A guide to Music Promotion on Reddit
Reddit may not be the first place people think about when trying to promote music, but the possibilities may surprise you.
by DITTO MUSIC
With over 52 million daily users, Reddit offers musicians a vast network of passionate and collaborative members to share and discuss music topics with. We’re here to help you get the most out of Reddit as a musician.
Whether you’re looking to share your music for feedback, find band members, or just find out what gigs are coming up in your area, Reddit has you covered.
Whatever you want to use Reddit for, there’ll more than likely be a subreddit (a Reddit forum page) somewhere that is having the exact conversation you’re looking for. Let’s dive into some of the ways you can use Reddit as a musician.
1. Market and promote your music
The most obvious way that you’ll probably want to use Reddit as a musician is to self-promote your music to the millions of people that use the platform each day. Like other organic social media marketing, Reddit is free to use and can help boost your popularity and gain a bigger fanbase – especially amongst niche groups within Reddit.
2. Finding band members
Looking for a drummer or session guitarist? Reddit might be just the place to find that band member. Due to the collaborative and open forum nature of Reddit, you’re bound to be able to find fellow musicians who are looking for a band – or at least find someone who knows someone else! 
Reddit is full of numerous subreddits dedicated to all things music, but some useful subreddits that might be able to help you find and recruit band members include:
3. Find an artist manager
Alongside finding band members or musical collaborators, you may also be able to find yourself a manager via Reddit. As with any social media platform, communication is encouraged so why not test the waters and post that you’re looking for a manager?
Reddit is all about building your community. If you’re regularly and consistently posting and interacting with your own or others’ music, then the more likely you are to have positive conversations with like-minded people. This all plays a part in you coming across the right folks and building up your music’s brand image.
4. Find music events
Reddit is a great place to find out what’s going on in your area, and this is definitely the case when it comes to music. 
Not only can you find out what’s happening via Reddit, but the platform also provides a forum to chat with anyone who was at the same gig – again building your network and exposing you to new audiences and musicians.
Reddit for musicians: The Golden Rules
Although promotion of your own music is very much welcomed on Reddit – particularly in music related subreddits – there are some rules and guidelines on self-promotion and spamming channels with posts.
Reddit aims to create a level playing field for all musicians. You’ll want to build up your Reddit credibility and not solely promote your own work. Get involved in discussions and help boost other musicians too.
Each subreddit will have its own guidelines, but in general you’ll want to avoid spamming any channel and adhering to the rules – which are regularly enforced for admins.
General Reddit guidelines include:
– Not artificially boosting your popularity or upvotes.
– Not asking for upvotes on reddit.
– Don’t spam subreddits.
Subreddits for musicians
Subreddits are Reddit forums that are dedicated to a specific topic. Reddit has a vast amount of subreddits which have been set up by music lovers and musicians alike, perfect for whichever part of the industry you’re interested in.
Below are some useful and popular subreddits which can help you get started as an independent musician on Reddit.
1. r/IndependentMusic
You guessed it. r/IndependentMusic is the place to chat all things independent music. A great community of independent music lovers and a really good place to start if you’re new to reddit – and music in general.
You’ll find loads of useful tips about releasing your music, finding live opportunities and general discussion with other artists starting out.
2. r/Music
The biggest music-related subreddit, r/music is home to over 30 million passionate music fans. Although this subreddit might not be the best place to start as an independent artist, r/music provides a giant platform for you to for you to post in a generate conversation.
3. r/WeAreTheMusicMakers
r/WeAreTheMusicMakers is the perfect place for music makers to connect and learn with each other. General discussion topics are based around writing, composing and live gigs!
4. r/NewMusic
A subreddit specifically designed for new music, r/NewMusic offers you somewhere to post your new releases and gather feedback – and hopefully new fans.
Perfect for building up you Reddit community, you can find new and similar artists and forge relationships which can ultimately turn into support or collaboration opportunities.
5. r/PromoteYourMusic
Providing new musicians with an audience of over 51,000 members, r/PromoteYourMusic is an absolute must-join subreddit for independent artists.
Moderators can boost and share your music in the subreddit themselves if they like it, as well as promoting your tracks on the forum’s linked Discord server.
Using Reddit to share and promote your music is a great opportunity for independent musicians looking to build up their reputation. It can also help you find other music industry professionals who can help take your career to the next level.
When putting together your music marketing strategy, you should consider how Reddit can help you boost your fanbase and let you interact with other musicians!
