The first week of my journey as an independent business owner of my own music publishing company was a whirlwind of decisions, planning and a lot of enthusiasm. I decided to get serious about taking my music to a wider audience while also preserving my rights as a songwriter. I knew that if I wanted to succeed in the online music industry, I had to put my best foot forward—and I needed to start by building a solid foundation. The first week of becoming my own official publishing company and overseeing and being responsible for my works as an independent jazz artist was a whirlwind of decisions, planning, stress and a lot of enthusiasm.
I knew that if I wanted to succeed in the online music industry, not just as an artist but as an official owner of my own music publishing company, I had to put my best foot forward—and I needed to start by building a solid foundation. The first thing I focused on were my Artist pages on places like Facebook, Amazon, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tidal and Apple. I had always known the power of social media, but I had yet to harness it in the way that could help me build a significant fan base. I knew I needed to increase my followers and establish a more professional online presence. My music was a mix of jazz, blues, and Latin lounge styles, and I wanted my page to reflect this. It was crucial to reach people who were already fans of these genres and connect with them on a deeper level. I worked on updating the page’s layout, making sure that it wasn’t just a place to post songs, but a space where people could discover the essence of who I am as an artist.
One of the first things I did was refresh the content and the visuals. I updated my bio to include a brief but detailed description of my music, my influences and my goals. This was a chance to show the world who I was and what my sound represented. I wanted to make sure my Artist pages were a reflection of my identity as an artist, without overwhelming people with too much personal detail. The focus had to be on the music itself. This meant I had to get creative with the page’s visuals, so I added a few pics that represented my vibe—photos from inside the studio, candid shots of the contributing musicians and a few graphics that tied into the vintage jazz era I draw so much inspiration from. It was important to make everything feel cohesive and inviting.
To increase engagement, I also started posting more regularly, sharing snippets of my songs and any upcoming projects. I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t just throwing content out into the void; I wanted to interact with the audience, answer questions, and be present. I knew the more I interacted with my followers, the more they’d feel connected to me and my music. While I worked on my social media, I also began to think about the next step in building my presence online: creating a more professional website. Having a website was crucial, especially since I don't perform live shows at the moment. My immediate goal was to establish a strong digital presence where people could find out more about my music, purchase the song downloads and even get exclusive merchandise.
After doing some research, I decided on a web host and template that would fit my needs. I wanted something simple but elegant that would highlight the music and make it easy for people to navigate. It couldn’t be too flashy, but it also couldn’t be too basic—it needed to reflect my brand as an artist who values quality and sophistication. I worked on customizing the site, making sure to include all the relevant information—my music releases, my bio, links to my social media, and my contact details for booking inquiries. The most important thing was making sure my music was the main focus.
As I continued to work on these online platforms, I kept thinking about how to expand my audience. I knew that reaching people who didn’t already know me was going to be the biggest challenge. I wasn’t performing live, so how could I get people to listen to my music and share it with others? That’s when the idea of targeted Facebook campaigns came to mind. I started brainstorming how I could use Facebook’s advertising tools to reach fans of jazz, blues, and Latin lounge music.
I spent some time researching how other musicians had used Facebook ads to grow their fan base. I looked into targeting options, learning how to define an audience based on location, age, interests, and even listening habits. I realized that I could reach a very specific audience—people who already loved the music I make, and I could start small, testing different ads to see what worked best. I began to envision what my ads would look like: a teaser video featuring snippets of my songs, maybe a picture of me in the studio or performing. The goal was to get people to click on the link to my music, to learn more, and ideally, to follow me on social media or drive them towards following me on one of the other major platforms.
Though I wasn’t sure exactly how it would turn out, I was excited by the idea of using targeted ads to create a direct connection with my future fans. I researched which online music platforms performed best in specific countries like France, Japan, Germany and other places with a large jazz fanbase. As I prepared to launch my first campaign, I couldn’t help but feel proud of how far I’d come already. In just a week, I had made so many important decisions about my brand, my music, and how I wanted to present myself to the world.
Looking back on my first week, I realized how much I had accomplished in such a short amount of time. I’d laid the groundwork for my online presence, revamped my Facebook and other Artist pages, built my website, and brainstormed a marketing strategy. All of these things were essential to the success of my new publishing/music business, Cinco Verde Publishing LLC, and the path I was on toward turning my passion into a sustainable legacy. This was just the beginning, but I was determined to keep pushing forward, knowing that every step, no matter how small, was bringing me closer to my goal.