Facebook Killed the Radio Star: How Targeted Advertising and Machine Learning are Remixing Music Discovery

The purpose of this thesis is to formulate a reliable promotion strategy that will help future independent artists effectively gain exposure and create an engaged and enthusiastic audience. To do this, we set out to create moments of discovery - the moment when a listener decides they have a particular affinity for an artist or song - by introducing Apollo Bravo to audiences that are most likely to enjoy what Apollo Bravo has to offer. The methodology underlying these campaigns was to present authentic and attention-grabbing content, in both brief and extended methods, to people who are most likely to enjoy Apollo Bravo.

From our research, we found that for as little as $5 a day, an independent artist can make effective introductions to audiences most likely to enjoy what they have to offer without compromising artistic expression, while also learning from and engaging with their growing audience.