Interview: Kevin Breuner, CD Baby’s SVP of Engagement & Education

About Kevin Breuner

CD Baby’s SVP of Artist Engagement & Education, Kevin Breuner, has spent over 25 years working in the music business, both as a recording artist and an industry professional. Kevin has been a part of the CD Baby team for 16 years and has led the company’s marketing efforts since 2009. In that time, he has been instrumental in growing annual revenues by a multiple of 10x. Since January of 2022, Kevin and delegated Artist Engagement & Education team are charged with focusing CD Baby's educational content to help artists in the independent music community move their career forward in an industry that continues to change rapidly.

If TikTok is eventually banned by the US and other governments around the world, how do you think artists (especially emerging) will be impacted when it comes to the marketing/PR of their music?

Social media is great for promoting and marketing your music. However, if an artist relies solely on a social platform to access their fans, then the platform owns the artist’s relationship to their fans. In order to truly own your audience in the digital world, you need to have a direct line of communication with them, such as through email or text messaging.

When building fanbases on platforms like TikTok or Instagram, it's important to have a strategy to move your fans off of the platform, otherwise you may end up paying a steep price in the future, either in terms of effort, money, or starting from scratch.

Social media platforms have increasingly tightened their restrictions on accessing fans, oftentimes requiring payment to reach followers. While these platforms are useful for building an audience, they don't necessarily facilitate genuine or sustainable connections with fans.

What music tools would you recommend that artists utilize for marketing/PR with the aims of revenue generation and fan base growth, in a world without TikTok?

To ensure your fans can engage with you on a deeper level, use a clear call-to-action on all platforms to demonstrate how they can do so, and include a centralized location for fans to turn to, that you have complete ownership over, like a website. Utilize tools to gather email addresses or phone numbers. It's also important to understand your audience and what you're trying to achieve.

Provide your fans with unique experiences that go beyond the social media platform and give them a chance to elevate their fandom, such as live streams, in-person events, or a special Q&A session. Early access to ticket or merch sales could also be a way to direct these fans to your website or prompt for email. Contests can also be a great way to engage with fans and provide them with benefits and bragging rights. Ultimately, your website should be the go-to place for fans to find official information, purchase products, and get in touch with you. Social media is great for casual content, but your hub should serve as the cornerstone of your artist career or business.

For an artist who is starting out and just recorded their first song, how can CD Baby help them with music distribution and promotion?

CD Baby is particularly advantageous for new artists looking to establish themselves in the music industry, with minimal upfront costs and the ability to keep music online forever, even after transitioning to a different company. Moreover, CD Baby has partnered with Groover, a music promotion platform, to help emerging artists promote their music and achieve tangible results. Through this partnership, CD Baby artists have discounted access to Groover's vast network of music industry professionals, curators, record labels, managers, mentors, media outlets, playlisters, radio stations, and more. Artists have a direct communication line with these professionals, and can message or pitch them on their music and ideas.

What led you to make the transition from an artist to music industry professional? Would you say that your experience as an artist has any carry over with your role now as the SVP of Artist Engagement & Education at CD Baby?

When I started out in music, I went to school for both music and music business, so the business side has always been a part of my journey. After college, I joined the band Smalltown Poets and signed with a major label. When I joined CD Baby, I was the ex-major label artist who wanted to help indie artists pursue a career in music on their own terms. The DIY Musician podcast became a natural channel for sharing my knowledge with independent artists. As CD Baby grew, so did my role within the company. Building out the marketing team was a natural fit for me and that continued to grow over time into my current role as SVP of Engagement & Education.

Tell us about the DIY Musician Podcast and why it is important for artists to tune in if they want to learn strategies that they can implement to be successful in the music industry.

The DIY Musician podcast is a great resource for anyone interested in learning how to navigate and grow their music career. It’s heavily focused on discussions around building successful careers in the music industry and navigating the complex industry landscape. The podcast hopes to empower musicians with practical know-how, and inspire them to pursue musical ambitions and achieve success on their terms.

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