As the internet has revolutionised music - for better and worse - so has it overhauled the way bands and artists promote themselves.

Print music journalism has fallen by the wayside; the NME moved to being a free paper in 2015 and ceased altogether in 2018. The digital ‘journos’ and bloggers of today no longer wait for the postman to deliver promo CDs; rather they're emailed watermarked download links (and the second-hand record shops of this country are poorer stocked for it). In the days of streaming, live performances became artists' primary way of making a living - and then Covid put those on temporary hiatus also. Although, in a nice twist, having done a series of streaming events together over lockdown, Bill Callahan and Will Oldham took the best of those tracks and gave them a physical release with Blind Date Party. The record always comes round full circle.

While live performances continue to be artists' bread and butter, however, it's never been more important to leverage a brand across digital media. Tickets don't get any cheaper and persuading fans to come out relies on staying in - and expanding via - the public consciousness. Let's take a look at how some stars convert bits and bytes into bums on seats.

TV & Film

Streaming services have disrupted the traditional distribution models for the small and big screens almost as much as they have for music. Musicians making acting cameos aren't a new thing - think back 40 years to The Blues Brothers featuring Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin - not to mention the awesome ensemble that were Jake and Elwood's band. They are, however getting more targeted and zeitgeist-y. Think Ed Sheeran's cameo on Game Of Thrones or Dub Pistols bringing their brand of British big beat to American audiences via soundtrack appearances on everything from Parenthood on cable to Holmes & Watson in the cinema. After seeing Rob Zombie direct horror flicks like House Of 1000 Corpses, the Foo Fighters starred in one of their own - you can currently catch Studio 666 on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Video Games

Again, musicians promoting themselves via games isn't an entirely new phenomenon. However, you'd have to be a pretty dedicated fan to play through The Thompson Twins Adventure Game or the ZX Spectrum The Shaky Game that was an easter egg on the cassette version of Shakin' Stevens 1983 LP The Bop Won't Stop. When computer audio capability got to be more than a boop beep, though, bands saw the medium as a way of staying relevant. Guns N' Roses took advantage of this more than most, licensing tracks to the Burnout, Madden and Grand Theft Auto franchises, helping keep them in the public consciousness in the seemingly endless delays and line-up changes between the Illusion LPs and Chinese Democracy. They've even moved into casino gaming - There’s a Foxy Bingo online slot game titled Guns N’ Roses which plays heavily on their imagery and has a 5-song soundtrack. For those looking to win new fans, video games can expand their exposure beyond a 'traditional' audience. Travis Scott and Marshmello have both appeared as playable characters in Fortnite. Yard Act's Overload being featured on FIFA brought their pretty anachronistically English post-punk sound to a global audience that foreign radio, TV or streaming would be unlikely to reach.

Social Media

Two decades ago, music on the internet was rather Wild West, and nobody took advantage of it more than Arctic Monkeys. MySpace and message boards were full of their tracks, causing a clamour amongst major labels for their signature, and leading to debut single 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' going straight into the charts at number one. Nowadays fans will visit carefully crafted Instagram pages to see the latest stage-managed shots, read the news that the management team thinks are fit to print and be directed to an official download site. Except, of course, for Kanye West fans, who'll log on to see who he's picked a fight with (Gap, this time) and deleted the entire contents of the page. Again.

Digital media will likely be the way musicians continue to promote themselves. It's instantaneous, way less cost-intensive and brings them to more ears than the traditional promos, industry showcase gigs and interview circuits of yesteryear. There's something special about the crackle of a needle on vinyl, and the resurgence of that format bears that out. However, when we can access an internet connection in almost any location and a turntable in far fewer, then the weight of opportunity wins out.