Musicians now compete with Joe Rogan, not musicians. That's the reality of the attention economy in 2025. Your artist's music video is in the same feed as NFL highlights, relationship drama, podcast clips, and scientific discoveries. Everyone's grouped into the same pool now. This is the hardest thing I have to explain to artists: paid ads don't build your business. They scale it. You need the foundational work first. Brand identity. Understanding who you're speaking to. How to speak to them. How to get in front of them organically. Then I can pour gasoline on that fire. But most artists come to me expecting $2,500 to launch their career. That's the minimum budget threshold where I've seen meaningful results, but only when everything else is already in place. The biggest mistakes I see artists make running their own campaigns: Not targeting the right audience because they don't have enough custom data. Not asking for what they actually want people to do. Not creating enough customized assets. No retargeting loop. Here's what's working now: Using shorts and reels to generate interest, then redirecting to the full video. TikTok has low cost per acquisition, but Instagram converts to Spotify at about 30%. I'm also testing strategies to activate Spotify's and YouTube's algorithms. Finding ways to capture data sooner so artists can message fans directly. The future isn't about video production quality. It's about quality of messaging. Quality of intent. Artists need to be intentional with their content because the market is crowded and nobody owes them attention. I learned this the hard way, transitioning from venue promoter to digital strategist. I used to speak to everyone. Now I help artists speak to someone. That shift from "everyone" to "someone" is where real conversion happens. What's your take: should emerging artists focus on building organic reach first, or is there a case for paid media earlier in the journey?
Why Paid Ads Don't Launch Careers: A Reality Check for Musicians
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Music marketing has changed. 1. Begging playlist curators for placements 2. Spending thousands on radio promotion 3. Waiting for record labels to "discover" you Exactly! It's a direct-to-fan revolution. 1. Building micro-communities on niche platforms 2. Using AI tools to personalize fan experiences 3. Monetizing through exclusive content and communities Stop complaining and start building your own ecosystem. This is the 2025 way to launch a music career. The artists winning today aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who understand that attention is the new currency and authenticity is the new algorithm. Traditional gatekeepers are fading. Distribution is democratized. Your bedroom studio can reach the same audience as a major label's million-dollar production. The question isn't whether you have access anymore. It's whether you have the strategy to convert listeners into loyal fans who actually care about your journey. I've watched independent artists go from 500 monthly listeners to sustainable six-figure careers in 18 months. Not through luck. Through systematic audience building and smart positioning. The music industry isn't broken. It's just evolved beyond what most people are willing to adapt to. What's the biggest mindset shift you've had to make as an artist or music professional in the past two years? #MusicMarketing #MusicIndustry #DigitalMarketing #ArtistDevelopment
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AI x Music Industry Insights | Co-Founder @ Typoro, Co-Founder @ Promoly - Biz Dev @ LabelGrid
Musicians face a marketing maze. --- The flood of new music, AI tracks, and emerging artists is overwhelming. Standing out is harder than ever. Here's a strategy I love: Use Meta ads to funnel people to a landing page. Yes, it costs money. But marketing always does. Imagine releasing drum and bass. Target fans of Ram Records, Hospital Records, and Monstercat. Introduce them to your music. Use your own widgets, Spotify, or SoundCloud. Then, re-target them with ads to sell. Offer a merch bundle: A T-shirt, sticker pack, and music access in one buy. Sell three bundles at $50 a month. That's $150, far more than Spotify alone. Do that for 12 months running. You make nearly 2k year. Even if ads cost you a bit, breaking even means free marketing. Make a profit, and you're golden. This isn't a dream. It's how pros do it. Music ads should always lead somewhere and collect data. And you don’t need to spend a fortune. What's your take?
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The Grammy Relevance Report: What the Industry Celebrates, What the Audience Consumes, and Why the Gap Matters The Grammys still hold enormous symbolic power inside the music business. A nomination signals artistic validation, career longevity, and prestige that can’t be replicated through algorithms or playlists. But when you compare the Recording Academy’s choices with real-world consumption data, it becomes clear that the Grammys no longer function as a reflection of audience taste. They operate as a parallel universe with a different definition of relevance. What the Industry Thinks Grammy voters continue to reward ambition, craftsmanship, and narrative-driven artistry. The system favors albums rather than singles, creative intent rather than viral traction, and familiar names instead of emerging digital-native acts. This aligns with an older outdated value structure built around full-length listening, critic approval, and long-term influence. It’s why legacy artists and critically favored projects still dominate major categories even when their commercial footprint is modest. In the industry’s worldview, relevance is tied to contribution: what an artist adds creatively, conceptually, and culturally. What the Audience Actually Listens To Meanwhile, the audience lives in a completely different environment. Streaming platforms and social algorithms shape taste far more than traditional gatekeepers. TikTok can break a track in hours. Spotify’s top charts tilt heavily toward young artists who thrive in digital micro-communities. And catalog music, not new releases, continues to account for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. listening. Radio reflects yet another ecosystem, where familiarity, tempo, and format expectations shape what rises. A song may dominate broadcast but barely register on TikTok. A TikTok hit may explode globally without ever appearing on a radio playlist. And a Grammy-winning album may earn universal acclaim without generating daily listening at scale. Audience relevance today is defined by repetition, emotional utility, shareability, and the frictionless context of short-form discovery. Where the Gap Lies The Grammy–audience disconnect isn’t an indictment. It’s simply evidence that the business and the consumer now operate under different rules. The Grammys reward artistic ambition and long-form creativity. The audience rewards immediacy, mood, and digital presence. The industry’s north star is cultural contribution. The audience’s north star is personal value: how a song fits into a commute, a workout, a video, or a moment. For programmers, marketers, labels, and air talent, the takeaway is clear: the Grammys are still meaningful, but they are no longer a leading indicator of cultural impact. The platform data is where the truth lives. Awards show the story the industry tells itself. Listening behavior tells the story the audience actually believes.
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The Grammy Relevance Report: What the Industry Celebrates, What the Audience Consumes, and Why the Gap Matters The Grammys still hold enormous symbolic power inside the music business. A nomination signals artistic validation, career longevity, and prestige that can’t be replicated through algorithms or playlists. But when you compare the Recording Academy’s choices with real-world consumption data, it becomes clear that the Grammys no longer function as a reflection of audience taste. They operate as a parallel universe with a different definition of relevance. What the Industry Thinks Grammy voters continue to reward ambition, craftsmanship, and narrative-driven artistry. The system favors albums rather than singles, creative intent rather than viral traction, and familiar names instead of emerging digital-native acts. This aligns with an older outdated value structure built around full-length listening, critic approval, and long-term influence. It’s why legacy artists and critically favored projects still dominate major categories even when their commercial footprint is modest. In the industry’s worldview, relevance is tied to contribution: what an artist adds creatively, conceptually, and culturally. What the Audience Actually Listens To Meanwhile, the audience lives in a completely different environment. Streaming platforms and social algorithms shape taste far more than traditional gatekeepers. TikTok can break a track in hours. Spotify’s top charts tilt heavily toward young artists who thrive in digital micro-communities. And catalog music, not new releases, continues to account for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. listening. Radio reflects yet another ecosystem, where familiarity, tempo, and format expectations shape what rises. A song may dominate broadcast but barely register on TikTok. A TikTok hit may explode globally without ever appearing on a radio playlist. And a Grammy-winning album may earn universal acclaim without generating daily listening at scale. Audience relevance today is defined by repetition, emotional utility, shareability, and the frictionless context of short-form discovery. Where the Gap Lies The Grammy–audience disconnect isn’t an indictment. It’s simply evidence that the business and the consumer now operate under different rules. The Grammys reward artistic ambition and long-form creativity. The audience rewards immediacy, mood, and digital presence. The industry’s north star is cultural contribution. The audience’s north star is personal value: how a song fits into a commute, a workout, a video, or a moment. For programmers, marketers, labels, and air talent, the takeaway is clear: the Grammys are still meaningful, but they are no longer a leading indicator of cultural impact. The platform data is where the truth lives. Awards show the story the industry tells itself. Listening behavior tells the story the audience actually believes.
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The Grammy Relevance Report: What the Industry Celebrates, What the Audience Consumes, and Why the Gap Matters The Grammys still hold enormous symbolic power inside the music business. A nomination signals artistic validation, career longevity, and prestige that can’t be replicated through algorithms or playlists. But when you compare the Recording Academy’s choices with real-world consumption data, it becomes clear that the Grammys no longer function as a reflection of audience taste. They operate as a parallel universe with a different definition of relevance. What the Industry Thinks Grammy voters continue to reward ambition, craftsmanship, and narrative-driven artistry. The system favors albums rather than singles, creative intent rather than viral traction, and familiar names instead of emerging digital-native acts. This aligns with an older outdated value structure built around full-length listening, critic approval, and long-term influence. It’s why legacy artists and critically favored projects still dominate major categories even when their commercial footprint is modest. In the industry’s worldview, relevance is tied to contribution: what an artist adds creatively, conceptually, and culturally. What the Audience Actually Listens To Meanwhile, the audience lives in a completely different environment. Streaming platforms and social algorithms shape taste far more than traditional gatekeepers. TikTok can break a track in hours. Spotify’s top charts tilt heavily toward young artists who thrive in digital micro-communities. And catalog music, not new releases, continues to account for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. listening. Radio reflects yet another ecosystem, where familiarity, tempo, and format expectations shape what rises. A song may dominate broadcast but barely register on TikTok. A TikTok hit may explode globally without ever appearing on a radio playlist. And a Grammy-winning album may earn universal acclaim without generating daily listening at scale. Audience relevance today is defined by repetition, emotional utility, shareability, and the frictionless context of short-form discovery. Where the Gap Lies The Grammy–audience disconnect isn’t an indictment. It’s simply evidence that the business and the consumer now operate under different rules. The Grammys reward artistic ambition and long-form creativity. The audience rewards immediacy, mood, and digital presence. The industry’s north star is cultural contribution. The audience’s north star is personal value: how a song fits into a commute, a workout, a video, or a moment. For programmers, marketers, labels, and air talent, the takeaway is clear: the Grammys are still meaningful, but they are no longer a leading indicator of cultural impact. The platform data is where the truth lives. Awards show the story the industry tells itself. Listening behavior tells the story the audience actually believes.
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YouTube just launched AI tools that let anyone create music in seconds. While most labels panic about democratized creation, broke Records is laughing all the way to the bank ↓ 32 million daily Spotify streams. 8 full-time employees. $150M ARR. Here's how they built the most efficient music empire on the planet ↓ Most independent labels dream of competing with Universal, Sony, and Warner. Andre B. and Brandon De Oliveira found a better way. While major labels hire thousands of employees and spend millions on marketing, broke Records cracked a code that makes them unstoppable... Their secret? They don't chase TikTok like everyone else. Instead, they built a YouTube-first strategy that turns viral moments into lasting revenue streams. Before spending big money in premium markets, Broke Records tests everything in Eastern Europe and Latin America. They invest just $1,000 across 100-200 creators in these regions. If a song shows traction, they scale to the US market. If it flops, they've only lost $1,000 instead of $100,000. This approach gives them algorithmic sophistication that major labels are still trying to figure out. Most labels chase TikTok for viral moments. broke discovered something better: "YouTube Shorts usually comes last in terms of virality... TikTok, then Instagram... Then it trickles over to YouTube a month later. But we see our songs stay super viral for a while on YouTube Shorts." While TikTok gives you a spike, YouTube gives you sustained growth. Their partnership with Create Music Group's content claiming team maximizes YouTube Shorts revenue from every upload. Result? Chart-toppers like "Embrace It" by Ndotz and "Alibi" by Sevdaliza. When Broke Records songs trend on YouTube, something magical happens: → Times Square billboards → Homepage features → Amplification previously reserved for major label acts All generated automatically by the platform. 32 million daily Spotify streams with 8 people. That's 4 million streams per employee, per day. Major labels need hundreds of employees to achieve similar numbers. The difference? Systems and smart positioning instead of brute force. Three lessons every creator should steal: 1) Test cheap in secondary markets before scaling 2) Focus on platforms that provide longevity, not just viral spikes 3) Build systems that work without you Sustainable empire >>> random viral moments
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🚀 We’re thrilled to announce that Music Tomorrow has raised €1M to bring transparency to Music AI. The AI revolution is reshaping every corner of the music industry, from how songs are made to how they’re discovered. Yet the systems driving that change remain hidden. At Music Tomorrow, our mission is simple: open the black boxes of Music AI. Today, up to 30% of A&R and marketing budgets are wasted on campaigns that don’t reach the right audiences or catalogs that fail to generate lasting engagement. We’re developing cutting-edge technology that deciphers how DSP algorithms perceive each artist and identifies where and how investments can drive the most significant algorithmic impact and revenue. We help teams reallocate their budget toward what truly fuels sustainable growth: data-driven targeting, audience activation, and smarter release strategies. Over the past three years, we’ve analyzed over 2.5 million tracks, supporting 150+ artists, 30+ labels, and cultural institutions, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Vero Music, Active Management, Because Music, tôt Ou tard, Sacem, and Association des professionnels de l'édition musicale (APEM) to optimize catalog visibility and improve marketing efficiency. The results speak for themselves: 10x more streams on Discover Weekly; 30% lower Cost per Listener. Our case studies show how (articles link in comment). This €1M seed round, led by Inovexus, SideAngels, APOK Invest, Bolboreta Innova Group, Bpifrance, IFCIC, will accelerate our R&D and scale our technology, building a more transparent, data-driven, and human-centered music ecosystem. 🙏 A huge thank you to our amazing team, our investors, partners, and mentors who believe in our mission. Your trust and energy make this journey possible. Want to uncover the hidden potential of your catalog? 👉 Book a free discovery call with our team to get your first audit: https://lnkd.in/grvq7FTE The future of music should be driven by creativity, not black boxes.
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Music Entrepreneur | Founder – All By Play & Dhaval Music Foundation | Ex-Spotify | Berklee Alum | Helping Artists & Labels Build Powerful Music Brands
India is the fastest-growing regional market in Asia-Pacific and is projected to reach USD 4,874.8 million by 2030. A number that’s not just exciting for the industry, but full of opportunity for the independent artist. India’s love for music has always been undeniable, but the way people listen is transforming faster than ever. The Indian music streaming market is expected to hit ₹40,600+ crore by 2030, growing from ₹15,400+ crore in 2024, that’s a strong 17.3% CAGR. With this wave of growth, the real question is, how can emerging artists make the most of it? Here are 10 ways to build visibility, strengthen your presence, and grow your audience in today’s streaming-first world: 1️⃣ Diversify your platforms. Don’t put all your music on one platform. Be everywhere - Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, SoundCloud and create short-form content on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. Each platform has its own audience and discovery path. 2️⃣ Release regularly. Consistency is key. Dropping new singles or EPs every few months keeps you top of mind and improves your chances of landing on editorial playlists. 3️⃣ Actively pitch for playlists and artist programs. Platforms like Spotify’s RADAR India or local radio shows have helped breakout acts grow their following by up to 30%. Submit your music wherever opportunities exist; visibility often starts here. 4️⃣ Engage your listeners. Talk to your fans. Host Q&As, create community groups, encourage user-generated content like remixes or dance challenges - the closer the connection, the stronger the impact. 5️⃣ Craft your artist story. Go beyond the music. Build a visual and emotional identity that reflects who you are. Whether it’s your album art, social feed, or interviews, let it all tell one consistent story. Fans follow music, but they stay for the person behind it. 6️⃣ Collaborate across genres and languages. Regional sounds are now national trends. Cross-cultural collaborations can open unexpected audiences. 7️⃣ Use data smartly. Look at your listener analytics - understand what’s working, where your audience lives, and what they love most. Let insights guide your next move. 8️⃣ Experiment with live formats. Live streaming is the fastest-growing segment. Regular online sessions or intimate virtual concerts help deepen engagement and build genuine fandom. 9️⃣ Think like a brand. Every release, post, or visual is part of your larger identity. Make it memorable, cohesive, and true to your sound. 🔟 Stay adaptable. The platforms will keep changing, but what matters is staying consistent, creative, and authentic. India already contributes 4% to global music streaming revenue, and that share is only going up. The next decade of streaming belongs to artists who blend creativity with strategy, those who can market as well as they make music.
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I help music pros use AI in their work (aimusicpreneur.com)
10 AI artists made £463,000+ this year on Spotify. No. 3 has more listeners than UK artist Pixie Lott: Blow Records had a viral TikTok hit this year. They've already made £123,176 from streams. That's more than most human artists earn in years. Here's what the data shows: Top 10 AI Artists on Spotify (2025 Earnings): 1. Blow Records - £123,176 2. Biscuit Beats - £67,891 3. Xania Monet - £50,021 4. Beats by AI - £49,936 5. The Velvet Sundown - £38,820 6. Bleeding Verse - £38,344 7. Aventhis - £34,667 8. Nick Hustles - £23,470 9. The Devil Inside - £21,924 10. Obscurest Vinyl - £15,117 Some context on these numbers: → Xania Monet signed a 3m record deal. → Charted on Billboard's R&B top 10. → Has more listeners than Pixie Lott. The Velvet Sundown released 2 albums Before admitting they were AI. Blow Records' song spawned 1.6 million TikTok videos. The reality? 1 in 3 new tracks are now AI-generated. Music producers see what's happening. 75% worry AI could replace human creators. The industry is shifting faster than expected. What's your take on AI music earning real money? Source: Data collected by SeatPick ♻️ REPOST to inform your network Want more on AI + music? 1. Scroll to the top 2. Click on "View my newsletter" 3. Join 1.8k+ music pros get ahead.
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Founder & CEO of Elizabeth Music Group. Music producer, songwriter, sync composer & publishing executive helping artists monetize their catalogs worldwide.
The Core of Music Marketing Marketing your music isn’t just posting online, it’s a strategy. Core principles: ✅Consistency ✅Authenticity ✅Targeting ✅Experimentation ✅Community Building Your music deserves more than noise. It deserves a plan. #musicmarketing #musiccareer
Promotion Coordinator at Def Jam Recordings
2wEmerging artists should focus on making great music first and let that lead the way. Then create a compelling story around that, so yes organic reach. The whole music industry has lost its way in this social media and streaming era. Take it back to the art.