Hey peeps!

I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend and we’re rolling into fall smoothly. I just got back to Denver and love being home and starting to get back into my groove. Being in one place often helps with my ability to juggle all the tasks I have in the air while being all over the map can add to the beehive of chaos that is my brain. As I start to calm the hive with my new, old norm, I’m excited to start making more connections in Denver and begin getting local creators in touch with their favorite local businesses.

More exciting stuff to come on that note, but until then, I have some small news for ya!

I’m changing the style of the newsletter a bit (again). I’ve been dialing in over the last year as I start to make this newsletter exactly what you (and I) want to see each week. To hit on some of the feedback I’ve received recently, I’m going to start cutting back my stories and deep dives, so I can focus more on one story for you readers. While this is just a test this week, be prepared to only see one story in upcoming issues. If you’re a fan of the old style, let me know! And if you’re digging the new approach, please give me a shout. The more feedback the better!

In other news, next week there will be no new newsletter issue. I’m going on a fishing trip with my father to celebrate him being cancer-free, so I’ll be taking the time to fully unplug. That means getting away from my computer, phone, socials, and beyond to give myself a hard reset. While there’s no newsletter next week, I’m excited to get back from the trip with fully recharged creative batteries to get you readers even better content as we head into the fall!

All of that said, let’s get into business.

Making the Indie Music Industry Viral

Making it in the music industry is no easy feat, but that venture has recently become a bit more attainable with the help of socials. Artists creating viral songs are leaning on both large and small creators to push new trends and increase their exposure and relevancy. But who is the lifeblood behind this symbiotic relationship? In short, micro and nano creators.

While major influencers most definitely play a large role in getting songs out to the masses, I’ve noticed that it’s the micro and nano creators who drive the true fans to new mediums. The authenticity and grassroots movements that micro and nano creators command ends up leading to organic virality, rather than vanity metrics provided by creators with massive audiences.

With just a few thousand followers, micro and nano creators take their highly engaged and loyal audiences and port them over to artists, leading to greater potential for adoption and fandom. When these creators share a track, it often resonates deeply within their community, leading to more engaged audiences who might be more eager to explore other tracks by those artists.

As an example, let’s check out three of the most popular songs on socials in recent months.

• abcdefu by GAYLE: This song became a TikTok (and general short form) sensation thanks to smaller creators who used it in their everyday content. This relatable approach made for fantastic authentic engagement, helping the track go viral, and eventually topping charts worldwide.

• Stunnin’ by Curtis Waters: Micro-influencers played a significant role in spreading this song across TT, eventually making it into a sort of summer anthem, and launching Curtis Waters into the spotlight.

• "Million Dollaar Baby by Tommy Richman: The song gained massive traction on TikTok, with micro and nano influencers creating dance challenges and content around it, leading to insane virality.

For emerging artists, this trend points to potentially making more strategic partnerships with micro and nano influencers. These campaigns can be more effective than trying to catch the attention of big-name creators and their audiences. The level of relatability and trust that smaller creators bring can potentially take these songs from a few hundred streams to hundreds of millions in a matter of weeks.

And to round things off, let’s be real; the relationship is mutually beneficial. Micro and nano creators get to create fresh, trending content that helps them grow their own following, and musicians receive authentic promotion that feels more like a personal recommendation than an ad. We love this approach. Rising tides raise all ships, after all.

As these creators continue to fuel the music industry’s digital revolution, their influence is proving to be a game-changer, offering new paths to success in an increasingly crowded space.

Do you have an example of a small musician who got shot into the spotlight from micro and nano creators hopping on trends? Drop those examples in a reply to this email for a chance to be featured in the next issue!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️