The Dropkick blog
Guides for independent artists.
Straight answers on getting your music heard: promotion, release planning, finding fans and what to avoid. No paid-play shortcuts.
How to plan a music release: a week-by-week checklist
A realistic plan for releasing a single independently, from eight weeks out to a month after: distribution, pitching, rights, release day and what to do next.
22 October 2026 · 8 min read
How to promote your music on SoundCloud
SoundCloud's own promotion tools explained, which plan you actually need, community tactics that still work, and what will get your account suspended.
22 October 2026 · 7 min read
How to sell more music on Bandcamp (and turn listeners into fans)
Pricing that Bandcamp's own data backs, pages that convert, pre-orders, Bandcamp Fridays, and how to turn one-off buyers into fans who buy every release.
22 October 2026 · 6 min read
Where to submit your music as an independent artist
Editorial playlists, submission platforms, radio, blogs, YouTube and communities: what each costs, who it suits, and how to avoid paying for nothing.
22 October 2026 · 6 min read
How to get your first 100 real fans
Views are not fans. A practical plan for independent musicians to find, reach and keep their first 100 real fans, with what to do this week and this month.
22 October 2026 · 7 min read
Is paying for playlist placement worth it?
What Spotify actually allows, the real risks for small artists, how to spot a bot playlist in five minutes, and better ways to spend the same money.
22 October 2026 · 7 min read
Your music deserves a launch day.
Dropkick is a launch platform for independent artists. Every release gets its own day, listeners upvote what they love, and the charts are ranked by real listeners, never by payment. The first 100 artists get a permanent Founding Artist badge, and 100 places are left.