Originally aimed at the gaming community, Discord is a popular communication platform that provides users with text, voice, and video chat functionality, allowing them to communicate in real time with individual users or groups of people. The pandemic and the rise of remote working have allowed it to serve a wider audience, and today Discord has more than 560 million registered users and more than 196 million active users each month.
But can it be useful for musicians? Yes, and we're about to find out how.
Main Discord Functionality
Essentially, Discord is centered around communities and servers. Servers are specialized spaces created for communities to gather and interact in various ways. A community can be organized into thematic channels where users can participate in text discussions based on topics or interests, engage in voice conversations in designated voice channels, or connect via video chat for face-to-face interaction.
Discord supports roles and permissions for server administration so the owners have more control over their communities and assign someone to be an administrator. Discord also integrates with other platforms and services, offers customization options, and allows the use of bots for automated tasks. This wide range of functions can serve the needs of all sorts of communities. For example, during the pandemic, it was used not only by gaming clans but also by study groups to work on projects together or by creative collectives to promote their art, create additional engagement, and stay in touch with their audience.
Based on all the features mentioned above, musicians could use Discord in two main ways: for collaborating with other musicians and for PR and audience engagement.
Using Discord For Collaboration
Discord can be a great tool for working together by creating a separate collaboration server (don’t forget a funny name!). Discord's text channels let you share ideas, lyrics, chord progressions, and other written content. In addition, you can easily attach audio recordings, sheet music, MIDI files, and other materials to your messages to collaborate on songwriting, arrangement, and production tasks in the same channel. It's a great way to work together and make some amazing music.
What is more, Discord's voice channels are a great way to be a part of virtual jam sessions or rehearsals. By connecting microphones and instruments to the devices, you can play music together in real time, simulating the experience of being in the same room. The video calls are, of course, also an option. It might not be enough to communicate by just using sound and video features, though. For such cases, Discord's screen-sharing feature will let you showcase your DAWs, virtual instruments, or notation software to collaborators. So you can effortlessly leverage Discord for real time teamwork on music production, mixing, and mastering tasks. And one more team-building and ice-breaking tip for you here: games right in the voice channel. For example, playing “gartic phone” or “know what I meme” in between music sessions might be a great way to relax and to laugh together.
There is also a way to structure and organize teamwork by creating separate channels on the server dedicated to various aspects. For instance, Discord channels can function as virtual songwriting rooms where you can brainstorm ideas, share lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions, and collaborate on songwriting. You can create individual channels on your Discord server for each project or specific task. For instance, you may have channels for songwriting, recording, mixing, and mastering. Creating a planning Discord channel can be a good way to organize schedules, set deadlines, plan rehearsals, recording sessions, and performances.
By creating dedicated channels for scheduling, everyone can stay informed and on track with the project timeline. You can also use text channels to organize and discuss project details or provide feedback on each other's work. Don’t forget to add a separate channel to discuss off topic things or send memes to each other – it could be great just to vibe together and discuss something not related to music.
Using Discord for Promotion and Interaction
Apart from communicating with each other, a separate Discord server for interacting with supporters and fans and for promotion can also be a great tool. Fan communities are not only centered around Instagram and TikTok, you know.
Musicians can create Discord servers for their fanbase, allowing fans to interact with each other and the artists directly. This creates a sense of community and loyalty among fans, which leads to increased engagement and support, as this format is far more interactive than social media profiles and comments on posts. It is also an excellent way for musicians to get feedback and suggestions from their fans. For example, here are the first 3 channels you can create:
- #general — for general discussions
- #welcome — for welcoming new members to your server
- #rules — for posting your channel rules
You can also use dedicated channels to share your work-in-progress and gather input from fans, which can help you get some inspiration and ideas and shape your creativity. You might also find some people to collaborate with in terms of music or finding a concert venue, maybe also for creating a new single cover. Why not?
Musicians can also collaborate with their fans on various projects, such as remix contests or art competitions. This gives you a chance to receive a lot of memes and fan art from people who support you! It is also possible to create a channel dedicated to answering questions and simply communicating with people. This can be a great way to encourage fan interaction and help to build a stronger connection between the artist and the audience.
You can offer exclusive content such as behind-the-scenes footage, unreleased demos, sneak peeks of upcoming releases, unreleased demos, or Q&A sessions to fans who join the Discord server. This motivates fans to join and participate in the community. Hosting live events on Discord, such as listening parties, live Q&A sessions, or acoustic performances, is another way to grow a loyal community on
Discord that can later become your superfan asset. Discord's voice and video chat features make it easy to interact with fans in real time, creating a more intimate and engaging experience. You can use separate servers to announce new releases, upcoming shows, and other important updates directly to fans, so that your fans stay in the know about the latest news and developments.
The cherry on top is the monetization option that you can integrate into your server. You could link your account to Patreon or provide a PayPal link (although there may be issues with this in some countries currently) and grant access to exclusive channels where people who donate can find unique content, such as exclusive videos, demo versions of songs, webinars, you name it – everything a musician might want to share with the most dedicated fans. Through Discord, you can also sell tickets to concerts and online performances, merchandise, and NFTs.
So, Is Discord Worth It, Music-Wise?
Totally! Discord has expanded beyond its gaming roots to become a platform for a wide range of communities, including musicians, as it provides a powerful environment for music makers to collaborate on projects, promote their work, and interact with their audiences.
With Discord's channels, you can share ideas, files, and feedback in real time, creating an environment for songwriting, recording, and production tasks to work in sync. Voice and video chat features make it possible to have virtual jam sessions and rehearsals, while screen sharing helps with collaborative work on music production tasks.
Discord is also a great platform for engaging with fans and supporters. Musicians can create dedicated servers where fans can interact with each other and with the artists directly, fostering a sense of community and loyalty and rock’n’roll together with people who are really like-minded.
Bonus: Servers for Musicians
You can leverage Discord as a medium to connect with other musicians, not just your fans, and learn from other professionals. There is also a chance to see how a great community could be build by looking at some of the examples. We’ve picked some servers you might find the most insightful and interesting:
WeAreTheMusicMakers
This is one of the largest music servers on the application (with over 9.5 thousand members): topics here range from equipment to music theory. Additionally, musicians share and discuss their tracks here and organize contests such as video game music covers competitions.
We Suck at Producing
On this server, musicians and producers share feedback and knowledge. The server is very active (with over 25 thousand members), and discussion topics range from music theory to mixing and mastering, sound design, instruments and equipment, music business, and much more.
Musician Universe
Here, musicians discuss song lyrics, music creation, promotion, and much more. Regular events, including contests and concerts, are also held here. There are also discussions on various instruments where you can get some advice or help from fellow players.
Guitar
A server for guitarists, where you can find tips on improving playing skills, instrument discussions, and much more. No matter what you play, bass or solo guitar, nylon or steel strings, you will certainly find a respective channel here. There are also separate channels for speakers of various European languages.
Music Production
The most topics on this server (with over 24 thousand members) revolve around discussing music equipment and sound design, but there are also specific channels for music business and management. The participants may also share some resources like samples or get some peer feedback. It is also possible to find someone to collaborate with.
Music Feedback
As the name suggests, this is a Discord server where musicians can leave and receive detailed feedback on their work.
Ableton
This is a Discord server that focuses on music creation discussions using the Ableton Live DAW. The main topics of the server are getting help, advice, and recommendations for using the program, but there are also channels for music sharing, equipment recommendations, and collaboration.
EDM production
This is the server where music producers discuss electronic music production, focusing on genres such as EDM, house, and techno. You can share your work or samples, collaborate with others, discuss the theory, and exchange feedback.
