The importance of covers and remixes

In today's musical climate, it's getting increasingly harder to stand out from the crowd.   There are more and more people producing and more and more ways to get your music out there.   So how do you make an impact?

Well I'm here to discuss one method that seems to be working a charm for a metric tonne of internet-savvy musicians...


The importance of covers and remixes

YouTube has opened up a convenient door to anyone with a creative mind.   If you search for any song in the charts, chances are you'll find a bunch of remixes and covers of it.   Try it out - then take a look at the play counts of some of the earliest ones.

Pretty cool, huh?   To expose your music to hundreds of thousands of listeners, all you have to do is re-work a popular song.   If you can come up with a title that catches the eye then you're much more likely to get hits as well.   For instance: "Lady Gaga Telephone (DJ blah remix)" probably won't draw as much attention as "Lady Gaga attacked by Drum and Bass!".   Be imaginative and be a little bit mysterious if you can.


Picking a cover / remix

Well, the easiest option is to pick whatever's at the top of the charts, but if you're sick of doing Justin Bieber remixes, perhaps you should think about other things in popular culture.   How about adverts?   I've seen a dubstep remix of a Lloyds TSB advert with nigh-on 2 million views.   Or how about video game music?   Or TV shows?   Or internet memes?   The list goes on - I'm sure you know of some niches with content waiting to be turned into a quality cover or remix.


Promoting your track

If you have the most views of all the covers, chances are people will pick you - so how do you go about getting the most views?   Well, post the cover on relevant forums for a start.   The artist who you're covering might be a convenient starting point, then send it to blogs, ask your friends to pass it on and in general let the internet know about it!


Video matters!

If you have the best remix ever and it's got a still image, it's not going to do as well as if you've got some clever little video accompanying it.   It takes extra time and effort, yes, but it will undoubtedly pay off.   If you put in effort, the YouTube audience will recognise it and be more likely to let their friends know about your tune!

So what are you waiting for?   Have a think, pick a song, then make your mark on it and watch your fanbase grow!