5 Challenges to Building a Strong Online Musician Brand

Building a strong musician brand is the key to establishing yourself online and within your niche. Unfortunately, this is far easier said than done.

A brand is more than just a color scheme, a logo, or a catchy bio on IG; it’s an identity.

Ask yourself – what sets me apart in this crowded marketplace?

The process of designing, building, and nurturing a brand means you have established the following:

What is your PROMISE to your audience?
Your WHY – the reasons you make music
Your Goals – you can’t build a brand unless you are building towards something.
A memorable look and feel
A unique voice
Consistent, compelling content
A trustworthy reputation

The problem for most is that there is no single path to achieving any one of these things. Yet, you need them all for your brand to blossom.

A ‘brand’ is such an abstract, malleable concept, and it may be challenging to know if you’re heading in the right direction.

Here are the top 5 challenges we see when it comes to building a music brand:

Challenge 1: You Must Nail Your Aesthetic

Your brand’s look and feel are an integral part of your identity as an artist, and creating an aesthetic that resonates is key. This is about how you present yourself visually—your logo, colors, fonts, album artwork, and beyond. Every piece has to reflect your style authentically and connect with your audience.

This takes a keen eye and a commitment to consistency, but nailing this is critical since your online appearance often speaks louder than words. For those who find it challenging to create a cohesive look or are unsure about their visual style, investing in a skilled photo and graphics team is essential. Achieving a standout aesthetic can feel daunting, but it’s crucial to making a lasting impression.

Challenge 2: Defining Your Musician Brand Voice Takes Time

Whenever branding (whether it’s a musician or product brand) is discussed, and after your colors, fonts, and logo have been selected, the next component to be included is the idea of establishing a ‘voice’.

This ‘voice’ must be rooted in a signature story and include your unique approach.
It won’t work with just one or the other.
This voice may not come to you right away. In fact, it is normal for it to take a very long time to fully develop.
Are you dry, sarcastic, funny, silly, intellectual, low-brow, etc.? You must consider how you develop your voice and what feels right and on target to you.
Once you fully realize this voice, your focus, and your ability to create consistent, compelling content, it will all get easier.

Challenge 3: Doubt Will Raise Its Ugly Head

Doubt has to be the number one killer of brands. When you first start defining your voice, the nasty little voice inside your head might come up and make you doubt yourself.
Because building a brand is a long game and takes time to establish, you’ll often feel like you’re posting for no one (or for very few people).
Because of this, it is essential to find any successes, even if they are small, that you can not only rejoice in regularly to keep you motivated.

Any and all signups to your email list
A few comments on an Instagram post
Streams on Spotify, SoundCloud, or any DSP

To stay positive and focus on the goals in this article, I suggest writing down five successes per day to keep yourself motivated.

Challenge 4: There Is No Moment When You Will Know Your Musician Brand Is “Ready”

That moment you may see in the movies doesn’t exist. Successful musician brands are built on steady streams and small moments. A huge gig one month builds onto a successful flurry of posts the next which build on your next release which builds on (well, you get the point)

There won’t be that AH HA! I’ve MADE it moment.
It’s a journey, not a destination.
When you hit your stride, you will see many moments – ride the waves and enjoy the experiences no matter how small.

Challenge 5: You Must Care About Engagement and Algorithms

Let’s face it: avoiding disrupting the status quo is human nature. Very few people are willing to put themselves on a limb, for the fear of being judged is too great. It’s this simple reason that studies show people fear public speaking more than death.
Now, let’s take the idea of putting yourself out on a limb and add in the fact that, through social media, you’re now doing this in a very public forum where anyone and everyone can judge you.
If you consider this, it makes all the sense in the world why your Instagram posts are not getting huge amounts of likes or the questions you pose online aren’t being answered.
Fans aren’t always inclined to speak up.
Because of this, it will be standard for your commitment to engaging your fans to be far greater than their commitment to engaging with you.

You also have to understand that the new way socials work is by catching algorithms, not followers.

Only once you establish a trustworthy reputation will ideas, comments, perfect hashtags, and responses be heard, validated, and appreciated, and your fans will start to match your commitment to engagement.

To start building a solid brand that aligns with your audience, Download this exercise: