{"id":29,"date":"2026-01-21T00:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T05:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fortherecords.ca\/?page_id=29"},"modified":"2026-03-15T20:31:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:31:37","slug":"fortherecords-ca-features-2026-01-20-to-love-you-i-got-to-evolve-social-media-in-modern-music-promotion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fortherecords.ca\/?page_id=29","title":{"rendered":"To Love You, I Got To Evolve: Social Media in Modern Music Promotion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cTo Love You, I Got to Evolve\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media in Modern Music Promotion <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that I lost all, lost all control, to love you, I got to evolve\u201d \u2013 5 Seconds of Summer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The music industry is constantly evolving to stay more in touch with the desires of music fans. In an era where social media allows us to feel connected and engaged with people we will likely never meet, interviews with media outlets are no longer the only way for musicians to reach out to their fans. We’re in the middle of a new era of music promotion, one that relies on directly involving fans in promoting the musicians and their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dedicated fans have always been a core focus for promotional campaigns. Looking back on one of the most successful groups of our generation, Beatlemania didn\u2019t happen overnight. It was the result of creating an image that was loved by the masses, strengthened by the Beatles\u2019 charisma and widespread appeal. The thing is, without a good marketing and promotional campaign behind the four musicians, the Beatles could have remained unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The internet has become an incredible tool for music marketing, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. It allows artists to find new ways to share and promote their music so the work can achieve its full potential. A push in recent years has sent creative directors to all corners of the web, thoroughly changing the ways most people interact with modern music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How modern music promotion works<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running a music campaign is an ever-changing process. Modern campaigns have dedicated teams behind them, curating the images their artists create for themselves. Each team takes a different approach, while operating mainly within the same setup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, the main artist account is used for official photoshoots, showcasing the artist\u2019s latest album or a positive news story. The focus stays mainly promotional, with occasional glimpses behind the scenes. Content on this account is designed to curate a specific image for the artist by showcasing their work and providing insights into who they are beyond the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some musicians choose to only promote their work on their artist account, leaving interaction and engagement with fans to a social page run by their team. It\u2019s a common practice, shown in pages like Taylor Swift\u2019s Taylor Nation<\/a> and Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s LiviesHQ.<\/a> The official social page may post fan-oriented content, like throwbacks and countdowns to releases, and invite fans to engage with each other. The team will also invite and post submitted fan-made content, like tour outfits and tour photos showcased on their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eras Tour outfits shared by Taylor Nation<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official social page acts as a go-between platform for the artist and their fans to engage, but at a distance. Most fans understand that the musician usually isn\u2019t personally seeing their content when the page engages with people, or managing the page updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fan engagement and participation <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To some dedicated fans, sharing their love for their favourite artists is their main thing. Unofficial fan pages have become widespread, with fans engaging primarily with one another. Fan page owners will make their pages their own, including their own chosen design elements and music references. They keep themselves aware of any official updates from the musician, hoping to be the first to tell their followers. Running a fan page can be nearly as time-consuming as a job, and some fan pages are run by entire teams of volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fan pages can become an unofficial yet important way for the musician to promote their work, and musicians\u2019 promotional teams may reach out directly to fan page owners to offer inside information. Successful fan pages may even become official social pages for the artists they promote. Artists also like the unofficial pages, as do fans, who feel that their fellow fans are more approachable and easier to talk to than the official teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many musicians\u2019 social media accounts stick around forever. When an online presence is fully developed, the last thing people anticipate is for it to disappear. People\u2019s understanding of who an artist is is derived largely from what they share online. If the artist removes that shared content, the move can clear the way for something new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taylor Swift’s social media after being cleared in 2017<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the reasoning behind Taylor Swift\u2019s decision in 2017 to delete all of her profile photos and social media posts, after her public humiliation by Kanye West. She removed all traces of her previous public identity and made space for her self-reinvention, shedding her past \u201cself\u201d in much the way that a snake sheds its skin. By clearing out the old content, she created space to boldly reinvent how people saw her with her comeback album, Reputation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rise of intentionally vague promotion<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When fans spot a vague-looking message that seems to be connected to their favourite artist, they immediately get curious and start asking questions. Whether the potential promotional piece is a billboard, a website, or a poster, fans start looking for answers and sharing their ideas about what\u2019s going on with fellow fans. Steadily, speculation levels rise when clues start to point to who\u2019s behind the promotion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last 10 years, intentionally vague or mysterious marketing campaigns have become more common. Musicians may put up billboards with subtle hints for fans, register web domains that only become important later on, or even create tourism campaigns for a fictional place (such as Harry Styles\u2019 Eroda,<\/a> which was invented to promote his single \u201cAdore You\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Poster promoting Harry Styles’ “Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally” in Soho<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans will go deep into their analysis of hints and clues, even going as far as to analyze a website\u2019s source code.<\/a> Every clue is taken as potentially something more, creating \u201canticipation for the unanticipated\u201d while fans wait between releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being intentionally vague may spark fans\u2019 curiosity, but it isn\u2019t always a good marketing strategy.  Fans can easily start over-analyzing every move an artist makes as evidence of hidden meanings. While the approach can be a fantastic way to get fans interested in the idea that something special is coming from a favourite musician, those same fans may also get fatigued and even annoyed by constantly searching for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pushing the limits of social media interaction <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With so many established yet unspoken rules for how music is promoted through social media, many artists try hard to push the creative boundaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2024, fans were met with an iconic symbol of personal connection on Instagram: the close friends story. The green circle displayed on Billie Eilish\u2019s profile was a surprise to many; it was a visual associated with intentionally adding someone to a limited list of viewers who could see a private Instagram Story. Thousands of people thought Eilish had made a mistake. But in fact, the move was anything but accidental. The popular singer had collaborated with Instagram to add all 1.5 million of her followers on the platform to this close friends group. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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opening instagram and pretending that billie eilish personally put me on her close friends listpic.twitter.com\/cq6yXKJABA<\/a><\/p>— SITA (@raspberhrriies) April 4, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>