In my day-to-day conversations with music creators, two primary concerns consistently emerge: building an audience and generating sustainable income.
In reaction to these problems, a common line I hear is, "I want a label to do it for me." While traditional labels play a vital role in artist development, the landscape has evolved. Modern labels look for artists who demonstrate not just raw talent, but also business acumen and audience engagement potential.
This is, therefore, the basis of modern artist management: developing business acumen and building repeatable systems to drive fan engagement.
The recorded music market has become increasingly segmented. According to recent industry data, while global recorded music revenues reached $28.6 billion in 2024, the top 1% of independent artists account for nearly 35% of all revenue. Among major artists, the gap increases to just 1% of artists accounting for up to 80%.
But the challenge for emerging artists isn't simply oversupply – it's about value differentiation. Major artists continue to see growth through sophisticated monetisation strategies. For instance, top artists typically earn 60-80% of their revenue from touring and merchandise, while emerging artists often rely heavily on streaming revenue, which averages just $0.004 per stream.
The problem is that new artists are trying to build careers in the way they see major artists doing it without recognising everything behind the scenes.
Successful modern artist management blends creator and performer skills, adapting the approach based on their career stage and market position.
Consider artists like Jacob Collier, who blend creation and performance seamlessly. They create semi-educational content, behind-the-scenes material, and production videos while maintaining high-level performance careers. This hybrid approach allows them to build multiple revenue streams while developing their artistic brand.
Successful artist development requires systematic approaches to both creation and marketing. Here's what this looks like in practice:
While building an artist career is incredibly specific in every case, the key to implementing these systems lies in strategic audience building. Start with a core offering – whether that's production tutorials, performance videos, or original music – and build systematic ways to:
For example, if you're releasing an album, your system might include:
Success in today's music industry requires understanding both art and commerce. While talent remains fundamental, building a sustainable career demands systematic audience-building and revenue-generation approaches. The goal isn't to replace artistic creativity with business systems but to create frameworks that support and amplify creative work while building sustainable income streams.