Somewhere out there is a Billy Strings fan with very bad intentions and very good aim. On Thursday night, the folk/bluegrass phenom played the first of three shows at Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana. In the middle of his set, someone threw an unknown object from the crowd and beaned Strings right in the head. The artist was in the middle of his crowd patter between songs, and he didn’t get injured or busted open or anything. But Strings was clearly and visibly pissed. Here’s what he told the crowd:
Here are 32 '90s rock and metal songs that made their debut on movie soundtracks. Some later appeared on other albums and some didn't. Continue reading…
As of a few months ago, Neil Young was mastering his forthcoming album on the full moon. In April, Young shared that he was cooking up the follow-up to last year’s Talkin’ to the Trees at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu with his backing band, the Chrome Hearts. Soon after, Young shared the album’s title, Second Song. Today, he’s returned with more information about the project, including the title track and its Sep. 18 release date.
Back in August 2004, the first issue of Decibel was independently published in Philadelphia. Considering the climate at the time, this was a truly terrible idea.
The music industry was awkwardly transitioning from physical to digital mediums while print media was soon to be overthrown by social media. And while we had some magazine experience, none of us had ever published a commercial newsstand publication.
Through limited resources and unlimited will, we slowly pushed forward. The rest of the story is for another day, but 22 years and over 260 monthly issues later, Decibel still stands. Still fully independent.
Like many of you, we’ve seen this week’s layoffs at BrooklynVegan, Revolver and Alternative Press, as well as the downsizing at Metal Injection and MetalSucks earlier this year. These are people who dedicated their lives to promoting the music that defined ours, and they now face a market more uncertain than one we stepped into decades ago. Though we do suspect that you’ll see some of them contributing to the pages of Decibel very soon.
Of course, that defies the prevailing narrative that “independent music journalism is dead.” Alongside a handful of indie outlets, we operate without a single penny from outside investors. Maybe that means our margins are thinner. Maybe that means we don’t post as many selfies with Nergal. But at least we don’t have to pretend Sleep Token are good or stock Ghost dildos in our webstore. It’s the deal we’ve enthusiastically made.
Ultimately, to ensure independent journalism, you must support independent journalism. So, ahead of our 22nd anniversary issue, please consider subscribing to Decibel. Like you, we’re in this for life. Only (Independent) Print Is Real.
A music campaign works best when every post has a job. One clip may introduce the song, another may reveal the story behind it, and a later post may push fans to stream, pre-save, or buy a ticket. Random posting rarely creates that sense of movement.
For a single, album, or tour, start with one clear goal and build a sequence around it. Short-form video can create discovery, YouTube can hold longer material, and streaming profiles can turn attention into listening or ticket activity.
Start With One Campaign Goal
Clear goals make every piece of campaign content more purposeful
A release can generate streams, followers, pre-saves, merchandise sales, ticket sales, or press attention. Pick the outcome that matters most for the current phase.
A single often needs discovery. An album may benefit from pre-saves and repeat listening. A tour usually needs local awareness and ticket conversion.
Match the Goal to a Measurable Action
“Get people excited” gives a team little to measure. “Increase pre-saves before release day” or “sell tickets in Chicago during the next ten days” produces a clearer campaign.
Spotify’s current Countdown Pages allow fans to pre-save upcoming albums and EPs, preview tracklists, watch countdown videos, and receive the release in their library when it arrives.
Spotify reports that artists publishing a Countdown Page at least seven days before release see nearly twice as many pre-saves on average as artists publishing later.
Music marketing becomes easier when the campaign has a central idea. A song about leaving home could generate studio footage, lyric explanations, old photographs, fan stories, and live performances built around the same emotional thread.
Choose Repeatable Content Angles
Useful angles include the song, the artist’s personality, the making of the project, and fan participation. Rotate among them so every post adds a new piece.
A 20-second chorus performance might lead into a songwriting story two days later. An album campaign can introduce individual tracks or collaborators. A tour campaign can move city by city with venue footage, local memories, rehearsal clips, and set-list hints.
Prepare an Asset Bank Early
Collect vertical video, photographs, artwork crops, rehearsal audio, lyric cards, behind-the-scenes clips, and clean versions of key hooks before the campaign starts.
Artists who need additional promotional variations can also use Pollo AI’s AI UGC ad video generator to create presenter-led social videos from a script without organizing a separate shoot.
Plan the Campaign in Phases
Release day works better as a peak inside a longer arc.
Phase
Main purpose
Useful content
2 to 4 weeks before
Build curiosity
Teasers, artwork details, studio clips, pre-save posts
Release week
Convert attention
Song clips, video premieres, fan reactions, direct links
Following weeks
Extend interest
Live versions, lyric stories, remixes, creator posts
A rigid calendar can become stale when a surprising clip takes off early. Keep several slots open for fan videos, replies, press moments, or another version of a strong-performing idea.
TikTok for Artists, launched globally in 2025, provides daily-updated analytics for songs, posts, and followers, plus a Pre-Release tool for album campaigns. The TikTok artist platform helps artists decide which creative idea deserves another variation.
Give Each Platform a Specific Role
Short-form video can introduce music to audiences well beyond an artist’s existing followers
Reuse the core campaign idea while adapting the edit, opening seconds, caption, and call to action.
Use TikTok and Instagram for Discovery
Short-form video works well for hooks, performances, stories, visual jokes, and fan prompts. Aim for material people can react to, save, send, or remake.
Instagram also offers Trial Reels, which can show a Reel to non-followers first. Meta reported that, among creators who increased posting after trying the feature, 80% saw greater Reels reach from non-followers, while noting that results are not guaranteed. The company’s Trial Reels data makes the feature useful for testing ideas before a major release push.
Use YouTube as a Multi-Format Hub
YouTube can connect Shorts, official videos, live performances, visualizers, interviews, and community posts around one release. Its current artist resources recommend pre-release, release-day, and post-release strategies built across multiple formats.
A Short may introduce a chorus. A full video can become the main viewing moment. An acoustic performance can return the song to feeds later.
Treat Streaming Profiles as Conversion Pages
Refresh artist images, bios, featured releases, and links before a campaign begins. Fans arriving from social media should immediately see the music, merchandise, or dates being promoted.
For touring artists, Spotify can surface shows through artist profiles, personalized recommendations, and the Concerts Near You playlist. Its live-events tools give artists another route from listening activity to concert discovery.
Build Tour Campaigns City by City
Localized promotion makes individual tour dates feel more relevant to nearby fans
A general poster announces the route. Local content gives individual dates a pulse. Record a short message for the city, mention a past show there, tag the venue, or post a ticket update.
Increase Urgency Gradually
Early posts can announce the date and explain the show. Later content can reveal support acts, rehearsal footage, or availability updates. Final reminders work best when they contain useful information, such as limited tickets or doors and set times.
TikTok has expanded in-app ticketing partnerships that let eligible artists attach ticket links to videos in participating markets. Its expanded Ticketmaster partnership shows how social discovery and ticket purchase can sit close together.
Measure Fan Movement and Conversion
Views matter when they lead somewhere. Track profile visits, saves, pre-saves, streaming clicks, follower growth, email sign-ups, and ticket conversions.
A post with 40,000 views and almost no profile activity may contribute little to the campaign goal. A clip with 8,000 views that drives hundreds of pre-saves may carry far greater value.
.@Stray_Kids is breaking Spotify records ahead of its Nov. 21 release with “DO IT,” hitting 1 million streams on the pre-save-based Spotify Countdown—a first for a K-pop album. The album also topped Spotify’s Global Top 10 Countdown for three consecutive weeks, building hype for… pic.twitter.com/CGg7lOGxJC
Face-to-camera videos may outperform polished edits. Lyric clips may earn fewer views and more saves. Tour rehearsal footage may convert well in cities where ticket sales are already moving. Use those patterns to shape the next week.
A Simple Three-Week Single Campaign
Imagine an independent artist releasing a single in three weeks.
Week one introduces the visual world with a teaser, cover reveal, and studio clip. Week two brings the strongest chorus, a story about the lyric, and a fan prompt. Release week adds the full link, performance footage, reactions, and a thank-you video.
During the following two weeks, the artist can post an acoustic version, a fan-created clip, and a behind-the-scenes moment. Strong posts can receive new edits or alternate openings.
Build Momentum That Can Survive Release Day
A good social media campaign gives people several reasons to notice a project and a clear way to act once they care. Start with one goal, develop a recognizable creative idea, prepare enough assets to stay flexible, and keep watching how fans respond.
Singles benefit from repeated discovery. Albums benefit from a wider narrative. Tours benefit from local relevance and timely calls to action. Strong campaigns keep moving after launch day because fan response helps shape the next creative decision.
