The Painted Ceilings Artist Development Plan

by

Polly Woodason 24101772

The current music industry requires artists and music business professionals to steer a relationship between creativity and commerciality. For modern Artist and Repertoire (A&R) representatives, to identify the ‘next best thing’ in the music industry, not only do they have to find talent, but they also have to understand musical genres, cultural communities, audience consumption patters and arguably the most important – digital platforms. Streaming, social media and algorithm-driven discovery have transformed how audiences engage with music, meaning that artistic success is no longer determined solely by musical quality.

This Show Post explores the role of modern A&R through the development of an emerging indie band called ‘The Painted Ceilings’ using genre analysis, repertoire evaluation and artist development planning.

Band Name: The Painted Ceilings

Location: Merseyside/Leeds UK

Status: Emerging band with just under 1K Spotify monthly listeners

Release history: Debut album released in 2024

Background:

The Painted Ceilings are an indie band from the Wirral, made up of 4 members – Jack Pearson, Sadie Pearson, Oscar Zabludow and Lara Norman – all aged 18-20. Some of their musical inspirations include The Cardigans, Brian Wilson, The Beatles and The Strokes. Their music fuses elements of indie, pop and rock. They released their debut album in 2024, and their top song has over 64,000 streams, proving to be a popular hit. Despite this promising data, their social media presence remains underdeveloped, presenting both a challenge and an oppportunity from an A&R perspective.

Justification for artist selection:

I chose The Painted Ceilings not only due to their authentic, playful sound, but also because their social media and streaming stats show that they have the potential to grow into something bigger with the right help. In both Merseyside and Leeds, the indie scene is thriving with bands like STONE and English Teacher stepping out of the traditional indie sound and reinventing the scene to be more inclusive. This evolving environment creates ground for The Painted Ceilings to carve a space in this genre.

All four members of the band take turns to write and sing their songs, making each song differ musically yet still maintaining brand cohesiveness. Where many bands rely on one person to be their ‘front-man’, The Painted Ceilings each take turns to have centre stage, giving listeners more opportunity to like their music as the songs differ slightly, so if a listener doesn’t like the tone of Jack, for example, they may like Sadie’s voice instead, potentially widening their fan base.

As mentioned before, their social media presence needs some work and does not yet reflect their musical quality or streaming success. This gap highlights why they are an ideal band to advance, as it requires strategic development to reach its full commercial potential.

Evaluation of market appeal:

Target demographic:

  • Aged 16-30s
  • Indie fans who are active on social media and follow bands on BBC introducing
  • Fans who visit grassroot venues like The Jacaranda, The Shipping Forecast in Liverpool and Hyde Park Book Club and Brudenell in Leeds
  • People who are interested in finding new, upcoming artists
  • Listeners of contemporary UK indie revival scenes in the North West and Leeds

Market alignment:

  • Their influences connect them to both nostalgic audiences (The Beatles and The Cardigans) as well as modern indie fans (The Strokes
  • Their streaming performance demonstrates traction and interest, with just under 1k monthly listeners and one album release
  • Their sound fits well with the areas they’re based in, where guitar-based music with a strong regional identity is popular

Music Examples and Repertoire Analysis:

Example one:

Caught Between Two Minds leans towards a classic indie-rock sound with a simple yet catchy guitar riff starting the song off to catch the listener’s attention, with it being their debut single and first song on their debut album. It contains a steady rhythmic groove and a strong melodic hook, making it a hit at live shows. Oscar’s tone in the second verse is raw and emotional, with the other band members adding harmonies for a fuller sound. The song reflects clear influences from The Strokes in its guitar tone and riffs.

This track represents the band’s more energetic and guitar-led side. It showcases their ability to write catchy, concise songs that feel natural in a live performance setting. The vocal delivery feels conversational and relatable, reinforcing the band’s authentic image.

This song functions well as a gateway track for new listeners. The fact that it’s arguably an ‘easy-listen’ and catchy makes it suitable for:

  • Spotify indie and alternative playlists
  • BBC introducing airplay
  • Opening live performances

Example two:

Loving for Two adopts a more storytelling, softer, melodic approach. The song is mainly piano and voice-focused, and was recorded in one single take, making it feel original and raw. The gentle instrumentation gives it a warmer overall tone. Harmonies play a key role, reflecting Lana Del Rey’s influence on Lara (the singer of this song).

This track highlights the band’s collaborative nature, where different members of the band take turns to sing their own songs. The emotional vulnerability of the lyrics contrasts with the other upbeat songs on their album, making them a band capable of depth as well as making playful, feel-good indie music.

‘Loving for Two’ appeals to listeners who engage with music on an emotional level and could be relatable to many teenagers – especially those who identify as queer – trying to navigate their relationships.

In terms of consumption patterns, it suits:

  • ‘Indie Pop’ & ‘Chill Indie’ playlists among artists like Lana Del Rey and Lizzy Mcalpine
  • Late-night listening contexts
  • Potential sync placements on TV or film

From an A&R standpoint, this song reinforces the band’s strong and diverse catalogue by adding emotional range, which makes them more attractive for a wider range of opportunities beyond streaming and live performance. They have not played this song live, and I believe it would be in their best interests to start ‘splitting up’ their set by implementing it. Although their ‘happier’ songs are taken well live, I think adding a calmer song would give listeners a chance to regain their energy and feel the different emotions, which I think is important in a live set, to then be full of energy for the last few songs.

Example three:

‘Ascoltami Ti Prego’ is one of their more experimental and adventurous tracks. The Italian lyrics already make the song different from other UK indie songs out there. The song blends indie-pop foundations with a Stevie Nicks, ‘powerful female vocal’ sound. It has accumulated over 33,000 streams, making it the band’s second most popular song.

The song reflects the band’s willingness to take creative risks and step outside the typical ‘indie’ norms. The track also highlights their playful approach to harmonies, songwriting and aligns with their multi-writer and multi-vocal structure.

This song is a valuable track from an A&R perspective because it:

  • Differentiates the band within a saturated indie market (especially in the North West/Leeds)
  • Appeals to niche and international listeners
  • Demonstrates artistic depth and originality

Overall Repertoire Evaluation

These three songs demonstrate that The Painted Ceilings already possess a strong and varied musical foundation, which is a key indicator of long-term potential. Rather than relying on a single sound or songwriting style, the band can operate across different emotional and stylistic spaces.

  • Caught Between Two Minds shows commercial accessibility and live appeal
  • ‘Loving for Two’ shows emotional depth and melodic songwriting
  • ‘Ascoltami Ti Prego’ shows experimentation and artistic individuality

Collectively, these three tracks demonstrate that this band possess versatility, creativity and awareness required to develop a sustainable career. The balance suggests strong potential for future growth when supported by a strategic, thoughtful A&R development.

Spotify for Artists wrapped

After speaking to the band, they sent over their data from their 2025 Spotify for Artists wrapped, which provided me with valuable insight into how audiences are discovering, consuming and engaging with their music. This data supports the argument I have been making about The Painted Ceilings acheiving early traction, validating their potential for further development.

For an emerging independent indie band, these figures indicate strong growth. The number of listeners compared to the streams suggests that a significant portion of the audience is discovering the band for the first time rather than repeatedly streaming a single track. This points towards effective playlist discovery and algorithmic exposure.

Reaching listeners in 83 different countries demonstrates international reach (perhaps due to ‘Ascoltami Ti Prego). This supports the idea that their sound is diverse and translates beyond their local audience and fits global indie consumption trends.

‘Caught Between Two Minds’ functions as their ‘break-through’ track with over 22k streams. This helps the band to have a strong reference point for their future releases, and as an A&R representative, I would encourage the band to continue to focus on these catchy, feel-good, guitar-led tunes. This track should be used as a benchmark for future repertoire development, especially in terms of structure, tempo and accessibility.

Playlist inclusion and Discovery

Having been added to 1.3K playlists is an indicator of success for a band that is so early in its career. Playlist placement is one of the main methods of music discovery on Spotify which suggests that:

  • The band’s songs are being shared organically
  • Their music fits well within indie contexts/amongst other similar/more famous artists
  • Spotify’s algorithm is acknowledging the listener interest

From a business perspective, this again shows the importance of:

  • Maintaining consistent releases
  • Pitching effectively through Spotify for Artists
  • Building relationships with independent playlist curators

Audience consumption patterns

The data from their Spotify Wrapped implies that The Painted Ceilings’ audience is:

  • discovery-driven as opposed to fan-driven
  • international and playlist focused
  • engaging with both accessible and experimental material

These align with contemporary indie consumption habits, where listeners explore music through Spotify playlists rather than loyalty alone. Speaking as an indie fan, I can confirm that I discover new music by visiting a specific artist’s radio or mix on Spotify to find new artists. The way the band are performing in this element shows that their sound is well-suited to digital listeners behaviour.

A&R Evaluation and Development Implications

Their Spotify recap supports the following conclusions:

Strengths:

  • Proves audience interesr
  • Strong lead track performance
  • International reach
  • Playlist-friendly sound
  • Willingness to experiemnt without alienatiing listeners

Development Opportunities:

  • Capitalise on the success of ‘Caught Between Two Minds’ and continue to release similar, high-energy singles
  • Increase content output around top-performing tracks (behind the scenes, acoustic versions, live clips, meet the band etc)
  • Focus on converting casual listeners into long-term fans through social media and live performance

Artist Development Plan

Social media presence

In the modern music industry, social media platforms play a key role in artist discovery. A&R Representatives like to see a clear, visual direction online and statistics to show that their fan base is growing. After viewing their Instagram and TikTok profiles, I can immediately see that there is an imbalance between platforms, highlighting both existing strengths and significant areas for development.

The Painted Ceilings’ Instagram account currently has 1,680 followers with only four posts visible on the profile grid, implying that they do not post consistently. Despite the low amount of posts, the visual quality of the content is high. The imagery is cohesive and represents them well as a band, which I would describe as fun and ‘teen-centred’. The band portraits and location-based photos reflect the band’s indie aesthetic. The use of natural lighting, candid poses and outdoor settings reinforces authenticity, which is highly valued in the indie community.

Despite this, their Instagram is underutilised from an A&R perspective. The low posting frequency creates the impression of inactivity and doesn’t reflect the band’s level of musical output or success on streaming platforms. There is a lack of audience engagement, including stories/Reels, as well as calls to action directing followers to streaming platforms. A link tree would be a good way to direct fans to their merch/streaming platforms/YouTube.

The Painted Ceilings’ TikTok presence is more active and more commercially promising. The band’s TikTok has over 5k followers and over 41,600 likes in total, indicating strong audience engagement. Several videos have achieved high view counts, with some exceeding 200,000 views.

The content strategy on TikTok is informal, humorous and personality-driven. Videos often introduce them as ‘a small band from the Wirral’, directly appealing to TikTok’s preference for authenticity. Performance clips, rehearsal footage and short songwriting moments align well with indie consumption trends, as they give a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look for fans. They could continue to grow their TikTok by adding more videos of them talking, as knowing them first-hand, I think their bubbly, fun personalities would benefit them massively on a platform like TikTok.

Overall, The Painted Ceilings’ social media presence reflects an emerging band in transition. Their TikTok success demonstrates strong audience appeal and alignment with indie, modern consumption patterns, while their Instagram shows a clear area for growth. However, this imbalance does not undermine the band’s potential but represents a strategic opportunity to create a powerful tool for amplifying their existing musical success and supporting sustainable artist development.

Branding and Identity

As discussed with their social media, The Painted Ceilings’ require clearer and more consistent visual identity. The development actions I would take are to:

  • Establish a cohesive colour palette and visual aesthetic
  • Emphasise their collaborative identity and personalities
  • Collab with other artists and post on social media
  • Use imagery that reflects regional identity (Wirral/Liverpool/Merseyside)

This approach is both affordable and effective when working with student creatives who may not have access to the most expensive tech.

To sort out their social media, I would propose that they:

  • Start posting more regularly (3-5 posts a week)
  • Post hort-form bideo content (Reels, TikTok)
  • Post BTS rehearsal and songwriting content (e.g. rough acoustic recordings of songs off their debut album)
  • Post member-led content to showcase individual personalities

This strategy aligns with contemporary indie consumption habits and again requires minimal financial investment.

Release and Repertoire Strategy

After speaking with the band, they mentioned that they have a few songs written, ready to record. Future releases should build on the success of ‘Caught Between Two Minds’ while maintaining variety.

I would encourage them to:

  • Release singles every 8-10 weeks until they gain a strong fan base
  • Alternate between energetic and melodic tracks
  • Use data from previoys releases to inform decisions

Their top 3 songs in 2025 were Caught Between Two Minds, Ascoltami Ti Prego, and You’re 23, which are all high-energy songs that they perform live. I strongly believe that Loving for Two could be a lot more popular if they started performing it live. Consistency is essential for maintaining algorithmic visibility.

Live Performance Development

A link to a full live performance of ‘Paranoid’ by The Painted Ceilings is attached below:

This is the opening song to their supporting set at Manchester for The Florentines. This offers valuable insight into how The Painted Ceilings present themselves on stage and how their music functions beyond the studio environment. Live performances does not only reflect the band’s technical abilities but also their potential to grow fanbase and generate revenue.

In the video, the band’s instrumentation is delivered with a level of competence that reflects careful rehearsal and musical cohesion. The guitar tones are clear, the rhythm section is tight and the vocal harmonies retain melodic coherence. This shows that the band are capable of rendering their material live in a way that resonates with audiences which is crucial for indie bands.

How a band interacts with their audience is very important. I believe that a band should perform every time as if it’s a sold-out gig. The Painted Ceilings exhibit a natural stage presence that balances focus on musical delivery with subtle, authentic engagement. Jack does most of the communication through brief gestures and expresses thanks to the audience for seeing them.

From a commercial standpoint, there is room for refinement. A more deliberate visual identity could be used to their advantage, whether that be through lighting, coordinated outfits or more staging suited to them. This could make their future performances more marketable for social media and the press. Elevating these visual elements and potentially creating a niche that they stick to could support broader audience engagement and stronger branding. For example, ‘The Dare’ wears sunglasses and a suit for every performance, and that is what people think of when they think of him. With EsDeeKid, he wears ’emo’ style clothes and hides his face. These two artists have gained exposure through recent months and years by having a subtle niche that they play on, making fans of their genre talk about them.

Several implications emeerge from this live performance analysis:

  • Touring potential – the band’s musical competence and stage presenece indicate a readiness for more frequent live bookings
  • Audience building – their performance style aligns with indie community expectations which can lead to loyal followings
  • Content strategy – live footage from their performance can be repurposed for social media content to address their current weaknesses on social media
  • Brand differentiation – while musically strong, enhancing visual identity/gaining a niche could increase market appeal and recognisability

Live performance remains central to indie music culture, as well as being the main source of income for bands now that streaming has become so popular. The actions I believe the band should take are:

  • Secure regular slots at grassroot venues
  • Expand performances beyond Merseyside/Leeds
  • Apply for BBC introducing sessions and festivals like Green Man, Isle of Wight etc
  • Get in touch with promoters and network through other artists
  • Try and get more support slots

Weaknesses and areas for improvement

  • Weak social media presence could be fixed by structured content planning and increased consistency
  • Financial constraints could be worked out as one of the members attends Leeds Conservatoire, so is in contact with many other artists who may be able to get in contact with upcoming business students for things like photography, promotion, marketing and general collaborations
  • Market saturation is a potential issue, however they could emphasise their multi-vocal identity and experimentation
  • Identity clarity could be confirmed by them maintaining sonic cohesion through their production choices

Product Evaluation

The Painted Ceilings’ existing catalogue demonstrates strong artistic quality and commercial potential. Their music is well-suited to contemporary indie consumption patterns, while offering room for further development. Their music reflects a strong understanding of melody, structure and genre conventions and also incorporates elements like collaborative songwriting and stylistic variation. This balance allows their work to resonate with listeners who value both familiarity and originality. Their catalogue aligns well with contemporary indie consumption patterns, particularly within playlist-driven streaming culture, where accessible yet characterful songs perform strongly. The diversity within their catalogue suggests significant scope for further artistic and strategic development, to enable the band to refine their sound and expand their audience without sacrificing their authenticity.

Process Evaluation

This project applied A&R principles by integrating genre analysis, audience data and creative vision. In my process, I have thought about artistic intuition as well as commercial awareness, reflecting real-world industry practise. Creative judgment was applied when evaluating the band’s musical identity and potential directions, as well as commercially guided decisions relating to market positioning and audience development. This acknowledges the ongoing tension between creativity and commerciality, and how A&R seeks to align the two rather than prioritising one.

Conclusion

The Painted Ceilings represent a captivating example of an emerging indie band with both artistic credibility and measurable market potential. Alfie Skelly (manager of Liverpool artist Jamie Webster) approached the band when they started performing live and got them a few live performances in Manchester. This proves that their vision is being seen by important figures in the indie scene already, which, as an A&R representative, gives more credibility and reason as to why I would take on the band from a business perspective. Their success on streaming platforms, combined with their collaborative identity and willingness to experiment, positions them well for future growth,

However, to release the band’s full potential, strategic A&R intervention is required in relation to branding, social media and release planning. With focused development and output, The Painted Ceilings could transition from a promising emerging act into a sustainable presence within the modern UK indie landscape.