The music industry has always been a tough business for new artists. Even before YouTube and audio streaming upended its business model, old boys’ networks and cultural biases kept many artists from historically marginalized backgrounds from getting a fair shake.
Even then, “getting a fair shake” often involved quite a bit of luck.
On the surface, things have grown even more difficult for emerging artists since the 1990s. The music publishing business has consolidated to the point that three gigantic corporations are responsible for the vast majority of music distribution in the United States and across most of the rest of the world. That’s led to calls by artists and their advocates — and antitrust campaigners who couldn’t care less about music — to break up the big publishers.
But the picture isn’t all gloom and doom. In some ways, technological breakthroughs and broader social changes in how people seek and consume content make it easier for aspiring artists to get noticed.
And to make real money doing what they love.
It’s still not a walk in the park. You won’t have a successful career in this business if you’re not willing to work harder than 90% of your peers, nor if you’re fine taking “no” for an answer on the first ask.
You’ll need to do a few other things to boost your odds of success too.
Choose Your Representation Wisely
It’s never too early to start thinking about who’ll be in your corner as your musical career takes off.
Your friends and family will be there, of course. They’re locked down. But you need others who know the music business and, even more importantly, know what it’s like to be a struggling musical artist.
You need professional talent representation. Some artists claim that it’s not important early on, and a few swear it’s not needed even after one’s career takes off, but this is wishful thinking. You’re in the business of making music; professional reps are in the business of making sure everyone knows it. And just as importantly, that your creative and financial interests are protected along the way.
That last bit is critical. Many talent managers couldn’t care less about the individual artists in their portfolio, or maybe only care about the ones pulling in serious cash right now. Stay away from those and look to talent managers and companies that offer individualized, attentive, hands-on representation.
Your talent manager should also have experience with artists like you. Sure, every musician is different, but it makes sense to work with someone who represents others with similar genre focus, performance styles, and business plans. Managers like Sean Miyashiro, whose multiplatform production company 88rising specializes in representing global artists of Asian descent, know their niches better than anyone. It’s worth seeking them out.
Take a Multiplatform Approach to Building Your Brand
It’s not 1960 anymore. You understand that for your career to really take off, your music needs to be available on multiple platforms and across multiple media.
Your management team can help with this as well, although you probably have some strong ideas of your own. For example, maybe you’ve found some initial traction on your YouTube channel. If so, lean into that! People forget how many legit international stars — Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Abel Tesfaye (formerly known as The Weeknd) — started out as YouTubers.
Get Friendly With Artists Who’ve Done It Before
Musicians do better when they’re surrounded by a nurturing community of peers, mentors, and mentees. Otherwise, they walk a lonely road and are much more likely to drift out of the industry.
Early on in your career, sync up with fellow artists a bit farther along on their journeys. They don’t need to be international superstars (and international superstars probably wouldn’t take your call anyway) but they should have seen more of the industry than you have.
This is another advantage of lining up professional representation early on. You immediately have access, at least in theory, to a lineup of emerging and established artists to draw inspiration and advice from.
Get Comfortable in the Production Chair
No need to master the ins and outs of musical production or set up a soundproof home studio (that’ll come later, hopefully). But now more than ever, artists themselves should be fully capable of laying down their own tracks all the way through post-production without any help. If nothing else, you’ll gain a better ear for well-produced music and know enough to ask questions of the pros who actually help you cut your first commercial tracks.
Sell Branded Merch
These days, it’s all about the personal brand. You might be a hardened introvert who’s only comfortable interacting with others through your music, but for better or worse, you still have to have a vibe.
One way to build that vibe is to sell branded merchandise. You can’t do this too early; you need some sort of distribution (even if it’s just YouTube) and in-person gigs before it makes sense. But once it does, invest in it, tapping friends to man the merch table at shows if necessary and setting up a digital storefront to sell to folks who can’t make it in person.
What kinds of merch are we talking about? Apparel, for sure, but consider less common alternatives too, like songbooks and stickers. And yes, vinyl counts as merch. If and when you produce a full-length album, you definitely want to invest in a vinyl run.
Don’t Be Too Choosy About Your Gigs (At First)
One key appeal of working with a professional talent rep is that they do all the hard work of lining up gigs for you. As your career takes off, they serve as gatekeepers as well. You can’t say yes to everything, and a big part of their job is ensuring you only say yes to the right sorts of opportunities.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Early on, it’s more important that you get your name (and music) out there. That could mean playing tiny venues that you personally would never pay to enter, or taking the side-side stage at a music festival somewhere out in the sticks. These gigs get old after a while, but each one is a chance to introduce your music to new audiences — and to sell merch too. If you stick with it and things break your way, the crowds and venues will get bigger.
Parting Thoughts: Keep Your Head Up
The music business is famously unforgiving. Many amazingly talented artists never make it; others have one or two hits and then toil for years, unable to replicate their initial success. The challenges are greater for women artists and artists from historically marginalized communities.
Even if all the breaks seem to go your way, a long and lucrative career in music is not guaranteed. But you’ll have a better shot at succeeding if you’re willing to do what many others don’t: keep your head up no matter what’s happening around you.
Because you’re going to experience setbacks that really sting. Setbacks that make you think twice about the path you’ve chosen. Setbacks that drive many aspiring artists to say, “This isn’t worth it.”
If you love it, it is worth it. Never forget that.
