No matter what time you look at history, promoting yourself as a musician has always been difficult. It used to be through methods like payola that artists would increase their popularity. Now with the popularity of streaming services, it has never been more difficult for local artists to promote themselves. However, as fans we are able to help our favorite artists get the recognition that they deserve. The first and most important thing you can do to support local artists is to attend their local shows. If a local artist is able to draw in a large crowd, then it is likely to catch the attention of people higher up in the industry which will provide them with more opportunities to grow. Additionally, buying merch and physical records from local artists is another great way to support them. Merch is one of the revenue streams that artists are able to profit off of the most. The more merch they are able to sell the more resources that they will be able to afford to help get more exposure. An even easier way to support local artists is to spread the word about their music. It is impossible for music to get popular without reaching a wide audience. Because of that, even telling two or three people about a local artist could be enough to create some buzz for them. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and there are countless ways to support your favorite local artists. Just remember that next time you think about how your favorite artist doesn’t get the recognition they deserve, you can do more for them than you think.

Written by Chas Hall