What are the (academic and professional) qualifications and/or experience required to enter the profession?
This is discussed by Lewis Capaldi who studied music in college completing a HND He believes no qualification is needed for a successful career .“None in particular, passion, experience and dedication is more important, although musical knowledge and performance skills could be beneficial” (BBC Bitesize N .D ).Many songwriters build a career with no qualifications like Ed Sheeran who dropped out of school at 16 to focus on his career. However if you have limited theory knowledge and lack connections qualifications could be beneficial to your future as a musician.Further education could help you make connections to succeed with the saying “its all about who you know” . A degree may prepare you for obstacles and you could collaborate with other writers expanding your knowledge giving you different perspectives
What knowledge, skills and personal qualities/attributes are needed for success within the profession?
Qualities like musical ability, the ability to play an instrument and a good amount of theory knowledge can benefit when songwriting, understanding of the production side of music, using tools on logic for mixing and recording.This can benefit you when collaborating with other artists creating a more productive session. Recording and writing simultaneously when on a deadline can make the songwriting quicker and efficient. Timekeeping is important as job opportunities and your reputation can depend on good timekeeping. Industry knowledge , business and being able to remain professional in difficult situations are all things that can link to your success.
What are the duties and responsibilities of the profession – what does a typical day’s work involve?
Reading to expand your creative side and vocabulary. Successful writers say journaling every day which can help with songwriting. Networking, collaborating or just spending time with people in the industry helps to stay connected to the industry. Pitching your music by word of mouth or social media is important because even if have a company or label sign you.Prioritize your work even if you are signed (they will have multiple artists to pitch songs so you wont be their priority). Follow up emails and opportunities as they present themselves.
What are the main financial and legal issues that impact on this profession?
Copyright ownership ,Copyright infringement and plagiarism. These can be problematic due to there being common musical elements which could be confused with stolen music/lyrics. The Thinking out loud lawsuit is an example,Ed Sheeran was taken to court by the family of Ed Townsend. He was one of the co-writers on a 1973 hit by Marvin Gaye. They claimed Sheeran’s hit “Thinking out loud” released in 2014 stole the chord progression from Marvin’s” Lets get it on hit”. With Sheeran winning the case it may have influenced other artists to fight for their work in court instead of a payment agreement. Copyright laws hold many grey areas and even successful artists with an educated team run into copyright lawsuits. It’s important to understand different types of copyright to ensure you are prepared iif a lawsuit happens in your career
With the rise of AI, artists have become victims of their work being stolen with AI claiming they have written these lyrics or composed a track and Lawsuits involving the company of AI have risen significantly. These cases in particular cause lots of uncertainty ,making it easier than ever to steal music. Whether artists win a court case or lose, the financial and reputational cost for both sides is huge. Even innocent artists may lose fans and endorsements leading to loss of income. Although it’s often argued that entirely original music and copyright lawsuits are inevitable , the crucial thing is knowing how to effectively manage such a difficult scenario and proving your innocence.
Smaller artists lack a fan base so even if you release the most amazing song it’s likely you will struggle to gain a sustainable income due to lots of music being released every day. Most platforms like spotify pay through the stream sharing method meaning artists are not paid per stream they are paid from what percentage of their streams make the streams on the total spotify library. This means smaller artists mostly do not qualify to make money from streams due to others popularity.
It is vital to not solely rely on streaming as the only income because small artists make very little income from streams. Instead you could use the sell before you stream method where prior to your release you allow access for people to buy the download, your supporters/fans set how much they would like to pay for your music. This can help build a relationship with your fans as they may feel special being able to get early access to your song. This also ensures some income prior to your release. You can do that via your website or bandcamp. This is prior to release and on release week ensure access on all platforms maximising your discovery.
Maximising income and ensuring you are paid the royalties you are owed, sign up to a collection society. Depending on which country you live in you will have different societies with PRS and PLL in the UK. You can only be a member of one society so if you move to a different country, cancel your membership and sign up to the country you live in for quicker payment..
What would the potential marketing and promotional aspects of this profession look like?
Marketing looks very different depending if you’re known in the industry or a smaller artist. Both need to market in a way that grabs your attention and stops people from scrolling. A known artist has the advantage of a fan base who look for a release but unknown artists don’t. Depending on where you are in your career, your priority for marketing differs, a popular artist may focus on what’s the next chapter? But unknown artists may question why should they care? As the industry is oversaturated with new music.
Viewers trust artists they feel like they know. To build a fan base you need to gain trust with clarity of your artist identity. People don’t follow music, they follow artists. To turn a listener into a fan, reply to comments and share behind the scene moments. This makes a listener feel connected. Seeing an imperfect video can make them feel like they know you and they know your personality. Turning a listener into a fan is “Good music + visible story + repeat exposure + emotional resonance + IRL moment or strong personal content + easy next step (follow, buy, join) = fan conversion!” ( Ian Campbell ).
Marketing should focus on releasing a song with a clear hook in the first 10 seconds. Without a fan base people decide if they like your song based on those first few seconds.Be clear about your genre, sound and identity. A marketing strategy widely used is short form video using the best 10 – 20 second of your song on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube reels. Making a bio for your page introducing who you are , what you sound like and where your music is streamed. Collaboration because shared audiences grow faster than solo efforts. Most small artists fail to grow because they do not stay persistent and disappear after a few releases. Artists grow by staying visible , being consistent with releases and content on social media. Unpolished Short clips like writing a lyric or singing a rough draft connects with fans. Context in writing is a way to connect with viewers. Explaining the song’s story becomes a safe space for listeners to feel heard ,something they have felt themselves but couldn’t express. Showing vulnerability to listeners, letting them into your world creates a bond a lot like a friendship. Showing your personality, sharing opinions shows your originality and innovation. Building a fan base is a lot like building a friendship because you both need to trust each other. Ask yourself the question: how are you different from other artists? You are marketing yourself, not just your music?
The marketing aspect of releasing music starts before a release where artists tease lyrics, share shortclips of a chorus, and the story of the song. On release week many musicians post behind the scenes.When it comes to the release of a song you should share a link to listen and thank people who support you. Most of the time that’s where promotion stops but after a release you can still market by using the song in different videos , performing it live and resharing clips with different hooks.
Although being signed to a label is beneficial, reaching a wider audience , radio appearances and developing your image, it is possible to do this without a label. Ed Sheeran released 9 eps before getting signed by Atlantic records. He is a good example of an artist that built a fan base before getting signed. He did this by using social media like youtube and myspace which have evolved today into tiktok and instagram. He used live shows and small intimate venues to build a following. It’s important after a show or even an open mic to connect with the audience through word of mouth.
What are the intellectual and personal challenges presented by the profession and how might these be dealt with?
It’s very common to struggle with mental health due to pressures or sometimes mental illness. Writing in a journal each day putting all your negative thoughts onto a page can help and you could use those notes to write lyrics with. Making sure to organize time off with family and putting yourself first can help because this business can be very competitive and tiring especially if you perform your own music and go on tours. Make time for yourself and remember why you started writing. Creative block is a very common intellectual issue that can leave artists feeling trapped . When this happens take a break, change of scenery, collaborate with other artists and listen to music with similar meanings. In an interview on the Sunday morning show Billie Eylish says ‘writer’s block is something you hide behind when we are feeling insecure and bad about ourselves ‘.continuing “there’s no writer’s block there is fear”.Thinking about writer’s block from this point of view is very beneficial because being aware of the fear of writing a bad song inevitably helps us get our ideas down on paper even if what you write is not your best work. Allow yourself to write a bad song.
What career-progression/development opportunities are available within the profession?
To progress as a performing songwriter it is important to collaborate with other writers, songwriting for another artist is an opportunity to improve your work by allowing others to critique your skill constructively and using their feedback to develop your writing. Whether you’re a lyricist , topliner working with melody or composer you can learn a lot from other artists with writing styles and genres that can widen your creativity.Their influence can ensure that your songs have individuality about them while working in teams creates connections
Having the opportunity to be a commercial songwriter/film composer allows you to learn to follow a brief, writing to please a certain audience, following a structure and improving your theory knowledge. It could expose gaps in your theory of knowledge and if a brief if for track to be sad but hopeful you would have to link feeling to chords and not just pick chords you like like most artists do when writing helping you write stronger, clearer songs. If you find a brief set by a company difficult it improves your skills as a writer by learning to write on a deadline which can then be implemented when writing your own music helping achieve your own deadlines easier using the experience of writing to a brief.
Harvard referencing
BBC Maestro, n.d. A day in the life of a modern-day songwriter. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-modern-day-songwriter-1234791756 [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
BBC Maestro, n.d. Starting a songwriting career. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/starting-songwriting-career [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
BBC Maestro, n.d. Successful songwriters. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/successful-songwriters [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
BBC Maestro, n.d. The habits of highly successful songwriters. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/the-habits-of-highly-successful-songwriters [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
BBC Maestro, n.d. The life of a hit songwriter with Rob Wells. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/the-life-of-a-hit-songwriter-with-rob-wells-ariana-grande-justin-bieber-and-many-more [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Class Central, n.d. Songwriting basics. Available at: https://www.classcentral.com/course/youtube-songwriting-basics-56617 [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Dark Horse Institute, n.d. 5 music marketing strategies for musicians. Available at: https://darkhorseinstitute.com/5-music-marketing-strategies-for-musicians/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), n.d. How to become a songwriter. Available at: https://www.ism.org/advice/how-to-become-a-songwriter/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Reddit, n.d. r/Songwriting. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Songwriting/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Songstuff, n.d. Songwriting article. Available at: https://www.songstuff.com/songwriting/article/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Songwriting Magazine, n.d. Christina Martin’s 10 top tips on songwriting life and the music business. Available at: https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/keep-songwriting/christina-martins-10-top-tips-on-songwriting-life-and-the-music-business [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Songwriting Magazine, n.d. RuthAnne’s 10 tips on transitioning from songwriter to artist. Available at: https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/ruthannes-10-tips-on-transitioning-from-songwriter-to-artist[Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Spotify, n.d. Understanding Spotify royalties. Available at: https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/understanding-spotify-royalties/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Stolpe, A., n.d. Becoming a songwriter. Available at: https://www.andreastolpe.com/becoming-a-songwriter [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
Stolpe, A., n.d. Daily activities of a songwriter. Available at: https://www.andreastolpe.com/col-andreastolpe-dailyactivities.html [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
WriteSeen, n.d. Songwriting jobs. Available at: https://writeseen.com/blog/songwriting-jobs [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
YouTube, n.d. Songwriting video resource. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPGe3y1kmz8 [Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
YouTube, n.d. Songwriting resource video. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSzK_Vhsc5Q[Accessed 4 Jan. 2026].
YouTube Artists, n.d. Resources for songwriters. Available at: https://artists.youtube/intl/en-GB_ALL/songwriters/[Accessed 4 Jan. 2026]
