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MPT Agency Co-Founder Anto Dotcom on Music Marketing and the Future of the Industry

We recently had the distinct pleasure today of speaking with Anto Dotcom, Co-Founder, and Chief Operating Officer of the innovative music promotion agency, MPT Agency, better known as MusicPromoToday. Since 2012, Anto has collaborated with prominent figures and brands in the music industry, including Cash Money Records, Swizz Beatz, and Young Money Entertainment. His expertise spans branding, growth hacking, artificial intelligence, and marketing.

To begin, could you please share how your journey in music marketing started?

Let’s talk about the inspiration. Back when I was 15 years old, one of my friends approached me and asked if I knew I could make money with this thing called the Internet. And that just really sparked interest in me as a young kid. Fast forward to when I was 18 years old, I launched a blog in the music space, and that was called dropthevibe.com. I used to post music every single day on a custom-made website that I created myself on Adobe Dreamweaver.  I designed it myself. I have a background in computer science and programming. I did HTML, PHP, C++, Java, and all that. I started to make money with AdSense, very little of course, but eventually, we sold it. We flipped that business, and I met my partner from today, Raffi Keuhnelian, and we started a bunch of websites together. We sold a bunch in the US. We had buyers all the way in Australia and Europe. When we looked back, we had a ton of knowledge and experience in the digital marketing world. So, we started an agency…

One day, we got an inquiry from an artist, MassPike Miles. He signed, eventually, to Maybach Music under Rick Ross. He was one of our first clients from Massachusetts. We worked on his campaign… One after the other, we started getting a lot of musicians messaging us, and eventually, we knew we needed to launch a music company so that we could serve as musicians and record labels. We called it MusicPromoToday. We did a lot of work for producers and writers at Cash Money. That’s why I got to work on campaigns for Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and more… We launched our stand-alone agency in 2014 and after over a decade, we are still in the music space. We started very small, and today, we have over 50 employees. We work with record labels across, maybe, more than ten genres.

MPT emphasizes dedication to authentic growth. How do you ensure organic artist growth in an industry that’s often influenced by artificial metrics?

That’s a great question; I’d say a simple answer would be, as an expert in advertising, I’ve passed all the advertising exams at Google since 2011. So, every year, the products change. We make sure we’re ahead of the curve when it comes to advertising. In the beginning, it was just Google, and then Facebook came on board with advertising solutions. Afterward, Twitter came on board with advertising solutions Today, there are a lot of pop-up websites offering great advertising CPM, and even Reddit has advertising. There are always new ways of throwing more fuel at an existing fire. And if you have a great song or great piece of content you advertise, the returns are very quick. The best way to measure organic or paid growth is to just stop advertising altogether. Once you have a great campaign and you stop advertising, if everything stops, that means you haven’t done enough… But if you really do a great job, you build a true fan base for the artist.

When you have the right pieces of content, eventually, when you stop paying money to advertise, you shouldn’t see your monthly listeners tank. You should have a substantial number of listeners or fans engaged with your content. I always say advertising is temporary exposure. It’s very important, but as soon as you stop advertising, if everything tanks, that means you haven’t retained your audience.  That’s how you can best measure your organic performance.

With over 2,000 successful artist campaigns, what factors contribute to a breakthrough music marketing strategy

I believe it all comes down to tailoring your approach. I always tell clients that if you’re a hip-hop artist targeting, let’s say, Gen Z or baby boomers, and there’s another act in the same city and market with similar interests and goals, the results will vary significantly whether we see organic growth or paid growth. The key differentiator today in the social media landscape is the creativity involved, specifically how you communicate through that creativity with your fan base. It’s crucial to tailor your plan so you’re not simply copying and pasting a strategy that worked for another artist, regardless of whether they have achieved success sometimes or many times. Just because someone was successful with a particular method doesn’t guarantee it will work for you. While there might be some useful hints that can help, the ultimate solution is to tailor the plan to truly reflect who you are and what your music represents.

How has your role as a thought leader and contributor to Rolling Stone shaped your approach to music promotion?

Having a voice is powerful, but it comes with responsibilities. With greater exposure, I’ve learned the importance of articulating my thoughts clearly. When I was younger, I assumed people understood me, which wasn’t always the case. Over time, I realized the need to organize my thoughts and communicate effectively for others to understand. Now, I empathize with my audience and take the time to ensure clarity, regardless of the effort required. Having a platform like Rolling Stone brings responsibility, and we strive to avoid giving false hope that anyone can easily become famous or a superstar.

Some people are not groomed from a younger age to become a superstar. You have to be well-groomed. You have to be in the right circles. You have to be surrounded by the right people. You have to have the will. You have to put in the effort. And maybe at the end of the tunnel, it’s given to you because it’s not given to everyone. And sometimes, it’s not just hard work. Other factors come in, especially in the music space that’s so saturated today. It is important to inform people that having an investor, saving a lot of money, receiving a grant, or having good music does not mean the job is complete. There are a lot of other factors that contribute to whether the song will become famous or not. It’s not just the money, or it’s not just a talent. Strategic branding is key in the music industry.

What mistakes do artists often make when building their brand and how do you help them avoid them?

Artists quickly get caught up in fame, often missing the point that a dedicated group of 100 or even 1,000 fans can be incredibly valuable. They focus on metrics such as monthly listeners, streams, saves, followers, and playlist additions across platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. This obsession with numbers isn’t healthy.

We remind artists that although numbers are important, offering value to your audience is crucial. Providing meaningful content and staying true to your brand is essential. Authenticity, honesty, loyalty, transparency, and realness will ultimately lead to long-term success and benefits.

MPT Provides artist development and funding services What advice would you give to independent artists seeking financial support?

That’s a great question. There are many grants available. We assist artists without funds in applying for these grants. Often, we create decks and PDFs for artists who need grants, bank loans, or SBA loans. We have completed many such documents, although it carries the risk of not being paid for our work, even if the artist secures the loan. We also advise artists to manage their money wisely… We spend significant time with the artist regardless of their available funds, whether from a loan, grant, or investment. The more time we spend with them, the more they understand the industry’s complexities, including fame, stress, and strategic content creation.

Our priority is dedicating time to the musician regardless of their budget size. During this time, we provide valuable insights and support. Artists often find it challenging to pay our fees due to industry costs and the common perception that they are among the last to be compensated after writers, producers, engineers, and promoters. We help artists develop patience and understand how to achieve returns. It is often not the financial return that satisfies artists, but the process of building a fan base. Many artists seek to maintain personal health, stay faithful to their craft, or create balance in their lives through music. The goal is not always monetary gain. Music has a profound impact on people’s lives, addressing various issues beyond just mood improvement. Many stories highlight how music changes lives, starting with the artists recording their songs.

How does MPT differentiate itself from other music marketing agencies in a highly competitive space?

When I started my music blog, there were no streaming platforms. There were peer-to-peer applications like Kazaa and MP3 players like Winamp. Ten years later, most of those our competitors were gone. Similarly, our agency, founded in 2014, faces increasing competition and a crowded market with varying levels of quality. We’ve been in business for over a decade now, which has given us a unique perspective. Just as Mark Cuban avoids investing in the challenging music industry, we recognize the difficulties in our field. However, our commitment to excellent service has resulted in 70% of our clients being repeat customers. This long-term success makes us happy and confirms that we are effectively meeting our clients’ needs. Our primary goal is to understand the client, not just focus on their budget.

Does the client know where they are headed? Do they know why they are releasing music and promoting, and what their goal is? Can we help them move from point A to point B?

If we can, that is a success. Knowing where one is headed is crucial. Passion is secondary; staying true to one’s objective and purpose is essential. If you have a purpose, if you wake up each day with a clear goal and strive towards it, you are successful. For artists, if I can help them move from point A to point B, fully understanding both points and achieving their goals, that makes me feel successful. What sets us apart is our increasing return client ratio. Each year, we sign fewer new clients and see more returning ones. Our longevity in the industry demonstrates our stability, unlike many companies that come and go within a few years. In 10 years, it is likely that 95% of the current companies in the entertainment industry will no longer exist. This is because many are focused on short-term profit rather than supporting the space, artists, and musicians. However, there is hope for improvement. A key differentiator is the level of passion and commitment shared by my partner and me.

What influence do you aspire to have on the music industry?

The declining value of money makes it harder for artists to afford to record music, causing them stress. Despite this, I’m optimistic about AI and technology solving these problems. We need better communication with industry leaders at record labels and companies like Spotify. Executives earn a lot, while many artists are underpaid, leading to a significant income gap. Educating artists about unclaimed royalties could help bridge this gap. It’s crucial for artists to stay in the industry because their music brings joy, sets moods, and heals others. We need artists, and they need our support. We have to give them voices and we have to make sure we give them the tools and the solutions so they stick around for a long time. A lot of artists are getting lost in a storm. There are a lot of challenges for musicians and very talented people in the game today. Our hope is to be helpful and create a road map for others to follow.

Words by Be’n Original | Photographer by Karol Wojcik

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