Marketing for New Artists: The Cost, The Breakdown, and Tips and Tricks!

So you’re a new artist. You ran ads on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Do you know who your ads reached? Who’s your target audience? What can you do with little to no money while on your musical journey? Find out with Def Jam’s Marketing Coordinator, Chris Davis.

As an experienced coordinator and marketing strategist, Chris Davis is currently the Marketing Coordinator at Def Jam recordings where he helps to strategize and implement activations for both established and up-and-coming artists. He has also ideated for implemented marketing campaign for Fortune 500 companies including Viacom, Target, Walmart, Nissan, and many others. He received his MBA in Finance from Arkansas State University in 2017 and moved to the New York area to pursue his passion in music. Chris Davis is also a member of Writing Sessions America where he helps to cultivate aspiring artists, producers, and song writers. Lastly, Chris Davis is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and has a soft spot for community activism and social justice.

DEF JAM Recordings Founded in 1984, Def Jam Recordings has represented the cutting-edge in hip-hop music for more than 35 years. Def Jam began as a maverick independent label inspired by downtown New York City’s vibrant street culture and the emerging sound of hip-hop, pioneered by iconic stars like LL Cool J, Slick Rick, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. Over the following two decades, Def Jam established its dominance with superstar acts like Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule, Method Man & Redman, Ludacris, Rihanna, Jeezy, and the inimitable Kanye West. Now in its fourth decade, Def Jam’s music and lifestyle has grown into a global brand – synonymous with creativity, quality and authenticity – encompassing a diverse roster of marquee and emerging stars like West, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, Logic, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Vince Staples, Jeremih, Big Sean, YG, 2 Chainz, Dave East, and Jhene Aiko, among others. Today, Def Jam has reaffirmed its passion for and commitment to hip-hop culture, and has expanded its global brand reach to become the most-followed major label on all major social media platforms.