How to get your songs and covers extra attention?

[Fimbulvetr]

I've been making covers for around two months now; mainly as practice, since I'm hoping to make originals eventually, but also because it's a lot of fun. I like to get lots of feedback on my stuff so I know what to improve, but it's hard when so few people listen to my covers in the first place. ^^; The best place I have to advertise is my main Instagram, which has 3.5K followers, but even then I only have around 20 subbers on YouTube, and maybe an average of two or three people who give feedback. Is there a better way to advertise without "shoving it in peoples' faces"?
I don't want to sound like an attention hog or anything, I just want feedback so I know what I can improve on ;^; Thanks in advance for any help.

(Just gonna leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGAirwiyJ4Lc79yD6lQpijw/videos if anyone wants to help and give feedback or anything. XD)

 

[kamonohashi]

Holy crap you make Poiyo and Poine sound so amazing!

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Holy crap you make Poiyo and Poine sound so amazing!

Aw, you're so nice thanks so much! *w*

 

[Kiyoteru]

Maybe if you employ a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" tactic. You should go listen to lots of people's covers and give them feedback on their work, and they'll be encouraged to go out and do the same. The thing is, with covers, we enjoy making them but when we see other's we know what to expect. It's going to be that one song again, but with a different voice. It's hard to give people a reason to specifically pay attention to yours over others. Some people have a reputation for having really good artwork and videos. Some people have insanely good tuning. Some people are in the UST race, and rush to cover a song within hours of it being released.

Considering that you have ppoiyo and ppoine, a unique trait you could advertise is being able to use them. You could take cover requests or render requests.

Also, if you are planning to make originals "eventually" you should really start now, since you want to do it. I've got tons of resources to help you get going, feel free to come ask.

 

[수연 <Suyeon>]

Unless you have some serious PV creation and art skills, it's really difficult to get any kind of audience out of youtube anymore. Even with great art and an original PV, that's not a full proof guarantee. Soundcloud - though limited in upload amount if you're non-pro - is a faster way to get people to listen to your works. Since it's audio streaming, there's less lag, less art discrimination, and it's easier on those with limited connections (even with decent speed, youtube can be laggy - esp. if you don't want to watch something in 360 and below).

And what @Adlez said is true: once you've heard one cover (or just the original) - unless it's insanely well done and the uploader put their own little flourish on it - you've heard them all. Best way to get any recognition in any case, is to try to give listeners something a bit unique to you: some people can UST, some can art, some can tune, some can do all three, and some can engrish really well.

 

[kamonohashi]

Maybe if you employ a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" tactic. You should go listen to lots of people's covers and give them feedback on their work, and they'll be encouraged to go out and do the same. The thing is, with covers, we enjoy making them but when we see other's we know what to expect. It's going to be that one song again, but with a different voice. It's hard to give people a reason to specifically pay attention to yours over others. Some people have a reputation for having really good artwork and videos. Some people have insanely good tuning. Some people are in the UST race, and rush to cover a song within hours of it being released.

Considering that you have ppoiyo and ppoine, a unique trait you could advertise is being able to use them. You could take cover requests or render requests.

Also, if you are planning to make originals "eventually" you should really start now, since you want to do it. I've got tons of resources to help you get going, feel free to come ask.

I kinda want to write an original but I have no idea how to or any knowledge on music theory

 

[Terindie]

2 months only? Man, that is a teeny amount of time to be in the UTAU world. No wonder you're unknown.

Don't fret just yet. Just keep bettering yourself, asking for feedback (and providing it for others if they ask!) being active in social UTAU media (twitter, tumblr, deviantart, forums... you name it) and eventually your name will be known. Will you become a superstar? Probably not (like most of us), but it should be first and foremost a hobby/activity you enjoy doing even without fame. If you do end up being popular, good on you!

Beyond that, allow your style to naturally develop. Maybe you'll become the person with really professionally done PVs, maybe you have realistic tuning, maybe you do something totally new with the software. Maybe you even become a well-known P-name UTAU producer. Allow yourself to try new things and experiment.

There's lots of covers out there. It takes a lot to make your own shine. As long as you enjoy it, though, the "shining" should just be a nice bonus. :^)

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Maybe if you employ a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" tactic. You should go listen to lots of people's covers and give them feedback on their work, and they'll be encouraged to go out and do the same. The thing is, with covers, we enjoy making them but when we see other's we know what to expect. It's going to be that one song again, but with a different voice. It's hard to give people a reason to specifically pay attention to yours over others. Some people have a reputation for having really good artwork and videos. Some people have insanely good tuning. Some people are in the UST race, and rush to cover a song within hours of it being released.

Considering that you have ppoiyo and ppoine, a unique trait you could advertise is being able to use them. You could take cover requests or render requests.

Also, if you are planning to make originals "eventually" you should really start now, since you want to do it. I've got tons of resources to help you get going, feel free to come ask.

Actually, that is a great idea! I don't have a good tablet or any software for making background music (Been looking at FLStudio 12 Pro, though) at the moment, so that's why I thought I'd put it off until I do have everything I need. If you know of maybe any temporary free music making/art software, that'd be great! Thanks for your help!
[doublepost=1445643217][/doublepost]

2 months only? Man, that is a teeny amount of time to be in the UTAU world. No wonder you're unknown.

Don't fret just yet. Just keep bettering yourself, asking for feedback (and providing it for others if they ask!) being active in social UTAU media (twitter, tumblr, deviantart, forums... you name it) and eventually your name will be known. Will you become a superstar? Probably not (like most of us), but it should be first and foremost a hobby/activity you enjoy doing even without fame. If you do end up being popular, good on you!

Beyond that, allow your style to naturally develop. Maybe you'll become the person with really professionally done PVs, maybe you have realistic tuning, maybe you do something totally new with the software. Maybe you even become a well-known P-name UTAU producer. Allow yourself to try new things and experiment.

There's lots of covers out there. It takes a lot to make your own shine. As long as you enjoy it, though, the "shining" should just be a nice bonus. :^)

Unless you have some serious PV creation and art skills, it's really difficult to get any kind of audience out of youtube anymore. Even with great art and an original PV, that's not a full proof guarantee. Soundcloud - though limited in upload amount if you're non-pro - is a faster way to get people to listen to your works. Since it's audio streaming, there's less lag, less art discrimination, and it's easier on those with limited connections (even with decent speed, youtube can be laggy - esp. if you don't want to watch something in 360 and below).

And what @Adlez said is true: once you've heard one cover (or just the original) - unless it's insanely well done and the uploader put their own little flourish on it - you've heard them all. Best way to get any recognition in any case, is to try to give listeners something a bit unique to you: some people can UST, some can art, some can tune, some can do all three, and some can engrish really well.

With all of that being said, it's probably a good thing to make your own USTs and add as much extra "spice" as possible (while not overdoing it, or using for example an effect that just doesn't fit), right? To be honest, I haven't gotten to the point of even trying to make my own UST yet, but of course, that might be something worth taking up. As for PVs, I have no idea how to make those either, but I could probably figure it out if maybe I got a better tablet. Original songs are something that will hopefully come once I'm able to afford good software for making BGM, and such. UST creation might just be my best bet for now, I suppose. Thanks so much for all of this! It's great to see just how helpful this community is.~