If you are an emerging artist, submit your music to be featured in our “Artist of the Week” series. It’s time to step up in 2025. Built upon years of experience in the entertainment industry, Honk Magazine is excited to introduce a new way for independent musicians to shine in the light they deserve.

We’re re-introducing our “Artist of the Week” series, better than ever, in which artists of all types can reach tens of thousands of music fans, industry insiders, and music tastemakers. This is your time to shine for songwriters, rappers, producers, and bands alike.

Check out this article: Top Songs You Need To Watch Out For In 2024

Reasons to be Featured as “Artist of the Week”

At Honk Magazine, we have always wanted to highlight the up-and-coming voices of each genre. Our “Artist of the Week” is meant to provide you with:

• Huge Exposure: Your profile will be prominently displayed on our homepage, social media channels, and weekly newsletter, which has a distribution reach of thousands of interested readers.
• An SEO-Boosted Write-Up: We tell the story of your music in a way the Google gods will approve of. This creates long-term visibility far beyond social media.
• From Exposure & Press Coverage: Being featured on a credible music website establishes you as a serious artist. It’s also a great inclusion in your press kit or EPK or pitching to playlists and labels.
• Organic Fan Growth: Veritable music fans explore your talent through our platform – no bots, paid clicks, and genuine interaction.

What We Look for in 2025

In 2025, the music industry will change rapidly, and so will we. We’re especially interested in the following this year:

• Real direct messaging with the lyrics and the sound.
• Genre-fluid sounds: pop-laden trap, jazz-tinged hip hop, alt-R&B, electro-soul.
• Production value: There should be Lots of professional or at least high production value, even if DIY should reflect passion and effort.
• Your brand as an artist is unique: Your visuals, socials, and message.

So, if you’re building something, pushing boundaries, or just making undeniably great music, we want to hear from you.

How to Submit Your Music

Submitting is quick and easy. Here’s how it works:

• Send your song via Email submit@honkmagazine.com. Be sure to include:
• Email Subject: Artist of the Week – YourArtistName
• Artist bio (100–150 words max)
• Links to your music on streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, etc.)
• Social media and website links
• A high-quality press photo

Tell Us Your Story

What makes you different? Use the email to let us know what inspires your music, what you’re up to now, and why you think you deserve the spotlight.

Sit Tight for Our Team to Contact You

We personally review all submissions within 5 business days. If we choose your entry, we’ll contact you for a brief interview and to schedule your feature.

What You Get If Selected

If selected as our “Artist of the Week,” you will get:

• Expert written SEO optimized article (700–900)
• One week featured post on our home page.
• Industry backlinks

Permanent archive in our “Artist of the Week” category. Your feature remains on our website indefinitely, ensuring ongoing traffic and validation of your brand.

Success Stories of Feature Articles

Many of the artists we’ve featured have since scored playlist placements, sync deals, label meetings, and media exposure because of their Honk Magazine feature. Now, we don’t promise you fame overnight, but we promise you real visibility that opens doors.

Bonus: Think About Distribution Via Our Partner Network

For artists interested in taking it even further, we are working closely with several platforms and blogs, including Landon Buford and others, on potential wider distribution, playlist pitching, and influencer coverage. “Artist of the Week” is often the first step in these extended opportunities.

From the Underground to the Unearthed, Honk Magazine → Your music needs to be heard, and Honk Magazine is here to help. The “Artist of the Week” series is a channel for recognition, growth, and connection. Let us help you stand out.

Submit Your Music Today

Ready to take the next step? Share your sounds now, and you may be Honk Magazine’s next “Artist of the Week.” We look forward to hearing what you’ve been working on.

Available until the 30th of April 2025.

In 2025, dominating Google rankings as an independent artist requires a layer of visibility that keeps breaking through the noise. This is one of the most effective ways to get discovered, build authority, and grow your fanbase to take over Google rankings. Your appearance on the first page of Google may make or break the brand when fans, curators, and industry executives search your name, music, or relevant keywords. Here’s how to manage your digital footprint and reach the top of search results;

Create a Personal Website (and Optimize It for SEO)

Your website is the home of your brand. It is well-designed professionally, mobile responsive, and fast-loading. But it also needs to be optimized for search engines.

Here’s how:

• All content about your music should go on your web page (e.g., www. YourArtistName. com).
• Your Homepage Title Tag (Ex: “YourArtistName – Independent R&B Artist from Atlanta”) and Meta Description should contain relevant keywords.
• Musical Press And BioPages, Add also pages for tour dates
• Include a blog or news section to share updates. Google loves new content.
• Finally, Google Analytics, search console. (to track traffic search performance)

Pro Tip: Schema markup (aka structured data) can inform Google about your music, songs, albums, videos, and events. This allows your content to appear in rich results, such as music carousels and event snippets.

Optimize your YouTube and Spotify profiles.

Regarding ranking artists, Google pulls data from YouTube and Spotify.

Ensure both are fully optimized:

• On YouTube, write keyword-rich descriptions and utilize relevant tags and playlists for your content.
• On Spotify, claim your profile and update it periodically with new releases, photos, and bio info containing searchable keywords like genre and location.
• Put your YouTube videos and Spotify player on your website and blog posts, too. This will build backlinks and tell Google you are relevant.

Music Blogs & Online Magazines Features

Backlinks from higher authority domains are the secret to climbing up on Google. One of the best ways to improve your SEO as an artist is by ensuring you are featured on reputable music blogs such as Honk Magazine, EARMILK, or Lyrical Lemonade.

Here’s why:

• Since they are high DA blogs, backlinks from them count.
• Stories about you often rank for your name or song titles.
• Google takes evidence of press coverage as a sign of credibility.
• Create a solid press release and submit your story to niche platforms, music journalists, and independent blog directories. Just one good article can ensure you own your branded search terms.

Use Google Business Profile (I know, even as an Artist)

Many artists make the mistake of ignoring Google Business Profile (previously Google My Business) because they think it’s only for local businesses. But guess what? It can also help you for shows and appearances locally with an artist brand or label listing.

• To get started, claim your profile by tracking down your artist name.
• Include images, tour spots, social media links, and updates.
• Motivate the audience to write feedback after the performance or release.
• This helps build credibility and aids in appearing in map results and knowledge panels.

Make Evergreen Content Related To Your Brand

And you don’t need new music to rank on Google. You can use evergreen content perceived as more valuable and target long-tail keywords to make you an authority.

Examples:

• “[Y0urArtistName] were Significant Tracks”
• “Behind the Lyrics: [Song Name] by [YourArtistName]”
• “How [YourArtistName] Began Their Career in the Indie Circuit”

It’s not just your name that these posts rank. It brings in free, organic traffic from fans looking for content around your genre or the industry. Ensure consistency and optimize every post with relevant keywords, internal links, and meta descriptions.

Submit Your Business to Citation Sites

Being listed in popular music databases like AllMusic and Discogs increases discoverability and means more authoritative backlinks. Such listings often show up on page one of Google searches.

Ensure that you also submit your profiles for the following:

• Genius (for lyrics and annotations)
• Songkick and Bandsintown (for tours)
• MusicBrainz (free music encyclopedia)

Every listing is another step closer to owning the search results.

Get Social on Social With SEO in Mind

Social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok frequently appear among the top 10 regarding name searches. Keep bios artist, song, album, etc. keyword-rich (think genre, hometown, new release). Post links back to your website or landing page in your bio, and use the different link-in-bio tools to nudge fans across platforms. Remember to make it shareable. When your fans reshare your posts and blog links, Google pays attention to those and rewards that action with strong rankings.

Final Thoughts

In 2025, ranking on Google as an independent artist is about establishing a smart, sustainable online footprint. Your visibility after the music is what brings your music to the world. If you can marry SEO tactics with consistent content and press coverage, you’ll establish long-term success, not just streams but legs.

Do you wish to get ranked on a top site like Honk Magazine? Submit your new song here.