Research Portfolio exploring the profession of a Singer-Songwriter.  

Throughout this research portfolio, I have chosen to investigate the career of a singer-songwriter, exploring both the skills and challenges of the profession. I have gathered experiences from professionals and investigated case studies of experts in the field to support my findings. 

Unlike traditional protected professions and STEM subjects such as medicine and law, there is no licence or higher education formally required to be a practicing Singer-Songwriter. Theoretically, one could enter the profession without any formal training or education. However, the creative industry of music is complex and legally driven, not only requiring an understanding of consumer behaviours and legal agreements, but also the skills and creativity as a musician to be distinctive in an oversaturated market. Therefore, it is important to navigate both professional experience and formal education, instead of making a binary choice between the two. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics states that ‘Musicians and Singers typically do not need formal postsecondary education to enter the occupation’ (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025). Despite being a credited official government website, this fails to recognise the benefits of holding a modern, specialised degree in music. In fact, government surveys indicate that over 29% of musicians and singers possess a bachelor’s degree. (College Board, 2026). Institutions such as Leeds Conservatoire, and University of Colorado Denver demonstrate the shift from traditional programs, instead offering specialised, holistic degrees more relevant to the modern music industry, ‘position(ing) students for professional success[…]through mentorship from faculty who are active and successful industry professionals’ (University of Colorado Denver, 2025). These types of degrees are essential for forming industry connections, being educated in music business, and honing the skills needed to be an exceptional musician. Ultimately, whilst a degree is not strictly necessary, it can be increasingly useful to learn the skills required to be a professional singer-songwriter.  

There are three key skills essential to becoming a successful singer-songwriter: music and production proficiency, business and financial expertise, and finally the psychological aspects of the profession. Jason Blume, a successful songwriter, asserts that whilst instrumental and vocal virtuosity can be helpful, the ability to create catchy melodies, structure songs with verse-chorus form and use dedicated rhyme schemes is ultimately superior. He says that ‘(being proficient on an instrument) is not mandatory for those who hope to compose memorable melodies’ (Blume, 2018). Whilst this is true for the melodic aspect of writing hit songs, it fails to consider not only the harmony skills of songwriting, but also the performance element of being a singer-songwriter if one wishes to perform their own songs. Therefore, it is important to also hone your craft as a singer/musician alongside the melodic and structural techniques of writing. One must possess a well-rounded set of abilities, including the business aspect of the profession. It is imperative for a singer-songwriter to have knowledge of copyright laws: whilst the act of creating the song gives the artist intellectual property, it is important to know the difference between this and the sound recording (discussed in depth later in this essay). As well as this, an artist must have impeccable marketing skills, with Linor Oren asserting that ‘you, as an artist, are the business’ (Oren, 2025). This especially true with today’s industry, with the market becoming increasingly crowded, one must have a clear and strong brand to succeed. Additionally, due to entering a fiercely competitive industry, an artist will face many setbacks throughout their career. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Musician’s Union states that ‘the ability to bounce back from setbacks’ is ‘essential for sustaining a career’, alongside other qualities, such as: ‘passion’, ‘flexibility’, ‘perseverance’, and ‘creativity’ (Luck, 2024). Ultimately, to be a successful performing songwriter, one must possess a wide range of abilities and personal qualities.  

The duties and responsibilities of a singer-songwriter can be varied from day to day, but can be split into two distinctive cycles: the touring cycle and the studio cycle. For the touring stage in a career, Marty Jackson (Jackson, 2020) breaks down what day to day life is like on tour, separating it into 5 different stages:  

1. Booking a tour – This usually requires an Event Promoter, in which they book venues, printing promotional material, arranging ticket sales, and arranging artists’ needs and requirements with the venue. Jackson stresses the importance of picking the right venues for the genre of music, for example Ronnie Scott’s being apt for jazz. Arranging support acts also comes in at this point, as having local bands playing support sets can help to increase tour sales.  

2. To continue the touring process, the artist must spend a significant amount of time rehearsing and refining the setlist, and practising stagecraft to provide the best possible experience for the audience. Merchandising must also be arranged at this point, as merchandising sales can make up a significant portion of the overall profits.  

3. Jackson states that ‘8/10 of your time on tour is spent driving somewhere or driving around in a venue’ (Jackson, 2020) as stage 3 includes ‘hitting the road’ (Jackson, 2020) 

4. Setting up the show – this includes sound checks, requiring a sound engineer for the front of house and monitor mix, as well as organising lighting to make the show the best possible experience. The artist may typically spend their time before warming up, doing press interviews or fan meet and greets.  

5. The final process is the performance in front of a live audience, an opportunity to showcase your songs and stagecraft to fans. After this is complete, one must pack all the gear and move onto the next tour location. 

However, not only does the role of a singer-songwriter include touring, but also the studio process. Professional songwriters often meet in scheduled sessions with other writers, as writing a song can be a collaborative process as Clay Mills outlines in ‘A Week in The Life’ (Mills, 2016), as well as working with producers to record the material. Musicians also typically are required to work many different roles, in which the Abbey Road Institute deems a ‘Slash Career’ (Beentjes, 2021). Ultimately, it is important to recognise that every day can look different in the role of a singer-songwriter, making it a career demanding flexibility and resilience.  

Furthermore, being a professional singer-songwriter can come with a plethora of financial and legal issues, one of them being the battle over intellectual property. At the core of the music industry is two separate types of copyright: the inherent musical composition (typically owned by the songwriter themselves), and the rights to the specific audio recording or master (traditionally owned by the record label). A clear example of a dispute between artist and record label is the situation between Taylor Swift and her record label: Big Machine Records, who ‘opened significant questions about the role of intellectual property in contract law, and possibly tipped the balance towards artists’ (Milano, 2024). Swift signed a contract at age 15 that gave her record label the rights to her master’s audio recordings. When the label was sold to Scooter Braun, Swift lost the rights to her work, and utilised the re-recording clause in her contract, which allowed her to recreate the recordings after a fixed period. As she owned the rights to the actual compositions, Swift was able to create ‘Taylor’s Version’ of each recording, whereby reclaiming rights and profits for each track. The new versions were ‘major commercial and critical successes’ (Milano, 2024), decreasing the demand and sales for the original versions, allowing Swift to reclaim her work. This case has revolutionised industry contracts, with labels increasingly concerned about the possibility of another ‘Taylor’s Version’ happening, and artists fighting for master’s ownership or licensing deals, rather than the traditional contract laws. Ultimately, being educated in the different laws and types of copyright is essential for a professional singer-songwriter, in order to avoid potential disputes, such as in the case of Taylor Swift.  

Additionally, an artists must be well-versed in the marketing and promotional aspects of the career, as this can have a significant effect on the success of a record. There are three different theoretical frameworks one can apply to the marketing campaign of an album, single, or tour. These are: Brand Equity Theory (building a strong emotional connection between brand and audience), Consumer Behaviour Theory (understanding the likes, dislikes, and listening patterns of consumers), and finally Viral Marketing Theory (using social media to heavily influence or market to audience). One high-profile case of the Viral Marketing Theory being used successfully is Charli XCX’s ‘brat’ campaign. The iconic slime green block colouring and low-resolution font on the cover created an immediate visual trigger for audiences, becoming instantly recognisable. Although there were various criticisms of the cover, these ultimately served as a positive impact, increasing visibility and awareness for the upcoming album. Faced with controversy, fans began to meme the cover, in which XCX’s team responded with a ‘brat Generator’ which allowed users to create their own visuals inspired by the album’s aesthetic. Furthermore, XCX unveiled a ‘brat’ wall in New York City on TikTok livestream, which fans flocked to see, met with a surprise appearance from XCX for a showcase. There are several reasons for the giant success of the album which ‘Ctrl+Reach’ outlines, including it feeling ‘totally authentic’(Ctrl+Reach,2024) and ‘transform(ing) her community into real players in her promotion’ (Ctrl+Reach, 2024). Inevitably, ‘brat’ debuted at No.2 on the UK’s album charts and at No.3 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the most successful album of her career. (Mendez II, 2024). This case study goes to show the success an album can have if one has the knowledge of the theoretical frameworks of marketing success, making it an imperative skill for a singer-songwriter.  

However, despite the career of a singer-songwriter having its definitive highs, the profession can impose severe intellectual and psychological demands. The artist can become a target for various incidents, ranging from online bullying and mental health crises to terrorism threats and attacks. The reality of touring can come with various health implications: not only is the artist living an unhealthy lifestyle – constantly moving places with little time to eat properly, but is also separated from hometown friends and family for extended periods of time. James Kennedy discusses this, saying that ‘the routine reality of touring begins to dull the shine of those innocent first two weeks, it can start to feel isolating, fast’ (Kennedy, J. 2022 Cited in PRS for Music), also describing it as a ‘strange emotional and chemical rollercoaster your body goes through every day’ (Kennedy, J. 2022 Cited in PRS for Music). Having this firsthand experience shared by a successful artist can be eye-opening, reminding us that being on tour can come with serious detrimental impacts to the artist’s mental and physical health, despite the glamourous stereotypes typically opinionated by the public. Additionally, once an artist has reached a point in their career with fame, increasingly many must deal with threats of terrorism in big stadium gigs. Examples of this are the famous Manchester Arena Bombing on May 22^nd 2017, as well as bomb threats for Taylor swift’s Eras Tour shows in Vienna. Situations such as these can pose not only a physical threat for the crowd, but also serious implications for the artists’ mental health, with Swift saying she felt ‘tremendous guilt’(Swift, 2024 Cited in The Guardian) and ‘a new sense of fear’ (Swift, 2024 Cited in The Guardian) after having to cancel shows due to threats. Ultimately, singer-songwriters face a plethora of mental and physical health challenges throughout their careers.  

Despite the many challenges of the profession, the career of a singer-songwriter allows for significant development, in which Josh Smith breaks down into five different tiers of progression. He proposes that artists in Tier One are ‘focused on discovering their genres, unique sounds, fundamental lyric topics, and key influences’ (Smith, 2024), but are still inevitably not sufficient in performing in front of wider audiences. In Tier Two, artists may make music of a higher quality, but still lack a distinct sound that sets them apart from others. At Tier Three, the singer-songwriter begins to grow in followers, having an intermediate understanding of the necessary skills required, also becoming competent businesspeople. For Tier Four, one must have ‘at least 1000 true fans’ (Smith, 2024), and at this stage, can enjoy much more artistic freedom, touring freely and perhaps in partnership with a major label. Finally, at Tier Five, the artist has reached major stardom, being considered by the public a pioneer for creativity, and able to sell out major stadium tours (Smith, 2024). Ultimately, we can clearly see the career development from a small-town artist playing open mic nights, to an established singer-songwriter in the industry, with plenty of loyal fans. 

In conclusion, the profession of a singer-songwriter requires a plethora of knowledge about art, law, and psychology. To be successful in modern society, one must not only have a clear creative vision and be well-versed in artistry, but also have a business-like mindset, being educated in the laws and marketing of the music industry. Ultimately, the singer-songwriter is not merely a musician, but also a high-functioning entrepreneur.  

Bibliography:  

Beentjes, D. (2021) ‘Portfolio careers: the many hats of a music producer’, Abbey Road Institute, 22 February. Available at: https://abbeyroadinstitute.co.uk/blog/portfolio-career-the-many-hats-of-a-music-producer/ (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Blume, J. (2018) What Skills Do You Need to Be a Successful Songwriter? Available at: https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/what-skills-do-you-need-to-be-a-successful-songwriter (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

College Board (2026) Musicians and Singers Education. Available at: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/careers/musician-or-singer/education (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Ctrl+Reach (2024) ‘Charli XCX and her bold marketing strategy for her latest album “brat”’, Ctrl+Reach Blog. Available at: https://www.ctrlreach.co/blog-posts/charli-xcx-and-her-bold-marketing-strategy-for-her-latest-album-brat (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

England, A. (2022) ‘Touring and loneliness: musicians discuss the impacts of a life on the road’, PRS for Music (M Magazine), 12 May. Available at: https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/touring-and-loneliness-musicians-discuss-the-impacts-of-a-life-on-the-road (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

Jackson, M. (2020) ‘Music touring: what’s life on the road actually like?’, Medium, 6 July. Available at: https://medium.com/@martyajackson/music-touring-whats-life-on-the-road-actually-like-3036c659b5af (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Luck, S. (2024) ‘Beyond the music: essential skills and qualities for a sustainable music career’, Musicians’ Union, 19 December. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/beyond-the-music-essential-skills-and-qualities-for-a-sustainable-music-career (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Mendez II, M. (2024) ‘The Brilliance of Charli XCX’s “Brat” Rollout’, TIME, 21 June. Available at: https://time.com/6990717/charli-xcx-brat-album/ (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

Milano, B. (2024) ‘How Taylor Swift changed the copyright game by remaking her own music’, Harvard Law Today, 3 April. Available at: https://hls.harvard.edu/today/how-taylor-swift-changed-the-copyright-game-by-remaking-her-own-music/ (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

Mills, C. (2016) ‘A Week in the Life: A Surprising Look at the Schedule of a Pro Songwriter’, SongTown, 6 September. Available at: https://songtown.com/on-songwriting/a-week-in-the-life-a-surprising-look-at-the-schedule-of-a-pro-songwriter/ (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Oren, L. (2025) ‘How to become a professional singer: 6 skills to build’, SingWell, 29 September. Available at: https://singwell.eu/how-to-become-a-professional-singer/ (Accessed: 5th of January 2026). 

Smith, J. T. (2024) Music artist development tiers. Available at: https://jtsmithmusic.com/artist-development-tiers/ (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

Sun, M. (2024) ‘Taylor Swift says she felt ‘tremendous guilt’ after Vienna shows cancelled over terror threat’, The Guardian, 22 August. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/22/taylor-swift-speaks-about-vienna-eras-tour-concerts-cancelled-terror-threat (Accessed: 6th of January 2026). 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025) Musicians and Singers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/musicians-and-singers.htm (Accessed: 4th of January 2026). 

University of Colorado Denver (2025) Singer/Songwriter. Available at: https://artsandmedia.ucdenver.edu/cam-areas-of-study/about-music-entertainment-industry-studies/singer-songwriter/2 (Accessed: 5th of January 2026).