Independent artist case study with Anja Kotar
Anja Kotar is a Slovenian-born singer, songwriter and producer based in California. She trained as a classical pianist and has been releasing music independently since 2017 – these days through Venice Music. We chatted to Anja for our Artist Ally Substack to explore how she navigates her releases, offering a few creative workflows and marketing ideas to help inspire your own artists. Here are some of the highlights:
- Concept-driven release frameworks: Since 2022, every release is built under an overarching umbrella. 12 Months featured a song per month borrowing classical melodies, while At the Bookstore themes songs after books with hand-drawn, book-cover artwork. Limits prevent creative block and naturally dictate the visual universe.
- Switching lanes: Her stripped-back 2020 single “Tuscany” – which she expected to flop – went viral on TikTok and Reels. The success gave her permission to pivot away from upbeat mainstream pop toward Disney-inspired, classical-infused pop.
- Remote sessions: Rather than booking physical studios, Kotar writes MIDI piano parts at home and sends them to a consistent group of remote players to introduce real instruments without high venue/studio costs.
- Seasonal catalogue remarketing: Instead of competing with her own catalogue during the autumn/holiday window, Anja Kotar halts new releases after August. She reallocates her Q4 ad and content budget toward older seasonal hits like “October” and “December,” as she naturally sees streaming spikes for these songs during that season.
- Passive discovery via Thematic: Moving away from manual cold-outreach spreadsheets, Kotar places her catalogue on Thematic. YouTube vloggers and lifestyle creators use her tracks without copyright claims, driving passive discovery via Shazam and boosting Apple Music streams.
Read the full article here.
Music Ally's Director of Marketing & Strategy More by Marlen Hüllbrock