\u27The Power of a Suit\u27 and Other Tools for the Modern Music Marketer

The following thesis records the creation of a new persona. Mr. Neptoon is a concept, a brand, and most importantly, an authentic musician. He is an artist who wants to make and spread his art as widely as possible. We document the career trajectory from September 2021 to March 2022. The high-stakes experiment: utilize big-picture marketing goals to inform an approach to crafting the art and commercial material. Research informs the artistic direction. Research informs the messaging and marketing direction. The artist is creating and selling a full-length, fourteen-track concept album—aided by the project\u27s marketing research — to be completed by the presentation date of this thesis. Furthermore, the author describes the minutia of the successes and failures of his music marketing experiences through the social media platforms Instagram and TikTok and his experience promoting the brand in live music performances. Finally, this thesis examines the first Mr. Neptoon single release in conjunction with audience response and streaming metrics. What is the \u27line in the sand\u27 between art and business? How do modern marketers and artists challenge this separation to enhance the commercial and artistic validity of both — in other words, to enhance the artistic validity of music marketing and the commercial viability of an artistic endeavor