Daisy Godbehere

For my research portfolio I chose to look closely into the entirety of what it takes to become an independent feature music artist. Starting with the educational qualifications, I found, via the UCAS website, that there are a large variety of degrees available to kickstart an academic pathway into music artistry. Ranging from “BA hons popular music degree” provided by Leeds Conservatoire to “BA hons Bachelor of Arts (with honours) (music – contemporary pop voice and performance)” at LIPA university. These degrees provide a 3 year course in music, creating vital links for young artists with the industry. They also allow the students to have instant access into modules that provide insight into all details of their specified career (in this case, becoming a music artist) and allow for those enrolled to have an organised understanding of the essential steps to take through supervised guidance from industry professionals within an educational setting. However, it is often not a strictly necessary step in creating a substantial career as a music artist, and it can be entirely possible to create success in using methods outside of academics.

Additionally, alongside the educational qualifications that assist in gaining a solidified career as a music artist, experience within and outside of this setting is essential, by creating independent experiences, such as taking on work. This could be amongst any musical setting to expand growth as an artist, it could be through teaching, being a member of a band, becoming a session player, songwriting, performing at local events such as weddings etc. These physical experiences build up repertoire and portfolio, creating connections and providing oneself with opportunities to gain essential practice and learning for all future endeavours. Other experience could include all things digital, being able to familiarise yourself with the latest technology, DAWs and skills within this such as CC midi automation in cubase (S.Luck, 2024). Similarly, being familiar with social media platforms and correct media management helps to get an artists identity out there, so allowing themselves to stay consistent and experienced on platforms such as Facebook and Spotify allows them to take as much advantage of these tools as possible to expand their career.

Music artists also need to be able to retain many essential skills and personal qualities to remain strong within the industry. One notably significant attribute is the ability to stay resilient and persevere. Being able to stick with your goals and accept rejection as simply a part of your individual journey as an artist is a must. However, regularly overlooked, the ability to be creative and passionate as an artist is also just as important, passion fuels creativity and they work hand in hand to develop an identity for an artist within both their work and their image. Passion also fuels resilience, and consequently, this pushes curiosity; another key attribute to expect in a successful music artist. Curiosity creates a willingness to learn and explore, constantly encouraging an evolutionary growth of career as a musician. Further research also found that the ideal music artist would have patience, a vision and self-motivation to achieve goals, whilst being able to tolerate the time that may take (S.Luck, 2024). Practically, however, artists should have adequate confidence in their ability to song-write, perform, arrange, record and, thus, work collaboratively with faces of the music industry (Ukmusic.org, n.d.). This can often be just the start of the abundance of multitasking that comes alongside this career; being your own manager essentially means recalling all these qualities, skills and jobs all whilst staying prevalent to the administrative and business side of the industry.

This, evidently, leads me into exploring the duties and responsibilities of a music artist. A typical days work can often appear early and relentless, with administrative work mostly consuming the day. As a music artist, one will often spend 5-7 hours infront of a screen. Whether this be responding to emails, booking venues, planning a tour, creating show ideas, updating their calendar or responding to booking requests for private events (J.Ike, 2016); much of a music artists career relies heavily on the seemingly “dull” behind-the-scenes office work. However, they also stated that their day would often still be divided by playing/practicing music, writing songs during the day and keeping themselves creatively inspired (J.Ike, 2016). An active music artist will also stay consistent on social media and research different aspects of their career, through researching venues, collaborators etc. Designing artwork is also an expressive take on the admin work necessary in day to day life of a music artist, such as creating posters, show art, banners, business cards, website identity and more. (J.Ike, 2016)

Other typical daily tasks required within this profession is to consistently be tracking financial business, with the importance of this being essential as a music artist. Handling financial ability well and avoiding any issues caused by stressors in that area is key as this can severely sever progression as a musical identity. Furthermore, the possible legal issues that may appear for upcoming musicians can also affect this. Often, musicians will be encouraged to ensure all agreements are made via a formal contract and not verbally due to the heavy risk involved with relying on word of mouth. Whilst verbal agreements can be legally binding, it is often harder to enforce without written evidence and leaves parties vulnerable to disputes around issues such as payment terms etc. (Music Service Provider, 2024) Without contracts a range of risks arise, such as last minute cancellation without compensation, non-payments, inadequate performance conditions and/or lack of performance quality. Therefore, as a part of these contracts, there are laws created to protect both artists and collaborators alike in order to avoid conflict. Examples include ‘copyright law (copyright, designs and patents act 1988)’, ‘contract law’, ‘copyright law and the risks non-compete agreements’ (Music Service Provider, 2024). These laws create a barricade for artists to protect what they rightfully own, but also allow for companies to enforce specifications that prevent artists from collaborating with competing artists. This means that legalities for music artists can be both beneficial and sacrificial in terms of what is to be considered as breach of certain laws can effect repertoire within the industry, cause financial burden as it can result in large sum lawsuits, and content removal on platforms which can destroy career growth. Additionally, within performance, artists are also protected by laws such as ‘public liability insurance’ and ‘PAT testing’ (Music Service Provider, 2024). These laws create safeguarding for artists and reinforce performance conditions to be acceptable.

Financially, as an artist, many struggle to stay comfortable as the income is often unstable and usually limited towards the beginning of career. This has been supported via a survey, saying that around ‘91% of new artists cannot afford equipment to assist their music career’, and ‘82% need to rely on jobs unrelated to music to support themselves’ (J.Johnson, 2024). These figures create concern within the industry, particularly when being a music artist, as it suggests the lack of sustainability amongst, especially, the beginning stages of a career in this pathway. This, evidently, can cut many artists journeys short and not provide aspiring musicians with the tools to focus on their progression and growth, due to the difficulty to stay afloat profitably.

Amid my research, I also wanted to explore how music artists tackle the promotional and marketing aspect of their profession, and understand the breadth of what it can involve to create effective content to grow an audience and draw attention to their work. Nowadays, within the digital age, artists are harnessing the power of social media (ICMP Staff Writer, 2023), picking platforms that provide the most engagement and building on that to create identity and a ‘direct line of communication with fans’(ICMP Staff Writer, 2023). Social platforms are also a contender for teasing new music, sharing content to attract attention (such as behind the scenes footage, music videos, links to personal website where fans can find merchandise – an indirect further promotional tool). Through social media, music artists can also collaborate with well-known names and influences to reach an even further audience and promote material globally (ICMP Staff Writer, 2023). Another strategy to market, is an Electronic Press Kit (ICMP Staff Writer, 2023), a common strategy used by musicians to showcase music and branding to industry professionals. It includes all necessary details to pitch yourself as a music artist and network efficiently. However, with the intensity of technology being an accessible cog in the machine that is music promotion and marketing, live performance is often overlooked as an incredible method to marketing yourself physically as an artist. Gigs and shows often create reputation and allow artists to physically demonstrate who they are and their work to an audience, and often recruiting agents for labels. It is an essential part of expanding their career as an independent artist.

As an artist, it is not to be ignored that there are many intellectual and personal challenges to face; this can be mainly mental but also found in the inability to keep their lives separate from their careers. Many find that they blend and consume their personal experiences with their career-related ones. Large numbers of performers experience stage anxiety, with this having vital detrimental effects on their esteem as an artist due to the fear of making mistakes, lack of confidence, fear of judgment and more (J.Frempong, 2024). These anxieties can manifest physically through trembling and sweating, often ‘hindering enjoyability’ of their work (J.Frempong, 2024). This can lead to further intellectual issues such as depression, and other mental disorders involving depression and identity crisis, often then creating heavily damaging personal issues stretching as far as substance abuse for some artists (J.Frempong, 2024). This can be due to the isolation created by these initial psychological issues. Music artists can often find that performing shows, having a hectic professional schedule preventing many from “seeing loved ones” (J.Frempong, 2024) and the emotional imbalance of adrenaline rushes during large gigs, followed by suddenly being alone again, can create unhealthy coping mechanisms. Substance abuse is common as a typical music artist also fall into an industrial trap of late nights, social events, and a consistent surrounding of these habits by others which reinforces the “normality” of it within an artist’s scene (J.Frempong, 2024).

Finally, I wanted to cover what progressive and developmental opportunities are available for music artists. It’s mainly based on mentality, and acceptance of rejection; being able to view rejection as simply ‘not being ready yet’ (Thewimn, 2018) according to The Wimns article on “just go tips” for music progression. Additionally it states and stresses the importance of accepting opportunities such as ‘playing at festivals, live performances, contacting and pitching to people musically, asking around the industry’ (Thewimn, 2018) whether that be for advice or potential growth. These are necessary and essential progression tools to help an artist develop and grow their brand and identity, and yet so simple. This research suggests it’s often mainly about networking. Songrites, however, states more practical ideas, such as developing sound, refining an artist’s unique sound over time and exploring different styles (SongRites.com, 2024). They also draw attention to the importance of image and branding, ‘treating the art as a product’ and ‘allowing the brand to provide the artist success’ (SongRites.com, 2024). ‘Being able to balance staying true to oneself with strategically presenting that version of yourself to an audience’(SongRites.com, 2024). However, yet again, this article reminds us of the importance of networking, via social media, or live; either way, it is a huge factor in the development and progression within the profession of music artistry.

Referencing:

1. UCAS.com, (2025), Popular music, Available at: https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/0c2e51d2-3647-c0f8-0ca2-10ba2632742e?academicYearId=2026 Accessed 11th feb 2026
2. UCAS.com, (2025), Music (contemporary pop voice and performance), Available at https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/e1a906f5-abc2-42e5-82e1-b9a41777fc3c?academicYearId=2026 Accessed 11th feb 2025
3. UCAS.com, (2025), Bachelor of music with honours in popular music, Available at https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/0475fada-1a9b-a23a-d361-1119f640bbcf?backUrl=https:%2F%2Fwww.ucas.com%2Fexplore%2Fsearch%2Fall%3Fquery%3Dpop%2520music&optionId=dcea9796-9794-4b01-a95f-6f3c5ec226dd
4. S.Luck, (2024), Beyond The Music: Essential Skills and Qualities for a Sustainable Music Career, Available at https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/beyond-the-music-essential-skills-and-qualities-for-a-sustainable-music-career Accessed 11th Feb 2025
5. Ukmusic.org, (n.d.), Artist, Available at https://www.ukmusic.org/job-profiles/artist/ Accessed 10th feb 2025
6. J.Ike, (2016), A Day In The Life Of A Full-Time Musician, Available at https://bandzoogle.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-full-time-musician Accessed 9th Feb 2025
7. Music Service Provider, (2024), Dealing with Legalities in the Music Industry: A Guide for Artists and Clients, Available at https://piano-keystosuccess.co.uk/2024/11/23/dealing-with-legalities-in-the-music-industry-a-guide-for-artists-and-clients/ accessed 10th Feb 2025
8. J.Johnson (2024), 76% OF NEW ARTISTS SAY THAT MUSIC CAREER IS FINANCIALLY UNSUSTAINABLE, Available at https://mixmag.net/read/new-artists-career-financially-unsustainable-study-news Accessed 9th Feb 2025
9. ICMP Staff Writer, (2023), Effectively Marketing and Promoting Music in the Digital Age, Available at https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/effectively-marketing-and-promoting-music-digital-age Accessed 9th Feb 2025
10. J.Frempong, (2024), UNDERSTANDING THE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT MUSICIANS FACE, Available at https://soundcheck.org.uk/blog-post/understanding-the-mental-health-challenges-that-musicians-face/ Accessed 10th Feb 2025
11. Thewimn, (2018), just Go For It | Tips For Progression In The Music Industry, Available at https://thewimn.com/just-go-tips-progression-music-industry/ Accessed 11th Feb 2025
12. SongRites.com, (2024), The Importance of Artist Development in the Music Industry, Available at https://www.songrites.co.uk/post/the-importance-of-artist-development-in-the-music-industry Accessed 11th Feb 2025