Why Songs Don’t Get Downloads Or Streams As Expected
Many song writers and artists record a new track believing it will be popular. In reality It may fail to gain the attention hoped for. In this blog we will discuss 10 of the biggest reasons why songs don’t become popular.
1. Failing to respect your target market
Before entering the studio to construct a new track, it is important to know what market the track is intended to enter. Respecting the current state of that market artistically becomes key. Many musicians simply create according to how they feel on the day. They choose sounds based on instant gratification rather than professional opinion. Respecting what the target market currently likes is a very important consideration to make. Failing to wear the right clothing can stop you gaining entry to the club! This can become a big reason why songs don’t get accepted. If it doesn’t sound like the modern version of your chosen genre, soundwise, then it will just confuse the listener.
For Instance:
If an artist creates a song intended for the Hip Hop scene but fails to use a kick drum sound currently accepted by fans then we immediately create one reason for the audience to not accept the track. If we then do the same thing with the bass sound, the main synth lead sound and additionally use a vocal that is a big departure from current popular vocal style, then it becomes clear when we add all these elements together the mix starts to sound more like a “wannabe hybrid” rather than an authentic Hip Hop track. Hence: when the track is released into the Hip Hop market listeners simply don’t get it!: The only way this might work is if your song is an interesting fusion of two or more established genres. If this can be achieved it could be regarded as groundbreaking!
Solution:
Respect your target market and fit what is popular – with a twist. This way you fit your genre well but also bring something new to the table on top of that. This gives the market something new to talk about within their scene. A cross genre fusion can work well as a twist.
2. Failing to conduct adequate market research can be a major reason why songs don’t become hits.
Before committing to the release of a track into a target market, many artists fail to conduct an adequate market research program. Another big reason why songs don’t do well.
Most artists tend to just play the track to family and friends which is very unreliable as a market reaction indicator. Family and friends will firstly care about your mental health and not being honest about the track! They will tend to nod and say “Brilliant” no matter how it sounds! Then, when they release the track (on the basis of those comments), they are actually surprised when their songs don’t catch on! Market research should be conducted online within fan forums where feedback is guaranteed to be impartial.
This would involve:
- Distributing the demo track (pre mastering) privately to known fans of the target genre and asking what they think of the track.
- Requesting feedback of how the track could be improved in any way?
- Asking for listeners to rate the track on a scale of one to ten with ten being “Hit” and zero being “miss”.
- Checking if anyone would actually be interested in receiving a free copy of the final mastered mix?
- Monitoring how many downloads the final mastered free mix actually gets. (the acid test!)
By performing the above research an artist will gain a good idea of how appealing their track really is. If the reaction is anything less than major enthusiasm then it probably wont be received well in the market. This exercise should realistically be carried out for every new track recorded until that magical moment arrives where the majority of listeners go nuts!.
Solution:
Make market research an important part of testing the product. By gaining a realistic idea of likely market reaction you can cut out a lot of wasted time, energy and money. By doing your research you can essentially fast forward to the track that will be succesfull. Without the painful flops!
3. Failing to gain Industry backing can be a major reason why songs dont get respected by the market.
Before a track is released, many artists fail to explore and adopt all industry reaction available to them. Another reason why songs don’t catch on. By inviting comment from as many industry players as possible, an artist can begin to create an impressive music marketing package. In this age of instant online communication it is very easy to approach respected industry players and gain feedback for a new track. ( LinkedIn is fantastic for this) Whenever that reaction is positive, this comment needs to be quoted in the marketing package.
When respected names appear to be backing a track and predict it to do well on release, it stands a better chance of industry pick up. Major music news services, Bloggers, music magazines, radio and most importantly; fans, are far more likely to buy into the track when respected names are attached to it.
Solution:
Compile a list of key people you intend to regularly request feedback from regarding new recordings. This is very much a numbers game. Even if it means trying to contact 100 people before you get one known person to deliver feedback it is worth it. Do not feel down when this process proves to go slow. Just understand that over time you will find people who warm to your approach and who will be worth mentioning in your marketing package later. Just keep going. This is one process you will come to truly appreciate later.
4. The Song file does not comply to airplay requirements
A track submitted for radio airplay can be rejected for reasons that has absolutely nothing to do with the artistic nature of the song. Your song can be absolutely brilliant but if the basic rules of formatting are overlooked then it will not even reach the playlist database. An obvious reason why songs don’t sell is because it receives no radio airplay! Many artists fail to correctly format their master file before radio distribution.
A song file needs to comply with each station’s submission policy which will likely include:
- Format specification. Wav files mastered at at least 48hz-24 bit are normally the lowest accepted quality in the digital age. Some stations may accept MP3’s. Contact the station you intend to send to to confirm this.
- The track can be rejected on length. Aiming to make the track no longer than 3:40 is advisable.
- It is essential to tag your music file correctly. If your file does not include meta data that includes: Artist, Title, Length, Genre, Album & Release date then it can be rejected immediately. Adding additional info where possible is also advisable. The more info you can provide the better.
- Including song artwork. Most radio stations now have an online presence and will appreciate you providing a good artwork and promotion information package. This serves 2 purposes: 1. It allows the station to provide information and imagery to their listeners online and: 2. It allows a DJ or station manager to buy into you. If you fail to communicate with a good artwork/promo pack then you will be lost in the station jumble!
Solution:
Respect the world of the radio presenter. Make their job easy and allow them the best chance of being impressed and entertained by the backstory of your act through the marketing info and artwork. Be sure to target someone at the station who you know deals with your genre of music. Include any funny or cool stories. Mention any gig dates and venues info. Most of all: be sure to find out what a stations requirements are for digital file submissions before sending your promo package. Make follow up phone calls to check it was received ok.
5. An obvious reason why songs don’t do well: The track contains offensive content?
If your song contains offensive language, offensive attitude or subject matter, then this is very likely to work against you. Unless you are targeting a niche market of confused dangerous people in need of songs to sing in their prison cell! Radio stations in particular will reject a song if they believe it could offend their audience in any way. Songs don’t catch on if the radio station doesn’t play them! The most successful songs are generally inoffensive in nature. besides that: being a part of the human solution is a much nicer way to be 🙂
Solution:
If you would like your song to stand a chance of gaining mass acceptance then it would be wise to avoid offending the audience. Negative, violent or morally reprehensible content can easily result in this. A truly great song is truly ‘good’. It is a smart idea to make sure your work qualifies as being a part of the human solution and not the problem! read Basil Simon’s definition of good v bad here
6. Your song sounds like a clone
A lot of artists make the mistake of failing to brand their music with their own twist on the sound. If a track just sounds way too close to being like an established artist in the market then it is likely to be regarded as a clone. If this happens then the chances are that your audience will just decide that the established artist you sound like is the real thing and you are not. A huge reason why songs flop 🙂 This will not just result in your audience rejecting your track but rejecting your entire presence in the market. You brought nothing new to the scene and just came across as a plagurist.
Solution:
By all means fit what is popular in your chosen genre – but do it with a twist. eg; If your main asset is the sound of the singer but that singer sounds too much like Katy Perry then your singer needs to work on creating a few original vocal tricks that sets her apart in a creative way. Some artists do this by always producing the vocals with the same recognisable effects ( The gorillas?).
By adding an authentic twist to the style of singing the singer stands a chance of gaining recognition for originality. The fact she sounds similar to Katy Perry then becomes an asset, not an impediment.
The same goes for the entire sound. If your act continually get comments that it sounds just like another existing act then your band members all need to work on gaining “something” fresh to their style.
7. People can not relate to your song
How many times have you listened to a song that was great in terms of sound but then you completely forgot it after hearing it? This happens because it either had weak hooks, or; it completely failed to relate to you. The best songs relate to people in meaningful ways together with great hooks! Adel has had incredible success with her choice of songs because she sings about relationships. A lot of her work sounds like messages to a romantic partner, an ex boyfriend, or relate to a common relationship situation. This is very smart writing. By doing this Adel manages to relate to the entire human race! everyone desires love and so most of the population are in relationships!
Why Songs Don’t Appeal To The Common Grain Of The Human Mind
Listeners will easily forget a song with weak melody and hook. A song that further fails to connect lyrically will be forgotten even quicker! A main hook of ” I’m so busy cleaning my submarine” Is not likely to become relevant in anyone’s life unless they are in the navy. (small market). Of course you might enjoy a freakish success if the hook is so seductive that it plays back in people’s sleep! Another big reason why songs don’t catch on: no human connection or relevance to the common grain of the human mind. Try to write lyrics around subjects that everyone will understand. You can achieve this easily by making sure your song relates directly to an aspect of everyday human existence..
Solution:
Be smart with your songwriting and write about subjects that relate to the common grain of the human mind. Try to choose a subject that is a common issue or situation in most people’s lives and make the main hook relate completely to that in some way. By making your song relevant to people’s lives you stand a better chance of listeners remembering your song, talking about it and replaying it! if you wish to become mainsream then write about mainstream subjects.
8. Your mastered track has serious mix issues.
Another big reason why songs don’t catch on is the fact they sound bad! Getting your song mastered by an experienced and established mastering professional is essential for media acceptance. If your track does not have that commercial polish then it will be noticed immediately. A lot of artists try to master their own work and fall short of getting it right. Many artists simply cannot afford the best gear for truthful mixing in their studio and so are actually incapable of getting the required finish. Additionally: if a track is not mixed correctly it can:
- Have phase problems when played in mono,
- It can lose a lot of the bottom end on mobile speakers
- The track can have excessive bass in the car!
- if your track is not mastered to the required professional standard then it can be rejected quickly by industry people used to hearing the real deal on their speakers.
Solution:
Be sure to test your music product on all commonly used consumer listening devices including small radios, mobile phone speakers, earbuds, headphones, car stereos, HiFi systems, computer speakers and home theatre surround sound systems. If a consistent balanced sound is missing between these devices then be sure to use an established mastering studio to fix this. Better still; get a known engineer or a famous studio to master your song. By doing this you gain the right finish and you get to add another respected name to your marketing info!
9. Failing to respect human nature.
If a song fails to respect the impatient attention span of music speculators then that is another good reason why songs don’t catch on at all. By failing to respect the attention span of humans, a song may never get a fair hearing. When a song has too much of an intro it can lose the listener. if it takes too long to get to the main hook it can lose the listener. When the track fails to stimulate due to poor dynamics it can lose the listener.
Why songs don’t get played on streaming services
A respected fellow producer recently shared with me a private industry report all about the habits of listeners who use streaming services to discover new sounds. This report emphasises the importance of avoiding all of the above. The report even states the new phenomena of some artists now only recording two minute songs. Why? because a stream just has to get played past 30 seconds before it qualifies for a pay out. Making songs as long as 3:30 is now looking like a waste of time to many artists hungry for quick cash!
Solution:
It would be wise to produce songs where the intro is dynamic and short, (no longer than 5 seconds) where the first verse is punchy and unpredictable, and: your main hook is addictively catchy, energetic and arrives within 25 seconds. By doing this you stand a chance of the track holding the attention of the listener. The aim is to get past 30 seconds. Additionally: Pay attention to what the most popular trending streams are in your genre and analyse their arrangement. This is what is working… try to match that approach in your own original way.
10. Poor marketing
The major record companies have the privilege of being able to pay the silly money out to all the top publicity agencies to get information of any new release out to market. they know that an inadequate marketing team can be a great reason why songs don’t catch on. The majors enjoy special relationships with these companies enabling special access to mainstream media outlets. If only life was that easy for the rest of us! Most independent artists fail to understand the importance of product communication. Creating a remarkable music product is all well and good but will mean absolutely nothing if it doesn’t reach market. The most important focus building up to and; after a release date is “communicate, communicate communicate” Ideally with your already established fan base.
Solution:
The whole act should make marketing that song the single most important thing in their life for three months before and three months after the release date! You should send your track together with promo package to radio stations, music magazines, social media influencers & TV music shows. Placing posters in main public centres in your local area will help too. Regular news updates on all progress to existing fans via email, social media, texts & your website is also important. Both pre release and post release. It would be wise to compile a marketing ‘stories series schedule’ with pre determined angles for creating new discussion around your song. This way you can relight the fire of discussion after each week passes and the last lot of info becomes old. Blow up your back story in strategic well thought out stages!
Marketing Tip: How to Get Free Exposure!
Tip: attach the song to a current existing popular news item! Make a clear connection between your song lyrics and that story. Put out a press release to all major news desks about how the act cares about that situation and is willing to donate a % of profits to the cause, or: maybe highlight a positive message inspired by that news story. News editors are constantly on the lookout for new content so if you make yourself relevant you stand a good chance of scooping free publicity this way. don’t stop, keep going and push that track in front of everybody!
There are many more reasons why songs dont catch on.
This article highlights just ten of the bigger reasons why songs don’t catch on. If you need help with a new song, then be sure to drop us a line here at Jumbojam. There are many ways to improve your chances of having a hit record and being part of a great development team like Jumbojam is one of them! We are hungry to have a hit Just like you!
Basil Simon is an experienced music composer, producer and song writer. He is based in Sutton in Craven between Keighley and Skipton in north Yorkshire U.K. Bd20.
