Artist Development is Not Only About Marketing

In the music industry, you know that development is key to an artist's success. But what does it mean exactly? Many people think of marketing when they hear "development," but there's much more to it than just getting the music out there. In this blog post, we'll explore other aspects of artist development that are often overlooked. So whether artists are just starting out or they've been at it for a while, read on for some valuable tips!

What does it take to make a music artist successful?

For every artist achieving success will mean something different. For some, it might mean landing a record label deal; for others, it could be selling out arenas or topping the charts. Whatever the artist's goals may be, one thing is for sure: artist development is key to achieving them. Too often, music industries focus solely on marketing and forget the other essential elements of artists' careers. This can lead to stagnation and, ultimately, failure. As a music publisher, this can be avoided by keeping up with trends and new technology to help promote artists across a diversity of platforms and channels.

What does it take to make a music artist successful?

For every artist achieving success will mean something different. For some, it might mean landing a record label deal; for others, it could be selling out arenas or topping the charts. Whatever the artist's goals may be, one thing is for sure: artist development is key to achieving them. Too often, music industries focus solely on marketing and forget the other essential elements of artists' careers. This can lead to stagnation and, ultimately, failure. As a music publisher, this can be avoided by keeping up with trends and new technology to help promote artists across a diversity of platforms and channels.

How has music production and marketing changed?

The biggest change in music production and marketing has been the switch from analog to digital. This has allowed for more precision and control over the sound and a greater ability to target specific demographics with laser-like accuracy.

Another fundamental change has been the rise of social media, which has given artists a direct line of communication with their fans and allowed them to build a rapport with their audience in a way that was not possible before. The music industry's preferred social media platforms include Amazon, YouTube, and TikTok. Getting music distributed can also be achieved on many different streaming platforms. These include Spotify, Music Gateway, AWAL, Horus Music, and Songflowr. However, in recent years there has been a decline in Spotify dependence by record labels that are now diversifying their routes to global streaming.

Marketing a musician and the changing role of music labels

Record labels are starting to behave more like venture capitalist (VC) firms, investing in talent and hoping to see a return on their investment. This shift is happening for a few reasons. First, the music industry has been through some tough times lately. CD sales have plummeted, and illegal downloading of music has become rampant. So record labels are looking for new ways to make money, and investing in artists is one way.

Second, the internet has changed the playing field regarding releasing and promoting music. It's now easier than ever for musicians to get their music out there and establish online branding. TikTok artists are achieving this, and other independent musicians, by using the internet to release their music using several distribution channels, followed by marketing on social media. So labels are feeling pressure to find new ways to invest in artists and promote their careers.

The role of TikTok within the music industry

TikTok artists use the platform for music promotion; to share their work, and connect with fans. Record labels and promoters use it to discover new talent, and songwriters use it for music marketing to pitch their songs. Some people see TikTok as a threat to the music industry as many record labels have relied heavily on the social media platform to gauge a new song's popularity before deciding whether or not to release it.

The demand for TikTok popularity is putting a strain on musicians, often leading to digital burnout for the artists. This problem is easily avoided with the proper approach from record labels to diversify social platforms and automate the distribution of music assets to reduce the possibility of digital burnout.