Entertainment Partnerships For Indie Music Exposure

Exposure for indie artists is something that gets discussed quite frequently, and usually the discussions to the same old tips: play local shows, engage with followers on social media, keep channels on streaming services updated, and hope for the best! These are all valid ideas, but they’re also fairly common ones, which means even if you excel with them you won’t necessarily be setting yourself apart from the pack.

Here, I intend to cover a few additional ideas for potential exposure that you don’t hear about as frequently, specifically relating to finding partnerships in entertainment businesses. These ideas require a little more luck and likely a little more business savvy than simply being active on social media or something of the like. If they work though, they can effectively reveal your sound to whole new audiences you would otherwise never have reached. These are some of the entertainment partnerships indie artists may do well to seek out.

Indie Game Developers

Once upon a time, indie video games were relatively obscure. They appeared mostly on PCs or through browser arcade sites, given that the bulk of the gaming industry consisted of console and handheld games produced by professional studios. Now, however, thanks to the explosive rise of mobile gaming, indie developers are all over the place, producing an incredibly high volume of content. Most of them have limited budgets, and many of them specifically want unique and appealing music that can make their games stand out. Matching up with a developer who fits this description and also fits your sound or that of your band is easier said than done. But there are actually services now that are devoted to making those matches.

Casino Game Developers

Casino games comprise more of a niche category, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t extremely widely played, or that they don’t come in frankly astonishing variety. It can at times be even harder to find a fit for the average indieartist in this space, but generally the same concept from regular indie games applies. Furthermore, the aforementioned variety has expanded in recent years to include some casino games that specifically revolve around music. In the most famous of cases this means games using licensed material from major rock bands like Guns N’ Roses and Kiss. However, there are other examples as well.

It may not be your personal style, but the “DJ Wild” slot by Elk Studios may be the best model to examine if you’re interested in trying to partner with a casino developer. Said to have “funky vibes” mixed by a top Euro DJ, it’s a game that revolves almost entirely around original music. If you think your own sounds could support a similar game, this is certainly something to explore.

Indie Filmmakers

In a way this suggestion essentially speaks to the film version of the same idea. Indie filmmakers are typically working on very tight budgets, even if the term “indie film” is often misunderstood. These films can still cost several million dollars – they simply pale in comparison to “big budget” movies that cost tens of millions and can sometimes put several million toward music alone. There are a lot of suggestions as to
how to build a soundtrack for indie filmmakers, but they include options like finding a rising star who isn’t well known yet, or making the music yourself, as a filmmaker. Naturally, partnering with an independent musician can slot right into these recommendations.

Again, it can be hard to find the right film or filmmaker to lend your talents to, as the artist, but if you can work out a deal with a fairly modest fee that will appeal to the filmmaker, and a clear credit and potential exposure for you, it can be a terrific win-win scenario. Plus, you never know if or when an indie film may actually become a hit! It’s not an easy world out there with regard to exposure. These ideas, too, are fairly complex in actual execution. However, partnering with other creators and forms of entertainment can certainly help you expand your listenership if you can make it work.