Song covers are a staple for every musician. Every singer, drummer, and guitarist – even if they now write their own songs – started out playing music written by others. Rather than practicing them in private, why not post yours on YouTube? Here’s why every music artist should cover songs – and share them online.
The Search Engine Will Work in Your Favor
While your music is surely wonderful, there are many artists who are more famous or more well-known than you. When you cover Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” people looking up covers for that particular song on YouTube will also see yours in the mix. They wouldn’t have been exposed to your music if you hadn’t covered something that they’d been meaning to search for in the first place. Remember to include relevant hashtags so your video shows up.
Covers Are a Great Way to Push out Content Relatively Quickly
Although original music shows your songwriting skills, it is also a good idea to be able to post new music every few days or every week. Not many people can write songs that quickly. Posting cover songs are a way for you to learn a song in a few sittings and show off your talent without going through the lengthy process of writing an original song.
Covers Allow You to Show Your Musical Interpretation Skills
Since the song is already written, here is your chance to get creative! If you do a cover of “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira, you can add new instruments or even take it to a completely different genre or style. Try making a Disney song sound more punk like. Come up with a drum solo to pair with that guitar riff. Covers give you a good starting ground for you to show off your versatility. Plus, viewers want to see unique takes on songs that have been covered to death. Please, no more Adele “Hello” ballads on YouTube.
Check out this “All About That Bass” Cover By Post Modern Jukebox in their unique style – not to mention the video has over 11 million views.
Although playing, making, and selling original music is a goal coveted by most musicians, playing covers can be an instrumental step (no pun intenteded) in getting there. When you’re on the fence, use these reasons and push yourself to record that cover of your new favorite song.
If you’re interested in getting your YouTube video discovered by masses of targeted fans, click this link : www.promolta.com
Vivien Bui is a musician and writer. She enjoys going to concerts, writing at night, and sitting in a coffee shop with a good book.
