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.

Our goal for the project was to formulate a reliable promotion strategy that, when implemented, will help future independent artists successfully get discovered and build an engaged following of their own. 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. In an effort to find a better and more dependable process for independent artists to be discovered, we tested our theories on Apollo Bravo, an innovative, Alternative/Electronic passion project, created by two of our group members, Max Fees, and Cole Kinerk.

We found that traditional means of exposure offer little insight into an artist's growing audience and can pose several challenges when measuring their efficacy and return on investment. Through these channels, artists can spend thousands of dollars promoting themselves to disinterested individuals while learning very little about their audience in the process. If only there was a reliable method for artists to introduce themselves to the people most likely to enjoy what they have to offer…

By harnessing the power of Facebook’s audience targeting machine learning ad platform, artists have an opportunity like never before to:
1) Find an audience without compromise
2) Study and engage with said audience
3) Find millions more listeners who, based on their Facebook data, resemble their growing fanbase.
Furthermore, the more time and money artists are willing to invest in their ad campaigns, the more opportunities they create for Facebook’s machine learning algorithms to learn and optimize, thus targeting more desirable listeners more efficiently

Though access to new listeners is at an all time high, finding this audience requires strategy. In the context of driving results and creating an audience - honing one’s skills as a marketer is just as important as it is honing their skills as an artist. Before all else, artists must identify their genre and differentiating factors. A firm understanding of positioning and value proposition is necessary to inform one’s targeting, content and copy development strategies.

By harnessing the power of targeted advertising, machine learning, and brand strategy any artist can find and develop an engaged following. Furthermore, these powerful advertising platforms let independent artists circumvent the top-down system that the music industry has operated on since its inception. No longer do artists have to find a label or sign away their next five years to be successful. Through digital advertising and a small amount of ad spend, any artist can find the
right listener, a listener waiting to fall in love with their music.