Any advice on growth hacking/generating interest/gaining exposure for a new musician with recorded music from an online point of view?

I participated in a press outreach campaign to funnel traffic to an infographic before, which resulted in over 1,000 Facebook likes for the graphic.

Identify the popular niche music websites (blogs, publications, video shows, radio shows, and MySpace), plan an event around your new album or concert tour, and then pitch the outlets one by one (introduce yourself appealing to commonality or social proof, and then dangle an exclusive coverage re: your event). You can pitch your friends to promote the event once the news have broke.

This is all I can think of with the given context. If you'd like, book a call with me and I'm happy to walk you through the strategy LIVE.

This is easy... The easy part in what you're embarking to. Analyze or have someone analyze the type of listener for your music. Because you want to stand out and gain a fan base you want to avoid promoting (cluttering) the websites already used by all other new musicians out there. By having a core description and stereotype of your listening base you can then determine what social services they might be more likely and more welcoming to you promoting your music.
I helped a band use Instagram to grow their base as well as promote their touring. Now guiding an LA based hip hop group as to how to promote their new videos through FB and Instagram... Not every social media will be ok depending on the goal... Separate your goals such as grow fan count, generate sales for albums, get signed, etc.. Each goal should have its dedicated effort with either a mixture of social media sites or independent use of a social media site.. :)

Collaboration is a proven way to trifold your exposure by using the other artists' existing fan base and marketing mix.

If you have questions or need further guidance feel free to give us a ring!

I'm just spitballin' here,

But if it was me, I would create a super-simple YouTube retargeting/video ad. It could have just a static image and one of the tracks. Or even like a slideshow and the text.

The YT ad directs them to a free download. They need to enter their email address for the free download.

Then I would run them through a drip campaign for other free downloads. From there its just email marketing.

The answer is simple. The execution is difficult.

1. Have OUTSTANDING songs that MOVE people. Songs that make people who hear you want to tell other people. It doesn't matter how much "growth hacking" mojo you've got. If your songs and craft isn't there, it's like trying to start a fire with wet matches.

2. See step 1 again.

Once you're at a point where people who hear your music (not friends, and not family) want to share it with other people, your job is to perform in front of as many people as you can and to give new fans tools to make sharing your music easier.

Performing opportunities are everywhere, Some obvious and some hidden. There's YouTube, StageIt.com, Ustream, but the best performances are live, because it's harder and harder for someone who doesn't know you to stumble upon your music online. Find gigs. Create gigs. When Van Halen was struggling to get heard, they became their own concert promoters. They paid for a deposit on venue, booked a well-known headliner, sold tickets, and put themselves as the opening band.

Anytime you're performing, have a mailing list so you can stay in touch with fans who want to hear from you.

Make sure your website is professional looking, easy to navigate, and has plenty of audio and video samples. Look into sites like Noisetrade.com that offer free music in exchange for email addresses.

I have over 10,000 Facebook likes, over 6 million YouTube and Spotify plays, and nearly 500,000 Twitter followers, (and not the kind you pay for), and you know what that means? Nothing. It goes back to the old adage that quality > quantity. The only numbers that matter to me are the fans that are actively engaged and sharing what I'm doing. That's the only thing worth paying attention to. The rest is just buzz words and bullshit.

Good luck.

Ernie Halter
www.twitter.com/erniehalter
www.erniehalter.com