While it’s common knowledge that the music industry is not receptive to new artists, there are also problems peculiar to just independent music artists. On the surface, the biggest problem facing independent music is the quest to conquer the music industry. It’s a tall order, but there is already a power shift.
Looking deeper, the biggest problem with independent music can be categorized into three; marketing, creative, and technical. While these problems are interwoven, they are standalone problems that can affect indie artists.
The Creative Dilemma
In the bigger industry, music follows a specific stereotyped template. As an indie artist, you’ll need to step out of the box and stand out. The dilemma for numerous indie artists is the effort to attain normalcy and yet, not alienate your audience.
What’s the line between weird and normal? That’s the line most indie artists struggle to identify. In the quest to be unique, numerous indie artists cross the line.
The Marketing Mix
Aside from the issue surrounding the creative liberty of indie artists, there’s a lot of marketing-related concerns for an indie artist. This poses a considerable problem for most of these artists who need to pay bills and yet struggle to make ends meet.
To be factual, money will always be a problem for independent artists and even for most musicians. There will always be growing expenses for musicians, and this needs to be sorted without any record label. This problem is, however, becoming sorted with the growth in the acceptance of streaming services.
Filling The Technical Void
As an indie artist, you’ve got to have a perfect understanding of what you are doing, or at least be ready to learn. It’s quite normal if all you can do is paly a few chords on the guitar, be sure you are investing the right effort as an artist.
Don’t outdo yourself with the technicalities; stick with only what you can handle.
Final Thoughts
Working in the creative industry requires you to put on hard skin. As an indie artist, don’t expect to have it easier. Daily, you’ll need to learn to manage your problems. On your way to succeed as an independent artist, you’ll come across disappointment and rejections, learn from it, and move on.
Don’t forget to keep building your profile, even if you get zero response to your music demos.
