Alan Dufner Jr. (aka Torrio) is a music promoter, marketer, and producer, helping to promote records by Men At Large and S.O.S.C. with Rival Records. He has worked with a slew of Cleveland artists including Dave Tolliver and Byron Nemeth. Check out Torrio’s full profile on PIVODIO.
Hi Alan, pleasure to speak with you. You’re in music promotion and marketing, and that’s an aspect of the music business that’s so important, yet many aspiring artists struggle with the basics. How do you find your audience, and what advice do you have for musicians trying to find their audience today?
A lot of it has to do with social media. A lot of the old techniques we used to market and promote from the 90s still work, but they need to be adapted to the social media aspect of today. Tik Tok, for example, has been useful to break new artists.
Musicians are using ads on Instagram and Facebook to target who they want to market and promote to. Whether it’s a certain age group, certain state, certain country; it’s very effective in getting people to become potential fans of yours.
I’m also a diehard believer in this: doing shows is the best way to get new fans. And I don’t mean playing the same bars every weekend, you need to expand out. Even if it’s just regionally, go to new bars and new venues. Then eventually, you’ll be able to bring fans regionally just by your name.
Back when I was coming up, terrestrial radio was huge of course. Getting interviews, getting in the newspaper; all these things still work, but they’ve all shifted online.
It almost seems like new artists today have to be their own agent, their own manager, their own promoter. They all have to wear so many more hats than artists used to, is that true?
Yes, that’s absolutely true. Even when I was out there releasing my own music and albums, I had to do everything myself. I was able to get my music distributed to certain stores like Best Buy, I trademarked my own name without a lawyer. I just researched and did it all myself.
A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes into it. How much you have to put into your music career everyday, because you’re a business! Yes we do music because we love it, but you want to make a living off of something you love. So in order for that to work, you must look at your music like a business.
People don’t realize how much money actually goes into it just to make money back. A lot of these young artists think this stuff is free to do, or that they can get by by just putting out social media posts. But you actually have to have a campaign and a budget to really get yourself out there.
When your music broke big, did things get easier for you to promote yourself?
For sure. Once you have something under your belt that’s significant like “oh you sold this many records” or “oh you got this many streams,” people in the industry will look at you with a little more seriousness. They’ll think “this kid made it this far doing it on his own, what could he possibly do with someone with deep pockets putting him out there more?”
But you have to do the work. I tell people that they should write a business plan for each album or single that you’re going to put out. The beauty of a business plan is that you can change it, but you should have a plan in place. And a budget. Write down what you want to spend your money on. You’ll need to spend money on distribution, physical products like vinyl, ads, copywriting your music, there’s just so much stuff and you can’t just get by without thinking it through.
So how can you promote yourself if you don’t have much money?
Well I always say if you don’t have a huge budget, save up until you do! But obviously that’s not possible for a lot of people. If you don’t have the money, just get out there in general. Do shows. Go to clubs that play your type of music. Get to know the DJs there, see if they can play your songs. You’d be surprised how many are willing to do it, and if your song is good enough, it’ll get more plays. You need to hustle.
Tik Tok, you can get one video to go viral though you never know. So post on Tik Tok. Maybe even make up a dance to your song, to help you go viral. Don’t just do what everyone is doing, you need to think outside of the box if you don’t have a lot of money.
PIVODIO is for already polished artists on the cusp of turning their passion into their profession. Tell us about when that happened to you, when you broke through to the other side where, say, you didn’t need to moonlight as a server or bartender anymore.
I was always thinking of doing other things in music as well, not just being an artist. When I was coming up, I was working during the day and then went to a club and stayed there until 2am performing.
I went through a program for studio engineering and music business, so I had the skills and knowledge to do more in the music industry. That’s when I started to promote bands, set up websites, do interviews and reviews for artists; all that led to more money where I could still be an artist when I wanted to. I didn’t have to work a “regular” job anymore.
I think if you can do something else in the industry that’s easier to make money from than being an artist, you can keep going and keep building yourself up as an artist along the way.
There’s so many ways to make money. The last couple years, I’ve been into sync licensing. I have so many songs and instrumentals stacking up, so I started contacting music libraries and directors. Now I’ll get emails, “hey this sports network is looking for a song that has energy,” and if you create that song and pitch it and they accept it, that’s a great way to make money in the industry.
It’s not a straight line in this business. Younger musicians need to hear that.
For sure.
Thank you for your insights! We’re going to hit you with some quick hit questions about your love of music. What song takes you back to your childhood?
Just about anything from the 80s. Pointer Sisters, Billy Joel; it’s just good music and great vibes.
What’s the most romantic song?
A lot of 90s R&B. I don’t know. Too many to choose from.
What’s that one song you can listen to a thousand times on repeat and never be tired of it.
“Cryin’” by Aerosmith. Anytime that comes on, I’ll listen to it. I love how he sings it, how it was produced. And Taylor Swift’s “Trouble,” it’s a wonderfully produced song and I love listening to it. Especially with headphones on.
Pointer Sisters to Aerosmith to Taylor Swift. Nice. Last one, what’s the song that brings you back to a very special or important moment in your life.
I just got out of high school and I had my girlfriend at the time, and the song playing during our first kiss was “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men, and I know it’s a break-up song so it doesn’t make sense, but it’s a beautiful song and it reminds me of that moment.
For more of Alan Dufner, check out his Instagram (@torrio74) and connect with him on PIVODIO for music promotion & marketing advice.
About the Author:
Robert Woo has been in marketing for 15+ years, creating content for tech startups in various industries. He’s also written and performed comedy for decades, with stints at Nickelodeon, NBC, HBO, and more. While he is probably the least musically inclined of the PIVODIO team, he is excited to be part of this note-worthy (pun) company. He also takes a multivitamin every day.
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