Research Portfolio

This essay will be looking into the skills and characteristics that are needed to be a professional singer/songwriter, while also considering the challenges someone might face when attempting to do this for a living. This profession ranges massively in terms of income as some people need additional jobs to financially support themselves while others are completely self-sufficient. One additional source of income I will be discussing in this essay is a private /public 1 on 1 music tutor.

What are the (academic and professional) qualifications and/or experience required to enter the profession?

For this profession, you don’t necessarily need any formal qualifications. You could become a singer/songwriter with zero qualifications. However, some education on music theory and the history of music could help develop the artist and give them a better chance at wider success. “Not all popular singers have formal training, but it can be helpful.” (Careers Wales, 2024) This is supported by gov.uk as they suggest that a university course will help development as an artist. Specialist music courses can give artists an advantage as they focus on certain aspects such as composition and performance. (National Careers Service, 2020) However, some of the most successful artists in the world such as Bob Dylan, Prince and Billy Joel had no or limited music education. (Bob Dylan Centre, 2022; Minutaglio, 2016; York, 2021). A less formal way that will help someone succeed in the profession is simply overall experience which is very important and can’t be learned in the classroom. Experience ranges from performance experience all the way to business experience.

The career you make for yourself can vary depending on the person. Alternative methods can be used, such as “direct application”. An example of this would be self-promotion on social media and sending “demo recordings to recording companies” (National Careers Service, 2020). For some artists, the money from this job alone is not enough for them to survive. This leads to some artists having a portfolio career, where you have “multiple income sources, rather than a single job” (Legg, 2023). Jobs such as sound engineering, being a session musician and being a member of a function band are just a few examples of how to supplement your income. One that interests me is a 1 on 1 music tutor. Unlike being a singer/songwriter, there are qualifications that are essential when considering being a tutor. A music degree is preferred “to teach within a professional body such as a school or university.” (Rusk, 2021). To add to this, a PGCE is also recommended to help learn how to teach. A DBS check is also needed if you are working with children. If you don’t have a degree, a high amount of expertise and experience is needed. However, to be a private tutor, you don’t need qualifications, only a DBS check for teaching children. Despite this, experience and qualifications always help when promoting yourself as a private tutor, as you don’t have a school or institution to promote you and to provide guaranteed clients for you.    

 What knowledge, skills and personal qualities/attributes are needed for success within the profession?

Most artists are self-employed and don’t have a company to protect them legally. This means that artists will not only need to understand how the industry works but also the legal factors such as “negotiating contracts”. This will prevent them from being taken advantage of by people in the industry. “Having a grasp on the business side of things is essential for musicians” (Kowalski, 2024). This can be learnt from an educational setting or from experience after working in the industry for some time. Other important skills include time management, business knowledge and the ability to attract interest. This is reiterated by the BBC as their top 5 skills essential to succeeding in the music industry are: “passion, resilience, digital skills, organisation skills, and teamwork” (2020). When considering becoming a 1 on 1 tutor, good communication skills are also necessary to be a sought-after teacher. In both avenues, the skill of self-promotion is vital, what some artists lack in talent, they make up for in exceptional use of self-promotion. Personal qualities such as a good work ethic and dedication are also needed. Kindness and respect are arguably the most important personal qualities as the music industry operates largely from word of mouth, so without these, recommendation is less likely. This is supported by Matt Lillywhite who states that “Kindness is undoubtedly one of the most important traits in the music industry if you are looking for success. After all, a lot of achievements are in part due to the connections and relationships that we have.” (2021)

What are the duties and responsibilities of the profession– what does a typical day’s work involve?

Duties include being responsible for your own legal affairs. As a self-employed songwriter, all the contract signing and admin will be down to the artist. To avoid this, some artists will hire an assistant, who would help with planning things like rehearsals, tours and overall admin. A typical day will vary constantly as being an artist is not a traditional 9-5. Some days will include performances, while others will be recording/composing. Days working on admin and promotion for their content are also needed. This is shown in a YouTube video by Mary Spender called “a day in the life of a singer/songwriter” where she spends time recording, working on songs, doing admin and meetings (2021). However, if you are a 1 on 1 tutor as well, some days may be a more traditional 9-5 depending on what you do. If you are working for a school, then you will most likely be in for a large part of the school day. If you are a private tutor, then you will have more freedom to arrange lessons around other parts of your life compared to the more fixed nature of working with a school.  

What are the main financial and legal issues that impact on this profession?

This is a financially challenging profession as the income is not guaranteed and stable. This will cause most artists to embark on portfolio careers to help sustain their main goal which is to be a recording artist full time. This is supported by Adam Ficek who states that “a recent US study of income for working musicians reported the need to work two jobs just to cover bills and living costs” (2024). While this is true and concerning, he doesn’t mention the minority of musicians that can create enough revenue from their music alone. Legally this is also a challenging life which sometimes results in artists being taken advantage of by record labels. A way around this is to get a legal adviser to prevent themselves from being exploited and to prevent the artist from making any mistakes when it comes to contracts and agreements with other companies. Due to there being less stability in terms of revenue, it adds further importance in the artists self-promotion, to secure and maintain jobs, but also money managing skills, as costs might have to be reduced during quieter months. An artist can add more stability to their financial situation by embarking on a portfolio career. A 1 on 1 tutor would help with this as school days and term times are fixed and would help keep a constant cash flow even during quieter periods.

What would the potential marketing and promotional aspects of this profession look like?

The importance of social media in this profession cannot be overstated as that is where the most promotion would be based. The current market and industry reflect methods of promotion such as videos, paid adverts and even popular trend formats with the artist’s song playing in the background. While your song being associated with a big trend on apps such as Tik Tok is mainly down to luck, there are ways you can increase chances of it getting out there such as self-promotion and paid ads. Sayana supports this as she states that “one fairly simple and inexpensive route is paid advertising on social media.” (2020). However, what she fails to mention is that some people may respond to paid ads negatively as they find them annoying and could create a disconnect between the artist and the fans as they might see the artist as too motivated by the money. A solution for this would be more creative marketing strategies. A functional, accessible website and a place to put links to songs and tour dates is essential for an artist to connect to the fans as accessibility is expected of artists in 2024. Information is normally found in a link tree in the bio of the artist’s social media pages. The Musicians Union reinforces the internet’s importance by stating that “the internet provides songwriters, composers and musicians with an unprecedented number of ways to showcase their creativity to the public, press and industry”. They also stress the importance of keeping your internet presence neat and tidy and suggest keeping all platforms “synchronised” in order to keep everything consistent and make it easier to find (2022). Promotion for a tutor is slightly different as if the artist wants to be a tutor for a school, then a CV with all their qualifications and skills would be needed rather than a promotional campaign. However, if the artist wants to be a private tutor, then a more active role needs to be taken. Most tutors can be found on purpose-built websites such as musicteacher.com, where information about the tutor can be found in a profile on the website with all information required such as the price, the tutor’s qualifications, and what level they are willing to teach up to.

What are the intellectual and personal challenges presented by the profession and how might these be dealt with? 

An intellectual challenge would be learning the legal factors navigating the music industry alone without much support. This would become easier over time and some parts can be helped by consulting a legal advisor. This profession would also be personally challenging as there is no guarantee that you will succeed. The lack of job security at the start and the challenges that come with that could be mentally challenging for the artist. This is supported by Adam Ficek as he argues that “musicians are not always validated for the hours they put in” (2024). The struggle of putting your all into a project and it not necessarily working out would prove a massive personal struggle as music is a very personal art form and can be quite harsh compared to other professions. What Ficek fails to mention however is that because music is so personal, if the artist succeeds it can be incredibly satisfying and arguably more rewarding than a traditional job. In terms of being a 1 on 1 tutor, it could be intellectually challenging if there are gaps in the artist’s knowledge that need to be covered in order to teach competently. This job would be less challenging mentally as there is much more job security.

What career-progression/development opportunities are available within the profession?

Career progression in this profession is much less predictable than a more traditional job. This is because it is based on popularity of the music which is a lot harder to predict compared to a regular profession. Progression can come gradually, suddenly or not at all. Some artists maintain their popularity while some lose it straight away. Progression for an artist would most commonly be better jobs/concerts as the artist’s popularity increases, this would result in more money and recognition. However, some artists see progression differently and would rather make more musically impressive songs and improve as overall musicians without much of a care of the money and fans that may or may not come with it. Career progression for a 1 on 1 tutor is much simpler. In a school setting, it could be gaining more responsibility in the music department, for example running a choir or an orchestra. Further progression would be moving to a more established school that has a greater focus on music which would most likely result in a better salary. For a private tutor, progression would simply be better established clients who are willing to pay more for tuition. This would not only result in increased revenue, but also greater recognition in this type of work and could open opportunities for more jobs.

In conclusion, while this profession appears to be simple on the surface, lots of work is required in order to be successful in the music industry as a singer/songwriter, this is summarised by Lewis Capaldi as he says that “It’s amazing but there’s also lots of less glamorous bits”. (BBC, 2019) A music tutor is a much more stable profession which is a great idea to have on the side to help the artist support themselves while they strive for a self-sufficient career as a singer/songwriter.

Bibliography

BBC (2019) How to Become a Singer-Songwriter: Lewis Capaldi’s Story. Available online: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvmcmfr [Accessed 20/12/24]

BBC (2020) What Skills do I Need to Succeed in the Music Industry? Available online: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsm74xs [Accessed 20/12/24]

Bob Dylan Center (2022) Biography. Available online: https://bobdylancenter.com/about/biography/#:~:text=Dylan%20taught%20himself%20piano%20and,for%20one%20year%20in%201959[Accessed 20/12/24]

Careers Wales (2024) Singer-How to Become. Available online: 

https://careerswales.gov.wales/job-information/singer/how-to-become [Accessed 20/12/24]

Ficek, A. (2024) Musicians and Money-Tonic Music. Available online: 

https://www.tonicmusic.co.uk/post/afbl28 [Accessed 20/12/24]

Kowalski, J.R. (2024) 10 Essential Musician Skills for Thriving in Today’s Industry. John R Kowalski. Available online: https://johnrkowalski.com/10-essential-musician-skills/ [Accessed 20/12/24]

Legg, B. (2023) What is a Portfolio Career? -The Portfolio Collective. Available online:

https://portfolio-collective.com/content/articles/what-is-a-portfolio-career/ [Accessed 20/12/24]

Lillywhite, M. (2021) Using Kindness to Aid your Success in the Music Industry. Moonjelly. Available online: https://moonjelly.agency/using-kindness-to-aid-your-success-in-the-music-industry/ [Accessed 20/12/24]

Mary Spender (2021) A Day in the Life of a Singer/Songwriter. Available online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR68Jk3OoM4 [Accessed 20/12/24]

Minutaglio, R (2016) Prince’s First Music Teacher: ‘He Was at the Band Room Door at 8 a.m. Sharp Every day Waiting to be Let in’. People. Available online:

https://people.com/celebrity/princes-first-music-teacher-opens-up-about-singer-as-a-student/ [Accessed 20/12/24]

Musicians’ union. (2022) Promoting Yourself and Your Music Online. Available online:

https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-development/career-guides/marketing-and-promotion/promoting-yourself-and-your-music-online [Accessed 20/12/24]

National Careers. (2020) Musician. Available online:

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/classical-musician [Accessed 20/12/24]

Rusk, M. (2021) Do I Need a Degree to be a Music Teacher? -Music Teacher. Available online:

https://musicteacher.com/music-teacher-qualifications/ [Accessed 20/12/24]

Sayana. (2020) 5 tips for promoting your music using paid social media ads-Splice. Available online:

https://splice.com/blog/promoting-music-paid-social-media-ads/  [Accessed 20/12/24]

York, V. (2021) Louis Armstrong-Jazzistry. Available online:

https://vincentyorkjazzistry.org/resources/spotlight-stories/louis-armstrong/ [Accessed 20/12/24]