointing.  But that's ok, because the real joy comes from writing music.  It would still be awesome if I could share my music with a bigger audience.  So here's my experience so far:

1. Look like a professional musician.  I still have yet to update my promo pics and artwork, but I can understand that listeners see your image, pics, etc and it looks amateurish, their probably going to expect your music to sound amateurish also.  It's like network shows versus public access tv.  People don't expect to see quality production.  And get your numbers up: video counts, song plays, etc.  People do judge you similarly based on how many visits, plays you have.

2. Get your music on all the big social sites: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Soundcloud.  Then maybe you can try Tumblr, Pinterest, Bandcamp.  Then for music sites I like: Indiesound, SnapJam, Soundclick.  A couple that I really like also are Jamendo, Hypeddit, IndieMusicPeople, Muslate.  The listeners at SnapJam and IndieMusicPeople and Muslate have been really great.

3. Forget Reverbnation.  It's fine if you put your music on there, but I will tell you right now: listeners do NOT go to Reverbnation.  It's all musicians, no fans, and they're always pushing gimmicky offers and promotions.  

4. Indie Blogs & Websites and Submithub.  I have not had a ton of success with these, and haven't made a lot of effort yet, but I think they can be really good.  If you can get your music on an indie blog website or on any of the playlists on Submithub, you're probably going to get a fair amount of listens on Spotify, etc.

5. Post often.  I don't do this enough either, but when I do, I definitely get more visits and listens.  You can post ideas, demos, articles, re-tweets, things you're working on, etc.  

6. Ads.  I question whether a lot of these sites that offer ads are legit (e.g. Reverbnation: NO), but the ones that are you will get more exposure and definitely more listens.

7. Build a fan base.  Obviously.  Easier said than done.  It might take some time.  I do believe if you make good music, people will listen, even if it doesn't happen right away.  It'll happen.

Follow me at:
https://twitter.com/UndenLeslie    
https://www.facebook.com/undenlesliemusic    
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mbLEuIKGmMSDhu5aMKoAQ    
https://undenleslie.com