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While promoting my own music I have made several textbook mistakes, which is why I now believe I'm more effective at it. Sometimes it takes trial-and-error to discover those techniques which will help you to be more effective at promoting your own music. So this article is aimed at helping you to avoid some of the more common and not so common mistakes.

In many cases when you're promoting your music, you come across another artist who is promoting their music as well. You usually listen to it and notice they are getting a lot of gigs, their online plays are out of this world, and they are getting a lot of press coverage in magazines. Inside your mind, you may feel a bit discouraged because as a new artist you haven't created quite as much buzz and don't know how you are going to make it.

That is how it always seems being an upcoming artist. You don't have enough material, not enough artists are willing to feature with you, and you don't always have a studio to record your music over the beats you download. But that is also the same way your competitors feel when they listen to your music. They think, "Wow he(she) got a great track" or "Uh Oh, his(her) lyrics really paint a picture." So above all else make sure you remain confident. You are still learning your craft, and artists who have been recording for 8-10 years ahead of you are the artists you should look to for advice because they are your mentors. And usually if they are approached correctly they'll gladly give you some valuable feedback.

Remember, building your fan base is a marathon, not a sprint. Your small wins will result in larger wins over time.

Also, consider marketing yourself as a brand. You have to get into the mindset that you are not just another rapper or singer, but a product. Once you have an understanding for that, then promoting your music becomes much clearer. Take Kim Kardashian for example, Kim isn't known for one thing in particular but her real skill is understanding she is a brand and the business world understands she is a brand also. So they are more than eager to do business with her brand.

So make sure you invest in your own website to market your music on. Sure there are sites like soundcloud.com, soundclick.com, bandcamp.com, and the list goes on. But have you ever consider when someone stumbles across your profile on those sites, they usually listen and enjoy what they hear. Then they eventually move on to another artists and may not remember or know how to get back to your profile. But if you invest money into having your own website, like www.(yournamehere).com you'll have made a major step towards having brand recognition. Now, you may be thinking, I don't have the money for a website. Well this should not be overlooked or taken lightly when you are promoting your music and developing your brand. You should eventually raise the money it would cost to have a website because lets face it the only thing that is free in the music industry is writing your own lyrics.

Everything else will cost, you can't compose any music without paying for the beat you download. You can't promote your music on twitter or facebook without paying for an internet connection, and you definitely can't record without spending money for the tools to record. The bottom line is, you can't afford to be a recording artist if you're not willing to invest in the resources available to you. Your own website is the most cost effective way to build your brand recognition.