Forget The Usual Social Media Platforms, Try These Instead

Credit: Discord

When it comes to audience engagement, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and Apple Music are often at the forefront of conversations with artists. Today, we’re looking at some alternative platforms where artists can grow and connect with their audience.

Discord

Discord rose to prominence within the music community in 2020, offering artists an opportunity to grow and connect with their audience in a forum setting. Originally developed for gamers to communicate with each other while playing, Discord has since evolved. Now, on the platform, you can find a number of servers, dedicated to specific genres, artists or musical topics, each home to a specific music community. Discord provides a platform for artists to connect directly with these communities, some have even chosen to do this by chatting with users and sharing unreleased music within their servers, while others offer exclusive content, in return for a server entry fee.

Ampled

The Ampled platform follows a Patreon-like subscription service, specifically for musicians. Their mission is “to make music more equitable for artists and to operate transparently & ethically”, by allowing artists to be directly supported by their community, without intermediaries or gatekeepers. It’s even collectively owned by its artists and workers!

Only Fans

Only Fans made headlines as it dipped its toes into the music industry last year, announcing their plans to support emerging artists through the Creator Fund. The platform, which is better known for hosting subscription NSFW content, has risen to popularity amongst industry members, with artists like Cardi B, Swae Lee and Rico Nasty being among those who are using the platform to offer fans exclusive content. Only Fans even shared a guide to help musicians understand how they can perform on the platform.

Fanbase

Just this week, Fanbase announced its expansion into Australia, the UK and Canada. Though paywalls and tips, Fanbase allows artists to monetize their photo, video, live streaming, and long-form content. While Snoop Dogg, Charlemagne Tha God and Chamillionaire are among Fanbase’s celebrity users, the app is open to all.

While it’s important to invest in the major platforms for audience engagement, there’s many other avenues artists can explore. Hopping on an alternative platform could lead to you building your most meaningful audience connections yet.

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