6 key tips for emerging musicians and artists

Building a successful career within the music industry is easier said than done, especially for emerging musicians and artists. Easily one of the most intricate and complex industries to break into, it’s also an industry that’s in trouble.

Many musicians are not getting fair pay for the work they do. Creativity and inventiveness are not always welcome or encouraged. Artists do not have access to the essential tools they need to succeed. And with various streaming platforms on the rise, the urge to conform and follow the pack has never been higher.

But music, and the business of making it, has always been a tricky and bewildering practice. The music landscape is constantly shifting, as are the needs and aspirations of most emerging artists. It may be easy to feel unmotivated, frustrated or rejected when your career does not unfold as you had hoped. You’re not alone. The music business is not for the faint of heart, but it remains an essential part of society.

To help guide you along your way after recording your first EP, I’ve compiled a list of six tips I think every emerging artist should take to heart. By educating yourself about the potential pitfalls that lie ahead, you will be better able to protect yourself and navigate the wild waters of the industry to a safe haven.

Tip 1. Ensure all agreements are clear on paper

This may seem like an obvious tip, but for some it is not. Imagine you’ve just recorded a song with another songwriter and composer. One of the first things you should do, before you take it to any distributor, is sign an agreement that clarifies who is entitled to what.

This legally binding document should state all the creators who worked on the song. The agreement should outline what percentage of the royalties goes to whom, who the publisher is (if any) and the duration of the agreement. This guarantees that everyone involved in creating the song is acknowledged and credited.

Before you sign any agreement or contract, be sure to read everything, including the fine print. Don’t be afraid to ask the other parties to explain legal jargon, or to ask for more time before you sign. With the right legal representation, an agreement makes all parties’ responsibilities completely transparent, so there is no confusion about what is expected.

If you do not fully understand everything in the agreement, what is being asked of you or your other obligations, and the other party does not want to explain them, don’t sign it. As a rule of thumb, it is smart never to sign a contract that runs longer than one year or covers more than five tracks, unless it’s for a full album.

Tip 2. Make sure your work is registered

Creating and recording an EP or album is a feat in its own right, but before you distribute it, make sure it’s legally registered. Register your work at a performance rights organisation (PRO), like ASCAP or BMI in the United States or Buma in the Netherlands.

Once you have recorded a song, you can register who the song’s creator is, but also who the songwriter is, who created the melody, who the composer is, and who the artist is. With the registration of each song, you also specify whether you are working with a record label or publisher.

Through this registration, you define the rights to the song and its distribution. Once a song is registered, an artist can make agreements with third parties to use their work and make sure they receive what they are due.

For example, imagine a song coming out in Italy, with certain lyrics and a melody in one language. Now imagine an artist in Aruba who wants to create a different version of that song, with other lyrics but the same melody. Both artists need a performance licence for the song to make it commercial, with the latter paying for the licence to use the original melody. Thanks to the registration, the PRO is aware of all agreements concerning the distribution of the song.

Registering your work with a performance rights organisation not only protects your creative work, it also helps guarantee that royalties are paid. Many emerging artists, songwriters, composers and music publishers are unaware that copyright registration protects their creative work and prevents others from monetising it without paying them royalties.

Tip 3. It’s all about the metadata

So you’ve registered your song and are ready to distribute it via different platforms. But did you check your metadata?

Metadata is all the information about the recording of your song, including who the singer, the songwriter, the musicians and the producer are. All this information should be contained in the song’s metadata and submitted to the digital service provider (DSP) before uploading.

Popular DSPs include Apple, Amazon, Spotify and TikTok. This information must be uploaded with the song in one go, along with other facts such as the genre, beats per minute and danceability, so playlist editors can see immediately what kind of song it is just by looking at the metadata.

Having the correct metadata linked to each song also ensures creators are paid the right royalties when their music is streamed and shared, and helps avoid potential litigation.

Tip 4. Create a promotional plan

Now that you have submitted your song to the DSPs of your choice, you need a solid promotion plan to help grow your platform as an artist. A good marketing campaign boosts the visibility of your work and gets you more streams.

This should include everything from live performances to a social media presence and more. When you are still fresh on the music scene, it may feel like you have to hire an entire team to get your track out there. In reality, it is wise to do whatever you can by yourself. Large labels and production companies have seemingly limitless funds for marketing, social media and promotional materials, and as an emerging artist you most likely do not.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Invest your free time in furthering your career and picking up skills to support it. Learn the ins and outs of social media marketing, look within your network for talented photographers, make-up artists, wordsmiths and stylists, and create your own promotional materials to save on costs.

A reliable promotional plan will also help ensure you do not fall into the arms of illegal playlist brokers.

Tip 5. Avoid playlist brokers at all costs

Do not be tempted to do business with playlist brokers. It is illegal to pay for streams, and besides that, the streams you get are most likely bot streams or fake streams.

Some playlist brokers offer 1,000 streams for as little as 10 euros, but do not be tempted by this. Any form of payola, the hidden or indirect payment to a station to play your song, or paying for streams, is illegal.

Spotify and other DSPs have algorithms that find streams they suspect come from bot farms, and flag them and the artist. That can hurt your music career and earnings. In the worst case, you may even be blacklisted and banned from sharing your music on the platform.

Tip 6. Keep the broader picture in mind

At the end of the day, it’s never just about one EP or album. It is about your career as an artist, and that is not built on one track. Have a plan for the future, think about multiple releases and live performances, and see yourself in a wider perspective than just one song. It may be hard not to think that all your success hinges on how one track performs, but remember the bigger picture.

Building a career as an artist works like compound interest. A singer spends thousands of hours in the studio creating a two- or three-hour concert that fans will attend. It is not about one song or one hit. The more work you put into your music career, the more deposits you make into the bank of your body of work. And if you really want to crank out that one-hit wonder, I advise you to make a Christmas song, so you are guaranteed royalties every year. 😉